Football performance numbers for my freshman athletes this year

Here is where we started in November:

Bench – 9 athletes benching 185lbs. or better

Squat – 4 athletes squatting 300lbs. or better

Clean – 8 athletes cleaning  185lbs. or better and ZERO at 225lbs.

Here is where we finished the performance season:

Bench – 23 athletes benching 185lbs. or better, 13 athletes bench 200lbs. or more

Squat  - 11 athletes at 300lbs. or better

Clean – 22 athletes now clean 185lbs. or better, 8 athletes clean 225lbs. or better

We just about tripled our improved numbers across the board.    

***Highlights***

500lbs. and 485lbs.  Squats

265lbs.  and 260lbs. Clean

305lbs. Bench

Very proud of our guys and all of the hard work they have put in this year.  

Metroflex Fort Worth Experience

26 May 2014
      Yesterday, on Memorial Day, I had the privilege to train with Brian, who is active duty Navy, and my boy Luke who is home on summer break.  Luke is a former state powerlifting qualifier and current scholarship thrower at UTSA.  Luke is one of the most explosive athletes I have trained with.   We decided to train somewhere new today and decided upon Metroflex Fort Worth.

      I have trained many times at the original Metroflex in Arlington, and I have been to "The Castle", as they call it, once before but I have never trained here.  You can tell this place is hardcore from the moment you walk up.  The girl at the front desk was very courteous and helpful.  They have a day pass rate of 10$ which I thought was reasonable and even better than that, military members train for free there.  I thought that was awesome.  

      Brian was already warming up when Luke and I got there.  I had forgotten how far it was from my house so the timing was a little off but we caught up quickly.  I was going to work up to a max off three boards, Luke said he was going to  hit some volume work since he is just coming off of outdoor throwing season, and Brian decided he would shirt up.  Training beside us were some pretty swole dudes throwing around 315, 405, and 455, I almost decided to hang with them but thought it best to stick to the plan since I'm going to compete in less than a month.   The bench was a little slick and Brian had some bands, so I thought I would try something I had seen in some different videos.  Turns out the bands work really well and give you a nice surface to stick and bridge on.  If I was going to miss weights it wasn't going to be because I couldn't get set up properly.  

Here is the bench we were working on:

Added bands to the bench to provide more traction - worked great!!

Warm ups went well and the weights were moving fast.  Luke hammered out 225, 275, and 315 all for eight solid reps.  I went 475 x 3, 505, 535, 550 all for singles..  Was happy since I had gone 525 off of 2 boards the previous week.  Next week I'll look to improve on the 550.  Brian was smashing weights in his rage x.  He had a tricked out F6 I wanted him to try, but the rage was working.  

Big Luke reppin' UTSA - rollin' swollin'

Loaded and ready for battle!

Once we all finished benching, it was on to the incline.  There were a couple different ones to choose from and we chose the one with the least amount of incline..  Warming up the weights didn't feel great but not too bad either.. I went 135, 225, 275 all for five reps.  My previous work on the incline was 295 x 10, so I thought I would hit a rest pause set with 315 thinking I would only be able to get 5-6 reps on the first set.  Well, once I started the lift 315 was flying off my chest and I quickly passed the 6 reps mark.  I ended up stopping at 10 reps and then hit 2 more after a 30 second break  Tried for a couple more after another 30 sec break, but was a no go.

Here is a shot of their strongman training section, very impressive.

Strongman's Training Center

Once we finished on the incline we thought we would go down to the main floor and work on our "pump".  Brian had to leave so it was just Luke and me.   I had heard some chains rattling around and thought that we could rig up some chain flies, but couldn't make it work.  I really want to try those out sometime.  Next best choice was the pec deck.  I hit a couple three sets or so.  I'm still having issues with my left biceps that I tweaked back during the winter.  Finished up with some triceps work and then it was starting to get pretty crowded so we decided to go grab some grub.

They have a huge supplement section with just about anything you need.

Supplements anyone?  You want it, they have it!

Here is a pic looking into the belly of the dungeon where we benched.  Lots of room and plenty of space up here.  Everybody wants to be big, but don't no one want to lift no heavy weights.   I hear they have a monolift too.  So might be a good place to get some squats in gear in during the summer.

Into the belly of the Dungeon

Training  at Metroflex Fort Worth was an awesome experience and well worth the drive and the money.  If you are close by and looking for a hardcore training facility that has everything you need, then "The Castle" - Metroflex Fort Worth is your place to train.  I will definitely be coming back to train very soon.  

***Best quote I've heard all year!***

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

Abraham Lincoln

This might be the quote of the year for me.  Great stuff from Coach Mark Watts at elitefts.com

***Edit*** This was shared from Ralph Patrella, strength coach at VCU

Project Big Joe

I met big Joe last night.  He called me about two weeks ago out of the blue.  He got my number from a mutual friend and wanted to learn more about powerlifting.  Currently he has been training with kettle bells and doesn't have a ton of experience with the barbell.  Our schedules haven't been able to match up until last night.  Joe has a goal to pull 405. I told him I can get him there no problem.  Getting strong is the easy part, you just have to show up and be consistent.   A little background info on Joe, he is 6'8" and about 250 or so.  When he pulled up it reminded me of some advice a friend of mine, Sean Donegan, got from Louie a long time ago, "Don't be the tallest guy in your weight class."  Well Joe is pretty much out of luck there.
     
      It actually worked out pretty well because Scott came by to train last night and he was pulling so Joe got to see some sumo pulls with some pretty good weight while Scott was training.  Once Scott finished it was Joe's turn to step up to the bar.  We started from the very basics with 135.  From there we went to 225, then 275, and I think Joe surprised himself when he pulled 315.  In the process of working up in weight Joe was doing a great job of keeping the bar close to his body.  So good, in fact, that he began to bleed.  Bleeding shins are very common in the world of deadlifting, a badge of honor.  I have never had the privilege of bleeding shins.  That also could be another reason why I have the deadlift of a freshman in high school.  Back to Joe.  We taped him up with duct tape and he continued to pull.

      It took Joe a little while to get used to flexing his lats and pulling tight off the floor.  Once he got the hang of it, the bar really flew off the ground.  I really believe that guys who are built like him can be great pullers.  He has great leverages.  I should mention that we tried both sumo an conventional with Joe and thought that conventional would be most beneficial for him.

     At the end of the night, John worked up to two singles with 315.  Not bad for the first time ever deadlifting ever.  It is a great starting point and I think he will progress very quickly.

Big Joe Pulling 315 x 1

I am excited to see how this process turns out.  Stay tuned to follow the Big Joe project.

So I'm a sub-master lifter now??????

      I am planning on competing in June and I went to check out the meet entry form to determine cost, times, location, etc. and as I was reading the form I noticed the different age categories that I could enter and realized that I was now eligible to enter as a sub-master lifter.  The age bracket is 33-39 and I will turn 34 shortly after the meet.  Wow, am I really that old? Now, I know what some of you are thinking, 34 isn't that old.  And, you are right 34 isn't that old, I don't consider myself old, I'm still a child in many many ways.  But I guess someone some where thought that guys who are my age should be given a different age bracket because I guess we are starting to break down?  I'm not sure.  I know there are some stud younger lifters out there who are freaks but, as a general rule strength doesn't peak in most men until later in life, years later.  I remember when Coach Bill Gillespie was the first man over 50 to bench press 800lbs.  He isn't the only one, Chuck V is still smashing big weights and the list goes on.  I would bet there are there more guys older guys smashing PRs than younger guys.

      I can remember when I first got into powerlifting and most of the guys I trained with were in this  age category.  I remember thinking man thats not old, I mean the guys I was training with were squatting 800-1,000lbs, benching 600-700lbs, and pulling over 700lbs.  I wouldn't exactly call them weak.  I definitely didn't think they need their own age bracket.  I and now that I am their age, I definitely don't think I need my own age bracket.

      Once I got over the shock and awe of my age, I went and checked out the records for my weight class in the sub-masters division.  There were none.  I thought that was interesting.  Two thoughts come to mind, one that no one is entering in that division.  Second, that no one wants to enter that division.  I don't know what the real answer is.  You would think in the state of Texas there would be guys who are sub-masters lifting.

      So that brings us to the great question.....  What am I going to do?  Honestly, it will come down to money.  I would like to create some type of immortality by having my name etched in the record books.  I have set and broken other records in other federations before, so it's not that I want to chase records.  I do think its a bit silly to not compete open class.  If, I can afford it, I will enter both divisions and try to set records in each.  I am excited to get back on the platform and anxious to compete again.  It's been too long and I want to feel the excitement of lifting in front of a crowd and being judged to a high standard.  June 14th can't come soon enough.

Sparkman SPEAKS breaks 2, 000 views!!!!!

Thanks to all of you who are taking time out of your day to check out my blog and training log!

Week in Review

This week has been one of a lot of self reflection, soul searching, and thought.  Summer is almost here.  I am considering a new business venture.  One that I have tried before, but never really pursued.  I think this time, I'm going to give it my full effort and see what happens.  I will probably use this blog as one way to create success.  I am excited because of the possibilities that it could be. I'm not looking to get rich or become a millionaire, but it would be nice to have some extra income.  So stay tuned for that.
    Training this week has gone well.  Tuesday was good to get some more work in since I felt like I under performed at Quadz this week.  425 x 3 is no where near a PR but still some good work.  Wednesday, I pulled from the floor.  I don't feel comfortable pulling from their at all.  I have been using the "dive bomb" approach to pulling and although I feel better using it, the bar is still coming out in front of me quite a bit.  I don't think I will be able to use that approach for max attempts.  I worked up to two doubles at 455.  In my mind I was thinking this was going to be a speed day, but the bar speed definitely didn't reflect that.  After reflecting on the percentages and weights used, they were too heavy.  I need to back the weights way down and get some more speed in to the pull.  Next week, I will probably have a couple three or more speed sets in then I will look to pull something big off of 2 rubber 45's and a 25.  That's the plan for now anyways.
I was going to train this morning, but my bed was too comfortable at 5am.  My alarm went off, but I immediately hit the snooze button.  I know, I know, bad practice, but it is Friday and it has been a long week.  I'm toying with the idea of training at lunch, but then again, I want to train at home so I can use the cambered bar.  But if I train at school, then I can hit some incline work.  I still have some time to make that decision.
    In other news, I really like the Frozen soundtrack, I have two little girls who have been running around the house singing the songs for months now.  My oldest just had a birthday and so I got her the soundtrack on itunes so she can listen to it whenever and the more I listen to it, the more I like it.  I even had it playing Wednesday when I was training.  Not your typical heavy metal, hardcore rap music, but I don't always like to hear the same style of music over and over.  So it was good.  There is nothing more beautiful than hearing your daughter sing.  That is the best thing ever.  That's all for now.