Montreal Barbell The PR GYM

Squats:tried new pair of briefs,just a bit less tight

55x?,145 x 6,235 x 5,325 x 3

tried again my canvas suit,still didn't like it,stop lifting early

415 x 3,465 x 1,505 x 1,555 x 1

took it off and did a set for reps(it was not an absolute maximum)in briefs

415 x 13

Deadlift:conventional,raw,no belt:315 x 1, 405 x 15 (I was happy with this set)

Bench:45 x 8,65 x 8, 95 x 12 (happy with this too)

It was not a record breaking workout but was fun anyway with Léo and Steve

squats:50x5,140x3,190x1,230x1,290x1

deadlift:315x1,405 x 1

leg press:3 plates x 6,5 plates x 5,7 plates x 7

squats 50x6,140x5,230x5,320x5

deadlift:365x5 no warm up

leg press:3 plates x 10

lat pulldowns;130x 14

behind the neck press:45x5,135x 13

barbell rows:185x 5, 315x9

cable tricep pushdowns:70x18

barbell curls:95x20

seated calf raises:3 plates x 20

abs 1 set

This week I change my training completely.I plan to train with less volume but more often.Some day will be just active recovery for some lifts and real training for other muscles.No more chronometer between sets and I squat as often that I want,for me that means almost everyday,even if its with a very small weight...

Today:squats:50x8,140x10,230x5

Deadlift:225x5,315x5    (at home,every deadlift is conventional and raw,same for squats)

lat pulldowns:130x12

behind the neck press:95x5,135x12

barbell rows:135x6,225x5,315x8

tricep cable pushdowns:70x16

barbell curls:95x18

leg press:1plate x 10    don't say anything you will see later..

seated calves machine:2 plates x 10

1 set abs

Warm-up training for tomorrow:                                    3:00pm  203 Lbs

Squats:50 x 8, 140 x 5, 230 x 3, 280 x 1, 330 x 1

Deadlift:225 x 1, 315 x 1, 415 x 1

Abs 2 sets

I like to do this kind of warm up training because for me, 3 days without squatting is too long;the balance during the lift becomes bad,the bar feels heavier and the joints becomes stiffs.

Try to show to a one year old baby how to walk;If you do it almost every day,in one month he will be almost an expert.If you show him once a week and put him in his bed for the rest of the week  he will have trouble walking even at 18 years old.Same with the squats.

Another explanation:The nervous system adapt itself 24 hours a day to become efficient against the last stress that you had;it becomes his new priority,so if you squat sunday,but during the week you:walk 2 hours behind your lawn mower,get stressed at work or in traffic ,argument with your girlfriend ,do a cardio workout etc..the brain and nervous system try to be good to face all those stress one after the other(I'm not talking about just distractions,I talk about real physical organisation of your brain connections) so after all that ,for your brain to be good at the squat,at the end of the week is only the priority number 56.Results:before the workout begins,you have no idea how the weight will feel on you,it's a surprise every week,it depends of everything that happened in the week.When I squat the day before the workout or even sometimes the morning before the workout,Its like a reset button:squat and deadlift=priority number 1;all the rest=I don't f%$/"/in' care about it...

Every time I tried to bench again since I tore my pec It was not comfortable and It was like it was going to tear again.One month ago,I started to bench with a reverse and close grip,to give all the stress to the tricep.Sunday when we trained with Bill Crawford,he told me to stop doing it and try again a real bench.This time the feeling was ok (with a empty bar x 8).Today in my workout I benched:45 x 10 ,55 x 10 ,65 x 10.Beware guys,now that I started benching,a big total will finally be something possible for me! See,everybody gain something by training with Bill...

training in a team is not just to have more fun or to have spotters.The team set a norm in your head of what is possible to achieve.If you train in a normal gym but see on internet that some guys can squat over 800 lbs,you will say that these guys are genetic freaks or are something out of this world.When you train in a team that a 800 lbs squat is something that you see every week,your brain accept that its normal and you have to do it too.A couple of months ago,my lifetime goal was to squat 800 pounds,but now I have to do more,Joeffrey and Joanick got 865.Leo will get 800 soon,Steve too if his shoulder allows his to train normally.Ross,just put a tighter suit and you too can do it,I can see it with your raw strenght.Now that 800 is normal let's start a race for the first who can squat 1000 pounds!!

My progress for the squat in the last month and my bodyweight:

sunday 29-08-10:600 lbs at 180 lbs bodyweight

           05-09-10:645 lbs @ 185 lbs

           12-09-10:685 lbs @ 190 lbs

           19-09-10:725 lbs @ 194 lbs

           26-09-10:755 lbs @ 195 lbs

           03-10-10:775lbs(high) @ 198 lbs

           10-10-10:800lbs(high) @ 200 lbs

I think that a quater of these gains are due to my training,another quater because now i'm very thight in my suit and the remaining half because of all the mental work against the fear:6 weeks ago I was really scared to lift anything over 500 lbs,I was asking special attention to Ross to stay very close when he spotted me ,I imagined myself getting crushed by the weight before the lifts etc...Now I'm like a kamikaze,nothing can stop me from putting crazy amount of weight on the bar.I take more risk but I finish every workout beeing proud of me,knowing that I give my best.

Saturday:It's just a warm up training for the Sunday training

Squats:2 sets empty bar,1 set 1 plate,1 set 2 plates ,1 rep 3 plates or sometimes if the knees are sore:95x1,135x1,185x1,225x1,275x1,315x1

Deadlift:225x1,315x1,405x1           abs:2 sets

squats are done close stance and deadlift conventional so I don't strain the hips for sunday.

Sunday:the real powerlifting workout(at the gym,the rest of the week at home)

Squats (widestance,put briefs before my fist warm up set,so my feet stance keep the same for all the workout).

55x5,145x5,235x5,325x3,put the squat suit,415x2,465x1,505x1,put knee wraps,

595x1,685x1 and a maximum weight attempt(last week 755x1)

Somo deadlift:315x1 and one close to maximum attempt between 515 and 545 normally

Bench:I have a torn pec,I started to bench again one month ago after a year off frombenching,but I use a reverse grip and a close stance so the triceps are doing most of the work.

The rest of the week is more a bodybuilding program:

Monday:Barbell rows 4 sets of 6 reps ,behind the neck press:4x6,tricep pushdowns:4x6,barbell curls 4x6    90 seconds rest between sets

Wednesday:squats(close stance,raw)for 8-6-5-4 reps 2 min rest,stiffed leg deadlift for 10-8-6-5 reps 1 min rest bet.sets,calves for 10-8-6-5 reps,one min rest

superset lat pulldown with bench,3 sets one min rest between supersets,superset behind the neck press and abs,4 sets,1 min rest,superset tricep pushdowns with barbell curls,3 sets,1 min rest between sets       all sets between 12 and 15 reps

Thursday:barbell rows for 8-6-5-4-3 reps bench for 8-6-5-4-3 reps behind the neck press for 8-6-5-4-3 reps   all 90 seconds rest between sets

superset leg press,leg curls and calves 3 or 4 supersets depend if i'm not puking or dead,one min rest between supersets 12 to 15 reps.

I started this routine this week,for the last month I was training 6 days a week,it was a similar program,but my new one is a bit less time consuming but it's still lot of work.I found that the short rest beween sets is very important to gain muscle mass.On powerlifting day,I take all the rest I want between sets,but the rest of the week I always have my chronometer in my hand between sets.With the same quantity of foods,for 3 weeks in a row I was gaining 4 or 5 pounds of bodyweight,i used short rest between sets,then for one week,I took rest of 3 minutes between sets:my strenght was peaking but Idid not gained a pound,then this week I started short rest and supersets again and I already gained 3 pounds this week..so the fact that your body produce more growth hormone with short rest between set is not a grandmother story.I train at home soIt's convenient for me,I understand that It's difficult to follow if you train in group,you have to share the equipment so It's hard to superset in a gym...ONE MORE THING:if you dont like to work hard or eat a lot of food,stay away from this routine or you will tell me that it send you in overtraining in less than 2 weeks.