Current Stats

Total weight lifted 2015: 3.6 M lbs
('14-6.5M, '13-6.6M, '12-8M, '11-5.2M)
Total cardio logged 2015: 22.0 hours
Current body weight 301 lbs, Height 6'8

Here's my lifting progress!






Progress!

Progress!

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Some updates

I haven't done well at all this week with updating the blog.  I've been too busy and barely had time to lift, let alone log it in!

In terms of supplements, my mainstay for protein has been MusclePharm Strawberry Cheesecake Combat for the past few days.  This tastes awesome, probably my favorite thus far!  I've also been working the Amino1 for hydration, typically with some glutamine blended in for recovery.  I've stayed away from the pre-workout for a few days, because when I take it too routinely, it doesn't do anything for me.

Now, to catch-up on my workouts, here is what Dave and I did on Monday:

Weight Reps
Warm-up and stretch
Clean & Jerk  95 16
115 14
135 12
155 10
155 10
175 2
195 2
Half-cleans axle 145 8
145 8
145 8
Medicine ball (stone-style) 150 12
150 12
150 20
Calf raises 315 60
Abs 60 70
Grip holds axle 145 150
Cool-down and stretch
15 min cardio

And here is what I did yesterday:

Weight Reps
Warm-up and stretch
Floor press axle 145 12
235 8
285 6
305 4
345 2
90 degree lockout close-grip 225 10
315 8
365 6
385 4
415 2
French Press 45 20
95 18
105 12
105 12
Superset: pull-over, floor press w/ MB 150 20
DB floor lockout 50 30
100 25
Triceps extensions bands 75 50
Cool-down and stretch

Monday, July 28, 2014

Strongman event training

Saturday was a long-overdue day of event training for strongman.  We went somewhat early to avoid the heat, so my supplementation consisted of a Combat Strawberry Cheesecake protein shake and some water, to get going.  Since we were outdoors, and doing heavier cardio-type stuff, I decided not to take a pre-workout, or any amino.

We did 2 sets of uphill truck-pull using a dodge 2500 series truck - this was brutal.

We also did some volume throwing a 30 lb keg for reps.  I'd never done this before, so it was surprising how much it taxes your cardio, and how well I could throw it.  Here is a quick video:


It wasn't a long workout, but I was still sore that night.

Today, the plan is to work on my clean & jerk.  I watched Rich Froning and Co. doing the Crossfit Games finals yesterday, and I'm embarrassed to admit as a strongman that all the guys in the finals can both out-clean me and out-press me!  Time to get to work!

Thursday, July 24, 2014

How to get a stronger back!

Today was all about getting a stronger back!  I didn't post on Monday (squatted up to 500 for reps) or Tuesday (log press up to 250), so today I'm catching-up a little bit.

Here's what I stacked today in terms of supplements:

1 x MusclePharm Combat Chocolate Peanut Butter shake (50 grams protein)
1 x MusclePharm Amino1 Cherry Limeade
1 x Twinlab MVP Fuel Pre-workout (just got it today)

Post-workout, since I'm sometimes lazy about food, I ate 8 ounces of beef jerky for some protein, until Britt brings me some lunch.  With breakfast, the shake, and the jerky, I'm sitting at about 140 grams of protein for the day.  I'll try to get to 250 grams, total, as today was a pretty grueling workout.

Without further ado, here is today's workout with a primarily central-back focus:

Weight Reps
Warm-up and stretch
Deadlift from blocks, axle 145 10
255 6
255 6
255 6
365 4
455 2
535 1
585 1
Standing half cleans 95 6
145 6
145 6
145 6
145 6
145 6
Floor rows, axle 145 10
225 8
225 8
225 8
145 15
Grip work, axle holds 145 200
CoC work 100 200
Cool-down and stretch
15 min cardio

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Spend your Saturday getting stronger!

My Saturdays are generally good for heavy and long workouts.  Today, I couldn't workout until the afternoon as we spent the morning at breakfast and hiking.  It left me a bit tired by the time I started my lift, but I still got in some solid training.

Overhead, deadlift and auxiliary work filled my 2 hours.  I started the day right with 90 grams of protein at breakfast, and another 60 prior to my workout.  In terms of supplements, I took:

MusclePharm Combat Chocolate Peanut Butter (2 servings)
MusclePharm Amino1 Fruit Punch (1.5 servings)
MusclePharm ArmorV
MusclePharm BCAA 3:1:2
Combo of MusclePharm Assault Strawberry Margarita and Glutamine (during workout)

I tried for 285 on overhead, 3 times, but wasn't quite able to lock it out, so I'm not posting any videos today.  But, after being sick for 3 days this week, I'm pretty happy with the lift as 265 went up easily!  Here is the workout:


Weight Reps
Warm-up and stretch
Standing shoulder press 95 6
145 3
195 3
235 2
265 1
attempts 285 2
attempts 285 1
   super-set next 4 weights, all strict 195 3
145 6
95 12
45 24
Deadlift (working up to ~75%) 395 2
5 minute superset, 1 minute rest 415 2
1 each ascending, 1 each descending 435 2
10 total minutes 455 2
Focus on speed, no wraps, double-overhand 475 2
Medicine ball floor press (mult. sets) 150 60
Calf raises (mult. sets) 315 55
Shoulder superset dumbbell (mult. sets) 25 160
Abs 60 150
Cool-down and stretch
40 min cardio

Thanks for reading!

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Squatting Sick

I've been the rounds for the past couple of days with a stomach issue.  I feel weak, I'm definitely dehydrated (as I couldn't keep anything down yesterday), and I've now missed two lifts this week because of it.

This morning, while not really fully recovered, I had to tackle the day...lots of meetings, so I was out of the house.  I made sure to eat something first thing, ingesting about 30 grams of protein.  I also drank an amino shake and forced the fluids.  By 10 am, I'd had over 100 ounces of fluids, in total...but was still thirsty!

I had a protein-heavy lunch with 10 ounces of beef, and ate another 6 ounces of beef jerky during the morning.  In all, I've had about 150 grams of protein, all before dinner.

I've continued to push the fluids, took my vitamins, and had another amino shake.  Although still not feeling well, Brian was coming over, so we had to lift something.  He's coming off of a staph infection, so he isn't 100% either.  We decided to do some light squat, so here is what I hit (no belt, no supports):

Weight Reps
Warm-up and stretch
Squat 45 20
135 10
185 8
235 6
275 4
385 4
Cool-down and stretch
15 min cardio

The last set about did me in.  I'm pushing the fluids again, and calling a 385x4 good enough for a day after food poisoning, or whatever I happened to have.

I'm hoping for a solid lift on Saturday, and that tomorrow will allow me to get back to being myself!

Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Staying Hydrated

I'm having a bit of a stomach issue, today, and since I obviously won't be lifting, I thought I'd address something relevant to my training: Hydration.

For me, hydration is incredibly critical.  When I don't hydrate sufficiently, muscles cramp-up easily, and when you are trying to move huge amounts of weight, it makes things nearly impossible.

I find that my hydration efforts, day-of, while important, are less important than the day/s prior, to the workout.  It is something for daily maintenance, and within a specific day, I have to make sure I'm drinking regularly.  That drinking consists of water, juice and milk, and I try to limit my intake of soda.  Drinking too much at once leads to a quick exit on the fluids, so slow and steady wins the course. 

Liquids are important, but equally vital are vitamins/minerals and good old salt.  Without enough of those, delivering consistently to the muscles, your hydration level won't be where it needs to be for high-level training.  I also like to make sure my amino acids intake is consistent and sufficient.

In addition to cramping, not being sufficiently hydrated leads to not-ideal blood composition and can lead to heart issues.  Definitely not something you want to be worrying about!  Personally, I can get dizzy if I'm not hydrated...not fun!

When you aren't feeling well, like today for me, you drink what you can and call it good.  Today, my crutch is a cranberry slushy from Sonic!  :)

As soon as I stabilize, though, I'll be hitting some MusclePharm Amino1, MusclePharm Combat and VisionPlus to get the nutrients I need back into my system...so I can lift tomorrow.

Make sure you are consistently hydrating!  Thanks for reading!  Check back tomorrow!

Saturday, July 12, 2014

High volume back workout

Today was high volume, with light-to-medium weights.  I worked up to about 75% on deadlift for 4 sets of 3.  That, I would consider as set volume, not rep.  I then hit rep volume on rows and flies, and rounded out with a good amount of abs and grip as I'll have until Tuesday to recover.

Everything felt pretty good.  The deadlift sets of 3 were done in part without a belt.  My abdominal focus was actually on low-back and obliques, due to the tie-in with deadlifting.  All the rows were done to focus on the bottom of my lats and rhomboids; they were more motion/angle focused, than weight.  

I didn't eat as much as I should have before the lift.  I probably only consumed 55 grams of protein, but did make sure to drink enough and actually had some Pedialyte. For those not "in the know", Pedialyte is great for hydrating quickly.  I also like to drink it the day before a big workout/event, to make sure I'm properly hydrated.

In addition, I had some MusclePharm Amino1 and Arnold Iron Whey before I lifted, and actually sipped the balance of both, throughout the lift.

As for today's workout, here you go:

Weight Reps
Warm-up and stretch
Deadlift (floor) 155 10
265 6
375 4
475 3
475 3
475 3
475 3
Seated rows 150 15
150 15
150 20
150 25
150 30
Back fly 20 30
20 40
20 50
Abs 60 350
Pinch grip 20 600
Cool-down and stretch

Brian joined me, but he benched.  This all took me about 90 minutes, give or take.

As always, thanks for reading!

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Full-body workout

Today ended-up being a full-body workout as I felt the need to hit a variety of things since I won't be lifting until Saturday, again.  I hit bench, front squat, calves, arms and grip.  It will feel good, tomorrow, when I can hop in the pool!  Speaking of which, here is a pic with my kids from the weekend:



I'm not in awesome shape, but not terrible, either, for 300 lbs!

So, here is my pertinent diet for the day:
  1. GNC Gainer Shake 20 oz. (50 grams protein)
  2. MusclePharm Amino1, 24 oz.
  3. Muscle Milk Shake 20 oz. (45 grams protein)
  4. MusclePharm Assault, 24 oz.
  5. MusclePharm Recon, 24 oz.
So far, today, I've had another approximately 60 grams of protein from food, and have had about 1 gallon of total liquids.  By the end of the day, I'll aim to have another 80 grams of protein and 2 liters of water...wish me luck!

And last, but not least, here is today's workout.  I hate front squat, but did it, and I had a really easy rep on bench at 365, so not bad!

Weight Reps
Warm-up and stretch
Bench 135 8
225 3
315 2
345 1
365 1
185 30
Front Squat 135 6
185 6
225 6
225 6
Calf raises 225 100
Kick-backs 45 170
Grip work Captains of Crush 100 160
Cool-down and stretch
15 min cardio

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

My latest workouts

I haven't had much time to post, due mainly to work, but also due to being out of town this past week.  I gave my body a bit of a break on protein/pre-workouts/amino/etc. and just ate.  I did take my Arnold Iron Packs from MusclePharm when trying to get some energy for my short workouts, but that has been it.

Here is a quick breakdown of what I've done for my last few workouts:
  1. Thursday (before heading out of town)
    1. Squatted up to 600 for a double
    2. Deadlifted up to 525 for four
    3. Some auxiliary arms, stretching and abs
  2. Saturday
    1. Seated overhead press on the Smith machine up to 275
    2. Standing DB press, strict, ran the rack from 70x8 down to 25x20
    3. Swimming
  3. Tuesday
    1. Overhead, push press up to 250, then 2 burnout sets of strict press
    2. Some supersets focusing on various shoulder angles
Today is a day off, but I will be swimming a bit for some cardio.  Tomorrow, the plan is to front squat and hit some arms and mid-back, so be sure to check-in tomorrow!

Thanks for reading!

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Strongman Event Day

I haven't had time to post since my last workout, so wanted to catch-up on Saturday's event day.  We only did two events, but got some nice volume on the log, and farmers.  On farmers, specifically, I was sprinting, but only did about 120 per hand, so pretty light!

In terms of food/supplements, I didn't have time to eat before the lift, so I sipped a MusclePharm Combat Cinnamon Bun protein shake, and also had some Assault with Glutamine added.  Seemed to do the trick, and get me through to lunch.  Later in the day, I had an Iron Whey shake, and between that, and the food I ate, was right around 200 grams of protein for the day.

No videos for this one as nothing substantial to report, but here is the workout:

Weight Reps
Warm-ups and stretch
Log press seated 120 6
140 6
170 5
190 4
220 2
220 3
220 3
260 3
290 1
Farmer's 5 total sets
Stretch and cool-down

The top 2 sets of log press were lock-outs.  I wish I could straight-up press that with no leg drive! :)

Thanks for reading!