Training for the IPA Buckeye Brawl on December 1st. Programming by Dave Tate in italics.

 

10/7 ME Upper

  • Warm Ups
  • 2 sets each various shoulder raise and push downs. Again this is just warming up. I would also put it 1-2 sets of hanging leg raise and GHR’s Also include shoulder circuit for 1 rotation.

 

  • Chain Press off Chest (work up to max)
  • Warm up and then work up to 1 rep max.
  • *Do not miss a rep.

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SPOILER ALERT I MISSED A REP.

 

Wow I’ve only had a log for like two weeks and I think this is the second time I had to type that.

People espouse many reasons why you shouldn’t miss a rep in training. Dave’s rationale is this:

“The worry is falling out of technique with a very heavy load. Most misses don’t just stall out. Bad things can happen. It’s also unnecessary to push that close to the edge unless there’s an advantage that’s worth the risk.”

I'm not even going to touch on this more because it is apparent that I don't always listen. I'm sure most people can relate to just wanting to DO SHIT and do MORE OF IT. It is hard to cut it when you hit that rep that slows down but isn't a complete and total 100% grind and you have a certain goal in mind.

Two weeks ago we did the same movement to a red shoulder saver (about the equivalent of a 1-1.5 board) and I got up to 185 in bar weight and 8 total chains. So, like a dummy, I thought I should hit something similar to that off my chest since a whole two weeks had elapsed and I had gained two weeks’ worth of strength (OK….)

 

I DIDN’T. Not even close. I kept the bar weight at 135 and went up in chains from there and failed about halfway up (you know when the chains kick in) with 6 chains on each side.

 

1)      I went up in bar weight instead of chain weight the first time around because at a certain point the chains get all piled up and twisty and just create a fuckery of metal instead of accommodated resistance.

2)      I should have done the same thing this time but I didn’t. I also should have jumped a half chain instead of a whole chain after the 5 chains per side but I didn’t. So next time I will.

Dave also pointed out that my shoulders were not tucked back and my chest wasn't high enough so I have to work on that.


 

  • Extensions (any type)
  • You can pick the sets and reps but when it all done should be 80 total reps

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We have high rep extensions in the program frequently now so I try and alternate between standing cable extensions and lying dumbbell extensions or some variation thereof.


 

  • Overhead Press 
  • 4 sets 5-8 reps

 -

Well apparently you do less weight on these after you fry your tris.

I did a quarter and a five on each side on the angle bar.


 

  • Lat Pull Downs 
  • Do 2 sets with 3 different handles for a total of 6 sets of 8-10 reps

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I try to use a regular lat pull handle with a wide grip, a handle with a narrow grip, and one handle where my hands face eachother. I do about 120 for these.


 

  • Pull Down Abs 
  • 3 sets of 8-10 reps

-

Here is my video tutorial of standing pull down abs. And by video tutorial I mean a video with words underneath it.

If you have an attachment like the one in the video ( some sort of fabric handles), it is preferable. I grab it and pull it down to my neck. Please leave your autoerotic asphyxiation jokes in the gutter this is a family friendly place. You want to snap down as low as you can go (I say snap down instead of crunch because I am trying to lower my torso with speed and force). The movement is coming from the hips as opposed to being a crunch. Then try to stand back up fully so the cable is pulling you straight up and you feel a stretch in your hip flexors. Not only is this ab work but hip flexor work which should transfer over to your squat better than a seated or isolation based ab movement. This is actually the first training cycle I’ve had these in so we shall see about that. Unless my squat sucks then I will go off the grid and you will never hear from me again.

Also I am not standing straight up enough at the top with these and letting the cable stretch my body out. LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES.

You don’t want your butt or back against the machine FYI.

 


 

Free Time

15 minutes - do whatever you want. Nothing under 10 reps and nothing over a level 4 

 

I tried to do some upper back work I accidentally neglected earlier in the week as well as some lighter shoulder isolation movements. I also did grip work.


 

I really enjoy having newer lifters come in that I can swoop in on like an eagle piercing the flesh of a fish with its sharp talons and in this case the talons are my limited insights and the fish is, well, their new lifter flesh.

I spent a lot of time today working with one of our newer lifters who is getting ready for their first meet. I was honestly pretty shitty about not having my shit bench go in a not shitty direction. It is nice to have the gym be about something other than just my lifting though.

I am not the most experienced lifter in the gym and I really appreciate that Dave has pushed me to work with lifters that come in regardless of their experience. Aside from my incessant training questions, I also try to learn how to coach people: what to look for, how to correct and communicate. I wish I had something more insightful to say but it really just boils down to loving the sport, wanting to learn more about lifting, and wanting to help people the way other people have helped me.

I also see so many gyms where there is a lack of coaching and cueing and training together. EliteFTS will never be one of those places.


 

As we were finishing up, Dr. Tyrel’s lady friend, Margaret (who is getting ready for her first meet) referred to powerlifting as being both “fun and frustrating” to which I screamed out across the room “FUNSTRATING”.

After I high fived myself for my ability to combine two words together and yell it loudly, I wondered “Is powerlifting fun? Was it fun for me when I started?”

Someone once asked me if I enjoyed lifting and after a little bit of pondering I said “I don’t know. It’s not an addiction. It’s just something I feel compelled to do no matter what. Whether it is good or terrible and I don’t have a good answer”. Then I was like “ha” but not “ha” in a funny way but “ha…” in a way where you trail off and need to evaluate your life.

I remember crying after my first few meets because they were so shitty and I sucked so badly. Maybe at a later date I will go into detail about how competing was for me initially because it was terrible and full of anxiety and I didn’t have the wherewithal to fix what I was doing wrong with my lifting so it was a general clusterfuck. I don’t cry anymore but if I hit a number that was a “goal” I just feel like it’s time for a new goal and that the goal didn’t really mean shit except another stepping stone to get to a better goal (which will then probably not mean shit). I have no idea if it is fun but it sure is a compulsion to get better and stronger and be less shitty.

 

Wow that is some uplifting shit.