ME Lower 3-16

Overhead Squats- 150k/1Reverse Green Band Squats Raw- 700/1 easyFront Squats -400/5Hamstring Work
My legs were beat after all this.

Article about upcoming Olympic lifting training

On to the Next Stage

Now that the Arnold is over it is time to place all focus on Olympic lifting with still some focus on speed for the Bobsled. I want to do all of this and still get stronger in Power lifting, so the question is how to do all of these at the same time, and why? I am going to try and answer both of these questions starting with why.

Why is actually a very good question, but I am going to try and explain. It all started with a middle age crisis all the while loosing my dad, and the only girl that I have ever loved all in the same year. Now it has turned into a quest! Can a 33 year old man really increase his explosion and speed at an age, when most “experts” say is impossible. I’ve heard thousands of times at seminars that athletes start slowing down after 25. Well I think that is crazy! In my first months of training, I have already proven this wrong to myself. Now I start the journey. The essence of the quest is to prove to people of all ages, genders, races, etc that nothing is impossible and it is never too late. Nothing could be more rewarding in life, then to influence people’s lives in such a positive way. That to me is leaving a legacy to use God’s gifts to help others. To scoot through life never having the courage to lay it all out and risk it all, is to not live at all. When I turn 70 years old, the last thing I want to say is should have, could have, etc. I hope this helps explain.

How, this to some is the bigger question. With three sports, the training arrangement and volume are the two key components. First thing that I did is find out what they all have in common like posterior chain, explosion, etc, and then take some of the differences, and make a workout. Here is what I have come up with:


Day 1 (Let’s Say Monday)

A.M. Session
Overload Sprint Work (Pushing or pulling a sled with varying weight, using a weighted vest, or running uphill)
Upper Body Work & Abs

P.M. Session
Dynamic Clean & Jerks (roughly 60-70% sometimes adding bands or chains/1 x 8 w 30-45 sec rest)
Clean Pulls w bands or chains 90-110%/1 x 3-6
Plyometrics
Reverse Hypers

Day 2 Tuesday
G.P.P work and flexibility

Day 3 Wednesday
A.M. Session
Dynamic Box Squats (same volume as normal without the circa max phase), so 50-60%+bands or chains/2 x 8
Lat Work and Reverse Hypers

P.M. Session
Dynamic Snatches (60-70% w or w/out bands or chains/1 x 8)
Snatch Pulls with bands or chains 90-110%/1 x 3-6
RDLs with or without chains or bands

Day 4 Thursday
G.P.P. work and flexibility

Day 5

A.M. Session
Sprint Form work and bounding

P.M. Session
ME (a version of one of the OL lifts)
Ex Clean from Boxes of varying heights, Snatch from box, P. Clean, P. Snatch, w chains, w bands, different size bars, Reverse Band (I have a cool way to do these), etc

Upper Body work and Reverse Hyper (I will do my bench work on this day)


Day 6 Saturday

Just a P.M. Session

ME form of either a Front Squat or Overhead Squat
Ex’ either w chains or bands, cambered bar Front Squat, overhead drop squats, heave squats, starting from the bottom position of each with bar suspended from a pin or chain, Box squat of either, etc.
Plyometrics
Then Front Squat or Overhead Squat (which ever wasn’t the ME exercise) for volume or Lunges
Good-Mornings w varying bars
Abs


Day 7 Sunday
A.M. Session only
Over speed sprint work with bungee cord or running downhill.

While my emphasis is on Olympic lifting, the sprint volume is turned back not the intensity per say, just the number of sessions to allow recovery. The three day of sprint work will get trimmed down to two days the closer I get to the American Open in December, and the intensity will start to drop some as well. With power lifting, as you can see, I will still be working on the Squat and the Bench, but the Deadlift will be cut out for the most part. However with all the pulling and posterior chain work that I will be doing, the deadlift will be there when I need it again.

If Power lifting was my main focus, then I would trim the Olympic Lifts back to only two dynamic sessions one with the Snatch, and the other Clean and Jerk, which would precede a lower body Power lifting session. I hope this clarifies how I will manage the volume of my training, while preparing for three sports. This will be the challenge of my life, but that is what it is all about.

3-15-07 Training

A.M. Session
Sled Pulling Work w 50 lbs
Lunges 2 sets of 40 yards
Backward Lunges 2 x 40 yards
Side Steps 2 sets of 40 yards
Karaoke 2 sets of 40 yards
Back Pedal for speed- 2 sets of 40 yards
Straight Leg Strides- 4 sets of 40
Sprints- 2 sets of 40

P.M. Session
Lite Bench Work
Rows
Triceps
Biceps
Shoulder Rehab

1st Olympic Workout in Prep for meet April 21st

First Olympic Workout in Preparation for April 21st in Savannah 3-13

Complexes- 3 sets
Purple Band Leg Raises- 3x10
Rotator Cuff work

P. Snatch- 90k/1 x 5, 100/1, 110/1 (this was speed work w 30-45 sec/set)
Snatch Pulls- 130k/1, 150/1, 170/1, 180k/1

Hurdle Jumps with a 40lb vest- 27”x4, 29”x4, 33”x3, 37”x2,
Hurdle Jumps without vest- 41” x 1, 45”x2 (this was easy, so I am excited)

RDLs- 140k/6, 160/6, 170k/6

I think that cleaning up my diet has really helped my speed and explosion. The jumps were really easy. Remember with a hurdle, you are not just jumping on top of it, you are actually clearing it. The Olympic work felt great too.

Reflections on the Arnold

Reflections on the Arnold

I could make a bunch of excuses, but I will not. I made some mistakes, and I take responsibility for that. I tried to make 198, and that was a huge mistake, and stupid. I dehydrated myself like never before, and on contest day, I was feeling rough. I take my hat off to Dondell and Matt K. They both rocked the house. My focus now turns to Olympic Lifting and Bobsled totally. Hopefully, I will return to Powerlifting at the end of next year. Truth be known, my love is and always will be powerlifting, but I want to prove to all the Olympic Lifters that applying some of the innovative ideas from powerlifting could be a huge boost to their sport, and to all athletes alike. Not to mention, I am feeling that now or never thing. You know, 33 years old, and I am wondering can I still do it. Can I Olympic Lift on a World Level, while being fast and explosive enough to Bobsled for the US? I think so! What do you think?

Why I do what I do!

Today I was talking to a friend, and I was trying to help her understand why I do what I do, and what it takes to be someone who wants to push the limits of human capability. She was asking me how I could ignore certain distractions in my life, and still function as if they don’t exist, and how can I tune out people that I care about because they might be distractions. I’ve thought about this all day, and I am going to explain the best that I can.

First, I am going to try and explain how I became so obsessively driven. I grew up in a very small town, where my mom was married three times. This kinda got me left out at times, but I dealt with it. We moved about 23 times growing up, which left me a little insecure about getting used to things, and feeling comfortable. I had a stepfather that I admired very much, but could never satisfy. My senior year in high school, I had a football game where I scored two touchdowns, I had two interceptions, ten tackles, four receptions, 150 yards of total offense, a fumble recovery, and two sacks, and all I got from him was about time. I’m not whining because he was just a tough man with high expectations from his kids and himself. This started the whole obsession to be the best. It was something that I could control, would never leave, and at the end the world would respect me.

Over the last year, I lost my dad to cancer, and I lost my fiancée to who knows what. I was at an all-time low, and I had to make a decision: quit it all and fade away into life, or seize the moment? I have chosen to seize the moment! I am not going to go through life saying that I will get to this or that next year, or I should’ve could’ve, etc. One thing that I learned in the last year is that there is no guarantee of tomorrow, so if you have a quest in life, make it happen now. Now I’ve committed to continue breaking records in powerlifting, making a bid for the summer Olympics in Weightlifting next year, and the Winter Olympics in Bobsledding 2010. Talk about a life change! Now I am sprinting, Clean & Jerking, and I am still squatting big weight. Not to mention that I am doing all of this at 33 years old. This is my quest! I might not know the questions, but I don’t have to. I just have to take the gifts that God has given me, and take them to the outer most limits. This is what I am going to do, and I can’t let anything distract me from this for the same reason as why I can’t wait till tomorrow to begin them, because there is no guarantee until tomorrow. In my mind I have the next five years to leave my legacy in life, and it can be one excellence or one of almost. I say damn, almost! I am going to give every last ounce of my heart and soul to reach all of my goals, and in turn show the world that it is never to late to start as long as you commit and form a plan. I am determined to never say tomorrow, only today! I’m not sure if this explains why I am so focused on my goals, or why I do what I do, but I hope it helps.

Dynamic Snatch and Clean and Jerk 2-3-07

After the Martial Arts exhibition, Lavan and I put the fighters through a workout.

Snatch- 110/1 x 6
Cambered Bar Bench- 185 + minis/3 x 5, 225 + Minis/3, 275 + minis/ 2 , 315 + minis/1
Tons of Plyometrics
Fat Bar Millitary Press- 225/5
Rows- 3 x 8

Sled- 160 x 55 yards x 2 sets and almost died. The MMA guy pushed the da#n thing six times and was barely breathing hard. However there were others that went down for the count. I believe that the sled has now claimed at least 25 victims (puked). If you meet Lavan and he wants to train you, RUN!

Today's Guests at Gym 365 and Dynamic Snatch and Bench Work

It's hard to believe that in a small gym in Mocksville, NC on a Saturday Morning that we had a Collegiate Wrestler, Professional MMA Competitor, Professional Boxer, and Gracie Ju Jitsu third degree Black Belt, myself and Lavan "The Man". The fighters were all training together on our wrestling mats, while Lavan and I were training our young athletes. What a great day at the gym! I am now training a Cheerleader, and before you laugh, she is bad! She is only 8th grade and was pushing a 160 lb sled as fast as some of my football players. So now I have these athletes: Shorty my 11 year old basketball/football player who gets pissed all the time, but it's kinda funny, Lance "The Rock" who is a twelve year old phenom with strength and power, Cody who is also 12 years old with speed and explosion that could take this kid as far as he wants in sports, Heath also 12 that is the son of a Race Car Man and you can tell because if you are not watching carefully he will take the rules to the bitter edge, but he is one of my most improved athletes, Meat who is 16 and is the strongest 16 year old that I have come in contact with, and has dropped his 40 from 5.3 to 4.9 in only three months, Devron who is 15 (at 6'1" and 295 lbs) and is partially deaf is by far the most improved athlete that I have, and last Tanis is my all-star that started varsity his 10th grade year at one of our biggest high schools in North Carolina at Defensive End and is now running a 4.65 40 and can jump through the roof. As you can tell I am super proud of the amazing athletes that we have gathered at our super gym, Gym 365 in Mocksville, NC.

Challenges that I am facing with my new quest!

BALANCE! This has become my new theme for 2007. How at 33 years old with a full-time job and several athletes of my own that I train, do I find time to Sprint, Powerlift, and Olympic Lift at an Elite level in all three? The answer is a work in progress, but I have made great strides so far this week. One of my biggest concerns is sponsorship, so I can maybe take a break from the full-time job, and concentrate on my athletes and myself. This is coming, but it isn't overnight, and the control freak inside expected it yesterday. My new family at Gym 365 keeps telling me to slow down and enjoy some of the simple things in life, and they are right, but can athletes that expect greatness really slow down? I hope so! The way I see it is that I have the next three years to leave some sort of legacy in the sporting world, and then I want to use some of my achievements to help others. I want to help teach people that nothing, and I mean nothing is impossible. I think that when I can do this, and really touch some lives, then I will find peace inside to quiet the demon that continually tugs at my shirt to do more!

1-17 Dynamic Squats and Snatch

1-17-07 Dynamic Snatch and Squats

Power Snatch- 100/1 x 3, 110/1 x 3
Squats- 505 + Blue Bands/ 2 x 6
Glute Hams

Very tired today! I am trying to find the balance to fit in Olympic, Power, and Sprints for the Bobsled, especially when everything is happening at once. This process should be an interesting experiment if it doesn’t kill me.

1-14-07 Dynamic Clean and Jerk and Front Squat Work

Clean and Jerk- 130/1x6

Front Squat- 405/8 x 3
Plyos
RDLs- 150/6x3

Reasons for my sudden turn around in performance and attitude!

I have been thinking about this question a lot lately, and here is what I have come up with. These last few months, heck the last year has been simply horrific for me with the loss of my dad, and as a few months ago, the loss of my engagement with Julie (not to mention she took my dogs with her). It seemed that my life was just spiraling out of control, and then out of the blue, the owners of a little gym in Mocksville, NC Gym 365 called me, and said that he wanted me to train athletes out of his gym. At first I wasn't to excited about it, or anything else for all that matters, but the owners were persistent, so I dropped by and the rest is history. Now my whole life and happiness revolves around that place and its staff and members, and as always my beautiful daughter Bailey!

Now I train athletes that range from 11-17 for highschool, and then I have several adult lifters, and one girl powerlifter, Cheryl that is going to make a huge impression on the sport in a few weeks. I train one Autistic (sp?) athlete who is only twelve years old, but I have witnessed a miracle training this little guy. He never misses! The first day his flexibility was horrible, so I gave him some stretches to perform on his own at home, and by the next week, he was a new man, UNBELIEVABLE! His mechanics for sprinting and jumping have went from the worst in my group to the best. All of them have improved dramatically! I have never seen so much determination from young kids like these. The whole town is magical! My lifting has sky rocketed! The main owner of Gym 365, Richard Staley, has treated me unbelievably well! He is an amazing person that sincerely cares about his members, and the athletes of the town. Lavan Clement, who is the manager and part owner and also a Steve Goggins look alike, has literally become one of my deerest friends ever, and I am getting ready to make this 5'7" 258 lb natural athlete a world champion without a doubt. This guy has literally been a saving grace in my life. Weird how you meet people like that, just when you think all is lost, WOW! I have also met a lady named Missy Rice that has absolutely changed my life, but more of that in the future, LOL! Bottom line is that atmosphere, not equipment and methodology, is what makes a system unbeatable.

Announcement 1-12-07

I have decided to commit to the Arnold Classic in March. I have one more goal to finish out. I am also doing the USPF World Meet in Vegas March 24th. I will be at Lake Placid in the Middle of the month, so things are going to be very busy.

I plan to pick a OL meet around May or June, so I can get cracking on 2008.

Last sunday while having lunch with a special friend, I was taking a long hard look at my life, and I decided there and then, that for the next four years, I am going to give every ounce of my body, mind and spirit to push my athletic capabilities to the very brink.

In life, I figure you have two choices: 1. Take it to life, or 2. Let life take it to you! I'll take option number one! Some people call me obsessed, crazy, outrageous, etc. I say hell yes to all of them. I refuse to live life like everyone else. I am going to experience every ounce of life, and hopefully do some good for people along the way.

1-12-07 Heavy Shirt Bench

I had actually forgot my bench shirt believe it or not, but one of my training partners, Rodney, let me borrow one, that was actually one of my old ones. So it worked!

Regular Bench- 405/1 raw and easy
Shirted 3 Board- 675/1 I was super pumped because no pain. IT's ON!

I decided to stop and do accessory work the next day after sprinting.

1-11-08 Snatch work and heavy squat

Dynamic Snatch- 100/1x3, 110/1x2, 120/1 these were all power snatches and easy

Squats w single ply Metal suit- 815/1 easy and deep and walked out. Oh yeh, no briefs!
DLs- 700/2

My workouts have took a huge turn for the good! I'm very pumped.

1-8-07 Getting Wilder w Lower Body

P. Cleans- 130/1x2, 140/1x2, 150, 160/1, 170k/1 and easy
Front Squats- 550/1 raw and deep
Russian Hops- 3x10 reps
RDLs- 150k/5x3
AB work

1-7-07 Training is stepped up a notch

Bench w Weight Releasers- 315+100lb of weight releasers/3, 365+100 lb weight rel/1, 405+100 wt rel/1, 455+100 wt rel/1 easy w pause and raw. Bench is feeling back to normal.
Sn Grip Pushpress- 165k/1 easy
Plate Crossovers (upper body plyo)- 3x10reps
Pullups w a clap- 3x8 reps

Sled w my boy Lavan- 60 lb sled for sprints until I puked. This sled thing rocks.

11-16-06 High Pulls and Front Squats w sled and speed endurance

Clean Grip High Pulls w mini bands- 125 + bands/1 x 6, 135 + bands/1, 145/1 + mini bands
Front Squats- 525/1
Bench Crossovers
RDLS

Sled Pushes- 45 lb for 20 yards x 5
Speed Endurance Work- Jog 15y, Sprint 15, Jog 15, Walk 15, then repeat for 5 reps without stopping.

11-14-06 Dynamic Bench & Overspeed Training

Bench- 315/3 x 6, 365/2, 385/1
DB Ext- 60/6x6
Pullups Close- 3x10
Rotator Work

15 yd sprints w bungee cord x 5 sets
15 yd sled pushes- 90 lb x 4

11-13-06 High Pulls and Speed Squats

High Pulls with minis doubled snatch grip- 90 k + bands/3, 100k + bands/1, 110 + bands/1, 120/1 + bands
Box Squats- 405/2 x 6, 495/2, 605/1
Box Jumps
Snatch Grip RDLs
Abs
Glute Hams