Getting better at being better

New Rob and Old Rob met this morning at the bathroom mirror and the convo went something like this:

O.R.,"Man, what's your body fat %? Did you eat somebody?"
N.R.,"18%, but I have a plan to lower it and not take away from my 5 days of resistance training."
O.R., "What you got for me?"

I decided to quit my security job--- due to lack of sleep, killing or completely omitting my 5th workout a week, and wanting to focus more on training and family--- and get some specific strength gains this year. I also want to get back to 10-12% bodyfat, because after my weighted vest experiment i realized that it was creeping up and I don't want to look like a slob and 1/2.

My split now is:
Monday: Deadlift and back
Tuesday : early= sprints, plyos, olympic lifts like snatch, clean for speed
later= chest, triceps, and straight arm shoulders
Wednesday: legs
Thursday: early= olympic lifts like those above and sled push/pulls
Late= back and biceps
Friday: Shoulders, triceps, and a straight arm chest movement

Today was the first day of olympic lifts and explosive cardio:
5 minute jog to warm up on treadmill

snatch
2 warmups, 3 workings sets of three reps

clean from floor
pretty warm already--- 3x3, really trying to focus on the catch

sled push/pull- distance 20 yards each way
180lbs on sled- three trips back and forth, rest while training partners completes his trip (roughly 25 seconds)

legs were destroyed from my leg workout yesterday, I posted it at www.straighttothebar.com

I foam rolled afterwards and feel good to hit back and biceps in about an hour

Living heavy stuff, being aware of injuries, and having the right training mentality

There is something to be said about being able to pick up a couple times your body weight and yell at the mirror. I like to help people move... almost as much as i like to see 12 crossfitters try to carry one couch through a door. They get so confused when they can't use momentum and an extra little kick thing to move something inanimate.

I have recently been getting the itch to look around for a strongman comp and train for one. Now that I have finished my masters I want to train for something. I had been just pushing to be stronger, lift heavier things, and that was it. To a point, that is measureable, but it isn't exactly guided toward a peak performance date or anything. I try to keep up with Chase Karnes over in Paducah as he has been competing some, check out his site for some good articles and videos.

This is on my mind because I had deadlift tomorrow. It is such an all-encompassing lift. Total body strength is employed and if you don't stand up, you didn't get it. You can't really cheat too much on deadlift. You can do that little hitch while arching your back and dragging it up your legs, but those guys usually don't deadlift for very long due to injuries.

Speaking of injuries, this past couple weeks I have been getting pretty banged up. I felt something like an unravelling feeling in my groin while doing my dynamic warmup before deads two mondays ago. Deads went fine, but after back and front squat on wednesday I had a knot in my groin. I took it easy the rest of the week and stretched out and now it is gone and hopefully gone for good.

Last Wednesday, I was finishing shoulders so I was doing standing 1-arm dumbbell shoulder presses and got 7 reps with 75lbs with my right arm. On rep 3 with my left arm it stalled and my torso twisted a little bit and I felt my core under my rib cage on the left side. Felt like somebody frog punched me in the ribs. I finished the rep, of course, but felt that tear for the rest of the week. I took the core out of back (did a lot of machine work) on Friday and rested yesterday and today. It is no longer sore to the touch so I am going to treat deadlift like normal tomorrow night. I made the necessary adjustments to my training, but didn't just take days off that I was supposed to train. We'll see how it works.

I have developed a training mentality over the last 12 years that I have been training. I have been through a bunch of different exercises, know which ones are good, which ones suck. I don't know it all by any means, but I can give you an opinion with reasons to back it up. I hate when somebody throws out an opinion followed by," well because man, just because."
I push the limits when I train, but don't go for a new 1-rep max every day. The goal is to have vision for the next couple months, year, ahead of time and plan out your routine to get to where you want to be at the end-point. I have focused my intensity, with knowledge of where I want to be in the future, but patience to be realistic in that gains don't exponentially increase overnight.

Stay Strong... get stongER

Holiday lift- Chest and a little shoulders on Martin Luther King day

Chest, In and out with two solid lifting partners- Andrew Lewis and Jon Zervos.

Flat bench
135x12
185x10
225x10
275x4

shoot'n for sets of 6
315 2x6
305 1x5
295 1x6

Db incline... bench set on setting 3
95's
1x10
1x7
get stupid set- AMAP superset
1x8
45's 1x6 or 7, lost count
knocked the bench down a setting
45's for 1x6
the weight felt weird because it was so light, but my muscles wouldn't push. like being a newbie again

downward cable flies
4x8

cable shoulder complex - 2 sets each
straight bar front raise- 8 reps
cable lateral raises- 10 reps
DB reverse flies- 12 reps

Shoulders, tri's and a jog

after legs yesterday I woke up with a knot in my groin... not guna set any records today on cardio.

Seated barbell shoulder press
135x12
185x6
235
1x6
1x3
225 1x6 then 135 1x12

DB side raises
30's 1x10
35's 1x8
40's 1x8

*supersetted with
Cable straight bar front raises - leaned against machine to take out any upper-body rocking
80 1x12
90 1x10
100 1x6

face pulls
140 1x12
130 1x12
120 1x12

*supersetted with
rope tricep pushdown
140 1x15
130 1x15
120 1x15

narrow grip bench
135 1x12
225 2x8

foam rolled quads, glute medius, IT band, adductors, groin, upper and lower back

Jog
5 minutes at 6.5mph
5 minutes at 6mph
3 minute walk at 3.5mph at 7% incline
7 minutes at 6mph
2 minute walk at 3mph at 9% incline

i felt bad for the treadmill, 233 was thudd'n on it

barbell shrugs
225 1x12
315 1x15

static stretched, straight leg stretches weren't too bad, but squat stretch made me feel my leg fatigue. good day, not great

deadlift'n 1/11/10

Deadlift day- went ahead and decided after my warm up that i was going to max today... just curious and felt good

step overs and unders
foam roll glutes, hip flexors, and back
cossacks

135 2x10
225 1x10
315 1x6
365 1x6
405 1x3 strapped
425 1x3 strapped
445 1x3 chalked
465 1x1 chalked and belt
485 1x1 ---> PR for me... chalked and belt

got encouragement/competition from training partner danny amon to not use wimp straps

goal is to be in mid 500's by end of year... i'll get it

supinated barbell rows
185x10
225 3x8

pullups 4x AMAP

pull-throughs 2x8
1x6

Average Broz gym--- heard of it?

Have you heard of Average Broz gym?

You may have seen some of their videos on youtube or read this article a couple years back. They have some of the strongest athletes and have me pumped to see them in the 2012 olympics. check out some of their videos, give them some support. Check them out:

Shoulders and Traps- 1.7.10

Seated shoulder press
135x12
185x6
*230 1x6,1x5
225 1x6,1x5
*215 1x8

superset above with * with standing shoulder press 95lbs
after each of 2 sets of 230 2x8
after set of 215 1x10

Superset 2
cable side lateral- I use a velcro wrist band sometimes to really target the medial deltoid, i feel a difference when taking out the wrist joint
60 1x10
70 3x8

DB rear raises, bent over
1x25's
3x30's

rest-pause machine shoulder press- these were terrible
3 sets of 7 reps, 10 breaths rest, try for 7 reps, 10 breaths rest, try for 7 reps

Superset 3
seated DB lateral raises
3x12 with 30's

standing lateral raises- went really heavy and did half reps to maximally contract the delts with strict form

trap work *no straps
barbell shrugs
*135x12
*225x8
*275x6
*315 2x6
*315 1x10 faster
365 1x6

Back and Biceps-1/6/10

beat up my back with luke and jake beggs yesterday

chinups 5x as many as possible with BW

DB row 4x6
1st set 95 with one 20 lb chain
2nd-3rd set 95lbs DB with two 20 lb chains
4th set same DB with one 20 lb chain for 15 each side

neutral grip pulldowns 5x6
fifth set was actually 6,6,6 using rest pause

tbar row with 8 25's to increase range of motion at the top
4x6

Superset 1
Face pulls 3x12
Preacher curl 90lbs 3x8

palm up DB curls 3x8- dave tate style

Leg Day- 1/5/10

Man, that is weird typing "10" in the year spot of the date...

For leg day had two real solid partners, Luke Beggs and Matt Cook. When I train legs, even on your most motivated day, you at least need a spotter/ some one to yell at you.

Warm-up
leg extensions 4x12 pretty light weight
leg curls 3x15 just getting the blood flowing

dynamic warm up
over unders
bw squats
chest stretch- torn up from yesterday, too tight a chest won't let me get under the bar like i want to

back squat
45x a lot
135x12
225x 10
315x3
365x6
385x6
405x6

RDLs
225 x8
245 x8
265 2x8

1-legged leg press
3 plates each side 2x8 each side
4 plates each side 1x6 each side

superset leg extensions (3x12) and leg curls (2x10)

machine calf raises 5x6-12 increasing weight=less reps

Look'n back... what would you see?

I saw this video...



If some one took a video of all you did last year, would it be worth watching? Who would you let watch it with you? Would any of it be embarassing? motivating? jaw-dropping?

Going through the motions of a routine day is monotonous and isn't really living. It's already January 3, I know you have the focus to be working on your goals that you want to achieve, but what will your video show in December.

Seated Shoulder Press... prove'n the haters wrong

first set of four sets, going for 6 reps. seems fresh bc it was the first set