Cleans and KB snatches

I am gonna start doing explosive type movements on mondays. Today went pretty decent.

Power Cleans
135 x 5
185 x 3
210 x 3
235 x 1 x 8 sets
Chuck was working with me on these, they are not pretty but are getting better. I am so used to continental cleaning that doing full cleans is so different for me.

KB snatches
70 x 5 each arm
96 x 5 each arm
70 x 10 each arm

Medicine ball slams
3 x 10

I am gonna try and keep the volume somewhat low on this day just a couple explosive movents and some core work.

Jesse

Sunday training

Even though I don't plan on doing much strongman this year, I am still gonna start doing strongman events once the weather gets decent. So for right now this day is more of a shoulder/bicep day.

Axle clean and press
warmup
230 x 3 these felt super easy
250 x 1 this felt like ass
230 x 5 x 2 sets both sets felt nice and explosive

KB clean and press each rep
53 x 5 x 2 sets each arm

Cambered squat bar strict press
3 x 8

Front raises supersetted with side raises
3 x 10 each

Hammer curls
3 x 10

Medicine ball slams
don't know

Time to start getting back in shape and getting more explosive.

Jesse

Upperbody day

My pec is still a little tight and sore, so I did bunch of high rep stuff to help get some blood into the area.

Push Jerks
175 x 2 8 sets 30-45 sec rest in between
Gonna be adding these in to hopefully become more explosive. It is rather an experiment right now, so I will see what happens.

Close grip bench
Super light weight 3 x 15

Flat DB presses
3 x 15

Cheat Curls
3 x 10

Blast strap Extensions
3 x 10

Conditioning
barbell complex 95lbs
fallout, pushup, row, press x 4 sets

Jesse

Deload day, sort of.

Since I plan on doing alot more Highland Games this year I am adding in alot explosive movements. Biggest thing is I have to learn how to do them correctly.

Snatch grip high pulls
135 x 3
165 x 3
195 x 3
225 x 3 these were rather sloppy, I like these and have alot to learn about them.

Snatch grip deadlifts
315 x 3 x 2 sets

Regular Deadlifts
405 x 3 x 2 sets

Bent over rows
135 x 10 x 5 sets

Blast strap rows
10 x 5 sets

Green band pulldown abs
20 x 5 sets

Overall, this workout was just about perfect and it helped me feel better.

Jesse

Cleans and Squats

I was supposed to squat on Friday but I competed in a powerlifting meet Saturday, so I skipped it. So I figured I might as well go ahead and squat tonight and start my deload Friday.

Was trying to do hang cleans, but I can't figure them out to save my life, so I switched to Power Cleans.

135 x 5
185 x 3
205 x 3
225 x 5 not bad, they felt good.

Back Squats
230 x 5
300 x 3
330 x 5 No reason to push it so I stopped here.

Sledgehammer swings
7 x 10 each arm rotating through the 12,16, and 25# sledgehammers

Situps with medicine ball toss
15#, 25#, 35#, 50# 10 reps each

Not a bad day, looking forward to switching things around and getting more explosive and hopefully getting better at throwing.

Jesse

Light day to workout soreness

Didn't feel too bad today, my pec/delt area was quite tender and sore but it will get better.

Strict presses
135 x 5
145 x 5
155 x 5
165 x 5

Push presses
185 x 5
205 x 5
225 x 5

Prowler from hell pushes
8 trips of 60 feet

Keg loads
200 keg x 5 x 2 sets

Just a day to get some blood flowing and feel better. Gonna be changing some things up soon, just trying to figure it all out.

Jesse

Midwest Powerlifting Championships Writeup

Today I competed in a powerlifting meet with my daughter. Honestly I left some on the platform, unfornately I got to a point due to some things that angered me that I really didn't give a shit what happened.

My daughter Gabby ended up deadlifting 99lbs, missing 110lbs. She psyched herself out for this lift as I know she could have done it easily, but she kept saying she didn't think she could do it. She got very emotional after missing it and it hurt me to see her miss the lift and feel bad. I think this also played a part in how I did.

Here is how I did.

Bench
1st 308lbs good
2nd 325lbs good Meet PR
3rd passed, tweaked my pec.

Deadlifts. During warmups, my daughter was lifting so I was running back and forth warming up and watching her. I didn't want to miss any of her lifts, as she would have been very dissapointed in me had I not been there.

Warmups felt good for the most part, but my pulled pec muscle was really starting to cramp up and I could feel it on my pulls.

1st 540lbs good and easy
2nd 578 miss really felt it on my pec here
3rd same

Strict Curl
1st 105lbs easy
2nd 115 lbs easy
3rd 125 lbs easy PR

Overall it was a good experience, and I am happy I did it. Gabby was so excited to win a trophy and I was happy to see her do well. My performance was ok, my deadlift pisses me off but what was I supposed to do. Quite frankly getting injured for a trophy is not worth it to me, so maybe I didn't push it as hard as I could. Now it is time to train for some highland games and strongman.

Jesse

Deciding what to do?

So a couple of months ago, I decided I was gonna lose weight. This is easy for me to do, as I have done it many times. But I found a powerlifting meet I wanna do and so I decided to bulk up. Now I am hoping things will work out for me and I will put up some big numbers this coming weekend. But also now I am wondering, how could this new bulk help for highland games competitions? I haven't been able to go throw yet, but I can tell in some areas I think this is a gonna help. But the question is, is it really worth carrying this extra weight?

I wanna succeed in highland games alot, I find it very challenging and fun. I also wanna succeed at strongman and powerlifting. But I personally don't think you can really do both of them at the same time very well. More so with highland games and powerlifting, I am sure there are people who can but I don't think I can. There is a possibility that I might not be doing many strongman competitions this year, as I think that if I wanna reach my goal of winning a B class highland games and getting to being an A class thrower I will have to maybe pick my battles.

I am still not sure as to my decision yet, really my body doesn't like the extra weight. My knees have been hurting alot more than usual, and I get acid reflux. But I guess that is the price you pay if you wanna succeed.

Jesse

Strongman day, an actual day of real training....

Finally had some nice weather, and so I took advantage of it and decided to train some actual events.

I deloaded on the overhead press
110 x 5
160 x 5
200 x 5

As this should, the weights felt light and explosive.

Super Yoke
550 x 60 feet x 2 sets
This felt so off, but the 2nd set felt alot better.

Farmers Walks
240 each hand x 80-90 feet x 2 sets
These felt alot better than the yoke did. My grip still sucks though, so I need to address this.

Duck Walk/Sled drag
200 duck/300 sled
This was super light and it sucked, I gotta get back in shape.

Did some shoulder accessory work and called it a day.

Jesse

Quick squat workout

Honestly didn't feel like working out at all, but I knew I had to do something. As I was getting warmed up my mom called and wanted to know if I wanted to go to dinner, I don't spend as much time as I should with her so I made it quick.

KB snatches
53 x 5 each arm
77 x 5 each arm
96 x 2 each arm


Back squats
230 x 3
280 x 3
315 x 5

I wore my new olympic shoes, they feel great but the did slightly throw my form off so I stopped at 5.

Ab fallouts
2 x 10

20 min done and out.

Jesse

A little ranting.............

So today I met a person who is a personal trainer and has been one for 8 years. So I thought why not pick this guys brain and find out some things. First he ask me is what certifications I have, when I tell him that I don't have one yet(all I have to do is take my test) he basically scoffs at me and starts bragging about his own certs. While I tell him nice job on all his education, hell I even complimented him, he basically told me that I would have no chance training people at his gym(this will remain nameless) as I probably don't know what I am doing.

So I then proceed to pick his brain about real training, which in turn he knew nothing about. I then told him, that I was glad that I wouldn't be able to work at his gym, cause I plan on training people in my own facility and I will train them with my own philosophy of training.

So this pencil neck twit says to me "sounds like you are gonna be a very broke trainer." My answer, I might be yes but I will be sticking to my own beliefs and doing things my way. Granted this guy wouldn't know what a real deadlift is, let alone a olympic squat. I may not have alot of education, nor do I have 3 different certifications, but I do know when I proceed on this journey I will be bringing 16 years of experience and mistakes, and I will do a great job on helping people get stronger, healthier, and in better shape. I just can't wait for the day that I am successful and by successful I am not talking monetary, just having some clients to train and helping them achieve their goals. When this day happens I just wanna let this guy know, in reality he could give 2 shits less, but it will make me feel better.

Jesse

Last upperbody workout before the meet.

Didn't know what to expect from today, I was very sluggish before my workout. It has been over 4 weeks since I have had any big amounts of caffeine, but I needed it today(thank you Jacked!!!)

Close grip bench
135 x 5 x 2
185 x 5
225 x 1
280 x 1 long pause felt terrible
305 x 1 paused terrible
325 x 1 paused best one 5# PR

Dips
bodyweight x 5
+35 x 5 x 3 sets
+53 x 5 x 2 sets

Assisted pullups
3 x 10

EZ bar curls
3 x 8

Grip work
4 sets

Behind the head extensions
3 x 10

I think that was it, overall decent day. Looking forward to deloading next week.

Jesse

Last deadlift before the meet

I really didn't know what to expect from today, I felt a little sluggish and was hoping I could follow through on my plan I had written out. Things turned out ok, not going crazy on Sunday was a good idea.

Deadlift from the floor, last heavy pull before the meet.

135 x 5
225 x 5
315 x 3
405 x 1
455 x 1
510 x 1
570 x 1 This is probably the smoothest and cleanist lift I have ever done in the gym.

Snatch grip DL
405 x 1 x 2
425 x 1 PR

Bent over rows
225 x 5 x 3 sets

Fat man pullups
3 x 8

Medicine ball slams 50#
2 x 10

Green band abs
2 x 20

Jesse

Good day in the gym

Didn't know how today was gonna go as my legs were sore as hell and I stayed up way too late. But it turned out great.

Axle clean and press
110 x 5
160 x 3
200 x 3
225 x 3
250 x 1
275 x 1 ALLTIME PR!!! Finally
285 x miss, got it cleaned, which is a PR of sorts, but wasted too much energy.

DBL overhand alxe DL
250 x 5

Stones
270 x 7 in 60 sec, shit this sucked. Gotta get back in shape as I am capable of 10 or 11 when I am in shape.

Hammer curls supersetted with band pulls to the face
8 and 15 x 3 sets

Blast strap pull scarecrows supersetted with curls
15 and 10 x 3 sets

25# sledgehammer x 2 sets of 15

Jesse

Lower body workout

Today was squat day. Since I haven't been able to consistently do my squats like I have wanted I have decided to restart at lower weight on my squats. Anyway I also knew that if I didn't have someone pushing me to finish my set out today, I probably wouldn't have so I hurry my squats before Mac had to leave.

Back squats
140 x 5 x 2
230 x 5
265 x 5
300 x 10

I used a belt on my top set,and it felt alot better and definately helped me from not leaning over so much. Thanks to Mac for staying around to yell at me to get all 10 reps, cause if he wasn't there I would have stopped at 5.

Triset
calf raises x 15, green band abs x 20, KB snatches x 5 each arm x 3 sets

Done in 30 min, spent.

Should be on to my goal of 400 x 5 on the squat hopefully by May.

Jesse

Upperbody day

I was a little rundown today, but no matter what I was gonna get a decent workout. Melissa and Gabby were my workout partners, and they had tremendous days.

Lets start out with Gabby
Deadlift
28 x 5
45 x 5
55 x 5
65 x 3
75 x 5 alltime PR for rep
Then we decided to get a little saucy
95 x 1 huge PR for Gabby, so proud of her.

Melissa had a great day on the log and stones
she got 125 x 5 on the log for a PR and managed to load the 210 stone for 10 singles.

My workout
Close grip bench
135 x 5 x 2
185 x 5
235 x 3
270 x 3
305 x 4
Add slingshot
315 x 5
Bench was not feeling great, and benching flat footed SUCKS!!!

Strict curl
I still suck, but not as bad

standing curls
3 x 8

Fatbar pressdowns
5 x 15

grip work.

Can't wait to get this meet over, I gotta change things up and get ready to do some strongman stuff.

Jesse

Deadlift day

Not the greatest day, but it wasn't terrible.

Deadlifts
135 x 5 x 2
225 x 3
315 x 3
420 x 3
480 x 3
540 x 1 was supposed to be 3, but that was not gonna happen today. Chuck must have know I was feeling weak today, as the hook grip challenged was laid down and 540 was the decided weight for reps. That bastard got 4 and he went first so he set the tone, unfortunately I was a puss today. Oh well 1 rep is better than no reps.

Snatch grip deadlift
315 x 3
335 x 3
365 x 3
385 x 3
405 x 3
All beltless. My first time doing these, and I have to say, I like them. I think they are gonna be a great assistance exercise.

KB rows supersetted with 35# medicine ball slams
3 sets of 10 wow that 35# medicine ball is a killer. Can't wait to get the 50#er.

Overall not a bad night, this snow sucks. I have already snowblowed once, and something tells me I am gonna have to do it again.

Jesse