CowPimp Picks Up Heavy Shit

[Witchblade]

I just dropped by to tell you you're a hippie and a strongman.

Hippie!

Strongman!

 

[CowPimp]

fufu
It was fun for sure!

Gaz
At the moment it's not feasible to get out there, unless I hose over some of my clients. I'm not that pressed to do it that I want to do that. If the guy who has the equipment decides to start training on Saturdays, then I might get involved more.

Akira
Just some guy that a coworker of mine knows. No, the 20 minute workouts were just random sets of 3-4 resistance exercises, and I kept the sets far from failure.

Witch
Haha, nice.


Nothing too special to report as of late. Did a 455 conventional deadlift on Monday. PR for conventional stance, though I have pulled that sumo before. I also did a 90lb 1arm DB snatch for 3 reps per arm on Friday. Actually wasn't too too hard. I could probably snatch a bit past 100 for a single. 80 felt like butter; 90 took more thought and effort. Oh, I also did dips for the first time since my sternum reacted poorly. I did 115 for a triple and 100 for a set of 5. Not too shabby.

 

[Scarface30]

nice man.

sounds like you're doing superb with the strength work

 

[CowPimp]

Bleh

Wow, didn't realize that it's been so long since I made a post here. I need to bump up my activity levels. Jeez.

Anyway, in terms of my workouts, I front squatted 295 for a single recently, with a little more in me to spare. That felt great. Don't remember if I mentioned that I did dips again. Did +100 for a couple sets of 6.

Also, I'm going to shave about 5 pounds, and then around New Years probably start bulking again for 2-3 months before I really get cut for the summer.

 

[fufu]

Nice front squat.

 

[fufu]

http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/open-chat/84918-happy-birthday-cowpimp.html

More people posted in it, but there was trouble with the forum so alot of the posts for some days were lost. Did you have a nice birthday?

 

[CowPimp]

Thank ya Fufmeister.

 

[CowPimp]

Had a pretty nice run with back squats yesterday. Did 275x5, then 3 sets with 285x5.

NG Chinups with 55 strapped on for 4 sets of 5, and I probably could do like +75 if I went all out on one set.

1-leg RDLs with 90s for a few sets of 5. The last set was SLOPPY though. Partly because my grip was just failing miserably, heh.

Also pulled 345 for 3x10 with sumo deadlifts Monday. I was happy with that. The first set was easy, probably could've done 15.

That's some stuff.

 

[fufu]

Nice!

 

[CowPimp]

Taste

I'm currently about to start gaining weight again and using the Westside template. I got up to about 200, then did a mini cut down to 195 or so, and now I'll push back up to 205 or maybe more depending on how lean I stay up to that point.

I'm also trying to mess with nutrient timing a little more (Carbs for breakfast, pre-workout, and post-workout) and a higher fat diet to see how I respond. Most meals are either protein/fat or protein/carbs, but not a mix of all three, save for breakfast.

Here's a taste of the type of workout I've been doing. I recently reincorporated the more traditional Westside DE work in there, as before I was using power cleans and push pressing.

Box Squat
45x5
135x2
195x8x2

Deadlift
275x10x1

Safety Bar Good Morning RI120
160x4
220x2x5
210x2x5

Zercher Squat RI90
135x5
205x3x10

Seated Row RI60
#13x10
#14x10
#13x10


A couple of notes. The safety bar is fucking hard; I can rep that out all day with a standard olympic bar. Zercher squats have always sucked for me, but I'm getting much better at them. I also put away the vagisil and stopped using padding, and that shit hurts like a motherfucker.

We got all this great new equipment at my gym: adjustable box, bands, safety bar, cambered bar, sandbags, log, prowler, weight releasers, farmer's walk handles on the way, etc. New toys for the win.

 

[fufu]

wow, that is sick equipment for the gym.

have you been training but just not logging?

 

[CowPimp]

wow, that is sick equipment for the gym.

have you been training but just not logging?

Correct. I still have my hard copy log; I have just been lazy about coming on here and posting in my journal. Really, I haven't been posting on IM like I should period.

Anyway, nothing amazing to report, but I did hit 315 with Zercher squats yesterday. No padding baby. Got some nice bruises from that. It was pretty either. I definitely lost my posture some, but the depth was good and I got that bitch up. Pretty nice 40-50 pound PR for me on that lift.

I also did a floor press for 275 yesterday. I'm pretty sure that's a 10-20 pound PR for that lift. I need to work my floor press more. It seems to help my bench a bunch as I almost always suck around midrange.

Also, I'm going to start doing my DE work with bands for a bit. Did my DE work on the bench with them last Friday, and it felt great. Totally different, but I could certainly tell that it made me keep accelerating well after getting the bitch moving!

 

[fufu]

nice nice, I don't like when the insides of my elbows rub against my knees and thighs when doing deep platform deadlifts, I don't know if I could do those Zerchers. I tried them once with 135 and it was a bitch. I can imagine it being similar to getting used to the bar on the traps for back squats but 10 fold on the elbows.

 

[Witchblade]

Zercher squats are too hardcore for me. That shit hurts!

That's some sick stuff you got there at your gym. Seems ideal.

 

[CowPimp]

You don't fully get used to the Zercher's. However, I would say somewhere in the middle of the warmup sets I do is the worst. Once I got really heavy, my adrenaline was going enough that I didn't really feel it until after I got the bar out of the crook of my arm, heh.

 

[Gazhole]

Zercher squats and Zercher good mornings are brutal. Its surprising how just changing the position of the weight can affect the whole feel of the movement. They feel completely different from the regular variations.

Much harder too

 

[Witchblade]

I have a question for you, CP. I'd say my body is in pretty good alignment right now, mobility, flexibility and strength ratio wise. However, when I do Cook hip lifts, I feel a strong contraction in my hams instead of in my glutes, almost cramp like. The only thing I can think of that would cause this is improperly firing glutes, but that seems out of the question for me.
I get sore glutes from deadlifting and squatting, I do dynamic and static stretching stretching for my entire lower body, my hip flexors never cramp up, I can touch my toes and easily do pistols and below parallel squats and my posterior chain is way stronger than my quads and hip flexors.

I think you're one of the most knowledgeable members when it comes to body alignment and disfunctions so I'd appreciate your opinion on this.

 

[soxmuscle]

Also, I'm going to start doing my DE work with bands for a bit. Did my DE work on the bench with them last Friday, and it felt great. Totally different, but I could certainly tell that it made me keep accelerating well after getting the bitch moving!

I can do up to 10 sets trying to max out on ME bench days and I'm not nearly as sore as when I use bands/chains on DE bench days. Awesome exercise.

 

[CowPimp]

I have a question for you, CP. I'd say my body is in pretty good alignment right now, mobility, flexibility and strength ratio wise. However, when I do Cook hip lifts, I feel a strong contraction in my hams instead of in my glutes, almost cramp like. The only thing I can think of that would cause this is improperly firing glutes, but that seems out of the question for me.
I get sore glutes from deadlifting and squatting, I do dynamic and static stretching stretching for my entire lower body, my hip flexors never cramp up, I can touch my toes and easily do pistols and below parallel squats and my posterior chain is way stronger than my quads and hip flexors.

I think you're one of the most knowledgeable members when it comes to body alignment and disfunctions so I'd appreciate your opinion on this.

All of that still doesn't necessarily mean your glutes are firing like they should. It means they are working to some extent, but not necessarily optimally.

Have you tried stretching your hip flexors and rectus femoris before hand, and trying that on a regular basis? Some self myofacial release on these muscle groups, and perhaps the TFL as well, would also probably help. Sometimes it is a case of reciprocal inhibition.

I know that generally static stretching is supposed to be "bad" before a workout because it reduces the power output capabilities of the stretched muscle group. However, that can be beneficial if the muscle is shortened and overactive.

 

[Witchblade]

Thanks, I'll experiment with more stretching and warm-up methods and see how that goes.

 

[P-funk]

Just because you "feel" a contraction in the hamstrings on the cook hip lift does not mean that your glutes are not firing or firing improperly. You are extending your hip and obviously the hamstrings fire (along with glute max and adductor magnus). The real problem is when someone gets cramping from performing the exercise as that shows there is possibly a problem with over contraction of teh hamstrings.

You can test firing patterns if you lie prone and have someone place one hand on your lumbar errectors (palm on one side/fingers on the other) and then the other hand with the palm on your glutes and the fingers on the hamstrings. You perform a hip extension and they can feel firing patterns as far as what fires first. THe ideal firing pattern is not agreed upon between therapists, so it is tough to actually determine what is best. The important thing is that it gives you information about what is going on and the therapist can see what your movement looks like.

To determine proper function you need to be tested in person with movemnt, manual muscle testing etc.....to assume that the cook hip lift tells all is a GROSS oversimplification that personal trainers around the country seem to be making. It gives you some information....but not all information.

One tests tells you something.....several tests confirm what you need to know.

 

[Witchblade]

That puts things into perspective. I'll look into manual muscle firing testing, but I doubt I'm going to find a professional so I'll see if I can either 'solve' the problem or conclude it's nothing serious. More prehabilitation work won't harm me either way.

Thanks for the info, guys. I really think you should write a book or at least publish.

 

[P-funk]

what does it look like when you walk or perform a step up or a lunge? Does your hip drop? Can your pelvis stay level? These are things that I look for when assessing glute function.....more so that the hip lift test (although I use that one also). I have a battery of test that I run through just to see how things work together and integrate with eachother and then to confirm other things I am seeing. From there I base what I am going to do soft tissue wise (with regard to some of the manual therapy I am using on people) and training wise (with regard to mobility and exercise).

If you don't assess the stuff, you are left with a "shot-gun" method, which is essentially throwing a ton of shit at a wall and hoping something sticks. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.



*sorry for the journal clutter cowpimp*

 

[Big G]

I did hit 315 with Zercher squats yesterday. Pretty nice 40-50 pound PR for me on that lift.

Congrats!

 

[Big G]

Interesting read, as ever. Makes me wonder how to learn more, faster.

What's your history CP, education-wise (if you don't mind me asking)? Where has the knowledge you've accumulated come from?


*Two posts. Woops.*

 

[CowPimp]

No problem. I like some discussion in here! By the way P, he did say the contraction in his hammy was "almost cramp-like" or something along those lines.

Also, Big G, I have just done a decent amount of reading and I goto school for kinesiology at the univeristy of MD. I'm undergrad though, nothing special. I also have a couple years of experience as a personal trainer.

Honestly, I don't feel like my knowledge base is that great, but I know the basics.

 

[P-funk]

Will your undergrad be in kines? Or are you minoring in that and majoring is something else? For some reason I thought you said you were majoring in something unrelated to this field?

 

[CowPimp]

Annual Update

Will your undergrad be in kines? Or are you minoring in that and majoring is something else? For some reason I thought you said you were majoring in something unrelated to this field?

I'm majoring in kinesiology. I was doing exercise science, which is basically the same thing with a different name, which they used at my community college.

Perhaps you are referring to network engineering? That was my original major. I switched that several semesters ago.


So I've made some solid lifts over the past few weeks. I got a small deadlift PR of 465 (500 is getting closer!), a small squat PR of 345, and I military pressed 180 (I should be able to hit 185).

I also recently did some farmer's walks for about 30-40 feet with 250 in each hand. My core musculature had more left, but my grip failed. I think with chalk, or some knurling on the handles, I could've held on a bit longer.

I'm also really happy about that squat because it was a deep olympic squat. I feel like I have another 5-10% over that if I worked at my PL style squats, at least. I definitely feel like I had a tiny bit more in the DL and overhead press too, but I was fried by the time I hit those numbers. I'll test them again soon!

I also weighed in at a solid 198 the other morning. That's definitely the most I've been while this lean. I'm still adding some weight, so I will get in the 205+ range before cutting back again.

 

[Pylon]

Pimptastic!

 

[Nate K]

I also weighed in at a solid 198 the other morning. That's definitely the most I've been while this lean. I'm still adding some weight, so I will get in the 205+ range before cutting back again.

Wow, good job.