5/3/1 w/WSFSB III Assist Template: Week 5 Bench Press

Hammer ISO Super Incline Press: 25x12, 30x10, 40x8, 45x6, 55x5, 60x5x2, 65x6 (Rep Out Set)

Assisted Dip Machine: 90 lbs assist x 10 x 2

Assisted Chinups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 5 sets of 5

Hammer ISO Rows (Elbows Up): 75x12x4

Behind The Back Shrug: 100x13x4

Preacher Curls: 50x11x4

5/3/1 w/WSFSB III Assist Template: Week 4 Squat

12" Front Box Squat: 50x12, 65x10, 80x8, 100x6, 115x5, 120x5, 130x5, 140x6 (Rep Out Set)

Hammer Calf Machine: 110x12x4

Assisted Pistols (Average Bands): 4 sets of 4

45-Degree Hyper: 4 sets of 12

Leg Curls: 90x10x4

Lying Leg Lifts: 3 sets of 15

Assisted Situps (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 3 sets of 15

5/3/1 w/WSFSB III Assist Template: Week 4 Military Press

Behind The Neck Press: 45x12, 55x10, 65x8, 75x6, 90x5, 95x5, 100x5, 110x5 (Rep Out Set)

Assisted Pullups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): Rep out set to 6 reps, then 3 sets of 5

Hammer ISO High Rows: 70x12x4

Tri-Set:
Trap Bar Shrugs: 106x11x3
Pushups w/Feet Inclined 4": 3 sets of 19, 16, 12 reps
Reverse Curls: 50x9x3

Wrist Roller: 10x3, 10x2x2

5/3/1 w/WSFSB III Assist Template: Week 4 Bench/Deadlift

I've been pretty lazy this week, and sleeping like shit.  And today was Thanksgiving.  So I did two days of workouts in one day (took me 2.5 hours), then took a good shower and ate what must have been my smartest Thanksgiving meal ever.  Either my stomach is smaller, or I wasn't that hungry, or I was afraid of what would happen if I pigged out. 

As of today, 25 days and a wakeup left in Djibouti.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Hammer ISO Super Incline Press: 25x12, 30x10, 40x8, 45x6, 55x5, 60x5, 60x5, 65x6 (Rep Out Set)

Assisted Chinups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 1 set of 6, 3 sets of 5.  The band combination was the next weakest down from the average band.  As I did before, the first set was a rep out set, then I left one in the tank for the other sets.

Sumo Deadlift: 115x8, 135x6, 160x5, 170x5, 180x5, 195x8 (Rep Out Set)

Hammer Calf Machine: 100x15x3

Assisted Dip Machine: 105 lbs assist x 12 (felt too easy), 30 lbs of assist x 2 (weighed myself with shoes, lunch in my gut, ipod, and headphones at 223 pounds, Brzycki's formula came up with a 198 pounds computed max), 90 lbs assist x 10 x 2.

Hammer ISO Row (Elbows Up): 75x12x4

Bulgarian Split Squats w/Front Feet Elevated: BWT x 12 x 3.  Am not only continuing to gain reps, but it is now getting easier to hit depth.

Preacher Curls: 50x10x4

Behind The Back Shrugs: 100x12x4

Lying Leg Lifts: 3 sets of 14.  I felt as if I needed something to do besides assisted situps, and these felt safe enough.  No long pauses at the bottom, controlled motion, and no hip thrusts towards the ceiling.

Assisted Situps (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 3 sets of 15.

5/3/1 w/WSFSB III Assist Template: Week 3 Squat

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

12" Front Box Squat: 45x12, 60x10, 75x8, 90x6, 105x5, 115x5, 120x5, 130x7 (Rep Out Set).

Hammer Calf Machine: 175x2x12

Assisted Pistols (Average band): 4 sets of 4

45-degree Hyper: BWT x 11 x 4. One more rep per set than last week.

Leg Curls: worked up to a 120 lbs 5-RM

Assisted Situps (Average Bands): 4 sets of 21

5/3/1 w/WSFSB III Assist Template: Week 3 Military Press

All notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Behind The Neck Press: 45x12, 50x10, 60x8, 75x6, 85x5, 90x5, 100x5, 105x8.  Took me two weeks but I finally got my extra rep with 105 pounds.  Yes, it was THAT important!!!

Assisted Pullups (Average Band): 6 sets of 5

Hammer ISO High Rows: 60x14x4. 1 more rep per set than last week.
Pushups w/Feet Inclined 4": 4 sets of 18, 15, 11, and 8 reps.

Superset:

Trap Bar Shrugs: 96x11x4
Reverse Curls: 40x11x4

Wrist Roller: 10x3, 10x2x3. 

Payday!!!

Situps: 43
Pushups: 34
1.5 Mile Run: 13:29
Grade: Satisfactory High

Not the greatest I've ever done on the Navy physical readiness test (PRT), but I was happy.  Of course, I was nervous for the days leading up to the PRT:  I had started run/walking just 2 weeks before, 2-3 times a week on turf.  Running sucks, but it sure is effective and a lot less boring than the elliptical.  And I wasn't sure about how much my gym work, particularly my assisted work, would translate into more reps with bodyweight stuff after 3 weeks.  And more importantly, I was worried about my abs not being strong enough to take it: warfare pin or not if I so much as felt or heard something tearing, I was ready to quit.

I had looked in the OPNAVINST 6110.1H, the Navy's physical readiness instruction to see what I would need to hit just to pass . . . . . that's it.  For a satisfactory-medium grade I just needed 40 situps, 33 pushups, and a 14:45 1.5 mile run.  And that was all I was going to go for, to be on the safe side. I'm happy to say that with every rep being as deliberate as I could make it, my goal for the situps and pushups was right on the money.  The run was not easy: I paced off of someone who eventually finished with a 12:30 run so I ran the first half strong, and struggled on the second half but sprinted enough on the end to save me.  I think that being 18 pounds lighter than on my last PRT (January 2008) didn't hurt, either.  I was so out of breath but my abs felt normal, so it was a winded sigh of relief for me.

The situps were graded SATISFACTORY HIGH and the pushups were graded SATISFACTORY LOW.  The run was graded GOOD LOW, so I got an overall grade of SATISFACTORY HIGH.  A little better than planned, and I can only get better . . . . .

Slowly;)

Past 24 hours

Today was weigh-ins and bodyfat testing for Navy personnel.  While I had all the hope in the world to pass I took no chances, especially since I just started back up again recently.  So I did today's workout (sumo deadlifts) last night w/ a few extra sets thrown in for good measure.  Since I knew the neck measurement would be my trump card, I did my upper body day today.  My last meal last night was a cup of coffee with 30 grams of chocolate whey protein thrown in, to keep my stomach empty and cut the carbs while the workouts did the rest.  I got up this morning at 4, to do the workout - - - measurement was at 7-9AM.  I weighed in at 212 pounds, which was 10 pounds more than I weighed when I left Germany in October.  My neck was 17 inches with a 38 abdominal measure, or 22% bodyfat by Navy standards.  Fine by me.

Right now, I just want to take a nap.

All notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Yesterday:
Sumo Deadlifts: 115x8, 135x6, 155x5, 165x5, 180x5, 190x8 (Rep Out Set).  One more rep than last week.

Hammer Calf Machine: 170x4x7

Bulgarian Split Squat w/Front Feet Elevated: BWT x 11 x 3.  1 more rep per set this week. 

Assisted GHR (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 4 sets of 7.  Almost as many reps as last week but with less band tension.

Assisted Situp (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 4 sets of 19.  Payday.

Behind The Back Shrug: 120x8x5.  Didn't have to do this but I thought I would just to slam the yoke for measurement day.

Today:

Hammer ISO Super Incline Press: 25x12, 30x10, 35x8, 45x6, 50x5, 55x5, 60x5, 60x8 (Rep Out Set).  One more rep than last week.

Assisted Chinups (Average Band): 6 sets of 5

Assisted Dips: 105 pounds of assist for 3 sets of 11.  Almost as many reps as with the 120 pounds assist.

Hammer ISO Rows (Elbows Out): 80x10x4

Behind The Back Shrug: 95x10x4.  This time it was done on a Smith machine, for more reps.

Superset:
Preacher Curls: 50x8x4
Wrist Roller: 15x1x4

5/3/1 w/WSFSB III Assist Template: Week 2 Squat

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

12" Front Box Squat: 45x12, 60x10, 75x8, 90x6, 105x5, 120x3, 135x2, 150x1, 165x2 (Rep Out Set).  I didn't do them last week, I didn't want to run in the evening, and I wanted to see where I really was vice guessing.  So, I didn't do the single leg work and I put my effort into doing the front squats.  My guess was pretty much on the money: when I started training again, I had guessed a 165 front squat at 12" height and I got two reps with it in the second week.  Felt good to squat again even if I had no pop, and my abs held out pretty good.  But no more test, just to be safe.

Hammer Calf Machine: 155x6x5

45-degree Hyper: BWT x 10 x 4.  One more rep per set than last week.

Leg Curls: 75x12x4

Assisted Situps (Average Bands): 4 sets of 18

5/3/1 w/WSFSB III Assist Template: Week 2 Military Press

All notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Behind The Neck Press: 45x12, 50x10, 60x8, 75x6, 85x5, 90x5, 100x5, 105x7.  Did not get the extra rep I wanted, but there is next week.

Assisted Pullups (Average Band): 5 sets of 5

Hammer ISO High Rows: 60x13x4.  1 more rep per set than last week. 

Pushups w/Feet Inclined 2": 3 sets of 18, 15, 11 reps.  I actually did better than last week with my feet on the floor, and these felt harder still.  This made me feel vindicated for not getting that extra rep on the shoulder presses.

Superset:
Trap Bar Shrugs: 96x11x4
Reverse Curls: 40x10x4

Wrist Roller: 10x3, 10x2x2.  Once I can get three reps for all sets, the weight will go up slightly.

5/3/1 w/WSFSB III Assist Template: Week 2 Deadlift

Today was like payday for me.  As I've said before, I either want to add weight or add reps and today I got some.  Pain-free.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Sumo Deadlift: 115x8, 135x6, 155x5, 165x5, 180x5, 190x7 (Rep Out Set).  Smooth, and my inner thighs didn't strain.

Hammer Calf Machine: 140x8x4.  Since my calves are lagging, this is about the only lift right now where the weight will vary from light to heavy.

Bulgarian Split Squat w/Front Feet Elevated: BWT x 10 x 3.  1 rep more per set than last week, and the rust wasn't there.

Assisted Situps (Average Band): 3 sets of 18.  3 more reps per set than last week . . . . hurrah!  Next week, I think it's time to switch to a light band/monster mini band combo.

Assisted GHR (Average Band): 3 sets of 10.  1 more rep per set than last week.  Like the situps, It's time to lower the band assistance.

5/3/1 w/WSFSB III Assist Template: Week 2 Bench Press

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Hammer ISO Super Incline Press: 25x12, 30x10, 35x8, 45x6, 50x5, 55x5, 60x5, 60x7 (Rep Out Set).  One more rep than last week.  Hurrah!

Assisted Dip Machine: 120 pounds assistance x 13 reps x 2.  No increase in reps but, then again, I weighed 5 pounds more than last time.  Weak excuse, but I'm sticking to it;)

Assisted Chinups (Average Bands): 5 sets of 5.  Rather than up the reps, I upped the sets.

Hammer ISO Rows (Elbows Up): 60x12x4

Preacher Curls: 40x13x4.  Upped the reps instead of the weight.

Behind The Back Shrug: 80x15x4

5/3/1 w/WSFSB III Assist Template: Week 1 Squat

Being that this was my first week back in the weightroom, the deadlift day crucified my legs.  Today I was almost recovered from it, but my inner thighs were shot from the sumos.  So I skipped the front squats today as a precaution and attempted 6 sets of 3 on the assisted pistols w/average bands.  I managed to get 5 sets: on the 6th, I had nothing left to control my descent.

45-degree Hyper: 4 sets of 9.  I was worried about these, since I'm still babying my abs.  But my abs are starting to come around and these went pain free.  If anything, my lower back needs the work: I got a pump just from the first set.

Leg Curls: worked up to 90 pounds for 5 reps and a 105 pound 2RM.

Hammer Calf Machine: 110 for 5 sets of 10.

Assisted Situps (Average Band): 3 sets of 15.  Hurt and burned less today, even when I was more deliberate, so my abs are starting to wake up.  Note: these are done on a slant board, just because they lock my legs up solid.

5/3/1 w/WSFSB III Assist Template: Week 1 Military Press

All Notation: weights x reps x sets

Behind The Neck Press: 45x12, 50x10, 60x8, 75x6, 85x5, 90x5, 100x5, 105x7 (Rep Out Set)

Assisted Pullup (Average Bands): 1 set of 6, 3 sets of 5

Hammer ISO High Rows: 60x12x4

Pushups: 3 sets of 15, 12, 9 reps

Superset:
Trap Bar Shrugs: 96x10x3
Reverse Curls: 40x9x3

Wrist Roller: 10x2x3

5/3/1 w/WSFSB III Assist Template: Week 1 DL

Sumo Deadlift: I had guessed last week that 240 would be my max and I guessed good.  I slowly and carefully worked up to a 225 3RM (Brzycki's Formula calculates that to 240) not because I wanted to, but because I thought I might be able to nail the 5RM. This, after a 205x5 set. 

Hammer Calf Machine: Worked up to a 180 3RM.

Bulgarian Split Squats w/Front Foot Elevated: 3 sets of 9 w/BWT.  Rusty, very rusty.  Didn't even need weight and my legs were on fire.

Assisted GHR (Average Band): 3 sets of 8.  After this, my legs felt tingly in a good way.   Heck, I could have skipped the deadlifts and situps and leg day would have still felt like a success.

Assisted Situp (Average Band): 3 sets of 15.  The first set, I felt a little burn where the incision on my abs was done.  After that, it was less.  I know if I fire up some muscles that I haven't used in a while that I will feel it, I am leaving what I think may be a rep or two in the tank.

Yeah, I'm weak all over!!!

Baby Steps

It felt like Christmas Eve.  You know, when you're anticipating what is under the tree, what is in the box.  It has been just about 6 weeks post-op, and I was hyped.  A little subdued, too.  First day back in the gym today.

During the week, though, I had started to assess where was strength wise and range of motion wise.  I wanted to start on the right foot.  I didn't do full workouts, just test of some lifts with light weights and extra care in technique.  It was another lesson in having to eat humble pie: in the bench press, I could only triple 155 pounds, about 60-70 pounds less than my competition max (This is what surgery and very rapid weight loss will do to you).  And it took a lot of focus from me to do it, my abs let me know about it but not too bad.  I can now do one chinup but I had to be very careful doing it and I was contracting my abs from the very beginning.  I tried the ab crunch machines but they just didn't do it for me, and I couldn't get a feel for ab pulldowns.  So, brainstorming and having my green bands with me today, I tried to do incline situps with a green band over each shoulder and attached to the apparatus (I will try to film this). Eureka, it gave me just the right amount of assistance to take the initial jarring out of it.

Rather than spend this post explaining the structure of this workout, I will reveal it little by little. I am following Westside for Skinny Bastards III template: I'm trying to get muscle back but with less weight and more conditioning and the higher rep range for the assist work will accomplish that.  As Murph suggested, I am doing 5/3/1 for the main movement minus the 3 and the 1, to ease my body back and not fuck up the surgeon's work.  A few more machines here, for stability.  Less training to failure.

Let's do it.

All Notation: weight x reps x sets.

Hammer ISO Super Incline Press (weight is per movement arm): 30x12, 40x10, 45x8, 50x6, 55x5, 60x5, 60x6 (Rep Out Set).  Safer than the bench for now, and I get to work each side individually.

Assisted Dip Machine: repped out at 13 and 12 reps with 120 pounds of assistance (so I was only lifting 88 pounds).  When I can get 15 reps per set, I'll decrease the assistance.

Assisted Chinups (Average Band): 1 set of 6 reps, 3 sets of 5 reps.  With the average band to start with, I had no ab pain.  I didn't try to crank them out: I took it nice and easy, with a dead hang each rep.  The first set was to see how many I could do, then I left one in the tank for the other sets.  As my body adjusts, I'll switch to weaker bands.

Hammer ISO Rows (Elbows Up)(weight is per movement arm): 55x12x4.  In WSFSB, this movement should have been a rear delt movement instead but since I wanted to get muscle back, I wanted to move more weight.  So the second back movement will be a row, chest supported.

Behind The Back Shrugs: 80x15x4.  I didn't want to test every lift, as this was a sure route to get injured.  I have a structural balance spreadsheet with how all my lifts compare with the bench at its most optimal (I had to go through all my workouts to crunch the numbers).  So I computed a 165 1RM for the bench (155x3) using Brzycki's Formula, and the spreadsheet computes the max for the other lifts then I just figure the sets out from there.

Preacher Curls: 40x12x4

The workout went great.  No pain, didn't tear up anything, felt blissfully exhausted.  Now, we'll see how leg day goes.

Day 4: July 12-Restoration

Today, we said goodbye to Christian Burger. Woke up early and gave him a ride to the train station for a 3+ hour train ride to Helsinki. Christian, I really wish you could have stayed at least one more day. For good conversation over some beers, to hear more about your travels or to talk shop. And because of today's "restoration" workout.  If you do The Gathering 2010, stick around for it.

I was pretty sore and not too eager at first: legs and entire backside was shot.  But Kris said this would be good for me.  We set up the Buffalo Bar and a burst-proof ball (I asked Kris about that and he promised, but he promised the candies were tasty so, you know. . . . ) and basically squatted to the ball for reps with light weight.  This actually hit the spot: I had a more gradual stop at the bottom and a bit of bounce out of the bottom to help me up,  I had a good pump out of it, legs actually felt better.  Even after we started adding chains to it, and a bit more weight.  The Buffalo Bar is everything Louie Simmons says it is: not tlike the Safety Squat Bar, but it was definitely easier on the upper body.

We then started to do bench presses with weight releasers, which I have never done before.  For the uninitiated, look at the pictures: it is a rod that attaches to the bar, with weight attached at the bottom.  It essentially increases the eccentric portion of the lift and when the bottom part of the releaser touches the ground, it pops off, but your body still thinks that the extra weight is on so you explode AND THEN SOME.  Kris, Mans, and I did a few sets with just the weight releasers just to get a feel for it: I have got to get a pair of these.  And then we went gonzo with it, to the point where you wonder where the restorative part was.  We added monster minibands and chains to the setup: the article that describes this better than I ever could was written by Dave Tate for T-Nation and can be found at  Dave Tate's Tool Box #6. Essentially, you would be lifting with almost 140% of your max at the top, the weight at your chest before weight releaser drop-off will be around 80-85% of your raw max. After drop-off this will drop to around 55-60%. The reloaded weight at the end of the press will finish up around 70% of your best raw max (the reason for the chains).  The bands slow down the explosion from the bottom.

One of the pictures is the final setup that we worked up to.  Kris would have to tell me what the weight was on there because it was in Kilos.  I will tell you that, if memory serves me right, Mans might have been the only one to finish it and it didn't come easy.  I wish I had videotaped when I attempted it.  I needed a liftoff and when the bands engaged (HOLY CRAP!!!), I controlled it like a champ on the way down and that was it.  The funny part came when Kris and Mans where yelling at me to lift it and I squeaked out, "I CAN'T!!!"  The bar would not budge, and they had to take it off of me.

Note (posted today 24OCT2009): I grabbed this from the comments section, Kris just left it and it describes this setup (thanks Kris): The weight on the bench? Well, 70kg/154lbs straight weight, 10kg/22lbs on the weight releasers... each... for a total of about 25kg/55lbs, two pairs of these chains aside add about 6.5 kg/14 lbs according to my calculations... we had three pairs at each end so that's a total of 10kg/22lbs at lockout (and a few kilos at the bottom)... finally, the minis should add about 40kg/90lbs extra at the top (and about half that at the chest). So roughly 145kg/320lbs when unracking, about 93kg/205lbs at the chest after the releasers popped off and then 120kg/265lbs at lockout. Good isometrics right there.

The last thing we did was band rows from the top of the rack using the monster mni bands.  These felt great, too, not the asskicker that was the bench.

One of the other things notable about the day was a trip we took to Kris' old dojo.  If you ever sneaked around in the woods as a kid looking for treasure or playing Manhunt, this was like that with some SPEC OPS flavor thrown in.  As Kris and Mans explained, the remains of the dojo was a boat trip away at an old friend's house.  The family that owned the house was away and some people who were renovating the house was watching it.  They hadn't done too good of a job because it looked like it was in a state of disrepair but we had to make sure that they were not outside to see us.  So we made one pass to recon the area and after we found the coast to be clear, we went back.  As we approached the are, Kris put the engines on low and we gently coasted to a nice landing spot.  We carefully parked the boat, then snuck through the woods silently until we had reached the spot.  Wish I had my camera for the place: it was a makeshift tent made of tarp and lumber.  Time had taken it's toll on it, with so much  growth on the roof that I was afraid to step inside.  Kris went in and showed that a lot of the dojo stuff like posters still remained.  After that, we snuck out and carefully made our way back to the cottage for some dinner and for Kris to do some more coding work. 

Day 3: Virtualmeet - July 11

For meet videos, best to see the video on Kris' site using this link: http://www.virtualmeet.net/meets/200907pl/

I did this since other people lifted besides us, and I think videos are better than still shots. So the pictures I post will be of other things.

So, what can I cover differently than that?

We all weighed in before breakfast: I weighed in at 213 pounds, Mans at 196 pounds, Christian at 205 pounds, Kris at 211 pounds. After weigh in, Mans and Kris prepared us a mix of yogurt, muesli, and vanilla/lemon protein powder (w/Casein and Whey) that was as much a healthy dessert as it was a great breakfast. Yummy! And of course there was the usual cheese, bread, butter, coffee, and jams. So much healthier than my last VirtualMeet meal of Burger King, Coke Slurpee, and energy drinks!!!

Being the considerate powerlifter that he is, Kris went around the other cottages in close proximity to tell (warn?) them that we would be having a powerlifting meet and that we would be playing some loud music, and he asked if there would be any issues. Issues? Nah: some of them even showed up to watch!!! That alone would guarantee some extra adrenaline flow. It was nice to have them and Kris' family watching.

As you could see from the photos, the setup was simple but extensive. Mans provided a high definition video camera, and had bought a nice Logitech speaker system w/subwoofer that brought the noise. Kris had a Panasonic digital camera that was mounted on a tripod to film video that would provide an alternate angle for the judges. 3 iPods for music. Lots of energy drinks, plus protein drinks for afterwards (Mans mixed 'em up). A calculator for me, so I could convert pounds to kilograms. Kris also let me use his weightlifting belt: I have a Valeo velcro one that I bought in 1994, and now I could see why a real belt is worth the investment.

Personally: maybe because this was a big meet for me and I wanted to see what I could do at a lighter weight (for VirtualMeet September 2007, I competed at 240 pounds.), I took a few risks that I probably shouldn't have. I usually open at 295 pounds but decided to give it a go at 308 even though my squat workouts had gotten worse in training, and got stapled on the first attempt. My ego bruised, and remembering that you can't lower attempts, I pushed all day on the second attempt and nailed it but we noticed afterward that I forgot to take off my warmup pants, so the lift was not legal. Imagine, spent to fuck and facing a bomb-out on the first lift at the Gathering, so I asked Kris if he could call depth for me. If it looks like I dive bombed it, I was just spent and decided to put my all into coming out of the hole. Success!!!

Based on my last training numbers, I played it safe this time and benched 220 with a good pause on my first attempt (I had not trained with a pause, stupid me). I nailed 231 pounds for a second attempt but was called for insufficient pause (I knew it was a no go). I should have stayed with that weight for a third attempt, because 242 only went halfway up. On the plus side, I based my training max for this 5/3/1 cycle on that 231.

Deadlift was also one of those lifts that gave me fits in training: I put too much time into deficit deadlifts, severely overtrained, and my bests prior to this in training was 335x3 on June 17 (conventional) and 345x1 on June 29 (reverse band conventional). So I decided on an opener of 363 pounds and would decide the other attempts based on how fast it went up. It went up so fast that I went for a 396 second attempt, and I got it. In retrospect, if I had played back the vid and seen how much lower back I used on that lift (a lot), I might have been more conservative on my third attempt (about 405). Instead, I went for broke on 418 pounds and barely nudged it.

I totaled 925.6 pounds. Per pound I was stronger than the last meet, a little bit of consolation for the fact that I lifted 45 pounds less than the last meet. I made so many training mistakes that I deserved what I got . . . . . and now know how to proceed with 5/3/1 this time.

That, and it was hella fun to do the meet here in Finland. Kris looked technically better in his lifts than I had seen in his last meet, especially his squats and deadlifts where he had a much better back arch (he hadn't trained much due to injury and work). Christian showed me how the IPF do: I would have killed for that 463 deadlift and I think if I hadn't mistakenly misloaded the right side of the bar on his second bench attempt (sorry, Christian), he would have tied Mans for best bench. Mans gave Christian a run for the money: for a guy who is more bodybuilder than powerlifter by his own admission, his lifts looked clean and effortless. Lastly, it rained as predicted but even the gods smiled, since it chose to rain after we had packed all the equipment away.

And, unlike past meets, we had a sauna to fix us up afterwards. I decided to follow Kris' advice and do a contrast: sauna followed by a dip in the "lake", 2 or 3 times. The lake part knocked the breath out of me, it was so damn cold!!! As Mans explained to me, since it was fed by the Baltic Sea, it was a sea and not a lake so the water was colder. After that (and running a bit of a fever that night), I pretty much stayed away from the sea/lake for the duration of my time in Finland.

The other 3 guys were almost non-chalant about the water.

Dinner was great, a barbecue and lots of beer. I had told Kris before I came to Finland that one of the things that I wanted to do was to break bread with his family, and this dinner exceeded my expectations. Kris' parents were way cool, and I also walked away thinking that as a whole Europeans travel a whole lot more than Americans do. Between all of us we have been to Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan, Tibet, China, America, Europe, and more . . . . lots of stories to go around.

After dinner, we went to work converting the video for upload, and Kris was probably the last to go to sleep that night since he was already at work coding for VirtualMeet.

Day 2: July 10

I slept solid, awakened by the sounds of Kris' adorable kids, Rufus and Renee playing. This is where I also met Saana, who had breakfast ready and was helping the kids get used to the stranger in the house . . . . . me. Turns out Saana also helps the kids with their computer skills, because they navigate the computer pretty good for their age. She is definitely the Ying to Kris' Yang, with lively eyes but an earthy demeanor. I should note that this was also my introduction to Finnish breakfasts: very simple stuff like eggs, bread and cheese, cut veggies, cloudberry and lingonberry jams, coffee. If you ever had the pulp from a passion fruit, then cloudberries are close to that, but less musky. The lingonberries are like cranberries but sweeter.

Today, we would meet up with Måns Rinne and pick up Christian Burger, flying in from Austria. If you look at Måns, you can tell who is the bodybuilder among us. Christian looked a little bigger than his 205 pounds, and he actually competes in the IPF. Both are very affable guys with Christian being warm but measured, and Måns being animated with mischievous eyes. Christian works for Siemens, which is one really huge company, and is very well traveled. We were able to hit it off right away since he has traveled to the States quite a bit.

After a stop at Chicos to get burgers, Måns and I went in one car and Kris and Christian went in another. From there it was on to the supermarket to stock up on stuff. Remember what I said about the Finns and their little hidden surprises? How about a supermarket that sells lifting chalk, ammonia, and kettlebells? Sweeet. Not so sweet was Måns introducing us to Salmiakki, or salted licorice. Christian was the first to try it and I wish I had videotaped it because the look on his face was classic: the look of disgust slowly evolved on his face with every suck, cracked me up. Not wanting to be left out of the suffering, I gave it a shot. Then I looked at the label to see what the cause of that ammonia tail in its taste was and sure enough it was ammonium chloride!?! What the hell?!? EVIL CANDIES!!! Everything else we bought was normal, energy drinks and grub.

Måns and I talked quite a bit. For one, his accent is so faint that you could almost confuse his accent for American (He has been there). Like Kris, he did compulsory military service (Military Police, Kris was a Field Engineer). He is also a personal trainer. And when I asked him if it was true about an ad I saw at a train station in Helsinki that said about Finns finding love at dances like waltzes and tangos, he mentioned that Kris and Saana met that way. Couple with the fact that he met his Emma through his only try at online dating and you wonder if anyone needs to ever be a pickup artist.

We made a stop in Rauma, to check out the Old Town, and what remained of a very old church that burned down to the ground. We also stopped by a really old bridge where Kris and Måns got us to try the Turkish Peber, which was like Salmiakki but it had hot chili pepper powder in the center. Ack!!! Candy is supposed to be SWEET!!!

Once we got to the pier in Vaasa, we loaded up the boat and took a nice boat ride to the cottage. There we met Kris' parents, and we took a tour of Toffee's Gym which was every bit as nice as we've seen on the Web. Måns and Kris then started taking off the oils that was protecting the bars and uncovering the racks. Kris then showed us all the equipment: Buffalo Bar, Safety Squat Bar, chains, bands, weight releasers, a Rolling Thunder lurking about plus other grip stuff, and a pit with additional weights that could be used for belt squats. Kris joked that it was supposed to be a dungeon for me before he had a change of heart;)

We were assigned cottages to sleep in and after a very good dinner, we went to sleep. Psyched up for the next day.

Day One - July 9th

If it wasn't because I knew I needed to get as much sleep as I could, I wouldn't have been able to get any. I was both excited and nervous in equal measure. Sometimes, I gather to meet someone else from the blogosphere is like meeting someone you see on the TV, almost surreal. And, in what would become one of our little jokes during the trip, the thought kept creeping in my head of Turistas, Hostel, Taken, and Craiglist.

But once I stepped off the plane and got my luggage, it was as if we knew each other all along. I recognized the face before the shirt!

From all the emails we had exchanged, Kris had remembered that I liked Sushi so he had made a reservation at Kabuki, in Helsinki. Until that reservation, he showed me a bit around Helsinki to most of the important places: railway station, bus stop to catch the airplane shuttle, some landmarks, movie theatre, the church that had Punttis Gym underneath it (the band was playing New Orleans-style jazz - - - cool!!!). Sometime during our walk, it started to drizzle but we made it to Kabuki, a Japanese restaurant with some Finnish Hockey Team gear on the walls. With the church jazz band and now this, Finland was already winning points for little surprises at every turn. And the food? Well, it tasted as good as the photo. Even the scallop nigiri, which I had never eaten before, was a revelation, as was the green tea ice cream. Aside from talking about the meet to come and the road trip, Kris started filling me in what he was doing for the second version of VirtualMeet. And later that night, once we got to his apartment (an Ikea furnished pad with one of those hidden refrigerators), he showed me the extent of all the coding work: by the time it goes live, it looks like it will have over 10K lines of code. He demonstrated the work needed to post page design, making the PM (private messaging) work, etc. It never ceases to amaze me how much work a programmer has to do, the attention to detail required, just to make a website easy to navigate and powerful to use for the rest of us. All this, while also doing coding work for IRC Galleria, the largest social network in Finland, rivaling even Facebook. Busy guy.

A side note: aside from showing me his collection of books, he showed me the kettlebells in his closet. I asked him if he was afraid that his kids might find them, and he said they've already lifted one of them. Even little Renee. Funny, it must be in the Finnish genetic code to lift heavy shit . . . . . .

"Must. Lift. Must. Lift."