Jake's "Three Week Old Piss" Log

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Since this is my second post on these forums I'll start this log by way of introduction.

I'm 19 and did CrossFit starting in August of 2008. I gained some strength this way, both because I was a novice and because I have a strength bias. About 10 weeks ago I decided to focus on my strength and started the Texas Method. This Friday I did a CFT and got 400/165/455.

My goal is to keep progressing and eventually reach the "elite" strength standards for the 181 weight class (knock on wood). This summer I'm going to start getting some good coaching on the Olympic lifts, to eventually compete in weightlifting (I go to a small college in the middle of nowhere, so for now I'm focusing on the SS lifts). Also, I still enjoy CF, so I'd like to eventually use my strength to wreck house at the 2011 or 2012 Games.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

So, this past week was just deloading and learning how to lift with my new belt. Also had a run in with the flu, but it didn't last long. Back to working hard on Monday.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 5 April, 2010

Warmup:
Jog, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 3x225, 2x275
5x5x315

Bench: 8x45, 5x95, 3x135, 2x185
3x5x215

Rack pull: 5x135, 3x225, 2x315
5x405

Chinup:
3x5x24kg

Overall:
Good to start training seriously again. None of these are PRs, everything was fairly easy. Squats were much deeper than before, bench and chins were normal. Rack pulls, however, were crap: I couldn't keep the bar back or stop my knees from coming forward. I should start lighter to get a hang for the movement. Also need to eat more.

[Mr.City]

So many Jacobs on these board....Nice numbers at that body weight.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

So many Jacobs on these board....Nice numbers at that body weight.

Yeah, it helps to remember that I'm the devilishly handsome one.

I feel like around here, "strong for your bodyweight" is a bit of a backhanded compliment. ;) (I'm 5'7", so I'll probably move up to 190 for a while and see how I do there.)

[Mr.City]

Not at all, Jacob. Those numbers similar to mine, except that I weigh 40 lbs more than you.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 7 April, 2010

Light/recovery day. 3x3x225 front squat, 5x135 press, 2x10 strict C2B chinup, unweighted reverse hyper, GHD situp. Foam rolling.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 9 April, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 3x185, 2x225, 1x275, 1x315
5x350 (PR)

Bench: 8x45, 5x135, 2x185, 1x225
5x1x245 (PR)

Halting deadlift: 5x225
8x315

Strict chinups:
18 (PR)

Tabata row: all intervals between 100 and 90 meters, weak :(

Overall:
Business as usual. Yay PR Friday. Bodyweight about 190.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 12 April, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 3x225, 1x275

5x5x325

Overall:
Holy crap, that was one of the hardest 5x5s of my life, even though not a PR for weight. Every set felt like pushing a prowler up a steep hill through molasses...must be the altitude, hopefully I'll get used to it. I wanted to press afterward, but I was just too trashed.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Okay, Wednesday and Friday were basically deloading. Energy was really low. 3x3x225 front squat on Wednesday, on Friday 5x285 squat, and 10x305 deadlift with a double overhand grip. All felt pretty light. Back at it on Monday.

[jacob cloud]

Yeah, it helps to remember that I'm the devilishly handsome one.

<ahem>

[Jacob I. Briskin]

<ahem>

Oh, is that egg on my face? :o

I didn't realize your mother's name was Jacob...

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 19 April, 2010

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility, OHS

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 3x225, 2x275

5x5x335 (PR)

Overall:
Holy shit, I take back what I said about last week's 5x5, this was far worse. I had to go lie down for about 20 minutes after the last set and felt like I was going to blow chunks the whole time. I felt okay after the third set, so I think I'm going to take my volume down to 3x5 on Mondays so I'll be able to...y'know, do other stuff. Glad to progress, though.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 26 April, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 3x225, 2x275, 1x315

3x5x345 (PR)

Press: 5x45, 3x95

5x3x135

3x10 unweighted reverse hyper

Chinups: BWx5

24kgx 7, 6, 7

Overall:
Not a bad day. I decided to be a Smart Person instead of an Idiot and lower my squat volume. 3x5x345 is significantly less than last week in terms of total poundage moved, but I was still pretty wiped out afterward. I got warmed up on the bench, but then I was like, "wait, another 3x5 bench workout? Eff this!" Presses were pretty easy, not much rest between sets. Chins felt awesome!

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 28 April, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
High bar Olympic squat: 8x45, 5x135, 3x185

3x3x225

Light bench, light trunk work

Treadmill sprint: :30 on/:30 off x4, 7.5mph, 12 incline

Overall:
Basically just a light day. I hadn't done high bar ATG squats in a while, but these felt really fast and explosive, so I'm satisfied. If I were going to do a 20-rep program I'd probably start at 225 and do 'em like this. Sprints were good.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 30 April, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
"Tactical Strength Challenge"

Deadlift: 5x135, 3x225, 1x275, 1x315, 1x365

1x425
1x455
1x465 (PR)

Max strict pullups, overhand grip: 20 (PR)

AMRAP 5 minutes 24kg KB snatch: 76 reps

Overall:
Very happy with the deadlift, it felt nice and smooth. Haven't had a DL PR in a while. Pullups were also really good, 20th rep just barely touched the underside of my chin to the bar. Snatches were just stupid, I thought I was going to get 100, but that strategy quickly fell apart. Conditioning is okay but not all there. However, still beat Cloud as I did more overall work: 76x24kg = 1,824 105x16kg = 1,680

[jacob cloud]

However, still beat Cloud as I did more overall work: 76x24kg = 1,824 105x16kg = 1,680


Good results! I will concede defeat by default, since I didn't even use a 24kg KB, but your definition of work is fail. If you factor in my height, and consequent increased ROM, the true calculation of who put out the most work might be quite different. ;)
w= f * d

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Good results! I will concede defeat by default, since I didn't even use a 24kg KB, but your definition of work is fail. If you factor in my height, and consequent increased ROM, the true calculation of who put out the most work might be quite different. ;)
w= f * d

That's true, I admit I got lazy and didn't factor in height. It wouldn't be that much math, but I'm not petty enough to bother with it.

On an unrelated note, it turns out that poor food, poor sleep, and epic end-of-semester stress is not a good combination for producing gainz. I'll probably have more to post in a few days. Guh.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 24 May, 2010

Warmup:
Squat, mobility, snatch

Workout:
Power clean: 3x95, 3x115, 1x185

5x3x205

Press: 5x45, 3x95

3x5x135 (missed last rep)

Squat: 5x135, 3x225, 1x275

3x5x315

Overall:
First update in yonks. The last few weeks have not been kind to me. Anyway, power cleans were not that hard, but my form felt lousy. It was probably stupid to do anything even moderately heavy on presses, since I tweaked my shoulder a little playing baseball over the weekend. Squats were harder than usual, but I don't usually do them after O-lifts, so I guess that's expected. Just glad to be getting back into it.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 26 May, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Snatch: PVC, 20kg

3x25kg
3x40kg
3x50kg
3x1x60kg
2x1x70kg

Jerk (blocks): PVC, 20kg

3x40kg
2x50kg
2x70kg
2x90kg

Three rounds of:
10 box jumps (36"?)
10 burpees
Time: 3:34

Overall:
Today was my light day, so I went to Catalyst Athletics for the first time to get my technique looked at. Fantastic gym. Friggin' expensive for my budget, though, so I'm going to be making liberal use of their open gym on Saturdays. Conditioning felt okay, and I found out that I still have muscle-ups.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 28 May, 2010

Warmup:
Run 800m, double under, pushup, thruster

Workout:
Four rounds, untimed, for max reps:

Round 1: Max thrusters with 135#, immediately followed by max kipping pullups

Round 2: Max thrusters, immediately followed by max pushups

Round 3: Same as round 1

Round 4: Same as round 2

Score was something like 7/11, 6/11, 5/12, 7/10?

Overall:
I went to visit CF San Francisco and I was going to snatch and squat, but instead got convinced to do the workout with the noon class. It was actually a nice change of pace. I decided this metcon wasn't heavy enough, so I did the whole thing with a weighted vest. Probably between 30# and 40? Rested maybe 3-5 minutes between rounds? Was fun, hurt.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Tuesday, 1 June, 2010

Warmup:
Foam roll, squat, overhead squat

Workout:
Power clean: 45xstuff, 5x95, 2x145, 1x185

5x3x210 (missed last rep of third set)

Bench: 5x45, 5x95, 3x135, 2x185

3x5x215

Squat: 5x45, 5x135, 3x225, 2x275

3x5x325

Overall:
This was tough. Power clean form felt pretty crap. The miss on the third set was a mental lapse, I think. Squats are surprisingly tough after Oly lifts. I'd like to stop sucking at this game.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Thursday, 3 June, 2010

Light day, did a lot of foam rolling and mobility, then Olympic-style squats. Worked up to 245lbs for 3x3, all reps felt pretty fast and easy. Then warmed up my press (shoulders still feel a little weak) and did a few laps in the pool.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Saturday, 5 June, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Snatch: PVC, 20kg

4x25kg
3x40kg
2x50kg
2x60kg
1x70kg
1x75kg (PR tie)
2x1x78kg (fail)

Front squat: 20kg

3x60kg
2x90kg
1x110kg
1x130kg
1x140kg (PR)

Overall:
First time front squatting over 300lbs, so that was kind of nice. Snatch session was abysmal, however. I need to dial in my technique, especially if I'm going to keep lifting at Cathletics.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Tuesday, 8 June, 2010

Warmup:
Squat, mobility drills

Workout:
Power clean: 45xstuff

4x95
3x165
1x185

3x3x215 (PR)

Chinups: BW

10x16kg
6x16kg

Olympic squat: 3x135

2x225
2x275
1x305

Overall:
Well, this sucked. I was supposed to do 5 triples, but I failed the first rep of the fourth set twice, and I was like "eff this". Just felt very run down today, no idea why.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Saturday, 12 June, 2010

Warmup:
Row, mobility, snatch drills

Workout:
Jerk (blocks): 20kg

2x2x40kg
2x2x50kg
2x60kg
2x70kg
1x80kg
2x1x90kg
1x100kg (Fail)

Olympic squat: 50kg

2x70kg
2x90kg
2x110kg
1x130kg
1x140kg
1x160kg
1x171kg (Fail)

Overall:
Not a very good day. Jerks felt sloppy and weak, which is weird, because I've jerked 225lbs before, and that was at a lighter bodyweight. I'm really not sure. Squats were okay, but I got greedy.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Tuesday, 15 June, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 3x225, 2x275

3x5x335

Press: 5x45, 3x95, 1x135

3x5x135

Rack pull: 3x135, 2x225, 1x315

5x385

Overall:
Squats were nice and easy, presses were stupid as usual, and rack pulls were surprisingly hard. My back kept rounding, but I don't usually have problems pulling that same weight off the floor. Weird.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Thursday, 17 June, 2010

Warmup:
Row, mobility, snatch drills

Workout:
Olympic squat: 3x135, 2x225

5x2x275

With 45lb vest, 4x40yd sandbag carry, 80lbs

Overall:
Squats were good. I know that low bar squats are better overall, but these high bar ATG squats are fun for light days. Bar speed was pretty fast, rest was about 2-3 minutes. Sandbag "runs" were untimed, and sucked.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Saturday, 19 June, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Snatch: PVC, 20kg, 30kg, 40kg

3x2x50kg
2x1x60kg
1x65kg

Olympic squat: 20kg, 50kg

2x70kg
2x90kg
1x125kg
1x155kg
1x165kg (PR)

Overall:
Snatches are starting to feel a little better, I think my problem was that I was pulling too fast off the floor. Squats were also good, I really want to hit 170kg.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Tuesday, 22 June, 2010

Warmup:
Squats, mobility (kinda)

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 3x135 (chains), 3x225, 2x275

3x5x340

Press: 2x5x45, 3x95, 2x115

3x5x140 (missed last rep of 3rd set)

Russian kettlebell swing:

3x12x48kg (3 pood), ~2 minutes rest

Dips: 20

Overall:
Nice! I'm almost back in legitimate pre-slump PR territory. Squats and presses were both pretty easy; so easy, in fact, that I got sloppy with the 3rd set of presses and missed the last rep. Kettlebell swings weren't too hard. This set of 20 dips was easier, but man, Bill Starr's standard of 4x20 is a lot of fucking dips. I threw on some chains for one of my warmup set of squats, and I liked it. Not sure how or if I want to work them into my training, though.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Thursday, 24 June, 2010

So I went in for my light day and was totally unenthusiastic. Warmed up and did some squats, 3x2x285, then some pullups, then went home.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Saturday, 26 June, 2010
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxrzXI1fXwU)
Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility, snatch stuff

Workout:
Snatch balance: 20kg, 40kg

2x2x50kg
3x1x60kg
1x70kg
1x75kg (Fail)

Power clean: 2x50kg, 2x70kg

2x90kg
4x1x100kg
1x103kg (Fail)
1x100kg

Front squat: 4x50kg, 2x70kg

2x90kg
2x110kg
2x132kg (PR)

Overall:
I was planning on recording my snatch balances, but then when I went to do power cleans and front squats, accidentally recorded over all but one of them. Oh well. Video is WFS. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxrzXI1fXwU) Everything felt okay, but I'm really not sure why I missed that rep at 103. Please do better than you are currently doing, and try to win.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Tuesday, 29 June, 2010

Warmup:
Squat, press, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 3x135+chains, 3x225, 2x295

3x5x345 (PR tie)

Press: 6x45, 3x95, 2x115

5x3x145 (PR)

Untimed:
15 Russian KB swings, 48kg
10 weighted dips, ~30lbs
12 swings
8 dips
9 swings
6 dips

Overall:
Glad to be back to where I was before on squats, these weren't too tough. Presses also felt good, about 3-4 minutes rest between sets. The circuit felt good, my wind was fine but I wasn't really pushing it.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Thursday-Saturday, 1-3 July, 2010

Went in and did my light day on Thursday, 3x3x225 front squat and some strict C2B chinups, 10, 7, 7. Felt like complete ass, and the same on Saturday did some resting. Bleh.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 5 July, 2010

Warmup:
KBS, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 3x225, 1x275, 1x315

3x5x350 (PR)

Press: 6x45, 3x95, 2x115

3x5x145 (PR)

Russian KB swing: 20x48kg

Overall:
Fuck yeah. This was one of those days where I felt sluggish and didn't really want to train, but once I got warmed up, everything was great. Had the high school weight room practically to myself, because it was a holiday. Blast Pantera, hit PRs, win.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 7 July, 2010

Warmed up then did some clean pulls, working up 95, 145, 185. I honestly couldn't tell if these helped or hurt my extension, so I'll have to videotape them. Then did 4x3x275 Olympic squat, felt okay. Left hamstring/glute/lower back area is still feeling funny.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 9 July, 2010

Warmup:
Row, PVC roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 3x225, 2x275, 1x315, 1x355, 1x385

5x1x405 (PR)

Bench press: 6x45, 5x135, 3x185

5x235 (PR)

Rack pull: 5x135, 3x225, 3x315

5x405 (PR)

Overall:
Woo hoo, training at the WFAC. Considering that I ate and slept like crap the 24 hours leading up to this session, I'm really happy. Squats at 405 were tough, but I made all 5 singles. Bench and pulls were okay, but I'm mostly happy about the squats.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday-Sunday, 12-18 July, 2010

Took a deload/rest week, nothing all that interesting to report. Kept moving around, on Tuesday I did what would be my normal warmup sets for squat, press, went running for the first time in ages on Friday, then Saturday worked up to a 70kg snatch balance and called it a day.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 19 July, 2010

Warmup:
Jump rope (35 unbroken DUs), mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 1x315

3x5x355 (PR)

Press: 2x5x45, 3x95, 2x115

5x3x150 (PR)

Russian KB swing (48kg/3pd): 25 (PR), 5, 10

Overall:
Not a bad day. Second and third sets of squats felt kind of sloppy, but I got them done. Presses also felt okay. Swings were good. Next time I'll try to stick with it for a set of 30+ swings.

Also took this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWTYo1qZqf0) of my first set of squats. Not sure how the video got fast forwarded like that. The important bit is at the end though, so hopefully it's still legible.

[jacob cloud]

How was the seminar?

[Jacob I. Briskin]

How was the seminar?

Nniice!

Seriously though, it was good. Very informative, not to mention incredibly entertaining. Pretty sure we all came away with five or six new never-before-heard Rip quotes, on various topics.

Did I share Gant's wisdom with you?

[jacob cloud]

Yes, I loved that quote, just didn't comment on it since I was in a shitty mood. But it still made me hungry.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

(This is accurate, as far as I can remember)
Rip: If you talk to a PT about pressing, what are they going to tell you? "Don't press, it'll fuck up your shoulders!" Well, if you then ask the PT what they mean by "press", they'll probably show you something like this. [Pantomimes a shitty partial ROM press with no shrug] So, if that is your definition of "press", and you tell me not to press, then I guess you've given me good advice. If you tell me not to have sex, and it turns out that what you mean by "don't have sex" is "don't have sex with goats", then we can agree on something. But I wasn't planning on having sex with goats, I was planning on doing it with human females...possibly two or three of them.
Gant: [Noticing that I'm grinning like a moron and trying to write this down] I think Jake is taking notes...
Rip: Jake, don't have sex with goats.

[jacob cloud]

It doesn't happen often, but that made me chortle.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

So last week was pretty lousy, after Monday. I had a dreadful time of it on Friday especially, and after failing completely on my power cleans, I decided to just do a bunch of random stuff. I worked up to a knee jump (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzBoQIw5we4) with 135 on my back, first time doing those. Then worked up to a 20" box jump with 200 on my back. I didn't want to actually max out on those on account of not having my hands free to catch myself if I missed.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Tuesday, 27 July, 2010

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility, squat

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 4x225, 3x275, 2x315

3x5x360 (PR)

Overall:
Squats were good, but had to call it a day after that. Felt drained and slightly nauseated, probably a combination of too little food and too much caffeine. Going to try for pull and press PRs on Saturday.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Saturday, 31 July, 2010

Warmup:
Double under, foam roll, band good-mornings, mobility

Workout:
Deadlift: 5x135, 3x225, 2x275, 2x315, 1x365

5x405 (PR)

Press: 8x45, 3x95, 2x135

4x160 (PR)

~5 minutes of screwing around with a yoke, log, and farmers walk handles.

Overall:
The 5x405 deadlift was shockingly easy. Turns out that doing tons of heavy squats while not deadlifting for three months will make your deadlift go up. Felt like I could have taken the set to 7 or 8 reps. I was afraid that after not having pulled heavy in so long, my grip would give out, but it wasn't a problem. I think I would have made it to 5 reps on the press, but I did something completely retarded on rep number 4 and just barely made it. Strongman stuff was fun, that was the first time I had ever used a log or yoke.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Tuesday, 3 August, 2010

Warmup:
Foam roll, double unders (46, PR), mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 3x225, 3x275, 2x315

3x5x365 (PR)

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x135, 2x185

3x5x225 (PR tie)

Weighted chins: 2 chains x5, 1 chain x5x2 (~30lbs each?)

Overall:
Holy balls those squats were hard, and form got really sloppy on the last set. Fortunately, I didn't feel as nauseated and shaky afterward as I did last week, so I had energy for other work. I think it's about time for a deload (on squats, anyway), and changing up my programming a bit.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Saturday, 7 August, 2010

Warmup:
Double unders, foam roll, mobility, band good mornings

Workout:
Deadlift: 5x155, 4x245, 3x335, 1x385

5x425 (PR)

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 2x135

3x165

Fat bar press:
3x10x95

Russian kettlebell swing: 68kg (150lbs) x 8, 4, 8

Overall:
I'm still amazed at how much three months of heavy squats have brought up my DL without training it. 500 is definitely in the tank in the near future. I actually did the first three reps of 425 touch-and-go, then reset for the fourth and fifth. Presses were meh, I was hoping to get 4. Fat bar is an interesting new tool.

Also, that 150lb kettlebell has a mind of its own. I got to rep 4 on the second set and then it decided it wanted to go somewhere else, so I was like "okay, I'm just going to let you go now so I don't faceplant". Heavy Russian swings are a lot of fun.

[misspelledgeoff]

You should join our little 5/4/3/200 contest. Though with your lifts you'd probably win it.

http://www.startingstrength.com/resources/forum/showthread.php?t=18228

[Jacob I. Briskin]

You should join our little 5/4/3/200 contest. Though with your lifts you'd probably win it.

http://www.startingstrength.com/resources/forum/showthread.php?t=18228

I saw that thread a while back, and I lurk on it a little, but I don't think I'm ready for the 300/200 yet. My pressing strength is not so hot. What the heck, it's still fun to follow.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 11 August, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility, snatch drills

Workout:
Power snatch: 45, 3x95, 3x115

3x145

Front squat: 5x145, 3x185, 2x235

3x5x265 (PR)

Press: 3x95, 2x115

9x135 (PR)

Overall:
Power snatches were just ugly. I'm not going to bother with snatches anymore until I can get a good coach, because I don't want to ingrain my bad habits even further. Front squats were tough, this was the first time I've done them in a while, and the first time doing them with a belt. I would have gotten 10 or 11 on the presses, but my hands/wrists/forearms were tired from the rack position.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Saturday, 14 August, 2010

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility, band good mornings

Workout:
Deadlift: 5x155, 4x245, 3x295, 2x335, 1x385, 1x415

3x445 (PR)

Log jerk: 3x60, 3x110

4x150

Farmers walk: 4 trips x90 ft, 150lbs each hand

Overall:
Deadlifts were okay, didn't feel as fresh as last week. This was my first time loading any real weight on the log, definitely a fun implement. Farmers walks also good. I'll need to make sure of my distances the next time I do these.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 18 August, 2010

Warmup:
Foam roll, a freakin' ton of mobility drills, Burgener warmup with 20kg

Workout:
Power snatch: 3x40kg, 2x50kg

7x2x60kg

Clean and jerk: 2x40kg, 2x60kg, 1x85kg, 1x95kg, 1x100kg

1x110kg (PR*)

Clean:

1x115kg (PR)
1x120kg (PR)

Olympic squat: 3x120kg

4x150kg

Overall:
I'll call this a very good session. Power snatches felt light, but apparently I'm still jumping forward. I need to fix my technique before I start going heavy again. As usual, my cleans are way stronger than my jerks. 110kg/242lbs is a big PR, but the jerk was ugly and pressed out. 120kg clean was smooth and fast, definitely more in the tank.

[jacob cloud]

Nice, you've officially beat my clean PR! Jerk.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 20 August, 2010

Warmup:
Foam roll, GHR, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x20kg, 5x70kg, 5x110kg, 5x130kg

Bench press: 8x20kg, 5x60kg, 3x80kg, 2x90kg

5x3x110kg

1/2 Tabata Russian swings, 40kg: 12/12/11/8

Overall:
Just a light day for squats. Bench press felt decent. I missed the last rep of the last set when the bar drifted up toward my head, but still a PR. Tabata KB swings were mixed; the 40kg bell felt light as a feather, but I gassed faster than I hoped to.

Cloud. What you did there. I see it.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

All right, this past week has been a deload while getting ready for the Supertotal on Monday. Nothing very interesting to report, but energy is low. Hopefully a lousy dress rehearsal will make for a good opening night.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Tuesday, 31 August, 2010

Warmup:
Doppio espresso, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
"Super-Total"
Heaviest single in one session of snatch, clean & jerk, squat, bench press, deadlift.

Power snatch: 20kg, 40kg, 2x60kg, 2x70kg

1x80kg (PR)
1x85kg (PR)

Clean & Jerk: 20kg, 40kg, 2x60kg, 1x80kg, 1x90kg

1x105kg (F)
1x105kg

Squat: 20kg, 5x70kg, 3x120kg

1x160kg
1x180kg
1x190kg (PR)

Bench: 20kg, 60kg, 3x80kg, 1x100kg

1x110kg
1x120kg (F)

Deadlift: 3x120kg, 1x160kg, 1x185kg

1x205kg
1x220kg (PR)

Lifts in lbs: 187 snatch, 231 clean and jerk, 419 squat, 242 bench, 485 deadlift
Total: 720kg (1,586lbs)

Overall:
August Challenge for 70sbig.com, just an Olympic total and a powerlifting total back to back. For more detailed info, see the site. Total time for the session was about 2 hours, 15 minutes.

I slept horribly both Sunday night and Monday night, so with just a double espresso to fortify me I wasn't very optimistic going in. With that said, I don't think I've ever surpassed my own expectations as much as I did today.

Snatches were outstanding. Technique was much smoother, thanks to some good coaching and a nice new Pendlay bar, so no sloppy pulling and no pressing out. 85kg is a 10kg PR, and my first bodyweight (power) snatch. If I can just improve my full snatch technique, I think 100kg is visible on the horizon. Felt like I had a few more kilos in the tank today, but decided to move on. Decided to content myself with 105kg clean and jerk, but my jerk is just crap. I really need to bring it up to par with my clean.

The 190kg squat was a real grind. That's a slight PR, but only because I haven't maxed out my squat in a long time. Bench was just pitiful, I've done 242 for five triples before, but I really didn't care at this point, just wanted to get to the deadlift and finish it.

That last deadlift was slow and painful, but I got it up with no hitch and held it for a good few seconds. By far the most emotional I have ever been before, during or after a lift. Normally, if I growl or yell before an attempt it's a voluntary thing that I hope will help get my adrenaline up, not something involuntary that comes out because my adrenaline is already through the roof, but today was definitely the second kind of yell. Afterward I literally jumped for joy, several times, like a complete jackass.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday-Tuesday, 1-7 September, 2010

Deloading week, nothing serious. The supertotal really took a ton out of me, because I tried to train on Monday the 6th, and it was a fucking disaster.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 8 September, 2010

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility, snatch drills

Workout:
Snatch: 20kg, 2x2x40kg, 2x2x60kg
6x2x70kg

Clean and Jerk: 2x2x70kg
4x2x90kg

Front squat: 3x70kg, 2x90kg, 1x110kg, 1x130kg
1x150kg (PR)
1x155kg (PR)

Chinups/dips w/16kg: 9/10, 5/10, 4/8

Overall:
I missed the second rep of one of the snatch doubles, and the second rep of the last CJ double. But I figured out how to fix my jerk (slower, deeper dip) so it was a productive day. Big front squat PR, too. Had some trouble getting a full breath in on both 150 and 155, which was annoying.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 10 September, 2010

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility, band good mornings

Workout:
Deadlift: 5x70kg, 3x120kg, 2x140kg, 1x170kg

2x210kg (missed 3rd rep at the knees)

Overall:
Not sure why I thought I would be able to hit a 5kg deadlift PR two days after doing the Oly lifts for volume and maxing my front squat. :shrug: Going to do the Tactical Strength Challenge again on September 23rd (the day before my birthday).

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 13 September, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 20kg, 5x70kg, 4x120kg, 3x140kg

3x5x160kg

Bench press: 20kg, 5x60kg, 3x85kg

4x105kg

Overall:
Totally underfed and sluggish. Bodyweight had dropped to 182 lbs! Totally dumb.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 15 September, 2010

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility, snatch drills

Workout:
Snatch: 20kg, 40kg, 2x2x60kg, 1x65kg 2x1x70kg, 1x75kg, 1x80kg

1x90kg (PR)

Clean and jerk: 40kg, 60kg, 1x80kg, 1x90k, 3x1x100kg

Clean: 125kg (Fail)

Olympic squat: 70kg, 3x120kg, 2x140kg, 1x160kg 1x170kg (Fail)

Overall:
Huge snatch PR, couldn't be happier about it. I was thinking about attempting 91kg (200lbs), but decided to leave some in the tank. My jerk technique is just awful, way behind my clean. I have no idea what inspired me to go straight to 125kg on the clean, aside from sheer stupidity and greed for PRs. When I missed the clean, I managed to sprain my left wrist slightly, I think when my elbow hit either the platform or my knee. Now it's stiff and sore, and did I mention I'm left-handed? I think my feelings can be best expressed thus: fucking shit ass hellcunt, goddamn cocksucking motherfucker.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 22 September, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility drills

Workout:
"Tactical Strength Challenge"
Deadlift: 5x70kg, 4x120kg, 3x150kg, 2x160kg, 1x180kg, 1x190kg, 1x200kg, 1x210kg, 1x220kg

1x230kg (PR)

Max strict pullups: 18

AMRAP 5 of 24kg KB snatch: 80

Overall:
I'm wicked happy with my deadlift PR, this is my first lift to break 500lbs (507lbs, to be precise). Woo. Pullups were okay, short of my PR, but I've gained a few pounds and not trained them in a while so that's not a shock. Next time I will break 100 on the snatches for sure, I just got lazy today. Still, I'm happy considering that I thought I might not be able to participate at all on account of my wrist tweak, but it healed wonderfully this past week and I didn't even feel it on any of the events.

[Dixen]

Nice deadlift! Congrats with the PR...

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 27 September, 2010

Went in and warmed up, did a bunch of random crap to keep moving, felt like twenty asses. 20" box jumps in one minute: 44

I've also started doing Kstar's mobility WOD. Good stuff.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 29 September, 2010

Warmup:
Barely any time for a warmup....jog, quick mobility, then some snatch drills with 20kg

Workout:
Snatch: 20kg, 40kg, 2x60kg

4x63kg, 3x68kg, 3x2x72kg

Clean: 4x70kg, 3x90kg, 3x2x100kg

Olympic squat, paused: 3x60kg, 3x90kg, 2x110kg, 2x130kg, 2x150kg, 1x150kg

Overall:
Nothing too special here. Some snatches, some cleans, some squats. Eh. Hoping to get a new program going soon so I can have some focus to my training.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 4 October, 2010

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility, squat

Workout:
Squat: 20kg, 5x70kg, 4x110kg, 3x130kg

3x5x150kg

Press: 20kg, 5x40kg, 3x50kg

3x5x60kg

GHR: 3x10

Overall:
Well, starting off on an actual program again, this is exciting. Squats and presses were way below where I left off with the Texas Method, but still fairly challenging. I'll need to ease back into this.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 6 October, 2010

Warmup:
Foam roll, jump rope, mobility

Workout:
Snatch: 20kg, 40kg, 4x60kg, 3x70kg

3x2x73kg

Clean and jerk: 20kg, 40kg, 3x60kg, 3x70kg, 2x82kg

3x2x93kg

Front squat: 20kg, 3x70kg, 3x90kg, 2x110kg

3x2x125kg

Strict C2B chinups: 10/8/6
Strict bar dips, 16kg 10/8

Overall:
Man, that was a ton of work. Snatches were powered and kind of messy, didn't really feel like technique was dialed in. Jerks felt solid, wrist has stopped bugging me. Front squats were no big deal.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 8 October, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 20kg, 5x70kg, 4x110kg, 3x130kg

5x165kg

Press: 20kg, 5x40kg, 3x60kg

5x65kg

GHR: 3x10

Overall:
Just routine, this is about where I left off on the Texas method for three sets of five, so nothing out of the ordinary. I tried out a couple different bands on the GHR today, and man they really make a difference.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 11 October, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, squat

Workout:
Squat: 20kg, 5x70kg, 4x110kg, 3x140kg

3x5x155kg

Bench press: 20kg, 5x50kg, 4x70kg

3x5x90kg

Overall:
Nothing special, just working my way back up. Energy was pretty low today, I think because of a lack of food. So no assistance, just squat, press and GTFO.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 13 October, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, lacrosse ball in the lower back, various mobility

Workout:
Snatch: 20kg, 40kg, 3x50kg, 3x60kg, 2x68kg

3x2x74kg (PR)

Clean and jerk: 20kg, 40kg, 2x60kg, 2x80kg, 1x90kg

3x2x96kg (PR)

Overall:
Well, snatches were all powered and not as pretty as usual, but not terrible either. CJs were also good, but a couple of the jerks were pressed out. I'm getting more depth on my split though, which is good. No time for assistance.

[kittenSmash]

It has been quite a while since I looked at your log. You have made some great progress man. Nice work.
mmmm, briskit

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 1 November, 2010

Warmup:
Row, mobility, foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 2x10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275

5x5x315

Press: 8x45, 5x45, 3x95, 2x115

3x5x135

Farmer's walks, 60ftx50kg/hand

Overall:
Well, I'm finally back, doing my thing. Squat depth was much better than before, none of the reps were even close to questionable. Presses were fine. Time to make progress. Not exactly sure what my goals are for this push, I'm just going to keep progressing the weight gradually, do what I did before, and see how far it will take me. Thanks Kitten, I was just taking some time off to get my shit together and figure out what I wanted to do with my training.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 3 November, 2010

Warmup:
Row, squat, foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 2x10x45, 5x135, 2x5x225

Dips: 1x20

GHR: 2x10

Foam roll, mobility

Overall:
Recovery days on the Texas method are cool. Took it even easier than usual because my energy was low.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 5 November, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315

5x345

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 3x115

5x145

Farmer's walks: 2x20ft, 125lbs each hand

3x20ft, 225lbs each hand

Overall:
Squats and presses were tough enough, but not too bad. Squat form feels considerably better. Farmer's walks were frigging hard; the first attempt I lost my balance when the left handle swung too far forward, and dropped them just before the 20ft mark. I put a belt on for the second and third walks. 225lbs is tough on the grip.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 8 November 2010

Warmup:
Row 500m, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275

5x5x320

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 4x135, 3x185

3x5x210

GHR: 3x10

Overall:
Squats are feeling a lot better, 5x5 is a lot of volume but didn't feel too tired today. Bench press is just shitty as usual, by far my least favorite lift...which is probably why I neglect to train it...which probably doesn't help my numbers. Warmup was longer and more thorough today, because of cold weather.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 10 November, 2010

Warmup:
Row 500m, mobility drills

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 2x5x225

Dips: 10
Dumbbell rows: 50lbsx5, 100lbsx5

Overall:
Forgetting what else I did. Totally unremarkable light day.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 12 November, 2010

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility drills

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 4x275, 2x315

5x355

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 3x115, 1x135

3x155

Strict chinups: 10, 10, 4, 3, 3

Overall:
PR Friday. Still not really in PR territory, but this set of 5 at 355 was both a) easier and b) deeper than the 3x5x355 I did back over the summer. Presses were harder than I expected, but okay.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 15 November, 2010

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275

5x5x325

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 3x115

3x5x140

Russian kettlebell swing: 2x10, 2 pood each hand

Overall:
Squats were pretty easy, so much better than the last time I did this weight, and much deeper. Presses were eh, I was pretty tired by then, and missed the last rep of the second set. Kettlebell swings were weird. Holding a kettlebell in each hand to handle more weight is tough, a bit like using two dumbbells instead of a barbell...my biceps felt a little funny because it was hard to keep the bells from rotating.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 17 November, 2010

Warmup:
Row 500m (1:39.0), mobility drills, squat, good morning.

Overall:
Welp, a light day is a light day. I was just really drained, so I warmed up, went home. Bleh.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 19 November, 2010

Warmup:
Foam roll, squat

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 4x275, 2x315

5x360

Bench press: 10x45, 5x95, 4x135, 2x185, 1x205

5x225

Farmer's walks: warmup with handles, 70lbs, 140lbs

2 x 30ft x 225lbs/hand (PR)

Overall:
This was a rough week, I am going to rest and recover my ass off over the weekend. On the third rep of squats I lost my tightness for a second and almost fell on my face. Bench was okay. Farmer's walks are really fun.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 22 November, 2010

Warmup:
Lunge, mobility, foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 4x275

5x5x330

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 3x115

3x5x140

GHR: 3x8

Strict chinups: 2x10

Overall:
Volume squats are getting harder. The work sets took a total of about 23 minutes, so averaging a little under 5 minutes rest between sets. Presses were fine, being more aggressive when unracking the bar helped a lot.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 24 November, 2010

Nothing worth recording today, just running around a lot and working.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 26 November, 2010

Warmup:
Jump rope, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 2x8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 4x275, 2x315

5x365

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 3x115, 1x135

5x155

GHR: 3x10

Dips: 2x20

Overall:
I thought I was going to feel like ass today because of poor eating and sleeping, but I actually felt very good. Squats and presses were roughly PR ties, and both felt pretty easy. GHR, I have no idea if I'm doing these right or not, but they feel a bit too easy. Dips were good, the last set I just barely made the last couple reps. I'm halfway to Bill Starr's standard of 4x20 strict dips!

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 29 November, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, move about

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 1x315

5x5x335 (PR tie)

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 4x135, 2x185

3x5x225 (PR tie)

Strict chinups: 10, 8, 8, 4

Overall:
Hokay, volume squats are starting to get pretty tough. Total time for the work sets was about 24 minutes. I finally figured out what I'm doing wrong on the bench: the bench I'm using is too short, and the bar in the rack is too high, so to grab the bar I have to get my shoulders loose and unsupported. No wonder. Everything went smoothly once I figured that out.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 3 December, 2010

Warmup:
Jog, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315

5x370 (PR tie)

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185, 1x210

5x235 (PR tie)

GHR: 3x8

Overall:
Squats felt great, like I had at least two more reps in the tank. Bench press was wonky, I didn't get a very good setup, and the set was pretty hard. I can't figure out if I'm doing GHR right or not. Meh.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 6 December, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 1x315

5x5x340 (PR)

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 3x125

5x3x150 (PR tie)

GHR: 3x8

Dips: 20

Overall:
Welp, squats are hard, not sure what else to say. Presses were pretty hard, but having my belt a notch looser actually seems to help. I think I have three weeks of this progression left in me before I need a deload.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 8 December, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x115, 5x185, 1x275

Overall:
Wow, energy level was rock bottom. Warmed up my squat, then was like "nope".

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 10 December, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315

5x375 (PR)

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 3x125, 1x145

0x165
0x165

Overall:
Fuck my life. I was going to try 165 for a triple, and failed the first rep both times I tried it. Retarded.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 13 December, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 1x315

5x5x345 (PR)

Overall:
Yet another day where I did nothing but squat. I just ran out of time today, but these were hard. This was my first time using my new blue Rehband knee sleeves. They feel pretty good, but I think throwing them on for the first time when doing a heavy squat workout was a mistake, as the new feeling might have thrown my form off a bit.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 15 December, 2010

Just did a little light stuff to get over sitting on a plane for 6.5 hours. Row 500m, mobility drills, then some knee jumps, walking lunge 10x135, press 2x10x65, 3x10 strict pullups, squat 65x20.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 17 December, 2010

Warmup:
Squat, mobility drills

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 4x275, 2x315

5x380 (PR)

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 3x115, 1x135

5x155 (PR tie)

Russian KB swing: 10x16kg, 10x28kg

2x15x48kg

Dip: 2x10x25lbs

Overall:
Ahh, training alone in a quiet, unheated weight room, good times. Squats felt pretty good, though my knees were moving a bit. Presses were much easier than I expected, I think 160x5 is good for next week. Assistance was fine, heavy KBs are fun.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 20 December, 2010

Warmup:
Cycle, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 1x315

5x5x350 (PR)

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 2x115, 1x135

5x3x155 (PR)

Dips: 20

Overall:
Volume squats are getting really hard. My lower back was lit up after squatting today, I think that's a sign that my form is suffering. Presses were hard, but I'm glad I got them done. I'm going to try to hit 5x385 squat and 5x160 press on Friday, then next week is deload.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 22 December, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Olympic squat: 2x315

Strict pullups: 10, 5

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 3x135, 3x3x185

Back extension: 2x15x20lbs


Overall:
Good light day. The only squat rack at the YMCA was in use, so I just jumped in and did a double Olympic squat at 315 without warming up. First time I've done something like that for squats. Overall, just a typical day.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 24 December, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, shoulder circles (25lb plate)

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 4x275, 1x335

5x385 (PR)

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 3x115, 1x135

5x160 (PR)

Overall:
I played baseball for a couple hours this morning, haven't thrown hard in a while, so my left bicep was kind of achy. Go figure I would make a press PR now. Squats were hard, but still not quite a 5RM. Going to deload next week anyway.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 27 December 2010-Sunday, 2 January, 2011

Deload week. Didn't push anything very hard, just slept and foam rolled and did light sets of the basic lifts.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 3 January, 2010

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 3x315

6x3x335

Bench press: 10x45, 5x135, 3x185

3x5x225

Overall:
Mediocre first day back from deload. Energy was not very good, but I made it through. Pleased with how easy bench felt, though.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 7 January, 2011

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, squat

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 1x315, 1x365

3x385

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 4x135, 3x185, 1x205

5x245 (PR)

Deadlift: 4x135, 3x225, 3x275, 2x315, 1x365

5x425 (PR tie)

Overall:
I missed training on Wednesday, and I was feeling a little stale today. Squats didn't take much out of me. Bench press PR surprised me, I was only going for 3. I closed my eyes on the last rep, and my spotter claims he didn't touch it, so I'll call it a PR. Deadlifts were hard and sloppy (TWSS), some hitching, I was disappointed, because I expected my old PR to feel lighter after a few months.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 10 January, 2011

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility, shoulder circles

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315

6x3x345

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 1x135

4x155
5x155
2x155

RDL: 8x135, 5x225

6x275

Overall:
Not a bad day, except I got crossed up badly on the press. The first set I missed the last rep because my hand wasn't chalked up enough, and the bar kept slipping. Last set I was just all over the place, form was awful. Squats were fine.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 12 January, 2011

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility, shoulder circles

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 2x5x275

Bench press: 10x45, 5x95, 5x135, 5x155

Back extension: 15

Overall:
Nothing to see here.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 14 January, 2011

Warmup:
Bicycle, foam roll, mobility, shoulder circles

Workout:
Squat: 2x5x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315, 1x365

3x395 (PR)

Press: 2x5x45, 4x95, 2x135

3x165 (F4)

GHR: 2x10

Overall:
Squats were easy peasy, unless travel takes a lot out of me I'll hit 405x3 next Friday. Also, fuck pressing movements. Just fuck them really hard. GHR were fine, except now that I'm doing them with better form, they're much harder.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 17 January, 2011

Warmup:
Squat, row, foam roll, mobility, shoulder circles

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315

5x3x355

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185

3x5x225

Overall:
I was feeling tired today, so I kept it simple. Squats were not too hard, rest between sets was 3-4 minutes. Bench was also pleasantly easy, I'm wondering why my pressing strength seems to be jump started lately. I smell PRs.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 21 January, 2011

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility, squat

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315, 1x365

3x405 (PR)

Bench press (paused): 8x45, 5x95, 4x135, 3x185, 1x225

3x245 (PR)

Deadlift: 5x135, 3x225, 3x315, 1x375, 1x425

3x460 (PR)

Overall:
Gravity was not too heavy today. Squats were not as tough as I expected, but I had to fight hard to keep my chest up and heels down at the bottom. Paused bench was tough but manageable. This was my first time pausing with anything heavy. Deadlifts were very hard, as expected after squatting a heavy triple. Need to recover hard over the weekend.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 24 January, 2011

Warmup:
Squat, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 1x315

5x3x360

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 3x115, 1x135

Overall:
Still recovering from a head cold. Squats were pretty difficult, and sloppy, as a result. Warmed up press and decided it was better to just call it a day.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 26 January, 2011

Warmup:
Row (3 strokes to 1:30), squat, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 5x275

Clean and jerk: 3x2x135

Clean: 2x135, 2x225

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x135, 5x155

Strict pullups: 10

Overall:
Good light day for once. I just kind of meandered back and forth between the squat rack and the platform, this was my first time doing cleans in some time, but my technique still felt pretty solid.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 28 January, 2011

Warmup:
Sandbag carry, foam roll, leg swings, hip circles, shoulder circles

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 3x315, 1x365

3x410 (PR)

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 3x115, 1x135, 1x155

1x165
1x165

GHR: 10xBW, 2x10x10lbs

Dips: 2x10x45lbs

Overall:
Squats: great, will definitely hit 3x415 in a week. Press: well I didn't press at all on Monday, so I don't know why I expected to be the shit today. GHR were fine, not exactly the greatest form. Dips were fine, can definitely do more.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 31 January, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315

5x3x365

Bench press: 5x45, 5x95, 5x135, 2x185, 1x205

3x5x235 (PR)

Strict chinups: 3x10

Overall:
Despite a slight edge of tiredness (stayed up late reading last night) this turned out to be a good session. Squats were not too hard, bench was managed all right, chins as well. Feeling confident.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 2 February, 2011

I got snowed out today, missed my chance to get somewhere to train. Shit.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 4 February, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, twisting lunge, arm circle, shoulder circle, hip circle, leg swings

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315, 1x365

3x415 (PR)

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 4x135, 2x185, 1x215

3x255 (PR)

Deadlift: 4x135, 3x225, 2x315, 1x385, 1x435

2x485 (PR)

Overall:
Exactly according to plan. Squats good, bench good, deadlift pretty good. Form on deadlifts was not perfect, but better than usual.

[kittenSmash]

Friday, 4 February, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, twisting lunge, arm circle, shoulder circle, hip circle, leg swings

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315, 1x365

3x415 (PR)

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 4x135, 2x185, 1x215

3x255 (PR)

Deadlift: 4x135, 3x225, 2x315, 1x385, 1x435

2x485 (PR)

Overall:
Exactly according to plan. Squats good, bench good, deadlift pretty good. Form on deadlifts was not perfect, but better than usual.

That's some good shit Jacob, what you weighing in at these days?

[Jacob I. Briskin]

That's some good shit Jacob, what you weighing in at these days?

Thanks Kitten...I haven't been weighing myself much lately, a week from last Friday I only weighed about 191 in my shoes, shorts, and t-shirt. I think I'm back up a few pounds now. I don't want to bother cutting weight for my first meet in a month, so I'll just be in the middle of the 198 class.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 7 February, 2011

Warmup:
Row (3 strokes to 1:25), shoulder circles, dislocates, arm circles, hip circles, leg swings, foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 3x315

5x3x370 (PR)

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 3x115, 2x135

2x155
2x135

Dips: 2x10x50lbs

Overall:
Bleh. Totally unenthusiastic about squats, but I did them. I think I have some imbalances in my shoulders that are making my press all loopy, my right hand was definitely lagging, which I hadn't really noticed before, but it's ruining my bar path. Dips were pretty easy, though.

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

How goes it mr briskin?

[kittenSmash]

Thanks Kitten...I haven't been weighing myself much lately, a week from last Friday I only weighed about 191 in my shoes, shorts, and t-shirt. I think I'm back up a few pounds now. I don't want to bother cutting weight for my first meet in a month, so I'll just be in the middle of the 198 class.

Nice, you should do a damn good 1st meet with those numbers at 198. Though it can depend how big the turn out is. What numbers you shooting for?

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Nice, you should do a damn good 1st meet with those numbers at 198. Though it can depend how big the turn out is. What numbers you shooting for?

Just by using those tables of estimated 1RM percentages and projecting my current progress, optimistically I'd say 474 squat, 297 bench, 518 deadlift? I don't know exactly. It's not going to be a very large meet.

What's up, Jamie? Did you see that thread on the CF boards, "how much baccon [sic] is too much?"?

[Jamie J. Skibicki]

Jake,

I did see that. I still get brough up every so often. Did you see the one about the guy that wanted to "tone his abs"? I was pissed he wasn't just dog piled.

[Tom Green]

Nice work bro, just saw this. Good chillin w/ u guys the other week. When is ur meet?

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Nice work bro, just saw this. Good chillin w/ u guys the other week. When is ur meet?

Thanks Tom, I didn't realize you were lurking here. My meet is on March 13, so I'm just over 4 weeks out now.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 9 February, 2011

Warmup:
Row, hip circle, arm circle, squat

Workout:
Clean: 3x95, 3x135, 3x185, 1x185, 1x225

Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 5x275

DB Bench: 10x40s, 10x60s

Strict pullups: 10

Overall:
Just a light day. Haven't done dumbbell bench in some time, but it's a pretty cool exercise, might use it for assistance on heavy days.

[Tom Green]

Thanks Tom, I didn't realize you were lurking here. My meet is on March 13, so I'm just over 4 weeks out now.

Good luck! PL meets are the best, you'll have a great time.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 11 February, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, dislocates, squat, shoulder circles

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315, 1x365

3x420 (PR)

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185, 1x225

3x260 (PR)

GHR: BWx12

Dips: BWx5, 30x5

5x85 (PR)

Overall:
Not a bad way to end the week. Squats were damn hard, bench not quite as bad. Almost didn't make the last of the dips.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 14 February, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, hip circle, shoulder circle, dislocate

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315

5x3x375 (PR)

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x135, 2x185, 1x205

3x5x240 (PR)

Overall:
Very good day, squats all felt light, blasted up every set. First set of bench was hard, but the second and third sets were easier, maybe I need to pick my warmups better. Starting to feel a little pinching in the area of my right clavicle...

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 16 February, 2011

Warmup:
Row, squat, arm swings

Workout:
Clean: 3x95, 3x135, 3x185, 2x225

Squat: 5x135, 5x225

Press: 8x45, 5x65, 5x95

Chinups: 10

Overall:
Light day, felt kind of sluggish. So sluggish, in fact, that I failed a clean at 185. Just sort of caught it...then put my ass on the platform, then lay down and let the bar roll up past my head...

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 18 February, 2011

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, dislocates, hip circles, lateral lunge, squat

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 4x225, 2x275, 2x315, 1x365, 1x405

2x445 (PR)

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 4x135, 2x185, 2x225

2x265 (F3)

Deadlift: 4x225, 3x315, 2x365, 1x405

2x1x455

Overall:
Squats were hard, 25lbs more than I had ever had on my back before for a double, but got 'em done. Bench was lousy, my right AC joint is acting up, but if I can fix it everything will be slinky. Deadlifts were kind of hard, whatever.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Thursday, 24 February, 2011

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, mobility, squat

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 2x5x275

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x135, 2x5x155

Overall:
Had the flu, missed a few workouts. My goal now is to be back at 100% of my capacity for the meet. Going to do another slightly heavier day on Saturday, then Tuesday some heavyish but low volume work including my last deadlift until the meet, then Thursday heavy singles in the squat and bench. Get ready.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Saturday, 26 February, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 5x45, 5x135, 5x225, 5x275, 2x5x315

Press: 5x45, 5x95, 5x135

Overall:
Kind of felt like crap today, but this was good to do. Got it all planned out now.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Tuesday, 1 March, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 3x315

3x3x375

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185, 1x225

2x3x245

Deadlift: 3x70kg, 3x120kg, 2x140kg, 1x170kg, 1x190kg

1x210kg

Overall:
This was my deadlift opener, last deadlift before the meet. Felt okay.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Thursday, 3 March, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 2x5x275

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185, 2x5x185

Overall:
Light day. Gave some attention to my left knee/hamstring area in warmups. Feels a bit weird, but I'm not too worried. Saturday is heavy singles in squat and bench, then light work next week.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Saturday, 7 March, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315, 1x365, 1x405

2x1x455 (PR)

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 3x135, 3x185, 1x225

1x265
1x275 (F)

Overall:
Squats were hard, but fine. Disappointed with the bench, I forgot how much a full pause takes away from you.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday-Friday, 7-11 March, 2011

Lots of light stuff, foam rolling, and stretching to get ready. Went a little heavier on Monday than on Friday. Feeling ready to own on Sunday.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

All right, the meet recap is up, on 70sBig (http://www.70sbig.com) It has all the details, as well as some of my attempts at being funny.

I'll do a quick recap just so I have it written down here. All my lifting was done raw, with a belt and Rehband knee sleeves. I ended up being in the 82.5kg class, because the meet scale turned out to be a few pounds light, and because I was still down a couple pounds from the flu. I'm going to guess that I was about 190lbs when I stepped on the platform.

Squats:
195kg/429lbs: 3 whites
205kg/451lbs: 3 reds (accidentally moved my foot before the "rack" command)
215kg/474lbs: 3 whites (PR)

Bench:
115kg/253lbs: 3 whites
120kg/264lbs: 2 whites, 1 red (slightly uneven elbow lockout)
125kg/275lbs: 3 whites (PR)

Deadlift:
210kg/462lbs: 3 whites
230kg/507lbs: 3 reds (got the bar to within an inch of lockout, then it slipped forward)
230kg/507lbs: 3 whites (PR tie)

Total: 570kg/1,256lbs

Also, video is here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkr4G17qZ4o)

[kittenSmash]

Good job Briskit. You're a strong lil bastard. Plan on weighing in closer to 198 next meet?

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Good job Briskit. You're a strong lil bastard. Plan on weighing in closer to 198 next meet?

Yeah, most def. I still want to stay under 200, though, just to piss off Justin.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 21 March, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 2x5x135, 5x5x225

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 3x5x135

Sandbag cleans and presses, 70lb bag

Overall:
Deloading this week, then next week actual training starts again. Full of fire now, hoping to get stronger than ever.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 23 March, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 2x5x275

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x115

Back extension: 15

Strict pullups: 10

Overall:
Light deload. Something is weird in my upper body. Presses and pullups both felt shaky and weak, bleh.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 25 March, 2011

Warmup:
Row

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 5x315

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x135, 5x185

Overall:
All righty then, last day of deload.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 28 March, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, row, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275

5x5x315

Bench: 8x45, 5x95, 5x135

4x5x195

Rope pullups: 8
Strict pullups: 10

Dips: 2x8x3 chains

Overall:
I'm back. So, here are my goals: 3x475 squat, 3x275 bench, 3x505 deadlift. I don't have an exact time frame for these, but I'm trying to find a meet between early September and mid-October, so I'll want to hit those numbers a month before the meet. It begins.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 30 March, 2011

Warmup:
Row, foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 3x5x225

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 8x115, 5x115

Overall:
Just light day, press still feels strangely weak.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 1 April, 2011

Warmup:
Row, foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315

5x365

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185

5x225

Overall:
Okay, we have learned a lesson today: eating and sleeping like shit is not the recipe for success.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 4 April, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275

5x5x325

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x135, 2x185

4x5x205

Dips: 2x8 (2 chains ~50lbs)

GHR: 2x6

Overall:
Something is weird with my trap, I think that's what's making it hard to hold the bar on my back when squatting. Must fix. Everything else was good. I finally learned to do GHR properly, fucking hard.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 6 April, 2011

Light day, some light squats and clean and presses with 135, then light dumbbell bench, good stuff.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 8 April, 2011

Warmup:
Squat, foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315

5x375

Bench press: 8x45, 8x95, 5x135, 2x195

5x235

Deadlift: 3x135, 2x245, 2x335, 1x385

4x405

Overall:
Still having bar positioning problems. Deadlifts felt heavier than they should, too.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 11 April, 2011

Warmup:
Foam rolling

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 8x135, 5x225, 3x275

5x5x335

Bench press: 8x45, 8x95, 5x135, 3x185

4x5x210

GHR: 2x6

Dips: 2x8x50lbs

Overall:
Everything was good, very good. Squatting in these new low-heeled shoes feels good now. GHR are a new thing now that I'm doing them properly. Long session, a little over 90 minutes.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 13 April, 2011

Warmup:
Row, foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 2x5x225, 5x245

Press: 8x45, 5x65, 5x95, 6x115

Overall:
Well, whatever.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 15 April, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 8x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x335

5x385

Bench press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x135, 2x205

5x240

Deadlift: 5x135, 3x225, 2x335, 1x405

3x455

Overall:
Forgot my sleeves, first time squatting without them in a while, felt weird. Bench was fine, deadlifts were heavy. Another heavy triple in three weeks.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 18 April, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275

5x5x340

Bench press: 10x45, 8x95, 5x135, 2x195

4x5x215

GHR: 2x8

Chinups: 2x10

Overall:
Squats were a bitch and a half and I'm assuming it's because of the heavy deadlift triple last Friday. Lower back was a little lit up on each set. Bench was easy, GHR are improving now that I'm doing them right.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 20 April, 2011

Regular old light day, some squats, light clean and presses, DB bench. Kind of tired.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 22 April, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x245, 3x295, 2x335

5x390

Bench press: 10x45, 8x95, 5x135, 2x205

5x245

GHR: 2x10

Pullups: 2x10

Overall:
I have something flaring up on the left side of my groin, the origin of one of my adductors or hip flexors, not exactly sure, but it doesn't like to be foam rolled. Squats were fine, buried all five reps no problemo. Bench was very hard. GHR and pullups were fine, will start weighting GHR soon.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 25 April, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x245, 3x295

3x5x345

Bench press: 10x45, 8x95, 5x135, 2x195

4x5x220

GHR: 2x5x10lbs

Overall:
Squats were okay, hip flexors are feeling a bit better, getting impatient about pushing more weight. Bench press volume as usual was easy. GHR also fine.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 27 April, 2011

Warmup:
None

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 5x275

Press: 10x45, 2x5x95

Foam roll, static stretch

Overall:
Still working on hip flexors, especially left side groin.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 29 April, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x245, 3x295, 2x335

5x395

Bench press: 10x45, 8x95, 5x135, 3x185, 2x225

5x250

Deadlift: 3x135, 3x225, 2x335, 1x385

3x415

Overall:
Still working on my junk, squats feel a little messy because of some tightness. Definitely going to hit 405x5 in two weeks. Bench was difficult. Deadlifts fine.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 2 May, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x295

3x5x350

Bench press: 10x45, 8x95, 5x135, 3x185

4x5x225 (PR for sets)

GHR: 2x8x10lbs

Overall:
Pretty good day. Hip flexors and adductors still need some work. This was the first volume bench workout in a while that could be called difficult. GHR are coming along surprisingly well.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 4 May, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 2x5x225

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x115

Bent-over row: 2x8x135

Overall:
Whatever. Nice to do a new exercise for a change. No soreness.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 6 May, 2011

Warmup:
PVC roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x295, 2x355

5x400

Bench press: 10x45, 8x95, 5x135, 3x185, 2x225

5x255 (PR)

Rack pull: 5x135, 5x225, 5x315, 5x405

5x455 (PR)

Overall:
Squats were tough. Bench was actually not too hard, I guess I improved my positioning. I was going to deadlift 3x465 today, but the platforms at the gym were being worked on, so I rack pulled. I had a really hard time keeping the bar against my leg and not rebending my knees when doing those. Afterward I played around with a 150lb and 180lb stone, very humbling.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 9 May, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x295

3x5x355

Bench press: 10x45, 8x95, 5x135, 3x185

4x5x230 (PR)

GHR: 2x10x10lbs

Chinups: 12, 10

Overall:
Bench was great. Really pushed the reps on GHR.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 11 May, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 2x5x225

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x115

Bent-over row: 2x8x135

Stretching (hip flexors)

Overall:
Same deal as last Wednesday.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 13 May, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x295, 2x355

5x405 (PR)

Bench press: 10x45, 8x95, 5x135, 3x185, 2x225

5x260 (PR)

GHR: 5xBW, 6x orange band, 6x green band

Overall:
Everything was A-OK. Taking a deload week after this to get my junk healed up and get ready to attack with more enthusiasm.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday-Friday, 16-20 May, 2011

Deload week. Worked more on fixing the junk that's been plaguing me. This involves a lot of Kstar's Mobility WOD.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 23 May, 2011

Warmup:
Bike, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315

3x5x355

Bench press: 10x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185

4x5x225

Bent over row: 5x225 (strapped)

Overall:
Meh. Lower back was pretty lit up after squatting, which is not a good sign. Okay then, time to make a run for the top.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 25 May, 2011

Light day. Squatted up to 2x5x225, pressed up to 5x135, did some stretching.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 27 May, 2011

Warmup:
Bike, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 3x315, 2x365

3x425

Bench press: 10x45, 8x95, 5x135, 3x185, 2x225

3x255

Speed deadlift: 3x2x135, 3x1x225

10x1x275

Power shrugs: 5x135, 5x225, 7x315, 9x405

Overall:
Had to lift without chalk today, which was a pain. Squats were much easier than I expected. Can't believe I was thinking of low-balling the weight down to 405. Bench was harder than it needed to be due to no chalk on the back/bench. First time doing speed deadlifts, so I was conservative with the weight. Not sure if they were "fast enough". Power shrugs are also a first, I think my form on those needs some work.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 30 May, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, leg swings, hip circles

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315

3x5x365

Bench press: 10x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185

4x5x235 (PR)

Overall:
Last set of squats was fairly hard, but much easier, and much deeper, with less rest than the last time I did 3x5x365 (over nine months ago, Christ). Bench was hard, ground out the last few sets, definitely not helped by the fact that I had to use a shitty adjustable bench that was a bit wobbly, and spotters not fluent in English. Called it a day, felt drained.

[Tamara Reynolds]

Bench press: 10x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185

4x5x235 (PR)

Proud of you, buddy. I know how much you love bench.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Proud of you, buddy. I know how much you love bench.

I'm warming up to it.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 3 June, 2011

Warmup:
Bike, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 3x315, 1x385

3x435 (PR)

Bench press: 10x45, 8x95, 5x135, 3x185, 2x225

3x265 (PR)

Deadlift: 45, 5x135, 4x225, 3x275, 2x335, 2x385, 1x425

3x475 (PR)

Chinups: 10, 10, 5, 3, 3, 3

Overall:
Vidya. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiKz2XNCA54)
So, I missed my light workout on Wednseday, gym was just insanely crowded. Squats were difficult, but I can keep making 5lb jumps. I think my mechanics are still suffering because of mobility issues. Also spent an hour yesterday goofing around on a trampoline, calves were a little tight. Bench was very difficult, partly due to a bad handoff. At first I thought I missed the 3rd rep, but when I looked at the video I realized the spotter didn't touch it, so I'll count it. Deadlifts were a grind, tight hip flexors making it more difficult to keep my back flat.

[swilczewski]

Nice lifting. What school/gym do you go to?

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Nice lifting. What school/gym do you go to?

Thanks. When I'm home for the summer, as now, I usually go train at my old high school. As you can see, they have a pretty good weight room, and I can get in free.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 6 June, 2011

Warmup:
Bike, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 3x315

3x5x370 (PR)

Bench press: 10x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x195

4x5x235

Power shrug: 5x135, 5x225, 5x315, 5x405

Overall:
Squats were difficult, but form was better and my lower back was not lit up by them. Bench was crap, repeated the weight from last week but my left elbow was sore from so much baseball over the weekend, throwing off my form. I need to take a couple days off from that.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 8 June, 2011

Light day, biking, light squats, light bench, foam rolling on Thursday as well.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 10 June, 2011

Warmup:
Squat, bike, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 3x315, 2x365, 1x405

3x440

Press: 10x45, 5x95, 3x115, 1x135, 1x155, 1x165 1x175 (PR) 2x1x185 (Fail)

Rack pull: 5x135, 5x225, 5x315, 5x405

Overall:
Welp, I haven't updated my training log in so long that I forgot the exact details of what went on here. I kept the rack pull weight low so I could focus on hamstrings.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 13 June, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x315

3x5x375 (PR)

Overall:
I had to cut this short due to a training session with a client. Doh well.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 15 June, 2011

Light day, unremarkable.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 17 June, 2011

Warmup:
Bike, foam roll, mobility

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 3x315, 2x365, 1x405

3x445 (PR)

Bench press: 10x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185, 2x225, 1x245, 1x265

Deadlift: 3x135, 3x1x225

10x1x285

Overall:
Squats were awfully damn hard. Bench press was still off, still bad, 265 should be easy peasy. Speed deadlifts were good, maybe need to be a little faster.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 20 June, 2011

Warmup:
Bike, foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x325

3x5x375

DB bench press: 10x25, 8x50

3x8x75

Dips: 20

Power shrugs: 5x135, 5x225, 5x315, 5x405

Overall:
Training in hot, muggy weather is the worst. My shirt was damp all the way through by the time I finished squatting, so I had to take off my shirt, wipe off my torso with some spare socks, and then spread chalk on the bench. Just drains you.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 22 June, 2011

Physical therapy session with Kelly Starrett. Apparently I habitually hyperextend my thoracic/lumbar junction on everything (i.e. letting my ribcage tilt too far up), which may be what's causing my problems on the bench and press. What to do, what to do...

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 24 June, 2011

Warmup:
Virtually none

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 3x315, 2x365, 1x405

3x450 (PR)

Bench press (paused): 10x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185, 2x225, 1x275

1x275 (PR tie)

Deadlift: 5x135, 3x225, 2x275, 2x325, 1x385, 1x435

2x485 (F3)

Overall:
Welp, squats were very good, enough to make up for my still lagging bench press and missed deadlift. Last rep I definitely let get away from my leg, I didn't get video of it, but it probably wasn't pretty. Still, got it pretty damn close.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 27 June, 2011

Warmup:
Squat, shoulder dislocates

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x325

3x5x380(PR)

Bench press: 10x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185

3x5x225

Pullups: 5, 3x5x45lbs

Overall:
Probably should have done more warmup and mobility lately, because these squats felt inhibited and ground out. Bench as well. Finished off the day with the 3rd world squat stretch from MWOD and hip flexor stretch.

[Tom Green]

When's the next meet Jake?

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Oh hey man. It's looking like it'll be August 27 in Boston.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 29 June, 2011

Light day again, didn't wind up being much because of how busy I was. I also began a quick experiment with cutting weight using only a sauna. According to the electronic scale at the YMCA, I went from 192.7 to 191.4 in the first 15 minutes alone, so that's encouraging. Next time I'll try pushing it a little farther.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 1 July, 2011

Warmup:
Bike

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 3x315, 2x365, 1x405

3x455 (PR)

Bench press: 10x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185, 2x225

3x265 (PR)

Rack pull: 5x135, 5x225, 5x315, 5x425

Overall:
Fuck this heat, man. It's just no fun whatsoever. Squats were a bit ground out, some not really ideal positions. Bench was good, much improved from last time I tired this. Rack pulls were rack pulls, had to fight to get the actual point of this exercise and not be quad dominant.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 4 July, 2011

Warmup:
Bike, foam roll.

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x325

3x5x385

Bench press: 10x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185

3x5x230

Overall:
Had to make it quick today. Finally good to be in a gym with air conditioning, felt a lot more energy and recovered faster between sets. Squats were a lot easier than I expected, bench was shitty.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Tuesday, 5 July, 2011

Warmup:
Bike, squat 135

Workout:
Power shrug: 5x135, 5x225, 5x315, 5x365, 8x315

Pendlay row: 5x95, 5x135, 3x5x185

Overall:
So I decided to try this, training Monday Tuesday Friday, with Tuesday being a sort of accessory day like this. I think I might like this better, Wednesday's workouts have always felt like a chore before now.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Frday, 8 July, 2011

Warmup:
Shoulder mob, tabletop stretch

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 3x325, 2x375, 1x415

3x460 (PR)

Bench press: 10x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185, 2x225, 2x245

2x275 (F3)

Deadlift: 4x135, 3x225

10x1x285, on the minute

DB rows: 45x10R/10L, 100x12R/15L

Misc BB rows, curls, 30" box jumps, broad jumps

Overall: In between exercises I also did some other mobility, couch stretch, tabletop stretch, shoulder flexion plus internal rotation. This all took like three and a half hours, on account of taking time in between sets to listen to Brent Kim missing snatches and saying things like "oooooohKay" and "I wish I cared". Squats were great, felt better than they have in weeks. Could have done a set of 5. Bench was decent, I missed the third rep on account of the bar being badly made and my own personal retardation. Speed deadlifts were good, fairly speedy. After that everything was just a blur. I broad jumped about 8'10".

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 11 July, 2011

Warmup:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x325

3x5x390

Press: 10x45, 5x95, 4x115

8,5,5x135

RDL: 3x8x135

Overall:
I could take it or leave it. Squats felt good, working on keeping my knees back. Press, welp, haven't pressed in a while, tried to keep the elbows forward. RDLs were good, need more weight.

[Tamara Reynolds]

I also began a quick experiment with cutting weight using only a sauna. According to the electronic scale at the YMCA, I went from 192.7 to 191.4 in the first 15 minutes alone, so that's encouraging. Next time I'll try pushing it a little farther.

I don't support this at all.

FYI.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Tuesday, 12 July, 2011

Warmup:
Row, foam roll, squat 135x5

Workout:
Pendlay row: 10x45, 5x135, 3x5x190

Dips: 10xBW, 3x8x25

DB curlz

Overall:
Woo, accessory day. I enjoy this much more than having a light but boring Wednesday workout.


I don't support this at all.

FYI.

Then you will probably be even less supportive of this Wednesday, where I cut just under 5lb in 90 minutes. Then I drank two liters of water, a gatorade, and had a 4x4 with fries from In-N-Out.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 15 July, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x325, 1x375, 1x425

3x465 (PR)

Bench press: 10x45, 8x95, 5x135, 3x185, 2x225, 1x245

2x275 (F3)

Deadlift: 5x135, 3x225, 1x275, 1x325, 1x375, 1x425, 1x475, 1x515 (F)

Overall:
Geh, screw all this. Squat PR was baller as fuck, but I'm going to need some new programming soon.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 18 July, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll

Workout:
Squat: 10x45, 5x135, 5x225, 3x275, 2x325

3x5x395 (PR)

Press: 10x45, 5x95, 3x115

5x135
5x145
5x155

Face pulls

Overall:
All things considered, this was actually pretty good. I'm still a turrible presser, but getting a bit better. Face pulls were done in between sets of press.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Tuesday, 19 July, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, squat

Workout:
Power shrug: 10x135, 5x225, 5x315, 6x405

Pendlay row: 5x135, 3x5x195

Dips: 8xBW, 8, 10x (hooked chain + 25), 10x (hooked chain + 35)

DB curlz

Overall:
These are refreshingly fun. Power shrugs looked like ass, had to do them off of a set of "spotting pins" on a PoS squat rack. Everything else was good. Not sure how much the chain I used for dips weighed, I was guessing about 20lbs.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Oooohkay, it's been a while since I posted here. Basically not much has happened since this last update, except that my right shoulder has started clicking and cruching, and I've been taking steps to fix that. Can't pin down exactly what's causing it, but it's annoying and it's something in the right side of my upper body. Shit, I dunno.

Anyway, in that time I also squatted 485x2, which means my squat is very nearly even with my deadlift, and I have a serious back/hamstring deficiency that needs to be fixed. So, I'm starting this four days a week advanced TM-ish template. Squat, bench and deadlift are each worked twice a week, once for volume and once for some kind of intensity. I'm not going to push the weight on bench for a bit, just focusing on building up some volume with a moderate weight and retraining myself to bench without internally rotating my shoulders, i.e. flaring my elbows. Going to be updating 4x/week here.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Sunday, 21 August, 2011

Warmup:
KStar ultimate shoulder MOB, press

Workout:
Bench press: 10x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185

1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3 x225

Press: 8x45, 5x95, 5x115, 5x135

Lying triceps extension: 3x5x65

Straight bar cheat curl: 2x8x95

Overall:
Bench ladders were pretty cool, all reps were fast and easy, paused the first rep of each set. Doing some isolation work was kind of fun for a change. Larry Pacifico apparently called the lying triceps extension "the 4th powerlift", and they are definitely a compound movement when done correctly. I could feel a little stretch in my shoulder doing them, but no pain.

[swilczewski]

My shoulder was acting up about a month ago in a similar fashion as you describe, i dropped the overhead press and started doing incline bench instead and since then my shoulder has been pain free. Just my two cents on the issue. Why do you care if your squat is closing in on your deadlift especially if you are still progressing on both?

[Patrick Stroup]

lascek has me doing ladders too! Haha.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

My shoulder was acting up about a month ago in a similar fashion as you describe, i dropped the overhead press and started doing incline bench instead and since then my shoulder has been pain free. Just my two cents on the issue. Why do you care if your squat is closing in on your deadlift especially if you are still progressing on both?

It's not causing me any pain, actually, it's just clicking when I rotate the humerus and move it in circles. And the problem is precisely that my deadlift isn't increasing, in fact I haven't hit a deadlift PR in months. Guess I'll just fucking kill myself.


lascek has me doing ladders too! Haha.

They're fun.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 22 August, 2011

Warmup:
Face pull, banded GM, shoulder mob

Workout:
Deadlift: 5x135, 3x225, 3x275, 2x335, 2x385

3x435

Squat: 5x135, 5x225, 3x275

5x325
5x345
5x365

Pendlay row: 5x135, 3x5x175

Overall:
Triceps are starting to feel a little bit sore. Deadlifts were not too difficult, but harder then I hoped they would be. TPS is a great gym, but it's hard to find a bar that isn't bent, and this one kept wanting to roll out of my hand. Squats and rows were EZ-PZ, although doing lots of work on a hot, humid day is never fun.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Wednesday, 24 August, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, KStar shoulder mob, press

Workout:
Bench press: 10x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185

1,2,3,1,2,3 x245

Chinups: 5xBW, 3x5x25

Overall:
Form at 245 was kind of going down the drain, I don't know if I'll keep up this higher weight or go back to 225 next week. Pullups were okay.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 26 August, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, axle clean and jerk, Kstar shoulder mob

Workout:
Squat: 5x135, 2x2x225

6x2x255, on the minute

RDL: 5x95, 5x135, 3x5x155

Dumbbell row: 45x 10R/10L, 100x 12R/15L

Overall:
Speed squats were pretty cool, last set was definitely the fastest. RDLs were miserable as usual, rows were fine. Sweated up a storm, I can't wait for it to be fall.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Monday, 29 August, 2011

Warmup:
Press, foam roll

Workout:
Bench press: 10x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185

1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3 x225

Press: 5x45, 5x95, 5x115, 5x135

Lying triceps extension: 5x45, 2x8x75

KStar shoulder MOB, chocolate milk

Deadlift: 5x135, 3x225

8x1x275 on the minute

Squat: 5x135, 5x225, 3x275

5x325
5x345
5x365

Pendlay row: 5x115, 5x135, 3x5x185

Overall:
So this is what I get for being a virgin Mormon pussy and not going out to do my bench workout yesterday in the middle of Hurricane Irene. I was at the gym for almost three hours. Good news is that bench was fast and smooth, felt great, paused the first rep of each set. Deadlifts were pretty fast. Squats were also blasted up, but I just wanted to GTFO by then.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Thursday, 1 September, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, press

Workout:
Bench press: 10x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185

1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3 x225

Pullups: 5xBW, 3x5x35lbs

Overall:
Probably should have warmed up my shoulders a little more before doing this, felt some tension in my pec minor area and elbows flaring. Whatever.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Friday, 2 September, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, Kstar shoulder MOB

Workout:
Squat: 5x45, 5x135, 4x225, 3x275, 3x325, 2x375

3x425

RDL: 5x45, 5x95, 3x5x135

Dumbbell rows: 45x 5R/5L, 90x 8R/8L, 135 (strapped) x 12R/15L

Overall:
Squats were only about 90% of my 3RM, but energy was low and the damn bent bar kept trying to roll on my back. RDL were RDL. DB rows were okay, I did them "Kroc" style with a bit of body English, felt them a lot in my abs. Overall, just wanted to GTFO.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Sunday, 4 September, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll, press

Workout:
Bench press: 10x45, 5x95, 5x135, 3x185

1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3 x230

Press: 10x45, 5x65, 5x100, 5x120, 5x140

Lying triceps press: 2x8x75

Straight bar cheat curls: 3x8x95

Overall:
Bench press could have gone better, felt a bit of strain in my clavicular areas. Presses were EZ PZ. For some reason the lying triceps presses made my biceps hurt.

[Jacob I. Briskin]

Tuesday, 6 September, 2011

Warmup:
Foam roll

Workout:
Rack pull: 5x135, 5x225, 5x315, 3x365, 5x405

Squat: 5x135, 4x225, 3x285

5x335
5x355
5x375

Pendlay row: 5x135, 5x185, 2x5x195

Overall:
Woke up early, but got surprisingly into it. Rack pulls were easy, really no trouble at all keeping the knees back and doing them properly.