I finally did it. I bent my long-time goal shoe, the Kerckhaert #3 SSP. Adam Glass sent me 5 of these beasts last year and my best before this was taking one to 90 degrees. The crush actually got easier and easier for me despite the width of this shoe. Anyway, it's my toughest shoe bend to date and I'm positive I could've hearted it if given more than 5 minutes.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
4x25- easy
Had the squat session today!!! Wasn't all that bad and we stopped squatting and did some pulls afterward, not the best idea as we were fatigued. The decreasing weight and decreasing # of sets is treating us very well. The weight is a good challenge to us right now and matches the # of reps almost perfectly.
Squats
115x25
115x25
115x25
115x25
I'd go so far as to call that session "easy".
Deadlifts
135x2
225x2
315x2
405x1
405x1
425x0
355x1
2 400lb pulls in one session is good for me, I still want to start working with these more, but not full pulls. Maybe start working with rows, platform deads, rack pulls, etc. The squat goal will take a lot out of me for awhile.
Squats
115x25
115x25
115x25
115x25
I'd go so far as to call that session "easy".
Deadlifts
135x2
225x2
315x2
405x1
405x1
425x0
355x1
2 400lb pulls in one session is good for me, I still want to start working with these more, but not full pulls. Maybe start working with rows, platform deads, rack pulls, etc. The squat goal will take a lot out of me for awhile.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Almost puked today...
and I'm loving every minute of it.
O M friggin G. I did 135x5x20 today. I was fine at the end of the fourth set but come the end of the 5th set I honestly was fighting back vomit. I hadn't eaten anything all day except an english muffin+egg. I never considered myself a masochist but after today, I don't think I can say I'm not. Not in the wierd way of course( :laugh ), but after the squats I went home(the 10min drive was TERRIBLE, fighting vomit, fighting to hold in poo, fighting to stay awake) and layed down until I felt better. Only took about 20 minutes before I was up and running around again. Now I am ready and raring to go for some more squats and a deadlift session but I think I will hold off and do some 50kg KB work on Wednesday.
All I did was:
135x20
135x20
135x20
135x20
135x20
It was hard.
O M friggin G. I did 135x5x20 today. I was fine at the end of the fourth set but come the end of the 5th set I honestly was fighting back vomit. I hadn't eaten anything all day except an english muffin+egg. I never considered myself a masochist but after today, I don't think I can say I'm not. Not in the wierd way of course( :laugh ), but after the squats I went home(the 10min drive was TERRIBLE, fighting vomit, fighting to hold in poo, fighting to stay awake) and layed down until I felt better. Only took about 20 minutes before I was up and running around again. Now I am ready and raring to go for some more squats and a deadlift session but I think I will hold off and do some 50kg KB work on Wednesday.
All I did was:
135x20
135x20
135x20
135x20
135x20
It was hard.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
And so it begins...
Did my first weighted squat workout towards my 1.00x10^2 Rep BW squat goal.
Afte the first "warm up" set with 135, my brother and I decided to stick with this. No need to jump in all hasty like we actually know what we're doing when we don't. Best to work into it slowly. This was a very leasurly pace, not super intense and the sub 200lb weights went up easy all the way through.
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
185x10(Went to BW for the last set)
225x3
225x3
225x3
225x3
225x3
My legs don't feel bad actually!... right now. I know the current feeling in them well enough now to know I'll be aching Monday and hurting Tuesday.
My big bro actually held his own and did this all the way through with me. Same weights until we went for the 5x3 sets. His first set was 235x3 and he decided that was just a tad too heavy. 225x5x3 was a fight for the both of us.
My brother and I ironed out what I think is a solid plan. It goes like this...
Week 1- 10x10 @ 135
Week 2- 5x20 @ 115
Week 3- 4x25 @ 95
Week 4- 3x33 @ 75 (We'll throw in an extra rep somewhere)
Week 5- 2x50 @ 55
Week 6- 1x100 @ 45
Then we will start over at 145(adding 10lbs at the top) and drop 20lbs off each week. Then we'll start over at 155x10x10. We may feel good enough to go up 20lbs each cycle for the 10x10's, that remains to be seen. We will both continue this plan until we are up to my bro's BW(which should drop considerably by my BWx100 is reached) and we will both do that. That means I may, many months from now, be squatting 225x100 @ a BW of 185-195.
We will continue with a few extra sets after the bulk of the workout posted above. The extra work will get heavier and heavier as the Week # increases. 1x100 @ 45 wont be a challenge for either of us at that time, it's not much of a challenge for me now.
If I calculated this out right, we should reach 185 in the 6th week in 84 weeks and my bro's current BW of 230 in 108 weeks. We may feel strong enough at times to skip a cycle and add 20lbs as I said, or even 30lbs to the top. By the time we reach 1x100 @ 185 our 10x10 will be with 275, and when 1x100 is at 230, our 10x10's will be with 315.
Should be fun
Afte the first "warm up" set with 135, my brother and I decided to stick with this. No need to jump in all hasty like we actually know what we're doing when we don't. Best to work into it slowly. This was a very leasurly pace, not super intense and the sub 200lb weights went up easy all the way through.
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
135x10
185x10(Went to BW for the last set)
225x3
225x3
225x3
225x3
225x3
My legs don't feel bad actually!... right now. I know the current feeling in them well enough now to know I'll be aching Monday and hurting Tuesday.
My big bro actually held his own and did this all the way through with me. Same weights until we went for the 5x3 sets. His first set was 235x3 and he decided that was just a tad too heavy. 225x5x3 was a fight for the both of us.
My brother and I ironed out what I think is a solid plan. It goes like this...
Week 1- 10x10 @ 135
Week 2- 5x20 @ 115
Week 3- 4x25 @ 95
Week 4- 3x33 @ 75 (We'll throw in an extra rep somewhere)
Week 5- 2x50 @ 55
Week 6- 1x100 @ 45
Then we will start over at 145(adding 10lbs at the top) and drop 20lbs off each week. Then we'll start over at 155x10x10. We may feel good enough to go up 20lbs each cycle for the 10x10's, that remains to be seen. We will both continue this plan until we are up to my bro's BW(which should drop considerably by my BWx100 is reached) and we will both do that. That means I may, many months from now, be squatting 225x100 @ a BW of 185-195.
We will continue with a few extra sets after the bulk of the workout posted above. The extra work will get heavier and heavier as the Week # increases. 1x100 @ 45 wont be a challenge for either of us at that time, it's not much of a challenge for me now.
If I calculated this out right, we should reach 185 in the 6th week in 84 weeks and my bro's current BW of 230 in 108 weeks. We may feel strong enough at times to skip a cycle and add 20lbs as I said, or even 30lbs to the top. By the time we reach 1x100 @ 185 our 10x10 will be with 275, and when 1x100 is at 230, our 10x10's will be with 315.
Should be fun
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Tom Platz Legs
I found this elsewhere. Tom Platz, the one and only.
"For any of the guys now with huge leg development, how many could do full splits and comfortably touch their head to their knee in the hurdler split position? Platz could. In fact EVERY workout started with 45 minutes of stretching for every body-part. His flexibility was amazing in and of itself let alone for a guy of his size.
You think it's impressive to see him squat 500 for 23 reps? Bahh. Child’s play for Tom. He was smiling at the end of that clip. That was merely an exhibition. This ones for the crowd. His training sessions were methodical. There was fire in his eyes. A cold stare of relentless determination. How about seeing him take 225 and squat for 10 MINUTES straight. Rest and do a SECOND set of 10 MINUTES straight. Try it!
How about hack squats down all the way then roll forward until his knees touched the platform in front of him then roll back into position and up (EVERY REP) once he completely failed at the bottom then he's press the cage up with his arms and stand up into then slow negative down, for seemingly ENDLESS reps. Then partials when he couldn't do full reps. Then rest-pause. Then and only then would he collapse and end the set. Set after set after set. Non of this one set to failure sh*t for Tom. The fugging guy was sick. He was possessed. That's how hungry he was.
Tom’s intensity was contagious. Not that anyone could approach it (and live). But he brought everyone in the gym to a higher standard of intensity. How could you “just train” when Tom was across the gym or a few feet away making a “ten cent biatch” out of every piece of equipment? Most guys let a piece of equipment biatch them but Tom biatched every bar he touched.
He used to have two guys carry him to a bench after doing sets on the calfmachine. They would sometimes massage his legs and calves between sets. He woudl use such outrageous weight and do them till he could do no more. No set number of reps. Just keep going and going till he could do no more, then fall into the guys arms. He was... nuts."
"For any of the guys now with huge leg development, how many could do full splits and comfortably touch their head to their knee in the hurdler split position? Platz could. In fact EVERY workout started with 45 minutes of stretching for every body-part. His flexibility was amazing in and of itself let alone for a guy of his size.
You think it's impressive to see him squat 500 for 23 reps? Bahh. Child’s play for Tom. He was smiling at the end of that clip. That was merely an exhibition. This ones for the crowd. His training sessions were methodical. There was fire in his eyes. A cold stare of relentless determination. How about seeing him take 225 and squat for 10 MINUTES straight. Rest and do a SECOND set of 10 MINUTES straight. Try it!
How about hack squats down all the way then roll forward until his knees touched the platform in front of him then roll back into position and up (EVERY REP) once he completely failed at the bottom then he's press the cage up with his arms and stand up into then slow negative down, for seemingly ENDLESS reps. Then partials when he couldn't do full reps. Then rest-pause. Then and only then would he collapse and end the set. Set after set after set. Non of this one set to failure sh*t for Tom. The fugging guy was sick. He was possessed. That's how hungry he was.
Tom’s intensity was contagious. Not that anyone could approach it (and live). But he brought everyone in the gym to a higher standard of intensity. How could you “just train” when Tom was across the gym or a few feet away making a “ten cent biatch” out of every piece of equipment? Most guys let a piece of equipment biatch them but Tom biatched every bar he touched.
He used to have two guys carry him to a bench after doing sets on the calfmachine. They would sometimes massage his legs and calves between sets. He woudl use such outrageous weight and do them till he could do no more. No set number of reps. Just keep going and going till he could do no more, then fall into the guys arms. He was... nuts."
General Stock Progression for Unbraced Bending
If you look on YouTube or talk to experienced benders, you will find they use quite a few terms to describe a good number of different steels. One the absolute best ways to progress in short bending, besides perfecting your technique, is to get a very large range of bending stock. This stuff really isn't that expensive when you order it from companies like Fastenal or McMaster-Carr.
Below is a general stock progression(I have included the "grade" of the steel for those of you who wish to order any of this stuff below so you know what your getting and it's abbreviation)
From easiest to hardest and assuming all bars are of the same thickness:
Aluminum 6065
Hot Rolled Steel 1020 HRS(True HRS has a brownish or rust colored coating on it, it is not a smooth bar)
Brass 360(Gold in color)
Grade 2 bolts(no identifying markings on the head but are just called "Hex head bolts"
Cold Rolled Steel 1018 CRS(True CRS is a smooth bar with no dirty scale)
Drill Rod 0-1 or "Oil Hardened Tool Steel"
Stainless Steel 304 SS
Stainless Steel 303 SS(Stainless steels are shiny and do not rust)
Grade 5 bolts(These have 3 dashes on the head)
Grade 8 bolts(These have 6 dashes on the head)
Grade 9 bolts
F911 bolts(not sold in stores and very expensive, says "F911" on the head)
Most people do not bother with the Grade 9 or F911 bolts since they are rather exotic and hard to find. Generally, once you can finish off a Grade 8, you are close to bending CRS that is 1/16 thicker than the Grade 8. Grade 2 bolts are easier than CRS and so you can bend a 5/16 Grade 2 bolt before you can bend 5/16 CRS. Generally, anyone who can bend a 1/4" G8 AND a 5/16 G2 is ready for a RED nail or Bastard bend.
The general progression in thicknesses goes like this:
3/16"(Total beginner)
1/4"
5/16"
3/8"
7/16"(No one has officially bent 7/16 stock yet, though one man is close)
1/2"
For the most part, the best unbraced benders in the world are around the 3/8 CRS level with at least one man entering the 7/16 level. Your average strong bender is well into the 5/16 stocks and bending stuff harder than 5/16 Stainless 303 and beginners are just below bastard/RED benders.
0-1 Drill Rod is a benders best friend. You can get Drill rod in any thickness that a drill bit comes in. That means you basically have .002-.005" jumps between bars so you can really work on progressively tougher stuff. It's wonderful stuff and I swear by it.
Stuff like Grade 5 Titanium is also possible to bend and a very easy bend. The problem is it's springiness. I bent a 6.5"x1/4" piece of Grade 5 titanium and the ends touched during the crushdown long before it was crushed to 2". This makes it a non-practical bending stock and it's also extremely expensive.
If you want a unique challenge, you can tape two bars of steel together. Now that doesn't mean bending two 1/4x7" pieces equals bending 1/2" of steel. In reality it's closer to the difficulty of 5/16x7. Whatever 2 pieces you tape together, figure on them being about as difficult as 1 bar that is 1/16 bigger than the pieces themselves. So two 1/4x6 Grade 5 bolts would be about as hard as a 5/16 Grade 5 and 2 RED nails taped together would be about as hard as a 3/8x7 CRS piece.
Below is a general stock progression(I have included the "grade" of the steel for those of you who wish to order any of this stuff below so you know what your getting and it's abbreviation)
From easiest to hardest and assuming all bars are of the same thickness:
Aluminum 6065
Hot Rolled Steel 1020 HRS(True HRS has a brownish or rust colored coating on it, it is not a smooth bar)
Brass 360(Gold in color)
Grade 2 bolts(no identifying markings on the head but are just called "Hex head bolts"
Cold Rolled Steel 1018 CRS(True CRS is a smooth bar with no dirty scale)
Drill Rod 0-1 or "Oil Hardened Tool Steel"
Stainless Steel 304 SS
Stainless Steel 303 SS(Stainless steels are shiny and do not rust)
Grade 5 bolts(These have 3 dashes on the head)
Grade 8 bolts(These have 6 dashes on the head)
Grade 9 bolts
F911 bolts(not sold in stores and very expensive, says "F911" on the head)
Most people do not bother with the Grade 9 or F911 bolts since they are rather exotic and hard to find. Generally, once you can finish off a Grade 8, you are close to bending CRS that is 1/16 thicker than the Grade 8. Grade 2 bolts are easier than CRS and so you can bend a 5/16 Grade 2 bolt before you can bend 5/16 CRS. Generally, anyone who can bend a 1/4" G8 AND a 5/16 G2 is ready for a RED nail or Bastard bend.
The general progression in thicknesses goes like this:
3/16"(Total beginner)
1/4"
5/16"
3/8"
7/16"(No one has officially bent 7/16 stock yet, though one man is close)
1/2"
For the most part, the best unbraced benders in the world are around the 3/8 CRS level with at least one man entering the 7/16 level. Your average strong bender is well into the 5/16 stocks and bending stuff harder than 5/16 Stainless 303 and beginners are just below bastard/RED benders.
0-1 Drill Rod is a benders best friend. You can get Drill rod in any thickness that a drill bit comes in. That means you basically have .002-.005" jumps between bars so you can really work on progressively tougher stuff. It's wonderful stuff and I swear by it.
Stuff like Grade 5 Titanium is also possible to bend and a very easy bend. The problem is it's springiness. I bent a 6.5"x1/4" piece of Grade 5 titanium and the ends touched during the crushdown long before it was crushed to 2". This makes it a non-practical bending stock and it's also extremely expensive.
If you want a unique challenge, you can tape two bars of steel together. Now that doesn't mean bending two 1/4x7" pieces equals bending 1/2" of steel. In reality it's closer to the difficulty of 5/16x7. Whatever 2 pieces you tape together, figure on them being about as difficult as 1 bar that is 1/16 bigger than the pieces themselves. So two 1/4x6 Grade 5 bolts would be about as hard as a 5/16 Grade 5 and 2 RED nails taped together would be about as hard as a 3/8x7 CRS piece.
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