How to increase your bench!

Much like anything, variation is the key to increasing your bench.  There are a lot of workouts to choose from, and though you might not think of it, occasional overhead pressing will help your bench, and vice-versa.  I usually bench and overhead press, every week, lately, but never go heavy on both.  I also work in different angles, loads, progressions and elevations.  This week, I chose to stay flat, and do some full-range pressing, some 1 and 1/4 presses, which I may highlight another day, and varying heights on lockout.  Here is a short video to show a 1/2 lockout and what I call a top-end lockout: 

I was crazy sore today, so had to get a massage to work out the kinks.  Between Wednesday's deadlift, and yesterday's bench, my entire torso is shot, and I need to recover for tomorrow, so I'm eating and drinking a lot, today, but taking off on the supplements.

Yesterday, however, I took:

1. Amino1 with glutamine and creatine
2. VisionPlus multi
3. Cell Tech
4. Arnold Iron Whey

No EFA's yesterday as I had some salmon (and left-overs today).  I had close to 200 grams of protein, spread pretty evenly throughout the day.  I also stayed well-hydrated, and had to because I've had some holes in my sleeping, lately.

So with that, on to yesterday's workout:

				Weight	Reps
Warm-ups and stretch
1 and 1/4 bench				135	20
				225	12
Lockout bench (1/2)				315	6
				365	2
				415	1
				435	1
Lockout bench (top-end)				315	3
				405	2
				475	2
				545	1
				605	3
				315	25
Full-range bench to burnout				135	50
Curls				35	20
				50	12
				25	40
Medicine ball floor press superset				150	25
				50	25
Abs				60	80
Stretch and cool-down

Thanks for reading!

Traveling

Not sure about you, but when traveling, it gets really hard to get a workout in!  I've been on the road for the past week for work, and all I could muster was some light work in the pool and some cardio.  That's why I haven't been updating the blog for the past week, as there was nothing to report.

Yesterday turned out to be a pretty bad work day, so when I got to lift, it was a nice break and gave me some motivation to throw the weight around.  I actually went for a 615 lb pull on the axle, but couldn't seem to get it past my knees.  I take solace in the fact that it did come up off the ground, especially since I was tight through my hamstrings due to a week of "inactivity".  Progress is slow and hard-fought, but it keeps coming!  6 months ago, that wouldn't have budged. 

I've decided to start highlighting some of the nutritional choices I'm making.  I'm not a nut about things, so focus mainly on protein and not eating too much junk.  Yesterday, I consumed about 190 grams of protein and took the following supplements:

1. MusclePharm Glutamine
2. MusclePharm Amino1
3. Arnold Series Iron CRE3 (1-3 taken together)
4. MusclePharm BCAA 3:1:2
5. VisionPlus Eye Multi-Vitamin and Antioxidant
6. Salmon Oil softgels (3 grams of oil)
7. CoQ10 (4-7 taken together)
8. Arnold Series Iron Whey - Chocolate (2 servings)
9. Assault - Pineapple Mango

I had a blend of the glutamine, creatine and Amino1 to try to get hydrated before my lift (a few hours before).  I sipped the protein in the afternoon as I had a solid breakfast.  Lunch was two peanut butter and honey sandwiches, banana and yogurt, so I needed the shake.  As for Assault, I don't always take a pre-workout, but yesterday I needed it!  Dinner had a ton of milk and a good amount of turkey, so didn't need a second shake.

Around lunch I took the VisionPlus multi (which I actually manufacture), the BCAA, Salmon Oil and CoQ10.  I mix-up what I take at this time each day.  I cycle a few different multis, don't always do the BCAA, and use different Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs).  I'm a firm believer in variation while still targeting specific nutrition levels/standards.

Lifting is a key part of my efforts to get stronger, but equally important are sleeping enough (which I never do with 3 kids!), eating enough (and eating the right things), and drinking enough.  All 3 things are tough for me, but I do my best.  That said, as time allows, I'm going to try to incorporate a nutritional overview in my posts, if for nothing else than to be a good record for myself!

And here is yesterday's workout:

				Weight	Reps
Warm-ups and stretch
Deadlift axle				135	10
				135	10
				245	2
				295	2
				405	3
				495	1
				545	1
			all attempts only	615	3
				405	10
Axle rows				135	15
				135	15
Band rows high				150	20
				150	20
Band rows low				150	20
				150	20
Stretch and cool-down

Z-Press a.k.a. Savickas Press

I tried something new, tonight, that I've seen done, but never tried.  This taxes your back, and makes your legs work really hard to keep you from tipping over.  I don't think I could do much more weight than this, regardless of my ability to press, because remaining upright is almost impossible!  You'll see me wince a bit and pull my legs back because I nearly pulled my quads fighting gravity.  If you've never tried a Z-Press, or a Savickas Press, give this a go sometime:

Here is today's workout:

				Weight	Reps
Warm-ups and stretch
Shoulder band work				25	375
Savickas press				45	30
				95	6
				145	3
				165	2
				185	2
			shoulder hurting, stopped	145	4
Incline/decline press superset				150	40
				150	50
				150	40
				150	60
Triceps lockout medicine ball				150	15
				150	15
Curls burn-out				40	44
Abs				60	90
Stretch and cool-down
			5	min cardio

Axle deadlift

Brian is hurt and can't deadlift from the ground, so we pulled from the blocks, again, today.  We mixed it up with the axle to help him get ready for Master's Nationals.  I worked up to 605, and struggled a bit, but got it.  I then hit a back-off set of 10 reps on 405 and made 2 attempts at a double-overhand pull, but my grip was too fatigued from Saturday:

Not a bad day, overall.  I did the stuff after the deadlift fairly quickly to give the feel of doing some cardio.  Here is the workout:

				Weight	Reps
Warm-ups and stretch
Good mornings				115	10
				115	10
Block pulls (axle)				225	6
				225	6
				335	4
				445	2
				555	1
				605	1
			with 2 double-overhand attempts	405	12
Rows DB				75	24
				75	24
Curls				35	20
				35	20
				35	20
Abs				60	175
Stretch and cool-down

Tomorrow I'll be pressing, so check back!

Last two workouts

I'm super short on time, but I had a quick, but good, squat lift on Wednesday, and today was bench and grip.  We were going to deadlift, too, but ran out of time.  Here are the last two workouts:

6/11/2014
				Weight	Reps
Warm-ups and stretch
Grip work				25	200
Rows				50	50
Squat				100	20
				210	6
				300	5
				400	4
				450	3
				500	2
				500	2
				300	12
Curls				25	30
				30	30
				35	26
				40	24
				25	40
Abs				60	60
Stretch and cool-down
			10	min cardio
6/14/2014
				Weight	Reps
Warm-ups and stretch
Bench (bands)				100	10
				190	6
				260	4
				310	3
Bench (reverse bands)				275	2
				325	2
				375	1
				415	1
				225	20
Rolling thunder (various weights)
Dips				300	20
				300	20
				300	20
Grip (axle hold cumulative)				205	100
CoC				100	200
Abs				60	150
Stretch and cool-down
				min cardio

New Personal Record on Overhead Press

I'm bad at overhead pressing.  My overhead is about 65% of my bench and it should be closer to 75%.  I have shoulder impingement which makes the overhead motion painful at times, so I have to be careful when lifting.  When I stay up on my routine "rehab" work, I'm generally ok, but there is some ebb and flow to the pain.

Anyway, today turned out to be a very good lift.  I threw 270 lbs over my head.  It felt good, and perhaps if I hadn't done so much volume early on, I may have gone heavier.  By year-end, I'd really like to be pressing my body weight overhead, and I think that is a doable goal.

Here is a video of my top few sets (6-8 of 10), followed by today's workout:

				Weight	Reps
Warm-ups and stretch
Plyometrics				300	80
Standing overhead press				100	15
				130	6
				150	4
				180	3
				210	2
				240	1
				250	1
				270	1
			strict	150	8
			strict	100	20
Triceps bands				75	20
				75	20
				75	10
Triceps DB burnout				30	50
Abs				60	100
Stretch and cool-down
			5	min cardio

Heavy back workout with full body

Today's focus was on back, but also turned into a catch-all for what I couldn't work in, otherwise, this week. 

Here is a quick video of a super heavy medicine ball being used like a stone for back work:

While the ball only weighs 150 lbs, it sits right on your upper abdomen/lower lungs, so you basically struggle to breathe the whole time which makes a lot of volume impossible.

Deadlift was good.  I hit 545 for a double and didn't struggle too much, so a good sign.  The true coup, today, though, was a record for me of 18 reps of deadlift on 315 lbs in 1 minute!  It took a few minutes to recover from that, but it felt good!

Without further ado, here is today's lift:

				Weight	Reps
Warm-ups and stretch
Shoulder rehab work				25	500
Curls DB				25	24
				25	24
Deadlift				155	10
				265	3
				365	2
				475	2
				525	2
				545	2
			1 minute max reps	315	18
Barbell curls				100	10
				100	10
				100	8
Abs (weighted)				75	80
Medicine ball (half lifts)				150	8
				150	12
Bent rows (volume)				100	25
				100	25
Kettle bell swings				53	12
				88	12
Step-ups				300	24
				300	24
Calf raises				315	20
				315	20
				315	20
Abs				60	100
Burn-out curls				25	50
Stretch and cool-down