800 and beyond

[Phil Stevens]

OK I figure Ill start one, Maybe it will be informative help some people and help me with new eyes suggestions and questions.

Ill save to much background but in short I am a strength coach, national record holding PLer, meat eater, I like women, long walks in the meat and sporting good sections, dark beer, have faced some pretty high end injuries in my life that I dont let limit me as much as possible though at times like now seem to rear there ugly teeth and piss me off but motivates me more.

Currently goals, proceed bringing my deadlift up and to hit 800lbs in competition, get a raw 1900+lb total in the 275 class, start to compete in my first highland games, I have a past in strongman as well.

As far as my training you wont see me doing say classic SS, or classical anything. You will see my own training which over the years I have adapted and evolves from years of experience and what works for me. Which means simply yes you will see some SS, and other of Marks work in my training as well as other great coaches and my own.

Ill kick it off with last weeks training including a crap training session from Saturday next which also had me go through some tests and a diagnosis of dropping the squat out of my coming competition and until further notice as a heavy move until I / we can figure some things out and alleviate major pain from past injuries that leave my body very unique and different from about anyone else

cheers. I look forward to any questions comments and hopefully occasionally getting my balls busted by Mark

[Phil Stevens]

Dec 14 09 Bench

battling some injury here as well from a torn rotatar cuff thats acting up and limiting loads right now a bit.
working slow and controlled to let shoulder heal. Nothing really over 80%

Benchin with releasers
(very slow eccentric two controlled presses)
Bar x 10
95 x 10
135 x 10
185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 3
315 x 2
315 x 2 + 50
315 x 1 + 50 x 3
315 x 1 slow eccentric
315 x 2 presses

Gymnast Ring scap Rows
Body weight x 5 x 11 sets
I liked these a lot

Pin Press half way up
225+ dbl red bands 3x3

Band pull aparts and band curls

that’s It Im going to do a separate day light and slowly work up to get some volume in with perfect presses in the groove.

[Phil Stevens]

*************
DL day Dec 15.09

135 x 3
225 x 3
315 x 2
405 x 1
495 x 1
585 x 1
615 x 1
Felt light and easy today as they should

Rack Mid shin
585 x 1
635 x 3 x 5 I think this was a 50 lb PR for sets and reps last set was damn hard I hate this staring position But great training day not ham string pain

675 x 1 got it but I was cooked after the other volume

Left leg step ups
Ass blaster version 6.2
Abs
All 3 sets

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfVT_Xki864

[Phil Stevens]

**********

Dec 16th bench day #2
Going to slowly work up on this day very slow and controlled

Bench
Warm up
225 x 5 x 5

1 arm cable rows and band pull aparts 8 sets

then torture yoga stuff and jay making me whine like a lil school girl. My hips is hurting on almost a constant basis from all the work were doing, even keeping me up at night but I am assured that thats normal and necessary as we ask the hip to do what it hasnt in years and maybe not done since the accident when I was 7 years old. I have to keep my eye on the big picture.











The Beauty of the human Machine is that we are multi faceted in how we function from head to toe, skin to bone, emotion to muscle. As one system fatigues from work placed on it another pitches in momentarily to take up the slack. Let your exercise choices reflect this natural function of the human body.

***********

Dec 18th 09
Pressing assistance day
Felt weak today but got the work in

Zhealth

Push Press
Up to an easy 120K

Strict press
85k x 5 x 3 sets
Still just doing the slow progress not rushing this add a bit each week

Band pull downs
Orange bands 5 x 10 sets

Lock outs above head against orange bands
Bar x 5
95 x 3 x 2 sets
95 x 5 hard

Band pull aparts 3 sets

Scap depression on dip handles
5 sets

that’s it

[Phil Stevens]

***************

Dec 19th
Squat
Bar x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 3
275 x 3
315 x 2 x 2 add wraps on second set
405 x 2
455 x 1
495 x 1
525 x 1

Bottoms up and playing with stances to find something with minimal pain
A lot x only up t 315

Well?? Hmmm? looks the squatting pain and what I kind of expected and for the time being I may be a push pullers as I may not be able to squat the loads I expect of myself without causing major pain in the hip due to the bones and how I am now constructed after being glues and taped back together.

I think I pin pointed when this happened as well I was squatting 550 like nothing like it was everyday and had hit 575 then I added in some extra rep work at the end was going over and using the same loads Troy was squatting for the day and dive bombing in the bottom trying to slowly add mobility and stretch things out, due to how my bones are constructed NOT a good idea I was essentially hammering bones on one another in the bottom, it was good for a week or two then I instantly went from squatting 525 raw no wrpas on any given day and then heavier to 405 being hard and painful, Jay thinks in may be I badly bruised bone or jacked my labrum up.

The reason I was doing it is again squatting is never not painful to me when brought to parallel. Its not hard or doesn’t feel heavy it just hurts like a mother!!! So was hoping by adding a bit of mobility to the hip to take away that pain, in hind sight bad idea and that smaller then now pain while still painful pain may be the best I can hope for with my bone structure.

The hard thing is you cant look at other people or a text book for me. I am not like pretty much any other living person in how I am constructed so it’s a matter of rewriting my own text book, but I guess that’s half the fun I have to finding my and blazing my own path.

We did Craig's the test. We're looking at 45 degrees of retroversion. The head of the femur almost points backwards, where as a regular person points sideways. This is why all the binding and why I hit a wall just about parallel. Its not soft tissue getting tight its what it feels like and bones hitting one another.

I will not stop squatting and already squatted 525lb yesterday. I will for a while be trying top figure a new stance and way I possibly may be able to squat as well as trying to strengthen the left leg which cannot on its own lift my body weight up two stairs when the leg is at a parallel angle, meaning I am squatting 500lb + on nearly one leg.

so for the time being goals have shifted to getting the squat figured out, getting the left leg and hip pain free so I dont lose sleep, getting them stronger so they can at least lift my own body. ... See More

during that continue pushing the deadlift to reach the 800lb mark I want, getting the bench back up and competing, though likely badly LOL, in my first highland games

I aint stopping by any means and still want a 1900lb raw total if I can find a way to squat but I have to find a way my not by any means normal pelvic and hip structure will accept it with only major amounts of pain and not excessive LOL while doing so I will squat loads I am able easy and pain free 400lbs or so for sets and reps controlled what ever doesnt make me cringe and push everything else. try and fix the other stuff

[George Noble]

You are strong

[kittenSmash]

Thanks for starting a log here Phil, it's always cool to see how the strong/advanced guys like you train. Also I must say it's nice to see articles from you and Charles Staley in MF. Hopefully it will get more people training right.

[Phil Stevens]

Thank you both.

kitten.... thanks for noticing the M&F stuff as well that publication seems to be taking as turn for the better. I have a few more things Im helping them with currently that we will hope will like you said point people in a bit better direction.

[Phil Stevens]

Dec 21 09 Bench

Just so people here know Im not big on the gadgets, bells and whistles, etc meaning foam, bands and chains etc. Except for two things, For use in injury and to attack a direct weakness. In my case right now, one day a week on pressing youll see a lot of it due to the fact im dealing with both and injury and a huge triceps/lockoput weakness.

slowly upping the loads each week very managable loads making sure nothing hurts, controlled non explosive for now getting that shoulder locked back in place and lots of scar retraction and depression work.

Bench
Full range
Bar x 10
95 x 10
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5

Cheese head press
Slow eccentric Long pause
275 x 3
315 x 1
335 x 1
Just made these up today essentially all the cheese head does is make it more comfortable to rest the load on you during the long pause

These were easy as they should be and no real shoulder pain just as they should be

Gymnast Ring Rows
Body weight x 6 x 10 sets


Foam Press with Dbl over red bands
225+ dbl red bands x 5
275+ dbl red bands x 3
225+ dbl red bands x 6

Band pull aparts and curls
3 sets

That’s it not bad felt OK
Just going to try and work on nothing that hurts the shoulder and bringing the triceps strength up on Mondays

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts9VgWLrSFI

[StLRPh]

Phil,

Have you thought about briefs or powerpants for your hips?

Matt