Marc's Journey

[Marc]

This will be my frist online log, so I'll give this a shot. This seems like a great forum and the first place I have ever really felt it was worth the time to do one. I have only been lifting for about 6 months now, 4 on a powerlifting/ Strongman regiment. It's defenitely a part of my life that I wouldn't trade for the world, I was hooked immediately. Before I ever started all of this I was drinking 5 nights a week, eating fast food twice a day and smoking a pack a day. Now I enjoy one night of drinking on the weekends, usually Saturday evening as Sunday is my off day. I have since quit smoking all together and completely revamped my diet. As expected I feel 1000 times better. Right now I am having some severe shooting and throbbing pains in my Forearms which is really as of lately lately becoming a limiting factor on some of my training days. I used to get a similar pain when doing ezbar curls but after last Saturday's Tire flip it has been much worse. Wed. and Sat. are my event training days, Sundays off. I train in a Private Home Gym (huge Garage) that caters largely to the powerlifter/ strongman with anything and everything you can imagine, I got very lucky to have found the group of guys I did or else I would still be stuck wondering around the comercial gym doing a half ass bodybuilding routine involving a smith machine haha

I am 6'5" 248lbs

Here is what today will look like, Friday, 5-14-10

Heavy squat 5x5
Good Mornings 5x5
Pistols 5x5
GHR Negatives 5x3 (I am a very tall very top heavy person and these are extremely difficult for me to do for some reason.)
I will be finishing it off with a sled drag Medley that goes something like this:
50 yards down Pulling sled behind me
50 yards back pulling sled while walking backwards
50 yards down with straps over shoulders, arms at half lockout
50 yards back pulling sled backwards, arms in Row position
50 yards down doing pull throughs

I would like to get two sets of the sled routine in but that will largely depend on how Im feeling after the squat workout.

Breakfast- 2 bowls of wheaties, 2 glasses of milk, multi vitamin
Mid morning- scoop of Whey, two packets plain oatmeal, 3 tblsp peanut butter, banana, milk in blender = shake
Cell Mass
Lunch- Pasta, 2 glasses milk
Pre-workout superpump250
WORKOUT
Cell Mass
PWO shake
Dinner is up in the air as usual on a Friday or Saturday evening

I love my milk as I usually consume almost a gallon a day. As I said before this is my first online log so if I have left anything out please let me know.

[BendtheBar]

Good read. I spent a few dark years off from training where I spent most of my time chasing women and drinking (and drinking, and drinking...).

I'm a big fan of Good Mornings. Are your 5x5's 5 working sets or 2 warmups and 3 working?

[Marc]

I do one warmup set and then go into my 5x5. I like them too, just a really good feeling I guess. For my squats I also do 2 or 3 warmup sets. Thanks for the comments, I agree the woman are fun to chase but you can still do the chasing while living a somewhat healthy lifestyle.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Marc

I do one warmup set and then go into my 5x5. I like them too, just a really good feeling I guess. For my squats I also do 2 or 3 warmup sets. Thanks for the comments, I agree the woman are fun to chase but you can still do the chasing while living a somewhat healthy lifestyle.

I have weak hamstrings with regards to wider stance squatting so wide stance good mornings seem to help a bit.

Can I ask what your program structure looks like...training days, exercises, etc...

[Marc]

I like to switch it up from time to time as far as the event training goes but as for the rest of it it goes soemthing like this

Monday-
Speed bench with chains 8x3 (45 second rest between sets)
J-press (dumbell shoulder press) 5x5
Lat pulldowns 3x8
Face pulls 3x12
Skullcrushers 3x8
Hammer Curls 3x8
Tire strikes 4x20 each side

Tuesday-
Either box squats or chain squats 8x5 (45 second rest between sets)
Good mornings 5x5
pistols 5x5
Yoke carry, I just usually take a barbell with some rubber weights out to the alley and clean and press it, set it on my back and go down and back 50-60 yards down then turn around come back 3 or 4 times for speed. Not the same as using the real yoke and obviously alot less weight but working on technique, speed etc.

Wed-
Some ab and core work
Reverse Hypers
Band Good Mornings 4x8
Weighted situps 4x20
medicine ball situps 4x20
Sled drag medley as I listed in my first post, doing it Friday this week because of weather. Sometimes Ill work another event into this day such as farmers walks.

Thursday-
Heavy bench 5x3
OHP- Usually using the log, 5x5
Dumbell Rows 3x8
Skull crushers 3x8
Hammer Curls 3x8
Sometimes Ill do tire strikes again for a finisher or the slosh pipe. 8 foot peice of 5 inch pvc half full of water with end caps, carry it overhead down alley and back.

Friday-
Heavy Squats 5x5
Good Mornings 5x5
Pistols 5x5
GHR 5x3---I suck
Sometimes a finisher sometimes nothing just depends.

Saturday-
Events, it varries. Doing truck pull tomorrow. Would be flipping the tire but my forearms are beat.

Sunday- OFF

I have one more week of this after this week and then my deadlifts and various other things will be cycled in.

[BendtheBar]

Thanks for taking the time to post that. Looks intense. How do you choose the weight for your heavy squats? Is it periodized or linear progression?

[Marc]

To be completely honest I have the help of a couple of the guys I lift with to guide me through this, I am learning alot as I go. I try and add 5 pounds per week. I try to keep the light days at around 65% of my max for speed and explosive work. I think I have my percentages right, I'll have to check my paper log tonight at the gym. I dont hold myself to any certain standard, I do what feels good. If I say I only want to add this much each week, I may have days where I'm not feeling the best and it doesn't happen, or I have days where I push it even further than that. Goals are fine but setting a number can also be limiting yourself in my opinion. So I guess I would lean more towards linear progression as far as how it all works out. My bench is terrible I might add, I can OHP almost as much as I can bench.

[Marc]

After this next week here I will be starting a new program in which I will be attacking a few things alot harder. I believe I am off now to get the harness out and do some truck pulls for time, as well as the sled as I didnt get to it yesterday, after my squat session my legs were toasted so I did 3 rounds of barbell yoke carry instead.

[BendtheBar]

Truck pulls sound painfully fun. I think my kids would like it if I took them all for a joy ride

[Marc]

Yes BTB I aagree!

Saturday 5-15-10
My plans on event days always seem to change, didn't do the truck pull but I did get the APT Harness out and drug 6 plates around for awhile on the sled. Two trips down the alley and back and I was DONE. After the squats and yoke yesterday, This morning my endurance was non existant. I woke up late, ate too close to when I started and felt not only like I was going to puke but I felt like my quads were about to totally give out and cramp up. Finished it off with some curls, chest presses and just rinky dink crap to make myself feel like I did something. I majorly dropped the ball and now I'm pissed off about it. I need to mow the yard and Im thinking about adding a sandbag to the mower to punish myself. Really ruined my morale for the day that is for sure.

2 bowls Wheeties for breakfast, 2 glasses milk 2 slices peanut butter toast
Preworkout- Gaspari superpump 250 (best one I have tried thus far. Jacked, black powder, bsn, none compare in my opinion)
Workout
Cell Mass
PWO shake
Pasta, 2 glasses milk
Home brew shake with scoop of whey, 3tblspns peanut butter, banana, two packets oatmeal and milk

Dinner will consist of various grilled items, I am attending a good friends College graduation get together tonight so god only knows how many Coors Lights will filter down the old hatch too. Good thing tomorrow is an off day. Heading to Lazer Fest in the morning, have a good weekend everybody!