Training- Cube Heavy Bench

1.  Bench Press:

Bar x 15

95 x 8

135 x 8

155 x 8

185 x 5

205 x 5

225 x 3

245 x 1, wraps

255 x 1, wraps

265 x 2   15 lb PR!, wraps

2.  Hammer Strength Row:

4 sets of 10

Session Grade:  80%

Notes:

Pretty good session, really disappointed I missed that third rep at 265, but seeing as how I only needed a single and hit a PR, I can't complain.  I think the third rep is there, I just got out of position and missed for a stupid reason.    Also, dialing down the volume as I am testing next week.  Time to start focusing on recovery!

Training- Cube Rep Squat

1.  Squat:

Bar x 15

135 x 8

185 x 8

225 x 8

275 x 5

315 x 3

345 x 3, beltless PR!

2.  Olympic Squat:

255 x 10, 10, 10, 10

3.  Single Leg Curl:

4 sets of 12

Session Grade:  80%

Notes:

Really good session today, hit a nice little PR and got some good volume in on olympic squats. 

Training- Cube Heavy Deadlift

1.  Deadlift:

Bar x 15, stiff leg

135 x 5

185 x 5

225 x 5

275 x 3

315 x 3

365 x 2

410 x 1  (belt)

420 x 1  (belt)

435 x 2  10 lb PR!  (belt)

2.  Snatch Grip Block Pull:

295 x 11, 10

3.  Cable Rows (Straight Handle):

130 x 10

140 x 10

150 x 10

160 x 10

170 x 10

4.  Hammer Strength High Row:

4 sets of 10 to 12

Session Grade:  80%

Notes:

Really solid session, happy to get my deadlift on track again.  Everything went well too.  Good day all around.

Training- Cube Repetition Bench

1.  Bench Press:

Bar x 15

95 x 8

135 x 8

155 x 8

185 x 5

205 x 5

225 x 3

240 x 3

2.  Close Grip Bench Press:

195 x 10, 9, 7

3.  Isolateral Hammer-Strength Row:

4 sets of 10

4.  Press Behind Neck:

115 x 12, 12, 12

5.  Curls:

3 sets of 8

Session Grade:  80%

Notes:

Pretty good session today.  Felt pretty good about the benching and the close grips.  It was fun giving the hammer rows a try, never had access to that machine before.  

Training- Cube Rep Deadlift and Cube Explosive Squat

Got a little behind last week on posting my training, so this will be a double post.

1.  Deadlift:

Bar x 15, stiff leg

135 x 5

185 x 5

225 x 5

275 x 3

315 x 3

335 x 3

365 x 2

385 x 3, (belt)

405 x 2, (belt)

405 x a bunch of singles trying to change technique (belt)

Session Grade:  80%

Notes:

Barely an 80%.  Triple at 385 felt good, so I went to 405 for a double.  I am getting all of my reps but something just feels off technically.  I am working on solving it.  Pretty pissed off at how things went, so I just left after the deadlfits.  

1.  Pause Squat:

Bar x 12

135 x 8

185 x 5

225 x 5

285 x 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

2.  Olympic Squat:

295 x 5, 5, 5

3.  Front Squat:

245 x 5, 5, 5

4.  Glute Ham Raises:

5 sets of 10, light band looped around neck

Session Grade:  80%

Notes:

Went to a new gym today and had a lot of fun!  They have a lot of great toys, GHR, reverse hyper, cambered and safety squat bars, deadlift jack.  Seems like a really awesome place. Had a pretty good session too; nothign spectacular, but pretty good.

Forgotten Legends 2: Norb Schemansky

This one goes out to you olympic lifting aficionados who want to learn a little bit about the greats that came before you.  While I do not claim to be an expert when it comes to olympic lifting, I do have a great respect for it.  By far,  one of the lifters I have the most respect for throughout all of history is Norbert Schemansky.  Not only was he an amazing lifter, he also must be respected for his longevity in the sport and his tenacity to continue in the face of adversity.  Norb competed in the days, prior to 1972, where in olympic lifting was a 3 lift contest of the clean and press, snatch, and clean and jerk.  As noted by all of the pictures below, he was also a proponent of the now (mostly) extinct split style of lifting.  His career spanned over two decades, beginning in 1947 and ending in 1972 with the elimination of the press as a competitive lift.

Schemansky started his career as a lighter lifter, he was renowned for his speed, being considered a specialist on the quick lifts, the snatch and the clean and jerk.  Overall, he was considered a poor presser in his early stages.  Steadily gaining weight however, his lifts began to rise and eventually he tipped the scales at over 270 lbs of pure muscle competing as a super-heavyweight, returning for a debilitating back injury in 1955 to reach the top yet again.

 Schemansky was also a well rounded lifter, being able to squat just under 600 lbs in olympic style without obvious strain, and reportedly deadlifting over 600 lbs in one of his seldom attempts at the lift.  In addition, he eventually became one of the few men in his day capable of putting Apollon's Wheels (pictured above), a beastly contraption of 366 lbs with a thick handle and non revolving train wheels for plates.  By this point, he had also made it abundantly clear that he was not only adept at the quick lifts, but also possessed the raw strength to be a great presser, eventually pressing right around 400 lbs in olympic style by the end of his career.  

Schemansky's training was unique in that unlike many modern olympic lifters, he would often take long periods of the time in the off season in which he did not perform the full olympic lifts in competition style.  Rather, he would first begin power cleaning and snatching without foot movement, move on to power snatching and cleaning with foot movement, and eventually transitioning to the full snatch and clean.  He believed that doing so strengthened his second pull and would make him stronger on the full lifts once he resumed training them.  Schemansky was unique in that he lifted in 4 separate olympic games, obtaining 1 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals.   He eventually totaled 1200 lbs in the 3 lifts, an incredible feat of strength.  Truly Norb Schemansky embodies an impressive and ill forgotten legend of iron game history.  

Training- Cube Explosive Bench

1.  Close Grip Bench Press:

Bar x 15

95 x 8

115 x 8

135 x 8

155 x 5

185 x 3

195 x 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

2.  Incline Bench Press:

195 x 8, 8

3.  Chest Supported Row (Pronated Grip):

6 sets of 10 to 15

4.  Seated DB Press:

65's x 10

75's x 7, shitty position

75's x 8, PR!

5.  Reverse Fly:

4 sets of 12

Session Grade:  80%

Notes:

Everything here was pretty much just punching the clock type work.  The inclines felt good, and the seated db press PR was nice, good to see my shoulders are getting stronger.  

Training- Cube Heavy Squat

1.  Squat:

Bar x 15

135 x 8

185 x 5

225 x 5

275 x 3

315 x 3

335 x 2

365 x 1, (Belt)

375 x 1, (Belt)

385 x 2, 20 lb PR! (Belt)

2. Front Squat:

315 x 1, PR tie!  (Belt)

225 x 8, 8, 8

3.  Leg Curls:

100 x 12

120 x 12

140 x 12

160 x 12

180 x 10

4.  Calves:

3 sets of 15

Session Grade:  +10%

Notes:

Destroyed it, absolutely wrecked everything.  Awesome squat day, PERIOD.

Training- Cube Explosive Deadlift

1.  Deadlift:

Bar x 15, stiff leg

135 x 5

185 x 5

225 x 5

275 x 3

295 x 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

2.  Stiff Leg Deadlift:

275 x 8, beltess PR!  Just one set of these; knot in my upper back was starting to hurt pretty bad so I cut it short.

3.  Cambered Bar Rows:

135 x 12, 12

155 x 10, 10, 10

185 x 8, 8

Session Grade:  low 80%

Notes:

Pretty awful session honestly.  Hips wouldn't open up, so glutes were firing right.  Also, had a knot in my back all day and just did not feel good.  The good news is that even on a day this bad, I did still manage to hit a PR.  The stiff leg set at 275 is technically a PR as the last time that I did it for 8 I used a belt.  All in all though, pretty rough session.

Training- Cube Heavy Bench Press

1.  Bench Press:

Bar x 15

95 x 8

135 x 8

155 x 8

185 x 5

205 x 3

225 x 3

240 x 2, 2, (Wraps)

240 x 6, 2 rep PR!  (Wraps)

2.  Wide Grip Bench Press:

155 x 10, 10, 10

3.  Chest Supported Rows:

5 sets of 10 to 12

4.  Seated DB Press:

55's x 12, 12, 12

5.  DB Curls:

3 sets of 10

Session Grade:  +10%

Notes:

Really awesome bench session, nothing more to say.  This one was great!

Training- Cube Rep Squat

1.  Squat:

Bar x 12

135 x 8

185 x 8

225 x 6

275 x 5

315 x 2

325 x 6, 10 LB beltless PR!

2.  Olympic Squat:

245 x 10, 10, 8, 12.  Bitched out on set 3, made up for it on set 4.

3.  Unilateral Leg Curl:

90 x 12, 12, 12, 10

Session Grade:  +10%

Notes:

Walked in feeling kind of off, but by the top set I felt really good.  Everything was moving well and had a good session overall.  

Training- Cube Heavy Deadlift

1.  Mid Shin Block Pull:

Bar x 15, stiff leg

135 x 5

185 x 5

225 x 5

275 x 3

315 x 3

335 x 2

365 x 1

385 x 2, 2, 2  (Belt)

2.  Snatch Grip Block Pulls:

275 x 12, 12

3.  Cable Rows (Straight Handle):

130 x 10

140 x 10

150 x 10

160 x 10

170 x 8

4.  Pulldowns (Neutral Handle):

4 sets of 10

Session Grade:  80%

Notes:

Mid shin pulls felt good; wish I had a video of my other sets because the one I got was actually the worst set.  Snatch grips went well too.  

Importance of Training Volume

Training- Rep Bench Press

1.  Bench Press:

Bar x 15

95 x 8

115 x 8

135 x 8

155 x 6

185 x 5

205 x 3

225 x 7, accidentally did an extra rep.    (wraps)

2.  Close Grip Bench Press:

205 x 8

185 x 8

3.  Cable Row (Med. Neutral Handle):

110 x 10

130 x 10

150 x 10

170 x 10, 10

4.  Press Behind Neck:

115 x 12, 10, 9

5.  Reverse Fly Machine:

3 sets till it burned

Session Grade:  80%

Notes:

Felt pretty good about the benching.  All bench reps, including close grip, were paused for a 2 count.  Everything else went pretty well, but I seemed to run out of steam on the PBN.  I think I was rushing things on those sets.  Either way, good day.  

Training- Cube Explosive Squat

1.  Pause Squat:

Bar x 15

135 x 8

185 x 5

225 x 5

245 x 3

265 x 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

2.  Olympic Squat:

285 x 5, 5, 5

3.  Front Squat:

235 x 5, 5, 5

4.  Leg Curl:

100 x 8

120 x 8

140 x 8

160 x 8

180 x 8

200 x 8

5.  Calves:

some x a lot

Session Grade:  80%

Notes:

Pretty good session today, lots of good speed on all of the squats.  Oly and front squats both went really well too.  I think doing most of my squatting sans belt is really paying off too.

Raw Squat, Pt 2

Training-Cube Repetition Deadlift

1.  Deadlift:

Bar x 15, stiff leg

135 x 5

185 x 5

225 x 5

275 x 3

315 x 3

335 x 2

365 x 6         (Belt)

2.  Stiff Leg Deadlift:

225 x 12, 12

3.  Cable Rows (Motorcycle Handle):

130 x 10

140 x 10

150 x 10

160 x 10

4. Pulldowns (Straight Handle):

120 x 10

140 x 10

160 x 10

Session Grade:  80%

Notes:

Deadlifts were moving a bit sluggish today, not as comfortable as the past few weeks.  Still, got the required reps, so no big deal.  Everything else was just sort of so-so, nothing spectacular about any of it.  

Raw Squat Technique, Pt 1

Forgotten Legends 1: Pat Casey

In modern day powerlifting, where 1000 lb squats and 800 lb benches are becoming more and more common place due to improved powerflifting gear and questionable regulation, it is easy to forget the giants of years gone by that blazed trails and broke barriers that were thought impossible at the time.  One man whom I think embodies this spirit is Pat Casey.  Pat is unique in that he was in many ways the whole package; he set records in almost every lift and was also extremely strong in many accessory exercises.  He was also a truly massive human being often tipping the scales around if not over 300 lbs at his heaviest.

He had many major accomplishments along his career, breaking through one record before continuing on to the next.  Pat is widely regarded as one of the best raw bench pressers in history, being the first man to break both the 500 lb barrier, and then the 600 lb barrier as well.  

Pat built his impressive bench pressing power in a very basic way, utilizing the bench press as a main lift and pushing specific key assistance exercise as well.  A few of his favorites movements were chins, seated press both in front and behind the neck.  However, he had two that were his by far his calling card.  On both the dumbbell incline bench and dips, he worked up to truly herculean weights.  Here is show below performing dumbbell inclines with a 220 lb dumbbell in each hand and dips at a body weight over 300 lbs and with external weight added.  

But as previously stated, Pat was by no means a one trick pony.  In addition to being a world level raw bencher, even by today's standards, he was also an impressive squatter and all around lifter.

While he often lagged behind on the deadlift for various reasons ranging from a lack of motivation, poor leverages due to his body weight, and even a pinched sciatic nerve, he was a king when the bar was on his back.  While trianing the lift infrequently, only once every 10 days, Pat was none the less quite adept at the lift and eventually worked his way past the 800 lb barrier, becoming the first man in history to do so.

Thanks in large part to his strong squat and bench press, Casey was a great all around lifter, being the first man to total over 2000 lbs on the three powerlifts.  One of the most surprising things to learn about this former record breaker was that he trained in a fashion that is contradictory to most modern lifters.  Rather than training more often, Casey believed in hitting the lifts hard and capitalizing on rest.  Upon his retirement, when reflecting on his training, Pat said that if he had it all to do over again he would drop training back to only two days a week, use less total volume than he did, and prioritize resting over lifting.

Pat Casey was a truly great lifter, changing the face of powerlifting and breaking down barriers that no one thought would be touched.  He helped to make powerlifting what it is today and still impacts the sport to this day; I couldn't think of a better candidate for my first Forgotten Legend.  

Training-Cube Explosive Bench

1.  Close Grip Bench Press:

Bar x 15

95 x 8

115 x 8

135 x 6

155 x 5

185 x 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2

2.  Incline Bench Press:

195 x 8, 8

3.  DB Rows:

75 x 8

115 x 6

105 x 13

4.  Seated DB Press:

60's x 10

65's x 10

70's x 8

5.  Barbell Curls:

65 x 12, 10

Session Grade:  80%

Notes:

The close grips had good speed, and to make them harder I was doing long pauses,  pausing for 3 to 5 seconds every rep.  Inclines also went well; all time PR at 195 is 11 reps, so doing two sets of 8 after benching was good.  Rows are going up nicely as well. 

What is Country Fried Muscle?

Training-Cube Heavy Squat

1.  Squat:

Bar x 15

135 x 8

185 x 5

225 x 5

275 x 3

315 x 2

345 x 2, 2, 2  (Belt)

2.  Front Squat:

205 x 10, 10, 10, 10

3. Seated Leg Curl:

100 x 12

120 x 12

140 x 12

160 x 12

180 x 12

4.  Calves:

4 or 5 sets of a bunch of reps, didn't record anything for it.  

Session Grade:  high 80%

Notes:

Squats moved FAST today, the doubles at 345 were smoke shows.  I wanted to get a video of my last heavy set, but training partner messed up a took a picture instead.  Oh well.  Fronts went nicely as well, lots of good reps; I will probably bump the weight up next time.  Leg curls and calves were just punching the clock,  nothing special there.  Really solid session overall.