Playing catch up with the updates a bit.
SQUAT DAY
I forgot my notepad for this workout, and Riddle didn't post to his blog, so all these numbers and lifts are a product of a two day old memory.
Warm Up:
Static and dynamic stretching with bands
Sled Drag: 3 plates, 5 trips up and down the parking lot.
Bar x 10
Bar x 10
95 x 8
135 x 8
135 x 6
185 x 6
185 x 6
225 x 6
This was my first time using the SSB, and like all these other new experiences, it took some getting used to. Although I would assume that trying to fix my squat while squatting under a new bar every week would be counterproductive, I'm finding that my form is improving. The SSB, like the Cambered Bar, holds the weight at a lower level than the straight or Buffalo Bar. It does not swing like the Cambered Bar, rather it tends to push your head forward and attempts to round your upper back. This requires you to arch harder and make a more concentrated effort to keep your head up and chest out. And if you've ever seen me squat, that is my main problem. My first few sets at 185 were pretty much garbage, as I did not arch properly and I would slam my butt onto the box. Through Riddle's coaching and a greater sense of focus I was able to correct this and finish with two quality sets.
Btw, I looked up at the giant whiteboard Lexen has to document their lifters PRs and saw Riddle has a PR total of 2160. Thats an Elite total. Glad I have someone like him correcting my squat than some dickhead at the local Ballys Globo Gym.
Log Snatch:
This was new to all of us and will take a second to explain. Also, I have no idea what they're called, so I just made up a name. Whatever.
We were squatting early Sunday morning while
Chuck fucking
Vogelpohl was benching with a handful of other Neanderthal Silverbacks. They finished up while we neared the end of our squat routine, and Chuck came over to see what we were up to.
He talked to Riddle for a minute and asked what we were doing next. This is a bad sign. This means he's going to pull something out of his bag of torture and throw it in our faces.
What he had us to was this:
First lay the
log down at your feet as if you were going to deadlift it. Then bend at your hips and row the bar up to your chest. So that your chin is just above the top of the log. My brother Ben demonstrating this portion of the lift:
Once you have completed the row you then arch your back hard, explode with your hips, and raise the log so that you are now standing upright. The whole time the bar must remain against your chin.
Though it is easier to think of it as two motions, Chuck referred to it as a snatching movement. Pull the log to your chest/chin with your arms, and then immediately explode with your hips, allowing the bar to fly up.
Log x 10
Log x 10
Log x 10
Log + 10lb plates on each side x 10
Reverse Hypers:
Three 35s on each side x 8, x8, x8
Circuit:
Cable Crunches: 90 x 15
Ab Wheel: 15
Gripper: Two Plates x 30
Three times through, no rest
BONUS DEADLIFT DAY
Memorial Day. We figured no one would be at the gym, and we were right. Yeah, we squatted the previous day, but whatever.
Circuit:
Neck Harness: 25 x 30
Gripper: Two Plates x 40
Pinch Grip: 15lb x 20
Three times through, no rest.
Warm Up:
Static and dynamic stretching with bands
Deadlifts (Conventional):
135 x 8
135 x 8
185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 5
315 x 3
405 x 1
This was new. I love to do Zercher Squats but I'm more than annoyed with the elbow pain they give me. This harness goes a long way in alleviating that annoyance.
Although you can most certainly perform a basic Zercher Squat in this equipment, we opted for more of a Good Morning movement. Mark Bell in the video above demonstrated approximately what we did. We placed our hands on the bar, however, to stabilize it, and focused on bending at the hips and then thrusting the hips forward. Think of a
hip thrust, but standing, and not as retarded.
135 x 10
135 x 10
225 x 10
