Training log 6/14:

Ryan McUmber

 

After a lot of anticipation to finish my bench cycle with a huge Personal record, I ended it on sort of a dud. The goal was to max out the week after the meet but if anyone saw me at the meet I looked as though I got hit by a bus. A common thing I heard that day was “you look awful.” Thanks. But you were right. 

 

Unfortunately from being sick I lost some weight almost instantly. Which always makes me worried about it effecting my lifts. Usually after losing weight everything feels exponentially heavier. So, being sick forced me into a deload week, where I only benched 135 for 5×3. This is far lighter than I usually do for my deload week. Most of the deloads that I like program usually decrease the volume but not the weight too much. This was sort of drastic since I still felt rough. 

 

The goal for that week was to try to gain some of the weight back and shoot for the stars the next week. But of course none of the weight came back on and I tried to bench heavy anyway but soon realizing that this was a mistake. While warming up I felt every pound of 225 coming down on me while warming up. Which made me come to the conclusion that it wasn’t there that day as bad as I wanted it. 

 

I am partly beating myself thinking about it. Maybe for not pushing it that day or thinking that I should have tried harder to put the weight on. Either way I am here right now and clearly  know that I won’t be able to hit more than 315.

 

So what now?

 

Time to start a brand new journey of 3 months of hypertrophy work, then 1-2 months of strength work, and a tiny little peaking block for my bench to see what I can pull off. 

 

Back to the football bar for reps on reps for the next 3 months. This week was:

 

Football Bar bench: 3×8 with 195 and a chain on each side 2 min rest 

Cluster set: 3x(3x3x3) 125 with a chain on each side. 

The way I do cluster sets is 3 total sets with 1 min in between the larger sets but 30 sec rest between the triples. So do a triple then rack it. Wait for 30 seconds and perform another 3 reps. Repeat a total of three times. 

Inverted Rows: 4×15 with 1 min rest 

Upright rows paused at the top: 4×12

Slow eccentric Tricep Ext.: 4×15 

 

Even though I didn’t hit my ultimate goal. I did 300 for 2 sets of 3 reps. A year ago 300 was my one rep max. I’ll take that. As for my squat and deadlift…absolute disaster’s… both of them, which maybe I’ll touch on in the next training log. 

Training Log: June 

I just finished up a 4-week cycle of circuit training.   Since I am not training for anything specifically, I have the ability to play around with my programming.  Toying around with programming is fun for me because A: it keeps my need for constant variety satisfied and B: it fuels ideas for UF classes. Here are my advantages (and one disadvantage) for this style of training. 

 

Pros:

• Timed rest

This worked so well for me.  I previously found myself falling off towards the end of my sessions so the timed intervals helped me stay focused for the duration of my training session.  It also helped me from getting distracted in between sets, as I tend to talk too much, break out in dance sessions and do silly/ridiculous/probably unsafe things with my training partner. 

• More bang for my buck 

I could jam pack tons of movements and exercises into a short amount of time. Most days I can only fit in an hour workout into my day so this style is great for getting that feel good pump and accomplished feeling.

• Two birds, one stone

Since the rest is short, there is a cardio aspect to this style of training.  Since my metabolic training these days basically consists of what I call “treadmill desk”, I’ll take the cardio anywhere I can get it. 

• Improved body composition

Part of this is due to my nutrition, as I’m currently in a (purposeful) caloric deficit but I am down almost 5lbs since starting this cycle. I feel leaner, with minimal strength loss. 

Con:

• Less ability to progressively overload

By sets 3 and 4, I am feeling pretty fatigued and instead of being able to increase weight, I find myself stalling out.  Less progressive overload means less strength gains, so I am planning my next cycle around fixing this issue. 

Here is the 4-week program I followed.  AM #powerful classes got a little taste of the circuits during their deload week last cycle.  If you try this out yourself, find a weight that is challenging but manageable for 8+ reps during the circuit.  Set up the clock to count the intervals & rest periods (don’t know how to set the clock? Ask me, I’ll show ya!) If it is a single sided exercise, make sure to perform the work intervals per side. Have fun! 

 

	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4
Incline Bench	4×8-10	4×8-10	4×8-10	4×8-10
A1. Floor Press	:30/:30 x 3 sets	:35/:25 x 3 sets	:30/:30 x 4 sets	:35/:25 x 4 sets
A2. Tricep ext
A3. Seated FB shoulder press
A4. FB Lat Pullover
B1. Cable Facepulls
B2. Cable Biceps Curls
B3. Inverted Rows
B4. Bench Dips
AB Finisher
Squat	4×10	4×10	4×8	4×8
A1. Bulgarian SS	:30/:30 x 3 sets	:35/:25 x 3 sets	:30/:30 x 4 sets	:35/:25 x 4 sets
A2. Step up
A3. Standing windmills
B1. Heel elevated close stance goblet sq.	:30/:30 x 3 sets	:35/:25 x 3 sets	:30/:30 x 4 sets	:35/:25 x 4 sets
B2. Back ext. glute focus
B3. Cable Pull Throughs
Leg Finisher: Park loop lunge
Standing OHP	4×10	4×10	4×8	4×8
A1. Lean away cable lateral raise	:30/:30 x 3 sets	:35/:25 x 3 sets	:30/:30 x 4 sets	:35/:25 x 4 sets
A2. Seated KB Curls
A3. Cable Rope OH Tri Ext.
A4. Banded Pulls Ups
B1. EZ Bar Upright Row	:30/:30 x 3 sets	:35/:25 x 3 sets	:30/:30 x 4 sets	:35/:25 x 4 sets
B2. Reverse pec deck
B3. Chest Supported High Incline FB Rows
B4. Incline Lateral Raise Hold
AB Finisher
Deadlift	4×8	4×8	4×6	4×6
A1. Staggered Stance RDL’s	:30/:30 x 3 sets	:35/:25 x 3 sets	:30/:30 x 4 sets	:35/:25 x 4 sets
A2. Stallion Squats
A3. GHR’s
A4. Calves on Leg Press
B1. Leg Press	:30/:30 x 3 sets	:35/:25 x 3 sets	:30/:30 x 4 sets	:35/:25 x 4 sets
B2. Wide Grip Cable Row
B3. Cable Standing Leg Curl
B4. FB SA Rows
AB Finisher

This past weekend, June 1st and 2nd, was the third installment of the Iron City Open. It was a successful, rain free weekend that brought about 100 lifters together from all over the northeast (and further) along with the USPA Ohio/Michigan based crew, the Union Fitness family, and the Pitt Powerlifting Team.

 

I don’t have all of the results or details in front of me, so I’m shooting from the hip here. But some highlights from the Union Fitness lifters-

 

Mariah Sanchez– first meet and hit some flawless looking deadlifts!

 

Steph Stahovic– first meet and squatted and deadlifted over 300lbs!

 

Robyn Greer– finally hit her 264lb deadlift!

 

Catlyn Brooke– hit a huge PR deadlift at 248lbs!

 

Leah Jakaitis– came back to the platform with no training and still had a great day!

 

Luke Koval– injury free day!

 

Ian Hunter- first meet and took second in his weight class!

 

Doug Upton– did not have the day that he wanted but was all smiles and looking forward to the next one.

 

Justin Zak– hit a couple PR’s and keeps building his total meet after meet!

 

Bill Henderson– learned that squats and deads are as much fun as benching! Huge squat PR for Bill!

 

Eddy Jones– 500lb deadlift!!

 

Coach CJ– first meet, Ceej took a cross country road trip the week before the meet and I think he was still feeling it on Sunday. Great first meet dude!

 

Richard Lewis– hit some heavy paused squats and had a great meet 😉

 

Cody Nyegard– big bench and deadlift PR!

 

Larry O’Donnell– Larry and I had a heart to heart. We’re going to spend a lot more time together in the coming months. Great effort and great passion. Keep working big man.

 

Marco Rigazio– old man Marco had a tough training cycle leading up to the meet but he held it together like a veteran and finished strong!

 

Alex Johnson– he had a strong meet and left it all on the platform, literally.

 

We’ll have a full recap soon. Great work guys!

Hi all! I am excited to share my first training log, even though it’s nothing special right now.  In Casey’s last training log, he began by stating that we all work hard but we all also struggle from time to time.  With that said, here I am as another example of honesty. 

 

The past few weeks my weight training has been pretty half-assed.  I get the work done but my mindset has not been as present, my sleep has been subpar, my appetite has been low, and the time and days that I train have been more scattered than set like usual.  This is the first time in quite a while that I don’t feel as energized to train, but it does happen and I am working to make these controllable factors change. 

 

I write my own programming for a few reasons, but mainly to help me learn my body and “practice” on myself.  I still love doing it, but because life has been much busier recently, I have neglected to spend much thought on writing my program.  Preparation is usually the key to my motivation and I have not been doing my part to feel prepared.  Without a meet in sight I also tend to feel like I am training aimlessly, even though I know this isn’t true. 

 

Over Memorial Day weekend, a few of my friends convinced me to bench in a meet with them. A powerlifting meet is something I have never done spontaneously but it was so much fun and a nice spark.  I have also decided on the Live Large Fall Brawl III meet on November 9th (with some of the UF crew wooo!), giving me another spark of motivation to work on my programming with more intent. 

 

The next few weeks I will be continuing more of an “offseason” style of training with higher volume, shorter rest time, focus on weak points, and more overall movement.  Here is one of my favorite recent training days:

 

Camber Bar Box Squat		Small Jumps, all x5
Camber Bar Box Squat		5RM
Belt Squat		4×8
GHR		4×15
5 pad elevated Rev. Lunge		3×20
Heavy Pull-through		3×12
Face Pulls		100 total
Pullaparts		100 total

How to D-balls: The Carry 

 

Sometimes there is nothing better than just picking up something heavy and carrying it. I love the barbell lifts but sometimes I just want to feel like a barbarian that picks some heavy shit up. The D-ball’s that we have perfectly satisfy this feeling for me. If you have never seen the D-ball’s before they look similar to the medicine balls but are covered in a near bullet proof thick rubber. They’re also much heavier than the medicine balls at 50lbs, 80lbs and 100lbs- I like to call this one the “Big Kahuna.” The regulars that come to my Monday Powerful Bootcamp class are quite familiar with my love for these awkward tools. The possibilities to use these in your programs are endless but I will stick with the main one that everyone loves to do: The Carry. There are a variety of exercises you can perform but this one is a staple. 

 

Did I say it’s my favorite? Just pure will of strength. This one is special for me, however; before “The Carry” begins it is crucial you are in the correct position so there are some technique cues I want to stress. 

 

The Start Position: Placement of the D-Ball

Make sure that the D-ball is placed directly in the middle of your feet. Visually if someone drew a line in the middle of you everything would be cut perfectly in half. 

The ball also needs to be close to you before picking it up, limiting chance of injury. If someone is looking from the side of you, the ball should be placed ideally in the middle of your shoe- the arch of your foot.

 

The Deadlift 

Just like every deadlift you want to bring your hips back, maintain a neutral spine as much as possible, and squeeze your glutes to pull the ball up. 

More often than not, people have an urge to start curling the ball – Try to avoid this, because you want the force to come from your hips. This doesn’t mean that your arms need to be straight but ideally staying the same degree of bent during the whole movement. 

 

The Hug

Do not rush this beautiful moment with you and the D-ball. 

After deadlifting the D-ball, take a second to place it in your lap. Possibly the best way I can describe it is to perform a wall sit without the wall. Meaning squat down with your chest up trying to place the D-Ball into your lap as much as possible. This position shouldn’t be strenuous if done correctly.

Once the ball is in your lap make sure to get it as close to your stomach and chest as possible. You want to fold your upper body over the D-Ball. Now wrap your arms around it to make this moment as special as possible. 

Once there is no space between you and the D-ball try to think about rowing the ball through your chest. The ball should not move but this will create more tightness and safety for your back. 

 

The Lift 

Once you are one with the ball squeeze your glutes as if you life depends on it. 

The power from your hips and glutes should be your ‘movers,’- how we get the D-Ball up. Everything else, specifically your back, should be stabilizing more than moving. 

 

Where do I put this thing? 

Once you have the D-ball up you might be asking “where the hell is this thing supposed to be?” Fantastic question. 

I believe with great posture, or as like to call it “big proud chest”, in the middle of your sternum with a tight upper back is the best place. But with female anatomy this can be difficult. So for the all the females out there, having the D-ball on a shoulder is perfectly safe as long the posture does not suffer. 

 

Like any lift, it will take some practice to perfect this exercise but I believe this will soon be a fan favorite. Each one of our classes are implementing it more and more due to the strength benefits and overall “fun”; depending on your point of view. So next time you want to get your heart rate up while challenging your strength, take some of these cues and pick one of they heavy D-Ball’s. 

In our gym, we practice what we preach. We eat well. We sleep eight hours (except our morning crew). We train hard. And we rest when we need to.

 

But we’re also human. And our team does a great job of being vulnerable, so that you all realize we go through ups and downs in our lives as well, both inside and outside of the gym.

 

I’ve had no desire to train as of late, so I haven’t. But that’s also wrapped up in two serious health related items- 1) I’m partway through a medication change for my UC treatment and 2) I’m scheduled for shoulder surgery next week. It’s arthroscopic and should be a pretty simple in-and-out case. I’m looking forward to it actually, so that once my gut heals I can get back to training hard again with a healthy shoulder.

 

I did train recently and it looked like this…

Belt squat 3 plates/side 10×10

Push ups, BW 10×15

Rest :30 after each super set

I was sore for a couple days afterwards so I know what I’ll be in store for in about six weeks.

May 17^th, 2019

Alexa’s Training Log

 

Hi, it’s me again. My training has changed and here is why. I was preparing for my very first powerlifting meet on June 1^st at Union Fitness. This is no longer happening. I was going through the motions, week after week and training was becoming a chore. I no longer felt any ounce of me that wanted this and I did not feel well, physically. My sleep was 4-6 hours per night (and believe me, I take sleeping seriously), my body felt fatigue and inflamed, the only thing that I had covered was my nutrition, mostly because it’s the only variable I could control in this situation. Basically, I was not recovering well. 

 

I had just returned from a trip, pushing hard to get back into my programming, but I could not get myself to push my body further. I knew it was time to make a decision. It comes down to this, my passion for powerlifting is not strong enough to continue this meet prep. This meet was supposed to be a fun thing for me. It was no longer that. Not even slightly. After I decided to nix the idea, I felt very sure. I’m not going to write it off completely and say I won’t try this again, but for now this is not my time to shine in that realm. 

 

So, what am I doing now? Well, I am moving and feeling great. That is what I train for. My intention is to feel good, train with many modalities, and body comp changes are always a plus!

 

I’m not getting away from weight training at all, but I am using a timed variation on my strength training for the time being- timed work periods and timed rest periods. The breathing is labored, the back sweat in flowing like the Nile, and I am feeling strong and well. 

 

Here is what I did today:

Deadlift	4×10@75%
A1. Staggered Stance RDL’s	:30/:30
A2. Stallion Squats
A3. GHR’s
A4. Calves on Leg Press
B1. Leg Press	:30/:30
B2. Wide Grip Cable Row
B3. Cable Standing Leg Curl
B4. FB SA Rows
AB Finisher	:40/:20
-Tuck Ups
-Banded In and Outs
-Classic Plank
-Cable Side Bends

If you’ve been in the Strength Lab, then you’ve seen some of our members using supportive lifting gear. I recognize that a standard commercial gym, like an LA Fitness or Gold’s Gym, (or other fitness place) may not be as open or accustomed to group weight training.  So if these items are unfamiliar to you, strap in (get it) and I’ll explain what they are and how they can help you.

 

We’ll start with a basic definition- what is “supportive lifting gear?” It’s any type of gear/equipment that aids a lifter. They can be worn to support a joint, help a lifter brace and support their back, or help with a mobility issue. This includes but is not limited to: Weight lifting belts. Wrist wraps. Wrist straps. Knee sleeves. Knee wraps. Etc, etc.

(For the purpose of this article I will not get into lifting gear- briefs, suits, bench shirts, etc.)

 

 

The Belt.

What’s it for?
The fore fathers of strength training learned that power, strength, and stability comes from our core. With that came the realization that wrapping a thick piece of leather around your belly and bracing into it (using your abdominals to create pressure that also supports your back) made them stronger. So a belt will help increase your strength once you learn how to use it to brace properly while under load.

Is it for you?
If you’re looking to improve your strength and technique, and add some pounds to your squat and deadlift, then YES! Ask to borrow one of ours, or one of our members, and see if you like it. Then we can direct you how to order yourself

one! The other cool part- these things last a lifetime. So it’s a minimal investment into your training to help make you stronger and keep your back safe
.

 

Wrist wraps.

What are they for?
These elastic wraps are used to support the wrist. They are not necessary, but can be very helpful for any heavy benching or heavy overhead pressing. But they can be useful if you’re dealing with a sore wrist or even coming back from an injury.

Are they for you?
If you like benching or doing overhead press but it bothers your wrists at times, then YES! Just grab one of us and we’ll show you how to wrap your wrists properly.

 

Wrist straps.

What are they for?
These non-elastic wraps are used in helping your grip strength. They can be used for pull ups, pull downs, rows, deadlifts, and some other movements.

Are they for you?
Have you caught yourself doing an exercise only to have your grip give out way before the muscles you were targeting got tired? Then YES, these bad boys are for you. You don’t need to use them for everything- otherwise your grip will never get stronger. But they are a great tool to use when you’re doing a row and your grip starts to get tired- throw the straps on with our help and now you’ll be able to finish the set and get the most out of that particular exercise.

Knee/Elbow sleeves.

What are they for?
This is a piece of equipment that is probably a little more familiar than some of the aforementioned items. Knee sleeves are used to stabilize the knee (to a small extent) and to keep the joint warm.

Are they for you?
Do you have achy knees or elbows? Then YES! This one is pretty cut and dry. Try them- and if they feel good, then wear them!

Knee wraps.

What are they for?
Originally lifters started using ace bandages to provide stability to their knees while squatting. Naturally that progressed into the invention of elastic and heavy duty knee wraps so lifters could lift more weight because they would get some spring and rebound out of their squat if they wrapped their knees tight enough.

Are they for you?
Honestly, if you’re not competing, then I’d say you can avoid this piece of equipment. They’re fun because you can put them on and instantly squat a few more pounds, but unless you get hardcore with wrapping them, the knee sleeves may be a more comfortable bet for you.

 

 

There are a handful of other items that I didn’t dive into- something as simple as chalk or weightlifting shoes (flat soles or heeled shoes)- can aid. your lifting as well. But for the time being, this is a start! If you are thinking about buying any of this equipment, ask! Our staff can help determine what will be most helpful for you.

Also thank you to our friends at EliteFTS for their images and indestructible equipment. You can find all of the above mentioned items at www.elitefts.com

It’s finally spring, which means I’m running again!

 

I honestly couldn’t be happier that:
The weather is finally nice enough for a fair-weather runner like me
My knees and hips are holding up despite my injury history (soccer, bad lifting when I first started)
I was getting some yoga classes in over the winter, but now I feel reinvigorated in creating a new training schedule and plan.

 

I absolutely hated running when I played soccer. It was a punishment, something I did because my coaches made me. I struggled to get a few miles of a straight run in because it felt “pointless.” I could run for 90 minutes in a game or two hours in scrimmages no problem because there was a purpose behind it, but couldn’t translate that to a 5k. Now that I’m older, I’ve put that mindset behind me and have found running to be truly cathartic. It’s not a true meditation at all, but it does give me a unique space to think and let my thoughts run wild (pun 1000% intended) in a constructive way. Plus, I get to enjoy even more of what Pittsburgh’s North Side has to offer on the river trail!

 

Adding more intense cardio back into my training schedule means rethinking how I structure my weeks and even my individual strength workouts. I’m still strength training ~5 workouts per week, utilizing 5/3/1 for my squat/bench/deadlift/overhead press (I really care about having nice shoulders, what can I say?), with an additional day focused on pull-ups and some bodybuilding. I’m also now running up to 5x per week, including a lot of what are often referred to as “junk miles.” This is very different from how I’ve done it in the past, where I’d keep running to no more than three times per week, sometimes even down to two.

 

Why the change? I’m not giving weight training the same priority I did in the past. My goals in lifting right now are still simply to regain some size and some minor strength gains (to see if I can gain back or at the very least maintain my strength while working on my health). So that means I can be a little more liberal with running, which helps keep me feeling mentally sharp (and sane).

 

My basic layout looks like this:

Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
Bench	Squat	Back	Rest	Deadlift	Press	REST!
Mid Run	Row/Run	Ski/Row	Short Run	Elliptical	Long Run

 

The other big change is what my assistance work contains. Lower body days are more heavily focused on building my core and posterior chain, ie the glutes, hamstrings, and back, plus a lot more single-leg work. I’m using different variations on the typical back squat that are still very taxing but require less straight weight and therefore a little less strain on my knees and quads. I’ve included one of my favorite supersets here – a weighted single-leg squat to the box (at parallel), right into a single-leg Romanian deadlift.

 

 

I’m still taking a full lifting deload every 4th week, and still get to move some heavy weight! As I’m writing this, I benched 5 singles at 165, and I’m looking forward to pulling around 325 on Friday! It takes some balance but it feels gooooood to be back!