A Warrior's Journey to Strength

[GoJu]

what's up people?!

a little about me, my weight training is centered around powerlifting and olympic lifting, with some strongman and grip work thrown in there, you'll also see some karate/kickboxing/grappling done in here as I also train for martial arts, I love both strength sports and combat arts and hope to do excel as far as I can in both.

my stats:

5'10" 200lbs bw (fat, ie 20% haha)

powerlifting

13" box squat 275 x 3
clean grip bench press 235
deadlift 375

olympic lifting

200lbs power clean
155lbs power snatch

as you can see I am WEAK but hoping to change that more and more as the weeks of training move on, for the summer I'm currently on an upper/lower split focusing on improving my squat, can't bench for a while due to a shoulder injury so it's more or less bodybuilder style back/bi work on my upper days, next post I'll put up my last workout (yesterdays), check it out and let me know what ya think!

[GoJu]

Upper 2

Elliptical

1 minute - slow
3 minutes - fast
1 minute - slow
3 minutes - fast
1 minute - slow
3 minutes - fast
1 minute - slow

Pulldowns

130 x 8
150 x 8
170 x 8
190 x 8 (momentum)

Pendlay Row

155 x 5
175 x 3
195 x 1
215 x 1
235 x 3 (PR!) - pretty ugly form, haha

Clean Shrug Pulls (from the knee) - hook grip

135 x 3
155 x 3
185 x 3
205 x 3
225 x 3
245 x 3
275 x 2
295 x 2
315 x 1
315 x 1
315 x 1
315 x 1
315 x 1

1-Arm DB Rows

60 x 25
80 x 25
100 x 24 (PR!) - kind of raggidy form

Face Pulls

25 x 10
35 x 10
50 x 10
65 x 10

Barbell Curls

140 x 1 (cheat, close-grip)
100 x 3 x 3 (3 reps every 30 seconds, wide grip)
100 x 3 x 2 (2 reps every 30 seconds, wide grip)

pretty good workout, the elliptical went well as did the pulldowns, good back work there.

the pendlays were really ugly, think I'll go back to what I was going to do and just focus on high reps with lighter weight for a little while, I have something in mind so we'll see what happens next week.

the clean extensions are basically shrugs but jumped up onto the toes like a clean, basically the beginning of the 2nd pull on the clean, I really like these and will keep doing them in place of power shrugs for a while.

the 1-arm rows were TOUGH, reps got really raggid by rep 18, lol, will switch to something else come next session.

the face pulls went ok, will probably keep doing them for some extra upper back and rear delt work.

kind of dissapointed with the barbell curls, the 140 was heavy, and the 100 felt heavier than it should've IMO, would've liked the 15 reps but what can ya do? will probably keep this weight for next session and get those 15 reps in 5 30 seconds rest pauses.

[GoJu]

figured I'd post my goals by years end while I'm at it!

350 back squat
275 bench press
455 deadlift
250 power clean
185 power snatch
Ironmind #2.5 gripper close

feel the squat and deadlift are doable, bench is iffy cause of the shoulder and don't know when I can train it again, currently racing a few dudes to 250 clean and I think all this leg work is already having me close to a 220 clean and 170 snatch, still have to buy the 2.5 but feel the grip strength is improving each back sessions so we'll see what happens in the coming weeks.

[Kyle]

Training looks really good.

Kyle

[GoJu]

Training looks really good.

Kyle

thanks man!

Lower 1

13" Box Squat

205 x 5
225 x 3
245 x 1
355 x 1 30 second walkout
265 x 3
265 x 3
265 x 3
265 x 3
265 x 3 (volume PR!)

Parallel Rack Good Mornings

175 x 5
195 x 3
215 x 1
235 x 3
235 x 3
235 x 3
235 x 3
235 x 3 (volume PR!)

Bulgarain Front Squats

85 x 10
105 x 8
125 x 5
145 x 6
145 x 6
145 x 6 (volume PR!)

Pullthroughs

50 x 10
57.5 x 10
65 x 10

Pulldown Abs

125 x 10
125 x 10
125 x 10
125 x 10
125 x 10

Weighted Dead Hangs (straps)

bw + 90 x 15 seconds
bw + 90 x 20 seconds
bw + 90 x 25 seconds
bw x 10 pullups (no straps)

Treadmill

20 minutes - fast walk

great workout today!

box squats felt ALOT easier than I thought they would, went way quicker than 255 x 5 x 3 last week! 285 is going down next leg session!

GM's went well as did bulgarians, no complaints at all, 255 and 165 respectively will go down!

incase anybody's wondering what the bulgarians are, they're front squats but with one leg on a bench behind me, and squatting with the one leg that's out in front, I intend to have vids maybe next week or the week after.

decided to go with pullthroughs instead of leg curls today, went well, will increase the load next time.

pulldown abs went well, and really felt the movment in the abs today.

hangs went ok, but by the third set my shoulder was acting up again, hence why I just went with bodyweight pullups, which were easier than they've ever been I might say .

treadmill went well, covered a mile and a half of 'distance', going faster each session, might have to turn this into a jog though as the speed gets greater each session.

back/bis tomorrow, till then dudes!

[Kyle]

Did you squat the 355 or did you just walk it out?

Kyle

[GoJu]

Did you squat the 355 or did you just walk it out?

Kyle

nonono, just walked it out and held it there, made 265 feel lighter.

[GoJu]

Upper 1

Elliptical

1 minute - slow
3 minutes - fast
1 minute - slow
3 minutes - fast
1 minute - slow
3 minutes - fast
1 minute - slow

Pulldowns

135 x 6
155 x 6
175 x 6
195 x 6 (some momentum)

Pendlay Rows

140 x 15
150 x 12
150 x 12
175 x 8

Shrug Pulls

185 x 3
225 x 2
275 x 1
315 x 3
315 x 2

1-Arm DB Rows

60 x 30
80 x 30
100 x 27 (PR!) - some cheat from rep 20 on

had to cut it short here since I had to go to class (taking summer).

the pulldowns went ok, they've been feeling good as of late, decided to go down to 6 reps for better form and heavier weight.

I've decided to switch to a more high rep routine for the pendlay rows, my plan is based of this routine (originally a bench routine) from the powerlifting heads up website (I'm starting it from week 3 on because I feel I only have about 5 more weeks in me on this routine before I want to max on the main lifts):

http://www.joeskopec.com/highbench.xls

all the reps felt good, and speaking of reps those DB rows were easier than I thought they were going to be today, they didn't gas me as much as they did last time, happy with the PR there.

will tomorrow's my birthday, turning the big 2 1 so I'll be off from the gym tomorrow, unfortunately won't be off from class , but I'll be back on wednesday for more squatting, till then dudes!

edit: gonna give the shrugs (and my low back haha) a break and focus on another pulldown, pullup or row move, but I will switch in another exercises as well double overhand static holds, need to bring my shitty grip strength up on that front.

[Kyle]

Nice job on the pendlays.

Happy early bday.. get drunk ;)

Kyle

[GoJu]

Nice job on the pendlays.

Happy early bday.. get drunk ;)

Kyle

haha! actually I don't really drink, somewhat of a social drinker but not really, but there's a first time for everything I guess :p

[GoJu]

Lower 2

13" Box Squat

205 x 5
225 x 3
245 x 1
265 x 1
285 x 3 (PR!)

Parallel Rack Good Mornings

175 x 5
195 x 3
215 x 1
235 x 1
255 x 3 (PR!)

Bulgarian Front Squats

85 x 10
105 x 8
125 x 5
145 x 3
165 x 5 (PR!)

DB Romanian Deadlifts

70's x 8
70's x 8
70's x 8

Pulldown Abs

120 x 15
120 x 15
120 x 15

Weighted Dead Hangs (straps)

bw + 90 x 15 seconds
bw + 90 x 15 seconds
bw x 10 pullups (no straps)

Treadmill

20 minutes - fast walk

hmm, a kind of so so workout today.

box squats went very well, 285 wasn't easy but it wasn't hard either, 295 x 3 goes down next week!

good mornings went well no complaints!

bulgarians is where it got iffy, I usually power clean them into position, because the squat racks don't have a way to take the bar out away from the rack, but the o-lifting platform where I normally do them was being used so I had to try them in the squat rack and it sucked, I would've had 8 with these if I wasn't hitting the uprights so I just decided to end the set at 5, plus my left leg got sort of cut last week doing bulgarians off the bench that affected my performance as well.

I wanted to do pullthroughs but the cable stations were being used by people doing pushdowns and stiff-arm pulldowns, so went with DB romanians, was more lower back than hamstrings with these, which isn't what I wanted but beggers can't be choosers I guess.

pulldown abs went ok, grip was shot so performance sucked on the hangs, pullups were harder than last time, treadmill went ok, nothing too special there.

don't know if I'll workout tomorrow since I'm going with my family to a rental property down at Miami Beach for the weekend, the place is supposed to have a gym so I'll see if I can get a back workout in, we'll see what happens, most probably post a workout again on Sunday, till then dudes!

[GoJu]

Upper 1

Elliptical

1 minute - slow
3 minutes - fast
1 minute - slow
3 minutes - fast
1 minute - slow
3 minutes - fast
1 minute - slow

Pulldowns

140 x 6
160 x 6
180 x 6
200 x 6 (momentum)

Pendlay Rows

165 x 10
165 x 10
175 x 8
175 x 8
175 x 7
175 x 7

Hammer Grip Pulldowns

100 x 10
120 x 10
140 x 8
160 x 6 (some momentum)

1-Arm DB Rows

60 x 30
80 x 30
100 x 15 (bleh)

Barbell Curls

135 x 1 cheat curl
95 x 6
95 x 5
95 x 5

Double Overhand Barbell Static Holds (no hook grip)

225 x 15 seconds
225 x 15 seconds
225 x 15 seconds
225 x 15 seconds

Close-Grip Bench Press Lockouts

245 x 2
245 x 2
245 x 2
245 x 2
245 x 2

pretty good workout today.

went way faster today on the intense intervals on the elliptical, really liking the HIIT training.

pulldowns went well, no complaints, really want to rep the stack on this thing already though, :P

pendlay rows went well, form was really spot on, high reps felt good too.

hammer pulldowns were nice in the middle back and rear delts, will keep these in.

was gonna for 30 on the 100lb DB but it just wasn't in me today, think I'll swap these for chest-supported rows for a little while now.

bb curls sucked royally actually, my biceps were pretty much drained by this point though.

holds went ok, but actually I think it was more of a test of pain tolerance, ie the bar tearing into my heavily calloused hand rather than a test of forearm strength, still want to keep doing them and make 'em work.

a buddy of mine was doing lockouts and the ROM was about as big as a 3 board and I decided to try it, though I am hurting in my pec/delt tie-in as I write this now when I did it there was little if any pain, weird, was suprised that my lockout was this strong though (especially close-grip) withouth doing any real tricep work for so long, we'll see what happens with these. ds

oh and I'm back in town since my mom had to go to the doctor due to an uberr bad sunburn, it's ok though, nobody in the family was really digging the place where we were going to stay anyway, next workout on sunday, going for 275 x 5 x 3 box squats, till then dudes!

[GoJu]

Lower 1

13" Box Squat

215 x 5
235 x 3
255 x 1
275 x 2
275 x 2
275 x 2 (volume PR!)
275 x 0 (bleh)
275 x 1

Parallel Rack Good Mornings

185 x 5
205 x 3
225 x 1
245 x 2
245 x 2
245 x 2
245 x 2
245 x 2 (volume PR!)

Bulgarian Front Squats

95 x 10
115 x 8
135 x 5
155 x 5
155 x 5
155 x 5 (volume PR!)

Pullthroughs

57.5 x 10
65 x 10
72.5 x 10
80 x 10

Wide-grip Deadhang Pullups

bw x 6
bw x 6
bw x 6
bw x 6

edit: forgot to write these

Saxon Bends

10 x 5
10 x 8
10 x 10

Treadmill

20 minutes - fast walk

well today was a soso workout.

box squats SUCKED royally today, the all felt super heavy getting out of the hole, and there was no way I was making 5 triples, thought I could do 5 doubles but I guess not, the only thing that went well with these was that a cute girl stretching on the rack next to me said my squatting was awesome,

GM's, bulgarians, and pullthroughs went way better than the squats did, at least I got all my reps there.

forgot my dip belt today so I decided to just go with pullups and they went very well, think I'll be able to start adding appreciable weight soon.

treadmill went ok, no complaints.

I've decided to finish off this week, take a week off, and then max on squats and deadlifts the week after that, see how far I've come in the last month and a half or so, then I'll start up another upper lower probably having front squats as my main move for legs with GM's going lower than I have been before and perhaps trap bar deads, box squats for higher reps, or leg presses, not sure.

oh and I did shoot vids today, but youtube takes FOREVER to load them, so I'll have those up later tonight, tomorrow's back and bis, till then dudes.

[GoJu]

okay dudes, here's a vid of my box squat, this thing took like 20 minutes to load when youtube said it would be 5, so I'll upload the good mornings and bulgarian squat vids tomorrow at school, with a faster computer, but for your entertainment, my 13" box squat of 275lbs for a single today, forgive the gay music:


http://youtube.com/watch?v=U1jfvdZZ6Lw

[GoJu]

okay dudes got some more vids for ya!

pin good morning 245 x 2

http://youtube.com/watch?v=i1MefLXKoNw

bulgarian front squat 155 x 5

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9eBoJGJMyzc

enjoy!

[Kyle]

GoJu... www.strengthmill.com ;) dont forget to upload them there 2 haha

Kyle

[GoJu]

GoJu... www.strengthmill.com ;) dont forget to upload them there 2 haha

Kyle


ha! alright man, will do tomorrow!

Upper 1

Elliptical

1 minute - slow
3 minutes - fast
1 minute - slow
3 minutes - fast
1 minute - slow
3 minutes - fast
1 minute - slow

Pulldowns

145 x 6
165 x 6
185 x 6
205 x 6 (PR!) - with momentum

Pendlay Row

150 x 10
150 x 10
165 x 10
165 x 10
180 x 6
180 x 6

Hammer Pulldowns

105 x 10
125 x 10
145 x 8
165 x 6 - with momentum

Weighted Pullups

terrible, don't want to talk about it

Partial Barbell Curls - 10 second hold at the top

115 x 5 (1 rep ever 15 seconds)

Hammer Curls

35's x 8
40's x 8
45's x 6

okay workout today, pulldowns and pendlay rows went very well, all very strong.

now pullups SUCKED ROYALLY, couldn't do 1 pullups with a 25lb plate attached, really don't know what to do on these, guess more bodyweight like a friend of mine suggested today, will also have a vid of pendlay rows up tomorrow.

the curl work is from an arm wrestling website I found, here's the article bicep work for arm wrestling, should explain the partial barbell curls:

http://www.eiyc.com/biceps.htm

[GoJu]

Lower 2

ATG Back Squat

135 x 3 (paused)
185 x 2
205 x 1
225 x 1
245 x 1 http://youtube.com/watch?v=1rRfh0cg3Dg
belt on
265 x 1 http://youtube.com/watch?v=VFS6rk3hacU
275 x 1 (PR!) http://youtube.com/watch?v=mvjOx3jThy8

Treadmill

medium pased walk - 10 minute

good workout today!

tried some new form adjustments on my ATG squat today, took a 12" grip on the bar and used a thumbless grip and WOW what a difference, let me use a far tighter arch in the upper and lower back and let me sit back more.

sorry the vids aren't the best angle, but the gym was crowded today and couldn't get good side view, but still the PR felt good!

treadmill went good too, will probably go for a deadlift PR next week then take a week off and do another routine focused around the ATG squat!

[GoJu]

Lower 1

Deadlifts

135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 1
275 x 1
315 x 1
355 x 1
385 x 1 (PR!)
belt on
405 x 1 (PR!)

+ some stretching

pretty happy with todays workout!

355 was a little tough so I was afraid I wasn't going to get past 385, but 385 went up faster than expected, so I cinched up the belt and went for the 4 plates and I got it! was focusing on pushing the belly out against the belt hard at the bottom so I actually almost lost my breath but I made it!

only shitty thing about today was my camera's batteries died on me today, so no vids of the pulls, sucks, but I'll have 'em next time, I'm confident I'll be able to pull 455 to maybe 475 by years end (hey I can dream can't I) .

I'll be taking the next week off the weights and then start up another routine, most probably a 3 day a week full body focusing around squatting and the olympic lifts, been missing those for I'll be happy to get back to them!

[VikingMan]

Nice deads man. Careful on setting timeframes on PRs, especially as you really start getting stronger. Better to let them happen when they happen. Don't want to get hurt. *mutters*

[Heisman]

Awesome deadlift PR bro. I remember the first time I pulled 400... I was so happy, lol.