Training Observation

So, I've noticed something these past few weeks - recording your sets is really beneficial.

For example, I've been deadlifting a very long time. However, since I have been recording myself these past few months I have noticed some areas that need "tweaking".

Example with my squat - I noticed I took too much time and energy getting into position after I unracked the bar. I took too big of a step backwards and too much time getting my feet set. I fixed that.

Example with my deadlift - I wasn't "pushing my hips back" enough to load my butt and hamstrings before pulling the bar. Now I really emphasis sticking my butt back as I descend to grab the bar.

Another example with my deadlift - I could actually bring my grip in a little. This slightly decreases the distance I have to pull the bar off the floor.

If you don't record yourself lifting, you should really consider it.

Also, I know I said today was an off day, but I did a very light workout just to "grease the groove" even further.

1) Deadlift - 135x2x5

2a) Push Press - 65x2x5
2b) Neutral Pullup - 2x5

3) Squat - 75x2x5

4) KB Swing - 1x20

Nice and super easy. Will be heavier tomorrow.

Also, check this out => Take This Eating Challenge

The Last 2 Training Days

Okay, so I did my workout yesterday early afternoon. As I mentioned previously, I brought my feet in a little with my sumo deadlift. My knee felt fine and I barely noticed anything.

Until later that night.

I came to the conclusion that I have to be smart here. I have to look beyond this training cycle and "train for long term." With that in mind, I have switched the sumo deadlifts for conventional deadlifts.

I hate doing this because it's a huge kick to my ego - I can sumo deadlift quite a bit more than conventional. However, I have to keep next month, next year, and the next 10 years of training in mind. Gritting through this with knee pain would only cause problems down the road.

With that in mind, here's what I did today:

1) Deadlift - 195x2x5 Not too heavy, but not incredibly easy.

2a) Push Press - 90x2x5
2b) Neutral Pullup - 2x5 with weight vest

3) Squat - 110x2x5

4) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 1x7

5) KB Swings - 1x25 I also switched out the snatches for the swings because my shoulders didn't like the extra volume.

Other than changing my deadlifts and switching to swings, everything seems to be going well. Tomorrow is an off day.

Last Day Before a Rest Day

Ok. One thing right now is quite obvious - my left knee does not like the changes I made in my sumo deadlift form. Specifically, widening my stance.

I gritted through it the past few days, but I know I need to make a change to keep from getting injured in the long run. Tomorrow is an off day, but I'll bring my feet back in a little closer on Sunday's training session to see if that fixes the issue. I'm optimistic it will.

1) Sumo Deadlift - 225x5, 235x3, 245x2 Easy weight for every set. Speed and form were good and the weight came up fast.

2a) Push Press - 85x5, 90x3, 95x2 Again, easy weight for every set.
2b) Neutral Grip Pullup - 2x5 w/ weight vest

3) Squat - 105x5, 115x3, 125x2 Once again, easy weight for every set.

4) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 1x7

5) 1 Arm KB Snatch - 1x18

I'm still getting into the groove of this program, and so I don't want to push the weights up too quickly and risk blowing the whole program.

So far, so good.

Oh, and make sure you check out yesterday's blog post if you haven't done so already => Wake Up Your Glutes

Day 2

So I finished up day two of my new training program a little while ago.

1) Sumo Deadlift - 225x2x5

2a) Neutral Chinup w/ weight vest - 2x5
2b) Push Press - 85x2x5

I kept all the weights the same from yesterday. I have a tendency to push too hard, and that's a big no-no on this program. So, I made myself just use the same weights.

3) Squat - 105x2x5 Ok, so I increased the weight on these. But, the weight yesterday was incredibly light, and these still felt very, very easy.

4) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 1x6

5) 1 Arm KB Snatch - 1x18

Tomorrow I'll change the rep ranges up a bit.

Make sure you check out today's post => Wake Up Your Glutes

Time to Change Things Up

Ok, so I decided last night to change things up today.

I'll admit that I haven't had a true "plan" the past couple of months. Sure, I wrote out a training program with the goal of getting stronger, but it was mostly comprised of some stuff I thought would be fun. I needed something fun after getting so bored from my previous training.

So over the past week I've been reading a lot of Dan John's articles and his awesome book Never Let Go. He is friggin brilliant. Period.

So, after reading about his 40 Day Program (you can check it out here), I decided it sounded fun, and even a little crazy.

I don't know if I'll do the entire 40 days, because as Dan noted in the article, he reached his goals around the 22 day mark. I'll stick with it as long as my strength improves.

Today was my first day on the program, and so I'm not entirely sure how I'll set things up. I'm just going to listen to my body and "go with the flow".

Here's what I did:
1) Sumo Deadlift - 225x2x5

2a) Push Press - 85x2x5
2b) Neutral Grip Pullup - w/ weight vest 2x5

3) Squat - 95x2x5

4) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 1x6

5) 1 Arm KB Snatch - 1x18

I took the workout fairly slow, and all of the weights felt light. I'm especially taking the squats very easy because the deadlift is my main focus.

I made sure every rep was perfect and I stayed far away from failure.

Looking forward to seeing how this goes.

Yesterday's Training + Random Thoughts

Oops. I forgot to post my training from yesterday.

Here we go.

AM Session:
1) Broad Jump - 6x5

2a) Squat Jump - 4x5
2b) KB Swing - 4x15

3) 1 Arm KB Snatch - 5x5

PM Session:
1) Hang Clean - 95x3x5, 100x2x3, 105x2

2a) Press - 85x3x3, 75x3x6
2b) Chin-ups

As for today I just went for a walk outside.

Make sure you check out 7 Random Thoughts. ; )

I Love Deadlifts

Yep. I loooove me some deadlifts.

Deadlifts are amazing because they are one of the best overall tests of strength, and there is no cheating when it comes to the deadlift. Either you pick the weight up off the ground and lock it out, or you don't. There are no half reps like when some people claim to squat 500 pounds or bench press 315 when they only lower the weight about half way.

I friggin' <3 deadlifts.

Anyway . . . on to today's training session:

1) Sumo Deadlift - 265x3 singles, 275x1 single, and 285 x 1 single
These felt great today. I actually tweaked my form a little bit. I put my feet out a little wider and used a more narrow grip on the bar. In fact, my hands weren't on any of the knurling. This felt good and I'm going to stick with this new stance and grip.

2a) Barbell Hip Thrust - 135x10, 145x2x8
2b) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 2 sets

Tonight I'm going to do some floor presses and rows. I'll post that next week.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Training Update + Back Extension Info

Yesterday was a crazy day. I won't go into detail, but we had a family matter to deal with. Thankfully everything turned out wonderful. In fact, it couldn't have gone better.

So I got up at 4:30 in the morning yesterday and didn't get to train until about 5 in evening. Surprisingly I had a great workout even though I was completely exhausted.

1a) Push Press - 95x2x5, 100x3x2
1b) Pullups - 10x5

2) KB Swings - 2x25

It was short and sweet, but I've never push pressed 100 pounds before, and I could have got it for another rep if not two. All in all, I was very happy with the workout.

Make sure you check this out => Back Extensions and What You Should Know

Squats: Great Way to Start the Week!

This mornings workout:

1) Squat - 135x8, 155x1, 165 x 2 singles, 120x8
This is the best my squats have felt in a long time. I could have got the 135 ten times, but I didn't want to get too greedy. Next time, I'm going to get it 10, maybe more.



2a) Good Morning - 90x12, 95x10, 100x6
2b) Hanging Leg Raise - 3x8

Tonight I'm going to do some suspended push-ups and bent over rows.

Make sure you check out the new post at my other website. I have two great recipes for you to try => Cooking Adventures with Kale

Friday Training

Happy Friday!

Here is what I did a little while ago:

1) Broad Jump - 5x5x90 second rest
2a) Jump Squat - 4x5
2b) Clean Jump - 55x4x5
3) Hanging Knee Raise

Today I only did jumps for my lower body. I wasn't in the mood to load my spine, and jumps sounded like fun. Sometimes you just gotta do something enjoyable.

Later this afternoon I'll do the following workout:
1) Hang Clean - 5x5
2a) Standing Press
2b) Chin-ups

Have a wonderful weekend!

More Training

First, I'll share yesterday's workouts.

AM Training Session:
1) Sumo Deadlift - 265x4, 240x5
2a) BB Hip Thrust - 125x3x10
2b) TRX Bodysaw + Pike - 3 sets

The sumo deadlifts felt good, but I really wanted to get at least 5 reps. Next time I will get it.

PM Training Session:
1a) Floor Press - 120x5, 110x6
1b) TRX Inverted Row - 2x9

2a) Parallel Bar Dips - 3x10
2b) TRX Inverted Row - 3x9

3a) TRX Bodyweight Extensions - 3 sets
3b) KB Curl w/ Towel - 3 sets

Today I'm taking it easy, which means I'll go for a brisk walk for about 40 minutes.

In case you missed the posts on my other blog, here they are:
Not Everyone Can Deadlift
Do What You Suck At

Doing Work!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

I have some exciting news to announce. But not today. Soon . . .

As I write this I am smelling my dinner cook. I put a grassfed beef roast in the crock pot this morning with a bunch of veggies, and I've been smelling it for 10 hours now. Looking forward to enjoying that in a few minutes.

Here's today's training:

AM Training Session
1) Jump squat w/ weight vest - 3x10

2a) Walking lunge w/ weight vest - 3x12
2b) Negative ab wheel rollout - 3x8

PM Training Session
1a) Push press - 90x6, 80x7, 75x12
1b) Rack pullup - 4x10

2a) BB Shrug - 3 sets
2b) 1 arm KB clean & press - 2x10

Both training sessions lasted about 25 minutes, excluding warm-ups.

I hope you got your week off to a great training start!

Training Update

Yesterday I didn't get on the computer once. It was great - I need to do that more often.

Here is Wednesday's training:

AM Session:
1) Broad Jump - 5x5
2a) Reverse Lunge w/ sandbag held in zercher position - 3x12/10/10
2b) Kettlebell swing - 3x15
3) Hanging Knee Raise - 2x12

PM Session:
1) Hang Clean - 90x5x5
2a) Press - 85x2x4, and then 2 back off sets
2b) Chinups - 4 sets

Here is what I've done so far today:
1) Squat - 135x2x5 (squats are coming along nicely)
2a) Good Morning - 90x3x10
2b) Hanging leg raise - 3x8

Tonight I'm going to do some suspended push-ups and bent over barbell rows.

Also, make sure you check out Not Everyone Can Deadlift.

Have a great weekend!

Back to Sumo Deadlifting

So yesterday I pulled sumo for the first time in 3+ months. I didn't set any PRs, but everything went really well.

AM Training:
1) Sumo Deadlift - worked up to 265x3 (could have pulled it 2 more times at least, but stopped there)
2a) Glute Bridge - 3x10-12
2b) TRX Bodysaw + Pike - 3x10

PM Training:
1a) Floor Press - 125x3, 120x2x3
1b) TRX Inverted Row - 5 sets

2) Parallel Bar Dips - 2x10

3a) TRX Bodyweight Extension - 4 sets
3b) Towel Curl - 4 sets

I also made Shepherds Pie for dinner, and it was absolutely amazing! I may have to share the recipe. Speaking of recipes, check this out => Quick Yummy Recipe.

Today's Training

I'm gonna make this quick.

AM Training Session:
1) Jump Squat w/ weight vest - 4x8
2a) Walking Lunges w/ weight vest - 3x12
2b) Negative Ab Wheel Rollout - 3x7

PM Training Session:
1a) Push Press - 85x6, 90x2x4, 75x10
1b) Rack Pullup - 4 sets

Next week I'm going to share with you one of my favorite breakfasts - probably in video format.

Have a great weekend!

Training Update

So yesterday I did things a little differently again.

The main change from my previous training is that I switch to total body workouts this week. Well, in addition to that, yesterday I split my training into two different sessions - one in the AM (lower body) and one in the PM (upper body). This is easy for me to do since I train in my garage.

I did this because I would rather train for two 20 minute sessions instead of one 40-50 minute session. I was fresher for each one. We'll see how this goes as I'll do it again tomorrow.

AM Lower Body
1) Squat - worked up to 135x2x3, 105x10
2a) Good Morning - 85x3x10
2b) Hanging Leg Raise - 3x8

PM Upper Body
1a) Suspended Pushups - 3x12
1b) Palms Up Bent Over BB Row - 90x3x12

2a) KB Triceps Ext - 3 sets
2b) BB Curl - 3 sets

Here is a video with some of the main lifts:


Everything felt great. Today I'm taking it easy and will be back at it tomorrow.

Make sure you check out the following on my other website:
=> Interview with Jen Grasso
=> Jen Grasso Interview Part 2

Back at It

So after a not-so-great week of training last week, I was excited to change things up this week and get back to lifting hard and heavy, and with enthusiasm.

The main change in my training is that I am going back to total body training for a while. I'll be lifting 3 days per week, and I'll throw in some hill sprints a few times per week.

Here's a video with some highlights from today's training session.


1)Press - 80x3, 85x2x3, and 65x12

2a) Chinups - 4x10
2b) Glute Bridge - 125x3x10
2c) Bodyweight Extensions - 4x12

3) Hill Sprints - 7x

Great change of pace and I'm looking forward to the rest of the training days this week. Tomorrow, however, will be an off day. I'll probably go for a brisk walk in the morning and then spend some time playing with my dog.

Upper Body Training

Another easy workout today.

1a) Various pushups
1b) Rack pullups

2a) 1 arm KB overhead press
2b) Barbell row

Nothing too tough. Just something easy to finish up this week.

We all train for different reasons, and people have been sharing theirs. Why Do You Train?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

All Ass Workout

I'll explain the All Ass Workout title of this post in a minute.

So I mentioned earlier this week that I have been bored with my training. Well, that hit an all new level of boredom yesterday. It was getting to the point that I wasn't just bored with my workouts, but I was dreading the next one. That is not a good thing.

Part of it is because I spent every day of last week skiboarding. We went all day long, and even into the night flying down a mountain. I know my body is a little fatigued, but I know I'm also bored with my current program.

Today was supposed to be my squat day, but the last thing I felt like doing was putting a heavy barbell on my back. Yes, there is a time for shutting up, sucking it up, and lifting. However, today I was in desperate need of something different.

I walked out the garage knowing one thing - I did not want to put a barbell on my back. So here's what I just did:

1a) Walking lunges w/ weight vest - 4 x 12 each leg
1b) Barbell glute bridge - 115 x 4 x 12
1c) Band Pull-in - 4 x 15

That workout was a good change of pace, and I actually enjoyed it. It ended up being an "all ass workout" because after the second set, my butt was cramping.

One thing is for sure - next week I am changing things up. I'm still not sure of the details, but I'm going to go back to total body workouts for a while, and I'm only going to lift three days a week, instead of four like I've been doing the past several months.

I'll give you the details as I figure them out.

Check this out => Why Do You Train?

More Training

I must admit, today's training session was painfully boring. Usually I'm "in the zone" when I train and stay focused the entire time. Today, however, my mind was wondering and I just wasn't into the training session. I was completely bored and had to force myself to finish.

1a) Floor Press - worked up to 110x7
1b) Wide Grip Pullups

2a) Press - 4 sets
2b) Rack Pullup - 5 sets

3) Hill Sprints - 6

Next week I'm going to have to change things up. Not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I'll let you know what's going on.

Sometimes you just have to do something different.

I'm Baaack

So I'm back home after an amazing skiboarding vacation in Snowshoe, West Virginia. We had an amazing time playing in the snow.

I share some updates here => I'm Back. Update Time

Today's Training:
1) Deadlift - worked up to 215x8

2a) Full Squat - 5x10
2b) Hanging Leg Raise - 5x7

Today's training was a little tough, but that's expected after taking off an entire week from training. Some people come back stronger when they take a full week off from lifting weights - I'm not one of them.

Presses & Update

First, today's training session:

1) Press - worked up to 75x7

2a) Parallel Bar Dips - 5 sets
2b) TRX Inverted Rows - 5 sets

Next week I'll be playing in the snow and skiboarding, so I won't be posting on this website next week. However, I will still post on my blog, NiaShanks.com.

I just posted a quick Random Nutrition Tip over there, so make sure you check that out.

After next week, I'll be back training hard and heavy, and setting some PRs along the way.

Squats & Deadlifts

It was in the 20's when I headed outside to train today. That means I had on thermals, two pairs of pants, a long sleeved shirt, a hoodie, and a beanie. It kept me very warm.

I still suck at squats, but they are slowly but surely coming along. It still feels very unnatural stopping that short - performing a full squat feels much more natural to me.

1) Squat - worked up to 115x10 and 165x1

2a) Deadlift off 2" Board - 150x5x10
2b) Ab Wheel Rollout - 5 sets 11-10 reps each set

That was more than enough for today. But I will head back out to the garage and do some shrugs later.

Make sure you check out Processed Food Confusion to clear up some nutrition information.

Floor Presses

I can tell I skipped my deload week. Training has felt a little tougher yesterday and today, but I'm still going to train hard since I won't be lifting next week. I'll be skiboarding!!!

Today's training session:

1a) Floor Press - 110x6, worked up to 135x1

1b) Wide Grip Pullups - 6x5

2a) Standing Press w/ Fat Gripz - 57x5x10 (57 pounds, 5 sets, 10 reps)
2b) Neutral Grip Pull-ups - 5 sets

No hill sprints today because it's raining, and I just didn't feel up to it anyway.

Deadlifting

Since I'm taking next week off from strength training all together, I'm going hard and heavy this week. Next week we'll be having fun in the snow. Instead of snowboarding, I'm going to give skiboarding a try. Looks like a ton of fun.

1) Deadlift - 215x7, 265x1

2a) Full Squat - 5x10
2b) Hanging Leg Raise - 5x6

In a little I'm going to head back out to the garage for some barbell shrugs.

In other exciting news, we have been house hunting for a few months now, and hopefully that will all be over with this week. We'll see . . .

Presses, Chins & Other Upper Body Stuff

Another great training day to finish up this week.

1a) Press - worked up to an easy 70 x 8
1b) Chins - did a set between each warm-up and work set of presses

2a) Parallel Bar Dips - 5 sets
2b) TRX Inverted Rows - 5 sets

The whole workout took about 30 minutes.

Tomorrow is going to be a day filled with house hunting and probably some great food as well.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Hill Sprints & Lifting

Yesterday I planned on going for a nice long walk, but the icy and snowy roads changed all of that. So instead I ran 20 easy hill sprints in the yard.

Today's Training:
1) Power Clean - 95 x 5 x 3 (95#, 5 sets, 3 reps) I suck at these

2) Squat - worked up to 110 x 7 These were really easy, and that's a good thing. My new squat stance is coming along nicely, and I expect to get quite a bit stronger at these in the near future.

3a) Deadlift off 2" Board - 145 x 5 x 10
3b) Ab Wheel Rollout - 5 sets 11-10 reps each

Later on today I'll head back out to the garage and do some shrugs. I need to work on my traps.

In case you missed it, check out yesterday's blog post on my other site => Random Thoughts.

Upper Body Training

Another great training day for the books.

1a) Floor Press - worked up to 100 x 8
1b) Wipe Grip Pullups - 5 x 5

2a) Press - 56 x 5 x 10
2b) Neutral Grip Pullup - 5 x 10

3) Hill Sprints - 6

Once again, you don't need a lot of exercises to get great results. In my opinion, everyone would be better off if they simplified their training and used a handful of exercises.

Training Stuff

On Saturday we ran some hill sprints in the snow. Good times.

So . . . I was scheduled to deload this week, but I'm postponing it until a couple of weeks from now because I'll be away snowboarding, and I highly doubt I'm going to make it a priority to strength train that week.

Today's Training-

1) Deadlift - worked up to an easy 205x7: felt really light today

2a) Full Squat - 85 x 5 x 10
2b) Hanging Knee Raise - 5 x 12

3) Barbell Shrug - 5 x 10 (yes, I'm giving my traps some extra attention)

Got the whole workout done in about 40 minutes, excluding warm-up.

The number of exercises you use is not important, but using the BEST exercises is important.

Get more done with less.

This Week's Training Highlights

Here is a training highlight from this week's workouts.



Things are coming along nicely. I'm still using less weight on squats while focusing on my form since I tweaked my stance and squat depth.

It was a nice 20 degrees this week, so I was wearing multiple layers of clothes, but I loved every second of it!

Today's Training
1a) Press - 80x5, 90x 2 singles
1b) Neutral Grip Chins

2a) Parallel Bar Dips - 5 sets
2b) TRX Inverted Row - 5 sets

3) Hill Sprints in the Snow! - 6 sprints

This Week in Training

So I haven't posted my last two workouts and haven't put up a new post on my other website.

My computer started to crap out the other day, so I bought a new one yesterday and I've been setting it up today. I'm not tech savvy, so it's taking a while.

Tuesday Workout
1a) Floor Press - 115 x 5, 125 - couple singles
1b) Wide Grip Pullups

2a) Standing Press - 5 x 10
2b) Neutral Grip Chins - 5 sets

3) Hill Sprints - 6

Today's Workout
1) Squat - 125 x 5, 145 - single

2a) Deadlift off 2" Board - 140 x 5 x 10
2b) Ab Wheel Rollout - 5 x 10

I'm putting together a video of highlights from this week's training. I'll have that posted tomorrow.

Deadlifts & Squats

It's a rainy day here, and still cold.

Today's training:

1) Deadlift - 230x5 (felt great), 245 x 1, 255 x 2 x 1

2a) Full Squat - 5 x 10
2b) Hanging Knee Raise - 5 sets

While that may look easy, it's was tough. Five sets of squats is tough, even when using a light weight.

It's all about training economy and getting results.

Upper Body Training & Sprints

Another cold, but beautiful day here in Western Kentucky. Perfect for training.

1a) Press - worked up to 70 x6
1b) Wide Grip Chins - 5 x 4

2a) Press - 5 x 10
2b) Chins - 5 sets

3) Hill Sprints - 6 Easy sprint up the hill, walk back down, repeat

I didn't push my main work sets too hard this week, but that means next week I'll kick things up a notch before taking a deload week.

Don't miss No Nonsense Body Transformation Part 2.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Squat Training

Oh yeah, buddy. It was back to bundling up to train in the cold. Today is the coldest day so far this week - low 20s! I wore 3 long sleeved shirts, a hoodie, and 3 pairs of pants. But I loved every second of it.

1) Squat - worked up to 110 x 6. I recorded my squat sets to check on my form again. I'm hitting just below parallel before squatting back up. It's still little difficult to stop this early, but I'm getting better at it.

I could have easily squatted that weight for more reps, but right now I'm really focusing on my form.

2a) Full Squat - 80 x 4 x 10
2b) Ab Wheel Rollout - 4 x 11

3) Hill Sprints - 6

Got the entire training session done in about 40 minutes.

In case you missed it yesterday, head on over to my blog and check out No Nonsense Body Transformation Part 1.

More Cold Weather Training

Just finished up another great training session in the cold. It's even colder today and we have some snow on the ground. I love it!

1a) Floor Press - worked up to 100 x 6
1b) Neutral grip chins - 7 x 4

2a) Parallel bar dips - 5 sets
2b) TRX Inverted Rows - 4 x 12

3) Hills sprints in the snow - 6 (thanks goodness for cleats!) Today I sprinted up the hill at about 50% intensity, walked back down, and sprinted back up.

Today's Training & What I'm Working On

I hope everyone had an amazing weekend. I spent time with my family, ate some great food, watched a lot of football, and ran hill sprints in the numbing cold - and loved every second of it.

It's 20-something degrees here and I finished up my workout a little while ago. I had to wear two pairs of pants, two long sleeved shirts and a hoodie to stay warm. Call me crazy, but I LOVE winter. I love the numbing cold and having to bundle up. I could live like this all year long.

Anyway, on to today's training session:

1) Deadlift - 205 x 5

2a) Deadlift from 2" deficit - 140 x 4 x 10
2b) Hanging Knee Raise - 4 x 12

3) Hill Sprints - 6

Today I want to share with you the two main projects I am working on. Head on over to the other blog and check it out => What I'm Working On.

Presses, Chins & Sprints

It's Friday, and that means military presses for me.

1a) Press - worked up to 75 x 5, and then did a few singles with 85lbs
1b) Chins

2a) Press - 5 x 10
2b) Chins with various grips - 5 sets

3) Hill Sprints - 6

It's cold and cloudy outside today, and I love it. People think I'm crazy but I love winter. For some reason I love bundling up in multiple layers, walking outside to my home gym in the garage, and lifting some heavy weight.

I will be very sad to see winter go.

Hope everyone had an amazing weekend!

Next week I'll share with you some projects I'm working on.

Squat Day

So today I decided to record my squat workout. I did it for the primary reason of analyzing my squat technique, but I decided to share it with you as well. I'll explain a few things below.

Today's training session:



1) Squat - worked up to 115 x 5 Once again, I know I suck at squatting. Right now I am dropping the weight and focusing on improving my form. As you see in the video, I go well below parallel. For this squat my feet are in a wider stance, and it's my goal to hit parallel and then come back up. I need to stop a little shorter. The reason for this is because I want to get stronger in this lift.

2a) Full Squat - 75 x 4 x 10 (75lbs, 4 sets, 10 reps) Again, I dropped the weight and just busted out 4 sets of full squats. The differences between my full squat and regular squat are that I squat all the way down (obviously) and my feet are a little closer together.

2b) Ab Wheel Rollout - 4 x 10

3) Hill Sprints - 6

I still need to tweak my squat form a little, but things are coming along nicely. Slowly, but surely.

Back to Basics Part 2, and a Rant

No training for me today.

In fact, I'm going to go for a nice long walk here in a few minutes. Other than that, my activity today will consist of playing with the dog.

Head on over to NiaShanks.com and check out Back to Basics Part 2. I share some important information that you don't want to miss.

Train Hard. Eat Smart. Get Results.

Floor Presses & More

Today's training session:

1a) Floor Press - 110 x 4, 115 - 3 singles
1b) Neutral Grip Chins - 9 x 3

2a) Parallel Bar Dips - 5 x 8
2b) TRX Inverted Rows - 4 x 10

3) Hill Sprints - 6

I have to do a thorough warm-up before sprinting, mostly for my ankles. I broke my right ankle when I was younger, and it takes a lot of warming up to get it feeling good, especially in cold weather.

I'm not performing my sprints at 100% intensity; more like 6-8/10 level. I really enjoy sprinting, and my hips and ankles feel great the next day.

Tomorrow I'm just taking it easy - that means going for a nice long walk in the morning and then playing some football without my dog throughout the day.

Deadlift + Video

So I started off the New Year with some hill sprints. What did you do?

It's back to training today, and I'm starting from scratch. Now that I'm training in my **NEW** home gym, I'm "starting over" in a way. I know how much the bar weighs and how much each plate weighs - this can vary in gyms. There have been times when I thought I was using a 45lb bar when it was really 40lbs or a little less. That may not sound like a big deal, but combine that with plates that aren't properly weighted (a 45lb plate really being 41 lbs, etc) and you can have a big problem.

1) Deadlift - 215 x 5, 235 - 3 singles

2a) Deadlift from 2" Deficit - 135 x 4 x 10
2b) Hanging Knee Raise - 4 sets

3) Hill Sprints - 6

Here's a video with clips from today's training.


Great way to start the week.

I'll have more information on my training in the next couple of days.

Oh, and today is THE LAST DAY to get Fat Loss Detour for a big discount.