Tuesday, March 30, 2010 - Sled Dragging

Today was a beautiful day out so sled dragging was in order. I got a new drag sled built do Matanuska Barbell Specs. VERY COOL! What an amazing workout.

Sled Drags
60m x 6 w/95
60m x 2 w/95 + Greta
60m x 2 w/Joe (Bent over with rope between my legs)
60m x 1 w/Greta (Backwards)

Monday, March 29, 2010 - Smolov Box Squats, M.E. Close Grip Bench

Finally back in the gym after two days off. Seemed like an eternity. Had a great workout with Jason at Matanuska Barbell.

200m. Sled Drag with 70#

M.E. Close Grip Bench
45x3, 95x3, 135x3, 185x3, 205x1, 220x1, 235x1(PR), 240x1(PR), 245x1(PR), 255xF

Smolov Box Squats 10x3 w/225 (16" and 14" Box)

Really worked on form with the box squats while maintaining the Smolov programming.

Sunday, March 28, 2010 - Scheduled Rest Day

I had planned on making up Saturday's workout today but the hangover just didn't allow for it.

Saturday, March 27, 2010 - Rest Day - KORN SHOW

Went and saw Korn and realized I didn't fit in because I didn't have a black leather top hat, a kilt with a spiderweb on it, or any black eyeliner on.

So, I just hung out and had a few drinks.

Friday, March 26, 2010 - Smolov Squats and Shoulder Press

Squats - 135 W/U, 225 W/U, 7x5 w/285 (88% of 1RM)

Press - 5-5-5-3-3-3
95x5, 110x5, 120x5, 130x3, 145x3, 160x2

Thursday, March 25, 2010 - Scheduled Rest Day - Fly Day

Flew south today. Scheduled rest day.

Wednesday. March 24, 2010 - Smolov Squats

One more day of messing with Smolov. Tonight was AWESOME! It was painful. It was hard. I had to keep focused on form. I was tired. I was sweating. But all of the weights went up great. This program is awesome. I can't wait to lift again tomorrow night and then again Saturday. COOL!

Squats - 5x7 w/265 (80% of 1RM)

Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - Scheduled Rest Day

Scheduled rest day.

John Welbourn founder of CrossFootball. I will be doing a lot of CrossFit Football WODs in the next couple of weeks.

Monday, March 22, 2010 - Week 2 of Smolov Squats

This was the beginning of week 2 in my Smolov Squat adventure. Today I added 20 pounds to last weeks working weight. Things were a little more difficult on the last sets but I didn't miss any reps and the weight still went up really well if I focused on form.

In celebration of my Smolov program and strong Russian guys I shaved my stache just like Anatoly Pisarenko. He was a badass russian from the 70's and 80's and was strong as shit and......he had a cool stache.

Squats - 4x9 w/250 (77% of 1RM)

Anotoly Pisarenko

Sunday, March 21, 2010 - Scheduled Rest Day

Scheduled rest day.

Saturday, March 20, 2010 - Smolov Squats Day 4

I finished the first week of the Smolov Squat Cycle. I acutually feel really good about it. The bar is hitting the same place now every time on my back. My feet are in the same spot. Knees out. Tight Lumbar Curve. Pushing out on my feet. When I keep all of those queues in check and I focus on my form things move rather easy. I do still notice that I will at times lean forward just a bit and "Good Morning" the weight up just a little. If I concentrate though I don't do it.

I felt good through these sets and on the last one completed 6 reps and had room for more.

Smolov Day 4 (Week 1 Done)

Squats - 10x3 w/275 (85% of 1 RM)

I didn't do anything else tonight but eat and sleep.

Friday, March 19, 2010 - Smolov Squats Day 3

Day three of Smolov Squats. So far this continues to be manageble. The reps went up well and I was still feeling good about form. I even lost track on the second set and ended up doing an extra rep.

Smolov Day 3

Squats - 7x5 w/265 (80% of 1RM)

Butterfly AbMat situps - 2x50
Spread Eagle AbMat situps - 2x50

Thursday, March 18, 2010 - Rest Day

Scheduled rest day. I thought I would try and workout upper body but it just didn't happen.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010 - St. Patrick's Day Smolov Squats

St. Patrick's Day, my new day. I wore my green chucks in support of St. Patricks day and did squats in leau of drinking beers.

Smolov Day 2.

Squats - 5x7 w/245 (75% of 1 RM)

Pushups - 4x25

I was thinking this was going to be a little harder today. All of the reps went up rather easy, especially if I concentrated on my form. Next week I am sure will suck though.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - SLEEP Day

I needed some sleep today, so I slept.

Smolov Squat Program

The Smolov Squat Cycle

I have read a little about this program and there just isn’t a lot of information on the net about it. It was created by Master of Sports S.Y. Smolov and as far as I can tell introduced widely to the US by Master of Sports Pavel Tasatsouline. That is not to say it wasn’t being done into the US prior to Pavel’s introduction but it seems like information before Pavel’s article is slim.

The cycle is intended to start during the off season and peak for a competition. This program is very taxing on overall work capacity but many lifters have noticed a tremendous gain in their squat performance as well as an increase in their deadlift after each mesocycle and after the completion of the whole program. I will also be working upper body pulling and pushing during this program so as to increase press and bench press.

During this program the only gear I will be using is a belt, neoprene knee sleeves, and my Incredible Hulk green Chucks. Starting bodyweight for me is 205 with a 1 rep squat max of 322.5. The work portion of the program I will be participating is broken down into four parts.

1. Base mesocycle – 4 weeks
2. Switching phase – 2 weeks
3. Intense mesocycle – 4 weeks
4. Taper – 1 week

The first step at this point is to identify your one rep squat max as this will be the basis for all your working sets during the first 4 week base mesocycle.

Base Mesocycle (sets are listed first so 4x9 w/70% would be 4 sets of 9 reps with 230# for me.)

Week 1:

Monday – 4X9 w/70%
Wednesday – 5X7 w/75%
Friday – 7X5 w/80%
Saturday – 10x3 w/85%

Week 2:

Monday – 4X9 w/70%+20#
Wednesday – 5X7 w/75%+20#
Friday – 7X5 w/80%+20#
Saturday – 10x3 w/85%+20#

Week 3:

Monday – 4X9 w/70%+30#
Wednesday – 5X7 w/75%+30#
Friday – 7X5 w/80%+30#
Saturday – 10x3 w/85%+30#

Week 4:

Rest with D.E. Squat work. Work towards establishing a NEW 1 rep squat max Thursday or Friday.

Switching Semi-mesocycle

The two week Switching semi-mesocycle is now focused on mental and physical recovery with the focus being Dynamic Effort squat work. The focus will be speed and explosiveness. Deep squat jumps, Box Squats, Box Jumps. “The motto of the switching program is speed, and speed again,” explains S. Smolov. I will probably continue witih the same training days of Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. If I am in Palmer I will work with box squats, bands, and chains. All D.E. Work.

Loading Mesocycle

Following the first 6 weeks there is another 4 week mesocycle designed by coach I.M. Feduleyev. All of the percentages are based off of the NEW 1 R.M. that was set during the 4th week of the Base Mesocycle. During the 4 week Loading Cycle there will be a total of 134 lifts (44%) that will be in the 81-90% range with additional sets in the 95% range.

Week 1:

Monday – 65%x3, 75%x4, 85%X4, 85%X4, 85%X4, 85%X5
Wednesday – 60%x3, 70%x3, 80%x4, 90%x3, 85%x5, 85%x5
Saturday – 65%x4, 70%x4, 80%x4, 80%x4, 80%x4, 80%x4, 80%x4

Week 2:

Monday – 60%x4, 70%x4, 80%x4, 90%x3, 90%x4, 90%x4
Wednesday – 65%x3, 75%x3, 85%x3, 90%X3, 90%X3, 90%X3, 95%X3
Saturday – 65%x3, 75%x3, 85%x4, 90%x5, 90%x5, 90%x5, 90%x5

Week 3:

Monday – 60%x3, 70%x3, 80%x3, 90%x5, 90%x5, 90%x5, 90%x5, 90%x5
Wednesday – 60%x3, 70%x3, 80%x3, 95%x3, 95%x3
Saturday – 65%x3, 75%x3, 85%x3, 95%x3, 95%x3, 95%x3, 95%x3

Week 4:

Monday – 70%x3, 80%x4, 90%x5, 90%x5, 90%x5, 90%x5, 90%x5
Wednesday – 70%x3, 80%x3, 95%x3, 95%x3, 95%x3, 95%x3
Saturday – 75%x3, 90%x4, 80%x4, 80%x4, 80%x4, 80%x4

Taper Week

Rest Monday through Wednesday and establish a new 1 R.M. on Thursday or Friday.

Upon completing this program I will cycle back into the training as prescribed by Jason Brown at Matanuska Barbell using Olympic lifting, Powerlifting, and GPP techniques based on the Westside conjugate principals.

Monday, March 15, 2010 - Day 1 of the Smolov Squat Routine

I am starting a new program to increase my M.E. Squat. It is a 13 week cycle that is VERY squat biased based on a Russian program designed by S.Y. Smolov. I read that it was hard. I read that it was demanding. I read that it sucked. I also read that guys were adding 50 to 100 pounds to their 1 Rep Squat Max during the cycle of this program. We will see how it goes.

Day one.

Squats - 4x9 w/230 (70% of 1 RM)

Pushups - 4x25

Below are some pictures of "Work" Jason and I in the little Borough Gym.

Sunday, March 14, 2010 - Scheduled Rest Day

Scheduled rest day.

Here is a great video by Dave Tate teaching the Bench Press.

Saturday, March 13, 2010 - DB Shoulder Push Press, Lat Pull Downs, Back Thing

I spent a little bit of time downloading some articles from Dave Tate yesterday. A few had some different supplimental exercises. I wasn't able to make it to the little gym I normally workout at but I feel good about the routine I did based on what I learned.

Dumbbell Push Press - 5x10 w/50# Dumbbells

Lat Pull Down
20x80, 12x130, 5x160, 5x175, 5x190, 3x205, 3x220

Back Extension Machine
135x20, 190x20, 250x20, 295x20

Lifeline Back Expander Cable - 3x10 w/Green 80# Cable

This Back Extension machine was a funky one. It was sort of like a laying down deadlift. I don't consider myself strong but the machine topped out at 295# and I still did a set of 20. It hit my lower back pretty good but I thought I would be a little sore today. A bar and some plates to do deadlifts for about 1/10th the cost would have sure been the better plan to whoever paid for that gym.

Friday, March 12, 2010 - Squats, Romanian Deadlifts, Bentover BB Rows

Back at the slope.

M.E. Squats - 5-5-5-3-3-3
175x5, 200x5, 225x5, 245x3, 275x3, 295x3, 305x3

Romanian Deadlifts - 5x5 w/295
I used straps on these. The bar is just too crappy and slick. I was surprised at just how easy the straps made these.

Bent Over Rows - 3x8 w/135

Spread Eagle AbMat Situps - 4x25 (Legs not hooked on anything)

Thursday, March 11, 2010 - Scheduled Rest and Fly Day.

Flew North. Scheduled Rest Day.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - Box Squats with Chains

12" Box Squats with Chains - 145 + 120 Chains - 5x5

These things are a blast. The chains allow a fantastic focus on form and balance in the lower portion of the squat and allow for a lot of explosion when coming off of the box.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010 - Scheduled Rest Day.

Scheduled rest day.

Below is a picture of some Nose Tork smelling salts. I LOVE THIS STUFF. Does it work? Maybe. If nothing else it motivates me and the mental is definitely a huge part with heavy weights or in my case medium weights.

Monday, March 08, 2010 - Snatches, Cleans, and Floor Press

Snatches - 135 x 10 - 1 rep every 45 seconds on the timer.

Cleans - 155 x 10 - 1 rep every 45 seconds on the timer.

M.E. Floor Press - 3-3-3-1-1-1
165x3, 185x3, 205x3, 225x1, 245x1, 270xF

Sunday, March 07, 2010 - Scheduled Rest Day

Scheduled rest day.

Saturday, March 06, 2010 - Clean Split Jerks, Box Squats, Situps

The boys and I went to the 2010 Alaska CrossFit Sectionals to cheer on my friend Josh. What a motivating thing to see. Below is a picture of Josh from today and a picture of my friend Jay at the Northwest Sectionals. You both ROCKED!

Clean Split Jerks - 145 x 12 - 1 rep every 45 seconds on the timer.

12" Box Squats - 5x5 w/205

200 AbMat Butterfly Situps - 4x50

Josh at the 2010 Alaska Sectionals.
















Jay at the 2010 Northwest Sectionals.











Theron and Joe LOVED watching the Sectionals.











Post 200 AbMat Situps.

Friday, March 05, 2010 - Scheduled Rest Day

Scheduled rest day.

Thursday, March 04, 2010 - M.E. Squats

Just squats. I was sitting at the table and decided I needed to get something done before going to bed. I decided to just do some squats and ended up adding 7 1/2 pounds to my PR.

M.E. Squats - 5-5-5-3-3-1-1
225x5, 225x5, 225x5, 245x3, 265x3, 295x2, 322 1/2x1(PR)

Wednesday, March 03, 2010 - D.E. Snatch, M.E. Deadlift

I had a FANTASTIC workout tonight. Jason and I both added 15 lbs. to our Deadlift PRs.

D.E. Snatch - 115x10 - 1 rep every 45 seconds on the timer.

M.E. Deadlift - 3-3-3-1-1-1
135x3, 225x3, 275x3, 315x1, 345x1, 365x1(PR), 375xF

Strict Glute Ham Raise - 4x2 OUCH!

Jason pulling 575 for his new PR.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010 - All about the Kids.

Rest day today. I did get some workouts in for the kids though. Each one made up their own WOD. They all had a blast.

Theron's WOD - "Ni Ni Babies"
Three rounds for time - 5:24
5 - Rock Ring Jumping Pullups
5 - Ring Flips
5 - Double Box Jumps
Kiss all three babies.

Joe's WOD - "Butt and Balls"
Three rounds for time - 4:02
9 - 5# Ball Slams
6 - Jumping Burpees
3 - "Butt" Pullups

Greta's WOD - "4 Year Old Princess"
Four rounds for time - 4:02
4 - Pushups
4 - Kick The Rings
4 - 5# Ball Slams
4 - Box Jumps
On the last round the time was stopped when she kissed the baby head.

Monday, March 01, 2010 - M.E. Floor Press, Dips, Pullups

A.M. Workout
3x21 Barbell Thrusters w/95 - 3 minutes rest between sets
1:06, 2:07, 3:10

P.M. Workout
M.E. Floor Press - 3-3-3-3-1-1-1
135x3, 185x3, 205x3, 225x3, 245x1, 265x1(PR), 285xF

Dips
BWx18, BW+35#x7, BW+35#x6

Deadhang Pullups
9, 7, 9

Farmers Carry
350# x 100', 370# x 100'

Lots of stuff to post today. I worked out in the morning on my thrusters to improve those and then had a great workout at Matanuska Barbell. Below is a video of my 370#Farmer's Walk and Jason's 500# Farmer's Walk.