BEYOND STRONG: Shaf's Corner

Restoration/Flexibility

YRG "Strength Builder"

Did it for the first time today. A very nice 40 minute sequence. I like this even better than the old YRG 40 minute workout. Was dripping sweat about 15 minutes into it.

Feels good now, nice and loose.  My lower back is still sore and a bit stiff after yesterday's deadlift session.

Dieting again. Lyle's RFL.  That feels good too.  Should break 250 this cycle.

DL9

DL8:  531 Cycle3/Week3

DL:
WU, 375x5, 425x3, 475x5

-and that is that.  no belt, chalked up.  1 rep left maybe (RPE of 9).  I'm pleased with this, looking at the three workouts leading up to this, I was very confident.

Chins (over grip one set then kurl grip the next)
4, 4, 1/2/3, 1/2/3*

*these are ladders, with about 30-45s rest in between rungs.

BB crls:  135x2, 2, 2
Band crls:  2 sets of 30s max reps/speed (32 reps, 33 reps)
-ugh.  weak.  but interesting.

Uniball rows:  115x14

DL8

DL8: 531 Cycle 3/Week 2

Notes on the diet:  OK.  Rapid Fat Loss netted me about 11 lbs of weight loss over 6 day period.  I went off it for Father's Day, and stayed off it this week, merely eating clean and 'paleo-ish'.  I'm sitting at right around 256 today, down from a high of 263 at the start and 252 at the lowest.

DL:  wu:  135/225/315x3 (all hooked since I'm working on the damn hook grip)
350x3, 400x3, 450x8
-the 450x8 was easier than last weeks 425x8.  Probably due to a better fed state.  Excellent.  I feel very good about this set. 

Power Curl:
135x8, 185x5 (too heavy right now!), 135x8
-cuz Danny John said so!

Chin/Pull-ups (alt. over and curl grip)
3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
-these sometimes got a bit sloppy, but they weren't bad.

Uniball Rows
105x18
-damn, that's about all I could handle.

KB conditioning with 16kg

R OALC -50
L OALC -50
R Snatch - 50
L Snatch -50
R Swing -50
L Swing -50

19:35 to finish.  Not my fastest time, but I am worked.

RFL and DL7, and other sundries

Fat Loss!

Started Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss on Monday.

So far I've gone from 263 to 255 in 3 days.  I'm feeling pretty good too.  I'll have to try to get some pictures soon.  I plan on running it for 2 weeks to see how things go, then adjust from there.

This week's DL session:

DL7: Cycle3/Week1

DL: WU: 325x5, 375x5, 425x8
SSB Squat: Break in time: 155x10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Hanging Knee Ups: 5 sets of like 3 reps, cuz I'm pathetic

The 531 stuff for the deadlift is working very well for me. 

Sundries

I'm also helping out as a strength coach for a football team that an old acquaintance of mine started coaching.  It's a but if a clusterfuck right now but I can see things coming together.  It's about a 35 minute drive, so it's a bit of a haul, but it's giving me an idea about whether or not I want to pursue this sort of thing.

Highland Games 

Took second to Pickles McBain.

The Marks:

Open Stone
31' 1.5", 31' 5", 27' 4"
HWD
23' 6", 24', 25' 10"
LWD
48', 45'2 or something, then 46' something
WOB
13'
Caber
9:30 on one of the ugliest flips ever
LH
84' 9 1/2", 82' 2", then something else
Sheaf
Missed at 18'

DL6 + other stuff

Good one tonight. Combined bench and dl workout. Started around 9:20 PM ended around 10:20 PM

DL6: Cycle2/Week3
DL: WU, 365x5, 415x3, 465x5
-I was pleased with that last set.
(the nature of this cycle was such that it was spread out over 5 weeks.  I don't think I'll take a deload week)

CGBP: WU: 225x5, 245x3, 265x1, 235x5, 255x3, 285x1
-all of those were easy.

Slop surgs: 275x20, 295x20 (strapped up), 225x5 with a 5 sec pause at top.

PG Row surgs: 135x20

8 minutes of snatching the 24kg kb for 30s on, 30s off, alternating hands.
-12+12, 12+12, 11+11, 11+11

Got a good sweat worked up.

Now I have to stretch my neck and tarps, since I know from experience that I will wake up with a headache if I don't.

Last Few Sessions

Monday:

Bench:  worked up to a fairly hard yet crisp 335.  Maximal lift, but good form and speed.
Back work
Ring push ups

Tuesday:

kb work:
2 kb jerks: These suck so I am revamping my technique. I did 2 3 minute sets with the 12s and 16s.

2 kb snatches: 3 minutes with the 16s

swings: 10 minutes of 30s on, 30s off

SSB squats: 155x4 minutes ~12 RPM

Wednesday:

DL5 (531 cycle 2/week 2 - yeah, I skipped 2 weeks)

DL: 531: Skipped a week or two, so this is Cycle 2, Week 2.

340x3, 390x3, 440x6 (1 shy of what I wanted)

High rep shrugs with shrug bar - these are what Paul Kelso calls High Pull.  I am going to call them slop shrugs or something, since it's got a lot of arm in it.

135x10, 225x25, 275x22, 315x17

Kroc Rows: 85x22, 85x21 - I had a full stomach, these made me want to puke.