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Thread: Wolf's Log: From Cub to Direwolf

  1. #51
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    Default Saturday, 4/14/12

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    In the midst of the SS Seminar in Brooklyn at the wonderful South Brooklyn Weightlifting Club, so this whole past week, and today, are a bit off my normal weekly plan, but it's been great thus far. Saturday at the SS Seminar is always Squat/Dead/Press today, so that's what I did. Slightly different rep range for the DL, and I have always strict Pressed, so today was my first go at the 3rd edition more olympic style press.

    Did my Foam Rolling at 6:30am before leaving home, since I figured I wouldn't be able to do it before lifting. Did without movement prep stuff. I did bring my taped lacrosse balls and rolled out lumbar and thoracic erectors before both Squat and DL, and it helped a lot. Stef was very accommodating to my special need.

    Squat
    45x5x2, 135x5, 225x5, 295x5, 355x5x3
    Thought I was "scheduled" to lift 380x5x3 yesterday, I chose 355 both because I didn't have my usual personalized warmup (smr and movement prep right beforehand, and time to take 5 warmup sets of 5,3,2,1,1), and because it's a challenging enough weight to be judged properly on by Rip, but light enough that I know with 100% certainty I'd make the lift. I was very happy when Rip said "excellent," "beautiful," and "that's a pretty squat," during my set.

    Deadlift
    135x5 singles x2 - the normal SS teaching progression method
    225x3, 315x3, 385x2, 445x5
    Stef and Juli were super accommodating in letting me pull 3s and 2s in my warmup sets, due to my hyper-active right side erectors. I rolled out between sets a few times, and that helped, too. I decided to pull a 5, even though they said a 3 would be OK, so chose a weight a bit conservatively, since I haven't been pulling 5's (485x3 was mylast DL workout), and it was a good set.

    Steve(fromATL) suggested afterwards that I be extra aware of my lumbar position - it wasn't rounding, but he felt it was close to doing so. I will keep this in mind on my future DL workouts.

    Press
    45x5, 85x5, 105x5, 135x5, 165x5
    My first crack at the 3rd ed Press was OK, but not great. I think I had been doing well on my "platform grade" until this lift. I coached decently enough, but my Presses are definitely in need of some perfecting. Rip said I didn't use my hips enough to get the bar moving, and that is definitely true. I feel like just a few more slightly lighter sets and I'll have it, but at the end of the day (it was already 12.5hrs into the day's events), I couldn't quite master it in 5 sets. Hopefully I still passed on the platform on this one, cause I want that SS Certificate!

    Tomorrow, it's on to Bench and Power Clean.

  2. #52
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    "excellent," "beautiful," and "that's a pretty squat"
    Man, that must have been music to your ears. Everyone here would love to hear Rip say that to them...

    The press is tough during seminar because by the time you get to it you are just brain-dead and dead tired, at least I was. I wouldn't worry about it too much. What will make or break getting cert is the written test at home. The most brutal test I have ever taken (and yes I am a college graduate). I spent 8 hours writing that fucking thing. But I passed.

  3. #53
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob Is View Post
    Man, that must have been music to your ears. Everyone here would love to hear Rip say that to them...
    I was most definitely pleased. With 355 on my back, I figured I must have heard wrong, but my platform buddy Brian jealously confirmed it afterwards. I even asked Rip during the lunch break just to make sure. Funniest part on Saturday was Juli's total mothering of me during my deadlifts. She was in loco parentis, big time. When I made it to my work set, I asked Rip if we could call it the redemption set. He said, "let's just get through the damn thing." Classic.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rob Is View Post
    The press is tough during seminar because by the time you get to it you are just brain-dead and dead tired, at least I was. I wouldn't worry about it too much.
    Good to know I'm not alone in this. Having done the strict press until now, I definitely have some work to do, but will get it. And will find out my platform grade, for better or worse, by tomorrow night.

    Quote Originally Posted by Rob Is View Post
    What will make or break getting cert is the written test at home. The most brutal test I have ever taken (and yes I am a college graduate). I spent 8 hours writing that fucking thing. But I passed.
    Then I'll probably take 9! With hopefully the same result.

  4. #54
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    Default Sunday, 4/15/12

    Sunday at the SS Seminar. Power Cleans and Bench Press.

    Power Clean - had Tom C as my platform coach. Tom's style is great, as he manages to be laid back but still tell you in no uncertain terms exactly what you need to do.
    40kgx3, 60kgx3, 75kgx3, 85kgx3, 90kgx3, 95kgx4 - work set for Rip. He made me do an extra rep. He cued me to a better start position: I had moved the bar to BEHIND my mid foot, so I inclined my shins a bit more/brought my hips down, shoved my knees out, and he also widened my grip a bit. Made me squeeze up like crazy and hold it for longer than I ever do, before finally letting me pull the thing. Reps 2 and 4 had the best squeeze-ups, and the bar went up stronger and faster. Steve pointed this out to me afterwards, and gave me something to remember this for the future: squeeze up as much as you possibly can. Then, squeeze up some more. In Georgia, they call this SQUOZE.

    So from now on, I've gotta get SQUOZE UP for my DL's and PC's on every single rep.

    Bench Press - finally had Stef as a platform coach. It was nice, too, to finally have a relatively easier lift to do and coach. Stef was super laid back and we ended up chatting as much about the people at the gym who annoy her as we did about benching. Oops!
    45x5, 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 275x5 for Rip. I'm used to taking only 2-3 breaths for sets of 5 in the BP, but had to do a breath every rep for the seminar. So chose 275, a weight I knew I could still do this easily with. Went just fine.

    FOr lunch break, i had the signature burger from Press195, and a steak+ mozzarella knish. Good stuff.

    Then Stef talked about programming. Having read PPST - both editions - several times, I don't think there was anything new here, but it was good to get the review in person.

    Rip's Q&A was great - his extemporaneous wit is worth the price of admission, and his knowledge and experience are of course priceless. Nothing controversial came up, or maybe I should say nothing NEW controversial came up. Obviously the jabs at crossfit, olympic lifting coaches, and the need for most males to gain at least 30, if not more like 50, pounds are already well known and established.

    He did tell one of the skinny particularly guys, Jason I think, to drink a bunch of half and half WITH his GOMAD. But my god, the kid needs it!

    At one point in the day, he did say, "All the rest of you guys need to look more like Wolf...he's a big, healthy looking guy." Hahahaha, I guess that's a good a seal of approval as I could hope for. Now I just need to get my lift numbers up beyond "strongest guy in the commercial gym" to "strongest guy in the black iron gym." And I will. A great weekend overall, but man was I BEAT. Dropped off at about 10:30 last night, in the middle of an episode of Rome. Was able to cancel my 7am training appointment, so slept in and having a lazy morning before getting back to the swing of things. 86 today in NYC...might bbq later.

  5. #55
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    Great write-ups Wolf! You should post them over in the Seminar thread too!

  6. #56
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    Default Weds, 4/18/12

    Forgot to post this yesterday!

    Took a few days off after this weekend’s Starting Strength Seminar - getting up at 6am on both weekend days, lifting heavy, and spending lots of time each day in lecture and coaching made me tired. So didn’t lift till yesterday.

    Foam Roll/Movement Prep/Etc

    Squat
    45x5x2, 135x5, 195x3, 245x2, 285x1, 325x1, 365x5x3 - did 355x5x3 at the seminar (where RIp said my squats were excellent, beautiful, and pretty!). Steve, one of the platform coaches, suggested I try a de-load and linear ramp up. I did 375x5x3 my last squat workout before the seminar, so gonna do 365, 375, 385, 395, 405 - if all goes well, and get my squat up to 405x5x3 by next Friday. Should be interesting. 375x5x3 tomorrow.

    Bench Press - TM Volume Day.
    135x5, 185x3, 225x2, 280x5x5 - only had a spotter to hand off for one set, so these were hard. I need a lifting partner - who wants in?!?

    Pullups
    Did a set of 9, but they felt weird. Switched to chins, did 9. Then neutral grip for 6 - my arms were just beat. Finished with 2 sets of pulldowns at 140lbs for 10 reps.

    C2 ERG Intervals: 200m/1:30 rest x 6, times listed are pace per 500m.

    1:56, 1:54, 1:49, 1:42, 1:41, 1:36

  7. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by mcclamic View Post
    Great write-ups Wolf! You should post them over in the Seminar thread too!
    Thanks, mcclamic! Maybe I will get off my lazy ass and weave them into a fuller write up of the weekend, and submit it. They can post it if they want to, or not, but will be good for me to do either way. Was an awesome weekend.

  8. #58
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    Default Friday, 4/20/12

    Felt really tired and fell asleep this afternoon (didn’t sleep much last night), so had to do my lift at 8pm tonight. Friday night at the gym, who’s in?!?

    Foam ROll, etc…

    Squat
    45x5x2, 155x5, 225x3, 275x2, 325x1, 375x5x3 - OK, these were hard. The first set was hard, and the last 3 reps of the last set were hard. Not quite limit hard, but damn close. 375x5x3 is the last workout I did last Monday, before backing off for the SS Seminar. I’m not sure if my/Steve's scheme to get to 405x5x3 by next Friday will work. We’ll see how I feel on Monday.

    1-Arm DB Presses - did these literally to kill time to allow my hams and glutes to rest before deadlifting. Bench Press heavy tomorrow, so didn’t want to fatigue at all. Just a time filler, better than staring at the wall.
    35x8, 40x6, 45x5 - easy.

    Deadlift - hard and heavy tonight, but made a 10lb jump!
    225x3, 315x1, 385x1, 425x1, 495x3, 425x3 back off

    Excited to hit 495x3. That’s a decently solid pull for me, considering my best DL is 505x1. I can obviously lift more than that now, and will do so at my PL meet in a month. The 3rd rep was HARD and slow, but I stayed with it and pulled it up.

    Also, a guy at the gym saw me pulling heavy and asked for help with his DL. He said he’d been stuck @ 185 for 6 months. He’d been getting advice from a trainer at this gym who he said “Deadlifts 475 for reps.” I told him all that means is the guy is strong, he might now know anything about proper technique. Turned out I was right. I didn’t even really coach him, just gave him some quick pointers between our sets, and he pulled 2 easy reps at 245 by the end of the night. THAT’S 60 POUNDS, PEOPLE! 60lbs of inefficiency that this other dumb fuck trainer was telling him to do.

    He had the bar over his toes in the set-up, and his shoulders were IN FRONT of the bar. Not even over it, in front of it. Didn't have time to go through the entire SS teaching method with him, but the quick and dirty version had him pulling 245 by the night's end, from struggling with 185 when we started.

    The best part. Apparently this trainer is considered a “subject matter expert” at this gym/company and goes around to other gyms teaching other trainers how to teach the Deadlift. It pisses me off that such gross incompetence not only passes, but passes as expertise.

  9. #59
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    Dude, isn't that gym the gym you also work at? Maybe you should be the SME?!?!?

  10. #60
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob Is View Post
    Dude, isn't that gym the gym you also work at? Maybe you should be the SME?!?!?
    Haha, touche'. But "used to work at" is more accurate - it's been almost a year since I left. And this trainer isn't officially their SME. The fitness managers are usually former trainers who get moved to other clubs, so I'd say with 99% certainty knowing how things work, that he just goes to one or two other clubs, where the Fitness Manager is a former colleague of his at this club, and teaches to them. But not the official SME for the company.

    I actually know the Nat'l Director of education pretty well, she's a really nice gal, and am working on trying to get something going where I actually am the SME for them, and teach barbell seminars to their trainers.

    It's slow moving, because they really do focus more on FMS and ViPR, and other modalities that we here have mixed to negative feelinsg about. Barbells are old school, and they're directed by the CEO, COO, VP of PT, and down the line to sell "new, state of the art stuff." So I doubt this is a priority.

    That said, she is a great gal and we might get something worked out. Hope we do.

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