http://youtu.be/0Kg0NYGhrdM?t=2m5s

I saw the above video about bench pressing and took it to heart. CT Fletcher says the most important thing for bench press:

“is not how much weight is on the bar… the most important thing is that you use every ounce, every bit, everything that you have in your attempt. Don’t worry so much about what’s on here. Worry about giving that fuckin rep everything you got and do it like it’s the last Goddamn thing you evah gonna do in your whole fucking miserable life! Put it all in there!

If you can get your mind trained to ‘I don’t give a fuck what’s on there, what’s on this bar, I’m gonna hit this thing as hard as I can, with everything I’ve got, every time I try to do it.’

The effort, the INTENSITY that you put into this, into your attempt, that is more important than the weight on the bar. Concentrate on that! Effort, intensity. Fuck the weight! I’m gonna give this shit, EVERYTHING I’VE GOT, EVERYTIME.”

In conjunction with what Amit told me last time about incorporating leg drive earlier in the set for every rep, I went at bench with intensity in mind. I got angry and focused while getting set up under the bar. I could feel the energy flowing through me. Even at 135#, I exhaled with forcefulness. Went up to 185#. I backed down to 155# and did two sets of 5 with pauses.

Still couldn’t do a full four sets of pull ups at 45#. In fact, I had to drop down for my 3rd and 4th sets.

I went to do dips (body weight only), but felt my left elbow popping each time I went down. I’m afraid my bursitis might be acting up again. I can’t remember what I did to inflame it, but I do recall doing something in a previous training where I first noticed it’s return. Am a little scared at how this may affect my training. I stopped when I couldn’t complete my third set without intense awareness of the elbow.

I went to do standing one arm rows with the 100#s, but I didn’t have it in me. Was just wasted.

I did burpees to end off my workout. Slowly, I’m adding conditioning into my training again.

Bench Press: 185x5x3

Pause Rep Bench Press: 155x5x3

Pull Ups: 45×5, 45×3+1+1, 35×4+1, 35×4+1, 20×5, 20×4+1, 10×5, 10×4+1, BWx5, BWx4+1

Dips: 5, 5, 2

Burpees: 20, 10, 10, 10

Since my PB squat of 315x5x3, I have been unable to replicate it. Today, my warm up at 275# was rough. Instead of going for 325# again, I thought I would be conservative and go for 315#. Apparently, I was still too ambitious because after my first set of 5 which were really rough, I got stapled under my attempt at a second rep for second set.

I backed down to 275# which were still difficult. I added sets at 225# also.

It got worse when I went to RDLs. I felt a lot of strain pulling 225#. I gave up and finished what were supposed to be my work sets at 135#. FML.

I skipped hamstring curls and went straight to toes to bar. I decided to practice some Cross Fit movements. Decided on Fran and worked on barbell thrusters and kipping chest to bar pull ups. Felt really good about the thrusters and worked up to 85#. Racked the bar on my shoulders nicely and didn’t press until I had fully extended and stood tall. Really felt the bar launch up and seemed as if I hardly used my arms. Only problem was that my wrists felt stretched from converting from the rack position to the press. I’m definitely going to have to get wrist wraps. Am pretty bummed that I lost my one wrist band also, otherwise, I could have used them for some low level support and warmth.

Squat: 315×5, 315×1, 275x5x2, 225x5x2 (no belt)

RDL: 225×5, 135x5x2

Toes to Bar: 10, 10, 5+5, 5,5,5,5

Thrusters: 45×10, 65×10, 85x10x2

Kipping Chest to Bar Pull Ups: 5x5x5

I couldn’t press a full set of 5 reps at 125#. Could only muster enough strength for 3 reps.

I spent a lot of time working on my cleans. Started with some high pulls without getting into the rack position. I didn’t really do too many from the hang position, but instead worked on the pull from the floor. Spent a lot of reps practicing the the second pull after the bar cleared my knee.  I think I finally have a feel for the explosive triple extension. My feet don’t really shift laterally from the start position. So my stance is the same when I am starting all the way through to when I am standing in tall.

I worked on band assisted bar muscle ups again. This time, my first attempt was with only the black band. I failed to convert. I couldn’t rotate my wrist into position.

One of the regulars, an incredibly lean black guy whom Matt says coaches Olympic sprinters, exclaimed that it was a really good idea to use bands as a progression. He proceeded to tell me that his athletes do the jump from a box progression in which they do a jump pull up to get to the start of the dip portion. I got some tips from him about wrist and elbow position. I have to actively rotate my arm to get into the dip position.

He also mentioned that my elbows were too low during my cleans. He complimented on my ankle position in that I didn’t leap off the ground with a jump, but that I had good plantar flexion. Basically, because I was doing power cleans, I was coming under the bar enough and was compensating by lowering my elbows to get under. It was good feedback.

Another thing he mentioned about the muscle up was that with my banded kip, my hips/thighs were too far forward in an L-sit position   which made it difficult for me to rotate and convert to the dip. I should have a more vertical torso at the top of the pull up so I can rotate into the dip.

I also think that with the red and black band, I’m able to explode high enough so that I am rotating my wrists after the fact instead of turning them into the dip.

Press: 125×3+2, 125×3+1+1, 125×2+1+1+1

Push Press: 125×5, 115x5x2

Power Cleans: 65×5, 85×5, 95×5, 115×5, 125×5, 135x5x2

Banded Muscle Up: Red and Blackx2, 2, 1, 1

I went for 225# for front squat. Normally, my warm up is to do 135×10, 155×5, 175×5, 195×5, and last week work sets of 215x5x3. This week, I changed it up a little bit. 135×10, 155×5, 185×5, 205×5, and then went for 225#. I did the first set unbroken, but had to break up the remainder of the reps to get to my 15 rep volume goal.

Deadlifts gave me trouble again, though I did better than last week. Last Thursday, I was only able to muster enough strength to do singles at 405#. I went did my 315# and 365# warm up sets with only 3 reps each. When I went to pull 405#, I couldn’t even get it off the ground. The crushing feeling of failure rushed through me.

There was this guy I saw for the second time. I’d seen him pull 315# the other day. He was directly behind me and made a comment about trying again. No question in my mind I was going to attempt it. I needed to psyche myself up. I began pacing around part of the gym, getting angry. Nothing in particular, not even in the lift. But I filled my body and mind with a rage that I could literally feel pulsate throughout my muscles.

I chalked up, got into position and when I put my hands to the bar, in a soft, steely voice, I told myself, “Lift it!”

Managed 5 reps off the floor. After a bit of rest, I let the anger flow through me again and repeated “Lift it!” to myself. This set of 5 was more difficult and on the last two reps had upper back rounding. I believe I shut my eyes during the 3rd rep. After the set, my back started getting tight, so I dropped down to 365×5 and then 315×5. I had anticipated this and only set up 3-45#, 25#, and 2-10# per side.

I think I will continue the self-talk and fury for my deadlifts.

I didn’t do hamstring curls. I’m going to drop them from deadlifts and only do them on days I RDL. I think I was overtraining them even with weight I felt was “light”.

Front Squat: 225×5, 225×3+2, 225×2, 225×2, 225×1

Deadlift: 405x5x2, 365×5, 315×5

Toes to Bar: 10, 10, 10, 5+5, 5+5

Video is NSFW (F-bomb heavy)

I don’t do bicep isolation exercises… but maybe I should be yelling commands to my body during workouts. I wonder if he yells at plants too?

Today was another crappy bench day. Did a 500m row for warm up. Benched 185x5x3. Didn’t feel confident after the first set to go up to 195#. Got Amit to spot me for my last two sets. He gave me advice that I’m not using my leg drive until the 4th and 5th rep. Did weighted pull ups with a 45# plate with the chain through the handle. Didn’t really like the feel of it as it was swinging quite a lot, and I didn’t like keeping my legs together to secure it. Also couldn’t do 5 rep sets. I’ll do 45# again next week to hopefully get the reps in.

Did reverse grip bench press also. Really light weight. Didn’t really feel it in my triceps.

Bench Press: 185x5x3, 155×7, 155×6

Pull Ups: 45×5, 45×5, 45×3+1+1, 45×3+1+1, 20×4+1, 20×4+1, 10×4+1, 10×4+1, 4+1, 4+1, 4

Bar Dips: 20×5, 20×1, 10×2, BWx5x4

Standing One Arm Dumbbell Rows: 100×10, 100×8, 100×6

Superset

Overhead Tricep Rope Extension: 90×10, 100×10, 100×10, 100×8

Reverse Grip Bench Press: 65×10, 85×10, 85×8

The YMCA was a sauna. It was really warm, humid, and stuffy. The place reeked of body odor. I didn’t have to wait too long to get a squat rack. I changed up my warm up by only doing 3 reps at 275# with the hopes of having more in the tank for my work sets. I set up for 325# and got 3 reps in. Got stapled under the 4th rep. The nonadjustable safety rails are about two inches too low forcing me to bend over in a really psudo good-morning to lower the bar onto it. I attempted to do another set of 3 reps. Quit after 1 rep.

Squat: 325×3, 325×1, 295x5x2, 295×2+225×7 (drop set)

RDL: 225×5, 245x5x3

One Leg Hamstring Curl: 90×5, 80x5x4

Toes to Bar: 10, 10, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

I managed to do a bunch of band assisted bar muscle ups today. I used both the red and black bands. Could only do them as singles and even then, had to do a kip with the bands, which spring loaded them with tension and provided extra assistance. I had to rest my sternum on the bar before doing the dip press.

Press: 120x5x2, 120x3x2

Push Press: 120x5x3

Squat Clean: 95x5x4 (practiced from the floor with plates to elevate to 45# start position)

Band Assisted Bar Muscle Ups: ~1×10 (with plenty of failed attempts in between some of the singles)

A week after pulling 405x5x3, I was not able to replicate the same feat of strength. Admittedly, I went back to my normal max effort training for ham strings on Monday and front squats for today. Instead of scaling back the weight to save my legs and back for deadlifts, I continued with my progression.

I was only able to pull 405 for 5 singles. Went down to 315 for two sets of 5.  Really focused on the pulling motion, keeping the bar touching my body, and slow descent to floor. Still made a bit of a bang when putting the weight onto the ground.

Front Squat: 215x5x3

Deadlift: 405x1x5, 315x5x2

One Leg Hamstring Curl: 50x5x4

Toes to Bar (strict): 5×4 (I’m getting lazier at doing ab work)

This was the second week I attempted bench pressing 195. Got two reps in.

My pull ups have returned to what I was doing last summer. My last two sets of 5 at body weight were really good. Only the 5th reps felt like I needed to exert effort. My chin was coming up about an inch over the bar.

Bench Press: 195×2, 195×1, 175×5

Pull Ups: 40×5, 40×5, 40×4+1, 40×3+1+1, 20×5, 20×4+1, 10×5, 10×5, BWx5, BWx5

Couldn’t finish the workout because I had to go judge at an Area Toastmasters contest.