Quick One

Did some good old ME work for the bench today.

Close grip floor presses...worked up to 315, which was solid, but missed 335. 325? Doesn't matter.

Chins/Inverted Rows/Row "Shrugs"/1 arm Kb presses

3 circuits, nothing to brag about here.

And, for the rest of the day, shoulder mobility and traction to head off the usual aches tomorrow. It feels good right now, but we'll sleep on it and see.

Took some vid, but not going to put anything up today.

The Langford Squat Couplet

Sean Langford has been taunting me for weeks with this combo.

Ok, not really. He's just been talking about how much it's smoked his legs.

I give it a shot here. The video pretty much reveals it all.

Barbells + Kettlebells, a Minimalist, Contrarian Approach for the Average Joe

For those who don't know, or didn't care, PTP is Pavel's "Power to the People" a minimalist set up for strength training for the average dude. It consistes of deadlifts and one armed barbell presses (called "side presses").

ETK, or Enter the Kettlebell, is Pavel's latest kb treatise, where he chooses the kb swing and the kb get-up as his two minimalist movements.

The party line is do PTP for two weeks, then ETK for 2 weeks, or something like that where you divide the two protocols.

There's no reason you really couldn't split the two down the middle, though.

Deadlift + Get up: This combo is definitely taking the hammer to the core, with both bilateral and unilateral stability challenged, and with the GU, you still get overhead stimulation.

Side Press + Swing: Overhead strength + core conditioning.

Despite being "different" this is certainly a synergistic way to set up your minimalist barbell + kettlebell program.

And, there, my friends, is my $100 idea of the day.

The Workout Behind VBlog #8

Progressive Pulls:

PC:
135x3, 135x3, 185x3, 185x3, 205x3, 225x3
CHP:
225x3, 275x3, 315x3
DL:
315x3, 365x3, 405x3, 455x1, 475x1, 495x1

Oly GMs
55x20, 145x10, 165x10 - these are a GM+Toe Raise+Shrug

Chins: 3, 3, 3

Grip stuff:

25# plate pinches: 5 holds each hand for max time, which is around 6 sec.

McKinless Partials: i.e. behind the back thick bar partial deads
215, 265, 265...the 265 was barely coming off before I'd lose the grip

3" wrist roller: about 5 trips up and down. Going to have to figure out a way to attach the rope because it doesn't roll smoothly on the pin. This is just a cheap PVC roller

Supergripper: 2 sets of about 15 reps each hand.

VBLOG #8

For those who've missed them, I've started doing a Vblog.

Here's the eighth.

Why is this active again?

I have been drawn back into to blogosphere for several reasons. None of them are good. Or worthwhile.

Daily Reads

These blogs I read every day, or close to every day. Along with the many forums I browse. Internet addict? Could be.

Alwyn Cosgrove's blog. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Alwyn and his insights, both in training and in the business of training.

http://alwyncosgrove.blogspot.com

The mysterious Norrin Radd. The Silver Surfer? Tells the truth about the incestuous little world of grip training.

http://pitofsuffering.blogspot.com

Tom Furman. Outstanding blog. Martial Arts and physical training.

http://physicalstrategies.blogspot.com

Mark Rifkin's blog. He's been there, and done that. Now he's doing kettlebells.

http://rifsblog.blogspot.com

Rebuilding the Pathetic Overhead

No headroom, so the heavy overhead exercise is: Seated Shoulder Press from the Pins: The bar is about 1" or so above where it'd be racked on my shoulders for a standing press. I do not have my back against the upright seat of the bench, but the seat is up, and will prevent excessive layback. 45x20, 45x20, 95x10, 135x10, 155x5, 165x5, 175x3 This does NOT feel as good as the standing press. Plus, I'm weak as a fucking kitten on this. 60° Inc BP: 135x10, x5 Worked fast, so sadly, this got a bit hard. Once again, this will be part of the scheme for building the overhead back to a respectable level. 135x10, sadly, is not a respectable level. Chins + Inv. Row: 3 sets, AMRAP (as many reps as possible)

Shaf's Blog

Not updating this a lot.

Apparently Conner's MRI was fine, since the NS hasn't called us yet.

I'm currently keeping a log over on BodyRecomp (Lyle McDonald's site) of my training and messing around with intermittant fasting.

Inconsistencies and a Lack of "Iron Will"

Motivation: Lacking but coming back.

Diet: Cleaning up decently. Down between 5-8# depending on the time of day.

Training: Back to basics.