DE Upper Body/Energy Systems Development

Upper body warm-up*

Ballistic Bench Press:
1x10 empty bar (warm-up, non ballistic)
1x3 95lbs
6x3 105lbs
6x3 115lbs**

Push/Pull Superset:
3x8 dips
3x8 pull-ups (only four on last set) ***

Deltoid Triad Tripleset (2x20lbs):
3x8 rear delt dlies
3x8 lateral raises
3x8 front raises

Elbow flexion:
3x8 45lbs Strict curls****

Weighted abs:
3x8 25lbs Olympic abs
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While fully in line with the Westside mode of training, I didn't follow a specific template for this day. Rather, I decided to try to hit my weak points, and being short on time, I did a superset and triple set to accomplish the goal. I split the ballistic bench into two groups of 6 sets by 3 reps at different weights following an idea by Dave Tate and also began to realise how weak I am at the bottom of the bench. Because of this weakness and the need to reincorporate vertical pulling, I decided to perform a push/pull superset afterward with low dips and pull-ups. It was also here that I realised how weak my PUs have become. I thought the rowing was helping... It seems I was wrong and there's minimal transfer.

Oh, I put a star on the warm-up... that's because I'm toying around with a quasi-new warm-up approach that follows in line with the system developed by Gray Cook and Athlete's Performance Systems. I figure that it can't hurt, and theoretically, it seems pretty sound. The strength portion is still very much a WSB template.

The addition of the Strict curls is because the federation I will most likely be competing in has a strict curl event. While being extremely weak in the curl, if I'm going to have to compete in it, I may as well start training it somewhat, right?

As far as the abs go, I wanted to try out a new exercise called "Olympic abs." It uses the decline crunch bench and a curl bar. You hold the bar just inside of the rings and basically "snatch" the bar overhead as you perform a sit-up. While I only saw the exercise on video, I immediately noticed two things about it: 1) While it is a "weighted" exercise, the concentric portion of the sit-up isn't necessarily all that weighted. 2) The real benefit to the ab exercise is to fatigue the ab muscles through the concentric while simultaneously forcing the transversus/oblique abs to go into isometric contraction to stabilise the moving weight going overhead. Finally, at the top of the sit-up, the abs must maintain that stabilisation before laying back down into rest. This means that despite being a concentric exercise, it still serves the abs in precisely the function that develops strong abs in the first place: by training the abs as a stabiliser. I see a lot of transfer to the deadlift and squats, as a result. I will have to remind myself that it's not a good idea to do this after a deltoid triad tripleset. I could've gone heavier, but my delts wouldn't have allowed it.

NOW... Onto ESD:
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Approximately one hour after finishing my strength workout, I got the tire out from the back and proceeded to do an ESD work-out down my street. The orginal objective was to flip it the 200m to the end, and back. I only made it halfway and back. The first 100m, I did sets of 15 flips, as fast as I could. This is one HELL of a cardio exercise. To be quite fair, I was dying. So I did sets of 10 flips on the way back, still as fast as I could. This may not be the strength exercise that a 500lb tractor tire would be, but as far as interval training goes... This is a keeper.

Note: My ES is terrible. Asthma acted up again. Nearly puked. Need to do this more often.

Taking another page from Athletes' Performance System, I'll be taking extra care with my post-workout recovery, as well, including some general soft tissue work right now.

DE Lower Body

Explosive Squats w/ mini-bands (double-choked):
1x5 empty bar
1x3 95lbs
1x3 135lbs
12x3 155lbs

Unilateral:
3x8 135lbs w DC mini-bands split-squats

Posterior chain:
1x8 115lbs rack pull
3x10 135lbs rack pull

grip:
4 sets of 25lbs wrist-rolls

ME Upper Body

Upper body warm-up

ME Incline Bench:
1x8 empty bar
1x5 95lbs
1x5 115lbs
1x5 125lbs
4x5 135lbs

Supplemental:
1x20 2x30lbs DB bench
1x15 of above

Triceps:
3x8 2x25lbs JM press*

Superset:
3x10 T-bar+90lbs T-bar row
3x10 2x17.5lbs Cable scarecrows

Traps:
3x10 135lbs behind-the-bar BB shrugs

Elbow flexion:
3x8 55lbs bar curls

Weighted abs
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For one, my grip is still shot from the DLs, so this wasn't a great or easy day. That said, it felt like a decent workout all the same. I prefer the bent-over row/OHP superset, but I think I can get this superset to work for me. The lifts are really awkward for me. I added in a triceps after the supplemental rep-effort lift to follow in line with Westside's original template a bit more. This is, in part, to increase my bench. The other part is that I feel it'll be useful in the next cycle to be doing some weighted dips. The JM presses are fun, though. I actually failed the eighth rep on the first set, and began resting at the top of the lift for a breath before continuing withe ach rep in the following sets. Worked out better.

Also, I weighed in at 155.6 today. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

ME Lower Body + Something Special

Lower body warm-up

ME Deadlifts
1x3 135lbs
1x3 185lbs
2x3 225lbs
3x1 245lbs
4x1 275lbs
1x1 285lbs
1x1 295lbs
1x1 305lbs
1xfail 315lbs
1x1 305lbs
3x1 275lbs

Unilateral:
3x8 115lbs Reverse lunges, each leg

Posterior:
3x8 105lbs Good mornings

Ab circuit
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So, the DLs were interesting. As you can tell, I tested my 1RM, but my grip fell short on the 315, so I did another at 305, failed a second rep, and went back down to 275 to complete three sets of singles. Being already sore from Friday's speed day (still), there was a lot of warm-up sets, too, as you can tell. But I hit a new PR at 305, and I'm rather happy with that.
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Something Special

On the way up the stairs to do the ab circuit, Jordan noticed an old rusty drag sled by the dumpster outside the window. And then a truck tire. With an eye-hook through it. On our way out, we asked if we could take it.. So we did. The sled was much heavier than expected, though we have no estimate as to how heavy this was.. We took it as far as the engineering lounge (still quite a distance) and left it there to be picked up later.

The tire, we rolled awkwardly off campus, and then began sets of 10 flips each, working for speed. According to gmap-pedometer, this tire was flipped approximately 280 metres. It was one hell of a cardio workout, given the state of our poor hammies. Tons of fun, though, and super messy (hands black as night!), but that's what you get for doing something spur of the moment.. And now, Hamilton Parkour gets an amazing gift.. A super heavy drag sled. And a tire worth flipping. No, it's not heavy enough to be a max effort exercise, but it's going to be one hell of a metcon for some folks.

DE Lower Body

Warm-up

Explosive Squats w/mini-bands:
1x10 Empty bar
1x5 135lbs
12x5 155lbs

Unilateral:
3x6 115lbs w/mini-bands split-squats, each leg

Posterior chain:
3x8 135lbs rack-pull

Weighted ab circuit
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I actually had a lot of fun with this one. The squats were done with no more than 90 seconds between sets, and it was quite a different feeling using the same force you use for your max effort on something that's essentially half the weight. The bands always add a nice dynamic to things, too. The unilateral was nice, if a tad difficult. I think it'll be better off for me to start doing unilaterals with the barbell more often. I was considering doing RDLs with the posterior chain today, but went with rack pulls for whatever reason.

ME Upper Body

ME Bench:
1x8 95lbs
1x8 135lbs
1x5 145lbs
1x5 155lbs
1x5 165lbs
3x5 175lbs*

Supplemental:
1x20 2x35lbs DB bench
1x15 above

Superset:
3x10 2x50lbs bent-over row
1x8, 7, 6 2x35lbs OHP

Traps:
3x12 2x70lbs shrugs

Elbow flexion:
2x8 chin-ups
1x5 chin-ups**

Weighted ab circuit
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Okay, so I DIDN'T move to PUs like I said I would. After watching this Dave Tate video, I decided go ahead and give bench another shot, keeping myself tight and holding the bar up for a bit before starting the lift. It seemed to help. I didn't need a spotter, and I did a moderately difficult, but still somewhat easy 3x5 of 175lbs. I thought I could do a 3RM of 185, but I was a bit safer and smarter this time and didn't even attempt it.

As far as the chin-ups go, I think I could've gotten the full 3x8 if my grip hadn't been shot by the shrugs. My traps seem strong enough for a lot of weight, and those shrugs really do nothing more than train my grip... which I appreciate, as well, honestly. All-in-all, I think this was a good day, although I cut my ab circuit short because this girl and I ended up always being in the same spot, and I didn't want to appear creepy or anything.

ME Lower Body

Lower body warm-up

ME Squats:
1x8 135lbs
1x5 185lbs
1x5 225lbs
1x5 245lbs
3x5 255lbs

Unilateral:
3x8 2x35lbs BSS, each leg

Posterior chain:
3x8 25lbs GHR

Ab circuit