Swanson-Cube Method to July Comp

You should notice a difference with the MN Beta in your accessories...more endurance from the lactic buffering.

Bench reps were killer big man!
 
napalm said:
me neither, my supps are test cyp and hgh.

case closed :)
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Just cyp here, and lots o' food!

Incidentally, I'm taking your advice on splitting my dosages up and backing off a bit. I'm going to try 75mg e4d and get bloods done now (today) and at the end of the month.

I've been a *little* lethargic the past week or so, which in the past had been an indicator that my levels were too high for me. We'll see.

Weight is still hanging around 295; oddly I'm holding some water (bloated face), even though my sugar and sodium intakes are really low. Couple that with increased cardio/conditioning and I'm not sure what the deal is.
 
AZMIDLYF said:
You should notice a difference with the MN Beta in your accessories...more endurance from the lactic buffering.

Bench reps were killer big man!
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Gracias, sir! They felt good, one of the best bench sessions I've had.
 
Swanson52 said:
Just cyp here, and lots o' food!

Incidentally, I'm taking your advice on splitting my dosages up and backing off a bit. I'm going to try 75mg e4d and get bloods done now (today) and at the end of the month.

I've been a *little* lethargic the past week or so, which in the past had been an indicator that my levels were too high for me. We'll see.
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dude, when I was at 150/week, I was like 1150 3 days after injection and e2 was 74.

I felt like s.hit, started doing a little reading and that's what I came up with. For me, I feel best between 700-900 and an e2 in the 30's.

I think you'll find you don't even need the 75 twice a week. If you're still in the 1000's 3 days after injection, I'd go down to 50.

Good luck!
 
Swanson52 said:
Just cyp here, and lots o' food!

Incidentally, I'm taking your advice on splitting my dosages up and backing off a bit. I'm going to try 75mg e4d and get bloods done now (today) and at the end of the month.

I've been a *little* lethargic the past week or so, which in the past had been an indicator that my levels were too high for me. We'll see.

Weight is still hanging around 295; oddly I'm holding some water (bloated face), even though my sugar and sodium intakes are really low. Couple that with increased cardio/conditioning and I'm not sure what the deal is.
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napalm said:
dude, when I was at 150/week, I was like 1150 3 days after injection and e2 was 74.

I felt like s.hit, started doing a little reading and that's what I came up with. For me, I feel best between 700-900 and an e2 in the 30's.

I think you'll find you don't even need the 75 twice a week. If you're still in the 1000's 3 days after injection, I'd go down to 50.

Good luck!
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I hate going above 200 a week. I'm sitting at 100 a dose twice a week. Been doing some interesting reading from emerick delczeg on daily cyp or enan sq injections around 10-15mg. I'll dig up the thread if its any interest to both of you. I haven't tried it yet but it sounds like a great idea.
 
napalm said:
dude, when I was at 150/week, I was like 1150 3 days after injection and e2 was 74.

I felt like s.hit, started doing a little reading and that's what I came up with. For me, I feel best between 700-900 and an e2 in the 30's.

I think you'll find you don't even need the 75 twice a week. If you're still in the 1000's 3 days after injection, I'd go down to 50.

Good luck!
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Roger that, I'm going to monitor it like a hawk. I injected last night, so I'm curious to see if there's anything today. I might schedule another visit for Monday to see where I'm at then.

I'm a pincushion. ;)
 
What are everyone's thoughts on rhomboid weakness in a chest/back imbalance (chest dominant)?

I just had both the chiro and massage therapist tell me they thought weak rhomboids might be causing me some postural issues.
 
Swanson52 said:
What are everyone's thoughts on rhomboid weakness in a chest/back imbalance (chest dominant)?

I just had both the chiro and massage therapist tell me they thought weak rhomboids might be causing me some postural issues.
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Absolutely an issue for strong benchers. You need to balance the push with the pulls big man. Get your rows on: Krocs, chest supported, T-Bars, seated cables, etc. Guess what...it will even increase your bench with the added upper back stability. Lol
 
AZMIDLYF said:
Absolutely an issue for strong benchers. You need to balance the push with the pulls big man. Get your rows on: Krocs, chest supported, T-Bars, seated cables, etc. Guess what...it will even increase your bench with the added upper back stability. Lol
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I'm just surprised because I a) LOVE training back and b) thought I trained it pretty thoroughly.

Guess not! ;)
 
Might be true but look at the poundage difference you have between the 2. Focus on the squeezing together of your shoulder blades when rowing.
 
Funny, this article was on T-Nation today:

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Guess I know what I'm doing on body day. I'm about to get f'n stupid with rows.

Seriously, how can your back be too strong? I'm gonna wreck that bitch on Sat.
 
AZMIDLYF said:
Funny, this article was on T-Nation today:

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This made me LOL, from the article;

Don't push your head forward to meet the rope. This bastardization looks like you're trying to fellate the Invisible Man. For the sake of the children, please don't do it.
 
My wife loves a face pull...wait...what :saevil:
 
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Time to loosen up. Just got this in the mail.
 
Swanson52 said:
<img src="http://anabolicminds.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=80044"/>

Time to loosen up. Just got this in the mail.
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A guy at my gym recommended checking out the sanfransiscocrossfit YouTube channel for flexibility work. He swears by it. I've tried a little and like it so far. May be worth a look
 
So I had a mini-meltdown in the Dr. Office today.

First off, I'm out if my normal doctoring group, so that sucks. I'm in backwoods, hillbilly medical hell.

Long story; doc straight up refused to order my labs, accused me of "TRT shopping" so I could "juice legally", and other miscellaneous BS.

:mad: I hate mf'ers like this. Licensed fawking drug pushers, not interested in helping me optimize my health. I don't even need a script FFS, just labs. Christ.
 
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I know, t totally f'n ego lifted this week, and it's dumb. However, I wanted to get a reasonable baseline from which to work as I reset the Cube. I thought 495 was good, pulled 585 (which wife missed), then I tried 635. That bad boy was not coming off the floor.

So I'm going to work from 4/5/600 b/s/d and hope I beat those in July.

As for my DL; beat me up, but man I just cannot change the mechanics. My toes touched the plates, I pull my hips forward as far as I can & still hang on to the bar.

If I drop my sack straight down, it puts my shoulders probably 6-8" in front of the bar...is that cool? Idk, I feel like I'm missing something. I mean besides leg drive to pull 635. ;)
 
Good lift man. It went up quick. I don't know crap about sumo form though. Why are you resetting?

Check my thread about that Cube template..
 
Sean1332 said:
Good lift man. It went up quick. I don't know crap about sumo form though. Why are you resetting?

Check my thread about that Cube template..
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I wanted to get good, accurate #'s, and really hammer the program correctly for the full 9 weeks from that angle. I absolutely identified where I'm failing (healthy) in my lifts, so now I can attack the program with those in mind.

In all honesty the last 3 weeks have really been a "test drive", and I don't think I'm working the Cube to it or my full potential.

Reset, 9 solid f'n weeks then wreck the platform w10.
 
So, if you would be so kind as to help with my programming;

Here's my weak spots; bench-right off the chest, dead-floor, squat-hole. Of course, this leads me to believe they're not necessarily "weak spots", but just my true overall max lifts. Rather, I might have stronger areas (chest from 2" to lockout, dead from3" to lockout). That said, critique my stuff

Deadlift day
ME-deficit pulls
RE/DE-reg sumo pulls
Assistance-hamstring heavy; leg curls, split squats, rdl, good mornings.

Bench day
ME-pin presses
RE/DE-reg flat bench
Assistance-klokov, LOTS OF ROWS-like 3 exercises worth, rotating meadows, pendlay, t-bar, hammer iso, Kroc, pull ups.

Squat day
ALL DAYS-squat
Assistance-snatch deads, step-ups, box jumps, step-ups

Body day will likely be bi's, tri's, and make up exercises.

Conditioning will be 4x/week, Jacobs ladder, prowler, tires & sprints. I'll do some medium intensity cardio as well.

Ok...let me have it!
 
I'm definetly less experienced but off the top of my head:

Bench-Pin presses set at chest level, CG incline press, Dips, paused bench 1-4" off the chest (wherever you're weakest)

Deadlifts- Deficits

Squat- pause squats just below parallel, if you're stick point is just above parallel then try an above parallel box squat

I'm reading Westside Book of Methods at the ment so if I see anything else I'll drop it here
 
Sean1332 said:
I'm definetly less experienced but off the top of my head:

Bench-Pin presses set at chest level, CG incline press, Dips, paused bench 1-4" off the chest (wherever you're weakest)

Deadlifts- Deficits

Squat- pause squats just below parallel, if you're stick point is just above parallel then try an above parallel box squat

I'm reading Westside Book of Methods at the ment so if I see anything else I'll drop it here
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Love it. Can't believe I forgot dips. I freakin love them.

I'll also Slingshot on ME bench overloads every 2-3 weeks, just to get used to handling 435-455. I like the addition of pause squats-I stick just at/slightly below parallel, so I need to be able to explode out of the hole.

Do you think box squats have a place here?
 
Swanson52 said:
Love it. Can't believe I forgot dips. I freakin love them.

I'll also Slingshot on ME bench overloads every 2-3 weeks, just to get used to handling 435-455. I like the addition of pause squats-I stick just at/slightly below parallel, so I need to be able to explode out of the hole.

Do you think box squats have a place here?
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No idea. I've never done them. I know a guy at my gym that's 181, box squats just below parallel, wide stance 635 raw and has a medium stance 585 raw. They have their place. As per the Cube...eh, dunno

Just mentioned it because I'm reading Westside at the moment and I just passed a section where they mentioned different height boxes.
 
Swanson52 said:
Love it. Can't believe I forgot dips. I freakin love them.

I'll also Slingshot on ME bench overloads every 2-3 weeks, just to get used to handling 435-455. I like the addition of pause squats-I stick just at/slightly below parallel, so I need to be able to explode out of the hole.

Do you think box squats have a place here?
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I was going to suggest box squats.

Sean will soon learn that Louie Simmons is all about box squats. They are his ****.

For your DL and Squats it sounds like you need more power. I like box jumps for this, may not be overly specific to PLing but you can't jump high without developing power.

Try to get more powerful concentrics out of all of your lifts. No matter what the weight is attempt to move it as fast as possible.

Also, your GPP can play a major role in power development (that way we can try to avoid sticking points by powering through them). Bust out the heavy sled sprints (not ridiculous because you still want to develop power), keg throws (other throws as well, just find heavy stuff and throw it in various ways) to help increase your neuromuscular rate.
 
Check out that video I posted before my last squat day. Lilly mentioned pause squats. He has several other videos of his training in which he advocates pause squats for strength out of the hole. I actually felt 'comfortable' in the hole at my meet because of them. Mark Rippetoe has some awesome stuff as well, basic, but awesome.
 
All excellent suggestions/points. I'm going to check out the video, and institute suggestions.

GPP/conditioning is absolutely a concern. I'm overweight and not in great shape, so I'm really going to focus hard on that. I'm lucky to be in a situation where I can, so I'd better. :D
 
I'm wondering; my goal for 2013 was to pull 600. Is adding 15# to a DL even reasonable in a 10 week cycle? I'm lying here in bed over thinking the process...
 
Swanson52 said:
I'm wondering; my goal for 2013 was to pull 600. Is adding 15# to a DL even reasonable in a 10 week cycle? I'm lying here in bed over thinking the process...
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I mean, I added 60 in ten weeks. Granted, it was from 465 to 525, so it's not the same as 585 to 6, but still.
 
Only thing I can see on the sumo stance is that your toes need to turn out more towards the weights and this will open your knees up to let you pull your hips in closer to the bar. Look here at the angle of Dan's feet:

 
Swanson52 said:
I'm wondering; my goal for 2013 was to pull 600. Is adding 15# to a DL even reasonable in a 10 week cycle? I'm lying here in bed over thinking the process...
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Mine went from 515 in the gym to 525 as a second attempt in a meet, over 9 weeks. 10 pounds would be easy for you.
 
I guess how many pounds I add is up to me, isn't it?

I can tell you this; on 7/22, I'm not going to be wondering if I trained hard enough, if I ate well enough. I'm pretty f'n mad about missing that lift.
 
Whooooooooo.

Wife & I went to the gym to condition, and it was brutal. Prowler, Jacob's Ladder, stupid rowing machine.

The only part that didn't suck was hot tub.
 
So here's what went down;

20 min LISS cardio (treadmill)
10 min Jacobs Ladder (1.5m on, .5 off)
Prowler rounds (100' round trip) pushing
Unloaded
25
50
75
100
75
50
25
Unloaded

Prowler forward drags
3 rounds x 50#

Prowler backwards drags
3 rounds x 50#

Hot tub.
 
So, don't do heavy conditioning the day before squats or deads. I'm sure everyone knows that, but I'm stupid. Hips were on fire today.

Reset the Cube for my meet, so this is W1, RE deads

SUMO DEADS
Bar, 135, 185, 225, 315...infinity it felt like
365x8
This could've been better, but my hips were thrashed. Got em all, but it wasn't my best 8 reps ever.

LOW BOX FRONT SQUATS 8" BOX
135x12
225x10
275x8
Yes, box was low as hell, but I'm not about to get stuck in the hole.

WALKING LUNGES
60# DBs x 15x3

FRONT SQUAT HOLDS
405 + chain (unknown weight) x 60"x3

PLANKS
+25# x 60"
+45 x 30" x 2

Done.
 
Also looking forward to trying the holds. How were they on the shoulders?
 
Here's my 10 y/o daughter flipping our 14.9-20 tire. It's 200#, she's about 70#. That's my girl!

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herderdude said:
Also looking forward to trying the holds. How were they on the shoulders?
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They were good; I've never had an issue with front bar position, so I may be the exception. Hell, I think front squats are more comfortable than back in terms of where the bar rests.
 
Swanson52 said:
They were good; I've never had an issue with front bar position, so I may be the exception. Hell, I think front squats are more comfortable than back in terms of where the bar rests.
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I have a busted up crooked clavicle...Not sure how much I'll be able to hold. I'll find out next week.
 
I'm going to add pin (dead bench) presses to my accessory work this cycle as well. Read an article from Juggernaut about them being awesome for the bottom position.

So...that.

Also-I weighed 295 this morning, I ate all day & trained this evening. When I threw the belt on I noticed I went another hole tight. Measured around my bellybutton (fed) and compared it to my fasted measurement from 10 days ago...down 1 inch. Hmmmm...
 
Swanson52 said:
I'm going to add pin (dead bench) presses to my accessory work this cycle as well. Read an article from Juggernaut about them being awesome for the bottom position.

So...that.

Also-I weighed 295 this morning, I ate all day & trained this evening. When I threw the belt on I noticed I went another hole tight. Measured around my bellybutton (fed) and compared it to my fasted measurement from 10 days ago...down 1 inch. Hmmmm...
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Uh oh! That's pretty friggin awesome.
 
Stupid rough cardio/conditioning today. Felt good, but I puked a couple times and had to sit in the hot tub for awhile.

20' MISS treadmill (3.5 mph, 5.0 incline)

Prowler passes (50' up, 50' back)
Prowler
+25
+50
+75
+100
+125
+100
+75
+50
+25
Prowler

Jacob's Ladder 1' on, 30" off, 10' total.

Row machine cool down

10' LISS elliptical.

I'm smoked.
 
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