Entry #585

I was getting ready to bench when a group of high schoolers walked over to the area next to me (that elevated portion of the floor where I deadlifted yesterday) and started doing cleans, although they didn't really know how. One of them (I believe he actually works at the front desk) then asked me, "Hey, aren't you Alex's brother?"
"No. I don't have any siblings. I killed them all."
"Uh..."
"Yeah, I am."
"Weren't you, like, using four 45s on each end of the bar yesterday?"
"Yeah. I was doing 430. Those were deadlifts."
"Jesus..."

These guys need to raise their standards. There are skinny kids deadlifting 405 all over YouTube. When I'm at 600, then maybe I'll warrant praise.

Nah.

ME upper

Bench press:
4 x 3     135, 185, 225, 275 lbs.
4 x 1     310, 315, 315, 315 lbs.
> First three of 310, 315, and 315 were incredibly easy. Excellent lat recruitment on the concentric. Could distinctly feel my back spread as my arms pushed up. Bar rose smoothly.
> By the last set, my triceps had a dull soreness running through them. The final was an ugly, uneven set. I almost fell off the side of the bench. Still, I got it up. Should have rested longer before it.

Overhead tricep extensions:
1 x 12   50 lbs. of plates
3 x 8     60, 75, 75 lbs. of plates
1 x 7     75 lbs. of plates
> Wanted to do something different from the usual skullcrushers. Had to experiment a bit. Two plates was too easy, but three was too cumbersome to grip, so I tied them together with a strap and held on to two of them while the third hung down at my back. On the last, I only held one while two dangled. Hell on my grip. I like this set-up.

Front raises:
2 x 16   45 lb. dumbbells
1 x 12   45 lb. dumbbells
> Could have done 16 on the last, but I was beginning to sway too much, bringing my back into the movement. Down, boy.

Cable rows:
4 x 8     150 lbs.
> Surprisingly heavy after the pulling motion of the front raisees, coupled with the short rest times (gym was about to close). My grip was even taxed by this.

Hammer curls:
1 x 10   50 lb. dumbbells
2 x 8     50 lb. dumbbells
> Wanted to use the 55s, but I had to rush to leave before closing time. Extremely short rests.

Entry #584

ME lower

Deadlifts:
5 x 3     135, 225, 275, 315, 365 lbs.
3 x 1     430 lbs.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8_TP0HYE2U

The video is of the very last set.

Had no time to do auxiliary work. Gym was about to close.

Entry #583

Slowed down for shadowboxing today to work on form. Still have a tendency to stuff my punches. In getting caught up in hand speed, I haven't been fully extending my arms, at times.

Went to the track at night to jump-rope. There was a dance going on at the high school, but luckily, I couldn't hear the music on the far end.

I'm going to use the car money I was saving to buy a bike. Then, I'll just use that to get to the boxing gym.

Entry #582

Ran some hill sprints. Felt like vomitting afterwards. Good sign. Afterwards, I practiced the horse stance in my room. I can multi-task by training it and using the computer, although I have to make sure not to let my arms support any of my weight. Legs were dead, so I couldn't keep it long.

Also did work with both the Trainer and #1 grippers. Warming-up with the latter actually makes a difference in performance.

Entry #581

In the hour and a half of free time I have before class, I've been waiting in the campus library and reading The Old Man and the Sea, which is rivaled in being badass only by "He smashed his fist into her solar plexus" 1984 and the book which boasts a plot climax of Montag melting his boss with a flamethrower, Fahrenheit 451. In this one, the old man reminisces about the time he had a two-day arm wrestling match, with blood seeping out from each's fingernails and the referees having eight-hour shifts so the other could go to sleep. He also got pissed at a Portugese Man o' War and called it a "whore", just because he felt like it. Who hasn't, I ask. But I had to leave the library because I was laughing too loud.

DE upper

Speed bench:
10 x 3     185 lbs.
> Great drive. Have been utilizing some form reminders from Pavel's The Naked Warrior. It's about calisthenics, but the chapters on tension have great application to powerlifting. Tear the bar apart, keep shoulders tight but low (that was new to me; I've been shrugging them), curl toes into the floor, and kill all infidels.

Olympic bar skullcrushers:
1 x 8     135 lbs.
2 x 8     140 lbs.
> These rule. I have to clean the weight up, hold it in position while I scoot forward, and lie down with it, which disturbs the noodle kegs standing around and watching the television next to me. Finishing off, I sit-up with the weight on my chest, ramming it into the pins. It's the breakfast of champions.

Cable pressdowns:
4 x 8     150 lbs.
> These do not rule.

Weighted pull-ups:
1 x 8     45 lbs.
1 x 7     45 lbs.
2 x 5     45 lbs.

Bilateral dumbbell curls:
1 x 8     40 lb. dumbbells
1 x 5     40 lb. dumbbells
1 x 5     40 lb. dumbbells
> One rep better than last time. The muscles get so pumped at this point that it's extra resistance to push my forearm up into the engorged bicep. Maybe I can get them to explode. That would be an awesome PR.

Went to the track at night and did a shadowbox/jump-rope circuit. I figured out that I've been holding the rope too narrow, which is why I could never do any fancy cross-through tricks or anything. Also did some gymnastic stuff on the pull-up bars, but not without protest from my arms.

Entry #580

DE lower

Box squats:
9 x 2     225 lbs.
1 x 1     225 lbs.
>
Felt a twinge of pain in left knee on last set, so I stopped after that rep.

Romanian deadlifts:
3 x 8     275 lbs.
> Wow. Switching bars made all the difference. Held the weight in overhand grip with no problems.

Full-contact twists:
3 x 8     70 lbs.

Didn't have any dextrose, so I drank weightgainer post-workout.

Entry #579

I'm reading through The Naked Warrior,
and Pavel advocates one method of enforcing tension by having someone
hit and kick you before doing a contractive movement, like push-ups or
squats.

"Have a friend pound your muscles with his fists, the ridges of his hands, or his feet. He will be delighted."

Does anyone need a partner for this? I offer only for your benefit, of course.

Went
to the track at night, but the gate was locked. Thought about jumping
it, but I decided there were other things I could do, so I walked back
and did hill sprints. My legs were already sore from Monday; after
three laps of these (jogging backwards on the way down), they were
dead. Cardio held up well. After that, I shadowboxed at the base of the
slope.

Next, I practiced holding the horse stance in my room.
After everything, I couldn't keep it for more than several seconds. I'm
going to keep at this. It's convenient to do, and it's difficult. With
weights for strength training and uphill sprints plus this for
endurance, my legs will be forged into solid blocks of iron. I don't
even mean that figuratively to merely describe improving their
musculature or anything, either. I'll literally convert their molecules
to the element Fe.

Entry #578

ME upper

Board press:
5 x 3     135, 185, 225, 275, 300 lbs.
1 x 1     335
1 x 1/2  335
> Couldn't make the second set. Got it up just above the top pins, but no lockout. Next week, there will be blood.

Close-grip bench press:
3 x 8     195 lbs.

Lat raises:
3 x 8     40 lb. dumbbells

Bent-over barbell rows:
2 x 8     165 lbs.
> Had to abandon this because my space got taken.

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
2 x 8     115 lb. dumbbells

EZ bar curls:
1 x 8     95 lbs.
1 x 5     95 lbs.
> Lowered the weight from 100 last time, and improved by 1 rep on the second set. Whoopie.

Stretched for 30 minutes at night.

Entry #577

Took a week off for a rest period. By "rest period", I mean shadowboxing, track training, and bag work.

ME lower

Squats:
5 x 3     125, 225, 275, 315, 335 lbs.
4 x 1     365 lbs.
> First set of 365 was a bit of a struggle. Last 3 were easy. Mind over matter. Completely ATG.

Good mornings:
3 x 8     195 lbs.

Chop crunches:
4 x 8

I got kicked out of my philosophy class today. Considered it an accomplishment. Oh, and George came over yesterday because he was in town, but we didn't fight. He has an injured thumb. We didn't even see Rambo because no theater is playing it here. I think I'm going to move to a volcano.

Entry #576

Weighed 215. Have been off of creatine for several weeks, and haven't been ingesting weightgainer regularly.

DE upper

Speed bench:
10 x 3     185 lbs.
> Incredibly fast today. Best performance on this yet. Paused at the bottom on each rep to train drive coming out of the hole. For longer durations (5+ seconds pause), speed coming back up was much slower, so I think I should make this practice a habit more.

Tate press:
4 x 8     45 lb. dumbbells

Cable pressdowns:
4 x 8     150 lbs.

Weighted pull-ups:
2 x 8     40 lbs.
1 x 7     40 lbs.
1 x 6     40 lbs.
> I'm 10 lbs. heavier and I've increased the weight from 35 to 40, and I still made gains on the objective rep scheme. Soar on wings of fury, lats.

Bilateral dumbbell curls:
1 x 8     40 lb. dumbbells
1 x 5     40 lb. dumbbells
1 x 4     40 lb. dumbbells
> Drastic fatigue. Much harder than unilaterals, since each arm doesn't get a moment of rest while the other reps. Might lower the weight on the ensuing sets next time.

30 minutes of stretching later at night while watching Mystery Science Theater 3,000. "The woman is a cold-blooded creature and must bask on sun-prone rocks to warm itself."

Entry #575

DE lower

Box squats:
10 x 2     225 lbs.
> One set with low platform + plate, the rest with just the platform. Probably the best session I've done with this. Curled my toes into knarled claws digging into the floor, and it made a difference in keeping my legs straight. Will make a conscious effort to do this from now on. Knees felt prime.

Romanian deadlifts:
4 x 8     275 lbs.
> Grip was difficult to contend with, even with the mixed hold. The bar had no knurling. I began the first set with a snatch grip, and at about rep 5, as the bar began to slide out from my sweat, I thought Okay, this won't work, and switched grips mid set. Perspiration was probably a factor, as well.

Full-contact twists:
3 x 8     70 lbs.

Neck crunches:
3 x 20   45 lbs.
> The harness wouldn't stay on my head, so I had to keep it on the scruff of my neck, which took away much of the challenge. Hence, high reps.

Did some light form work on the standing bag, and stretched for thirty minutes later at night.

Entry #574

ME upper

Board press:
5 x 3     135, 185, 225, 275, 295 lbs.
4 x 1     320, 320, 320, 325 lbs.
> I almost failed the second set of 320 from poor coordination, although I got it up after about five seconds of struggling. I was a bit wary of the weight by the ensuing set, and as I was prepping up for lift-off, I suddenly realized I had to pee badly. Anxiously, I grabbed the load off and did the strongest, easiest rep yet, for the sake of getting to the bathroom quicker. Good motivation. 325 was easy. The problem before was not tensing up enough.

Close-grip bench press:
2 x 8     195 lbs.
1 x 7     195 lbs.
1 x 4     195 lbs.
> Fatigued badly on the last set.

Lat raises:
3 x 8     40 lb. dumbbells
> Should note that I always hold the dumbbells to my sides, rather than in front of me, to keep constant pressure on the deltoids, thereby making the movement harder.

Bent-over barbell rows:
4 x 8     155, 155, 165, 165 lbs.

EZ bar curls:
1 x 8     100 lbs.
1 x 4     100 lbs.
> Was in a rush, at this point, and didn't rest long between the sets.

Stretched for 30 minutes at night.

Entry #573

Squat video from today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtJ6bMntMb8

ME lower:

Squats: 
6 x 3     135, 185, 225, 275, 315, 335 lbs.
3 x 1     355 lbs.
> No struggle on anything.

Good mornings:
4 x 8     190 lbs.

Chop crunches:
4 x 8

Cable rows:
4 x 8     150 lbs.

Picture of the 335 from the video:



I'm looking at that right foot, and I cannot believe I did that without feeling any pain. Maybe the angle of the camera just makes it look worse than it actually is.

Entry #572

Back, for the time being. I resume lifting on Monday. There will be blood.

Entry #571

Am currently without internet access at home, and will not have any for the foreseeable future.

Quick highlights:

Friday: squatted 325 for 3 reps. Completely ATG. No struggle. Squatted 350 for singles. Four sets.

Saturday: board pressed 295 for 3 reps. Board pressed 315 for easy singles. No struggle. Bar shot up smoothly.

Today and tomorrow are DE, so nothing noteworthy.

Entry #570

D.E. lower

Box squats:
10 x 2   225 lbs.
> Set 1: Low platform + 2 plates
Sets 2-5: Low platform + plate
Sets 6-10: Low platform
> Great drive from the bottom.
> Do not rock back. This was done with intent, but upon further research, it is actually bad form.

Good mornings:
3 x 8     185 lbs.

Full-contact twists:
4 x 8     70 lbs.

Shot from the session:

Entry #569

M.E. upper

Bench press:
5 x 3     135, 185, 225, 255, 275 lbs.
4 x 1     300, 300, 300, 305 lbs.
> Felt more pain on right deltoid post-first set. Found the problem to be a wider than usual grip I've been adopting, which calls for more flexibility as the pressure is applied laterally. Held it mere centimeters narrower, and it made all the difference. I recall thinking to myself, If my shoulder hurts this much on only 135, then I'll truly be the greatest of all time if I make it through this. It's not easy for someone as humble as I to admit it, believe me, but I am a man of my word.

Skullcrushers:
4 x 8     55 lb. dumbbells
> Took extra lengths to warm this motion up, and there was no sensation of tendinitis.

Cable pressdowns:
2 x 8     150 lbs.
2 x 10   150 lbs.

Unilateral front raises:
4 x 16   40 lb. dumbbells
> High reps destroyed my grip. Forearms were pumped.

Seated cable rows:
4 x 8     150 lbs.
> Grasping the handle was harder than anything the weight posed.

Preacher curls:
2 x 8     95 lbs.
1 x 5     95 lbs.
> Short rest periods.

Was finishing up, and went over to the power rack in front of the mirror to stretch out my arms when I heard some girls giggling on the overlooking level above me. They kept calling out, and I wasn't sure if they were addressing me or not until one of them yelled down, "You, scowlin' and starin' at the mirror!" My face was actually pretty contorted, as it always is whenever I'm near death (doctors recommend it at least thirty minutes a day). I stood silent for several seconds,  then whipped around with my finger pointed at them and roared, "YOU!" They screamed and ran away.

Afterwards, as I was walking home, I passed a circle of socializing high school kids when I startled laughing maniacally. One of them attempted to throw it back at me and laugh louder in retort. I anticipated this (I speak from experience), and as soon as the first syllable escaped his mouth, I roared even louder, drowning out his nasal guffaw.

Years from now, he'll thank me.

Entry #568

Weighed in at 210. Have not been taking weightgainer this past week.

Had less than five hours of sleep last night.

ME lower-body

Deadlifts:
6 x 3     135, 185, 225, 275, 315, 365 lbs.
1 x 1     415 lbs.
1 x 0     415 lbs.
1 x 1     415 lbs.
>
I let my mind wander on that failed set, and could barely budge the bar off the ground. I came back about a minute later and made it.

Overhead hyper-extensions:
4 x 8     45 lbs.

Weighted cable crunches:
4 x 12   Entire stack

One-armed dumbbell rows:
4 x 8     115 lb. dumbbells
> Strangely light.

I'm probably going to remove my recent YouTube videos. My partner told me that he wasn't comfortable with them being up in public. I mostly put them up because I'm low on hard drive space, but oh well. I'd have to erase a game or two so I can store more. First, I'll see if setting them to private would be enough, but I don't want to press the issue with him.

Entry #567

Woke up early to do hill sprints before school. My legs were jello after three laps. These rule hard. They used to be a staple of Rocky Marciano's training.

Here are some clips from Saturday's session, but they aren't that great. The first is just goofing off, and in the second, my elbows are weird. Next time, I'm definitely going to slow it down and focus on form.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToOAuD9qlig

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c21TWd3JXAM

Entry #566

Between Friday's rushed session, a lack of sleep, and sparring the ensuing day, I was completely burned out this weekend.

I went to do a DE session today, and my right shoulder started aching after the first set of speed bench, so I stopped there. It healed up after about two minutes, as I was walking out the door. What an ass.

Entry #565

Couldn't lift yesterday. I had to walk to the post-office in the rain with a big package under my arm and my gym bag slung over my back, with the intent of lifting after dropping it off. Turns out I didn't bring enough money for the shipping (the fool at the counter told me that it would cost $8 last time, and to be safe, I brought $20; it was actually $22), so I had to walk back to return it home, and by that time, it was late. So yesterday's session was done today, and I'll forego a break in between (my routine has two days of ME, rest, then two days of DE) to lift tomorrow and Sunday, as I normally would.

Schedules are for wimps, anyways.

ME upper-body:

Bench press:
5 x 3     135, 185, 225, 255, 270 lbs.
3 x 1     290, 290, 295 lbs.
> Way easy. Went up much faster than 285 last week.

Skull crushers:
4 x 8     55 lb. dumbbells

Cable extensions:
2 x 8     150 lbs.
1 x 6     110 lbs. < Using the much harder lat pulldown station because some woman took my spot.
> That machine wasn't giving me a challenge with the entire stack, anyways, so it was a good thing I had to move.

Front raises:
3 x 16   40 lb. dumbbells

Lying dumbbell rows:
4 x 8     70 lb. dumbbells
> Much harder than the one-armed variation. No 115 lb. dumbbells here.

Preacher curls:
1 x 8     95 lbs.
1 x 5     95 lbs.
> Cut the rest periods short here because I was running low on time.

I'm due to meet up with Stan tomorrow at 11 for some sparring. I intend to be much more aggressive.

Entry #564

Calves were sore yesterday and today from the uphill sprints. Didn't expect that.

ME upper-body

Deadlifts:
6 x 3     135, 185, 225, 275, 315, 365 lbs.
4 x 1     400 lbs.
> Astonishingly easy. I shot up with the weight on all four sets. No stalls or struggles in the slightest. Seriously contemplated slapping on 500 lbs. at one point.
> My palms were sweaty on the triples of 365, and the load almost slipped out. Took off my sweatshirt for the rest of the sets and dried my hands before each. Grip was ironclad from then on. I won't need chalk for a long time.

Overhead hyper-extensions:
4 x 8     45 lbs.
> Insane stretch in the hamstrings, even moreso than good mornings.

Chop crunches:
4 x 12
> Unzipped my hoodie so there'd be no padding from the blows.

Cable rows:
4 x 8     150 lbs.

Stretched for thirty minutes at night.

Entry #563

Bag work. My glove kept slipping off the material because it was raining. Went a lot slower to focus on form. I did a seven minute round, and past a certain point of fatigue was what I wanted to work through, when my shoulders get tired. I found that I can actually go quite long if I pace myself. The key is more about upping the standards of what a comfortable pace means, not starting out with all I've got and then trying to increase the duration of that.

Later, went and did hill sprints in the pouring rain. I went up and down three times, and it was exhausting. It's a long, steep, winding hill. I ripped open my forearm once from trying to skate down it, long ago (we usually sat down on our boards to go down). It rules. I can get a good cardio workout in just five minutes. Unfortunately, I didn't get hit by lightning, which is disappointing.

Triceps are still sore from Thursday. Wimps.

Entry #562

DE upper-body

Speed bench:
10 x 3   185 lbs.
> About a four second pause on the bottom.

Tate press:
4 x 8     45 lb. dumbbells

Cable pressdown:
3 x 8     No idea.

Weighted pull-ups:
2 x 8     35 lbs.
2 x 6     35 lbs.

Hammer curls:
2 x 10   50 lb. dumbbells
1 x 8     50 lb. dumbbells

I wanted to take a new back bi picture because I was leaning back in the old one, which distorted my shape.




Geez, good thing my hair is always covered up with a hoodie.

Entry #561

Weighed 205 lbs. today.

DE lower-body

Box squats:
10 x 2     225 lbs.
> Still on the low platform with one plate. Looks to be about 8 inches high. Rather than decrease the height from that, I adopted a wider stance, which makes a big difference in difficulty. First few sets were somewhat slow, but it picked up after about #3. Rocked back and sat for about 4 seconds before driving up.

Good mornings:
4 x 8     175 lbs.
> Felt lighter than I expected it to.

Full-contact twists:
4 x 8     70 lbs.
> Kept arms straighter.

Assisted neck bridges:
3 x 5
> First time trying these. Couldn't quite do it without holding onto the squat rack. I was able to support my weight without help if I held my neck in that position, so it's just a form issue, in specific regards to rolling with my feet and onto my neck.

Crush gripper #1:
3 x 5
> Still not very proficient on this. I may revert one day out of the two to timed holds with the Trainer.

Stretched for thirty minutes at night.

I've been eating these great frozen burritos from Costco. Each is tiny, but is packed with 500 calories and 25 g of protein. Eat four at a time, and that's an easy 2,000 calories, with plenty of room left to spare. I'm all out now, unfortunately.

Entry #550

Bag work today. Triceps are extremely sore from skullcrushers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8nwdYoNvHo

My face can be seen grimacing in pain from my arms. In a way, there was a silver lining to that. It forces me to throw more weight into blows, since I can't move my arms as usual, which is a good habit.

Went for a walk later at night, and did some shadowboxing on the track.

Entry #559

ME upper-body

Bench press:
5 x 3     135, 185, 225, 255, 265 lbs.
2 x 1     285 lbs.
> Improvement. Exceptional arch and drive.

Skullcrushers:
4 x 8     50 lb. dumbbells

Cable pushdowns:
4 x 8     150 lbs.

Front raises:
3 x 16   40 lb. dumbbells

Cable rows:
4 x 8     150 lbs.

Preacher curls:
1 x 8     95 lbs.
1 x 6     95 lbs.
1 x 4     95 lbs.

Oh, and I'm going to post this to get a laugh years from now, when I'm browsing through old entries. For Muhammad Ali's birthday, Ali.com had a special chatroom where you could chat with Howard Bingham, Ali's longtime photographer and close friend, and ask him questions about Ali, who was apparently right next to him. It was kind of lame. My question, "How does Ali feel about the current state of boxing?", which I thought was interesting, didn't get put up, while stuff like, "What does it take to make a great friend, Howard?" did. Uh, okay. I got bored, so I logged back in with the name "BigGeorge", and I submitted a question as George Foreman. And it got them.

Entry #558

Deadlifts:
6 x 3     135, 185, 225, 275, 315, 345 lbs.
4 x 1     375, 385, 385, 385 lbs.
> Felt like nothing. Big improvement. I was doing 395 in March '06, but I'll surpass that next week.

Overhead hyper-extensions:
4 x 8     25 lbs.

Chop crunches:
4 x 12

One-armed dumbbell rows:
4 x 8     115 lb. dumbbells

Entry #557

Stan was a little late, and at first I thought he had flaked out on me like most others, but he showed up at about 12:20 very enthusiastically. Really cool kid who's always willing to learn. His dad watched for a bit. He told me he boxed at his high school when he was young. Boxing, in high school? Wow, school must have ruled back then.

We both ultimately decided that, as fun as it was on Friday, doing full-contact every session isn't conducive to the learning process, of which both of us have a long way to go. We warmed up on the pads and then did some light spars.

This was his first time on these. His hands are nowhere near where they should be, but he more than knows that with all the times I told him. Now, it's just a matter of practice. I also did some feeble swats in his face at him just so he doesn't get too comfortable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKIz0QgXLn8


Don't get me wrong. My own hands dropped pretty abysmally. I pretty much eradicated this tendency on the bag, strangely enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6oaZiCPY3U


Some light sparring: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULl9e_n9ZE8

Entry #556

I'm due to meet up with my sparring partner, Stanford, tomorrow at 12. Face is mostly healed up, except for the bridge of my nose.

Entry #555

Full-contact sparring. Or rather, he went full-contact and I shadowboxed him. Short guy, but strong. He kept decking my face and then going, "Oh my God, that was hard", and I told him to keep coming. Was right out of Raging Bull. I had to promise I wouldn't hit back. Got hit full-force every few seconds.

Puny 6 oz. gloves. Barely any padding.

He had excellent weight behind his throws. Leaned into them extremely well. I'm satisfied that I could brush off getting hit so often.

My legs were more tired than my arms. Bag work has payed off, but I need to condition my legs to swaying and weaving. Nothing that crippled me, but it was a bother. Uphill sprints will be perfect for stamina, Marciano-style.

Mouth is bloody from no mouth guard. Also, I kept instructing him along, so my jaw hurts from getting hit with my mouth open.

He got my number so we can go again on Sunday. I'll film it, although it won't be much to look at since I can't really display my punching ability. That's kind of annoying. It just removes an element out of the defense component because I can't push him back by countering or anything.

Points for next time:

> Everytime I threw a fast combination, he'd get thrown off. So press the action more. Shadowbox him to Hell. Kill the air molecules. This stance is not a passive style.

> Stick with the plan. Biggest error on my part was not sparring the way I've been training.
He's short, so I stayed on the outside and kept my lands low.

Entry #554

Squats:
5 x 3     135, 185, 225, 275, 315 lbs.
4 x 1     330 lbs.
> Astonishingly easy. Could have done way more. I'll reach 400 in no time. Sadly, next week, I cycle squats out, although I won't be too bored, since there will be deadlifts. I'll keep up the 6-inch pause box squats and return much stronger five weeks from now (three weeks of ME deadlifts, two weeks of ME good mornings, and then back to squats).

Good mornings:
4 x 8     170 lbs.

Janda sit-ups:
3 x 8

Cable rows:
4 x 8     150 lbs.

I'm at the same weight, but my strength is improving with each week. I expect to reach at least 240 on this bulk.

Entry #553

Did some bag work on the garbage standing bag at the gym. Took some video, but it doesn't show anything of worth. My right shoulder was incredibly sore, and I could barely muster the power to throw good crosses. Here's a sequence. I didn't even notice that my glove came undone.

Entry #552

Floor press:
3 x 3     135, 185, 225 lbs.
2 x 2     255, 275 lbs.
1 x ½    300 lbs.
1 x 0     300 lbs.
> Very close to putting up 300 on the first attempt. Second was completely futile. The bar didn't rise an inch.
> Form was improved after 255, but arms are still doing most of the lift. Having trouble getting full-body drive. Still, a vast improvement over last week, when I couldn't even put up 275 for 1. Obviously a form issue here, more than anything. Was still a good experience to hold up 300 once again, and it should have carry-over on bench.

Close-grip bench:
3 x 8     185 lbs.
> Barely made the very last rep on the last set. Fatigued.

Tricep pressdowns:
4 x 8     150 lbs.

Lateral raises:
2 x 10   35 lb. dumbbells
1 x 6     40 lb. dumbbells
> Short rest between sets. Good pump. Strict.
> Kept the dumbbells at my sides, rather than in front of me. Much harder this way. Pressure isn't relieved off of the delts between each rep.

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
4 x 8     115 lb. dumbbells
> Not particularly difficult, but the gym doesn't have anything heavier.

Preacher curls:
1 x 5     95 lbs.
1 x 8     75 lbs.
1 x 5     75 lbs.
> Biceps were worn out. Start with 85 next time.

Entry #551

Squats:
5 x 3     135, 185, 225, 275, 310 lbs.
3 x 1     325 lbs.
> Incredibly smooth. I could hardly believe how fast and easily 310 went up three times, with no struggle. Could have repped 325, but this needs to be approached incrementally.
> Adopted a wider stance. Made all the difference. Harder to go ATG this way. Hip flexors need to be warmed up thoroughly, which I did well in doing this session.

Good mornings:
4 x 8     165 lbs.
> Went low.

Janda sit-ups:
3 x 8
1 x 4
> Getting better stability and control. Feet don't come off the ground as much.

Cable rows:
4 x 8     150 lbs.
> Found a much better machine. I still rep the entire stack, but now, it's actually difficult.

Stretched for thirty minutes a number of hours later.

Entry #550

Bag work. I'm night and day away from my performance in the video up there. Head movement is a staple. Throw a jab, bob and weave. Hook, bob and weave. Yawn, bob and weave. Also not flat-footed. Staying up on my toes and exhibiting prevalent lateral movement. Rather than stuffing blows at one distance, I'm moving in, hitting, and moving back out.

Rear hand doesn't drop, period.

Jabs were excellent today. Leaning much more of my body into them. The trade-off is my left (yes, I'm not southpaw anymore) tiring faster. Will condition this. It would make for a great weapon.

Drilling this:
1-2-1-1-2-3

Basically just two 1-2's connected by a jab, and a hook at the end.

Entry #549

Sparring didn't happen. Never got the phone call. I even said yesterday that we could go to this really good Chinese food place nearby when we're done. Guess he likes Mexican.

Entry #548

Started in the afternoon with two five-minute, hard rounds on the heavy bag.

Stretched for thirty minutes a number of hours later.

Went to the track at about 7:30 PM and ran two miles, sprinting the last straightaway. I'll do three next time. I wasn't breathing hard in the least from this. Followed that up with shadowboxing before walking home. There, I ate a quick meal of two raw eggs, some peanuts, orange juice, and milk. Not exactly a gourmet meal, but it had everything I needed. Played Super Castlevania for SNES while I waited for that to settle in, and then did more shadowboxing in front of the mirror.

Roll the shoulder and project into a straight line. Some weird waverings before I got warmed-up.

Rear hand didn't drop. I've rectified this completely, by this point.

Hook - shoulder precedes the arm. Weight transfers to rear leg, although I've been doing this more forcefully.

Useful combos:
1-2-3-4-1,
1-2-3-4-5-2-1

Where 1 = jab, 2 = cross, and so on for lead and rear hook (*singular* hook for lead only, although thrown from the rear may work as a looping throw - it'd pretty much have to be a stroke of luck for something that wide to connect in any but the most perfect openings on that side) and uppercuts.

Using those to approach combinations more deliberately and with intent, rather than just improvising and throwing stuff together. I'll be recording them from now on.

I'm thinking about doing one traditional jogging session like the above once a month, increasing the distance by half a mile successively until I'm up to 15. That way, I won't suffer any drawbacks in strength. I'll still maintain conditioning through interval cardio, of course.

Was talking to an old AIM contact, and he asked if I want to do an all-night training session tonight, if he drove down here from San Francisco. Eventually decided on meeting up tomorrow at the track, so we won't have to work in the dark. He's smaller, at 5'7 and 140, but it'll be a good opportunity to spar, regardless. I was thinking I shouldn't in-fight against him with the peek-a-boo, but stay away so I can't outmuscle him, but that then gives me the reach advantage. Since it's just sparring, we can experiment with whatever. We used to exchange shadowboxing videos and critique one another's clips, and he's quite good (and experienced). I'm going to call George tomorrow to invite him to it, but I don't see him coming, if I were to predict that.

Also, I ordered a digital camera to have before the throwdown on January 19th. There will be blood.

Entry #547

Speed bench:
8 x 3     185 lbs.
> Adopted a wider grip. I've been holding the bar too narrowly.

Skullcrushers:
4 x 8     50 lb. dumbbells

Cable pressdowns:
4 x 8     150 lbs.
> Good pump. I still think this is a wussy exercise, though. And 150 lbs. (the entire stack) here is about equal to 80 lbs. on the machine at the old gym.

Weighted chin-ups:
4 x 8     35 lbs.
> No difficulty. Up to 45 lbs. next week.

Hammer curls:
2 x 8     40 lb. dumbbells
1 x 6     40 lb. dumbbells
> No alternation here. Each arm got 8 (and 6) full, strict reps.

Stretching for thirty minutes every night.

Entry #546

DE lower-body

Box squats:
10 x 2   225 lbs.
> Sat down for about three seconds on the platform before driving back up. Felt like a vacation.

Pronated grip Romanian deadlifts:
3 x 8     265 lbs.
> The overhand grip was a struggle by the last set, but I held through. Once I get to an even 275, I'll probably stick to that for a number of weeks to let my holding ability catch up. The weight itself otherwise feels pretty light, even for a high-rep assistance lift. Zero struggle on my back. Can't wait to test my standard deadlift.

Full-contact twists:
4 x 8     55 lbs.
> Lowered the weight to focus on form.

Hise shrugs:
3 x 10   225 lbs.

I was weaving and shadowboxing under the barbell between sets of Hise shrugs and I smashed my head into all 225 lbs. of it. My brain felt like it was about to explode (which would have ruled), but I ignored it pretty easily. I can't wait to test my recuperative abilities in the ring. The last time I got hit hard was when I fought Julian. I like to think that I won't ever get K.O.'d as a pro, like George Chuvalo (never knocked down, let alone out, even against opponents like Frazier, Foreman, and Ali) and Muhammad Ali (knocked down three separate times in 20 years, and immediately got up after each), but I'm sure that everyone thinks that of themselves, regardless of what will actually ensue.

George's mom commented that I look skinnier, probably intended as a compliment. I need to eat more. In actuality, I've gained weight and am at an even 200 lbs.

Entry #545

Walked to the track at night and did more shadowboxing drills. I'd do one round in slow-motion to focus on form, and proceed it with the same principles applied with speed. Made a significant difference in weight disposition. It's easy to gloss over the intricacies of that, normally. Slowing it down allowed more exaggeration of foot placement and transfer of power.

Cycled this in and out with jump-roping. It was fantastic how empty everywhere was because of Christmas. I kept raising my hand and shouting "WAAAR!"

Entry #544

Walked to the gym to use their bag, but it was closed for Christmas Eve, so I spent the next hour shadowboxing at the track. Had also brought my jump-rope, but I spent a lot of time being particular about little nuances in form, and the session went by too quickly. Good emphasis on head movement.

Entry #543

I've began putting together the preliminary design of my website:

http://ironechelon.webs.com

As the antithesis to, say, T-Nation, I want the layout simple and straightforward. Content will be the focus, not flash. I favor the light text on black layout because it's easier on the eyes, especially at night, but I might change that. I also have a larger-than-average computer monitor, so I have to check on different screens if everything is the right size.

It's not going to have forums or anything like that. The success of that would depend on community, and I want to lean away from that. My approach is that even if I were the only person to ever visit this, it would be worth putting up for the references. It's essentially an oversized FAQ, backed by gathered links and sources.

No ads. If FreeWebs adds any, I'll find a new host.

Still have a lot of info to compile for articles.

Entry #542

Speed push-press:
4 x 3     145 lbs.
Clean and press:
3 x 3     145 lbs.
> Switched around for the sake of it.

Tate presses:
4 x 8     45 lb. dumbbells

Cable extensions:
3 x 8     150 lbs.

Weighted pull-ups:
2 x 8     35 lbs.
1 x 6     35 lbs.
1 x 4     35 lbs.
> Short rests to finish before closing time, hence the discrepancy.

Dumbbell curls:
1 x 12   35 lb. dumbbells.
1 x 6     35 lb. dumbbells.
> I had about 30 seconds between these two sets. Get to the gym earlier.

Entry #541

DE lower-body

Box squats:
10 x 2   225 lbs.
> Warmed up by doing bodyweight squats on the low stool (one plate lower than regular range). Made all the difference.  First set was as fast as the tenth. Hip flexor and psoas flexibility is essential.

Hyperextensions:
3 x 8     45 lbs.
> Back was feeling stiff, so I opted for these less strenuous alternatives to good mornings.

Full-contact twists:
4 x 8     70 lbs.

Neck crunches:
3 x 8     45 lbs.

Gripper #1:
3 x 5

George was over yesterday, but we didn't spar.

Entry #540

A few hours later. My sternum is better, so it seems like it was a short-term thing. I can move my arms ably, so training won't be affected, other than today's session being cut short. Still hurts to breathe deep, but not nearly as much as before.

Shame. Dips are my most successful assistance work for tris, except for maybe close-grip bench.

Entry #539

Benched 275, and then stupidly did weighted dips, even though my sternum still hurt from last week. Thought I could get by with leaning back and relieving pressure off of my chest, but that didn't work. Now, I can hardly breathe or move my arms to any substantial degree.

On a quick note, I met an old middle school acquaintance who's into powerlifting comps now. Exchanged numbers for further follow-up.

My dad came into my room and asked me what would happen if he attacked me now, in my injured, defenseless state. I promptly slid out a katana from the shelf next to me and welcomed him to try.

Entry #538

Good mornings:
5 x 3     95, 135, 155, 185, 195 lbs.
4 x 1     210 lbs.

Romanian deadlifts:
3 x 8     255 lbs.

Janda sit-ups:
3 x 8

Bent-over dumbbell rows:
4 x 8     100 lb. dumbbells

Practiced some shadowboxing later in the evening.

Dead tired. If I didn't have to eat, I would be long asleep by now.

Entry #537

Hit the bag, raised Hell, etc.

Entry #536

Speed push-press:
8 x 3     135 lbs.
> Warm-up more. Shoulders hurt at the beginning.

Tate press:
4 x 8     40 lb. dumbbells

Cable pushdowns:
4 x 8     150 lbs.

Weighted pull-ups:
1 x 8     35 lbs.
1 x 7     35 lbs.
1 x 6     35 lbs.
1 x 5     35 lbs.

Dumbbell curls:
1 x 12   35 lb. dumbbells
1 x 10   35 lb. dumbbells
1 x 8     35 lb. dumbbells

Ever since those weighted dips, my sternum has been hurting again. I need to get to the root of this.