KLEEN - STRONG BODY STRONG MIND!

[MrKleen73]

You know it!

So I am now officially looking for the PL meet I want to do somewhere here in Texas. Right now it is looking like I might try the APA in the Raw category for this meet. 2016 United States Open Championships Aug. 6th 2016.

That meet is basically 2 months out so I have plenty time to train for it. Otherwise there is another federation I was looking at on Oct 15th called Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate or RPS. However I really don't know that I want to wait that long. There are a couple more coming up I am going to look into. Depending on the dates I might do one in the next month or so.

 

[Hyde]

8 weeks is close AF. You need to factor in the deload the week of the meet. That's only 7 weeks to practice, which is okay but you better get to gettin' if you are signing up.

Look for a USPA meet if you can. They have the meet list on their website

 

[jimbuick]

Come to Austin with me in October and compete at the RPS meet.


Will give you plenty of time to train and they put on a good meet up at Austin Simply Fit

 

[MrKleen73]

8 weeks is close AF. You need to factor in the deload the week of the meet. That's only 7 weeks to practice, which is okay but you better get to gettin' if you are signing up.

Look for a USPA meet if you can. They have the meet list on their website

I was looking at them too.

Come to Austin with me in October and compete at the RPS meet.


Will give you plenty of time to train and they put on a good meet up at Austin Simply Fit

Yeah part of me wants to do one a bit later in the year. Give me more time to focus on it. Would also give me time to get down into the 198 category without losing much strength.

 

[jimbuick]

I was looking at them too.


Yeah part of me wants to do one a bit later in the year. Give me more time to focus on it. Would also give me time to get down into the 198 category without losing much strength.

It was a good comp out there in March. Good equipment, ran smoothly and efficiently, fair judging, and the pauses were short like they should be.

 

[Hyde]

You get to squat out of a monolift so you have the safety of towstraps (USPA often only has stands) and I agree the pause should only be brief to demonstrate control - some USPA meets I've done have had some pause murdering at times.

If Jim is doing that one I really encourage you to compete with him and his wife. It is so much more fun when you go with friends. It will be a blast.

 

[jimbuick]

Plus, you can come out to the shed and get a couple sessions with me before the meet to work on commands and whatnot.

 

[MrKleen73]

You get to squat out of a monolift so you have the safety of towstraps (USPA often only has stands) and I agree the pause should only be brief to demonstrate control - some USPA meets I've done have had some pause murdering at times.

If Jim is doing that one I really encourage you to compete with him and his wife. It is so much more fun when you go with friends. It will be a blast.

Sounds like a plan there. Would definitely be more fun to be out there with someone.

Plus, you can come out to the shed and get a couple sessions with me before the meet to work on commands and whatnot.

Okay so Austin sounds like the plan then. Will give me time to continue leaning up and maybe even make it into the 198 category.

Dynamic Warmup - 5 minutes

2) Dumbbell Hang Squat Clean - 50x5, 60x5, 70x5. 75x5, 75x5
Burpees - 10, 8, 6, 4, 2

3) 1 Leg RDL - 40x6, 40x6, 50x6, 50x6 - holding weights in both hands
Bulgarian Split Squat - 40x6, 40x6, 50x6, 50x6 - held like a goblet squat

4) Hand to Hand Swings (H2H Swings)1 x 5:00

5) Mobility Cool Down1 x 10:00

 

[MrKleen73]

Last night was just a bit of conditioning stuff with the Kettlebells. Schedule got a little off and well EMPIRE was on. That's one of my favorite shows. So I just did some conditioning type stuff in the living room to get the heart rate up for about 30 minutes. Then had a 16 oz ribeye for dinner. Was about 12 oz of beef after I trimmed the fat after cooking.

Included were Turkish Get Ups, Windmills, Goblet Squats, KB Swings, Single Arm Overhead Squats, curls, extensions, lateral raises, OH press, SLDL, bent over rows, push ups, and a few others. Just whatever came to mind while working.

I hit up one of my buddies who will be living back in Austin in October so I will already have a place to stay for the meet. I also talked him into entering it. He will either be in the Super Heavy category of the 308 if he can cut about 30 lbs. We aren't sure what his maxes are because he hasn't tried any in a very long time but he can bench 425 for a few paused reps and when he dead lifts he does multiple sets of 405x12. So he will probably be putting up some pretty beast numbers. So jimbuick we will have another person in our "Crew".

I am pretty stoked about this now that I have picked the meet. I am going to go ahead and sign up here real soon. The entrance is no refunds so that will apply the pressure and kick up the intensity of the training even more.

 

[MrKleen73]

I am going to be dropping the methyls to see if my stomach issues will clear up a bit. As much as I hate to do that only a week after adding the DMZ in I will make more progress using it later when I can eat more consistently. It also allows me to save enough for another month long run of DMZ and EPI later.

Hopefully that will take care of some of the stomach issues. I will also increase my test dose to a cruising level for the next 4-6 weeks before likely starting an oil based run leading up to the meet. I already know I am going to want NPP involved for my joints and tendons. I feel like with anabolics I am to the point that much of anything short of oils. or legit orals is just not worth the health crap associated with it. These designers are brutal on me, when real orals like Var, or TBol don't bother me at all. It is just the stuff that never made it to mass production as a steroid due to sides that makes me feel like that. Hey imagine that!!!!

 

[Hyde]

You can push more safer that route anyway. Save the orals for last 20 days precomp, not as the backbone of the blast. That's a higher risk than reward approach.

 

[MrKleen73]

You can push more safer that route anyway. Save the orals for last 20 days precomp, not as the backbone of the blast. That's a higher risk than reward approach.

That was pretty much my idea. Maybe test around 600, NPP 300 for the 12 weeks up to it. Then about 2-3 weeks on a strong oral to peak my strength for the meet.

So since my buddy agreed to do the meet with me we are going to get together tomorrow for a heavy DL session to see where our current maxes are. He is going to see what he can pull for about 3-5 reps since he hasn't gone heavy for him in a long time don't want to take a chance of hurting himself with a 250lb jump in weight. I have a feeling he may hit 600 for a triple if he goes for it. He decided to actually push a little weight to feel things out yesterday on bench and did 365x8 with 2 second pauses. Just ridiculous!!!!!

I am hoping to hit a new pr myself. Anyway the point of all of this is that instead of doing more of a full body routine this morning I hit up a push routine and more of a BB Style except for the main lift.

Warmup 5 minutes calisthenics

BB Flat Bench w/ 1 second pause - 185x10, 225x5, 255x3, 285x3, 315x5 PR for reps!!!! - It wasn't my intention to go for a PR today but when I got to 3 I knew I had 5 in me Since 4 was my old PR. I had a spotter so I went for it. The 5th rep was work but I could have squeezed out a 6th but the risk of injury outweighed the reward of doing so. I am even more impressed with the fact that when I hit the 315x4 it was not paused at all but touch and go.

BB Incline Bench - 185x12, 225x10, 245x8

SuperSet
DB Lateral Raise 25x15, 25x15, 25x15, 25x15
DB Rear Lateral Raise 15x15, 15x15, 15x15, 15x15

HS Military Press - 65x20, 65x15

Military Press Machine 110x15, 110x15, 110x15

Triceps Cell Swelling Work -
Rope Triceps Extensions - 40 x 200 reps AFAP - 50, 40, 40, 30, 25, 15 rest periods were more or less rest pauses where I shook out my hands real quick.
DC Triceps Stretch - 1 Min

I went to the actual gym this morning, first time in a couple months in the morning anyway. I guess I hadn't really noticed it all that much myself because I have been frustrated with not feeling healthy enough to give this my all. However, EVERYONE at the gym was like "Damn Man, You got big, and you look leaner." or things like "You look good, whatever you are doing, you are doing it right!" Those things are awesome to hear.

I have to admit after all the push work I looked HUGE! My wife even said something when I came home. She was like Wow Baby, you look HUGE right now!" My wife doesn't always compliment me on my physique, so when she takes the time to say something it really means a lot and that something is obviously going well.

 

[hairygrandpa]

Congrats on the PR! Great workout overall!

 

[Hyde]

You're not gonna get down to 198 if you're going that route lol

 

[MrKleen73]

Congrats on the PR! Great workout overall!

Thanks HGP!

You're not gonna get down to 198 if you're going that route lol

It is unlikely unless cutting aggressively and playing water games with the weigh in. However I am not going to cut extra weight to get into it if it becomes detrimental to my total. I would rather compete at 210 and have an extra 50 lbs on my total than to diet down too far and start losing a bunch of strength. I just don't want to be carrying any extra weight from here on out. If I am lean already coming up on it and obviously not going to make it into that class I will stop cutting weight and grow into the meet without adding fat.

More than likely I am going to focus more on leaning up more during the next month and a half. Then hopefully I will be pretty lean going into the start of the blast and be able to decide what weight class I am going for. I think I am probably underestimating how much muscle I have right now and overestimating how much I have to lose. So 198 might not even be a realistic option as of right now. I am thinking I probably don't really want or need to be under 10% BF for my best strength performance.

 

[jimbuick]

Thanks HGP!


It is unlikely unless cutting aggressively and playing water games with the weigh in. However I am not going to cut extra weight to get into it if it becomes detrimental to my total. I would rather compete at 210 and have an extra 50 lbs on my total than to diet down too far and start losing a bunch of strength. I just don't want to be carrying any extra weight from here on out. If I am lean already coming up on it and obviously not going to make it into that class I will stop cutting weight and grow into the meet without adding fat.

More than likely I am going to focus more on leaning up more during the next month and a half. Then hopefully I will be pretty lean going into the start of the blast and be able to decide what weight class I am going for. I think I am probably underestimating how much muscle I have right now and overestimating how much I have to lose. So 198 might not even be a realistic option as of right now. I am thinking I probably don't really want or need to be under 10% BF for my best strength performance.

Teach me your ways.......

 

[Hyde]

You absolutely don't want to be getting excessively lean to produce your best numbers - although if you are chasing records that can be mandatory. Lucky for you you live in Texas which has some of the highest state records anywhere lol.

My unsolicited advice is diet now before your prep and then based on where you end up either eat for maintenance or a slight surplus when you bring in all the blast. But if you're 210 now on what you're on without optimal nutrition I don't see how going to 900 plus a strong oral at the end isn't going to have you going up at LEAST 15lbs. And cutting water is never something you should do for a first meet unless it's 5lbs.

 

[Hyde]

If you get down to 203 before the big blast you will very likely still end up 220

 

[MrKleen73]

You absolutely don't want to be getting excessively lean to produce your best numbers - although if you are chasing records that can be mandatory. Lucky for you you live in Texas which has some of the highest state records anywhere lol.

My unsolicited advice is diet now before your prep and then based on where you end up either eat for maintenance or a slight surplus when you bring in all the blast. But if you're 210 now on what you're on without optimal nutrition I don't see how going to 900 plus a strong oral at the end isn't going to have you going up at LEAST 15lbs. And cutting water is never something you should do for a first meet unless it's 5lbs.

If you get down to 203 before the big blast you will very likely still end up 220

Yeah I haven't done oils since I was 21 other than TRT doses. So I forget that I probably have A LOT of mass on the table. After all I have been to 238 at close to the same body fat as I am now... probably some muscle memory still waiting to be tapped into. Let's be honest though if I add 15 lbs of muscle my numbers are going to go up more than enough to justify being in the 220 weight class. Man the thought of being a solid 220 around 10% is pretty wild. I am hoping to bring my squat up quite a bit in that time so I expect my legs will probably be the bulk of the added weight.

 

[CJNator]

Congrats on the PR!

 

[christ83189]

Dude i havent been on much this last week cause of long hours at work. Ive been reading dor an hour and im still not caught up on all the logs i follow.... Dang it

 

[MrKleen73]

Congrats on the PR!

Thanks CJ!

 

[MrKleen73]

Well I just finished up my dead lift workout and hit a new PR. I pulled 575 lbs!!!! I think I mentioned in here if I was feeling it I was going for 575 and I was feeling it. I have some other stuff to do so won't spend long updating but here is the video of my PR lift. You can see some extra size on my shoulder and what not here.

[video=youtube;icVYPB4WNzM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icVYPB4WNzM[/video]

Oh and here is a little shot of my calve this morning the veins wanted to say hello. No pump or exercise prior just woke up and was getting dressed when I saw the veins and decided to take a shot.

Invalid Link Removed

 

[herderdude]

Congrats on the PR! Incredibly strong. A little more time to optimize your form and you would be well into the six's.

 

[christ83189]

Holy leg veins batman

 

[MrKleen73]

Congrats on the PR! Incredibly strong. A little more time to optimize your form and you would be well into the six's.

herderdude You have any specific suggestions? I noticed my butt came up just a little but not too much else. Then again I have not got it perfected yet either.

 

[MrKleen73]

Holy leg veins batman

Thanks Chris, my legs stay pretty lean no matter what and get silly when I get leaner.

 

[jimbuick]

Kleen, come up to Humble in a week or two and we'll get you a max on a legit DL bar with comp plates and can try to squeeze a couple more pounds out of your DL then.

 

[booneman77]

Damn Kleen! I felt like a boss when I set a pr at 365 total haha. Now I feel like a little girl

 

[RegisterJr]

herderdude You have any specific suggestions? I noticed my butt came up just a little but not too much else. Then again I have not got it perfected yet either.

You didn't ask me but it looks as though you were fighting the bar path between it going out in front and then back closer.

Oh well, good pull. Nice job man.

 

[herderdude]

herderdude You have any specific suggestions? I noticed my butt came up just a little but not too much else. Then again I have not got it perfected yet either.

Yes, I think your foot positioning could be improved. You'd rather have hip width over shoulder width on conventional. Then you can let your arms hang straight down so you can get more upright and pull your chest through better.

The best way to see is to go up for a max vertical jump and see where your feet are. The other way is to drop off of a pull up bar and see where your feet are when you land.

 

[MrKleen73]

Kleen, come up to Humble in a week or two and we'll get you a max on a legit DL bar with comp plates and can try to squeeze a couple more pounds out of your DL then.

Sounds good. Will have to plan it.

Damn Kleen! I felt like a boss when I set a pr at 365 total haha. Now I feel like a little girl

Thanks!

You didn't ask me but it looks as though you were fighting the bar path between it going out in front and then back closer.

Oh well, good pull. Nice job man.

No any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Yes, I think your foot positioning could be improved. You'd rather have hip width over shoulder width on conventional. Then you can let your arms hang straight down so you can get more upright and pull your chest through better.

The best way to see is to go up for a max vertical jump and see where your feet are. The other way is to drop off of a pull up bar and see where your feet are when you land.

That is actually how I found that width. It is kind of an odd spot not really conventional or sumo. I will check it out again and see if maybe I just gradually moved out. It is not unlikely. Thanks!

 

[herderdude]

Hmm. Now that I think of it, it's entirely possible that you're standing in the spot that lets you generate the most force. I just wonder if you could position yourself a little better in relation to the bar to become more efficient. I'll watch again to see if I can come up with a better cue than "change everything"

Edit: only thing I could say if your form stays the same is to try to squeeze the lats a little harder to pull the chest through the windows in your arms.

 

[jimbuick]

Sounds good. Will have to plan it.

Thanks!

No any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

That is actually how I found that width. It is kind of an odd spot not really conventional or sumo. I will check it out again and see if maybe I just gradually moved out. It is not unlikely. Thanks!

Yeah man, pulling on a DL bar will likely make a pretty big difference by itself.


If you can, try for a Friday or Saturday because I'm off on those days.

 

[Hyde]

For most lifters, you can get about 20lbs out of a whippy bar. And you had more there so 600 on a spaghetti bar for sure! Man think of what could happen in August

Very nice work man!

 

[RegisterJr]

For most lifters, you can get about 20lbs out of a whippy bar. And you had more there so 600 on a spaghetti bar for sure! Man think of what could happen in August

Very nice work man!

Why would that be? You get your body a few inches off the ground before the weight leaves?

 

[CJNator]

Lift looked fine imo, awesome lift! If you're dragging the bar on your shins(couldn't tell) possibly work on your core strength. Can't wait to hit those numbers!

 

[Hyde]

Why would that be? You get your body a few inches off the ground before the weight leaves?

Right, by the time you've pulled the slack out of the bar you are set a couple inches higher. I don't really notice a difference at say, 315, but by 405 I can feel the difference for sure. If you want to really cheat use bumper plates with a deadlift bar - with the weight spread out it takes forever for it to all get off the ground. Conversely, pulling on kilo plates (like at a legit meet) which are thinner makes it slightly tougher.

 

[kenpoengineer]

Awesome pull at 575!!! You are looking lean and mean as well.

 

[MrKleen73]

Hmm. Now that I think of it, it's entirely possible that you're standing in the spot that lets you generate the most force. I just wonder if you could position yourself a little better in relation to the bar to become more efficient. I'll watch again to see if I can come up with a better cue than "change everything"

Edit: only thing I could say if your form stays the same is to try to squeeze the lats a little harder to pull the chest through the windows in your arms.

Okay this last part could be part of the issue, I tend to just brace my entire back for the lift. Not really "squeezing" so much as bracing. Perhaps that could improve bar position as most people tend to tell me it appears the bar is getting away from my body.

Yeah man, pulling on a DL bar will likely make a pretty big difference by itself.


If you can, try for a Friday or Saturday because I'm off on those days.

Would have to be a Saturday, we will try and plan it out. Need to see what the wife has going on for plans.

For most lifters, you can get about 20lbs out of a whippy bar. And you had more there so 600 on a spaghetti bar for sure! Man think of what could happen in August

Very nice work man!

Thanks! This one is a Texas Power Bar and I think it is considered to be pretty stiff.

Why would that be? You get your body a few inches off the ground before the weight leaves?

That would definitely make sense.

Lift looked fine imo, awesome lift! If you're dragging the bar on your shins(couldn't tell) possibly work on your core strength. Can't wait to hit those numbers!

Thanks Brother, Not sure if that rep hit the shins or not. The blood on my shin is from being explosive with 225 on the bar and banging it.

Right, by the time you've pulled the slack out of the bar you are set a couple inches higher. I don't really notice a difference at say, 315, but by 405 I can feel the difference for sure. If you want to really cheat use bumper plates with a deadlift bar - with the weight spread out it takes forever for it to all get off the ground. Conversely, pulling on kilo plates (like at a legit meet) which are thinner makes it slightly tougher.

Cool should be an interesting experience to use one and definitely want to try before doing it at the meet.

Awesome pull at 575!!! You are looking lean and mean as well.

Thanks Mark!

I am going to get in a little conditioning today and then I have a squat based day for my next weight training session. On tap for that is starting off with Box Squats then regular back squats, both in the 5-3 rep range, followed by a 150 rep set of body weight lunges. Will be a quick pace but weights will be of higher intensity as well. So basically going to lift as heavy as possible with minimal rest. I am not shooting for PR's here but if I hit one I am not going to be upset either.

 

[MrKleen73]

I may have figured out what was causing my stomach issues. I am not 100% sure since I did stop the methyls recently also. However I think it may have had more to do with the iForce diet pills I was using. I had been feeling a little better the last few days, but I had also ran out of the diet pills. I found one at work today and since I was dragging ass I decided to take it. Within an hour I am gassy, acidic and I just now almost threw up again. Typically I would wonder if it was just from the stims hitting an already upset stomach but I took a pre-workout Saturday and felt great. I can't really imagine it being much of anything else. I will not take any more and see if my condition continues to improve. I sure hope so, it would explain a lot regarding how I have been feeling the last 2 months.

 

[love2liftkat]

That's crazy! Hopefully, you won't have anymore trouble!

 

[MrKleen73]

That's crazy! Hopefully, you won't have anymore trouble!

Yeah I am really hoping so. Gut issues suck, they are so hard to work through when hard work just makes everything that much worse. I have been sitting here dealing with my esophagus burning off and on for the last few hours trying not to overdose on tums...

 

[wasme]

Catching up here Chris, 575! Congrats brother

 

[Hyde]

Yeah a Texas power bar is stiff - I bench with one typically. Awesome bar but it won't give like a deadlift bar. You will enjoy it I'm sure.

150 lunges after box and reg squats sounds torturous!

 

[MrKleen73]

Catching up here Chris, 575! Congrats brother

Thanks Simon, I am giving it hell!

Yeah a Texas power bar is stiff - I bench with one typically. Awesome bar but it won't give like a deadlift bar. You will enjoy it I'm sure.

150 lunges after box and reg squats sounds torturous!

Sweet I am going to see if I can set up a time to meet up with jimbuick the Saturday after this one. Have at least 2 weeks in between single attempts. I am hoping he spots something and finds a way to communicate it in a way I can understand with some hands on cues. I am sure it is much easier to correct if you are being coached as you are doing it so you can feel what is going on instead of people just critiquing a video afterwards. I am normally like "HMMMM... I think I do that" whenever I hear advice but having someone correct it immediately or make me repeat it until I get the form down pretty good.

Okay this mornings workout was a good one. It was pretty brutal on me considering it was pretty heavy weight with short rest periods.

Heroes Warm Up x 2 rounds

Box Squat - 135x5, 225x5, 315x5, 365x3, 405x3, 405x3 - Rest period were basically as fast as I added the weight I got back under the bar and did the next set.

Back Squat - Rest = 60 seconds rest - 405x5, 405x5, 405x5, 425x3, 425x3 - The 3rd rep on the last set I was just a little over parallel because my back knotted up a little again and my knees started to cave in and I decided not to risk going any deeper. The football coach that was watching me said that is was maybe an inch shy of parallel but the rest were good.

Body Weight Lunges - 1 set of 150 reps, or 75 per leg!!!! Holy crap this was intense. My legs were so full of blood by that I was grunting like I was squatting my max by the end. Good thing I went into the empty cardio room.

Foam Rolled my back for 5-10 minutes. - On the set of 365x3 on box squats I lost my tightness just before hitting the seat on the 2nd rep. It jarred the hell out of me. I thought I had made full contact but my hamstrings hadn't sunken in yet. Hard to believe the spinal compression involved in an inch drop when you have 365 on your back. One of my muscles back there is bitching a bit, but I am going to keep digging into it while at work today to get it to release. It didn't hurt again during the workout but it is letting me know about it now when I move certain ways. I don't think I injured it just tweaked it and expect it will be fine by tomorrow or Thursday.

This is twice in the last week I have made myself get out of bed for early morning training. I intend to keep that up as much as possible. So much better knowing when i go home it is either me time, family time, or chill time.

 

[BeastFitness]

Box squats are one of the FASTEST ways to bring up a lagging deadlift. Hows the back feeling right now? Any swelling?

 

[MrKleen73]

Box squats are one of the FASTEST ways to bring up a lagging deadlift. Hows the back feeling right now? Any swelling?

BeastFitness - As far as I can tell no swelling. Just some stiffness. There was no "OUCH" moment so to speak and the tenderness on the roller felt more like tightness from locking up at one end of the muscle. Not like a muscle sprain, or tear or anything. It just kind of cramped for a minute then I rolled it out on a medicine ball and got it to release and went back to work. On that final rep it just squeezed a little and I felt it, that is when my knees started to track in and I decided to just end the rep instead of going deeper and possible folding up. I have some tightness issues in my thoracic region probably around T7-T9. I pulled the ribs out of socket back there in a car accident several years ago and occasionally it gets lit up. I am sure I have some adhesions back there I need to have addressed.

 

[Hyde]

Good work load. Try not to fully unload on the box (as you found out). I plopped a few weeks back on a rep on accident (maybe ~300 at the box) and what a bruise on my left hammy! I use a very short filled keg for my box and the rounded rim dug right in.

 

[kenpoengineer]

Early morning lifting rocks!! Me time after work FTW.