zen and the art of strength training

[kopp]

monday 4/23

Incline bench 165 x 5 5 5 3 5 3 2
LTE (small squiggly bar + 70 pounds) x 7 6 5
Kroc Rows 90x 25 each arm

Bro's were on the racks where we do presses, so decided to change it up and do incline presses. These went okay, they are hard on my shoulders. The LTE were really hard, I wish I knew how much the various bars weigh. I had to drop the weight a few times during the set of kroc rows. In generally today was solid, sometimes it is nice to change up the pressing movement.

Tomorrow is my first exam. 8AM. I have maybe an hour of organizing my war outline tonight, then watching planet earth and passing out. Speed deadlifts and rows on wednesday, then presses on friday.

[kopp]

4/25 Wednesday

Speed Deficit 4in Deadlifts 8x2x245
Farmer's Carry--90 pound dumbbells each hand x a lot

I didn't want to do rows again today since we did them monday. Instead decided to change it up with some carries. These were probably the best forearm work I've done in a while, though my forearm strength hasn't limited me in months so I don't know how worthwhile it was. On the other hand it served as a good assistance work for the traps and shoulders and got my heart rate up quite a bit. The deficit deadlifts were with two 35 pound plates stacked on top of one another. The bar was nearly touching my shoes. I think the deficit work actually works the quads more because you have to get the butt low in order to grab the weight. I am planning to press on friday, then do heavy deadlifts next monday and press again next wednesday.

[kopp]

4/28 Saturday

Press 145x 5 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 (35)
LTE 3x10x(Big Bar + 50)

Great day of pressing. This was a solid improvement in total reps over any of my previous times through at 145. I am in a really good position to press not only 8x3x150 but possibly 8x3x155 during this cycle. The lying tricep extensions were pretty brutal on my triceps and elbows, I am definitely going to be sore tomorrow. Fortunately I have noticed a real improvement in my lock-out, I think all of these tricep extensions are doing a good job improving my primary weak point. I was supposed to do this lift yesterday but pushed it back because my shoulders were crippled from the carries.

Second final is on monday. Last final is on thursday, then it is a much needed few days of rest before our law review write-on begins. I am going to deadlift 420 monday afternoon, then press again on wednesday. This is 116 press reps at or above 135 in the past two weeks

[kopp]

4/30 monday

Deadlift mixed grip 420x 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 (9)
315x8

A lot of heavy pulls today. i am guessing i could pull 460 for a single now. So today was 9 pulls at 91% of estimated 1RM. I will pull 430 sometime the end of next, 5x1x445 sometime the second half of may before dropping back down to 375 to start another cycle.

This morning was our property exam. It was possibly the most traumatizing test I've ever taken. It was nice being able to pick up heavy shit afterwards. In less than three days I will be done with my first year of law school. Thursday night cannot come soon enough.

[kopp]

5/2 Wednesday

Bench up to 1x205, miss at 220
Press 150x 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 2 (30)
Lying tricep extension (small z bar + 70pnds) x 7 7 7

Great day today. We started by seeing how much we could bench. 205 went smooth but 220 was more than I was capable of locking out. Additionally, benching sort of irritates my shoulders. I had expected to get closer to 245, I think the fact I haven't locked out anything higher than 165 in several months was to blame.

The presses went really well. My short term goal had been 8x3x150 by the end of April. Today was 9 sets of 3, which was a huge improvement over last time. I am expecting to get up to a few singles at 170 by the end of the month. If I don't get my goal of 8x3x155 next session I probably won't have another shot at it until mid June.

[kopp]

Primary Goals

Deadlift
June 1: 5x1x445
September 1: 5x1x470
Dec 31: 1x500

Press
June 1: 8x3x155 (accomplished 5/9), 5x1x170 (finished 5/24)
September 1: 8x3x165, 5x1x180
December 1: 8x3x175, 5x1x190

[U]Secondary Goals[U]

Kroc Rows
September 1: 25x100pnds each arm

Pullups
September 1: BWx 15
Weighted +100 x 1

Lying Tricep Extensions
September 1: 5x7x100

Middle Distance Running
September 1: 400m <65 seconds

Programming structure

-This is going to be basically the same as what I've been doing the last few months, subbing sprints in for speed deadlifts, and working on pullups.
A. Press, 1-2 assistance (LTE, Kroc Rows, or pullups)
B. Heavy Deadlift, 1-2 assistance
C. Press, 1-2 assistance
D. Sprints, either hill sprints or track workouts

I should get 3 of the above in each month.

[kopp]

5/7 monday

Deadlift Doh 315x2 345x1
Mixed 385x1
430x 1 1 1 1 --fifth rep was a miss

Pullups BW x 5 5

Today was my first lift since last wednesday. Our last final was thursday; Constitutional Law. It was a disaster, nothing like the tests from previous years he had given. Additionally, there was little doctrine, which is what I was good at. It was mostly theory. The good news is everyone felt terrible about it so hopefully I won't get fucked by the curve. I walked out with images of my entire future crumbling all around me. Probably an over-dramatization. This week, instead of taking a much needed week break, I am doing the law review write-on. We have to read a 300 page packet, then write a "thoughtful, scholarly" essay. I went through the first hundred pages today and am sure I don't have a scholarly thought about the subject. Fuck.

Over the past four days I have spent about 20 hours in various cars. As a result my back has been feeling irritated. I was going to take an easy night but my warmups felt good so i decided to see if I could go heavy. The first few felt good but the fourth was bad and the fifth was a miss. The pullups irritated my shoulders and then my back started cramping so i called it a day.

My plan is to press wednesday, then do sprints and pullups at the end of the week, press again over the weekend, and repeat 430 again sometime the middle of next week.

[kopp]

wednesday 5/9

press 155x 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 (8x3 1x1) (25)- GOAL

LTE (small z bar + 70) x 10 10 5

Press went really well, this is a huge improvement over last cycle. I am excited about how much my press has improved in the last few months, I really thought I wouldn't get my 8x3x155 goal this cycle. The tricep extensions were also an improvement, though on the last set my left elbow started feeling irritated so I called it quits.

Tomorrow I am going to do some light sprints just to get my body used to running. Then I am going to do some speed deadlifts and pullups. Saturday I will press 160. I am going to the beach sunday-wednesday, so I will deadlift 430 again when I get back wednesday.

3/10 135x 5 5 5 5 5 3 (28)
3/18 140x 5 5 3 3 3 2 2 (23)
3/23 145x 5 4 3 2 (14)
3/27 150x 3 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 (19)
4/4 155x 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 (11)

4/12 135x 5 5 5 5 2 5 3 3 3 3 3 (42)
4/17 140x 5 5 5 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 (39)
4/28 145x 5 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 (35)
5/02 150x 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 2 (30)
5/09 155x 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 1 (25)

[kopp]

thursday 5/10

"Sprints" 10x30 meters
light deadlifts 5x2x275
chinups BWx 5 5 5 5

Today was a day to get my body moving and used to a few new movements. i haven't ran in probably about a year. I did a lap around the building then ran a few "sprints" in the grass next to the gym. These were slow, and were really just geared to getting my body used to running again. Nothing killer, not trying to overdo it. I may do something similar to this before every workout for a week or two until I feel reasonably sure I can run hard without pulling a muscle.

The deadlifts were light. They were meant to practice form and keep feeling good since I won't get to deadlift again until next wednesday. Finally, the pullups were sub-maximal, similar to the sprints just trying to get used to the movement again. I am going to increase on them with caution before I feel comfortable with really pushing hard.

[kopp]

saturday 5/12
Sprints x a few
Press 140x1
160x 2 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 (17)
135x 5 5

I was absurdly sore from the little bit of running I did thursday. I started out with some light sprints today, I can't believe I once ran a 4:46 mile, any running now is a pain in the ass. If I have time tomorrow I may try and do some more light runs, light deadlifts, and then do some pullups. I should pull heavy on wednesday.