Whats the idea behind the hanging plate? Just for added stabilzer work?

IW

^^ Yup. It makes the exercise I absolutely detest a hella lot more fun :p

Beginning Thoughts:

This is last night's workout. I have such a love-hate relationship with the Front Squat. I love FS and it hates me :(

Workout:

Front Squats:
255 lbs x 2 reps
275 lbs x 1 rep
285 lbs x 1 rep
295 lbs x FAIL
295 lbs x 1 rep
Oh man....This destroyed me. The bar rolled forward in 295 on the ascent and I had to dump it. I got the weight on my second attempt though.

Front Squat Cluster Sets:
(225 lbs x 1 rep x 4 minisets) x 1 set
(225 lbs x 2 reps x 4 minisets) x 1 set
Did 2 sets here. Tired the shit outta me. If anyone is wondering: you do clusters by choosing a weight, doing some reps, resting for 20 seconds, doing some more reps, rest for 20 seconds and then do some more reps, etc. I have these two sets on video but I warn you that they are VERY boring because of all the waiting around I did.

Cable Pull-throughs:
90 lbs x 10 reps x 3 sets

Farmers Walks:
110 lbs x 2 trips x 3 sets

Jackknife Pikes on a Swiss Ball:
BW x 7 reps x 2 sets

Videos:

Front Squats, Cluster Sets, Pull-throughs, Farmers Walks and Jackknife Pikes on a Swiss Ball. WARNING: VERY LONG!:

YouTube

Overall Impression:

The workout was pretty decent. I am happy with 295 on the Front Squats. The Cluster Sets were really difficult (mentally) to go through.

Beginning Thoughts:

Went in on Tuesday again....

Workout:

Pistol Squats:
7 + 7 + 7 = 21 reps
My form went to complete shit come the 3rd set. I was pretty pissed off about this.

Pull-ups:
BW x 3 reps x 3 sets
BW + 20 lbs x 3 reps
BW + 35 lbs x 3 reps
BW + 50 lbs x 2 reps x 2 sets
BW + 40 lbs x 1 rep
Total Reps = 20
Decent session.

Banded Bench Press:
Orange short band x 10 reps x 2 sets
A friend of mine bought these bands so I thought I'd be the first to break them in :D

Renegade Rows:
50 lbs x 7 reps x 3 sets

Alternating 1 Arm 1 Leg Front Planks:
BW x 60 seconds x 3 sets
I got this one video.

Videos:

Pistol Squats, Pull-ups and Core Training:

YouTube

Overall Impression:

I hope everyone's having a good week. Thanks for reading! :)

Beginning Thoughts:

I went in last night got this workout in....I have finals going on this week and the next and I had just consumed 4 scoops of protein and 2 chicken breasts over the course of the whole day before I hit this workout.

Workout:

Deadlifts:
415 lbs x 1 rep (91%)
435 lbs x 1 rep (96%)
455 lbs x 1 rep (100%)
455 lbs x 1 rep (100%)
425 lbs x 2 reps (93%)
I was supposed to get in 9 Singles but I slept in such a weird position my upper trap was hurting and in extreme pain and my form went to shit....I applied some tiger balm at night but it's still hurting today though the pain has subsided considerably.

Weird Ab Exercise:
BW x 6 reps x 3 sets

Pallof Press:
32.5 lbs x 12 reps
37.5 lbs x 12 reps
42.5 lbs x 12 reps
47.5 lbs x 12 reps

Videos:

Deadlifts and Core Training:

YouTube

Overall Impression:

My diet has gone to shit recently but I am making changes. And I hope my trap heals up. I hate it when I get these tweaks...and I got it while sleeping!

Beginning Thoughts:

This is Friday's workout. Tonight I'm gonna go do Squats...

Workout:

Military Press:
175 lbs x 1 rep (95%)
185 lbs x 1 rep (100%)
185 lbs x 1 rep (100%)
175 lbs x 2 reps (95%)
155 lbs x 5 reps (83%)
I weighed in at 190 lbs that morning. I am pretty pleased with this workout. The Press was definitely hard and 185 was a bit of a grinder but I think all this cross-training of bench and dips have definitely helped me.

Dumbbell Rows:
120 lbs x 3 reps x 3 sets
My calluses were hurting a lot after Deadlifts on Thursday and I've ripped some flesh off my palms. So it was very painful to do this exercise which is why I cut it a bit short. I need to figure out what to do about this problem I have with my calluses.

Wide Grip Pull-ups:
BW x 5 reps x 5 sets

Cable Rows:
170 lbs x 10 reps x 3 sets

Lat Pulldown Crunches:
80 lbs x 10 reps x 2 sets

Videos:

My Military Presses:

YouTube

My boy Conner Wilson hit a 715 Box Squat @ 18 years of age:

YouTube

Overall Impression:

I'm done with 2 finals and I have 2 left: Wednesday and Thursday. After that I am a free bird lol...

I hope everyone's having a good weekend.

I went and saw Invictus last night. What an awesome movie. "I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul."

715lb @ 18yrs of age.... crazy!

Are you training this guy or just know him?

IW

^^^ He's the latest member of GUStrength and he's been consulting me regarding his program over the last 4 months. His Box Squat has gone from 675 to 715.

Conner is a freshmen football player from Arizona and has aspirations to become a professional strongman or a bodybuilder or a powerlifter. In any case, his focus is on strength training.

Conner's Squat workout roughly involves some heavy box squats to a bench, some deep ass to grass front squats with 315+ and some deep ass to grass back squats with 400+. His training is extremely impressive to me and I think the only reason he survives his training is because of the sheer amount of clean food he consumes. I have never met a more dedicated trainee who is only 18 years old.

To directly answer your question: No, I do not train Conner. We do train together most of the time though, but he's not a trainee of mine. He is an avid reader of Eric's and Kane's articles on GUS and our latest member though :)

Beginning Thoughts:

I am going to be starting the 4 squat workout this Mesocycle. I dunno how long I will run it but I am going to gradually get into it. This session involved only 3 squat variations but come next week I will add in the 4th variant.

Workout:

Overhead Squats:
135 lbs x 3 reps
145 lbs x 3 reps
155 lbs x 3 reps
175 lbs x FAIL
I am just getting back to doing this exercise. It wreaks havoc on my shoulders and whenever I start doing this exercise after a big layoff (in this case a month or two), I need to relearn it in terms of hand placement. As you can see in the video, my sets with 135 and 145 lbs were kinda shoddy but my form was spot on with 155. Thats because through trial and error I finally found the sweet spot for my grip on the bar come 155 lbs. Too bad I lost it and failed at 175 though.

Front Squats:
225 lbs x 5 reps
255 lbs x 3 reps
275 lbs x FAIL
275 lbs x 1, FAIL
I am in a dilemma about this exercise. I tried using the clean grip with wrist straps (coz I lack wrist flexibility) but it feels extremely unstable on my shoulders. With all my shoulder injuries, this grip makes me feel like I am ripping my shoulders out and I don't know how to hold the bar in place. If I use that gay ass cross grip, I end up making the bar roll forwards as what happened with 275 lbs. Also, the safety bars distract me for some reason because they make me want to touch them on every rep. I've spent so much time doing Anderson Front Squats that regular front squats baffle me at times!

Back Squats:
275 lbs x 5 reps
305 lbs x 3 reps
335 lbs x 1 rep

Farmers Walks:
110 lbs x 2 trips x 3 sets
120 lbs x 2 trips
Finally moved up to the heaviest dumbbells in my gym (which isn't saying much).

Pallof Press:
37.5 lbs x 12 reps
42.5 lbs x 12 reps
47.5 lbs x 12 reps

Videos:

Overhead Squats, Front Squats, Back Squats and Farmers Walks:

YouTube

Also, here is my boy Paul who doesn't believe in Pre workout nutrition who almost got killed doing Full Clean and Presses with 205 lbs:

YouTube

Overall Impression:

Decent workout...Time to get back to studying. Tomorrow is going to be Pistol Squat Day.

I hope everyone had a fun weekend! Thanks for reading!

Nice squat day!

You should tell your buddy paul he is lucky but also that he could add some leg drive into his jerk for an easier press portion. I'm still very impressed though he pretty much did a strict military press with 205.

IW

Paul weighs like 220 and he put up 205. Pretty cool...

Beginning Thoughts:

This is last night's workout...

Workout:

Pistol Squats:
7 + 4 = 11 reps
Decided to cut this short today. I wasn't feeling it and my legs were too sore for me to control my form properly.

Pull-ups:
(BW + 20 lbs x 2 reps x 5 minisets) x 3 sets
Total Reps = 30
Decided to do a cluster set for this today. I got all 3 sets on video...

Dumbbell Rows:
120 lbs x 4 reps
120 lbs x 2 reps x 3 sets
I absolutely hate it when my calluses hurt like this. It makes lifting VERY hard.

Unilateral Lat Pulldowns:
60 lbs x 8 reps x 3 sets

Lying Dragon Flags:
BW x 7 reps x 3 sets.

Videos:

Pistol Squats & Pull-ups:

YouTube

Overall Impression:

Nothing special to think about. I need my calluses to heal because they're beginning to really piss me off!

Beginning Thoughts:

I am finally done with exams. I leave for my hometown Bombay, India come Saturday afternoon. I am not looking forward to spending 20 hours on a freaking plane....I will workout tomorrow (Friday) and then I'll be gone for 2 days that it takes to travel to India. Then once I am home I'll be back online as regularly as always.

Workout:

Deadlifts:
415 lbs x 3 reps
455 lbs x 1 rep
475 lbs x 1 rep
455 lbs x 1 rep
I was supposed to do 3 singles. This is the last week of the Singles Training. Next week I begin clusters.

Videos:

Deadlifts:

YouTube

Overall Impression:

Diet has been super-gay during these exam weeks. I think I've gained 5 pounds just from eating tacos every night.

One of the cuisines which I really miss when I am home in Bombay is Mexican food. Otherwise, I'm all set to go :D

I hope everyone's had a good week. Friday is almost here and so is the weekend! :)

Wow, nice grinder! You're closing in 5 hundo!!

IW

Thanks, IW. :)

nice pull.


put down the taco's :)

Thanks, Pity.

Tacos will be put down because they don't have them Tacos in Bombay unfortunately.

Beginning Thoughts:

This is yesterday's workout. I leave for Bombay in 20 minutes so I'm gonna me this quick...

Workout:

Incline Close Grip Crazy Bell Bench Press:
155 lbs x 5 reps
175 lbs x 3 reps
195 lbs x 2 reps
215 lbs x FAIL
185 lbs x 2 reps
This was super hard lol...

Dumbbell Rows:
120 lbs x 3 reps x 5 sets

Pull-ups:
BW x 8 reps x 3 sets
Definitely a PR...

Cable Rows:
170 lbs x 10 reps x 3 sets

Weird Ab Exercise:
80 lbs x 6 reps x 3 sets

Videos:

Press, Rows and Abs:
http://www.ironscene.com/play_hd.php?vid=3511[/url]

Overall Impression:

Time to go...

Safe journey!

Thanks. Just got back :)

Beginning Thoughts:

So I arrived at 5 am today. I slept a lot on the plane...

Workout:

Overhead Squats:
135 lbs x 5 reps
145 lbs x 5 reps
155 lbs x 4 reps, FAIL on 5th

Front Squats:
225 lbs x 5 reps
255 lbs x 4 reps
265 lbs x 3 reps
Tried to focus on form.

Back Squats:
295 lbs x 5 reps
315 lbs x 5 reps
345 lbs x 1 rep
365 lbs x FAIL because spotter helped my wrists
My goal next week is to get 315x5. That would be AWESOME!

Barbell Static Holds for Grip Work:
295 lbs x 10 seconds Over/Over Grip
205 lbs x 15 seconds x 3 sets Hook Grip

Weird Ab Exercise:
This exercise is damn hard to do on a Smith Machine. I just did some static holds.

Videos:

Overhead Squats, Front Squats and Back Squats:

YouTube

Overall Impression:

I had a Pizza today. First time in 4 months. My replacement for Tacos I guess....

Your squat workouts are endless. lol

IW

do they play the same movies over and over on a 20 hr. flight? or is there enough variety?

IW: yes my squat days are LONG..

Pity: Most good airlines allow you to select from 100-500 movies to play on your own little screen. Lufthansa is a fucking shitty airline that played 2 movies during the 9 hour flight from Houston to Frankfurt and 2 gay ass movies during the other 9 hour flight from Frankfurt to Bombay. I slept the entire time because the movies sucked.

Beginning Thoughts:

Eating too much shit....I might end up putting on a lot of fat if I'm not careful or if I haven't already. I had a Pizza for the first time in 4 months and I followed that with 2 burgers and a shitload of coke. Awesome.

Workout:

Pistol Squats:
3 + 3 + 3 + = 12 reps
MUCH better form than last week.

Pull-ups:
(BW + 20 lbs x 2 reps x 5 minisets) x 4 sets
Total Reps = 40
This destroyed me. I wasn't gonna do my 4th set but I decided to anyway. I got Cluster Set #4 on record.

Pallof Press:
17.5 kgs x 12 reps
20.0 kgs x 12 reps
22.5 kgs x 12 reps
25.0 kgs x 12 reps

Videos:

Pistol Squats & Pull-ups:

YouTube

Overall Impression:

I'm gonna eat better tomorrow.

Beginning Thoughts:

I was in no mood to go train...

Workout:

Deadlifts:
425 lbs x 1 rep x 3 minisets
405 lbs x 1 rep x 5 minisets
425 lbs x 1 rep x 3 minisets
Ok several things to note here. Firstly, I need to desperately eat better. All I had eaten from 8:00 am till 5:00 pm was 500 grams of chicken and 2 scoops of whey. Secondly, I definitely overestimated my abilities here. I was supposed to take my 3RM and knock out 2 clusters of 5 reps each. However, I have never done clusters on Deadlifts before and they whooped my ass. Next time I am going to take 415 and stick to the plan. Lastly, this is a battle of the mind. You have to mentally go through the set.

Side Plank Rows:
Black Band x 30 seconds x 3 sets
Black Band + White Band x 30 seconds x 3 sets

Videos:

Deadlifts:

YouTube

Overall Impression:

Initially I was pretty disappointed with myself regarding this workout. But then I decided to take this as a learning experience. I've never done clusters before and this gives me something to work towards in the near future.

Beginning Thoughts:

This is today's workout.

Workout:

Standing Unilateral Overhead Press:
66 lbs x 5 reps
70.4 lbs x 5 reps
70.4 lbs x 5 reps
74.8 lbs x 3 reps
79.2 lbs x 1 rep
57.2 lbs x 10 reps
I am pretty pleased with myself. Got all of these on video...

Chest Supported Rows:
180 lbs x 3 reps x 2 sets
190 lbs x 3 reps

Pull-ups:
BW x 6 reps
BW x 9 reps
BW x 10 reps
Total Reps = 25

High Cable Rows:
75 kgs x 10 reps x 3 sets

Renegade Rows:
18 kgs x 7 reps x 3 sets

Reverse Wrist Curls:
Some weight x 15 reps x 7 sets with 30 seconds rest in between

Videos:

Unilateral Shoulder Press and Chest Supported Rows:

YouTube

Overall Impression:

My diet has been spot on today.

Beginning Thoughts:

This is last night's workout. Kanishk and I decided to hit the gym together. We also realized that over the last 4 months Kanishk has gone from weighing 265 lbs to 235 lbs @ 5'7. Kudos to him.

Workout:

Overhead Squats:
135 lbs x 3 reps
155 bs x 3 reps x 3 sets
Decent stuff. I almost lost the bar a couple of times but made quick recoveries.

Front Squats:
225 lbs x 7 reps
255 lbs x 2 reps x 2 sets
Several things to note here. For the past 3 weeks I have been training in the 225-275 lbs range for Front Squats when my max is 295. I've also managed to hit 295 just prior to this cycle and consistently for several weeks. However, this cannot be credited to my technique: I have none. I have been hitting these weights pure brute strength. And that is not good. Now, there are several things limiting me here: Firstly, I keeping squatting back when I should be squatting down. Secondly: the cross grip I use is bad because it gives me zero stability. The bar is always rolling off. SO, I am going to go back to the drawing board with this exercise, use MUCH lighter weights and work on pure technique over the next few weeks. I implemented this change after the workout on trying to use an olympic grip and I have a video of me doing that.

Back Squats:
295 lbs x 4 reps
295 lbs x 5 reps
315 lbs x 3 reps

Barbell Static Holds for Grip Work:
295 lbs x 10 seconds Over/Over Grip
205 lbs x 15 seconds x 3 sets Hook Grip

Front Squat Technique Work:
Practiced a whole bunch of short sets and reps using the clean grip. I had Kanishk's expert advice on all this which made the transition fairly easy. Next week onwards I am going to hit a weight between 155 and 185 and really get my form down 100%.

Zercher Squats:
185 lbs x 3 reps
205 lbs x 3 reps
225 lbs x 3 reps
255 lbs x 3 reps
295 lbs x 1 rep
I have never done this exercise and we only did it because Kanishk was hell bent on trying it out. I have no idea if my form was right or if the bar was at the right spot. If someone could point that out for me it would be swell :)

Videos:

Overhead Squats, Front Squats, Back Squats, Front Squat Technique Training and Zercher Squats:
http://www.ironscene.com/play_hd.php?vid=3543

Overall Impression:

Diet has been spot on :)

make it into a squat. you can use a low box or just free squat...but i would go alot lower....you might have to take some weight off...and get some elbow pads so the bar can sit right in there :)