Entry #230
I plan on recording the lifts for the initial week of this powerlifting routine for future reference.

Squats: 4 warm-up sets; 15, 10, 3, 3 reps (45lbs, 135lbs, 225lbs, 295lbs)
4 sets, 1 rep (315lbs)
Hyper extensions: 4 sets; 10, 10, 8, 8 reps (35lb plate over head, 45lb plate over head)
Weighted crunches: 4 sets; 12 reps (50lbs on chest)
One-armed dumbbell rows: 4 sets; 8 reps (70lb dumbbells)

Squats felt strong. Should go heavier next time. Actually, everything felt kind of light. Because the workout is shorter, I should up the weight next time since stamina isn't going to be an issue. I really regret that my gym doesn't have any bar chains or anything. I was reading about it on the West-Side site and it sounds like a cool technique. Then again, it's a miracle that this place even has free weights.

This is a busy week. I really need to get my ass into BJJ/muay thai class. It'd work so much better if the place was open on the weekends. I'll have to manage my time better.

Entry #229
New strength routine layout, taken off of Westside-Barbell.com:



Day 1 - Max Effort (ME) squat/deadlift
Squat/deadlift/good morning - Using one of these exercises or a
variation of them for no more than 3 consecutive weeks work up from a
warm up in sets of 3 until 3 repetitions are no longer possible and
switch to a single rep working up to 4 single repetitions of between
90-100% of your max.

Lower back work - Choose from glute-ham raises, reverse
hyper-extensions, half deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, stiff-legged
deadlifts (SLDLs), hyper-extensions or cable pulls - 4 x 8-10 (weighted
if need be to stay within rep range)

Abs - Any form of rectus abdominus work - 4 x 8-12

Lat work - Any form of upper back work such as wide grip chins, pull downs, barbell rows, cable rows - 4 x 8-10



Day 2- Max Effort (ME) Bench press
Bench Press of any of the above mentioned variations working from a triple to a single.

Tricep work - Any form of core strength tricep work such as close grip
bench, JM presses, Tate presses, lying dumbbell extensions - 4 x 5-10
Cable pushdowns - A variety of cable attachments may be used (flat bar, V bar, rope) - 4 x 8-12

Shoulder work - choice of either lateral or front raises - 4 x 10-12

Lat work - as above - 4 x 8-10

Biceps - Pick any bicep exercise of your choice - 3 x 8-10



Day 3- Dynamic Effort (DE) Squat
Box squat 8-12 doubles with 45-65% of 1RM

Lower back work - as Day 1

Side bends (or variation of external oblique training) - 4 x 8-12

Neck work



Day 4- Dynamic Effort (DE) Bench press
Speed bench 8-10 triples with 45-46% 1 RM

Tricep work - as Day 2

Pushdowns - as Day 2

Lat work - as Day 1

Biceps - as Day 2


Apparently the authors swear by box squats, touting their superiority
over traditional squats and, in one instance, power cleans. The
athletes' lifting records speak for themselves, though, so this should
introduce some good gains. Another claim to fame for box squats is
their induced recovery time and therapeutic assets, since the athlete
is using a lighter weight and being forced upon good form from the box.
Sounds like it'll be a great benefit for martial arts practice.

Entry #228
Love Fridays. Gym's always empty. This is the last week of ECO
training. Thank goodness for that because I feel like a dope typing
"ECO" in this journal. With a new routine I plan on adding the
supplement glutamine. It's expensive but it'd last a while. Also gonna
cycle off creatine for a week or two for resaturation. According to
abcbodybuilding.com, lots of guys have gotten gains by this mere
procedure. Hopefully I don't drop down in weight too much. I'm 207lbs
with
clothes on. Kinda funny how I'm never satisfied with this. A few months
ago I was ecstatic to be 180. Now I want to shoot for 250.

Entry #227
Broke my perfect streak and ate only 4 meals today, although they were
pretty big. Nevertheless I plan on kicking my ass tomorrow for this.
Probably could have squeezed in a fifth but opted not to for the sake
of an 8 hour sleep span. In big news, I'm looking at getting a car so I
can hit up muay thai and BJJ everyday of the week.

Entry #226
Since this is the last week of this program, I'll go ahead and record my lifts for the day.

Box jumps: 3 sets; 3 reps
Squats: 3 sets; 7, 6, 6 reps (275lbs)
Superset - Leg Extensions: 3 sets, 12, 10, 10 reps (205lbs) Leg Curls: 3 sets, 10, 10, 8 reps (120lbs)
Standing calf raises: 4 sets; 10 reps (400lbs - machine is at the max.
Need to switch to the smith machine to get a higher weight.)
Seated calf raises: 3 sets; 12 reps (185lbs)
Lying calf raises: 3 sets; 20 reps (300lbs)
Close grip bench press: 3 sets; 3 reps (135lbs - you're supposed to go light for warm-up)
Dips: 3 sets; 8 reps (was supposed to do weighted dips, but someone
jacked the weightbelt. I would have used a 45lb plate attached to my
waist.)
Skull-crushers: 3 sets; 10 reps (30lb dumbbells)

Lots of bodybuilding-esque stuff, but I've made noticeable strength
gains. It was a refreshing change, and I was introduced to weighted
dips, my new favorite exercise. Need to bring my own weightbelt from
home next time.

Entry #225
Every consecutive training session results in an improved aspect over
the previous one. Gains are good. Double-group routines are my new
favorite. After this week I'll be switching to a Westside program. Meal
plan has been extremely consistent for the past month or so. I should
break 210 soon (relatively speaking, at least). I've also been helping
George with his weight training. Consequently I should have a stronger,
more vicious sparring rival come spring break. They grow up so fast.
Shadowboxing in the mirror has proven to be a valuable training aid for my jabs.
And just a side-note: stop turning the fans on in my face in the weightroom. Seriously. If you want to cool off, don't train.

Entry #224
Weighed in at 201 lbs. Still not ready to cut. It'd be cool to get to a
high enough weight so that I have to cut down to 200+. Strength gains
continue to rise. No muay thai tomorrow, unfortunately, so I'm on my
own for the weekend.

Entry #223
Week 2 of ECO training. Strength gains are through the roof. Meal plan
has been extremely consistant and I expect to be able to cut in a few
weeks. On a sidenote, my legs are getting huge. I never took any before
photos for comparison, unfortunately. I've been really pounding my
calves during this, too. It felt like they were giving birth.

Entry #222
Went ahead and trained legs regardless of sore legs. I actually feel
better, and soreness didn't hinder performance at all. I missed out on
muay thai because of this. I need to get some practice done next week.

Entry #221
ECO training is deceptively simple. My entire body is sore as hell.
Great feeling. Squats felt as strong as ever. The leg training had me
hobbling like an old man. Worked the speed bag for a cool-down. I've
been taking more time to do some flexibility stretches at night as well.
Muay thai lesson on Friday. I still haven't heard anything more of
capoeira going on at the gym, though. I was kind of looking forward to
that. Hope it's still under way.

Entry #220
New routine is pretty weird, but more difficult than I anticipated. A
pleasant surprise. Gained a lot of strength on incline bench. Weight
still hasn't risen, though. I'll check back in a week. I've stopped
chugging gallon jugs, too. They just made me feel sick during lifting.
Worked the bag early in the morning. Jabs felt snappy, but I wore out my shins again.

Entry #219
Woke up early and worked the bag after breakfast. Worked on proper foot
shifting and not dropping my hands when I kick, a bad tendency that
I've picked up. Returned to the scene later in the day and had a more
extensive routine.
100 right jabs
100 left jabs
35 right shin kicks
35 left shin kicks
Five full-body rounds, three minutes each.

My shins were dying, although they're completely fine now. Ate a lot,
but only five meals in total. This is partly attributed to the fact
that it was all solid food today, of course. Nevertheless I need to cut
down the time in between meal times.

Entry #218
Obtained the schedule for the Academy. They're not open on the weekends. Explains a lot. I'll have to wait until Monday.
I think I can start cutting. Will put up post-bulk pictures soon.
Very anxious to do more cardio. Perhaps after the training routine
ends; the recommendation on it is no more than four weeks anyways.

George and I played Street Fighter and watched World's Strongest Man. I've had worse non-training days.

Entry #217
Should have kept up to date on these, but here are the lifts:
Bench: 225lbs, 4 reps
Deadlift: 335lbs, 5 reps
Squat: 275lbs, 5 reps

I'm restless. I'm calling this day off now so I can wake up early and work the bag tomorrow.

Entry #216
I post-poned the ECO training (wow, that looks stupid) until next week.
I want to record my three big lifts so I can accurately gauge how much
the new routine has helped in terms of strength. For today, bench
press: 225lbs, 4 reps.
Suffered a severe muscle cramp in my calf for what seemed like no
reason at all. Was pushing off the platform to do dips when it
happened. Possible reasons:
> Strain on my legs during bench press. Use them as a base, but don't have the muscles exploding out of the skin. Relax.
> Not enough warm-up. I ran for five minutes and did the warm-up
sets, but prior to the gym I was just kicking back at home, and then I
came here and suddenly got into training mode.
> I'm an economic girly man.
They feel better now, anyways. Heavy bag practice afterwards. Meal plan went great today.

Entry #215
Split on the new routine:

Monday + Thursday
Chest
Back
Shoulders
Abs

Tuesday + Friday
Legs
Calves
Triceps
Biceps

I've done single-group weekly routines for a while and I've had
numerous bitter (but very reliable) lifters tell me those are garbage.
Wonder if this'll actually make a significant difference.

Today was just a run to the park and back. This week should pick up a lot, though.