MS P1 W1 LB1

MAXIMUM STRENGTH by Eric Cressey

Phase 1: Foundation
Week 1
Lower Body One

Workout:

Today's primary movers were Box Squats and Speed Deadlifts. These were followed by some hamstring/glute work for high reps and then I did some Ab work.. Box Squats were done with sets of 4 reps. I used 245 lbs and it was hard as hell. I am glad I took this last week easy because Eric was not kidding when he said that this program makes you go balls to the wall from day one. There is no acclimation/loading phase whatsoever. Today's workout was good. I am going to be posting my diet update in the next post. I do have some videos of today's workout which I will post later.

Videos:

My PR 315 Box Squat: http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...rent=BS315.flv
Today's Box Squat of 245 lbs: http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...nt=BS245x4.flv
Speed Deadlift 1: http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...urrent=DL1.flv
Speed Deadlift 2: http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...urrent=DL2.flv

Overall Impression:

Damn good workout. Because my diet has been really bad off late I thought I would have a bad workout. But I didn't..It was a good workout and I am glad. Speaking of diets, I am in a bit of jam because I am doing summer school here at Trinity University and the cafeteria's are all shut. And I do not have the time to cook...So I'm going to be eating lots of pre-made food. Well, Nick or rather nrk5014 has helped me design a diet. Saying "help me" is an understatement because he has basically written it all out for me. Here is the plan (tentative..this is more like a template):

Meal 1: 1 Scoop whey, 1 cup milk, 1 PB and J sandwich
Meal 2: Tuna, Fruit
Pre WO: 2 Scoops Whey in WATER, 1 Banana (or other quicker digesting fruit)
Post WO: 2 Scoops Whey, Milk, apple juice wouldn't be a bad choice here either
Meal 5 (15-30 minutes later): Philly cheese and tuna sandwiches would be solid here
Meal 6:PB/Nuts, Tuna/canned chicken/other source of protein
Pre bed: PB, Milk/Cottage cheese

Regarding supplements, I am going to be having Whey, Zinc, Magnesium, Multi-vitamins and Omega 3.

In addition to the above diet, I am going to be having other different sources of protein like chicken, etc and I plan on having plenty of fruits and veggies (I have frozen veggies in the fridge right now). I also bought a huge packet of cashew nuts....I love them cashew nuts

In any case, this has been a good day and I look forward to tomorrow's Upper One workout.

Overview of "Maximum Strength" by Eric Cressey

Maximum Strength by Eric Cressey

Eric Cressey's program "Maximum Strength" can be found out here: http://www.ericcressey.com/maximumstrength.html

I will be starting this program come this Saturday. Here is a very brief overview of the 16 weeks program:
1.) It is a 16 week program broken up into 4 mesocycles.
2.) Each mesocycle lasts for 4 weeks.
3.) Each mesocycle is comprised of heavy, medium, very heavy and low volume weeks respectively.
4.) It is a typical powerlifting type upper-lower split.
5.) Exercises (all exercises) are rotated every mesocycle.
6.) However, each workout within that mesocycle is different from the previous one in terms of sets and reps.
7.) Base maxes must be found for the box squat, deadlift, military press, broad jump and a 3 rep max for the pull-up.
8.) The program consists of 4 workouts per week.
9.) There is no "loading" or "accumulating" part in any mesocycle. Your job is to go balls to the wall right from day one.

Ok, so having said this, the way I am going to arrange the workouts is like this:
Saturday: Lower 1
Sunday: Upper 1
Tuesday: Lower 2
Thursday: Upper 2

I begin this coming Saturday - 31st May, 2008.

My base maxes for the program are:
Deadlift: 365 lbs
Box Squat: 315 lbs
Military Press: 160 lbs
Pull-up 3RM: +25 lbs
Broad Jump: 6.5 feet

As I have mentioned before, I am not going to be posting exact workouts. It is unfair to Mr. Cressey who has personally helped me with several questions (like replacing bench press with military press, etc) personally for me to post his entire program out here. However, if this program works, I hope some of you do purchase the book.

So, my next workout will be on Saturday. I hope everyone has a good week

Goofy Workout 7

Goofy Workout 7

hey everyone....i flew back from new york to trinity yesterday...it feels great to be back

so today was max out day on box squats and broad jumps. yes, i have vids of my box squat attempts however ill post those in a couple of days.

after today my next workout will be on saturday. more about cressey's program in a bit...

Box Squats
- bar x 5 reps
- 135 lbs x 3 reps
- 185 lbs x 2 reps
- 225 lbs x 1 rep
- 275 lbs x 1 rep
- 295 lbs x 1 rep
- 315 lbs x 1 rep
so i guess 315 is a PR type thing because i havent ever taken 315 on my back lol....but anyways, i don't care much about PRs....ill post vids later for y'all to evaluate but 315 was sort of easy. it wasnt too much of a struggle and i reckon i could've nailed 335...but i wanted to be conservative to i stuck with 315.

Broad Jump
- 6.5 feet
- 6.3 feet
- 6.5 feet
guess my base max for this is now 6.5 feet.

Goofy Workout 6

Goofy Workout 6

i think today will be the last workout day before i return to trinity on tuesday. once i get back, i think ill have my first workout on wednesday and thursday and then take 2 days off so i can begin cressey's program on the 1st of june. just so everyone is aware, i will NOT be posting exact workouts from Cressey's book because it is unfair to the author. i will be posting my reflections of all the workouts. in short: no need to worry this journal will be updated regularly (4x a week atleast) with videos and my thoughts on the workout. i will just not be posting exact information. the book is fairly cheap to buy $23 including shipping and the program outline makes rippetoe's practical programming look like a baby's book....so anyways, here's the link: Maximum Strength

as per the program, i am required to find the following maxes:
1.) Box Squat
2.) Bench Press
3.) Deadlift
4.) Pull-up 3RM
5.) Broad Jump

now, since i want to do more regular squatting and i dont know if i will have a box available at all times, im gonna replace box squats with regular squats and of course: the military press for the bench...im not going to be maxing out all over again because i think ive enough 1-5RM stuff in the past 4 weeks...im gonna be taking my maxes for the following as (and yes, some of their kinda conservative):
1.) Squat: 300
2.) Military Press: 160
3.) Deadlift: 365
4.) Pull-ups 3RM = BW + 20 lbs (done today actually..)
5.) Broad Jump: i havent done this yet. will do it on wednesday or thursday at the very latest.

so, this was today's workout...

Squats
- 205 lbs x 3 reps x 3 sets
since id just done squats yesterday and my legs were sore, i decided to do some recovery type work...so i did 205 for 3x3...kinda easy.

DE Deadlifts @~50% of 1RM
- 185 lbs x 1 rep x 6 sets
this gym has octagonal plates which are a pain to do deads with...this gym to be honest is actually pretty good and id love to be a member (if i lived in new york or chicago) except it has these weird plates and it doesnt have a GHR machine. yes, im being nit picky.

OH Squats
i practiced with the bar alone today and i did quite a few sets. i got the form down completely i think. when i go back on wednesday, im gonna post a vid...this should be good

Pull-ups
- + 20 lbs x 3 reps
- 3 reps x 3 sets
so...ive been doing pull-ups very consistently over the last 2 weeks...im happy to say that my new 3RM is now BW + 20 lbs. i wish i had measured my BW though...i think im around 170-180 though im not sure

Low Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
- 60 lbs x 8 reps x 3 sets

Ab Work
- Overhead Plate Side Bends = 10 lbs x 10 reps x 3 sets
- Regular Plate Side Bends = 35 lbs x 10 reps x 3 sets
- Front Plate Squats = 35 lbs x 5 reps x 2 sets
- Hanging Leg Raises = 10 reps x 3 sets
well, ive been ignoring ab work off late...so here we go

Grip Work
- Plate Pinches with 25 lbs for 20-30 seconds x 3 sets

Goofy Workout 5

Goofy Workout 5

so i took yesterday off....im feeling good. muscle soreness has more or less gone....i flew to new york yesterday...im in south manhattan now i went to this gym called equinox today morning....got in a workout...

Lunges
- 35 lbs x 6 reps x 3 sets
i hunted around for a power cage but i couldnt find any....so i took some dumbbells and decided to do some lunges because i wanted to do some lower body work before i moved on to upper body stuff...

Romanian Deadlifts
- 185 lbs x 6 reps x 3 sets
i found this station where people were doing shrugs and stuff so i decided to do some RDLs....these were hard though....i don't think ive ever done 185 for multiple sets before...

Squats
- 255 lbs x 2 reps x 5 sets
- 185 lbs x 6 reps
you guys are probably wondering whats going on...why would i do squats AFTER everything? well....i completely overlooked this one area in the gym...and i presumed that this gym doesnt have power cages...well, after i finished doing lunges and rdl's, i walked around and guess what? right next to the million treadmills and other cardio-bunny-friendly equipment, i see 4 power cages lined up against the wall!!! so well, i decided to go in and do some squats...needless to say, these were hard.

Pull-ups
- 3 reps x 3 sets

Seated Cable Rows
- 100 lbs x 8 reps x 2 sets

Smith Machine Incline Bench Press
- 135 lbs x 20 reps x 2 sets
i cant believe i did this...i was so lazy i didn't want to do any dumbbell presses and since this machine was already set up, i decided to jump in lol...

Goofy Workout 4

Goofy Workout 4

so...today was the third day in a row im working out...kinda tough on me...my lower body was sore as hell today..and so was my upper body. but i wanted to do something whole-body-ish because im not sure ill be able to hit the gym till sunday or monday....so, i decided to do DE work...squats, military press and pull-ups. then some ab work. kinda simple.

off topic: i roamed around downtown chicago on my own today....it was great fun. had a 12" sub sandwich for lunch

DE Squats @ ~50% of 1RM
- 145 lbs x 2 reps x 12 sets
145 lbs is probably a bit like 40% of my 1RM since i have no idea what my current 1RM is...but i have to say: it was hard as hell however, by set 10 speed was a lot better

DE Military Press @ 50% of 1RM
- 80 lbs x 3 reps x 8 sets
damn easy...should've taken 55-60%

Pull-ups
- 3 reps x 3 sets
this was hard....my back is so sore lol...

Good Mornings
- 45 lbs x 8 reps x 2 sets

Ab Machine
- 40 lbs x 10 reps x 2 sets
i should've done something more complex but i wanted to try this new machine

Goofy Workout 3

Goofy Workout 3

so...i am heading out to new york on thursday....so i had to squeeze in a workout today morning. i also visited the aquarium today which was a great experience...i love dolphins and whales

oh, my BW is now 170. looks like i lose 5 lbs....apparently. but i don't trust this or any scale...im sure in 3-4 days my weight will be back at 175-180...

umm...remember i was in 2 minds about bench press vs. military press for eric cressey's program? where....its been settled....read on to find out what i choose...

Military Press
- bar x 5 reps
- 95 lbs x 3 reps
- 115 lbs x 2 rep
- 135 lbs x 1 rep
- 145 lbs x 3 reps x 3 sets
this was cool...im glad ive been able to maintain my strength so well.

Flat Bench Press
- 135 lbs x 5 reps
- 155 lbs x 5 reps
- 185 lbs x 1 rep
fuck this lift. i'm done. MY CHOICE IS THE MILITARY PRESS!!! 185 felt so damn heavy i got stuck at midpoint for what seemed to be eternity. no way do i want to do this lift...i don't even like the lift to begin with!!

Pull-ups
- 5 reps x 3 sets

Standing Unilateral Shoulder Press
- 45 lbs x 6 reps x 3 sets

Pull-ups
- 5 reps x 3 sets
total pull-up count for today is 30. nice!

Ab Supersets
- Planks = 60 seconds x 2 sets

Squat Form Work
- Bottom-up form work using the power rack for support
- Facing the wall squat
- Front Squats
- Hip Circles
- Free Weight Good Mornings
- Wide Stance Squats
my legs are sore as hell but i just did a couple of reps of each one of these...hopefully this was iron out my lower back rounding flaws...

Goofy Workout 2

Goofy Workout 2

so...im in chicago right now....i went to this gym called Five Seasons (my uncle is a member). i did a lower body workout today....i think it was good.

i walked around in chicago (went to the art museum, millenium park, etc) in 55F temperature wearing only a t-shirt (don't ask why...i thought i was macho enough to handle the cold)...well, i couldn't handle the cold and i had a MASSIVE headache throughout my workout. when i did deads, at the top when i exhaled i literally felt like collapsing on each and every rep. i am surprised i was even able to do as much as i did....but then after the workout i took a sauna and steam and my headache went away. it looks like the cold wind got into my head

if my next workout is tomorrow (as i hope) then ill probably do an upper focussing on oh work and then some bench work. for eric cressey's program i am debating about substituting oh press for bench press...lets see....

if i don't workout tomorrow and instead i workout directly on thursday or friday, then ill do another lower session with probably some pulling work. im laying off all pressing work for the time being. im not into it right now.

Mobility Drill Work

Deadlifts
- 135 lbs x 5 reps
- 185 lbs x 2 rep
- 225 lbs x 1 rep
- 275 lbs x 1 rep
- 315 lbs x 1 rep
- 365 lbs x 1 rep
this was all easy except on the last set i ****ing lost my grip midway to discent! i really hate my grip being so damn weak..!!!

Squats
- 135 lbs x 5 reps
- 225 lbs x 1 rep
- 275 lbs x 1 rep x 3 sets
- 225 lbs x 5 reps x 3 sets
my headache felt a lot worse during this. at the top of each rep i felt as if i was going to faint. it was damn difficult..thats why i didn't add any reps to the 275's..

Box Squats
- 225 lbs x 3 reps x 4 sets

Unilateral RDLs
- 45 lbs x 6 reps x 2 sets

Ab Supersets
- Over Head Side Bends = 10 lbs x 10 reps x 2 sets
- Planks = 60 seconds x 2 sets

Goofy Workout 1

Goofy Workout 1

So, i decided to superset one lower body movement with one upper body movement. here is how my workout went...



A.) Warm-up using Eric Cressey's Maximum Strength required warm-up minus the foam stuff. this warm-up is a lot like my judo warm-ups when i used to practice judo. good stuff.

B1.) Glute Ham Raises = 8 reps x 3 sets
B2.) Lat Pull Downs = 100 lbs x 10 reps x 3 sets

C1.) Unilateral Standing Leg Curls = 20 lbs x 8 reps x 5 sets
C2.) Push-ups = 10 reps x 5 sets

D1.) OH Squats = 5 sets
D2.) Cable Rows = 130 lbs x 12 reps x 5 sets

E1.) OH Squats = 2 sets
E2.) Unilateral Box Squats = 2 sets


The workout was pretty decent. worked up quite a sweat. i have 4 videos to show y'all...2 are of the oh squats and other 2 are the last two supersets which i did.

Press Assistance Day - Cycle 18

Press Assistance Day
Cycle 18

Overall Impression:

i think i did really badly on one of my exams yesterday....it kinda messed up my workout because i overhead a couple of guys talking about it and i got so upset i decided to go back and leave my workout unfinished....i had studied for almost a week for the exam and i blanked out like 5 minutes into the paper...fuck!

The Workout:

Superset 1
- Pull-ups = 4 reps x 4 sets
- Standing Unilateral Dumbbell Shoulder Press = 40 lbs x 10 reps x 4 sets

Superset 2
- Pull-ups = 4 reps x 3 sets
- Seated Dumbbell Unilateral Shoulder Press = 50 lbs x 4 reps x 3 set

Squat Day - Cycle 18

Squat Day
Cycle 18

Overall Impression:

so..ive been a little behind on replying to private messages, reading other journals, etc etc...well, i apologize. the last 4 days have been pretty hectic. i finished 4 finals in 3 days. 2 were today back to back. i have been sleeping for only 5-6 hours a night (which is pretty normal for me) however ive been studying for 12+ hours every day which is NOT norma for me.

well, in relation to diet: ive been getting my protein in most of the time. i forgot my omega 3 fatty acid pills yesterday. i am also sick lol...i have fever plus a cold and a cough. not feeling too good to be honest. but im getting better. i feel better today.

because i had 2 exams back to back today i havent been able to workout. i will do 3 workouts in a row. saturday = press assistance day, sunday = deadlift day and monday = military press day.

come next wednesday i am heading out to new york to spend 2 weeks with some cousins of mine before i begin summer school back here at trinity. during those 2 weeks i will most likely only workout 2-3 times at the most. my training will be eratic and so will my posting. i apologize if i skip anyone's journal....i will be back at this once i get back to trinity and start summer school.

regarding my programming: i have been at this training for 18 weeks now however my mentor Eric and I believe that i need a more focussed approach for the time being. a lot of my training has been "going by feel" and while i have been able to pull it off successfully for the last 18+ weeks, i am beginning to run into a wall. not in the sense of progression: i am progressing very well. i am however kinda feeling shitty, unmotivated, etc etc..this next 2 week deload will do me good hopefully. but, when i come back i am most likely going to be following Eric Cressey's program in his book Maximum Strength. i will keep y'all updated. I have not received the book as yet....I will be receiving it next week and i will spend the 2 weeks reading up on it

The Workout:

Mobility Drills
these felt pretty good today...

Overhead Squats
i practiced stopping at different depths.

Safety Bar Squats
- 225 lbs x 3 reps
i am counting the bar as 45 lbs because i have no clue what the SSB really weighs. in any case, this was a tough challenge and i think i did well.

Box Squats
- 245 lbs x 3 reps x 3 sets
same as last time.....i wasn't in the mood to push myself...weird. i wasn't even focussed.

Ab Work
- Side Body Raises = 8 reps x 2 sets
- Planks = @ 1 minute x 2 sets

Grip Work
- Plate Pinches = 25 lbs x 20 seconds x 2 sets

Military Press Day - Cycle 18

Military Press Day
Cycle 18

Overall Impression:

well, i got in 10 hours of studying today....i hate studying lol...

The Workout:

Standing Barbell Military Press
- 155 lbs x 1 rep
- 160 lbs x 1 rep
- 165 lbs x 0 reps
- 145 lbs x 3 reps x 2 sets
- 135 lbs x 4 reps x 2 sets
just like last week my reps were really slow and sluggish. even 45 lbs felt like a ton to me. i did 160 lbs easy then tried 165 but failed. im not too disappointed though....i need to come up with a new strategy for my press...i think i will stop doing standing presses for another 2-3 weeks. im gonna focus on seated presses. infact, i plan on making my upper body workouts more bodybuilding oriented for 2-3 weeks where i will try and get 8-12 reps on everything. other than the set-rep scheme everything else stays the same: exercises will be those that have maximum carry over onto key lifts.

Dumbbell Rows
- 75 lbs x 8 reps x 3 sets

Cable Rows
- 140 lbs x 8 reps x 5 sets

Lat Pull Downs
- 170 lbs x 5 reps x 2 sets

Facepulls
- 70 lbs x 10 reps x 1 set

Ab Work
skipped

Deadlift Day - Cycle 18

Deadlift Day
Cycle 18

Overall Impression:

finals begin this week...2 reading days and then 4 exams in 3 days....shite!

The Workout:

Mobility Drills
as usual...

Over Head Squats
tried to get into the groove. did a couple of sets.

Snatch Grip Deadlifts
- 205 lbs x 6 reps x 3 sets
this was hard as hell.

Rack Deadlifts
- 255 lbs x 6 reps x 2 sets
nice! i finally got my groove. i realized that i have to pull the bar to me during the set-up - not me to the bar.

Glute Ham Raises
- 9 reps x 2 sets

Ab Work
- Lat Pull Down Sit-ups = 80 lbs x 8 reps x 3 sets

Grip Work
- Plate Pinch = 25 lbs x 20 seconds x 2 sets
- Farmers Walk @ 70 lbs x 3 sets

Press Assistance Day - Cycle 17

Press Assistance Day
Cycle 17

Overall Impression:

i didn't feel like going to the gym...i had to write a 12-20 page paper (i wrote 16 pages plus bibliography, appendix, coversheet, index, etc etc) for today and i started doing it last night....i was in no mood to go to the gym..but i dragged myself anyways.

The Workout:

Superset 1
- Pull-ups = 7 + 8 + 6 + 5 + 5 = 31 reps
- Standing Unilateral Dumbbell Shoulder Press = 40 lbs x 6 reps x 5 sets

Superset 2
- Pull-ups = 4 reps x 1 set
- Seated Dumbbell Unilateral Shoulder Press = 50 lbs x 6 reps x 1 set
pull-up count is 35 so far (31 + 4 = 35)

Superset 3
- Pull-ups = 2 reps x 4 sets
- Front Plate Squats = 25 lbs x 6 reps x 4 sets
- Overhead Plate Sidebends = 10 lbs x 6 reps x 4 sets
pull-up count total is 43 for today (35 + 8 = 43)