So Ive been tossing around a lot of ideas lately as for what exactly Im going to be training for the next few weeks. I need to get my overall sense of strength back without goddamn hurting myself anymore than I already am. Thats the tricky part. I got 3 major issues going on plus a bonus;
1- Some major damage in my right shoulder. Any sort of pressing movement gives me a hard time. Its definitly the rotator but not exactly sure which one. Most of the problem happens at full contraction during a press. The only thing that hasnt really torn it apart is my Swiss Bar I picked up awhile ago.
2- Left Biceps injury. Somewhere around the insertion. This is another annoying injury since Im not even sure exactly which muscle I hurt to begin with. Could be all of them or just one. Either way certain curl or rowing movements are giving me crap so not only do pressing movememnts hurt but Im limited on pulling...fuck yea.
3- Heel spur. To add to everything up top my feet wanted some love and I still have a bone spur under my left heel giving me shit. Its fine to start but after some pounding gets swollen then hurts like hell. Only fix is rest, icing, some rehab, and a nightly splint to keep the foot dorsiflexed.
BONUS- My back still gets sore and tight from that injury over a year ago. I dont think thatll ever go away but its definitely stronger than last year. Maybe another year and itll completely go away.
Ok so on to the fun stuff.
Right now Ill prob look at these tests to determine what exaclty Im going for-
Box squat- max is 475 at the moment although Ive been putting up some decent numbers lately with bands.
Front squat- this lift is a joke for me. Its so bad at the moment. 225x5 is far from acceptable. So that is now a priority.
Pushups/ pullups for time- This is a new trial for me since I used to just heavy row and bench. Well heavy crap is out of the question so now im forced into high rep time trials.
Body weight- since my heel is giving me such a hard time I figure I should take the load off. Currently Im at 260 and figure that needs to come down. As a bonus Ill look better when we go to Put-in-Bay in July.
Im leaving things like vert, oly lifts, 30yd, etc out since those tests usually aggrevate something thats already hurt.
Ill post up with my training log later since I gotta get ready for a big relay meet tonight.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Meet Writeup - Amherst Relays ... and that Medina thing
Standard of Performance.
That was the buzz-phrase going into Saturday mornings meet. I wont go into detail too much into Wednesdays dual but despite some nice PR's from the younger crew we had some serious issues that needed to be ironed out before we were ready for another big meet. It all started with a recurring injury and a blown opportunity. Jesse was looking to go big again in the shot but couldnt keep the long throws in the ring and on his last throw seemed to reaggravate his groin injury from a week ago. Then at disc we had a shot at beating one of the better throwers in the conference but to lose it outside the right sector. 8 fouls later from one thrower and some incredibly substandard throws the meet was over. The 40 degree temperatures didnt help at all either.
Moving on...
Saturday from the get go was shaping to be a much better day. It rained hell all night but luckily stopped to let the sun out for the meet. Even crazier it was HOT. First time all season I had to tell my throwers to get out of the Sun. Not being used to the heat I knew we were going to get some serious sunburn- which they did. More on that later.
Discus was the first event for both sides making my job less than easy trying to run back and forth. Those of you who have not seen Amherst fields setup the two disc rings are roughly 200yds apart. Guys looked good in warmups although Jess was off jumping so it was up to Marko and Jake to set the tone. Both had a decent series with Jake going 128 and Marko hitting a 125. Jesse made his way back and looked sluggish at best finishing the day with 159' totaling our relay just over 412. Good news is we won the boys disc relay. Bad news I felt we had probably another 20-30 total feet missing. Eh well- to the girls.
Definitly a better showing overall than Wednesday but still I felt was another blown oppurtunity. First off Heart Attack Hedy didnt make things simple fouling her first two. Kristen opened with a 91 and finished with that. Karly had a few decent 100 foot throws but decided to save the best for the right sector launching one around 115 or more out the side. Hedy finished with 91 while Karly settle for 103 finishing us off at 3rd place with 288 and change. Second place was around 294 and 1st was 307. Wouldnt have been easy but definitly within reach.
Shot put was a little more exciting. As the temperatures kept rising apparently my throwers fed off that. Hedy hit a new season PR in the shot going 33'11. Kristen had a solid 32'6 mark and Allissa finished with a lifetime PR going 31'11. This put us just over 98' but the disapointment came after the announcements letting us know we lost 1st place by a whole 8". In relay terms thats literally next to nothing. BUT cant be down as that kind of performance as a whole is what we strive for on a daily basis.
Boys shot went well with a lifetime PR from Jake at 41'11 and Ryan just missing his at 42'11.5". Jesse once again showed hes more than capable of 57' throws just not capable of staying in the ring for them. During warmups he may have had a half-turn over 53' and 2 fulls around 56-58'. During comp 53' is what he would settle on and the relay secured 6th place. Once again the differences between the next places were within inches.
Next week its Hudson dual and Friday will be Berea Relays. Both meets I am not exactly looking forward to. Berea due to their '1st rate' officiating and Hudson just because... eh I'll leave it alone.
p.s. Ill have videos up from the Amherst Relays later on. Need to do some editing first.
That was the buzz-phrase going into Saturday mornings meet. I wont go into detail too much into Wednesdays dual but despite some nice PR's from the younger crew we had some serious issues that needed to be ironed out before we were ready for another big meet. It all started with a recurring injury and a blown opportunity. Jesse was looking to go big again in the shot but couldnt keep the long throws in the ring and on his last throw seemed to reaggravate his groin injury from a week ago. Then at disc we had a shot at beating one of the better throwers in the conference but to lose it outside the right sector. 8 fouls later from one thrower and some incredibly substandard throws the meet was over. The 40 degree temperatures didnt help at all either.
Moving on...
Saturday from the get go was shaping to be a much better day. It rained hell all night but luckily stopped to let the sun out for the meet. Even crazier it was HOT. First time all season I had to tell my throwers to get out of the Sun. Not being used to the heat I knew we were going to get some serious sunburn- which they did. More on that later.
Discus was the first event for both sides making my job less than easy trying to run back and forth. Those of you who have not seen Amherst fields setup the two disc rings are roughly 200yds apart. Guys looked good in warmups although Jess was off jumping so it was up to Marko and Jake to set the tone. Both had a decent series with Jake going 128 and Marko hitting a 125. Jesse made his way back and looked sluggish at best finishing the day with 159' totaling our relay just over 412. Good news is we won the boys disc relay. Bad news I felt we had probably another 20-30 total feet missing. Eh well- to the girls.
Definitly a better showing overall than Wednesday but still I felt was another blown oppurtunity. First off Heart Attack Hedy didnt make things simple fouling her first two. Kristen opened with a 91 and finished with that. Karly had a few decent 100 foot throws but decided to save the best for the right sector launching one around 115 or more out the side. Hedy finished with 91 while Karly settle for 103 finishing us off at 3rd place with 288 and change. Second place was around 294 and 1st was 307. Wouldnt have been easy but definitly within reach.
Shot put was a little more exciting. As the temperatures kept rising apparently my throwers fed off that. Hedy hit a new season PR in the shot going 33'11. Kristen had a solid 32'6 mark and Allissa finished with a lifetime PR going 31'11. This put us just over 98' but the disapointment came after the announcements letting us know we lost 1st place by a whole 8". In relay terms thats literally next to nothing. BUT cant be down as that kind of performance as a whole is what we strive for on a daily basis.
Boys shot went well with a lifetime PR from Jake at 41'11 and Ryan just missing his at 42'11.5". Jesse once again showed hes more than capable of 57' throws just not capable of staying in the ring for them. During warmups he may have had a half-turn over 53' and 2 fulls around 56-58'. During comp 53' is what he would settle on and the relay secured 6th place. Once again the differences between the next places were within inches.
Next week its Hudson dual and Friday will be Berea Relays. Both meets I am not exactly looking forward to. Berea due to their '1st rate' officiating and Hudson just because... eh I'll leave it alone.
p.s. Ill have videos up from the Amherst Relays later on. Need to do some editing first.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Dublin - Meet Writeup
Well as pointed out by one of my throwers Ive been slacking in my writeups so time to quit slacking.
This whole week has been dominated by our discus throwing. Which works for me since thats always been my specialty but the progress we've been making is unreal. Just to make a quick note about Wednesdays duel against Strongsville I believe we had over 25 PR's in the two events out of 24 throwers. It was a fun meet to watch and despite a groin injury Jesse still stole the show with a 160' half turn. We managed to win all 4 events and scored well with a big PR from Kristen (102) in disc for 3rd and Karly going 106' to win. Strongsville girls must have fed off our intensity since they had some solid PR's in both events as well.
So moving onto our overnighter meet down in C-bus. There was threatening weather all day but it luckily hit late Friday night and mostly held off for Saturday. Definitly had some bad wind but it worked well for discus. Despite the HUGE delay with some incompetent kids (apparently sending results to the press box translated to leave them on a table with 30mph winds to blow them away) and near 20min warmups. All that resulted in roughly 6+ hours of throwing.
So enough griping because we had a pretty solid day. Ryan opened up with a decent toss in the shot but missed out on finals. Jesse went 53 to win the event and once again had some monster fouls. Seriously, quit fouling so damn much. You too Kristen. Speaking of which Kristen had a 97' half turn in disc but missed finals as well and struggled with her fulls. Karly on the other hand opened up with a big PR of 113' and for awhile was winning the meet. Unfortunately she hit some big throws during finals warmups and couldnt connect during the comp ending up in 4th.
Switching events Hedy and Kristen had a good showing in the shot with Hedys 33'5'' which is an outdoor best scoring 3rd while Kristen (again with the half turns) went 32'8 for 5th. Marko apparently needed some 'encouragement' since his first 2rds were almost identical at 115' before going 132' in the 3rd round for a PR in disc. Once again- barely missing finals. And speaking of repeats Jesse again stole the show with his prelim series. Opening with a very conservative 165 he worked up a 170 int he 2nd round but was still releasing low and not getting enough air. That changed in the 3rd as he waited for the wind to settle down and launched a new PR at 183'5" destroying the old meet record of 167'10" and moving himself into 3rd in the overall state rankings.
This effort BARELY misses Butch Newhouse's 23yr old record for Brunswick of 184'10". During finals he fouled his first round, hit 173, then fouled his last throw. This is definitly a great sign for the rest of the season since conference is still over a month away!
Everyone had a solid day and now we have 2 relays coming up and a big dual vs Medina this coming Wednesday. Too bad the weather wont cooperate as it wont be over 60 the whole week and mostly rainy.
This whole week has been dominated by our discus throwing. Which works for me since thats always been my specialty but the progress we've been making is unreal. Just to make a quick note about Wednesdays duel against Strongsville I believe we had over 25 PR's in the two events out of 24 throwers. It was a fun meet to watch and despite a groin injury Jesse still stole the show with a 160' half turn. We managed to win all 4 events and scored well with a big PR from Kristen (102) in disc for 3rd and Karly going 106' to win. Strongsville girls must have fed off our intensity since they had some solid PR's in both events as well.
So moving onto our overnighter meet down in C-bus. There was threatening weather all day but it luckily hit late Friday night and mostly held off for Saturday. Definitly had some bad wind but it worked well for discus. Despite the HUGE delay with some incompetent kids (apparently sending results to the press box translated to leave them on a table with 30mph winds to blow them away) and near 20min warmups. All that resulted in roughly 6+ hours of throwing.
So enough griping because we had a pretty solid day. Ryan opened up with a decent toss in the shot but missed out on finals. Jesse went 53 to win the event and once again had some monster fouls. Seriously, quit fouling so damn much. You too Kristen. Speaking of which Kristen had a 97' half turn in disc but missed finals as well and struggled with her fulls. Karly on the other hand opened up with a big PR of 113' and for awhile was winning the meet. Unfortunately she hit some big throws during finals warmups and couldnt connect during the comp ending up in 4th.
Switching events Hedy and Kristen had a good showing in the shot with Hedys 33'5'' which is an outdoor best scoring 3rd while Kristen (again with the half turns) went 32'8 for 5th. Marko apparently needed some 'encouragement' since his first 2rds were almost identical at 115' before going 132' in the 3rd round for a PR in disc. Once again- barely missing finals. And speaking of repeats Jesse again stole the show with his prelim series. Opening with a very conservative 165 he worked up a 170 int he 2nd round but was still releasing low and not getting enough air. That changed in the 3rd as he waited for the wind to settle down and launched a new PR at 183'5" destroying the old meet record of 167'10" and moving himself into 3rd in the overall state rankings.
This effort BARELY misses Butch Newhouse's 23yr old record for Brunswick of 184'10". During finals he fouled his first round, hit 173, then fouled his last throw. This is definitly a great sign for the rest of the season since conference is still over a month away!
Everyone had a solid day and now we have 2 relays coming up and a big dual vs Medina this coming Wednesday. Too bad the weather wont cooperate as it wont be over 60 the whole week and mostly rainy.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Rugby Circuit
So today I wanted to get a good metabolic workout in instead of my usual grind. Stupid idea. Especially when its making up my own workout that isn't tested, tried, or proven. Stupid, stupid idea.
Anyways I set a few parameters up to help somewhat simulate a 10's game of rugby. I wanted to incorporate strength with complex lifts while still keeping my heart rate up and utilizing movement exercises.
10 minute halfs
30 seconds 'on'
30 seconds 'off'
4 minute rest between halfs
Hit each station for as many reps as possible with a set weight or height or ...whatever. Point is to go as hard and fast for the time limit. Then rest for 30 seconds before moving to the next station. Now I figured that seemed like a good amount of rest for a circuit and dammit I was wrong. Especially considering Im still not in the best of shape and the exercises I picked.
Swiss Bar Curl to Press- 105lbs
MB Slams - 18lb
DB Swings - 40#
Box Jumps - 18"
Double Rope Slams - 2" rope
Renegade Row/ DB Pushup - 35#
Band Sprints & Backpedal - 2xLight bands @5yds
Band Shuffle - 5yds , alternate sides
Fire outs - 1x Monster band, 2xAverage Bands
Prowler Sled Run - 150# 10yd
First round went 'ok'. Second round was goddamn awful. Mostly since after I got a feel for it I could tweak some of the exercises and make better use of my time. End result was almost puking on the Prowler sleds.
All in all a good workout. Followed up with some band stretches and foam rolling. Still feeling it 2hrs later.
Anyways I set a few parameters up to help somewhat simulate a 10's game of rugby. I wanted to incorporate strength with complex lifts while still keeping my heart rate up and utilizing movement exercises.
10 minute halfs
30 seconds 'on'
30 seconds 'off'
4 minute rest between halfs
Hit each station for as many reps as possible with a set weight or height or ...whatever. Point is to go as hard and fast for the time limit. Then rest for 30 seconds before moving to the next station. Now I figured that seemed like a good amount of rest for a circuit and dammit I was wrong. Especially considering Im still not in the best of shape and the exercises I picked.
Swiss Bar Curl to Press- 105lbs
MB Slams - 18lb
DB Swings - 40#
Box Jumps - 18"
Double Rope Slams - 2" rope
Renegade Row/ DB Pushup - 35#
Band Sprints & Backpedal - 2xLight bands @5yds
Band Shuffle - 5yds , alternate sides
Fire outs - 1x Monster band, 2xAverage Bands
Prowler Sled Run - 150# 10yd
First round went 'ok'. Second round was goddamn awful. Mostly since after I got a feel for it I could tweak some of the exercises and make better use of my time. End result was almost puking on the Prowler sleds.
All in all a good workout. Followed up with some band stretches and foam rolling. Still feeling it 2hrs later.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
St. Eds Invitational - Writeup
This ones a short one but there was definitely some exciting stuff going on yesterday the 2nd of April. First off the weather was forecast to be complete crap but luckily it was slightly windy, temperatures in 40's, and sunny most of the day. In fact it didn't rain until we got back home.
So heres how the day went. Right off the bat it was rough since my second boy shot putter decided to roll his ankle twice playing in the snow Thursday and then my 3rd shot putter just never showed up. Sorry, man, but 2minutes late means you're late. Seniors got to know better and get there early. Then to cap off the morning we went to the wrong damn high school AND as we were driving to the correct school we see an old man collapse on the sidewalk and smack his head on the pavement. So we sprang into action, helped him up, got paramedics on scene then bailed. Hey we helped and the dude was either in shock or just crazy. He yelled at the siren to stop talking so fast he cant answer that quickly...right, anyways.
So the meet itself for us was rough at first. Karly was slinging 'em out right sector but bailed and had to settle for a below average final throw just to get a mark. Hedy made a statement that she is not to be left for JV as she finally broke the 100' barrier in disc on her final throw. So I guess that answers who's my starting throwers in disc now.
Girls shot would have been great if it was a relay day. 32 from Kristen (2nd place), 30'1 from Allissa, and 28'9 (I think) from Hedy. Didn't see any shotput as the disc ring was about 8 blocks away in a park so I ended up staying there the whole time. Same goes for boys shot although Jesse won the event with a nice 51'5" and Marko and Nate filling in to throw shot with some pretty decent throws in the mid 30's.
Boys disc is what really stole the show. Right off the bat I could Jesse was about to rip a big throw judging from his warmups. He already has 1 win under his belt for the day AND long jumped a PR of 21'7" barely missing 1st by 1/2". He opened up with a VERY conservative 147 but then launched a massive PR in the 2nd round with 176'2". Not only does that break his personal record, the meet record, sits him atop the state rankings, AND qualifies for nationals in June...holy shit indeed. Best part is were just in week 2 of outdoor season. Oh yea and he won the MVP Field Events award for the day totaling 28pts.
Now not to forget Marko and Nate had respectable days as well. Nate opened up with a good throw but had a small toe foul and had to settle for a 101' on the day. Marko had some solid throws and finished with a PR of 129'8" earning him a 5th place finish.
Now a real test is coming up again- Solon. We have a duel meet at their place this coming Wednesday then a big invite down in Lexington this coming Saturday. Jesse has PR'd 3 meets in a row...wonder if that streak will continue.
So heres how the day went. Right off the bat it was rough since my second boy shot putter decided to roll his ankle twice playing in the snow Thursday and then my 3rd shot putter just never showed up. Sorry, man, but 2minutes late means you're late. Seniors got to know better and get there early. Then to cap off the morning we went to the wrong damn high school AND as we were driving to the correct school we see an old man collapse on the sidewalk and smack his head on the pavement. So we sprang into action, helped him up, got paramedics on scene then bailed. Hey we helped and the dude was either in shock or just crazy. He yelled at the siren to stop talking so fast he cant answer that quickly...right, anyways.
So the meet itself for us was rough at first. Karly was slinging 'em out right sector but bailed and had to settle for a below average final throw just to get a mark. Hedy made a statement that she is not to be left for JV as she finally broke the 100' barrier in disc on her final throw. So I guess that answers who's my starting throwers in disc now.
Girls shot would have been great if it was a relay day. 32 from Kristen (2nd place), 30'1 from Allissa, and 28'9 (I think) from Hedy. Didn't see any shotput as the disc ring was about 8 blocks away in a park so I ended up staying there the whole time. Same goes for boys shot although Jesse won the event with a nice 51'5" and Marko and Nate filling in to throw shot with some pretty decent throws in the mid 30's.
Boys disc is what really stole the show. Right off the bat I could Jesse was about to rip a big throw judging from his warmups. He already has 1 win under his belt for the day AND long jumped a PR of 21'7" barely missing 1st by 1/2". He opened up with a VERY conservative 147 but then launched a massive PR in the 2nd round with 176'2". Not only does that break his personal record, the meet record, sits him atop the state rankings, AND qualifies for nationals in June...holy shit indeed. Best part is were just in week 2 of outdoor season. Oh yea and he won the MVP Field Events award for the day totaling 28pts.
Now not to forget Marko and Nate had respectable days as well. Nate opened up with a good throw but had a small toe foul and had to settle for a 101' on the day. Marko had some solid throws and finished with a PR of 129'8" earning him a 5th place finish.
Now a real test is coming up again- Solon. We have a duel meet at their place this coming Wednesday then a big invite down in Lexington this coming Saturday. Jesse has PR'd 3 meets in a row...wonder if that streak will continue.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
HASD's
Heavy Ass Sled Drags
Probably found a new best friend in the weight room. Ive heard of this drill for a few weeks now but havnt implemented it until about 2 weeks ago and I love it.
Probably found a new best friend in the weight room. Ive heard of this drill for a few weeks now but havnt implemented it until about 2 weeks ago and I love it.
Brunswick Elite - Home opener
Cold as hell.
The best description of Saturday March 26th is that of an oxymoron. Wind gusts up to 20mph and temperatures that never broke 28 was only made bearable by the fact that there was barely a cloud in the sky. Even better was the annoying drama that led up to the meet.
First I get a text not from another coach but from an athlete telling me the meets canceled. So I called to confirm and it was in fact canceled. I wasnt happy but hey its not up to me. So I decided to schedule a throws only meet. As Im slowly getting in touch with everyone saying to come out at noon Saturday the girls coach comes up to me-
"You think we canceled too soon? Im kinda thinking that..."
"Yea I think we did. Im having my own meet anyways so no real big deal for me."
Then maybe an hour later after Im well on my way to setting everything up I get a call-
"Ok were going to have the girls meet and guys are not running. Starts at 11."
Great now I had to call everyone and get things rescheduled. Full girls meet but just a boys open throwing event afterwards. No problem, right?
-2 hours later, roughly 930pm I get a text-
"Meet is still a go. 10am boys and girls."
AWWW SUNUVA$^#^(&@*&^*&$%#()%&*#%#()!!!
So now Im back on the phone for the 3rd time in as many hours telling everyone the meet is back to normal and its all good...I guess.
Oh yea- boys sprinters were not to compete. Wow.No offense but suck it up. Kids in Canada, Russia, and Alaska still train and compete in this crap. Were too damn spoiled sometimes I swear.
Anyways the meet itself went well. A few schools didnt bother showing up but that just sped things along. Girls events went first and well thanks to Kristens fall back half-turn throw in shot to save a little face in that event. 32' was the best from my team that day and frankly thats just .... yea moving on. Shots never been my forte but we're way better than what we've been showing lately.
DISCUS
My favorite and I guess its showing. First off we had a throwoff Monday and Karly came out strong and kept it going. Popped a 105' Monday and my first thought - lets not have a repeat of last year. Rewind time she smacked a 99' foot throw during trials and then 5 days later choked HAAARD at the relay and threw 77'. Luckily she got over that and a little experience went a long way as she went 103'8" to take her first 1st place finish. Not the greatest performance from Brunswick in recent history but for an undersized sophomore Ill take it.
Boys discus took the show with 3 top ranked throwers in the first flight. Im glad I was running this otherise the seeding would have been alphabetically and Jesse would have been in a flight by himself and not to dog the other throwers but having him compete against 110' throwers just isnt effective for training.
Anyways Jess opens up big with a 167'3 and sets a new PR by just under 2 feet. AJ (Solon) and Aaron (St.Eds) had some catching up to do but both struggle the first 2 rounds. AJ and Jesse both fould 2 throws well over the 170 line but couldnt keep inside the ring. Jess was up first in the 4th and final round but shanked the disc. So now it was up to AJ and Aaron to come up. AJ uncorks his final throw but falls short around 163 and Aaron did the same with a high wobbly 163' throw as well. I forgot the inches and cant find the results at the moment but in the end Jess won the disc with Aj in 2nd and Aaron in a close 3rd. Helluva achievement for Jess since hes got a rough history competing against big throwers.
Shot was less entertaining but still a decent day to watch. Aj took the title with a 54' (I think) while Jess finished second in the 52 range. I think at this point the cold was starting to wear on the throwers a bit except some of the bigger framed guys who still managed some good throws. First thought is the second Solon throwers (Orton?) who was in the upper 40's and the manchild from Medina going 45'10"...seriously Kruger, what you feeding these kids? One of the biggest freshman Ive ever seen.
The best description of Saturday March 26th is that of an oxymoron. Wind gusts up to 20mph and temperatures that never broke 28 was only made bearable by the fact that there was barely a cloud in the sky. Even better was the annoying drama that led up to the meet.
First I get a text not from another coach but from an athlete telling me the meets canceled. So I called to confirm and it was in fact canceled. I wasnt happy but hey its not up to me. So I decided to schedule a throws only meet. As Im slowly getting in touch with everyone saying to come out at noon Saturday the girls coach comes up to me-
"You think we canceled too soon? Im kinda thinking that..."
"Yea I think we did. Im having my own meet anyways so no real big deal for me."
Then maybe an hour later after Im well on my way to setting everything up I get a call-
"Ok were going to have the girls meet and guys are not running. Starts at 11."
Great now I had to call everyone and get things rescheduled. Full girls meet but just a boys open throwing event afterwards. No problem, right?
-2 hours later, roughly 930pm I get a text-
"Meet is still a go. 10am boys and girls."
AWWW SUNUVA$^#^(&@*&^*&$%#()%&*#%#()!!!
So now Im back on the phone for the 3rd time in as many hours telling everyone the meet is back to normal and its all good...I guess.
Oh yea- boys sprinters were not to compete. Wow.No offense but suck it up. Kids in Canada, Russia, and Alaska still train and compete in this crap. Were too damn spoiled sometimes I swear.
Anyways the meet itself went well. A few schools didnt bother showing up but that just sped things along. Girls events went first and well thanks to Kristens fall back half-turn throw in shot to save a little face in that event. 32' was the best from my team that day and frankly thats just .... yea moving on. Shots never been my forte but we're way better than what we've been showing lately.
DISCUS
My favorite and I guess its showing. First off we had a throwoff Monday and Karly came out strong and kept it going. Popped a 105' Monday and my first thought - lets not have a repeat of last year. Rewind time she smacked a 99' foot throw during trials and then 5 days later choked HAAARD at the relay and threw 77'. Luckily she got over that and a little experience went a long way as she went 103'8" to take her first 1st place finish. Not the greatest performance from Brunswick in recent history but for an undersized sophomore Ill take it.
Boys discus took the show with 3 top ranked throwers in the first flight. Im glad I was running this otherise the seeding would have been alphabetically and Jesse would have been in a flight by himself and not to dog the other throwers but having him compete against 110' throwers just isnt effective for training.
Anyways Jess opens up big with a 167'3 and sets a new PR by just under 2 feet. AJ (Solon) and Aaron (St.Eds) had some catching up to do but both struggle the first 2 rounds. AJ and Jesse both fould 2 throws well over the 170 line but couldnt keep inside the ring. Jess was up first in the 4th and final round but shanked the disc. So now it was up to AJ and Aaron to come up. AJ uncorks his final throw but falls short around 163 and Aaron did the same with a high wobbly 163' throw as well. I forgot the inches and cant find the results at the moment but in the end Jess won the disc with Aj in 2nd and Aaron in a close 3rd. Helluva achievement for Jess since hes got a rough history competing against big throwers.
Shot was less entertaining but still a decent day to watch. Aj took the title with a 54' (I think) while Jess finished second in the 52 range. I think at this point the cold was starting to wear on the throwers a bit except some of the bigger framed guys who still managed some good throws. First thought is the second Solon throwers (Orton?) who was in the upper 40's and the manchild from Medina going 45'10"...seriously Kruger, what you feeding these kids? One of the biggest freshman Ive ever seen.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
EFS Swiss Bar - Review
UPDATE 3/13/2012: After beating the hell out of this thing for almost a year now I REALLY like having this bar around. Its a decent substitute for a Log Press. Great bar to get some tricep or curl work in. Also allows for decent shoulder rehab if standard bar presses are beginning to hurt. Also, for specific exercises that relate to sports such as football this bar is very useful. I've also put the bar on the rack and used it to perform Inverted Rows from. Lot a different exercises for a bar that costs about the price of a good quality heavy bar.
Well I got my new Swiss Bar about a week ago and wanted to give it a go before I gave a review on it. I'll first off say that I like it. Definitely cost me some coin, about 330 total, but considering it allows me to get some bench work in without destroying my shoulder I would say its worth it for now.
I was originally told it would take 1-2 weeks to arrive. It arrived 2 days later. This was after a phone call about 24hrs after purchase telling me that "the orders placed and you should receive it within the next week." Well damn, I thought, thats cool. Then sure enough I get home from practice the next day and theres this big long box hanging out at my front door step. Despite the hole the bar apparently dug out of the side everything was going great so far.
I took the bar up to the gym the next morning to give it a go. Took a look at it and on initial inspection it seemed solid, sturdy, and with a nice even coat of rhino skin. Threw it on the rack and got some press work in. Definitely was a shock compared to normal bench. My shoulders feel much better than typical benching but its a humbling experience. I managed a meager 195x7 as a final rep set. This is counting the fact the bar weighs 35lbs instead of 45lbs.
So far Ive tried a few variations and the Swiss Bar puts a nice spin on old exercises. Tri-extensions, curls, rows, whatever. Floor presses are a solid option with the wide grip as well. I plan on using chains in combination with the SB when I get the cash for those.
I really like the multi-grip bars through the middle. Inside definitely hits the tri's harder while the outside grip I can feel on the chest more resulting in a few more pounds being moved around. The 'regular' grip or the 2nd bar is the one I typically use now on bench days. I have heard some complaints about the bar being unstable due to the wide grips. I can see this being true although I have big hands and that has not been a problem. I did, however, have one of my girls press this bar this morning and she commented on it was tough at first finding the center of the bar.
As for my shoulder I can still feel some pain at full contraction but no where near as I would with a regular bench. It is only as the bar approaches my chest and immediately after I press. I found using a pair of light bands really help get the weight up without putting my shoulders at risk of just using heavy weight period.
Really the two negatives I can see with this bar are the collars are awkward and annoying but since the bar itself is slightly smaller than a typical Oly-bar my spring collars wont fit. Come on, EFS, at least bend the screws at the top a little more, would ya? The tightening screw angles at MAYBE 20degrees making it very tough to tighten. Lastly, the truck bed covering that is sprayed on is already peeling off the bar near the ends. This really isnt an issue but figured it needed to be included in my review.
Overall I like this piece of equipment and would recommend it for those who need a new addition to their arsenal and have the cash. It is pricey for just a bar but you get a lot of options out of it. I have tried the Football Bar in the past and honestly prefer the Swiss Bar.
Well I got my new Swiss Bar about a week ago and wanted to give it a go before I gave a review on it. I'll first off say that I like it. Definitely cost me some coin, about 330 total, but considering it allows me to get some bench work in without destroying my shoulder I would say its worth it for now.
I was originally told it would take 1-2 weeks to arrive. It arrived 2 days later. This was after a phone call about 24hrs after purchase telling me that "the orders placed and you should receive it within the next week." Well damn, I thought, thats cool. Then sure enough I get home from practice the next day and theres this big long box hanging out at my front door step. Despite the hole the bar apparently dug out of the side everything was going great so far.
I took the bar up to the gym the next morning to give it a go. Took a look at it and on initial inspection it seemed solid, sturdy, and with a nice even coat of rhino skin. Threw it on the rack and got some press work in. Definitely was a shock compared to normal bench. My shoulders feel much better than typical benching but its a humbling experience. I managed a meager 195x7 as a final rep set. This is counting the fact the bar weighs 35lbs instead of 45lbs.
So far Ive tried a few variations and the Swiss Bar puts a nice spin on old exercises. Tri-extensions, curls, rows, whatever. Floor presses are a solid option with the wide grip as well. I plan on using chains in combination with the SB when I get the cash for those.
I really like the multi-grip bars through the middle. Inside definitely hits the tri's harder while the outside grip I can feel on the chest more resulting in a few more pounds being moved around. The 'regular' grip or the 2nd bar is the one I typically use now on bench days. I have heard some complaints about the bar being unstable due to the wide grips. I can see this being true although I have big hands and that has not been a problem. I did, however, have one of my girls press this bar this morning and she commented on it was tough at first finding the center of the bar.
As for my shoulder I can still feel some pain at full contraction but no where near as I would with a regular bench. It is only as the bar approaches my chest and immediately after I press. I found using a pair of light bands really help get the weight up without putting my shoulders at risk of just using heavy weight period.
Really the two negatives I can see with this bar are the collars are awkward and annoying but since the bar itself is slightly smaller than a typical Oly-bar my spring collars wont fit. Come on, EFS, at least bend the screws at the top a little more, would ya? The tightening screw angles at MAYBE 20degrees making it very tough to tighten. Lastly, the truck bed covering that is sprayed on is already peeling off the bar near the ends. This really isnt an issue but figured it needed to be included in my review.
Overall I like this piece of equipment and would recommend it for those who need a new addition to their arsenal and have the cash. It is pricey for just a bar but you get a lot of options out of it. I have tried the Football Bar in the past and honestly prefer the Swiss Bar.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Hell week
This is always the absolute WORST time to train. That week following a long break. By long break honestly its really anything over 2 weeks of doing absolutely nothing. EVERYTHING hurts right now. I miss when a few weeks back I was just fatigued but still functional. Right now my hips are sore as hell and upper body is just tight. Box squats on Tuesday messed me up. I didnt even train today. I woke up late and just felt so damn sore that my drive to move anything heavy was practically non-existent. Im definitly hitting it hard tommorow. Lot of band work to catch up on.
Also, this 6am lifting is getting hard to get adjusted to. I still have a tendency to go to sleep at 11 or 12midnight and waking up 5hrs later is really taking its toll. Its 7:26pm right now and all I can think of is hitting the sack and catching up on some shut eye. Need to stay awake....must. Watch. Archer.
Alright thats enough whining. I got other news but figure thats worthy of a separate blog since its a pretty positive note to my week despite the ups and downs I had to go through.
Also, this 6am lifting is getting hard to get adjusted to. I still have a tendency to go to sleep at 11 or 12midnight and waking up 5hrs later is really taking its toll. Its 7:26pm right now and all I can think of is hitting the sack and catching up on some shut eye. Need to stay awake....must. Watch. Archer.
Alright thats enough whining. I got other news but figure thats worthy of a separate blog since its a pretty positive note to my week despite the ups and downs I had to go through.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Back at it - part 2
Well today was eventful. Went at it hard for lower body. Pretty disappointed with my numbers but thats expected now. I figure for now on any lift I used to be able to do Im knocking 10% off and going with that as my assumed max. This may or may not be accurate but it gives me a starting point. Case in point my last squat max was 505 but now after being sick I figure its about 450. Bench same deal- used to be 340 now down to 310...fml.
Anyways here was today-
Knee prehab
Weighted box jumps -3x5, 30" box, 2x20lb DBs
Hang clean- 6x6@70% 195 (need to add volume and get my ass back into some kind of shape)
Box squat- 5x6@70% 335x5 then 315x5 4 sets. I got a lil cocky and went too heavy. Then go figure my hamstrings starting acting up by the 5th set so I cut out the band set rep out. Gotta listen to my body. Good news is back is feeling great same with my knees.
Clean pull- 3x5 @ 275
Bulgarian Squat - 8x45,8x65,8x85,8x95 (cuz of my hamstring wasnt sure how these would go. felt alright with a bar on my back. definitly will need to go heavier next week)
glute ham raise- 3x8 body weight. (went easy and felt easy. so thats good news. will hit the bands next week)
School started around that point so I can to cut it short and get my stretching in. Ill finish up with some weighted situps, russian twists, and reverse hypers after practice.
In other news Im scheduled for a cortisone shot in my left heel (finally) since the bone spur is still giving me problems. Orthotics aint helping and doc suggested just shooting the whole thing up once or twice with some steroids. Yea buddy....
Anyways here was today-
Knee prehab
Weighted box jumps -3x5, 30" box, 2x20lb DBs
Hang clean- 6x6@70% 195 (need to add volume and get my ass back into some kind of shape)
Box squat- 5x6@70% 335x5 then 315x5 4 sets. I got a lil cocky and went too heavy. Then go figure my hamstrings starting acting up by the 5th set so I cut out the band set rep out. Gotta listen to my body. Good news is back is feeling great same with my knees.
Clean pull- 3x5 @ 275
Bulgarian Squat - 8x45,8x65,8x85,8x95 (cuz of my hamstring wasnt sure how these would go. felt alright with a bar on my back. definitly will need to go heavier next week)
glute ham raise- 3x8 body weight. (went easy and felt easy. so thats good news. will hit the bands next week)
School started around that point so I can to cut it short and get my stretching in. Ill finish up with some weighted situps, russian twists, and reverse hypers after practice.
In other news Im scheduled for a cortisone shot in my left heel (finally) since the bone spur is still giving me problems. Orthotics aint helping and doc suggested just shooting the whole thing up once or twice with some steroids. Yea buddy....
Monday, February 28, 2011
Back at it
Well its official- Im back to square one it seems.
Three weeks later after being sick, feverish, complete loss of appetite, and just feeling miserable I can tell most of my lifts are down almost 10%. I am also down almost 15 lbs total bodyweight since I got whatever it was that I had. Now Im trying to let my lungs recover since I am still having a hard time breathing.
So I hit the weights pretty hard this morning. Yep, 6am lifting brought on by my fresh batch of NO Shotgun. I definitely had a renewed sense of purpose and Nate (one of my throwers) put it best "its like getting really amped up for a fight you know you are going to get your ass kicked." That was about 95% true. Everything felt heavy and I just feel soft now. I looked back at my old workouts and I am roughly back to November as far as upper body. I dont know the damage of my lower body just yet but Ill figure that out tommorow morning.
Either way heres how today went-
Shoulder pre-hab work
Bench press 5x6@225, 5x225 w/light bands (way down)
DB Incline press 12x70, 10x70, 8x65, 8x65, 9x60
Bentover Row 5x6@210, 8x210 w/mini bands (think i hurt my back already)
Pullups 4,5,5 - Eccentric pullups 2x5
DB Overhead press 3x8@40lbs, 12x40lbs
T-band Row , micro band 3x15
So here we go again. Im rewinding all the way back to November so I can hopefully restore all this lost muscle and strength I used to have.
...and things were going so damn good.
Three weeks later after being sick, feverish, complete loss of appetite, and just feeling miserable I can tell most of my lifts are down almost 10%. I am also down almost 15 lbs total bodyweight since I got whatever it was that I had. Now Im trying to let my lungs recover since I am still having a hard time breathing.
So I hit the weights pretty hard this morning. Yep, 6am lifting brought on by my fresh batch of NO Shotgun. I definitely had a renewed sense of purpose and Nate (one of my throwers) put it best "its like getting really amped up for a fight you know you are going to get your ass kicked." That was about 95% true. Everything felt heavy and I just feel soft now. I looked back at my old workouts and I am roughly back to November as far as upper body. I dont know the damage of my lower body just yet but Ill figure that out tommorow morning.
Either way heres how today went-
Shoulder pre-hab work
Bench press 5x6@225, 5x225 w/light bands (way down)
DB Incline press 12x70, 10x70, 8x65, 8x65, 9x60
Bentover Row 5x6@210, 8x210 w/mini bands (think i hurt my back already)
Pullups 4,5,5 - Eccentric pullups 2x5
DB Overhead press 3x8@40lbs, 12x40lbs
T-band Row , micro band 3x15
So here we go again. Im rewinding all the way back to November so I can hopefully restore all this lost muscle and strength I used to have.
...and things were going so damn good.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Failed test week
Eff-you Bronchitis.
If I were to sum up this week (yes, I realize its Tuesday only) that first phrase would fit it perfectly.
I want to say 6 weeks of training went to waste but I'm not 100% sure just yet. I'm probably long overdue for a good de-load week or two and perhaps being sick will just reinforce that. Trouble is I really feel like I was getting strong as hell the past 3 weeks and this week is just frustrating now.
I'm not even going to bother squatting this week. I tried benching yesterday and just feel miserable. Shoulder hurts, foots sore, and everything is sore just from two exercises (failed attempt at max bench and some face pulls with a mini-band. I wanted to work up to a single rep max in bench and could tell something was off right from the get go. My shoulder took way longer than normal to get warmed up and 225 felt extremely heavy. Two weeks ago just messing around I repped 225 a lifetime PR of 18 reps and 5 felt difficult last night. Well I worked up to 315 and my intention was to hit it twice. One rep made me realize that was NOT going to happen. So just throwing caution to the wind I went straight to what should have been a 5lb single PR- 345. Got it off the rack. Brought it down. Never had a shot at going back up. So much for a big PR I was looking forward to. This is even more frustrating as just a week ago I hit new PRs with 350x1 with a 2-board and 370x1 with a 3 board. In fact I really felt that 405 on a 3 board is just right around the corner considering not even 2 months ago I couldn't even budge 365 off 4 boards.
I have video of nearly dropping 345 on me off the rack and struggling with 315 but figured that crap ain't even worth posting up anymore. I do have some decent footage of my throwers putting in work, however. So I figure once we get some big lifts in to finish off this week I get those vids posted.
I'm probably more to blame than anything since this whole weekend was just a blur. Friends birthday on Friday and our track fundraiser Saturday led to a really groggy Sunday. I missed most of the Super Bowl due to just being exhausted. Took a nap at around 6:30pm after only getting 4 hours of sleep Saturday night which followed a very limited night of rest Friday. So really this train wreck got rolling Friday afternoon with a good hard workout but then I probably got less sleep the next 2 nights then I would a normal night.
So moral of the story? Got to get my priorities right. Last weekend was just bad timing to go on a bender and now Im paying for it. So now its chicken noodle soup, a gallon of water, and sitting in bed until this thing passes.
If I were to sum up this week (yes, I realize its Tuesday only) that first phrase would fit it perfectly.
I want to say 6 weeks of training went to waste but I'm not 100% sure just yet. I'm probably long overdue for a good de-load week or two and perhaps being sick will just reinforce that. Trouble is I really feel like I was getting strong as hell the past 3 weeks and this week is just frustrating now.
I'm not even going to bother squatting this week. I tried benching yesterday and just feel miserable. Shoulder hurts, foots sore, and everything is sore just from two exercises (failed attempt at max bench and some face pulls with a mini-band. I wanted to work up to a single rep max in bench and could tell something was off right from the get go. My shoulder took way longer than normal to get warmed up and 225 felt extremely heavy. Two weeks ago just messing around I repped 225 a lifetime PR of 18 reps and 5 felt difficult last night. Well I worked up to 315 and my intention was to hit it twice. One rep made me realize that was NOT going to happen. So just throwing caution to the wind I went straight to what should have been a 5lb single PR- 345. Got it off the rack. Brought it down. Never had a shot at going back up. So much for a big PR I was looking forward to. This is even more frustrating as just a week ago I hit new PRs with 350x1 with a 2-board and 370x1 with a 3 board. In fact I really felt that 405 on a 3 board is just right around the corner considering not even 2 months ago I couldn't even budge 365 off 4 boards.
I have video of nearly dropping 345 on me off the rack and struggling with 315 but figured that crap ain't even worth posting up anymore. I do have some decent footage of my throwers putting in work, however. So I figure once we get some big lifts in to finish off this week I get those vids posted.
I'm probably more to blame than anything since this whole weekend was just a blur. Friends birthday on Friday and our track fundraiser Saturday led to a really groggy Sunday. I missed most of the Super Bowl due to just being exhausted. Took a nap at around 6:30pm after only getting 4 hours of sleep Saturday night which followed a very limited night of rest Friday. So really this train wreck got rolling Friday afternoon with a good hard workout but then I probably got less sleep the next 2 nights then I would a normal night.
So moral of the story? Got to get my priorities right. Last weekend was just bad timing to go on a bender and now Im paying for it. So now its chicken noodle soup, a gallon of water, and sitting in bed until this thing passes.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
600lb Box Squat - A really heavy journey. Part 1
So I wanted to start a log and track my progress with my box squat. to the seasoned lifter, especially one in my weight class, 600lbs really is not that great of an achievement. There is one major influence to my entire training program. A little over a year I suffered a pretty bad back injury. MRIs are expensive so I could not afford a proper diagnosis although an Xray from my chiropractor showed two tilted vertebrae. Specifically from a side angle you can clearly see the bottom of T-10 and the top of T-11. More than likely this has caused ,at the least, herniated disc and possibly a rupture.
End result? Couldn't do a damn thing. My athletes would joke on me as I was stuck riding around practice in a golf cart, using crutches during meets, and overall felt worthless. This was when the sciatica symptoms started kicking in. Worst pain ever. Putting my shorts on was a chore. Drop something on the ground? Had to hope someone could help me pick it up. Strength was gone. Motivation- gone. Enthusiasm- gone. Definitely a tough spot.
I eventually considered a career change. How could I train athletes when I couldn't do anything myself? Well I got lucky and a good friend of mine recommended me to a chiropractor. Now I hate doctors. My opinion is they just look at you and write you some drug prescription and send you on your way. So with that in mind I really did not know what to think of seeing a guy who's intentions were to bust my back apart and just do some sadistic crap to me in hopes of making me feel better. Well turns out I was right for the most part. Just in a good way I suppose.
I scheduled a twice a week package for the first month. It was only after 2 weeks I realized my sciatica only acted up when I aggravated the condition but at least I could sleep again. After the first month I was back in the gym doing some light rehab exercises. Mostly stability work, planks, partial bends, and a lot of stationary bike. I could still bench but not much and had a few working parts on me that I trained normally but anything that was weight bearing through the back or hips was out of the question.
So there's a lot more in details there but to save time ill fast forward about 5 months of annoying, repetitive, and painful rehab to August. I decided to try box squatting again. Crazy stuff but I was feeling ballzy. I hate belts but figured Id need to start wearing one and got to a few light sets around the 225 range. Felt pretty good. So I moved up to about 315. I knocked out 5 reps. Outstanding. So my meat head side took over and said "let's go see what we got!" Next thing I know I got 405 on my back and squeezed out a single. Holy shit. I decided to stop there since my back was getting sore but the fact remained- I can squat again.
(skip towards the end to see the 405)
So I started training again. Full tilt. Balls out squatting till I wanted to puke, benching till my shoulders were on fire, and throwing and running gain. Now mind you it wasn't all great. I couldn't run MUCH and I had many sessions that were limited due to were soreness or aches. I had to be careful and listen to my body for once. The bottom line though was I was still getting stronger.
Fast forward to December roughly 3 months later and I hit a monster lift- 455x5. Unfortunately my camara died but I did get the 425x2 on film. I stopped at 2 because I just KNEW I had more in me. Coincidentally I also revamped my program and not only mine but my throwers lifts were, and still are, shooting through the roof. Thanks Westside and Joe DeFranco as those were two major influence to the new program.
[youtube]GvflXESv-VM[/youtube]
So here we are today. I'm rushing this a little since I got to get leaving soon but this past Monday I once again hit another rep PR of 425x3 with the average bands. If you're not familiar with them they are rated at 75lbs a piece which on paper means that bar weighed around 575 or more at lockout. Truthfully I have no idea. I'm 6'1 and the bands are wrapped tightly around the pegs at the floor so ill let you figure out the math. Either way that blows out any number I thought Id hit 4 months ago. Next Monday I am regular testing and plan on going straight to 500 for reps.
Here's to a healthy back.
End result? Couldn't do a damn thing. My athletes would joke on me as I was stuck riding around practice in a golf cart, using crutches during meets, and overall felt worthless. This was when the sciatica symptoms started kicking in. Worst pain ever. Putting my shorts on was a chore. Drop something on the ground? Had to hope someone could help me pick it up. Strength was gone. Motivation- gone. Enthusiasm- gone. Definitely a tough spot.
I eventually considered a career change. How could I train athletes when I couldn't do anything myself? Well I got lucky and a good friend of mine recommended me to a chiropractor. Now I hate doctors. My opinion is they just look at you and write you some drug prescription and send you on your way. So with that in mind I really did not know what to think of seeing a guy who's intentions were to bust my back apart and just do some sadistic crap to me in hopes of making me feel better. Well turns out I was right for the most part. Just in a good way I suppose.
I scheduled a twice a week package for the first month. It was only after 2 weeks I realized my sciatica only acted up when I aggravated the condition but at least I could sleep again. After the first month I was back in the gym doing some light rehab exercises. Mostly stability work, planks, partial bends, and a lot of stationary bike. I could still bench but not much and had a few working parts on me that I trained normally but anything that was weight bearing through the back or hips was out of the question.
So there's a lot more in details there but to save time ill fast forward about 5 months of annoying, repetitive, and painful rehab to August. I decided to try box squatting again. Crazy stuff but I was feeling ballzy. I hate belts but figured Id need to start wearing one and got to a few light sets around the 225 range. Felt pretty good. So I moved up to about 315. I knocked out 5 reps. Outstanding. So my meat head side took over and said "let's go see what we got!" Next thing I know I got 405 on my back and squeezed out a single. Holy shit. I decided to stop there since my back was getting sore but the fact remained- I can squat again.
(skip towards the end to see the 405)
So I started training again. Full tilt. Balls out squatting till I wanted to puke, benching till my shoulders were on fire, and throwing and running gain. Now mind you it wasn't all great. I couldn't run MUCH and I had many sessions that were limited due to were soreness or aches. I had to be careful and listen to my body for once. The bottom line though was I was still getting stronger.
Fast forward to December roughly 3 months later and I hit a monster lift- 455x5. Unfortunately my camara died but I did get the 425x2 on film. I stopped at 2 because I just KNEW I had more in me. Coincidentally I also revamped my program and not only mine but my throwers lifts were, and still are, shooting through the roof. Thanks Westside and Joe DeFranco as those were two major influence to the new program.
[youtube]GvflXESv-VM[/youtube]
So here we are today. I'm rushing this a little since I got to get leaving soon but this past Monday I once again hit another rep PR of 425x3 with the average bands. If you're not familiar with them they are rated at 75lbs a piece which on paper means that bar weighed around 575 or more at lockout. Truthfully I have no idea. I'm 6'1 and the bands are wrapped tightly around the pegs at the floor so ill let you figure out the math. Either way that blows out any number I thought Id hit 4 months ago. Next Monday I am regular testing and plan on going straight to 500 for reps.
Here's to a healthy back.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
So this is it...
Day 1
My version of "The Decision".
Today I realized what it is that I truly what out of what I am doing- my own gym. A sanctuary for the hardcore athlete and lifter. A haven for the refugees sick of health clubs and planet weakness gyms. A place to get away from the frat boys and magazine lifters trying out the latest fad in fitness.Those who are committed to a cause and need a facility to help them achieve these goals.
So what the hell am I going to call it?
I had a couple ideas so far. One being my blogs name but not sure I want the word 'fitness' to be associated with what I plan on doing. Fitness is a by product. A side effect. Its something that is just to be expected and therefore not a goal in my training.
One name I am starting to like is Body Shop Athletics or BSA. This was inspired not only by the idea of starting a gym in a garage or warehouse but also the notion that every athlete I have worked with in the past 10+ years has all gone through some major body modifications. With my latest program and my athletes this season thus far speaks volumes to this. Hell, I got one kid that has been training for about 12 weeks since football ended has packed on almost 20lbs and is stretching out of his shirts. So I am definitly putting that at the top of my list.
Another idea was Olympus Athletics and Fitness. Once again I dont like that fitness word being in there. Everyone just tags that onto their treadmill health club just to attract the resolution or spring break crowd. So how about Olympus Athletics? Maybe. OA? Not much a ring to that. Plus it has the Greek theme to it that I really dont relate to at all. Im mostly German/Irish so thats about the farthest away from Greece you can be while still being in the same Continent...moving on.
I could just go with Praters Training Systems- PTS. Then I would feel like Im ripping off DeFranco and thats just an insult to the man who I have pulled more than a few ideas from. Then again I can't rule it out.
Location?
Right now I found a few warehouse locations in the Berea area. I would like to stick to either Strongsville, Berea, or possibly Middleburg. Biggest issue I am having is pricing for the lease and proximity to a major road. Just being realistic I need to be by people and easily accesible.
Pricing?
This ones tricky. How can I keep prices low enough to attract clients but high enough to stay afloat and keep the club somewhat private. In other words every commercial gym charges 10-20 bucks these days just attract thousands of clients and hope that only 20 of them regularly use the place. My plan is to have 30-40 clients paying either a monthly premium around 30-50 a month or the typical style of programming and the athlete pays for a training package.
Packages?
This ones trickier. Ive been looking at ideas for training packages of 4-12 weeks in duration and 1,2,3, or 4 days a week training periods. Id expect the 1 a week clients to pay the most per session (probably 15) while the 4 a week would be around 8 bucks or less. Overall the 4x/wk would be more but there programs would be the most effective and time consuming.
Lastly, I need to look at training camps. I figure my primary clients are going to be Football, Track, Baseball, and maybe Wrestling. A big one will be pre-season training and Combine Preperation. Lets face it these are not my specialities but bills need to be paid and exposure given. Nothing better than producing a few big name D1 athletes and peoples heads will start turning your direction. So not only do I need equipment but some more training myself. Heres what I got so far....
-Several bands. Probably 3 dozen total varying from micro (5lbs) to a single Monster (200lbs).
-About 150kg in bumper plates
-A few predesigned training programs (although I will personalize when I can)
-4lb, 6lb, 8, 10, 12, 15, and 18lb medicine balls
-A bigass dream
...yea I got a long way to go.
My version of "The Decision".
Today I realized what it is that I truly what out of what I am doing- my own gym. A sanctuary for the hardcore athlete and lifter. A haven for the refugees sick of health clubs and planet weakness gyms. A place to get away from the frat boys and magazine lifters trying out the latest fad in fitness.Those who are committed to a cause and need a facility to help them achieve these goals.
So what the hell am I going to call it?
I had a couple ideas so far. One being my blogs name but not sure I want the word 'fitness' to be associated with what I plan on doing. Fitness is a by product. A side effect. Its something that is just to be expected and therefore not a goal in my training.
One name I am starting to like is Body Shop Athletics or BSA. This was inspired not only by the idea of starting a gym in a garage or warehouse but also the notion that every athlete I have worked with in the past 10+ years has all gone through some major body modifications. With my latest program and my athletes this season thus far speaks volumes to this. Hell, I got one kid that has been training for about 12 weeks since football ended has packed on almost 20lbs and is stretching out of his shirts. So I am definitly putting that at the top of my list.
Another idea was Olympus Athletics and Fitness. Once again I dont like that fitness word being in there. Everyone just tags that onto their treadmill health club just to attract the resolution or spring break crowd. So how about Olympus Athletics? Maybe. OA? Not much a ring to that. Plus it has the Greek theme to it that I really dont relate to at all. Im mostly German/Irish so thats about the farthest away from Greece you can be while still being in the same Continent...moving on.
I could just go with Praters Training Systems- PTS. Then I would feel like Im ripping off DeFranco and thats just an insult to the man who I have pulled more than a few ideas from. Then again I can't rule it out.
Location?
Right now I found a few warehouse locations in the Berea area. I would like to stick to either Strongsville, Berea, or possibly Middleburg. Biggest issue I am having is pricing for the lease and proximity to a major road. Just being realistic I need to be by people and easily accesible.
Pricing?
This ones tricky. How can I keep prices low enough to attract clients but high enough to stay afloat and keep the club somewhat private. In other words every commercial gym charges 10-20 bucks these days just attract thousands of clients and hope that only 20 of them regularly use the place. My plan is to have 30-40 clients paying either a monthly premium around 30-50 a month or the typical style of programming and the athlete pays for a training package.
Packages?
This ones trickier. Ive been looking at ideas for training packages of 4-12 weeks in duration and 1,2,3, or 4 days a week training periods. Id expect the 1 a week clients to pay the most per session (probably 15) while the 4 a week would be around 8 bucks or less. Overall the 4x/wk would be more but there programs would be the most effective and time consuming.
Lastly, I need to look at training camps. I figure my primary clients are going to be Football, Track, Baseball, and maybe Wrestling. A big one will be pre-season training and Combine Preperation. Lets face it these are not my specialities but bills need to be paid and exposure given. Nothing better than producing a few big name D1 athletes and peoples heads will start turning your direction. So not only do I need equipment but some more training myself. Heres what I got so far....
-Several bands. Probably 3 dozen total varying from micro (5lbs) to a single Monster (200lbs).
-About 150kg in bumper plates
-A few predesigned training programs (although I will personalize when I can)
-4lb, 6lb, 8, 10, 12, 15, and 18lb medicine balls
-A bigass dream
...yea I got a long way to go.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)