I'm new here.

I throw heavy stuff around for money, sometimes I'm pretty good at it. Other times, not so much.

Not sure how much everyone will get out of this as my goals probably differ for some of you, and my journey and program are one that has developed from years of grinding it out and still constantly changes.

My competitive season usually runs April to October, with my offseason training beginning in November. I'm gonna c&p my training from this offseason as it will probably give everyone a better feel for what I do. Some of the comments may not be applicable to this forum due to the copy, so just disregard if something makes reference to a person or makes no sense at all, lol.

11/9/09 Official Weigh-in: 277

11/9/09
Deads 415x3, 475x3, 535x3

Upright Rows
FacePulls
Curls

11/11/09
Push Press 225x3, 245x3, 275x3

Laterals
Push-ups
Pushdowns

11/17/09
Front Squats 330x3, 330x3, 365x2 (weight easy, breathing not)

Swing Squats
Shrugs
Face Pulls
Pulley Rows

11/19/09
Push Press 225x5, 225x5, 245x5 (tweak left shoulder on rep #5)

Hang Cleans
Laterals
Push Ups
Pushdowns

11/20/09 Official Weigh-in: 288

11/25/09
Deads 385x5, 445x5, 505x5

FacePulls
Rows


12/2/09
Front Squats 265x5, 315x5, 365x5

FacePulls
Rows
Swing Squats

12/4/09 Official Weigh-in: 291

12/5/09
Push Press 215x5, 245x3, 275x4 (shoulder is injured)

Pushups
Pushdowns
Tricep Extensions (band)
Rotator Cuff rehab

12/9/09
Deadlift 445x5, 505x3, 565x4

Chins
FacePulls
Rotator Cuff rehab

12/13/09
Push Press 205x3, 235x3, 265x3

Hang Cleans
Pushups
Laterals
Triceps
Rotator Cuff Rehab

12/22/09
Pump Artist workout

12/29/09
Deads 445x3, 505x3, 570x3

Chins
FacePulls
Bi/Tri

12/31/09
Squats 315x5, 315x5, 315x5

Extensions/Curls
Laterals
Bi/Tri

1/4/10
Deads up to 605x1

Chins
FacePulls
Bi/Tri

1/6/10
Fronts up to 455x1

Extensions/Curls
HighPulls
Tri

1/12/10 Official Weigh-in: 289

1/12/10
Deads 420x5, 480x5, 545x5

Chins
Rows
Bi/Tri

1/13/10
Floor Press up to 365x1, miss @ 405 )first time ever doing this, not quite sure how i feel about it on my shoulder)

Laterals

1/16/10
Front Squats 365x5, 405x3, 465x1 (very easy)

Ext/Curls
Bi/Tri

1/18/10
Deads 405x3, 495x3, 585x3

Rows
Chins
Bi/Tri

1/25/10
Deads 420x5, 475x5, 555x5

Rows
Chins
Ext/Curls
Bi

1/27/10
Bench - chains, boards, lulz

Shrugs
Face Pulls
Tri

Trained with the PL crew again, those guys train funny. I still think a lot of what they do would be better served doing other things, but i digress. I'm giving overheads a rest, so i thought why not. Anyway, did some full range and some two board. Nothing crazy, as I still try to protect the shoulder. Heaviest sets were with 320 +160lbs of chains.

1/29/10 Official Weigh-in: 293

1/30/10
Front Squats - up to 455 and 500 singles

YouTube - January 30, 2010 - Front Squats


I'm starting to feel a little better about my strength levels. I still have 4 solid months of training before I throw anything, so my goal is to be the all-around strongest I've ever been by the time I compete.

2/3/10
Floor Press

HighPulls
FacePulls

Just messing around, body is beat up and basically taking a week off.

2/8/10
Deads up to 585

Rows
Bis

What a **** workout. I didn't feel great going in and was cramping some for whatever reason. Nothing got better.

2/12/10
Shrugs
Chins
Laterals
Face Pulls
Tris

Just to get something in.

2/18/10
Front Squats 365x5x5

That was all.

2/21/10
Pump Artist Workout

Incline (light)
Laterals
Rear Laterals
Tris

2/22/10
Deads 515x3x3 and then 605x1

Rows
Chins
Bis

I have always pulled sumo, mostly because my back could never take pulling conventional. Recently my back has been feeling pretty damn good compared to how it used to be, so I decided to try to pull conventional. Also, I feel like my sumo was stuck and maybe I wasn't getting the most out of the lift.

The lifts felt great and 605 was soooooooooooo easy, despite being after work sets. I basically just wanted to add a plate and see how it would feel.

Hopefully my back will still like me tomorrow, and I'll probably alternate pulling sessions between conventional and sumo. I hope to hit a decent # in my new conventional stance here pretty soon, after I get used to it.

2/26/10 Official Weigh-in: 294

2/27/10
Fronts - 405x1, 405x2, 405x3, 405x2, 405x1

Inclines (light)
Laterals


Early morning sesh, and it felt like it. Didn't get a chance to eat before lifting and it showed. Everything felt heavy.

3/1/10
Deads - up to an easy single with 625

Rows
Chins

I need a deload week, my low back and body in general need a break.

3/4/10
Deload week

Laterals
Rear Laterals
Light Shrugs
Pushdowns

Nothing else the rest of the week.

Oh yea, I also did some box jumps to a 43" box (actually the reverse hyper).

3/8/10
Deads up to 645x1 (easy), 700xmiss, 700xmiss

Chins
Facepulls
Bis

lakjsdlfkjalskdjflkajs 700 came off the floor so fast, and then stalled right under my knees. Time to do some rack pulls for the next month or so.

3/10/10
Push Press - up to 275x3, 315x1, 335x1

Laterals
Shrugs
Tris

ZOMG. I might be starting to get strong again. This was the my first push press session since 12/13/09, and as a result my timing was all jacked up. Nevertheless, the 335 single was easy....really easy.

3/12/10 Official Weigh-in: 296

At this rate I figure I'm about a month from 300. I have a weight goal for Alma and I will be really pushing it to make it. Hopefully I get there though.

3/13/10
Front Squats - miss at 535

I suck.

3/15/10
Deads - up to 455x3 with bands

Rows
Chins
Leg Extensions


Put some bands on the bar to help me get through my sticking point after missing 700 last week. I think I used two sets of monster minis on each side (?), but who knows how much that is and I think it is really stupid when people actually add band weight when calculating what they lifted. So it was two sets with 455 and some bands.

Semi-related to the Chins, does anyone know of a 300lbr that can do a muscle-up?


3/18/10
I did 50 pushups.

yarly.

3/19/10 Official Weigh-in: 299


Uh oh.

3/22/10
Rack Deads (11") - up to 585 for sets

Rows
Chins
Curls
Muscle-up training (not going well)


I hate pulling from there.

3/24/10
Push Press - upt to 275, 315, 350x1

Laterals
Shrugs
FacePulls
Tris

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! and it was easy too!

350 push press video

3/29/10
Deadlifts (from a 2.5" deficit) - up to 635x1

Rows
Chins
Bis

That is a loooooooong way to pull.

4/2/10

Inclines (w/ 135)
Laterals
Shrugs
Tris

4/5/10
Deads - up to 645x1, 700xmiss, 700xmiss


I am very very disappointed as it should have been an easy pull. So after pondering why I suck...

*lightbulb*

Here is what I perceive to be the cause of my deadlift misses that shouldn't have been, and also why it's important to keep a training log:

2/22 - 1st workout with conventional stance, up to 605
3/1 - up to 625
3/8 - misses at 700, Round 1
3/15 - up to 455 + bands
3/22 - up to 585 reps in the rack
3/29 - up to 635 from a deficit
4/5 - misses at 700, Round 2

Anyone else see the issue? Ya, guess who won't be pulling next week?

The problem is that I really like deadlifting. It is pure power and I get excited and want to do it all the time, week after week. There is nothing that builds a body and makes one stronger than the deadlift. I didn't realize that I had been going pretty hard for 7 weeks until things felt heavier than they should have tonight, and then I verified with the training log. I actually had a goal to rep with 700 and was sure it was going to get done. Fail.

As with all training though, it is a work in progress all the time. We learn to get better and move on. I will take a week off from pulling, and come back stronger than before. I have much work to do still.

4/14/10
I have now had 9 days rest, doing nothing. Back to the grind tonight.

4/14/10
Push Press - up to 275x1, 325x1, 355x1, 370xmiss

Hip Snatches (135)
Laterals
Tris

My goal was to push 370 today. Whilst warming up it was evident that my timing was off, which happens if I don't pp every week, and I really can't pp every week. So I just have to hope the timing is on the nights i go big, lol. The 325 almost felt like a strict press. With that info, I decided to take a small victory and go for a PR with the 355, and not go straight to 370. It was a lot of press and not much push, imo. Unfortunately, I think that may have cost me the 370. Didn't matter though cause I'm pretty happy knowing that I'm strong enough to press some stuff out when my timing is all jacked up.

355lbs push press video

4/16/10 Official Weigh-in: 301


YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

How far can you throw a telephone pole?

also
for lolz

Bout tree fiddy

Very cool! Any thoughts to competing more?

I competed at the Costa Mesa game last in 2004.

Christ, that 350 push press went up like it was nothing.

1 million minus points for the pussy pad though.

lol, what's funny is the actual reason I use it is to increase the bar diameter due to my lack of flexibility. That and I'd hate to bruise my pretty 300lb body.

Well there goes the whiteboard.

Awesome log, thanks for posting this. Also you blew my mind with using the pussy pad for push presses. I can't believe I haven't though of that before.

Do you plan out your rep/set ranges in advance or just go by how you feel on the day?

Everything is by feel. I came into this offseason having not done any significant lifting in too long, so November and December was essentially 5/3/1 and I used that to get me motivated and back in the groove. After that it was back to feel.

Anything over 5 reps to me is essentially cardio, and there will be none of that. I work too damn hard to weigh what I do On the main lifts i typically stay in the 1-3 rep range always, and find that I get the most strength/power from that.

he said he uses it because the rack position is hard with his flexibility. i would guess the pad allows the use of a little more weight because the bar sits higher and your arms are in a perfect spot under the bar.

g4s, do you live in socal? doubtful, but i was hoping whatever gym you're at was close-ish to me.

and also, mind giving a very brief summary of the programming you used leading up to being a beast? even if it was nothing specific, just a quick rundown over time. thanks dude. oh, and how tall are you?

exactly. like pressing with an axle.

nope, although sometimes I wish, lol. I'm in Ohio, so if you ever get out this way...

Sure, this is probably the easiest way:

Craig Smith 2001-2008

I'll be glad to break anything down further if need be, but I'm a pretty basic person when it comes to strength training.

I'm 6'2", 301lbs, as of today.

now i really am proud to be part of a message board community of world class athletes who share a love of playing cards.

do you ever do any kettletarding?

Gotchya, I was just thinking it's sweet that I wouldn't break my collarbone trying to catch a heavy PP.

Rarely, and when I do it's just single arm swings. The 28lb and 56lb weights that I throw in competition are essentially kettlebells though, I suppose.



We throw the 56 for both distance and height, so you can see the single arm swings have/could have a pretty direct correlation.