Creation of an Explosive Mofo - My Training Journal :)

[coolcolj]

Thursday 29th December - Cycle 3 Get Lean+Maintain Strength - Week 1 - Day 3 - Energy Work - Microcycle 6

I was 211lbs before heading to the park. That's a good 4lbs heavier than I have been, but I felt stronger and the extra water in the body/muscles gave me more energy. I wasn't taxed as much after each set or run. Just felt different, so I must have been somewhat dehydrated most of the time before

Workout Rating - 8/10
Workout time - 35 mins

Warmup

warmup - dynamic stretches and swings, various hops in place in bare feet at home.

Slow Jog - 50m x 5 - 1.5 mins rest, 25-35secs duration each, getting faster and springy

Run complex increasing in speed each run to 50% speed - 1.5 mins rest

3 sets - trying to stay as smooth, relaxed and fluid as possible
25m prime times (stiffed legged runs), 10m straight run, then into lateral run, right side 5m, left side 5m, into backwards run 5m, then three 360 pivots runs

2 sets - 5 dropsquats (hammie to parallel) sitting back, focusing on activating the hammies + 5 easy vertical jumps, landing semi deep and absorb + 3 point start into 40m accleration runs to 70% speed - 1mins rest

then rest 3mins

Tempo Runs + Energy Work

200 metres - 180 degree turn at halfway @ 70% speed - from proper standing start

rest = 3 mins
3 runs all around 48+ secs

didn't get the quad pump I had the last 2 weeks, and definitely noticed the strength increases. Hammie had a extra spring/snap each stride. Arm drive, core and posture just felt a lot more solid. Just had a real good relaxed feeling in each run, and wasn't gassed and msucles pumped out like I normally am.

 

[coolcolj]

Thursday 29th December - Cycle 3 Get Lean+Maintain Strength - Week 1 - Day 3 - Upper + Lower Prehab - Microcycle 6

Did this 2 hours after the above running session. Didn't exactly feel all that great, but I made a decent session out of it.

Bodyweight is up 4lbs due to the all the water in my body/muscles, but my face looked much leaner. Regulars there are seem to notice it. Another 8 weeks of this and I should be much more lean-tastic, hopefully 8lbs lighter and then I'll taper back the water and that 4lbs increase should drop away too. But I'm keeping that ice cold water jug there for life - it's a keeper!

Bodyweight at gym - 213lbs
Workout time - 1.5+ hours
Workout rating - 8/10

General warmup -
1) dynamic swings etc
2) back extension BWx6 + 4 twisting to each alternate side
3) reverse hypers - BWx10
4) Situp complex on swiss ball
5) warmup complex with 30lb bar

Rotating Sets between each upper body exercise - all stopped short of failure

Resting 30secs to 1 min on warmup sets, and then 1min 40secs between each exercise


Shoulder width Pullups

warmups - Pulldowns 35kgx10, 50kg x5, 65kg x 3, Pullup x10sec hold + 5 scapular shrugs, Pullup BWx1

controlled
Rotation 1) BW x 11 + 1 partial
Rotation 2) BW x 8

Heavier bodyweight didn't exactly help, but it's feeling pretty easy now. That's never been the case at all for any type of chin or pullup!

Dip Shrugs

warmup - BW x 10sec hold + 5

2 sec hold at the top each rep
Rotation 1) BW x 19
Rotation 2) BW x 14

The ISO certainly cranks it up, massive serratus pump!

High angle rows - pulling with lower/mid traps and delts

warmups - 5kg x5, 15lbs x 5, 40lbs x 5

2 sec hold at the top each rep
Rotation 1) 50lbs x 11
Rotation 2) 50lbs x 9

Dumbell Front Raise to parallel - Thumbs up

warmups - 2kg x10

2 sec hold at the top each rep
Rotation 1) 5kg x 15
Rotation 2) 5kg x 11

Cable Rope Tricep pushdowns
warmups - 10kg x10, 15kg x5, 20kg x 5

Rotation 1) 25kg x 12
Rotation 2) 25kg x 9

Dumbell Curls
warmups - 2kgx10, 15lbs x5, 22lbs x3

Rotation 1) 30lbs x 16 (+1rep)
Rotation 2) 30lbs x 12

controlled the eccentric on the first rep, so might have gotten even more reps had I done it the way I normally did. Almost time to increase the load


Prehab/Restorative - 30secs to 1.5 min rests

Fullsquats BWx12, x 10 - just to warmup

Barbell Wide multi-direction lunge - 5 ways each leg, 4 reps each direction - 55lbs (+5lbs) kicked my ass!

Lat Machine Situps - BWx6, 25lbs x 3, 50lb dumbell on chest x 9 (+5lbs +1 rep) with 3sec ISO at the bottom of each rep

Hip abduction/adduction on Keiser air machine - Level 3/3 x12, level 4/4 x 30

Standing Single Leg curl - 4plates x 8, 7Px 15 deadstop, feet angled inwards - up a plate

Toe curls on lying leg curl machine - 1plate x 15, 1P x15, 3P x15

Single Arm face Pulls - Keeping shoulders down and back when pulling back, 1sec hold each rep - 70lbs x 15

Cuban Rotation Dumbell raises - 5kg x 15

Elbow on Knee L-Fyle External rotations - 3kg x 20


ISO Stretches - EQI

Pec/subscap stretched ISO hold - First I did subscap rotations - 5kg x20, then the stretch with 5kg dumbells x 1min

Lat stretched ISO hold on chin bar - leg supported x 1min

bunch of static stretches

 

[coolcolj]

Same deal with the sleep, but it's better today. A little achey, but not that sore.

weighed 93.8kg 206.36lbs straight out of bed in underwear

Bodyweight back down again. Hopefully by the end of the week I will see a clear trend. Didn't drink as much ice cold water yesterday due to training and such, about 9 litres I think

12min walk today.

 

[coolcolj]

Same deal with the sleep, but getting better and deeper.

weighed 94.8kg 208.56lbs straight out of bed in underwear
Holding a lot of water from dinner last night, I look puffy. Muscles are filling out from all the ice cold water and my skin/face is clearing up too, been having some acne there the last few weeks and it's all gone!

When I finished up at my part time job this morning, I chatted with the chick there. I don't usually get to talk to her much, but today we had a general chit chat about New Years Eve etc. She asked me if I will be drinking, and I said I only drink water, which kinda shocked her. She said "no wonder your healthy!" . She's quite a bit shorter than me was staring at my pecs quite a bit. Must be the t-shirt I was wearing today, they were sticking out a lot
Then she asked if I go to the gym, I said I trained twice a week - trying to lose some fat too. She said "your not fat, you have a flat stomach, my boyfriend has a big belly!" Then I grabbed a handful of fat from my stomach though my t-shirt and said I want to make this like the back of my hand. The chat went on a bit and she said that I'm solid and you don't want to get skinny etc
She said "who's the lucky girl, you don't drink, your healthy, you work out, and work hard?"

I've been getting a more of those kinds of look/stares and conversations lately. Seems to be related to my rising strength/muscle mass, tan from training outdoors and lowering of bodyfat levels....I don't even look anything like a Men's Fitness cover model.... yet

Guess my girlfriend is lucky - LOL

 

[coolcolj]

Crappy sleep thanks to New Years Eve sh*t and damn searing temps!

weighed 94kg 206.8lbs straight out of bed in underwear

6th day of ice cold water binging and I am looking noticeable leaner, especially in my face. Even if the scale hasn't moved much, but it should start to go down by the end of next week, unless I gain some muscle to offset that. Sure as hell beats dieting!

Not sure what I'll do today, but it's damn hot. Have to go to a lunch with girlfriend first then after that I'll see. Maybe some sub-maximal intervals or something similar to shift some calories. Not really in the mood to BBall.

 

[coolcolj]

Sunday 1st January - Cycle 3 Get Lean+Maintain Strength - Week 2 - Day 1 - BBALL - Microcycle 6

Absolutely scorching today with 40+ degree temps. Decided to BBall to keep my jumping and movement skills intact.

Bodyweight at home - 212lbs in shorts and t-shirt
Workout time - 35 mins
Session rating - 8/10

Warmed up at home with footwork drills and dynamic stretches and other stuff. Then went to court 3mins from home. Shot around for 10mins, but found it too slippery to do any explosive moves with authority. So I went to another court 5mins away, an old haunting ground. The ride there provide me with a bit of a rest and I was feeling really good by then. Ready to rock.

The vibe on this court was great. Probbaly why I used to play there a lot, Has a road kinda surface so grip was much better. Nobody there as expected.
Went all out from the get go, and didn't really notice the heat at all, except my black BBall shoes absorbing up some serious temps from the Sun

Pulled off some very explosive moves, and a new spin move thanks to all the 360 degree pivot drills I do at the park in my running warmup.
Well my bodyweight was 2lbs heavier than last week due to all the water, and 5lbs heavier then when I did my current highest jumps. But I was within an inch of those jumps today, so my power output has gone up!
Definite potential for some big gains to be made on my vertical jump when I switch back to a power/reactive work block next, if I keep pushing my leg strength up, and lean down to 200lbs. I figure at least 6 inches, just the bodyweight drop alone will net me most of that!

Only played 25mins there, but I went all out and left before I got tired. Great stamina, even with the extreme heat, and wasn't breathing all that hard.

 

[coolcolj]

Sleeping was hard thanks to the room feeling like an oven! Even when it did cool down outside, the room stayed warm. Not really all that sore, just my lower spinal erectors which feel a bit trashed up from the jump landings (leaning over too much I guess) and some glute. I also did a few "altitude drops" yesterday when I ran after the ball and hopped down from 2+feet sidewalk wall

weighed 93.7kg 206.14lbs straight out of bed in underwear
bodyweight down a smidge.

It's raining right now, but I'll see if I can squeeze in a walk today. Walks will most probably be longer this week, and using a more slopey route as I load up the posterior chain again.

 

[ChinkNasty]

hey colin, howd drinking all that ice water go for you? lose any weight?

 

[coolcolj]

hey colin, howd drinking all that ice water go for you? lose any weight?

well it's only been a week and a bit, so not much movement on the scale yet, but I really do look leaner. Pretty noticeable in my face, forearms and calves/ankle. I'm drinking about 10-12 litres a day average which is good for about a 400 calorie deficit if I'm eating maintenance, so technically I should be dropping a pound of fat every 9 days.
Check back in a month's time

You should be drinking a lot of water anyway when you want to lean up, so why not make it cold?

-------------------

Sleep is getting better, but still not continuous. feel a bit groggy. Posterior chain a bit achey from the walk yesterday

weighed 93.9kg 206.58lbs straight out of bed in underwear
Ugh bodyweight back up still hanging around the 94kg area, even though I'm looking trimmer. But it's only been a week and a bit

had a 20min brisk walk yesterday, half of it up a moderate slope.

 

[coolcolj]

Tuesday 3rd January - Cycle 3 Get Lean+Maintain Strength - Week 2 - Day 2 - Upper + Lower Strength - Microcycle 6

Disappointing workout. I wasn't feeling all that great leading up to the workout as well. I think the crappy sleep over the last week is catching up with me. Other than that I don't feel all feel beat up or anything.
This is getting frustrating, every time I start to get on a roll I hit a snag..
At least I'm looking leaner today.

Guess I'll just back off for a while and consolidate things as I focus on leaning up. I've been going all out for a while on the same general thing, time for a change. Looks like the low carb to depletion/ carb-up thing I had been doing is more effective than I thought for gains in all areas and recovery. I stopped doing it 2 weeks ago and things seem to have gone downhill a bit....
Diet is more important than I always give it credit for.

Bodyweight at gym - 211lbs
Workout time - 1 hour
Workout rating - 6/10

General warmup -
1) dynamic swings etc
2) reverse hypers - BWx10
3) back extension BWx6 + 6 twisting to each alternate side
4) situp complex on swissball
5) sitting in bottom of a narrow fullsquat for 40secs
6) adductor/hammie stretch into back tumbells x8
7) usual bar complex with 30lbs


Full Oly Back Squats - in Oly Shoes - RAW

Warmups - explosive and divebombed the last few reps of each set up to 185lbs (except frontsquats more controlled down), then just controlled down and explode up on the heavier stuff
rest - 1min between earlier sets, 2-3mins between later sets
BWx8, Bar x5, 95x5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x4, 255x2, 285x2, 325x1
Frontsquat - Bar x5, 95x5, 135x3, 185x3
Wide stance fullsquats - Bar x5, 95x5,

Controlled down, 3 sec Hold at bottom, explode up - rest 5 mins
1) 345lbs x 1 ---> Hard Strain
2) 335lbs x 1 ---> wobbly on the way down, hard strain

The warm ups didn't feel as easy and snappy as I would have liked, so I guess I had a feeling I wasn't going to go great today. But not as bad as a few weeks back where everything felt hard and heavy.
345lbs was hard, so I didn't risk a 2nd rep. 335lbs was wobbly on the way down, didn't have much control over it like I normally do.
I expected to get a double with 345lbs today, since last week I powered up 335lbs for 2x2


Snatch grip Deadlifts - in Oly Shoes - RAW - HookGrip

Warmups - explosive - 125lbs x 3, 155x2, 195x2(done between the 2 worksets of squats)

explode up, lowered down RDL style, 2sec pause on the floor staying tight - rest 5 mins
3) 245lbs x 1 --> felt damn heavy, stopped there


Chest Supported 45 degree T-Bar Rows - Overhand grip

warmups - explosive/divebombed - Bar+45lbs x8, +70x5

Didn't have my head in it by now, felt I couldn't be productive so I stopped it there and headed home