Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Tuesday part 2: Front squats and popping the hamstring


Was in the middle of my 4th set of front squats and heard and felt a large pop in my hamstring. It's a nice injury. Decided to not continue on with the training.

Tuesday December 29th part 1: BTN Push Press/ Handstand Push ups


Was having a crappy night with the push presses so I took the last set to nail some handstand push ups. Here are the HSPU.

Monday, December 29, 2014

Friday part 3: timed squats


Set the clock for 3 1/2 minutes and cranked out as many squats with 135 on the bar as I could. Here's the wrap up.

Friday part 2: pull ups


10 sets of 10 reps of pull ups alternated with 10 sets of 12 reps for weighted dips. Here's the final set of pull ups.

Friday December 26th part 1: Dips


The 10th of 10 sets of 12 dips with bodyweight plus 70 pounds, alternated with 10 sets of 10 reps for pull ups.

Tuesday part 2: abdominal rollouts


Nailing 3 sets of 10 tonight.

Tuesday December 23rd part 1: The Bear


Nailing 5 sets of the bear and feeling awesome!!

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!



Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone. No matter what you celebrate I hope that it's filled with love, peace, happiness and fun. Happy Holidays!

Monday Part 3: Deadlifts


Man, deadlifts were not my thing tonight. Nailed 4 sets of doubles with 450, then jumped up to 460 and completely missed. Oh well, still strong and awesome!

Monday Part 2: Front Squats


Jumped up to 365 pounds for 6 sets of triples. Felt awesome and strong!

Monday December 22nd part 1: BTN Push Press and Scott Press


You have to love it when you hit something on week 3 that you didn't think you'd hit until week 6. Nailed 6 sets of doubles in the Behind The Neck Push Press with 250 pounds and finished with two 70 pound kettlebells for Scott Presses. Here's set 6 of 6:

Monday, December 22, 2014

Friday, December 19, 2014

Thursday part 3: Timed Squats


Put 135 pounds on the bar and did as many non-stop squats as possible in three minutes. Here's the wrap up.

Thursday part 2: pull ups


Hitting the 10th of 10 sets of pull ups.

Thursday December 18th part 1: Dips


Did alternating sets of dips and pull ups. 10 sets of 25 reps for dips and 10 sets of 10 reps for pull ups.

Here's the 10th set of dips.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Supplements


I get a lot of questions about what supplements I use. Here's the current stack:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx2_QuOkH1I#t=15


Hope you like it!

Monday part 3: deadlifts


Finished up Monday night with 5 sets of doubles for deadlifts nailing 450 pounds pretty well.

Monday part 2: Front Squats


Nailing 6 sets of triples with 350 pounds.

Monday December 15th part 1: BTN Push Press and Scott Presses


After doing 100 dips, here's the 6th sets of Behind the Neck Push Presses. I was going for doubles with 235 pounds and finished up with a set of Scott presses with a pair of 53 pounds kettlebells.

Friday part 5: Farmer's Walks


After hitting 100 dips, 10 minutes of plate push sprints and medicine ball slams, 5 minutes of backwards weighted drag sprints and 5 minutes of seated row sprints it was time to finish it all up with 3 sets of 60 seconds on and 60 seconds off for farmer's walks. Kept these at two 88 pounds kettlebells for tonight.

Friday part 4: seated row drag sprints.


After hitting the plate push sprints, medicine ball slams, and backwards weighted drags, it was time to hit 5 rounds of 30 seconds on and30 seconds off of seated row sprints using 246 pounds.

Friday part 3: Backwards weighted drap sprints


After the plate pushes and medicine ball slams, hi 5 rounds of 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off for backwards weighted drag sprints using 316 pounds.

Friday part 2: Medicine Ball Slams


And, building off of the last video, here's the first set from the medicine ball slams.

Friday December 12th part 1: Plate Push Sprints


Alternated between plate push sprints and Medicine ball slam sprints. Hit 10 minutes of plate pushes for 20 seconds on and 40 seconds off followed by Med. ball slams for 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off. Here's the first set of the plate pushes.

Friday, December 12, 2014

Thursday part 3: timed squats


Loaded the bar up with only 135 pounds and hit as many squats as I could in 3 minutes without stopping. Awesome stuff.

Thursday part 2: pull ups


Super set time: 10 sets of 20 reps for dips and 10 sets of 10 reps for pull ups.

Here's the final set of pull ups

Thursday December 11th part 1: Dip challenge and dips in the workout


Decided to hit the dip challenge during my training tonight.

Alternated between sets of pull ups and dips hitting 10 sets of 20 reps in the dips and 10 sets of 10 reps in the pull ups.

Felt awesome. Here's the final set of dips.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Wednesday part 4: Clean Grip High Pulls


Finished out the night with Clean Grip High Pulls. Hit 5 sets of 3 with 300 pounds.

Here's the final set.

Wednesday part 3: Snatch Grip High Pulls


Nailed 5 sets of 3 in these with 225 pounds. Should have gone up in weight.

Here's the final set.

Wednesday pat 2: Shrugs



Nailed 6 sets of 4 tonight with 505 pounds. Felt strong. Hit them all in Power style.

Here's the 6th of 6 sets.

Wednesday December 10th part 1: Neck


Along with my dips this morning I also worked my neck for 5 sets of 12 reps in each direction: Forward, Backward, Titling Left, Tilting Right, Looking Left and Looking Right. Felt awesome.

Wednesday Dip Challenge Day 3


Today was my "easy" day for dips. Hit assisted dips which aren't quite as intense. Nailed my 100 in 3 sets. They went: 35 reps, 35 reps and 30 reps. Felt good.

Tuesday part 2: Abdominal Roll-outs


Hadn't used these in my own training for a little while. Time to bring them back. Nice to know I've still go 'em.

Here's the 3rd of 3 sets.

Tuesday December 9th part 1: The Bear



The bear is one of my favorite conditioning routines, but I hadn't had it in my personal cycles for about two years. Though it was time to put it back in. Felt awesome.

Here's the 4th of 5 sets.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Tuesday Dip Challenge Day 2:


Nailed my 100 dips in 4 sets (sets of 25 reps) yesterday. Thought I'd add 35 pounds to my bodyweight and hit my 100 reps in 5 sets (sets of 20) today. Feeling strong. Here's set number 1:



Monday Part 3: Deadlifts


Always awesome to deadlift heavy.

Here's the 5th and final set of doubles with 435 pounds.

Monday part 2: Front Squats


Hit 5 sets of triples with 315, then felt strong on the last set and hit 5. An awesome 6 sets.

Monday December 8th part 1: Behind the neck Push Press


One of my favorite moves, but it's been about two years since it was last in a cycle. Crushed it tonight.

Here's the 6th of 6 sets of doubles using 225 pounds.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Monday Dip Challenge


Decided that I hadn't done a monthly challenge in a while so I decided to do one this month. As of today I'll be hitting at least 100 dips every day. They can be normal dips, ring dips, weighted dips, reverse grip dips or what ever. But, there has to be at least 100 of them each day. Here's the 1st set for today.

Monday, December 8th: The Quest for 200 Begins


Friday, December 5, 2014

New Stuff

Alright everyone, check out the latest blog at www.brettsbeast.blogspot.com

This one's for the serious strength and fitness minded!

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Wednesday December 3rd: wrap up


Today I was feeling a little beat up so I centered everything around my daily joint mobility and flexibility work and added in some Eischen's Yoga in the evening. Great back off week so far.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Monday December 1st: Wrap up


The first day of the back off week.

The past 13 weeks have been hard, intense and awesome. The results have been phenomenal. But, the body has a little damage, so it's time to focus on recovery for the next week.

Tonight was a run through of Eischen's Yoga to help heal.

It was awesome!

Monday, December 1, 2014

Friday part 3: mdsectionnnn


Despite the wrist and forearm injury, finishing up the cycle strong.

Friday part 2: 1-arm lateral raises.


Wrapping up this one

Friday November 28th part 1: military press


The final training day of this cycle. It really went fast and was awesome

Nailed my 10 sets of 10 for strict military press! Melissa schooled my though, she got her 100 reps in only 9 sets.

Tuesday part 4: Midsection


Leg raise are feeling awesome!

Tuesday part 3: Power Cleans


Wrist and forearm were feeling a little fucked still so I kept the weight lower and concentrated on form and speed. Felt good though.

Tuesday part 2: 1-arm bent rows


Nailing these with 141 pounds. Feeling great!

Tuesday part 1: front lever pull/ pull up combo



Loving these. Feeling strong and awesome!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Monday part 3: weighted jumps


The final set of weighted jumps.

Monday part 2: Deadlifts


Upped the weight to 350 pounds, kept the rest period short and nailed all 100 reps. Started with 8 sets of 10 reps. Then slipped up and only hit 9 reps on the 9th set. Then stepped up and nailed 11 reps on the 10th set. Felt awesome.

Monday November 24th part 1: Squats



Hard to believe it's already week 6 of this cycle and week 13 of the whole program. Man, it's gone by fast and the results have been awesome!

Here's the final set of squats for the night. 350 pounds for 10 reps felt light and easy.

 

Monday, November 24, 2014

Friday part 4: Triceps Extensions


Upped the weight and nailed it. Felt awesome.

Friday part 3: Feet elevated push ups


Nailed these really nicely tonight. Kept the steeper incline but upped the weight to bodyweight plus 120 pounds. Felt good.

Friday part 2: Body Flies


Really getting both the stretch and the contraction on these. Here's the final set of 12.

Friday November 21st part 1: Dips


Nailing 3 sets of 10 with bodyweight plus 80 pounds.

Thursday part 2: 1-arm lateras and static hold


All three sets felt strong except on my right bicep which gave out at the end.

Thursday November 20th part 1: Push Press


Felt strong and good on these. Nailed 1 set of 11, 8 sets of 10, and only had to hit 9 on the last set fo my 100. Awesome feeling.

Wednesday November 19th wrap up


I took today off!!

Tuesday part 4: midsection


Rocked out 3 sets of leg raises on the parallel bars.

Tuesday part 3: Power Cleans


After injuring my wrist last week I dropped the weight by 10 pounds in order to make sure that my technique was on par. Nailed al 3 sets of 10.

Tuesday part 2: Bent Arm Paused Rows


I was in the mood for something a little different in the rows this week, so I hit 4 sets of 5 for bent rows with a 5 count pause at the top of the movement. Squeezed the hell out of the back during the pause. Awesome stuff.

Tuesday November 18th part 1: lever pulls/ pull ups


Loving this variation. Lats are feeling awesome.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Forgot to grab my camera


I forgot to grab my camera, so I'll be posting Tuesday and Wednesday's training sessions when I post tonight's. Sorry about that

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Monday part 3: weighted jump


After 30 reps of deadlifts and 100 reps of squats it was time to finish up the session with 3 sets of weighted jumps. Here's the final set.

Monday part 2: Squats


So, I jumped up in weight to 350 pounds, made sure to keep the rest at about 90 seconds and nailed my 100 reps in only 8 sets. 7 sets of 13 reps and 1 final set of 9. Here's the last set.

Monday November 17th part 1: Deadlifts


Alright, week 5 of this cycle already. Here's the 3rd and final set of this weeks deadlifts. Nailed 10 reps strongly on each set. Hit 250, 300 and 350 respectively. Here's the final set.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Friday part 5: midsection


Didn't feel like hitting the planks and v-ups, so I nailed some sets of leg raises on the parallel bars.

Friday part 4: Lying, controlled triceps extensions


Jumped the weight by 10 pounds and nailed each set. Felt really good.

Friday part 3: Feet elevated push ups


Nailing these tonight. Using bodyweight plus 110 pounds, and a steeper incline for the feet. Hitting 10's across the board.

Friday part 2: Body Flies


Hitting the body flies hard on the jungle gym. Making sure to emphasize both the stretch and the contraction position.

Friday November 14th part 1: Dips



Feeling strong on the dips. Really emphasizing the chest. Using bodyweight plus a 70 pound k-bell. Nailed 2 sets of 10, and here's the 3rd set of 8.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Thursday part 3: kneeling curls


Jumped up in reps to 5 sets of 10 reps with this one.

Thursday part 2: Lateral raises and static holds


Hitting the final set of lateral raises with the 53 pounder, plus a 15-20 second static hold with the 20 pounder.

Thursday November 13th part 1: Military Press


These were feeling hard today. Still, I nailed 8 sets of 10 and 2 sets of 9. Not bad at all.

Wednesday November 12th: Wrap Up


I took today off to rest and recover!!

Tuesday part 4: midsection


I wasn't feeling the normal midsection training so I hit 3 sets of leg raises on the bars. Felt good.

Tuesday part 3: Clean Grip High Pulls


This was supposed to be set 3 of Power Cleans from the hang, but I screwed up my wrist on the set before. So I switched it up to high pulls. Not the best pulls I've ever done.


Tuesday part 2: 1-arm bent rows


Jumped up to 141 pounds for these (holding both an 88 and a 53 pound k-bell) and rocked it. Here's the final set.

Tuesday November 11th part 1: Front lever pull/ Pull up combo



Nailing the 4th and final set of this awesome combination.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Monday part 3: jump deadlifts



Hitting the 3rd and final set of jump deadlifts following the formula of using roughly 20% of your max. Here's the last set using 106 pounds.  I say it wrong in the video, it's only 20 %.

Monday part 2: Deadlifts


You have to love it when you're scheduled to do 10 sets of 10 reps or 100 reps, which ever comes first. And you start out nailing sets of 13 with the weight that was so hard to move last time. You then end up with needing only 4 reps on your final set. It's awesome to feel like a beast.

Monday November 10th part 1: Squats



Hitting the 3rd and final set of squats. You have to love when 335 pounds for 10 feels light and easy.

Friday part 5: Midsection



Ripping up the midsection with the 3 sets of planks and 3 sets of v-ups with no resting. Used bodyweight plus 75 pounds for the planks and bodyweight plus 40 pounds for the v-ups.

Friday part 4: Larry Scott style triceps extensions



Since adding these, I've been loving them. Here's the final set using 75 pounds and really going for a slow and controlled eccentric, a strong pause in the stretch position, a slow and controlled concentric, and a tight squeezing as hard as I can pause at the top.

Friday part 3: Feet Elevated Push-ups


Keeping the feet elevated even higher, using bodyweight plus 110 pounds, and nailing the final set.

Friday part 2: Body Flies


On the jungle gym for the final set of body flies. Really working on holding the stretch position for a few counts and squeezing the hell out of the top position for a few counts.

Friday November 7th part 1: Dips


Cranking out the final set of dips with bodyweight plus 70 pounds.

Friday, November 7, 2014

Thursday part 3: kneeling curls



These are such a biceps killers, I love them. I hit 5 sets of 10, 9, 8, 8, and 8 reps.   

Thursday part 2: 1-arm lateral raises and static hold


These felt awesome. Used a 53 pound kettlebell and nailed 3 sets of 12 reps on each side. Finished out the final set with a static hold using a 20 pound k-bell.

Thursday November 6th part 1: Push Presses


Another awesome session.

Started out with 10 sets of push presses. Nailed 10 reps on the first 9 sets and nailed9 reps on the final one. Just missed number 10.

Wednesday November 5th wrap up


Wrapping up the training for Wednesday night:


5 sets of 12 reps for neck work. Working 6 directions.

5 sets of 6 for Reverse Wrist Curls with 65 pounds

5 sets of 7 for 1-arm Wrist Curls with 75 pounds.

3 sets of timed barbell holds for as long as possible with 275 pounds

3 sets f timed plate pinch holds for as long as possible with 20 pounds

10 sets of rope skipping sprints using a 30 by 30 protocol.

Tuesday part 4: midsection



Nailing the no rest midsection training. Hit 3 sets of planks with bodyweight plus 65 pounds (60 seconds per plank) and 3 sets of v-ups with bodyweight plus 40 pounds (10 reps per set) with no rest between movements. Awesome stuff.

Tuesday part 3: Power Cleans


High rep power cleans are a killer. Jumped up in weight and hit 8 reps, 9 reps and finished with 10 reps. Not to bad. Here's the last set.

Tuesday part 2: 1-arm bent rows


Jumped up in weight for this one tonight. Used an 88 pound k-bell and a 35 pound k-bell together for 123 pounds total. Nailed 4 sets of 10 on each side.

Here's the 4th set.

Tuesday November 4th part 1: Lever Pull/ Pull up Combo



Started out today's training with a lever pull/ pull up combination. Basically, start out on the rings (or a high bar) and perform a front lever pull up to an inverted hang (or a straight arm lat pull). Make sure that the lats do all of the work. Then, pause at the top. Return to the bottom by performing a front lever negative, really resisting with the lats. Once you get back to a dead hang perform a controlled pull up.

Awesome stuff. Do as many as you can on each set. Here's my 1st of 4 sets.


Your lats will be on fire after this one!

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Forgot my camera today, I'll be posting about Tuesday, Wednesday and tonight's training tomorrow. Sorry about that!



I was a moron today. As I went to leave the house I completely forgot to grab the camera. I'll be posting Tuesday, Wednesday and tonight's stuff tomorrow. Whoops!

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Monday part 3: Jump Squats


After nailing 30 reps of deadlifts and 101 reps of Squats I finished off the training with 3 sets of 10 reps for bodyweight squats. Felt awesome:

Monday part 2: Squats

Squats were unreal today. Talk about feeling like a beast.

Had 335 pounds on the bar and was scheduled to hit 10 sets of 10, or 100 reps with it. Using less rest times I managed to hit 2 sets of 10, 5 sets of 13 and finished with 1 set of 16 reps. So, I nailed my hundred reps in only 8 sets. It felt awesome.



Monday October 3rd part 1: Deadlifts


Awesome training today. I felt like an absolute beast.

Started out with 3 progressively heavier sets of deadlifts. Hit 10 reps with 245, 300 and 335 pounds respectively. Completely forgot to pull out the camera though. So, here's me with the camera right after the last set.



The deadlifts felt light and easy today, which is awesome.

Monday, November 3, 2014

Friday October 31st Wrap up


A great Halloween Training Session Tonight.

Hit 3 sets of 8 reps for parallel bar dips with bodyweight plus 65 pounds.

Then hit 3 sets of 10 reps of Jungle Gym Body Flies with bodyweight making sure to hold the stretch position for a count of 2 and the contracted position for a count of 2.

Then went on to 3 sets of 8 reps for Feet Elevated Push-ups with a steep incline for the feet with bodyweight plus an additional 110 pounds.

From there I moved onto lying Triceps Barbell Extensions done Larry Scott Style, taking a 10 second lowering, pausing in the stretch position for a count of 2, a 10 second raising, squeezing the triceps hard in the contraction position for a count of 2. Hit 3 sets of 6 reps with 65 pounds.

Great training!!

Friday, October 31, 2014

Thursday October 30th wrap up


Awesome night tonight. Felt strong and powerful:

Started out with old school, heels together, body straight, strict military presses.

Hit 8 sets of 10, 1 set of 9 and 1 set of 7 with 135 pounds.

Then moved on to 1-arm lateral raises for 3 sets of 10 on each side with the 53 pound kettlebell.

From there I hit 5 sets of 8 for Kneeling Barbell Curls with 95 pounds.

Then I nailed 3 sets of 10 each for the no rest period midsection work of Good Mornings (using 205 pounds) and Weighted Sit-ups (using bodyweight plus an additional 225 pounds).

Felt really good!

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Wednesday October 29th: Wrap up



Today I started out with 5 sets of 10 reps for neck work in all 6 directions.


Then I hit 5 sets of 6 reps for both Reverse wrist curls and 1-arm wrist curls.


Followed that with 3 sets of Timed Barbell Holds


Then hit 3 sets of Timed weight plate, plate pinches.


After that    I hit 10 rounds of Rope Skipping Sprints following a 30 seconds on/ 30 seconds off protocol.


Great stuff.

Tuesday October 28th wrap up





Tonight's session was really run. Started out with:


1.) Straight arm Lat Pulls (Front lever pull to inverted hand) and pull up combo. Hit 4 sets of As many as I possibly could.


Then moved on to:


2.) 1-arm  Stacked Kettlebell Bent Rows. Hit 4 sets of 10 reps per side


Then hit:


3.) Power Cleans from the hang for 3 sets of 10 reps.


And finished with


4.) The no rest midsection training of 3 sets of weighted planks super setted with 3 sets of weighted v-ups.


Awesome stuff!

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Week 2: Monday October 27th wrap up


Brutally tough is the only way to describe tonight's training.

We started out with 3 progressively heavier sets of 10 reps for back squats. I hit 225, 295, and 335 respectively.

Then it was time for the prime time show. 10 sets of 10 reps of deadlifts with limited rest time in between sets.

This was awesome. I nailed 7 sets of 10, 2 sets of 8 and didn't get the final set at all. Used 335 pounds.

Followed this one up with 3 sets of 10 reps in Jumping Deadlifts and nailed them hard with 225 pounds.

An awesome night of training.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Friday October 24th wrap up


Tonight's training was awesome.

Started out with 3 sets of 8 reps for controlled dips on the parallel bar, really making sure that the pecs were doing the majority of the work. Nailed them with bodyweight plus 65 pounds.

Then came body flies on the jungle gym. Really focused on the stretch position (held that for a few seconds) and the completely contracted position (held that for a few seconds). Awesome stuff. Nailed 3 sets of 10 with bodyweight.

Then moved onto feet elevated push ups with the feet at an even higher incline than normal. Nailed 3 sets of 8 with bodyweight plus 110 pounds.

Followed that up with some slow motion Larry Scott style lying triceps extensions. Hit 3 sets of 6 with 65 pounds.

Then it was time for the no rest midsection training. Nailed 3 sets of 60 seconds in the plank (with bodyweight plus 65 pounds) super setted with 3 sets of 8 reps for v-ups with bodyweight plus 40 pounds.

A great session.

Friday, October 24, 2014

Thursday October 23rd wrap up



Tonight's training was a killer.

Started out with 10 sets of 10 reps for Push Presses on the schedule, but it turned into.

3 sets of 10 reps, 2 sets of 9 reps, 1 set of 8 reps with 155 pounds. Followed by 1 set of 8 reps with 150 pounds and 1 set of 8 reps with 145 pounds. Then I called it good and didn't do the last 2 sets.

Didn't really feel like I had any power or speed tonight. Oh well, next time I'll look to crush it.

After that, the rest of the training went really well.

Hit 3 sets of 1-arm lateral raises for 10 reps per set and per side with a 45 pound weight plate.

Then hit 5 sets of Kneeling barbell curls with 95 pounds. Hit 3 sets of 8 reps, 1 set of 7 reps and 1 set of 6 reps.

Fought hard for everything during this session, so, even though I'm not pleased, I can honestly say that I gave it my all. So, overall a great session.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Wednesday October 22nd wrap up


Started out today with neck work:

Hit the following:

1a.)  Forward neck flexion:  5 sets of 10 reps against 45 pounds
1b.)  Backward neck flexion:  5 sets of 10 reps against 45 pounds
1c.)  Side neck flexion (left):  5 sets of 10 reps against 25 pounds
1d.)  Side neck flexion (right):  5 sets of 10 reps against 25 pounds
1e.)  Side neck looking (left):  5 sets of 10 reps against body
1f.)  Side neck looking (right):  5 sets of 10 reps against body


That was in the morning.

Then, in the evening I hit this:

1a.)  Reverse wrist curls:  5 sets of 10 reps with 65 pounds
1b.) 1-arm Barbell wrist curls:  5 sets of 10 reps per side with 95 pounds.

2.)  Barbell Holds for time:  3 sets of As Long As Possible (ALAP) with     275 pounds.

3.)  Plate Pinch Holds:  3 sets of AS Long As Possible per side with two 10 pound plates.

4.) Rope Skip Period:  Skipped for 1 minute, rested for 1 minute, skipped for 2 minutes, rested for 1 minute, skipped for 3 minutes, rested for 1 minute, skipped for 2 minutes, rested for 1 minute, skipped for 1 minute.

A great day of training.

Tuesday October 21st wrap up.


Alright, for tonight's training session I went a little different than I did last cycle. Started out with a killer combo move on the rings. Start in a dead hang. Then, using nothing but your lats, perform a straight arm lever until you hit an inverted hang. Slowly lower back to the dead hang and then do a slow pull up. Repeat until you can't do any more. Great movement. And that just started out the work out.

Here's the full thing:

1.) Front Lever Pull/ Pull up combo on the rings:  4 sets of As Many As Possible (AMAP) using bodyweight.

2.) Stacked Kettlebell 1-arm Bent Over Rows:  4 sets of 10 reps on each side with 108 pounds.

3.)  Barbell Power Cleans from the Hang:  3 sets of 10 reps with 135 pounds.

4a.) Planks:  3 sets of 1 minute with bodyweight plus 65 pounds
4b.) V-ups:  3 sets of 12 reps with bodyweight plus 30 pounds.

No resting between the movements for 4a.) and 4b.).

There you have it, a great night of training.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Monday October 20th wrap up!


Ah, the first session of the new cycle. You have to love it.

My camera ran out of batteries before I could really get anything filmed, so, here's the wrap up of the first session back.

1.) Deadlifts:  3 sets of 10 reps with 245 pounds, 295 pounds and 335 pounds respectively. Rested about 90 seconds between sets.

2.) Back Squats:  10 sets of 10 reps using 335 pounds the entire time. Rested about 90 seconds between sets.

It was an incredible training session, and both Melissa and I really fought hard for every single rep.

Awesome first day of the cycle.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Thursday October 16th, continuing to deload and back off


Tonight was a blast. I grabbed a pair of clubbells, set the timer for 20 minutes and did a non-stop 20 minutes of club work. Started with parries into 2-hand parries into mills into swipes into iron crosses into Gama's defense into bullwhips into shield casts. Then repeated, then repeated again. Fun stuff.

Wednesday October 15th, more back off week fun


Aside from my morning joint mobility and stretching I took tonight off.

Tuesday October 14th: Back off week continues


For tonight's session I stuck with the kettlebell idea and nailed a nice 10 minute round of jerks with the 53 pounders then hit 200 1-arm swings. Felt awesome

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Back Off Week! Monday, October 13th: Wrap up


Wrapping up the first day of the back off week, working some Kettlebell Sport stuff!

Friday, October 10, 2014

Thursday part 4: Midsection


You all know the drill by now: 3 sets of Good Mornings and 3 sets of Weighted Sit-ups with no resting between any of it. Used 200 pounds for the Good mornings and 200 pounds for the Sit-ups. Hit 3 sets of 10 for the Good Mornings and went 10, 10 and 15 for the Sit-ups.

Thursday part 3: Barbell Concentration Curls


Upped the weight, cut the rest and nailed these too. Here's the 5th and final set of barbell concentration curls.

Thurday part 2: lateral raises


Hitting the lateral raises strongly!

Thursday October 9th part 1: Strict Military Press


Hitting the 10th of 10 sets of 10 reps in the old school version of the strict military press. Jumped up in weight, cut down on the rest and nailed it.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Monday part 4: midsection


Tonight was supposed to be weighted sit-ups night, but it didn't happen. Here's why!

Monday part 3: Lunges


Nailing all 3 sets of 10 on each side for lunges. 2-53 pound kettlebells are the resistance.

Monday part 2: Deadlifts


Just like the squats last week, we upped the weight, cut down on the rest time and nailed all 10 sets of 10 reps. Here's the 10th set. 325 pounds on the bar.

Monday October 6th part 1: Back Squats


Hitting 3 sets of 10 reps pretty easily with 325 pounds.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Friday part 5: midsection


Nailing the final set of the no rest round of midsection training: 3 sets of 60 seconds for planks (bodyweight plus 55 pounds) and 3 sets of 10 for v-ups (bodyweight plus 30 pounds) with no rest in between.

Friday part 4: Triceps Extension push ups


These are feeling strong. Hitting the final set with bodyweight plus 80 pounds.

Friday part 3: Parallel bar dips


Loving the dips. Hitting the final set with bodyweight plus 30 pounds.

Friday part 2: Feet elevated push ups


Hitting the final set hard with bodyweight plus an additional 110 pounds.

Friday October 3rd part 1: Atlas Push ups


Killing the final set of atlas push ups with bodyweight plus 100 pounds.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Upcoming News From Stepan HQ!

Hey Fitness Friends,

Thought I'd share some of the big, upcoming things going on here at Stepan Fitness HQ.

Starting in October feel free to join Melissa and myself twice a month (2 Saturdays a month) for a special conditioning day. This will be free to all of my curret clients and only $10 to non-clients that would like to join us. Basically, you'll be running through one of Melissa and my conditioning days with us. It'll be fun, it'll be hard, it'll kick booty and you'll love the results. As always, feel free to contact me for more information.

Also, Here are the upcoming fitness, health and nutrition seminars. I don't have the dates finalized yet, feel free to contact me for more info.

1.) How to eat to get the body you want, the health you desire, and the performance that you deserve.

2.) The Foam Roller. Getting the most out of a wonderful tool.

 

And, of course the upcoming self-protection seminars.

1.) Self-protection 101: The key ingredients.

2.) Surviving the 2 most Common Street Attacks, and thriving.

3.) Ground Survival 101: Surviving and trhiving in a real world ground attack.

Alright, like I said, contact me for more information. And, as dates are finalized on the seminars I'll be sending out more info as well. See you all soon.

Yours in strength and health,

Brett

Monday part 4: midsection, kind of


Got through the first set of the good mornings and the weighted sit-ups, then my right hip seized up on me.

Monday part 3: Lunges


Lunges felt too easy tonight!

Monday part 2: Back Squats


Nailing the 10th of 10 sets of 10 reps. Upped the weight, cut down on the rest time, made it harder and better.

Monday September 29th part 1: deadlifts


Nailing the final set of 10 reps for the deadlifts.

Monday, September 29, 2014

Saturday September 27th wrap up


Today I hit  sets of 6 reps for clapping pull ups and a crap load of hill sprints. Felt awesome.

Friday part 5: midsection


Nailed the midsection tonight!

Friday part 4: triceps exetension push ups


Another 20 pound jump in weight, made it tough, but still kicked some butt.

Friday part 3: parallel bar dips


The final set of parallel bar dips for the evening.

Friday part 2: Feet Elevated Push ups


Here's the final set of feet elevated push ups with an additional 100 pounds of resistance. First two sets went well, this set went really well and I added 2 reps at the end.

Friday September 26th part 1: Atlas Push ups


A little pissed at myself for this set. After 2 strong sets, this one didn't go as well as it should have. Here's the final set of Atlas push-ups using 100 pounds of additional resistance on the power push-up.

Thursday part 4: midsection


Upped the weights again on both the good mornings and the sit-ups. Feeling awesome.

Thursday part 3: Barbell Concentration Curls


Not my prettiest set, the 20 pound jump in weight took it's toll, but still strong.

Thursday part 2: Lateral Raises


These were feeling great tonight!

Thursday September 5th part 1: Military Press


Here's the 10th and final set of military press from Thursday's training.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Monday part 3: Lunges


Finishing off the night with 3 sets of 10 on each leg. Hitting the lunges with two 53 pound kettlebells. Felt good!

Monday part 2: Deadlifts


I love this workout. Pure pain from start to finish. These aren't the prettiest deadlifts I've ever done. Here's the 10th of 10 sets of 10 reps with 315 pounds. Feeling awesome.

Monday September 22nd part 1: Back Squats


Here's the final set of 3 sets of squats. Feeling strong and good.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Saturday part 5: Midsection


The final round of the 3 sets of weighted planks, 3 set of v-ups midsection training. This one was really tough. Went up in weight on both movements and really gave it my all.

Saturday part 4: Triceps extension push ups


Got the power push up set to add 60 additional pounds of resistance, and nailing all 3 sets of triceps extension push ups.

Satruday part 3: parallel bar dips


Added on the 20 pound weight vest for dips tonight. Felt awesome. Here's the final set.

Satruday part 2: Feet elevated push ups


Hitting the 3rd and final set of feet elevated push ups. Had the power push up set to add an additional 100 pounds tonight, the first time for this movement, and it felt awesome.

Saturday September 20th part 1: Atlas Push ups


Hitting the 3rd of 3 sets of Atlas Push ups with the power push up set to add 100 pounds of additional resistance.

Friday part 4: midsection



Hitting the final part of the 3 sets of good mornings, 3 sets of sit-ups with no rest midsection work. Keep on moving up in weight, and these felt pretty easy!

Friday part 3: Barbell Concentration Curls


Love this version of the curl. Talk about hitting the biceps hard.

Friday part 2: Lateral Raises


After 100 reps of push presses, how do you finish off your shoulders. 3 sets of 10 reps for lateral raises. Here's the final set.

Friday September 19 part 1: Push Press


10 the of 10 sets of 10 reps in the push press. Feeling really strong today. This felt very easy.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Tuesday Part 4: Midsection


Cranking out the midsection work. Good 3 sets of planks with the 45 on the back, and 3 sets of v-ups. No resting throughout the entire thing. Awesome stuff.

Tuesday part 3: Clean Grip High Pulls


Changing from sets of 3-5 reps to sets of 10 reps was tough at first. Now I'm really loving it. Here's the 3rd of 3 sets.

Tuesday part 2: Bent Rows


Here's the 4th of 4 sets of Bent Rows. Feeling awesome!!

Tuesday September 16th part 1: 1-arm pull ups/V-sit pull ups


Here's the 4th of 4 sets of 1-arm pull ups right into v-sit pull ups. These are just getting stronger and stronger. I love it!!

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Feeling a little artistic



I was feeling a little artistic and thought I'd try to get a good picture. The camera went off before I was posed or ready. But, I think it turned out pretty well :)

Monday part 4: midesection


Nailing the final set of the old Good mornings and weighted sit ups combination. Using 135 for the good mornings and 110 for the sit ups. Feeling easy, except for the heavy breathing, lol.

Monday part 3: Barbell lunges


What do you do after you've done a crap ton of deadlifts and Squats? Well, you hit some good lunges. Really kill that lower body. Here's the final set of the night.

Monday par 2: Squats


Ah, the king of exercises for a reason. I love squats. Here's the 10th set of 10, hitting 10 reps on each set. A ton of work and pain, but worth every cent. These felt good even though the last one's a little high.

Monday September 15th part 1: Deadlifts



Hitting the final set of deadlifts for the evening. Really working on technique.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Saturday September 13th Clapping Pull ups and Hill Sprints


Today was a mixture of 5 sets of 5 for clapping pull ups and a really good session of hill sprints.

Friday part 5: midsection


The final part of the no resting round of weighted planks, v-ups, weighted planks, v-ups, weighted planks and v-ups. Used an additional 45 pounds for the planks.

Friday part 4: Triceps extension push ups


Here's the final set of triceps extension push ups. Hitting all 10 reps on each set with a 20 pound weight vest on.

Friday part 3: parallel bar dips


I love dips, I'll admit it. And I love the added flexibility in the shoulders from doing them on the rings. Here's the final set of parallel bar dips from tonight. Nailed 10's across the board.

Friday part 2: Feet elevated push ups


Here's the final set of feet elevated push ups. Nailed it with an additional 90 pounds from the power push up. Hit 10 reps on every set.

Friday September 12th part 1: Atlas Push-ups


Hitting the final set of Atlas push ups on the parallets using 100 pounds on the power push up. Naild 10 reps on the first couple of sets. Didn't hit that on this set, lol.

Thursday part 4: midsection


Hitting the 3rd part of the no rest round of good mornings, weighted sit ups, good mornings, weighted sit ups, good mornings and weighted sit ups. Feeling strong and good. 125 on the god mornings and 90 pounds on the sit ups. Shout out to the Simpsons episode, "Lisa's Substitute" that's playing in the background.

Thursday part 3: Barbell Concentration curls


Here's the 5th of 5 sets.

Thursday part 2: Lateral Raises


After 10 sets of military press, how do you follow it up. 3 sets of lateral raises. Here's the final set of 10 reps.

Thursday September 11th part 1: Strict Military Press


Going old school with this one. Feet together, ram rod straight body. Here's the 10th of 10 sets. I nailed 10 reps on all of them except the last two where I had to settle for 9 reps.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Tuesday part 4: Midsection


It's Tuesday, that means it's time to end the training with a nice round of 60 seconds of planks (with a 45 pound plate on the back) right into 10 v-ups, back to the planks, back to the v-ups, and finally back to the planks and back to the v-ups. No resting in between. Here's the 3rd time through on each one.

Tuesday part 3: Clean Grip High Pulls


Nailing the final set for the high pulls. Putting up  185 pretty strongly.

Tuesday night part 2: Bent Rows


The 4th of 4 sets of bent rows tonight with 275 pounds.

Tuesday September 9 part 1: 1-arm and V-sit pull ups


Here's the final set of pull ups from Tuesday night's training. Combining 1-arm pull ups and v-sit pull ups. 2 reps less than the last video, but also the 4th set instead of the 2nd set.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Monday part 4: midsection


Because of the 10 sets of deadlifts tonight there's not good morning's this evening, so it's just sit ups. Here's the 3rd of 3 sets, done with almost no rest between sets.

Monday part 3: Lunges


After 3 sets of 10 for squats and 10 sets of 10 for deadlifts how do you really make sure your lower body has been toasted? You simply add in 3 sets of 10 for kettlebell lunges, that's how. Here's the 3rd set using two 53 pound bells.

Monday part 2: Deadlfts



I love this training!!

After 9 sets of 10 reps each with 315, here's set number 10. I literally hit the limit here and even though I only put up 6 reps, I can honestly say I pushed with everything that I had. Good set.

Love the missing skin on the thumb, both forearms, both shins and both knees. I may sound sick, but it's more reasons why I love the deadlift.

Monday, September 8th part 1: Squats


These sucked today. I'm not sure why but as soon as I'd hit parallel, my hamstrings felt like they were going to explode. Here's the 3rd of 3 sets of 10. Kept it at only 295 for this week.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Friday part 5: midsection work


Tonight's midsection work was (without any rest) a1 minute plank with a 35 pound plate on the back right into 10 v-ups, back to the weighted plank, back to the v-ups, back to the weighted plank, back to the v-ups. Here's the final run through of both.

Friday part 4: Triceps Push ups


Hitting the final set of triceps push ups for the night!

Friday part 3: Parallel Bar Dips


I have to say, after training these on the rings, my range of motion is so much better. Hit 10 reps on each set, have to add weight next week.

Friday part 2: Feet elevated push ups


The final set of Feet elevated push ups with an additional 90 pounds of resistance, thank to the power push up. First few sets I was able to hit 10 reps, this one I only get 7 or 8.

Friday September 5th part 1: Atlas Push-ups


Hitting the final set of Atlas Push ups. Using the Power Push-up for added resistance, using three of the 30 pound cables for an additional 90 pounds of resistance. First few sets, made 10 reps with some hard pushing, on this last set I think I made 7 or 8.

Friday, September 5, 2014

Thursday part 4: midsection work



Here's the 3rd of 3 sets of this combination.

Start with 10 Good mornings, then immediately go into 15 weighted sit-ups, immediately into 10 good mornings, immediately into 15 weighted sit ups, the 10 more good mornings and 15 more weighted sit ups. All with no rest.

Thursday Part 3: Barbell Concentration Curls


Here's the 5th of 5 sets of these bad boys :)

Thursday part 2: lateral raises


Feeling fried after the push presses, but still rocking the lateral raises. Here's the 3rd of 3 sets.

Thursday September 4th part 1: Push Press



Here's the 10th of 10 sets of push presses from last night's training. Kept the same top weight for all 10 sets and really pushed for everything I had. I may have failed after 8 reps on this last set, but I can say, I truly put 100 percent into it.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Tuesday part 4: midsection work


Alright, start with a 60 second long plank with a barbell plate on your back, then immediately hit 10 v-ups, and repeat for three sets with no rest at all. An awesome circuit.

Tuesday part 3: Clean Grip High Pulls


I'll admit it. My wheelhouse with any Olympic lift or their variation is in the 1-5 rep range. Sets of 10 threw me out of my comfort zone, which is probably really good for me.

Tuesday part 2: Bent Rows


After the 1-arm pull ups/ V-sit pull ups combo, this one really hit me hard. Kept the weight a little light, but put everything into it. Here's the 4th of 4 sets of 10.

Tuesday September 2nd part 1: 1-arm pull up/ V-sit pull up combination


Here's the second of 4 sets of this combination. Starting out with 1-arm pull ups on each side, then moving immediately to V-sit pull ups. Great combo. Awesome for the back, core, arms, grip and everything else.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Monday part 4: Midsection work


The aftermath of the midsection work. It was: without any rest at all: 10 back extensions, 20 weighted sit ups, 10 back extensions, 10 weighted sit ups, 10 back extensions and 10 weighed sit ups.

Monday part 3: Lunges


After nailing the 10 sets of squats, I kept this one a little lighter, and still collapsed at the end, lol. Here's the 3rd of 3 sets of 10 reps per leg with the lunge.

Monday part 2: Back Squats


Hitting these hard. This is the 10th of 10 sets of 10 reps with 315 pounds for the back squat. Kept the 315 for all 10 sets, and really worked it into the ground.

Monday September 1 part 1: deadlifts


Started out the training today with deadlifts. Working on 3 sets of 10 reps, keeping the weight around 70 percent or so of my deadlift max. Felt strong and good.

Monday September 1st Back from the back off week

Alright, we're back from the back off week and ready to kick some major ass. I made sure to follow the old "thesis, antithesis, synthesis" formula for our new training program. We've been working either exclusively with bodyweight training from gymnastics and acrobatics or almost exclusively with those type of exercises for about four cycles now. And we've been keeping the reps and sets pretty low as well.

Now, it's time for a huge change. This cycle is still going to have some bodyweight work, but it'll primarily be built around the barbell. And, I'm stepping out of my strength and power wheel house of working in that 1-5 rep range and adding reps and adding sets.

Looking forward to how the drastic changes will work and the results to come.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

My gorgeous Bride


From last night's training session. Here's my gorgeous bride rocking her "facing the wall" handstands! Awesome job my angel!!

Tuesday morning part 6: straddle press handstands


Not my best set. I hopped off the ground a little too much the entire time. But, not bad either.

Tuesday morning part 5: monkey flips


Nothing beats being outside flipping around :)

Tuesday morning part 5: handstand snake downs


Apparently I have to focus less on the snake down and more on getting to a good handstand before it, lol.

Tuesday morning part 3: clapping pull ups


Last set of these for the day. Had to kick myself when I re-watched this because I totally half ass the last one!

Tuesday morning part 2: 1/2 floor circles


These keep on improving

Tuesday August 19th morning part 1: handstand push ups


Hitting the final set of freestanding handstand push ups for the morning, not my best but not bad.

Monday night part 9: Side raisers


Side raisers are feeling awesome, with the exception of slipping about mid way through the set, lol!

Monday night part 8: v-ups


Final set of v-ups for the night. feeling strong and good!

Monday morning part 7: v-sits


Love the v-sit holds!

Monday night part 6: body curls


The final set of 1-arm body curls on the rings.

Monday night part 5: Victorian holds


Hitting the modified Victorian holds.

Monday night part 4: Front lever negatives and scapula work


Man, I wish my front lever holds were this good, lol. The position has improved a ton and the strength has gone up a ton

Monday night part 3: L-sit to Planche


The l-sit to tuck planche is feeling really strong and stable.

Moday night part 2: 1-arm pull up negatives


These are feeling so awesome. Using less assistance, almost ready to take away the other arm completely.

Monday Auust 18th night part 1: L-sit to handstand


Not a bad set, but I do fall out of the second one, lol.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Monday morning part 6: Y-scale


Hitting some nice Y-scales to end out practice.

Monday Morning part 5: Butterfly kicks


Being inside, I'm really focusing on controlling the power on these today.

Monday morning part 4: 1-arm cartwheels


It's a rainy day outside, so I moved everything inside today. Sticking with the basics, and nailing the 1-arm cartwheels.

Monday morning part 3: front flips


Having fun with the final set of front flips

Monday morning part 2: Muscle up negatives


Working the assisted negatives on the muscle up. Looking to get scary strong in the transition so I can really nail the advanced rings movements later on.

Monday August 18th morning part 1: handstnand holds


Always working the basics, and they are feeling good.

Friday August 15th evening circuit


The final set of what I have dubbed the "Bunny Hop" circuit. Love this one, lot's of great power movements put together.

Thursday night part 4: Front lever and scapula work


The last set of 1-leg front lever holds and scapula work.

Thursday night part 3: Tuck planche push ups


Doing a super set of tuck planche push ups with 1-leg front lever holds/ scapula work. Here's the final set of the push ups.

Thursday night part 2: 1-arm pull ups


Final set of 1-arm pull ups for the night. Using less assistance and feeling strong!

Thursday August 14th evening part 1: Handstand push ups



The last set of this super set that included handstand push ups an 1-arm pull ups. Here's the final set of the handstand push ups. Against the wall, on the bars with a 20 pound weight vest and 10 pound dumbbell attached.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Thursday morning part 8: Clapping pull ups


The 5th and final set of these for this morning. These are coming along great. Holding a dead stop at the bottom, powering up with no kip or swing. I love it!

Thursday morning part 7: Y-scales


There's just something beautiful, calming, peaceful and serene about practicing your Y-scales outside in the morning. I love it!

Thursday morning part 6: butterfly kick to 1-arm carthweel


This combo is coming along nicely!

Thursday morning part 5: butterfly kicks


Finally learning how to control the power going in to these.

Thursday morning part 4: Aerial cartwheels


These keep on getting better and better!

Thursday morning part 3: Dive roll to handspring


Working out the kinks in the dive roll to handspring combination!

Thursday morning part 2: handsprings


Yeah! Handsprings, I've always loved doing these!!

Thursday August 14th morning part 1: Front flip fun


Got the cushions out and working my basic front flip technique!!

Tuesday August 12th evening circuit


Here's the final round of this evening's circuit which included Tiger Squats, 1-leg burpees, 1-leg leg curl/ hip thrusts, Split jumps, and Wall Drive sprints. Awesome stuff.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Tuesday morning part 9: Gymnastics bridge


The 10th and final set of bridges for the day.

Tuesday morning part 8: straddle press handstand


Final set of straddle press handstands. Had to adjust a little to the different environment. It felt good.

Tuesday morning part 7: explosive pull ups


My 5th of 5 sets of explosive pull ups. Working on getting as high as I can, trying to touch the mid or bottom of my chest on every pull, without using any kind of kip or swing.

Tuesday morning part 6: monkey flips


Having a ton of fun flipping around. This is what practice is all about :)

Tuesday morning part 5: handstand snake


My first time training handstand snake downs to squat. Not bad, but you can tell that I'm overthinking the whole thing.

Tuesday morning part 4: 1/2 floor circle


Last set of 1/2 floor circles.

Tuesday morning part 3: Rings combination


Final set of the rings combo.

Tuesday morning part 2: freestanding handstand push ups


The second to the last set of these. I should have filmed the next set, they were better, lol.

Tuesday August 12th morning part 1: handstand holds


Always start out with the basics, set 6 of 6 for handstand holds.