Shoe Shine Your Ammo, Polish Your Metal

[Andrew Smith]

I'll see if I can't keep this journal going. I've got another journal over at WBB where I post under the name Chubrock. Dunno how much longer I'll last over there. Like I told Isaac, WBB has turned into a place where I keep a journal and pick on stupid people. The knowledge this way is refreshing. It's good to be the low man on the totem pole again.


Background:

Height: 5'11
Weight: 166lbs
Interest: Pure Strength (PLing)
Status: Currently adding some weight until I hit 175. I'll possibly come back down to 165 depending on BF%. If it stays at a decent level, I'll go up to 180 over the winter.
Other: Competed for 1.5yrs at BJJ. Stopped grappling for a couple of reasons but may get back into it later on. I also play competitive paintball. Takes me out of the state once a month, at least.




Here is my last workout:

Workout: DE Lower

Location: Home

Weight: ~166lbs


Squats (low box for height)-

full sq = 1-2" below
touch = parallel

45lbs x 10 (WU)
95lbs x 8 (WU)
135lbs x 5 (full sq, pretty solid set, tight setup)
185lbs x 5 (full sq, speed not very fast but everything felt smooth)
225lbs x 1 (touch, loose belt, nice job sitting back, maintain arch)
245lbs x 1 (touch, slightly tighter belt, maintain arch)
265lbs x 1 (touch, slightly tighter belt, smoother than 245)
245lbs x 1 (touch, slightly tighter belt, favored right side a bit)
225lbs x 1 (touch, loose belt, smooth, but not extremely fast)


DE DLs (3" platform, chucks)-

135lbs x 5 (WU)
185lbs x 3 (WU)
235lbs x 1 (smooth pull)
235lbs x 1 (lagged with the left foot)
235lbs x 1 (smooth pull, quick setup)
235lbs x 1 (great pull again)
285lbs x 1 (let it drift away)
285lbs x 1 (pulled in much better)
305lbs x 1 (smoother than the 285)


Ghetto Reverse Hypers-

BW x 10
BW x 10
BW x 10


Rack Crunches-

#3 x 10
#3 x 10
#3 x 10


Suspended Rack Situps-

BW x 10
BW x 10



Comments:

Fairly good session this morning even though the speed wasn't quite there on my squatting. Nothing seemed all that fast though my setup and execution was on. Even 265 felt heavy. I'm sure I'm still feeling a bit of the after effects of my ME session on Saturday so I'm not too concerned. My pulling felt much smoother today. I'm working on a much quicker setup and it seemed to help out quite a bit. My left quad was feeling a bit weird so I didn't do anything else after the 305 even though it came up smooth. Once again hit up some Reverse Hypers. They really get my back feeling better so they're here to stay. Overall a good session for me.

[Andrew Smith]

I'll be heading out to Charleston, SC in a couple of hours. Going down there to hit up a few sessions with Isaac and Will. Hopefully they don't destroy me too bad.

[Lifting N Tx]

Looks like a good workout and good weight for DE work.

What kind of ghetto setup are you using for reverse hypers?

[Andrew Smith]

Appreciate it.

I stole this setup from Will (HomeYield) off of WBB. I set the pins in my rack to about the mid point between my sternum and hip line. From there I lay a 2x6 across the pins and put a piece of puzzle mat over the board. When I lay across the board and grip the rack on each side with my hands, it keeps my feet roughly 3-5" off the ground and allows me to get a decent swing.

[Andrew Smith]

Just got back from South Carolina this evening. Went down to train with HomeYield and Borris. Both are two of the smartest guys I know, and super chill to hang out with. Borris works too much but I suppose you have to do what you have to do. Had some marathon sessions both days. They really broke apart my form and I feel much better prepared for things than I did going in.


Workout: ME Upper

Location: HomeYield's Gym

Weight: ~166lbs



ME Bench-

*Texas Power Bar*
*Weights don't include extra weight of Power Bar*

45lbs x 20
95lbs x 5
135lbs x 3
155lbs x 3
185lbs x 1 (4 size too big Inzer Shirt)
205lbs x 1 (")
225lbs x 1 (")
245lbs x 1 (+5lbs PR,")
245lbs x miss (", came up super fast just kicked off to the right)
185lbs x 3 (raw again)
185lbs x 3


Chins-

BW x 10 (MGPA)
BW x 10 (MGPI)


Things to adjust/think about:

1. Work elbows away from body a bit.
2. Set feet straight ahead.
3. Make an apparent drive through the heels.
4. Get forearms, wrists, elbows in line with each other.



Comments:

Pretty good workout for me, even though at first I didn't think so. It wasn't until after today's workout that I found out we were using a Texas Powerbar that weights an extra 10lbs. The whole time I was thinking I was just out of it, but it wasn't me. HomeYield found an old shirt a buddy of his gave him. It's cut for a 18Xlbs guy. We decided to just put me in the shirt just so I could see what it was like to have one on. They were saying I wasn't getting anything out of it, but it was fairly interesting to see the way it worked. Set a 5lbs PR in the loose shirt. Went over my technique quite a bit. I've been benching like I was in a shirt the whole time, even though I lift raw. I've got to work on getting my elbows wrists inline, instead of folding over.

[Andrew Smith]

Workout: ME Lower

Location: HomeYield's Gym

Weight: ~166lbs


ME Squats-

*Texas Power Bar*
*Weight doesn't include extra weight of bar*

45lbs x 10
*Here is where HomeYield stepped in and started breaking everything down
95lbs x 3
135lbs x 3
185lbs x 1
225lbs x 1
235lbs x 1
245lbs x 1
255lbs x 1
265lbs x 1
275lbs x 1
285lbs x 1
295lbs x 1
305lbs x 1
315lbs x 1 (+10lbs PR)
325lbs x 1 (+20lbs PR, 36 Inzer Hardcore, loose enough for me to pull on and off easily by myself)
345lbs x 1 (+40lbs PR, loose Inzer, HomeYield in my ear yelling the whole way)


Rack Pulls (1st pin, 3" from ground)-

135lbs x 2
225lbs x 2
315lbs x 1
315lbs x 1



Things to change/focus on:

1. Relax traps.
2. Elbows rolled under.
3. Wrists rolled forward.
4. Stop leaning over.
5. Push knees out until groin explodes. Push more.
6. Ass up and back.
7. Chest up high.
8. Attempt to focus very bottom of shoulder blades together.




Comments:

What can I say? HomeYield's a genius. Borris didn't get to make this workout so we just took our time in the gym. Long marathon session but I felt like I learned more about actual lifting in those 3hrs than I have in my entire life. He absolutely broke down every little thing with my squat. It's amazing how you think you're doing stuff right until you actually have somebody who knows what they're doing critique it. The weights were feeling heavy to begin with. I was thinking this wasn't going to be a great workout for me. The changes he was making were coming slow to much. I knew what he wanted done but I was so used to squatting with my bad habits that I found some of the changes difficult to make. We kept inching along though and the heavier sets started to feel smoother and smoother. I hit the 315 (325) raw and it felt better than some of the lighter sets. It was then that HomeYield found an old Inzer Hardcore that belonged to the same guy with the shirt. For those that don't know, it should take two people to get a squat suit on. I was able to pull that one on and off like I do my singlet at the house haha. HY said I didn't get anything out of it, and I'm going to have to believe him on that one. He wanted me to take a go at 325 in it, and apparently it was good enough for him, because he decided to have me go for 345. I came in focused and setup like he'd been showing me. Felt heavy on my shoulders but actually not that bad. Really pushed my knees out hard. Came out of the hole fairly quick and hit a wall. HY stepped in like he wanted to take it from me but then started yelling and that was all I needed. With him in my ear, it was a grinder for sure, but I hit it. When I racked it, I was trying to get the blood to drain out of my head, and that was when he decided to drop the bomb on me that he had a Texas Power Bar, and that it really weighs 55lbs instead of 45lbs. Instead of 345, I had actually hit 355. I was stoked. Probably the best session of my entire lift. Hands down.

[Andrew Smith]

Workout: DE Upper

Location: Home

Weight: ~166lbs


DE Bench (working on new form)-

45lbs x 10
95lbs x 3
135lbs x 3
150lbs x 3 (nice and fast)
150lbs x 3 (out of groove on 3rd)
150lbs x 3 (nice set)
150lbs x 3 (much more pronounced leg drive)
150lbs x 3 (leg tension but no drive)
150lbs x 3 (great set all the way around)


Lots of Band Traction work.


Comments:

Body is just beat all to hell right now. Expected this though. Probably could've skipped the benching and done only accessory work, but I did it the other way around. Even though I felt like crap, the adjustments HY and Borris made provided a lot of speed to my benching. Just keep hammering these changes and I think I'll see some big improvements. Did some band traction work that HY showed me. Made me feel a lot better.

[Andrew Smith]

BTW: I usually copy these posts from my other journal on WBB, though I'll probably start adding more stuff in over here. For the record, HY= Will and Borris= Isaac.

[Andrew Smith]

Weekly Weigh In: 168lbs. Weight is going up. Good stuff.



Workout: ME Upper

Location: Home

Weight: 168lbs


ME Reverse Band BP-

*Blue Band wrapped twice around top of rack. Green Band attached to Blue Band. Lacking 1/2" from full deload. Band only stretches about a foot from hanging point to my chest.*


95lbs x 10 (WU)
135lbs x 3 (incredibly fast, getting just enough off the chest to be noticeable)
155lbs x 3 (fast once again, focus on keeping inline)
185lbs x 1 (work on getting leg drive)
225lbs x 1 (fast, tucked feet under a bit, better leg drive)
245lbs x 1 (only heavy part was unracking, tucked legs too far)
265lbs x 1 (better leg drive this time, bands start to slack about 3-4" off chest)
275lbs x 1 (very apparent where bands kick out, solid setup and drive)


Rafter Chins (Medium Grip Palms Facing)-

BW x 10
BW x 10


Band Pull Aparts-

#2 x 10
#2 closer x 10


Rack Presses (3-4" above chest)-

135lbs x 5
155lbs x 5
175lbs x 5
185lbs x 5
205lbs x 5
185lbs x 5 CGBP


Band Rows-

#2 x 10
Two #2s x 10


*Band Traction Work*

Comments:

Good session for me today. My rack is pretty tall so I have to wrap the blue bands around the top and then loop the green bands through in order to get it to hang. I had to play with it for about 30 minutes in order to find a place that let it deload but also would give me some type of tension at the bottom. I definitely wasn't getting much. After watching the video you can clearly see the bands kick almost completely out about 3" off my chest. The 275 hit a wall very very quickly but I was able to continue the press. I actually think 260-265 will be a realistic press for me by my birthday. My setup was looking pretty decent. I'm working on getting the most leg drive without breaking my butt of the bench. Need to play with some foot placements. The other work was decent though I obviously put the most focus on the pressing.

[Andrew Smith]

Workout almost didn't happen today. I got shot in the neck yesterday at practice and it was pretty close to my carotid (sp?) artery. My dad was worried I could have a possible aneurysm so he wasn't going to give me the go ahead to lift. After going the day with no headaches, pain or loss of vision he took a second look at it and felt that it was too far to the back of the neck to be of any danger. He gave me the go ahead. With that said, it was still in my mind while I was lifting. No buzz kill quite like that haha.



Workout: ME Lower

Location: Home

Weight: 168lbs


ME Deads-

135lbs x 5
185lbs x 3
225lbs x 1
275lbs x 1
315lbs x 1
365lbs x 1
385lbs x miss


Rack Pulls (1st Pin = 7" from ground)-

135lbs x 5
225lbs x 3
275lbs x 3
315lbs x 3
315lbs x 3
315lbs x 3


Ghetto Reverse Hypers-

BW x 10
BW x 10
BW x 10


Rack Crunches-

#3 x 10
#3 x 10
#3 x 10


Hanging Knee Raises-

BW x 10
BW x 10




Comments:

The old Andrew would be pretty pissed about this workout. I mean, 20lbs under my max and I can't get it, WTF? However, I'm the new Andrew. I've come to realize that I've got a long way to go and a lot to learn in that time. It will take time to learn what and how I can train in order to maximize my strength. I learned something today. I obviously can't go 4 months in between heavy pulling. It was a poor call on my part as far as maxing today. I should have pulled heavy but not to a max. My CNS really needed a session or two in order to become reacquainted to pulling. My form and timing was way off. I've got to start putting more focus into this. In short, I'm disappointed in my numbers but now I understand what I can and can't get away with.