SYB... New and Improved SST

[OldManStrength]

I'm not headed there but SS is. She's competing in NoGi Worlds (IBJJF). I believe it's in SanFran.

I gotta make my way out there though at some point b/c SS wants to move and it's either Cali or Fl. I need my fucking Alma Mata to re-accept me so I can get going this Jan. I'm beginning to get pissed with how their dragging their feet.

Ok tha'ts a few hours from me, but fuck FL, bro, its humid and the bugs are ridiculous. Cali all the way warm, sunny, I can drive in 2 hours, and im in LA for sports, shows and concerts, 2.5 hours west for the beach, 1 hour to Big Bear for skiing and snow boarding. Im 6 hours to Vegas for the Arnold classic.
if you like getting out and doing shit, this is the place for you..

 

[BrotherIron]

Ok tha'ts a few hours from me, but fuck FL, bro, its humid and the bugs are ridiculous. Cali all the way warm, sunny, I can drive in 2 hours, and im in LA for sports, shows and concerts, 2.5 hours west for the beach, 1 hour to Big Bear for skiing and snow boarding. Im 6 hours to Vegas for the Arnold classic.
if you like getting out and doing shit, this is the place for you..

Sounds like paradise.... Planning to taking a trip around May if everything goes as planned. I'll have a break in between Spring and Summer semester.

 

[BrotherIron]

I wanted to ask and see... How many of you shave with a disposable razor?

I like so many used to..... BUT I saw the light and started using a DE Safety Razor. You might say 1 blade.. can it shave close? You betcha it does and it doesn't cause ingrown hairs so your face, neck, is cleaner, less irritated, and also has less bumps. Cheap shaving gels most people use has irritants which cause dryness, redness, and irritation to the skin.

If you haven't tried a safety razor, give it a try. Pick up a badger hair brush (badger hair works better then synthetic b/c it absorbs the hot water better and feels better on the skin) and a shaving cream. The cream has essential oils and vitamins in it so your skin will thank you and your skin will feel/look better after you shave. Don't forget to get an after shave.

Take the extra 5 minutes and enjoy some alone time... we're always on the go. Get back to your roots and shave the ways you're grandfather did. Also this is MUCH cheaper in the long run. Shaving cream costs $40/yr, blades $20/yr, shaver $40, and brush $40. It's just the initial investment. You can get 100 blades for $20+shipping (feathers too which happen to be the blades used by professionals when you get a shave at a fancy barber shop). That means you can change blades 2x a week when you shave. That's MUCH sharper then some cheap ass disposable.

So... Am I the only one who goes old school. Takes a bit of time out of his day for himself to enjoy a nice, warm shave?

 

[kyle grey]

I'm a DE guy too , I use a vintage Gillette TTO razor paired with Pol Silver super IR blades and an assortment of creams . It's making a big comeback in this country .

 

[BrotherIron]

I'm a DE guy too , I use a vintage Gillette TTO razor paired with Pol Silver super IR blades and an assortment of creams . It's making a big comeback in this country .

It's making a BIG comeback here too. New companies and even brick & motar stores are popping up where you can purchase things. The stores are definitely overpriced though so I stick to Amazon. I use a Merkur 24c. Thinking of picking up a 38 HD c. I've been shaving with gilette platinum coated blades but I'm going to pick up some astras and afterwards I'm thinking of picking up feathers. I haven't been impressed with the gilette's and they're to $$$ for what I'm getting.

I just got my Truefitt & Hill shaving cream and I'm very happy with it thus far. I got the lime shaving cream and it's quite refreshing. I'm digging the smell and it feels GREAT. Usually afterwards my skin was a bit sensitive but now my skin feels great and I only use a pea sized amount.

 

[BrotherIron]

For those wondering... I performed my active recovery this week. My hamstring was strained/pulled the week before last. I took last week off to let it rest but a bug was going around and I caught it. So... instead of training heavy this week, I opted to make this my recovery week. I will do my conditioning tomorrow and begin my intensity block next week.

As you can see, these numbers are very light and there are purposely light. It's a recovery week so this is more for mind then body. Being out of the gym really f's with my mind. My body gets a much needed break. Weight is still holding steady at 267 so I'm interested to see what my new numbers (1RM) will be since they'll all be PR's considering I haven't been this light in over a decade.

ACTIVE RECOVERY WEEK
WAVE 3 WEEK 4 DAYS 1, 2, 3
BENCH/ SQUAT DAY
Bench~ 145x7, 185x7, 235x7
Pause Squat (3 sec)~ 245x5, 245x5, 245x5
Seated Good Morning~ 145x7, 145x7, 145x7

DEADLIFT/ OHP DAY
Deadlift (conventional)~ 135x7, 235x7, 285x7, 335x7
Plate Loaded OHP +band (each arm)~ 80+B x7, 80+B x7, 80+B x7
Bicep Curl~ 30x10, 30x10

SQUAT/ BENCH DAY
Squat~ 145x7, 255x7, 305x7, 355x7
Floor Press w/ Football Bar~ 140x7, 140x7, 140x7
HS Iso Row~ 90x10, 90x10, 90x10

 

[BrotherIron]

I used to play NES games back in the day like so many of my generation. I played games less and less as time passed but I'm going to revisit my youth again.... Nov 11th Nintendo is releasing a small console with 30 games which happen to have many of the games I enjoyed playing and it's cheap, only $60. It comes with 1 controller and another controller only costs $10.

Who else is going to relive those "wonder" years, when they were young....

 

[BrotherIron]

Starting intensity block so you'll see me back off number of movements and push more (especially week 1 and 3). Should be fun. Hadn't pushed my bench in a couple of weeks so it felt good to put some weight on the bar. Broke out my belt for the last 2 sets of front squats.

WAVE 4 WEEK 1 DAY 1
BENCH/ SQUAT DAY

Bench~ bar x many, 95x15, 135x10, 185x3, 240x3, 270x4, 300x3, 310x1, 320x1, slinghot 335x1
Oly Front Squat~ 135x5, 225x3, 285x3, 315x3, 345x3, 375x1
Standing Good Morning~ 135x5, 225x5, 250x5, 275x5​

 

[BrotherIron]

O M G.... I'm officially a skinny bastard now. Weighed in at 265 after pulling and I had a big breakfast w/ plenty of carbs. This is LITERALLY the lightest I've been in 10years, no lie. Pulls felt heavy but moved well. I had to work for the 495 for a triple. All my pulls are dead stop, reset, and then pull. None of the sets were touch and go. I'm confident I could pull 495 for 5 t'n'g. I was happy with my pulls today but after being zapped with the 495 triple and almost grinding the 510, I opted to skip the 525. I need to build my confidence. Everyone who knows me knows... I'm a mental lifter. I've always been stronger physically then mentally. So... I'll slow things down a bit and put in A LOT of work.

I also have to admit... I'm pretty damn happy considering last time I tested I weight 285 and pulled 525 for 5 t'n'g. Now, I'm 20lbs lighters and only 20-30lbs weaker. That's not to bad. I look 10000x better and even feel 10000x better. I have 10x the energy and I'm recovering quicker. I'm confident I'll pull 525 for 5 at 265 in time.

WAVE 4 WEEK 1 DAY 2
DEADLIFT/ OHP DAY

Deadlift (conventional)~ 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 405x3, 455x3, 495x3, 510x1, reverse band 545x1

broke out belt for 495 and above sets. ​

Football Bar Push Press~ 95x10, 135x5, 175x5, 190x5, 205x5, 220x3

didn't wear belt. wore elbow sleeves and wrist wraps.​

Biceps Curl~ 40x10, 45x8, 45x5​

 

[woodswise]

Nice work on cutting down. I am cutting 30+ lbs (I have another 14 lbs to go) for a PL meet on December 3, but unlike you, my strength has gone down over 50 lbs on my deadlifts. My bench is the same, but squats are looking weaker too! I love being lighter but hate the strength loss . . .

 

[BrotherIron]

Nice work on cutting down. I am cutting 30+ lbs (I have another 14 lbs to go) for a PL meet on December 3, but unlike you, my strength has gone down over 50 lbs on my deadlifts. My bench is the same, but squats are looking weaker too! I love being lighter but hate the strength loss . . .

I was surprised with how everything is moving. My numbers dropped but not to drastically. My pulls have been a mess for a couple of years. I used to pull 600 easily with barely any warm up but back then I was doing a shit load of GM's and Front squats. I've since corrected the matter and in time I'll get it to climb back up to 600. I was shocked that I was still able to blast 585 for a single last time I tried weighing in at 267. I'll definitely going for 600 when I test and my best squat is 635 and I was 290lbs.

 

[BrotherIron]

Lower, left side of back right above glute felt henky... like a slight strain but I'm not so surprised considering I just pulled yesterday. And the pulls were heavy. For that reason, I dropped the 545 single and made my last triple 505 instead of 515. Weight moved well though and there was no sticking point whatsoever. The bar moved fast so I just gotta feel better and then I'll blast the numbers I'm shooting for.

Also didn't have a lot of time since I trained in the evening and I had to watch the fight with friends. I would have liked to put in a 235 set for CGBP but I'll do that next time.

WAVE 4 WEEK 1 DAY 3
SQUAT/ BENCH DAY

Squat~ 145x5, 235x5, 325x3, 415x3, 465x3, 505x3, 525x1, reverse band 565x1

No wraps. Knee sleeves on 465 and above. Belt on 505 and above sets.​

CGBP + 60lbs chain~ bar x many, 95x15, 135x10, 195x5, 195+C x5, 205+C x5, 215+C x5, 225+C x4

Elbow sleeves & wrist wraps worn on working sets. ​

Wide Grip Pulldown~ 120x12, 140x10, 160x10​