End of Gladiator

I wrapped up Gladiator today about 2.5 weeks short of completion. I haven't had a lot of motivation to complete the workouts as prescribed because I haven't been training with anyone and since I fell off a bit I opted to call it a day on the program.

Plain and simple I loved the program. Johnny Pain knows what he's doing and it will reflect how I train in the future absolutely. The other main reason I opted to stop was because I wanted to start training in a more powerlifting manner so that I can have the most success at my first meet. I will be doing this meet on March 23 in Rhode Island. I will be competing in all three lifts and signing up for it as soon as I get some cash in a few weeks from the holidays.

I'm going to finish out the year running a cycle of 5/3/1 so I can kind of go on auto pilot with training because I have a high volume of school work over the next few weeks, the most I've ever had in fact.

Come 2013 I'm still trying to decide where I want to go. The first 4 months will be dedicated to powerlifting. I am going to attempt to break the deadlift record at my age and weight class so at least I have a goal I'm shooting for.

Here was today's training- lots of bodybuilding-ish stuff but that's cool for now. Just want to feel like I'm working hard on each set, and get stronger in the process.

Press
Worked up to 8x140# (PR)

DB Press
3x10x35#

Face Pulls 3x20
50#

EZ Bar Curls
3x10x50#

DB Shrugs 3x10
100# DB's

I haven't died

I keep making broken promises about updating but I've just been really busy with everything recently. I will be around and updating my 2013 goals pretty soon. Got some new stuff in the works. Should be a good end to the year.... got some stuff planned between now and Dec 31.

Need to catch up

I'm like two weeks behind on blogging. Hoping to edit it in here in a bit. Finishing up my second week of the brute strength phase of Gladiator on Saturday.

Couple days behind. 68, 67, 66

Press/pushpress til failure (like first week)
150x5x2, 150x5 +3 PP (PR)

Heavy DB Jerk
3x5x75# PR

Curls
45# DBs for 12, 12, 8

______
10/19
Heavy DB Row 3x5
70#


RDL's 2x 4-6
5x225# overhand grip
6x225# with DL grip

Weighted Chins 2x6-8
2x6x20#

Did some shrugs
_____



Need to make up my sprints, had too much work to do on Saturday so I'm a day behind. I'll finish those up and max rep burpees in 3min today then be back on my grind for week 4 tomorrow. Last week before the next phase begins.

70 + 69

Tuesday 10/16

Back Squat 1x5+
8x315#

AMRAP 3 95# Front Squats
56 reps with a little calculation miscue, probably more like 3:10 but I was fumbling with my watch.

FM Close Grip Pushups 5x16

__________________________
Wednesday 10/17

1 Mile Time Trial

5:55 (10 seconds off 2 week ago time)


Chin Ladder 3x1234, (1,2)

COMMENTS

• General: I was so absolutely sore from the front squat medley that my leg power sucked in the run today. I didn't expect to PR from the get-go but I was pleased with sub 6.
• Nutrition: Good. I've been eating a lot more protein. I ordered another 10lb bag.
• Body: Pretty beat. My legs and lower back are really sore and I'm run down.
• Sleep:8 hours
• Reflections: Get a relaxing day tomorrow but 2 workouts with bikram yoga and a lot of shoulder/pressing work. Not too much going on with classes the next 2 days so I'll be really focusing on relaxing and taking some needed downtime.

71 (?)

Incline Bench Press 2x6-8
180x6x2 (PR)

1 Arm DB Bench Press 3x6
65x6x3 (PR)

50 Dips (Modified on bench)
22, 19, 9

Conditioning: 3 Rounds For Time of:
6 DB Push up to Rows 35# (1 pushup and row on each side counts as one)
40 single unders
6:11


Chin Ladder 3x1234, (1)


COMMENTS

• General: PRed on everything from when I did these lifts on day 1 which was nice. The conditioning needed to be modified. I still really am not too good at pushups but I'm definitely improving.
• Nutrition: Good today
• Body: Overall feeling really good.
• Sleep: 8 hours
• Reflections: Hell week of work again this week. Finishing up one of the hardest classes I will have to take in my major 2 Wednesday's from now and this is the grind portion of the course. Almost there though so it feels good.

Catch Up 74-72

10/11
Barbell Clean and Press
3x5x155#

DB Clean and Press
3x5x55#

30/30/30 Row x 2 rounds

100 Single Unders


10/12
Power Rows with barbell 3x3
225#

Deadlift 2x4-6
2x5x385#

Yates Rows 2x6-8
2x8x165#

Curls
2x12x45# DB's



10/13
5 rounds of 10 burpees immediately into a 100m sprint for time, 2 min rest between efforts

38, 38, 37, 38, 38 (seconds)


COMMENTS

• General: Forgot to blog a few days but all caught up now. Been working really hard and feeling good.
• Nutrition: Off this weekend
• Body: Tired right now. Will feel better after a good night sleep.
• Sleep: 8 hours
• Reflections: Where did my blog views go? I had 13-14k and now I have 2 all of a sudden. What gives?

75

800m Sandbag run with a 40# weighted vest hoisted over my shoulders
3:40 (Done in the indoor track at SC)

Chin Ladder 3x1234

COMMENTS

• General: This was pretty brutal. One I will do a lot more in the future even after this program is over because it's fast and gets you going.
• Nutrition: Great once again.
• Body: Good. My hips were a bit tight after the run
• Sleep: 7-8 hours
• Reflections: I'm going to a wake on Friday morning and have a lot going on tomorrow so I may miss my training day on Friday. I'm not really sure what's going to go on but I've got bigger things that need to be taken care of. If I miss a day I'll count that as my rest day and train on Sunday.

76

Front Squat 2x3, 1x3+
2x3x255#
5x255# (PR)

RDL's 2x8-10
185x2x10

6 Sled Pulls with 2 plates in the case for 50m


200 Single unders

15:15:15 on the rower for 4 rounds

FM Dive Bombers 5x8

COMMENTS

• General: Good day. Front squat was a PR by a lot as I don't really ever front squat.
• Nutrition: Clean
• Body: Overall a bit sore from yesterday.
• Sleep: 9 hours
• Reflections: Not too much. Tomorrow's work out is going to ruin me.

77

Dumbbell Bench Press 10-8-6+
70# for 10
75# for 8
80# for 9

Weighted Modified Dips on Benches 2x6-8
1 Plate on thighs x2x8


4 RFT:
10 Clapping Pushups
25 52.5# Dumbbell Swings
5:47

Chinup Ladder
1234x2, (1,2,3)

COMMENTS

• General: Took a lot out of me today doing this session. The dumbbell bench press was surprisingly taxing.
• Nutrition: On point. Weekend wasn't as good.
• Body: Overall tired. Trying to catch up with my sleep to help this
• Sleep: 8 hours. Need to catch up
• Reflections: Long weekend of questionable. Need to be more careful. Going strong all week. Walked 3-4 miles with Contois yesterday at a good clip. Good catching up with him.

79 + 78

Press/Push Press 2x5, 1x5+- On the last set, go to failure with the press then do a few push presses on top of that
2x5x145#
1x6x145# Press + 3 Extra Push Presses

1 Arm DB Jerk
3x5x70#

70# KB Swings x 125 For Time
6:22

FM Dive Bombers 3x7

______________________________
Today:

Heavy Double DB Row 3x5
5x60#
2x5x65#

Deadlifts 2x4-6 (strapped)
365x5x2

Weighted Chins 2x6-8
17.5# by 6x2 (Lighter and form focus)

Rowing Intervals 15:15:15- Light, Medium, All out, 45 second rest between rounds
50 Total calories rowed

Chin Ladder
1234x2, (1,2)

Curls 2x12
40# DB's

COMMENTS

• General: SO SORE. Loving this program. Got sprints tomorrow and a rest day Sunday.
• Nutrition: Has been on point all week. Highly motivated
• Body: Tired and adjusting to volume. Very beat and sore.
• Sleep: 12.5 hours last night lolol
• Reflections: This is what training feels like. I had forgetten.

1 Mile Time Trial. 80

Quick Post today. Just want to log that I did my first 1 mile time trial in about 2.5 years (may have done it in between a few times but not all out)

5:35 in high school. 18 years old at 180# and 775# CrossFit Total

5:45 at age 20, weighing 205# and with a 1085# CFT (probably higher just current PRs)

Strength works.


Going to bikram yoga tonight. Got a killer wod tomorrow too. Enjoying doing more than 3 work outs a day. Lets go

81

Back Squat
5x45
5x135
5x225
2x5x305
6x305#

GHRs 40 total
12, 12, 16


6 Sled Drags progessively advancing the weight in the sled- didn't time


100 pushups on FM (5 sets of 20)


COMMENTS

• General: Legs are shot. Going to be a long day of recovery tomorrow. Good day overall. Enjoyed the sled pulls
• Nutrition: On point
• Body: Upper body sore. Legs ruined and will be worse..
• Sleep: 9 hours
• Reflections: Get to run a 1 mile TT tomorrow. Ouch.

82

Incline Bench Press 2x6-8
8x45#
6x135#
175# by 7, 6

DB 1 Arm Bench Press 3x6
3x6x55#

50 Total Dips- Did them modified on the bench but controlled
17, 17, 16

Chinup Ladders (1,2,3,4,5 rest amount it takes to do previous set)-
2 sets of 1,2,3,4


3x3 min of jump roping

COMMENTS

• General: Going to be very sore tomorrow. Very interesting day today. Jump roping was a lot harder than I expected.
• Nutrition: On cue.
• Body: Overall tired now and guaranteed to feel worse tomorrow lol, not used to a lot of these movements or the volume
• Sleep: 8-9 hours
• Reflections: Enjoyed day 1. 82 more workouts to go. December 22 here I come.

back on my grind

Dropped 150 dollars today that I didn't really have on a 20 class pack for bikram yoga. felt so damn good. I took this week off entirely because Im going to begin something a tad different on Monday. Yoga will continue to be a weekly staple

Mount Washington Summit Hike

This past weekend I attempted a summit hike of Mt Washington in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire with two of my friends, Dan and Sean. I really have done no endurance training minus some barefoot running since I gave up ultra running earlier this year. I would estimate I've totaled about 40 miles over the past 5-6 months in running, but I have picked up the pace with hiking recently at some places local to my college. My training recently has consisted of the Greyskull Linear Progression template 3x a week (all barbell strength training) with some weekend hikes and fasted cardio walks thrown in there. We opted to go for gold and hit the biggest mountain on the east coast. The following is an attempt to recapture the events.

We began with a rude awakening on Saturday morning at 4am in Dan's basement in Grafton, MA. We had come home from our school in Springfield for the night but still had about a three hour drive to get to the trail head, so we quickly grabbed all of our stuff and hit the road. It took us a little over three hours to get to the trailhead. Contois, my former high school PE teacher and now good friend advised that we take the Amonoosuc Ravine trail over Tuckerman's ravine. The internet said that we would be in for a shorter in distance but much steeper journey, and that was very accurate.

The trail began off easy enough, some elevation but nothing I wasn't used to from previous ultra runs in places such as the Skyline Trail. One thing of note was that my two hiking partners had no experience with mountains as large as Mt Washington. Sean is an avid hiker and enjoys the outdoors (recreation management major) but had never exceeded a climb of over 1500ft, give or take. Dan had even less experience, so I was quick to bite my tongue when the discussion turned to what we might expect on the mountain that day as far as terrain. Both of them did well, but admitted that they did not envision what we experienced in the slightest. I would have to say I was in the same camp. The first mile or so was relatively flat, some gradual climbs here and there. We enjoyed the rushing water to our left for the entirety of this portion and stopped a few times to take pictures. One thing I really enjoy about hiking that keeps me motivated is that I can actually stop and enjoy nature, which I never got to do when I ran ultras. Here are some pictures from this portion.

One of my favorite things on the trail was this waterfall

This section was by far the easiest, as soon we were climbing and climbing quickly. It got to the point where we were on all fours at some points, something I haven't experienced in several months. I felt really good throughout this section, like some part of my endurance past still existed which was nice. At this point the weather was pretty shitty, it got cold and was raining really lightly. We opted to slow down a bit, eat some food and change into some warmer clothes. This section would turn out to be one of the most challenging parts of the course, but luckily I faired better than my hiking partners for the most part.

At this point we were feeling and moving pretty well. Dan was starting to get some cramps that we thought nothing of until we reached the Lake of the Clouds hut. We got a little bit off course before this landmark and were rumbling around in some off trail bushes (which we could've gotten in trouble for....) trying to find the trail. After taking some cool pictures (below), we found the trail again. We soon found ourselves at the hut and paused for a few minutes to relax. We were all a little tired at this point, but this was where the day would take it's first turn.

This was one of the "on all fours" sections, right before the weather cleared.

Really cool lake near the hut that I found amazing. One of my favorite parts of the trail.

Little cloudier view of the same lake

Dan began suffering some really bad cramps as we embarked from the hut and was having trouble walking. He had been suffering through a cold from the past few days and didn't prepare well enough with his hydration, and ended up paying for it severely. Me and Sean watched on as he literally lost his ability to walk for a brief period and needed us to "break the bend" in his locked out knees because he couldn't. It was scary because we were in a crappy position for this to happen- too far from the bottom and too far from the summit. At this time he also got sick and began dry heaving/puking from taking too many electrolyte tablets at one time.The thought of airlifting him out was beginning to come to fruition, and as tension grew we decided the first thing to do was call Contois and ask for advice. He advised that we get him off the mountain, but being us we decided to not heed his advice whatsoever. Sean and I ended up taking turns giving Dan a piggyback ride back to the hut (about 800m down hill through rocky single track) and carrying all three backpacks until we finally got him there, which took about twenty minutes. He was getting cold, but luckily at that point the sun was coming out and it was getting hot. Around 11:30am we finally came to the conclusion that Dan was going to wait there while Sean and I went for the summit. We knew at the pace we were moving we were only 60-90 minutes from the top and didn't want to waste the opportunity of driving all the way up there for nothing. Dan was fine with this because he wanted the same thing for us, so we hooked him up with a lot water and fluids and took off for the top.

Reborn, Sean and I hit the ground running after a near forty minute break from moving and were moving at a really good clip for about thirty minutes. Several other people were near us but it was mostly us for the entirety of this section. We began bitching and making jokes, knowing that misery loves company and basically just wanting to hit the summit. It only took us about fifty minutes to make the top at the pace we were moving. Towards the top it got too windy to talk (30-40mph winds) and a little chilly so we sort of split up, me in front but Sean pretty close behind me. I hit the summit first with Sean coming in about three minutes later. We took a bunch of pictures, went into the gift shop and hit the snack shop for some water bottles. We opted to make Dan a video at the top which was more humorous than anything. A total of about twenty minutes on top, feeling good and being happy to finally have made it, we decided to head back to our wounded soldier and took off once again.

Pic of the day even though the wind messed up my smile

Summit on the Amunoosuc side

Summit from another side

We got back to Dan at the Lake of the Clouds Hut in about 40 minutes, again cooking down the mountain. At this point Dan had about two hours to rest and was feeling a lot better, so we relaxed for a bit (Sean moreso than others, see pictures), and went for the car.

Lol

Defeated by the mountains but still enjoyed popping the cherry

It took us less than two hours to get off the mountain and back to the car. Something of note, I hallucinated for the first time in my life towards the end. I must've been really electrolyte deprived or dehydrated, but I saw the rocks in the water and swore it was my car and several others in the parking lot. I even exclaimed this as I was leading, to which Dan and Sean told me I was an idiot. It was very interesting going off the mountain in hot, clear weather because it didn't even look like the same trail we had climbed just hours previous with no rain or fog. They were hurting more than I was at this point but we were all pretty tired. We finally got to the bottom, took a little bit of a wrong turn and had to walk about half a mile extra, but ended up back at the car we had departed from 7 hours prior.


All in all, I had an absolute blast hiking Mount Washington. 6288 ft is the highest I have climbed to date but definitely plan to do higher in the future. Most notably, I'd like to summit Pikes Peak next summer when I go to Colorado to visit graduate schools. That's a ways away obviously but I plan to continue hiking pretty frequently as I genuinely enjoy it as opposed to how I felt towards running ultras towards the end. I plan to hike this trail again in the future, possibly with some new friends, and maybe on Tuckerman's ravine next time to change it up. If anyone is interested in doing so, let me know.

GSLP Day 8

Press
2x5x132.5#
10x132.5# (PR)

RDL's
Worked up to 9x245# (PR)

Weighted Chins
27.5# by 8, 5

2x8 chins

COMMENTS
General:  Nothing special but good day in the gym overall.
Nutrition: Been on point this week.
Body: Overall a little chest soreness, legs losening up with mobility work.
Sleep: Shit all week
Reflections: Busy work week, going to hike Mt Washington this weekend.

Bench Press, Curl, Neck

Bench Press
2x5x192.5#
11x192.5# (PR)

Curl
2x15x72.5#

Neck
3x50x15#

1 hour of walking
COMMENTS

• General: Didn't squat because my mobility lacked all weekend and my knees hurt.
• Nutrition: Clean
• Body: Feeling good
• Sleep: 6 hours
• Reflections: Looking forward to a good week

GSLP Day 6

Overhead Press
2x5x130#
10x130# (PR)

Squat
8x310# (PR)

Weighted Chins
25# by 7, 6

Neck
3x45x15#

30 min of walking

COMMENTS

• General: Solid day. Forgot to blog.

GSLP Day 5

Bench Press
2x5x190#
10x190# (PR)

Deadlift
Worked up to 3x405#

BB Strict Curl
2x15x70#


3 Sets of chins- 8, 6, 5

COMMENTS

• General: Didn't have a spotter so I stopped at ten, might've ground out 11 if I had one. Deadlift was easy just wanted to go heavy. Will do RDL's next week.
• Nutrition: Great
• Body: Overall good. Need to keep mobbing
• Sleep: 9hours
• Reflections: Been swamped with work recently and my workouts have kept me sane. Going to keep hitting GSLP hard.

GSLP Day 4

Press
2x5x127.5#
11x127.5#(PR)

Back squat
Worked up to 10x305# (PR)

Weighted Chins
22.5# by 7, 6

Neck Harness
3x40x15#

COMMENTS
General: Loving being back on this program and doing it right without any additions just yet. My form has felt good on most of my lifts and my squat has felt decent, I just need to hit the mobility more frequently I think. I hit 1 more rep at a higher weight than last time with press. In other news, that 10 rep squat set on the 1RM says I can hit 407 for a max, and I've found in the past that I can always hit 10# more than the estimate, so that's pretty cool.
Nutrition: Clean- bought some sweet potatoes to eat post wod.
Body: Rundown from the weekend, need a few good nights of sleep
Sleep: I was dead from the weekend so getting 8 hours wasn't enough
Reflections: Keep on going is what I shall do. Rest tomorrow and hit up either RDL's or rack pulls combined with bench and curls on Wed.

GSLP Day 3

Bench Press
5x45#
5x135#
2x5x187.5#
12x187.5# (PR)!

Back Squat
5x135#
5x225#
10x300# (PR)

Barbell Curl
2x15x67.5#

Neck Harness
3x 34, 33, 33 @ 15#

Mobility:
Couch stretch and glute stretch, ~2 min each side

COMMENTS

• General: Really good bench PR. Nice to see that I can actually squat 300# for double digit reps. No doubt I had more in me there, honestly I just hate repping out past 10 on the squat because of form issues and because I'm a bitch. Overall good day.
• Nutrition: Good today
• Body: My legs and back has residual soreness from Monday and Wednesday's session.
• Sleep: 7 hours of shitty quality
• Reflections: First weekend back at school, going to have some fun this weekend but it won't be the norm all year by any means.

deadlift, press, wpu, neck

Deadlift

Worked up to 8x385#


Press
5x45#
5x95#

2x5x125#
1x10x125# (PR)

WPU
20# DB for 8, 6

Neck Harness
3x50x10#

COMMENTS

• General: Deadlift felt really strong. Doing RDL's has really improved my form and pull overall. Press sucked as usual but I'm attempting to really start from a low number and get my shitty press out of the hole it's been in since I started lifting.
• Nutrition: It's not bad, needs a little fixing. Adjusting to school still
• Body: Feel good. Legs were a little sore still from Monday.
• Sleep: 7-8 hours
• Reflections: Not much.

GSLP Day 1

Greyskull LP Day 1

Back Squat
5x45#
5x135#
5x225#
10x295# (PR)

Bench Press
5x45#
5x135#
2x5x185#
11x185# (PR)

Strict BB Curls
2x15x65#

Neck Harness
2x50x10#

COMMENTS

• General: Awesome first day back. Felt good to get my whole workout done in about 50 minutes. The squats felt pretty good, although I do need to consistently mob to improve the bottom positioning. I failed on a grinder for the 12th rep of the bench without a spotter, which was embarassing to get out of.
• Nutrition: Really good. I'm planning on following an 80/20 protocol with the paleolithic diet this year, the 20% coming from post wod nutrition (whey, milk, rice, etc.) along with one massive splurge on weekends.
• Body: Good. My legs will be sore tomorrow. I felt strong in all lifts.
• Sleep: 7 hours. Wasn't able to sleep in.
• Reflections: Moving to school tonight. I wrote up my daily schedule for the semester earlier and I should be able to do fasted cardio 4x a week, so that will be my goal. I have some bodyfat I need to get rid of if I want to be happy with how I look. Going to work really hard for the entire semester and ideally won't change up my programming for the remainder of 2012.

I'll Tumble For Ya

I'm going to be returning to this website for my blogging purposes from here on out. I don't want to use the GLGS name if I'm not training endurance because it's not really fair to what Shane and the likes are trying to do over there. I'll continue to support them however.

Anyway, I made a tumblr. This will have a lot more of my personal life stuff on it (music, pictures, etc.) but I'll definitely keep some training materials on it. Feel free to check it out.

http://kenbissam.tumblr.com/

I'll be going to a GSLP style of training on Monday. Looking forward to it. Until then.

Go Long, Get Strong

Go Long, Get Strong Home Page
My New Blog


Myself and Shane Skowron are working together to put together a website dedicated to athletes training for endurance and strength simultaneously.  The idea is to form a website to provide information, resources, testimonials and a community atmosphere for people interested in getting stronger while becoming better at endurance.

The two of us have spent the last couple years training for the two, myself being an ultrarunner and powerlifting enthusiast and him doing ultras and olympic weightlifting. This website is not dedicated to just ultras or just barbell training. We want to provide information to 5k runners, triathlon athletes, CrossFit and the like. The goal is to build an atmosphere where more and more people are welcomed to start training like we do. It's unfortunate that so little information is available to athletes who want to train for both, and therefore decided it was time to change that.


My blog will no longer be at this website although you will still be able to access it. This is a big step for my training and for athletes who train like I do, so I'm really excited. I hope you'll come along for the ride.

Bench press, deadlift, dip, chin

Bench Press
Worked up to 5x205#

Deadlift
Worked up to 7x375# (PR)


1RM strict bent row testing
Worked up to 165 with good form


25# Weighted Chins SS with weighted dips
6/8
6/7


COMMENTS

• General: Unfortunately I do not think 5/3/1 is right for me increasing my upper body movements. I like the program for my squat and deadlift but I think my first instinct was right and that was to go back to Madcow. I've completed 2 cycles now of 531 with no bench PR's which is discouraging. I'm making some big changes.
• Nutrition: OK. Carb curfew went to shit but I ate clean food.
• Body: Feel really good. My pulls were lightning quick it felt like
• Sleep: 8-9 hours
• Reflections: OK day minus my bench. I'm going to take next week off even though I did that about 3 weeks ago and re-focus my energy. I want to get what I'm doing wrong right once and for all. That means nixing the assistance work (to a point, not fully), focusing only on the barbell movements first and getting back to a LP training style with my pressing movements. I'm sick of not making any progress and clearly I am not making any as of late so something needs to change. I'm going to run tomorrow, I have to stay at school because my moms coming down to drop some stuff off so I will probably get about an hour in tomorrow. I plan to run at least 4 times next week while I'm off from the weights for a week. I will plan a really good long run for next Saturday, or possibly some kind of timed event to prepare for the 6 hour thaw in a few weeks.

Press, curls, seated db press, shrugs

Press
Worked up to 5x150#


Curls
3x10x80# EZ bar curl
2x8x50# db curls


Seated DB Press
5x10x45#'s


KB Shrugs
2x12x88#'s



1 mile run and 1 hour walk



COMMENTS

• General: I was really hoping for a 6 rep press set for a lifetime PR but I fell just short. Overall pretty good cycle of 5/3/1 but I think I'm going to make a final change and stick with it for the next 3 months.
• Nutrition: Clean
• Body: OK but I'll be sore tomorrow I think. Need to recover properly.
• Sleep: 7.5 hours
• Reflections: Nothing much. Hoping our website will be ready to go in a few more days.

Bikram yoga, back squat, core

90 minute Bikram yoga class (hot yoga) in the AM

_


Back Squat 5/3/1 week 3 of cycle
Worked up to 5x320# (tied a lifetime PR)


Romanian Deadlift
3x5x231#


Ab Wheel
3 Sets of 5 roll outs and back


COMMENTS

• General: Knocked one more thing off the "bucket list" today trying Bikram yoga. Amazing work out, unlike anything I've ever done and I look forward to continuing doing it, especially this summer. It's really cheap to do in the AM near my hometown so I will continue to do it when I return home and may try to do it while I'm at Springfield. The 5 rep squat was the most I've squatted for 5 since last June.
• Nutrition: Not great today. Lots of meat but a bit too much junk.
• Body: OK. The yoga really aligned me and fixed my back in areas that were bothering me.
• Sleep: 8 hours
• Reflections: Back at school. I'll train tomorrow with some fasted cardio and some type of conditioning. On top of everything I'm happy to announce I will be moving my blog URL to an actual website I am going to become a part of. More information will be coming in the next few days but I can tell you that if you are interested in the way I train (for endurance and strength) then you will be very excited to see what I have in store.

2 workouts I missed

Friday:

Worked up 10x355# deadlift (PR)

Worked up to 7x195# bench press (PR)


Supersetted a couple weighted dips and pullup sets with a 15# vest for hypertrophy

Tabata Run for conditioning


Saturday:

Conditioning:

4 individual rounds of

10 ring pullups
5 50# thrusters
Sprint to stop sign and back at Dan's house

Best time was 1:21, worst was like 1:30



COMMENTS

• General: Forgot to blog the last few days. Went heavy on Friday and felt really good. I got a free sample preworkout in the mail from bodybuilding.com and although I'm never one to use things like that I decided to try it and it made a huge difference in my energy level. Don't think it's something I'd take a lot of but it was a fun experience.
• Nutrition: Good Friday, had ice cream Saturday
• Body: OK just really sore right now in my upper body
• Sleep: Not too good
• Reflections: Not much, supposed to rest tomorrow but it looks lke I'll be doin a couple miles.

Prowler sprint metcon

AMRAP 5min Prowler touches in the SC weightroom going from 2 designated points

13 touches

Swam 500m in class earlier and walked 45 minutes on the treadmill

COMMENTS

• General: Fair amount of movement today. Felt good during the prowler sprints. I really see those impacting my running significantly, especially as I train for the Wapack. The power I will develop in my legs from programming these should help me cruise over hills.
• Nutrition: Clean
• Body: Sore in biceps, triceps and shoulders.
• Sleep: 8-9 hours
• Reflections: Not much. Active recovery tomorrow.

Last 2 days

Monday:

Back Squat
Worked up to 7x300# (PR)

70# Kb swings
2x10

RDL's
3x5x220#

______________
Tuesday:

Press
Worked up to 145x6 (tied a PR)

Did 5 sets of bicep curls with varying weights/ exercises


Seated DB shoulder press
5x10x42.5#


COMMENTS

• General: Pretty good week of training so far. Disapointed I didn't PR with the press but it'll come in time I hope. Not much to comment on.
• Nutrition: Good yesterday and so-so tonight. Mom came for a visit at school and ate some junk at dinner.
• Body: Good.
• Sleep: It's been shaky.
• Reflections: 2 things- started taking a few new supplements. I already take in whey protein and creatine on a daily basis but I now have BCAA's (again), l-glutamine, green tea extract and a multivitamin. I will report back with how those work. Also been getting kind of depressed again, hoping to shake it but it may affect training somewhat over the next week. I've actually been using outside problems as motivation to train so we'll see how it plays out.

Long Run

2:24 min run at Lithia Springs in South Hadley, MA. Spent about 1:45 running and then the last part was a lot of walking, mainly to find out where I was.

COMMENTS

• General: Good run minus me getting lost again. These trails are really easy to get lost on just because they lose their markings in places and there is 4 different main trails throughout. Very mountain-y terrain similar to the Fells. When I got lost I descended the mountain towards the lake in the picture above OFF trail (basically scaled it)... pretty intense, stupid and unsafe but I'm good like that.
• Nutrition: Drinking tonight, will probably eat a bit of crap but it won't deter me from eating clean for the next week like it has recently.
• Body: Hamstrings and back are sore. Made the run tough at times
• Sleep:9 hours
• Reflections: Won't be able to long run next weekend. Planning on trying out a couple other places around Springfield so I can add a few more places to my arsenal. May go back to Mittineague now that the storm damage is probably cleared up.

Bench Press, Deadlift, chins, pullups

Bench Press
Worked up to 9x185# (Ties a lifetime PR, PR for recent months)

Deadlift
Worked up to 10x335# (PR)

Supersets of dips and chin ups
15/12, 10/8, 12/7


COMMENTS

• General: Good end to my first real week of 5/3/1. I think it may be more practical some weeks to pair the bench and deadlift together on Friday as opposed to doing the bench on Saturday, as it is for me tomorrow and next week. Two solid PR's, I had 10 in the bag with bench which has been a goal of mine for some time but I hit the pins on the 9th rep and knocked the rep down. By the time I locked it out I was gassed. Excuses excuses....
• Nutrition: Clean. pretty much flawless.
• Body: Overall I feel good. I like doing individual muscle groups as I think it'll benefit me a lot to not work my upperbody until next Wednesday for recovery and growth purposes.
• Sleep: 9 hours.
• Reflections: All in all pleased with this week of strength training. Tomorrow I'm going to Lithia springs to get a run in. I've got enough supplies packed for at least two hours on the trails and as an added bonus I'm going to see how far I can go with no food to see how my body responds. I'll be carrying food with me though. Looking ahead to next week I have my MTEL test so I probably won't have time to long run unless I push it to Sunday but that's up in the air as of now.

Press, Ez curls, seat db press, conditioning

5/3/1 Press (5 week) cycle 2:
5x65#
5x80#
3x95#
5x105#
5x120#
9x135# (PR)


EZ Bar Curls 5x10
10x65#
4x10x70#

Seated DB Press 4x10
2x10x40#
10x37.5#
10x35#

Conditioning:
5 Rounds for time
15m prowler push
8 burpees

Not timed

COMMENTS

• General: Lifetime PR on the press if I recall correctly, can't remember ever getting 9. Awesome conditioning WOD, one I'll do again for sure. Triumvirate assistance was good today as well. Overall great training day
• Nutrition: Clean as fook
• Body: Back is tight but OK. Legs are very sore.
• Sleep: 7-8 hours
• Reflections: Nothing much. Absolutely definite long run in Lithia Springs this weekend.

Movin the legs

10 200m Sprints with a 30 second Rest for time- 10:46


1 mile warm up and 1 mile cool down before/after workout


COMMENTS

• General: Pretty busy today with everything, only had about 90 minutes to work out. Honestly OK with it as I hate running by myself in Springfield for the most part unless I'm at trails in the surrounding area. It's monotonous and boring so I got some speed work in and called it a day. Truth be told my Tuesday work out will probably be more high intensity stuff instead of mileage running until I lose some weight.
• Nutrition: Clean
• Body: Back pretty sore.
• Sleep: 10 hours. I was really tired last night.
• Reflections: First 5/3/1 press day tomorrow on the real program. Going to have a huge pump by the time I'm done ;). I will condition tomorrow as well.

Back Squat, RDL's, sit ups

Back Squat
5x135#
5x185#
3x205#
5x250#
10x285# (PR)

Romanian Deadlifts
5x135#
5x155#
5x175#
3x5x207#

Weighted Situps
2x12 GHD sit ups, 25 regular sit ups, 25 20# weighted sit ups


Pullups
3x8

Neck Work
3x60x10#

COMMENTS

• General: First day of 5/3/1 and I couldn't be more pleased. Got in and out of there in 50 minutes with enough time for some mobility. Less volume, more intensity and that's where I want to be. Lifetime PR on the 10 rep back squat I'm pretty sure. RDL's are bomb. Lots of hamstring tension which should help all my lifts, and my running.
• Nutrition: Clean. Doing it
• Body: Feel good.
• Sleep: 7-8 hours. I was nearly on suicide watch after the superbowl so I couldn't fall asleep.
• Reflections: Running tomorrow, get some mobility in while I'm at it. I'll do about an hour of fast running tomorrow afternoon.

Ready to go

COMMENTS

• General: Beginning 5/3/1 programming today and starting it off big. Didn't train this weekend really minus the swim. Good call on my part taking it off because my hip feels a lot better. In general I'm so pumped up for the next 11 weeks of training to kill it and start seriously working towards my goals for the year in a structured manner.
• Nutrition: Bad this weekend. I'm going to start going shopping while I'm down here to buy better food choices now that I have money.
• Body: Feeling pretty good from what I can tell. I think the light week definitely benefited me.
• Sleep: 8 hours. Superbowl.... don't wanna talk about it.
• Reflections: Been doing a lot of research for what I'm going to do after college recently. I know I want to stay in school after I get my bachelor's degree and just get the masters while I'm still young. I'm feeling pretty good about the plans I'm making and it looks like I may be headed out to Colorado for 2 years (or more.... who knows) after I graduate in 2 years. I've got a lot of focusing to do on school now to make this work out for me, especially if I want to be a GA and save a ton of money in grad school, but this makes me really excited. I found a small Physical Education masters program out there that is a 45 minute drive to the state park where Hardrock 100 is held. Can't even begin to imagine the possibilities. Obviously time will tell but I thought it'd be cool to share this on my blog.

Not Much Going On

Yesterday:

Worked up to a 315x1 back squat. Did some pullups and 8 prowler pushes that were about 15 yards


Today:

20-25 minutes of hard swimming, doing some recovery laps throughout

COMMENTS

• General: Opted not to run today because my hips been nagging for over a week now and running clealry doesn't help it. I'd rather just see it get better. I was going to go for a 405 back squat last night but it was apparent after 315# that I wouldn't hit it as it was a grind doing 3 plates so I called it after that.
• Nutrition: It's been OK. Some junk in there.
• Body: Overall good. Back feeling pretty much healed some days. My hip isn't painful but it's not 100%
• Sleep: good, don't remember how much
• Reflections: I have 11 weeks of training scheduled that I wrote up today. Basically 2-3 runs a week (Tuesday and Saturday with an option of a Wednesday run) and 4 days a week of 5/3/1. I'm not going to run a Madcow variant like I was considering. I'll run 2 cycles back to back with no deload week using the triumvirate assistance work, take a deload week and then do 3 weeks with the bodybuilding assistance, followed by another deload week. It's a decrease in volume from what I'm used to and I'm looking forward to seeing results in my lifts coming up soon.

Supposed "Week Off"

Monday:
No training

Tuesday:
AMRAP 10:
20 KB Swings (55# db)

5 rounds + 7 kb swings (PR by 10 burpees and 7 swings)


Wednesday:

5/3/1 Deadlift
5x185#
5x225#
3x275#
3x345#
3x385# (PR)


Glute Hamstring Raises w/ 3 second pause at top
3x6

Couple sets of pullups and curls, just trying to get blood flow not going for performance.


5 Rounds:
40 yd prowler shuttle push
10 box jumps
(not timed)


Thursday:
5k run in the AM, empty stomach right out of bed. Hit it in 23:04 for 7:40 miles. Ran at SC loop course


COMMENTS

• General: I had every intention of taking the whole week off but I'm stupid and I really missed training. I took 5 days off completely from weight lifting which definitely seemed to help me. I did prowler pushes for the first time which will become my staple of conditioning training, it's absolutely BEASTLY. I bet it will improve my hill running significantly. Deadlift was probably too heavy, my form seemed to slip so I think I'll go back down a bit.
• Nutrition: It's been really good all week. I'm trying to lose some weight.
• Body: I was beat up at the beginning of the week but minor injuries seem to be feeling better. My hip and knee are both feeling better. my hamstring has been bothering me since the beach run but it felt good on my 5k run today and deadlifting last night, I just can't stretch it too far.
• Sleep: 9 hours almost every night.
• Reflections: I'm pretty much set on my training for the upcoming 2 months. I'm either going to stick with 5/3/1 or run 5/3/1 on my lower body lifts while I use Madcow to improve my bench and press. I'm undecided on this as of now. I'm going to follow the triumvirate assistance work. If you check that link you can plug it in and see a loose model. Basically it's 4 days of training a week with 2 assistance lifts each day that hit that muscle group in a different way. An example would be 5/3/1 bench press followed by 4 sets of chin ups and dips. This is going to severely decrease the volume of my strength training but I think it's for the better. I'd like to emphasize intensity from here on out. Get in the gym, get what I need done then get out and recover. It will also give me a lot more opportunities to put miles under my feet. I'm planning on following a 7 week split, where I will follow 2 cycles of 5/3/1 (skipping the deload week on the 4th week) then deloading on week 7. That basically takes out 6 deloads each year because I personally do not think I need to deload THAT often. Looking ahead to the rest of the week, I think I'm going to do a squat session tomorrow followed by some brief conditioning, nothing to heavy. I sort of want to see how my old 1rm feels now that I did all those reps during Smolov even though I didn't finish. I'm headed to Lithia or somewhere new Saturday for a long run.

Beach Run

15 miles on the Cape Cod Beaches @ Cape Cod Fat Ass Frozen 50k

2:45:00


COMMENTS

• General: Had a pretty good run today. The sand was deep in some spots and since I've never run in the sand for extended periods of time I am feeling it in some weird spots. It was a 50k race but I went into it just planning on getting a long run in which I got.
• Nutrition: Poor. Me and Contois had a long talk in the car today. We're going to get shit going and hold eachother accountable starting real soon.
• Body: OK. I feel pretty good from the run just tight legs and tired
• Sleep: 5-6 hours
• Reflections: Rest tomorrow and I'm going to deload this week as my body needs it. I want to get a long run in next weekend but since it's a light week I may just head to Lithia and go on a really long hike. Not sure.

Back work week 2

Power Shrugs, Strapped
2x15x295#

Rack Pull
5x375#
5x405#

V Handle Pulldowns
6x180#
12x150#
*both PRs

Machine Row
8x95#
12x75#


50 minute walk

COMMENTS

• General: I really like doing all this extra back work as I think it's going to help me focus on a big weakness I didn't even realize I had. I especially like V-Handle Pulldowns and rackpulls. Today was a good day of training. I will rest tomorrow in preparation for a long beach run Saturday.
• Nutrition: Good
• Body: Overall good, fatigued triceps
• Sleep: 8 hours
• Reflections: I'm about 90% locked in to commiting to making 5/3/1 my programming for the entirety of the next couple months. I think it's beneficial to me because I will now have an option to run 4 times a week as opposed to 2 (unless I want to run on a day I train lower body which I prefer not to for recovery purposes) and will focus on only one part of my body in training, similar to that of a bodybuilder. I could hit all the goals I have set for the year if I were to do 11 cycles of 5/3/1 in 2012 as well, so even if it seems to be coming slow the big picture looks promising. Long day tomorrow, I'm going to be headed home around 7pm and will be gone by 5am on Saturday for at least 15 beach miles.

Upperbody

5/3/1 Bench Press Week 3
Worked up to 4x210# (missed PR by 1)


DB Bench Press
3x10x55#'s, 1x8

DB Lateral Raises
3x12x20# thumbless grip

Rope Pulldowns
100# for 20, 15, 15


Pullups/Chinups

P- 12, 8, 8
C- 10, 5


COMMENTS

• General: Decent day today. I missed my lifetime bench PR but I'm not too far off it so I'm not mad. I should exceed it soon. I worked with the bodybuilding assistance work today instead of BBB in 5/3/1 and I like it a lot.
• Nutrition: Really good, ate a lot more than I should've if I want to lose weight though.
• Body: Not bad but I'm going to be sore tomorrow.
• Sleep: 8-9 hours
• Reflections: Couple of things. I think I decided today I want to run 5/3/1 for the remaining 5 months and change until race day. This will allow me to run about 4 full cycles, possibly 5 depending on how many deloads I opt to take. I like how the program has one lift a day with the flexibility for assistance work and since I can do bodybuilding for assistance work I can continue to work towards my strength goals while increasing muscle mass. I also decided to go home for the weekend and do the Cape Cod Frozen fat ass. It's supposed to be 2 loops of 25k but I may only do one because my knee has been iffy recently. Just can't pass up a 15-30 mile run on the beach in January, sounds like too much fun.

2k Row

Tuesday Conditioning:

2k Row
6:41 (PR by 1 second!)



COMMENTS

• General: Went beast mode on the last couple strokes to pull a PR. When I hit the 1k point I thought I'd miss it by about 20 second so I really picked it up. Good conditioning work out. Fortunately I have enough time on Tuesdays now to get a run in when weather permits so I will look to do that when I can.
• Nutrition: Really good. No vegetables today though lol.
• Body: Feel good. Back held up and feels good.
• Sleep: 8-9 hours
• Reflections: One more training day and then a well deserved day off. Weather permitting I'd like to get a long run in Saturday. I have the option to go home and run a 50k race in Cape Cod if I want to. I am going to keep that in mind over the next day and try to make my decision by Thursday. If I keep on top of all my work I might be able to go. If I can't swing it then I'll head to Lithia and get a few hours under my belt.

Press, deadlift, curls, dips

Press
Worked up to 6x145#
5x10x75#

Deadlift
Worked up to 5x330#

EZ Bar Curls
2x12x80# (PR)

Strict Bar Dips
19 (PR), 15, 15

COMMENTS

• General: Felt strong today. Opted to do week 3 5/3/1 press today instead of putting it off to Wednesday. I am not sure but I believe this is a lifetime PR by one. I switched how I press now to cleaning it from the floor and it feels a lot strong driving through the ceiling. 3 rep dip PR which shows I'm doing something right with my tricep strength.
• Nutrition: Clean
• Body: Good. Good news was my back didn't hurt during deadlifts again and feels better now that I'm done.
• Sleep: 7 hours
• Reflections: Overall really pleased with the day. Working my way back to deadlifting slowly but surely and the press was a big PR. I'm thinking that I started a bit too low with my 5/3/1 numbers and instead of deloading next week as schedule I may do one more 3 week cycle and then deload. It'd be a one time thing but I'm going to consider it over the next couple days.

Rest Day

No training

COMMENTS

• General: Long day of being lazy, not much going on. Registered for the Wapack today which rounds out my race schedule through July.
• Nutrition: Not good
• Body: OK, needed a day off though
• Sleep: 9 hours
• Reflections: School and work pick up this week. Need to keep my schedule tight to allow for proper work out time.

Building Up The Back

Power Shrugs
12x280#
12x285#

V Handle Pulldowns
8x170#
12x140#

Machine Row W/ Loaded Plates
8x90#
12x70#

Rack Pull
1 set at 3x355#


COMMENTS

• General: I introduced a new thing into my training that I'm going to experiment with over the next couple weeks. Basically Johhny Pain has an article here that highlights the importance of a strong back. He recommends taking time off of training to work on it solely but I'd rather add it in to what I'm doing now. A strong back will be beneficial to me for all my lifts and for keeping my structures above the waist strong and healthy during long runs.
• Nutrition: Really good.
• Body: Rundown. My legs are more sore and tired from Smolov 4 days after I quit than they were the first few days.
• Sleep: 8 hours. Alcohol induced so bad quality
• Reflections: Had a good time out last night but kept it low key today. With the addition of the back exercises into my weekly regiment I will either do a double on Saturday and long run with the back exercises being done first or push the long run to Sunday some weeks. I didn't run today because of a snow storm and my car being too low on gas to get to any trails. No money to put in the tank right now but that will change after I start my new job this week. Legs probably needed the rest anyway.

Bench Press, Ring work, curls, conditioning

5/3/1 Bench Press Week 2
3x135#
5x155#
3x180#
6x200#
4x10x115#


Strict Ring Dips
6, 7, 5

Strict Ring Pullups
2x6
1x5

EZ Bar Curls
2x12x75# (PR)


21-15-9
61# KB Swings
Burpees


COMMENTS

• General: Bench felt somewhat weak but it was alright. I'm slowly working my way back on the presses I guess. Ring pullups and dips seem to be a good assistance exercise to help get my lifts up so I want to continue to program then on occasion. Didn't time my conditioning but went AFAP.
• Nutrition: Really good. I'm going to have a bit of booze tonight. Fasted til 1pm.
• Body: Overall rundown I think. I'm going to benefit from a few days off for sure after one more week on 5/3/1.
• Sleep: 9 hours
• Reflections: Couple of things. I began swimming today in one of my classes which will make me a licensed lifeguard when I'm done. Perfect opportunity for fasted cardio. Another awesome announcement is that I found my first powerlifting meet that I will be signing up for in the next dew days. It's at Uconn and only costs $10. It's unofficial but I really want to try a competition so I'm definitely going to do it and it fits really well with my race schedule. Very excited.

Smolov Day 6, Press, chins, conditioning

Smolov Day 6

Back Squat
3x7x295# (Missed the last 2 sets- explained in comments)


5/3/1 Press Week 2
3x105#
3x120#
7x135#
5x10x75#


Chins 3x10

"Tabata Row" For conditioning


COMMENTS

• General: I'm opting to stop running the Smolov squat routine. Today was the halfway point and my lower body is starting to deteriorate in my hips and both knees to the point that it's not even worth it. I think fatigue in my legs has led to my form being shaky on some reps and also the insane amount of volume is just too much for my body right now. I quit halfway through today because my left hip was feeling so tight that I was afraid I may sustain an injury attempting the last 2 sets. Next time I run this program will be after a long break from running because I think that is the reason I was not successful this time. Positive note, my press felt really strong today even though the reps suggested otherwise.
• Nutrition: Really good today. Back at SC now so I'm doing my best to get in a new rhythm here.
• Body: Tight hips and knees. Overall tired
• Sleep: 7-8 hours. Tough to sleep in the dorm bed last night for the first time in a month.
• Reflections: I won't squat for at least 5 days, more likely a week. I'll go for a 1rm probably a week from Friday to see how all this volume impacted my 1rm.

Smolov Day 5, WPU, Curls, neck

Smolov Day 5
Back Squat
4x9x275#

Weighted Pullups (overhand grip)
2x5x25#
1x5x27.5# (PR)

EZ bar curls
2x10x75#
1 set of cable curls for pump


3x50x15# Neck Harness

COMMENTS

• General: Lower volume today, wasn't feeling too much stress on the body after a long night of dealing with a lot of questionable antics until about 2:30am. The squat was a 20# jump as all the work outs this week are which was a challenge but pretty easy overall which pleased me.
• Nutrition: Spotty today. I'd say about 90% of what I'd like to do everyday but not perfect.
• Body: My left hip has been bothering me from all the squatting. Started icing it after today's session,hopefully it helps.
• Sleep: 7 hours
• Reflections: Pretty good day overall. Hip thing should subside and after one more squat workout I am halfway done with the Smolov program. If my hip feels okay tomorrow I'll be looking to get a few miles done but with the snow pouring down right now that may present a problem. We'll see what happens.

Smolov Day 4, Back work, shrugs

Smolov Day 4

Backsquat
10x3x310#

V Handle Pulldowns
6x185#
10x135#

Yates Row
Worked up to 1x8x105# (emphasis on good form since it's first time using this movement)

Lateral Delt Raises
2x10x17.5# (3 sec pause at top, thumbless grip)

Power Shrugs, Strapped
275# for 12, 15

Neck Harness
2x50x15#

COMMENTS

• General: Lots of volume today once again with the squats. All the backwork was inspired from a JP article on bringing up your back strength which I realized I am lacking. I want to start doing 1 full day of back exercise assistance work each week along with the arm and yoke work.
• Nutrition: Not as good. Had a 40oz beer and some junk food while watching the pat's playoff game.
• Body: Run down. I've noticed some minor problems with my body over the course of this week adjusting to Smolov for sure.
• Sleep: 8-9 hours
• Reflections: Well deserved rest day tomorrow. I want to make sure I get in a lot of food tomorrow in order to make sure I'm ready for a huge weight jump on Monday.

Smolov day 3, bench press, curls, dips

Smolov Day 3, week 1

Back Squat
7x5x290#


5/3/1 Bench Press
5x145#
5x170#
7x190#
5x10x70#


EZ Bar Curls
70x12x2

Strict Dips 5x10


COMMENTS

• General: Once again a solid day on Smolov minus a little body trouble. I noticed the inside of my right knee really tight and reluctant to go down into the hole on my squat while I warmed up but it went away as I began the work out. My hip was also pretty tight. My guess is I did not wait long enough after the 50k to start the program like I should've and my body is telling me it's not happy with my decision. If the problems get more severe I may have to call it quits but as of right now I'm full steam ahead ready to crush 10 sets tomorrow.
• Nutrition: Dynamite but maybe ate too many carbs past curfew (6ish)
• Body: I feel solid, nothing too sore minus my back bothering me over the last few days as usual. I think my CNS is pretty strung out and is thanking me for any rest it's getting.
• Sleep: 10 hours or so
• Reflections: Not too much, planning on making one slight change in my strength training. I think it may be more beneficial for me to do my upper body pressing movement first before I squat from now on. I tend to feel more lose at the beginning of the work out but after I fry my energy levels with a shitload of squats I tend to feel a bit weaker. I may give this a go next week. I will only be doing pressing movements twice a week for a while on 5/3/1 anyway so it won't be a huge change. Few other things to note.... Wapack finally opened and I will be signing up within the next couple days. Also planning to do a run on either Sunday or Tuesday, nothing big just a light one.

Smolov Day 2, 5/3/1 Press, PU

Smolov Day 2

Back Squat
5x7x275#

5/3/1 Press Week 1
5x100#
5x115#
8x130# (PR?)

"Boring But Big" Assistance Work 5x10x75# Press



5x10 Chin ups


3x40x15# Neck Harness


COMMENTS

• General: Squat was once again manageable but not enjoyable by any means. I feel confident that the first week will progress by without any real danger of failing. First day of 5/3/1 press and I was very satisfied with how I felt afterwards and the overall design of the program. I will follow the "Boring but big" assitance which is basically 5x10 with the same movement after at a lighter weight and then some other type of assistance. I chose chinups today.
• Nutrition: Really good
• Body: Feeling good, just minor soreness in some areas
• Sleep: 8.5 hours
• Reflections: I went to the doctors today to get a few things checked out. I have stomach problems off and on that absolutely cripple me to the point where I often tear up and cannot breathe well. He concluded the stomach problems are a result of me having my appendix removed when I was in 5th grade and that it was a disease that I will live with forever which kind of sucks. The only way they could fix it is if it gets worse and ER surgery would be required. I also had my back checked out and he said that I've lost some range of motion and that's normal but he did note that my spine is a rare shape and told me that this shape is predisposed to suffering back injuries especially when lifting heavy things. He advised me to find a new hobby besides powerlifting... Something to think about I guess.

Conditioning

400m Run
100 DB Swings w/ 50#
400m Run

7:45

COMMENTS

• General: Wanted to do a little conditioning today and this fit the bill. I got it from the GSLP website. Good workout that I will do again in the future.
• Nutrition: For some reason I chose to binge eat late. It was good all day. Need to get back on track and follow the swole prescription.
• Body: Good. Legs a little sore but nothing noticeable.
• Sleep: 10 hours
• Reflections: I say it too much but nutrition has to get on back on track. Smolov day 2 tomorrow and the first 5/3/1 work out for my press.

Smolov Day 1, bench press, curls

Smolov Day 1, Week 1

Back Squat
4x9x255#

Bench Press
2x5x185#
1x8x185#

EZ Bar Curls- 3 second negative with one second contraction, pause at top and bottom
2x12x65#
1x10

Neck Harness
3x35x15#

Random sets of chinups working on strict chest to bar

COMMENTS

• General: Could've been a phenomenal day back but the bench press sucked today. I'm opting to change it before I even get far into it but not following GSLP. I think it may just be too much volume on the presses for my body. I'm thinking 5/3/1 may be the way to go and I've been doing some extensive research on the program recently. It's only twice a week so I may look to give it a go on Wednesday and Friday's training session. Smolov day 1 wasn't awful but it wasn't easy
• Nutrition: Awesome minus some frozen yogurt with fixins
• Body: Still sore in the same spots as yesterday just not as bad. Squatting was slow at the start but really made my lower body soreness go away
• Sleep: 8-9 hours. Will sleep better the next week because I'll be at my Dad's where no one is home to wake me up early.
• Reflections: Need to figure out what I want to do with the BP and press asap. My only goal is to see increases in these lifts over the next couple months because they have stalled for way too long.

Post Race Rest

No training

COMMENTS

• General: Kind of retired from the everyday blogging on rest days as it wasn't ever really useful information but decided to today since I had a race yesterday. Feeling good from the race yesterday overall.
• Nutrition: Pretty damn bad. Just trying to shovel in the calories and recover as fast as possible.
• Body: Mostly sore in my lower calves. Besides that there is some minor soreness in my quads, hamstrings and inner legs but it's nothing big. Shoulders surpisingly were a bit sore too
• Sleep: 8-9 hours. Never sleep well after long runs
• Reflections: Was going to start the Smolov cycle on Wednesday but opting to start tomorrow because I'm feeling good. 4x9 squats tomorrow may be pretty brutal on the already sore legs but I think I can handle it.

2012 GAC Fat Ass 50k Run

I signed up to run my first 100m (Viaduct Trail 100) race in July a few months ago. The GAC Fat Ass race was an easy selection as a preparation race for this goal of mine because it's relatively close, free and the course is really nice. On top of that it's was a good opportunity to test myself after 1 year of running ultras by returning to the first ultra I ever completed, the 2011 GAC Fat Ass which was on the same course but in completely different weather.

We arrived at Bradley Palmer State Park pretty early. I was with my former teacher and running partner Contois for the second year in a row. We parked, dropped off the food we brought for the aid station and relaxed for about a half hour. When I got dressed for the run I was sporting a long sleeve thermal, headband, t-shirt, compression shorts, double layered shorts, drymax socks and my new Montrail Mountain Masochist trail running shoes that I got for Christmas. I carried my new Ultimate Direction handheld throughout the run as well. I ended up ditching the headband and long sleeve after the first loop because it was too hot and switched to a different shirt after 3 loops.

The race was 5 loops of 10k throughout the statepark. Two laps went by easily enough and I was feeling confident. The fastest split I ran for a lap last year at this race was about 62 minutes, and today I did the first 2 laps in about 52 minutes a piece. I was feeling really confident and trying to work on a new racing technique for my own personal use. In past races I've gone out too slow only to find myself miss my goal time when I felt like I could push harder for longer after the races were over. This was more for a precaution than anything but I decided to spend today going out harder than normal on the first few laps and then take a "we'll see what happens" approach to the remainder of the race. This turned out to be very effective. I finished the first 12.4 miles feeling fresh and surprised at how fast the loops were going by.

The third loop I started to notice signs of dehydration. Turns out I was very dehydrated and that bit me in the ass at the end. I slowed down a little during this loop but still came charging in to the RHQ/aid station at around 54 minutes. I started experiencing "dead quad" in my right leg especially. For those not familiar it's a sharp painful stabbing of the quad that usually occurs because of electrolyte imbalance. When this began I thought it might be the new shoes which have more padding than I'm used to but I'm pretty confident it was more dehydration than anything. This sensation was only minor during this lap but would get worse as the race went on.

The fourth loop came and akin to last year turned out to be the hardest lap. I felt like shit because I was extremely dehydrated and didn't take good enough care of myself at the aid station by drinking enough fluid or eating enough. In previous races I also have eaten a lot more food at the aid stations, probably to the point of it being overkill or unnecessary. Today I finished the race hungry and that is definitely a first, but I think a good thing. I slammed a bottle of water and some mountain dew before this lap but it certainly was not enough at the time. This lap was also the first that I used my iPod during, which was also something new I was testing out. Instead of running with my iPod the entire race I decided to save it for motivation when the race entered the later stages. This worked very well because I felt a lot better and the hard miles went by a lot quicker with music in my ears. I think I'll employ this tactic in the future again for sure. I finished the fourth loop in about 63 minutes. There is a portion of this race that is hilly single track and since I opted to walk all of this my time was a lot slower on this lap.

Before the fifth lap I took care of myself by eating several hundred calories worth of food (including grilled cheese.... thank whoever brought those because they were delicious) and downing about 28oz of water and a few cups of mountain dew. My stomach was full and uncomfortable but I took off after about 8 minutes of resting and tried to pick it up the best I could. This loop was up and down as far as feeling good. It went by really slow because at that point I wanted the run to be over but I just kept plugging away. The dead quad got pretty bad but it would only last for about a minute at a time then go away for a few minutes. The worst part of it was about 10 minutes into the loop and it was bothering me so much I almost opted to call it a day early as there was a shortcut back to the car present. In retrospect I'm glad I didn't because the worst part faded soon after, and although it was painful it remained manageable. I got past the single track (what I consider the turning point in the 10k loop due to the hilly terrain) and just kept putting one foot in front of another until I came to the end of the driveway at the end. I was greeted by Contois who had already finished and he was shocked to see that I was done already.

I finished the race in 4:58 which is a 52 minute PR from the same course last year. I am beyond happy with that because anyone who follows me regularly knows I do not run too frequently and do not deserve a massive PR like that in all honesty. Contois finished in 4:03 and hit a big PR as well. Props to him for running a good race and exchanging good conversation on the way there and back.... and also for being cool with me melting chocolate into his passenger seat. Sorry!

In general I'm really pleased with how today turned out. I have 3 more races between now and Viaduct- a 6 hour, 50k and 50 miler. I think this was a great way to start off 2012 strong and make a good push towards the overall goal for the year. Writing this 4 hours later the only thing sore are my calves and achilles like usual. My feet actually feel surprisingly fresh. I'll probably be sore in a few areas tomorrow but other than that I can't really complain.


Things I Did Well:

- Paced myself properly
- Kept good running form
- Kept cool by changing clothes when needed

Things I Messed Up:

- Hydration
- Electrolytes
- Not eating enough calories

I plan to run a Smolov squat routine starting Wednesday that will last the remainder of January or about 3 weeks where I will only do a few minimal runs to focus on strength instead of endurance mostly.. That will still leave me about 6 weeks of solid running training before the TARC Spring Thaw 6 hour race that is on tap next.

A big thank you to the race directors and volunteers today. Thank you for putting on the race and doing such a good job handling all of the runners!

Overhead, DL, curls, sbtnp

Overhead Work- Push Press and Press

Push Press
Worked up to 185x3 (PR)

Dynamic Effort Press
3x3x115# (beltless, explosion from the bottom after 2 second pause, hold at lockout)


Deadlift
5x225#
5x315#

Axle Curls
95# for 9, 8, 8

Seated Behind The Neck Press
75# for 10 (PR)
85# for 6, 5

1x30 Back Extensions

COMMENTS

• General: Good workout today but I forgot to do weighted pullups so I will make those up tomorrow even though I should be resting. First day back deadlifting, no pain at all and my back has felt great ever since which has me very pleased. Overhead felt weak so I decided to go for a push press PR instead of getting nowhere with my press. I can tell in general my upper body really needs rest.
• Nutrition: Really good chipotle for dinner
• Body: Chest sore. The arm program and having the flu seemed to really weaken my upper body but ~4 days rest from resistance training and lots of protein should help.
• Sleep: 8 hours. Shitty quality last night
• Reflections: Signed up for the TARC Spring Classic so now I just have to register for the Wapack when it finally opens. I'll probably do some variation of pullups and ring pullups tomorrow for a few sets, nothing strenuous and then rest until racetime on Saturday morning.

Gymnastics/Skill Development/ Run

Strict Ring Dips
11, 9, 8, 7, 7

 

Handstand Holds
28s, 27s, 31s

 

Modified L-Sit Holds
34s, 39s, 26s

 

Neck Work
3x40x10#
__________

 

Run 1:04 at Rayburn single track for 6 miles w/ Contois


Mobility in the lower body- couch stretch, glute stretch and hamstrings


COMMENTS

• General: Felt good to work on some weaknesses today and hopefully improve for when I start going to open gym back at  school in a few weeks. Run was good, felt a bit tired towards the end.. not sure why but it is what it is. Broke in the mountain masochists which felt good but I rolled my ankle a few times.
• Nutrition: Really good and enjoying eating the "Swole" style
• Body: Felt pretty good minus a little problem during my run where my male parts froze...
• Sleep: 8 hours?
• Reflections: Not too much. Check out my 6 month plan if you get a chance.

The 6 Month Plan Training Template

If you follow me regularly (or look in the right corner of my page) you might realize that my major goal for 2012 is to run 100m at the Viaduct Trail 100m in Lanesboro, PA. This post is going to be dedicated to the next 6 months of training and the plan that I have to accomplish my goal and will also be stickied on the side of my blog to reference throughout.

As stated before, I'm breaking 2012 into 2 different sections. Pre-race and post-race, which revolves around July 7. After the 100m attempt (seeing that I finish) I will figure out from there what I want to do with my training for the remainder of the year.


I started out making this plan by mapping out the races that I will run prior to July 7. I did this in order to peak my training and allow for adequate rest before and after these runs so my performance is better during these runs. The following races are the ones I plan to do between now and Viaduct; some of these may change due to dates, finances etc. but I'm about 90% sure these are the ones I will partake in. As I finish these races I will update this post with my time and a link to the write up. For now, the ones in red will be ones I have not officially signed up for but plan to ASAP.

1. G.A.C. Fat Ass 50k- January 7, 2012- FINISHED 34th out of 80 for a 52 minute PR

2. TARC Spring Thaw- March 18, 2012


3. TARC Spring Classic- April 28, 2012


4. Wapack and Back 50m- May 12, 2012


*Note- On top of those 4 races I also plan to do the Mothers Day 6 hour walk/run event on May 13, 2012. I am aware that this will be about 12 hours after I finish the Wapack race (knock on wood) but I convinced my mom to do this with me recently and if I bail she probably won't do it. I'll walk the 6 hours with her which will probably be pretty painful but doable and be a good final test for my 100.

With that plan in place that leaves me with 4 ultra distance runs in the span of about 17 weeks and then another 8-9 weeks until I'm off to Pennsylvania. The only big concern I have with this race plan is the big gap of long runs between Wapack and Viaduct but if I can find another race or plan some kind of fun run with Contois (who is doing VT100 2 weeks after my goal race so I'm sure he won't be opposed to doing a long training run) then I think I'll be in good shape. I also think a completion of 50m during the Wapack race is more than enough stimulus to the brain and body to get me through a finish at Viaduct because the course is no joke and has far more elevation than the 100 will. I'm being brutally honest in saying that the Wapack was my last option just because I saw how tough the course was when I volunteered there last year and I'm well aware it'll be a long 50 miles.

I think the most effective way of gameplanning is to decide my plans between races and try to keep it close as possible. Since the GAC 50k is this weekend I will begin with the space of time after that race through the TARC Thaw race


G.A.C. Fat Ass 50k-TARC Spring Thaw 6 Hour (January 7- March 18)

The span between these 2 runs is the furthest I will experience between races. Since both of them will be similar distances I think I just need to continue to improve my distance running by doing 5-15 mile runs mostly but focusing on improving my speed. I think a good way to test how much my running improves will be to see how long it takes me to do 50k at the GAC and then seeing how far I get during the 6 hours in March. Obviously there will be variables but it should be pretty solid. To make sure I don't lose my endurance I will absolutely get a long run in during the month of February. I have spikes to run in the snow therefore I have no excuse and I need to keep in mind that it may be very important.

I haven't talked about strength training yet but as it was last year strength training will still take priority during this time of my 6 month plan. I will continue to only strength train 3x a week with SC powerlifting while I run on either Tuesday or Thursday and always Saturday. The main focus will be to start working towards all my strength goals I made for the year. I had originally considered doing Smolov's 3 week squat program following the GAC and I still may but I have to decide if it's worth sacrificing 3 weeks of good runs to do. At this point I am not sure what I'll do.

TARC Spring Thaw 6 Hour-TARC Spring Classic 50k (March 18-April 28)

From previous experience I've had trouble running during the end of February through March because in New England trails start to thaw out and they tend to be an absolute mess. I think between these 2 races I'm going to need to get a pair of road shoes and spend some time running on the roads. I don't think a specific long run is necessary during this time because of the proximity between the two runs (both exceeding 30m which is plenty long) but I will still train somewhere between 10-15 miles to keep improving. Also during this time I should be able to start working in my secret weapon which will be Lithia Springs in South Hadley, MA. The trails here are amazing and the hills are going to make for a money spot to train for the Wapack race. I know for a fact I'm going to need to bust my ass to make a good time during that race and Lithia can do that for me if I commit to going there once a week.

Strength training will peak during this race as the semester will be coming to a close and I will begin the transition to training at home for the summer. Might as well be honest and say that I will probably spend a few extra sets each week during this time working on my body because I know summer is just around the corner and I want to look good. If I do this I'll have to keep in mind that I have a bigger goal at hand and that is the first thing to go if I begin to over train.


TARC Spring Classic 50k- Wapack and Back 50m (April 28-May 12)
Obviously this is only 2 weeks but I look at it as the turning point for this whole plan so it has value. At this point I should have 3 races completed, hopefully with PRs and good runs piled up as I'e gone. The Wapack will be the final test before Viaduct and I need to spend this 2 weeks getting mentally ready. 50 miles in the mountains is going to be a lot more grueling on my body than a 31m trail run.

I likely will not worry too much about strength training during these 2 weeks. I may just take 2 light weeks to help recover and prepare. I'll buy my 3 month summer pass at this point because my gym has a May discount special but may freeze it until after the Wapack.


Wapack and Back 50m To Viaduct 100m (May 12-July 7)
This is where my training will take a turn from what I'm used to. I am going to make a conscious effort for the first time in over 18 months at this point to focus primarily on running with strength training being on the back burner. My decision behind this is for a confidence boost. If I can hit 4 runs a week with a long one every Saturday and maintain my strength levels then I think I will set myself up to finish my biggest goal of the year in running 100m while not losing sight of my other ones. It's not like I'll stop strength training but I will definitely lower the volume and increase the number of runs I do each week from 2-3 to 4-5. At this point a Saturday long run will also be guaranteed. I think May 12 through somewhere around the 20th of July will be how long I implement this idea, and then will taper until raceday from there. I benefit from getting out of school on the 8th at the latest whereas my running partner is still there until the end of June. I will have more than enough opportunities to run during the school week while also improving my sleep deprivation ability (a good tool for running 24 hours straight I'd imagine) by getting up at 4:30 every morning to run with him. Some of them will be hard runs of 5-7 miles, some will be longer (~10ish), some will be lighter and slower. These will vary during the week with one really long run every Saturday being consistent.

In the gym my mission will be to not overtrain. If by then I'm squatting in the 400's I do not want to lose that, but if I do I need to remember it will come back after I've run 100 miles. I will also considering following a Texas Method style setup, which would still be 3 days a week in the gym but with 1 light day every week. This way I could do 2-3 hard runs in between heavy training days and therefore improve drastically the level that I can run at.
____

It appears I have all the equipment I need to do this. I'm loaded from Christmas with all the tools necessary for completing my goal. I will be working 3 days a week next semester between 2 jobs so I will need to make sure those days I get what I need done and plan accordingly. I'm ready to do this thing and I think writing this post was the first step.

I'd like very much to hear any advice or input anyone may have because clearly I am no expert. Thanks for reading!

Back Squat, Bench Press, Pullups, delts

Back Squat
Worked up to 3x335# (lifetime PR)
3 beltless doubles done at 295#

Bench Press
205# for 5, 5, 4

Pullups/Chinups- Did 5 sets with 60-90 sec rest between- first 3 chins last 2 pulls
14 (chinup PR), 9, 7, 6, 6

Lateral Deltoid Raises
3x10x15# with 3 second hold at top of the movement


3x30 Farmers Walk shrugs with 25#


COMMENTS

• General: Big back squat PR which I was somewhat concerned with after spending the last 4 days recovering from the flu. Last set of bench I lost because I wasn't keeping my shoulders tight and my form dipped on the drive off my chest. Weak bench today due to the arm program volume. Opting not to finish the arm program as it's completely eliminating any progress on my pressing movments and I'm trying to move towards strength over size being consistent in my mind.
• Nutrition: Really good. Started eating similar to how JP recommends in "Swole" which I really liked today.
• Body: Feeling pretty solid
• Sleep: 10 hours
• Reflections: Going to run in my new Montrail Mountain Masochist trail shoes tomorrow and also hit the gym. 2 more days of training and I'll rest Thursday and Friday in preparation for a 50k run on Saturday. Weather is looking really good which is making me very happy.