Grid Style is Working
Will Hall and I have been going hard in the paint in preparation for the 2015 Grid League Series. Will is the first person that I have trusted my training with in over 14 years. He is giving me feedback on volume, nutrition, and recovery, and things are rolling in the right direction. Obviously, I am still helping him with all strength related aspects of our training, so it makes for a unique partnership. Kind of like, Old Lion meets the New Lion! Whatever, it’s working!
Will and I have some cool things that we are working on together. I have given you more hints at the end of this article. Get ready for some new and exciting programs. We want you all to have the best year ever!
Below I am going to show you what my workouts looked like this week, and I am going to explain each day:
12/29
Snatch 90/1 x 2, 100/1×2, 105/1, 108/1, 111/244lb x 1 Power Snatch
Cleans 140/308lb x 1 rep x 3 in under 3 minutes
*I was a little rushed on this day, so I wanted to hit a descent Power Snatch. With the cleans, Will wanted to see if I could hit 308lb for multiple singles with little rest. This is called strength endurance, and basically it’s how long one can hold at around 90+% with little rest for multiple sets. I feel pretty good in this section of my training. The multiple heavy weights throughout the years really help me where this is concerned.
I had to stop after this because I was being called to podcast with my Weightlifting Scoop Crew!
12/30
Front Squat 205k/451lb x 1 pause, 185/406lb x 3, 150/330lb x 3, 110k/242lb x 10 unbroken for time
Farmers Carry 300lb/hand for 5 yds., 250/hand x 2 25m
Strict Step Ups 8 per leg x 3
Row 1000m 4:07
Today was a super heavy day for me, and I was really pleased with the results. The 451lb paused Front Squat was incredibly smooth, and I could really notice that the added mobility work is paying off. My depth was much better. Most people don’t realize that the Front Squat is as much for mobility and movement as it is for strength. I try to keep all fingers with the bar, a vertical spine, sit as low as possible, and stay as comfortable in the bottom as possible.
The Farmers Carry was intense to say the least. I have wanted to try a 600lb Farmers Walk for the last several weeks, so I put the weight on the bar and gave it a whirl. I made it about 5m before losing control. Coach Kenn, Head Strength Coach for the Carolina Panthers, gave me some cool tips after seeing the video which I believe will really help. He told me to grab the handle slightly behind the mid-line, so that there is a slight tip forwards that will generate forward moving progress for the lifter. He also told me to step toe to heel with fast but controlled steps. Thanks Coach! Check him out at www.BigHousePower.com for more knowledge bombs!
The strict step-ups were to stabilize my knees. This is simple a preventative measure. You don’t want to wait until something hurts before fixing it. The key to strict step-ups is to not push off with the bottom foot, and to hit all angles (side, front and reverse). Don’t load this exercise until it can be performed perfectly.
I also used this day to get a little conditioning in with the 1000m Row. It wasn’t a super fast time, but I am now able to finish without a big issue or breathing problem. I have a slight case of asthma, so getting my lungs conditioned is key to success.
12/31
Clean & Strict Press 100k/220lb for 1+1
Close grip Bench 350lb/1 pause
Ring Dips 5 sets of 3
Burpee Box Jumps 30 total reps
I used this day to test some absolute strength on the strict press and the Close grip Bench, and I was pleased with the results. The strict press used to be one of my favorite exercises with 315lbs being my all-time max. I never really spent a lot of time on this exercise because weightlifting and powerlifting never called for it that much. Grid Style is all about it especially for me with my bad neck.
I fractured two cervical vertebrae back in 2007. The main part of my body affected now is my left arm. You will notice that I am doing a lot of overhead work lately, and that is to address this issue. My man Zach Greenwald has totally inspired me to target my weaknesses. You will notice that I performed a Clean & Strict Press. I love performing the strict press after a clean because it is so much more raw than taking it off a rack. 220lbs is a great start for the year. I hope to at least reach the 275lb range sometime this year.
Close grip Bench is much harder than wide grip for me. It always has been. My chest is a much more powerful mover than my triceps. Since I am trying to strengthen my left arm, especially in the triceps region, close-grip just makes sense. 350lbs was super easy, but Will is teaching me to stop slightly short of max. Stopping a rep away from max is allowing more volume for other areas that I need to work on.
The ring dips are super hard for me right now mainly because of my left side. The cool thing was that I improved each set. Keeping that left arm stabilized and near to the body was a challenge, but the CNS was improving upon the movement with each rep of each set. The key to opening neural pathways is to use those pathways.
Ok now for my favorite part of the day, Burpee Box Jump up and overs. Who would have guessed that there was a technique for this movement? I have found myself getting nauseous a lot lately mainly because I am learning so many new techniques and movements. When the body is introduced to something new, cortisol is released as a safety response. Cortisol naturally makes one a little nauseous. Learning to relax will definitely help me perform these means of torture faster and longer. Will Hall pushed me to the point of no return on this day, which led me to a visit with the toilet. All my athletes got a kick out of seeing the coach hanging over the toilet. Lol
1/1/15
Back Squat 570lb x 1
Deadlift Ladder 405-455-505-555-605 26.2 sec
Front Squat EMOM 160k/352lb x 1 rep x 12 sets, 160k/352lb x 2, 160k/352lb x 3, 180k/396lb x 3
This day was a huge day for me strength wise, performance wise, volume wise, and conditioning wise. I started the day out with a big Back Squat of 570lb x 1. Next week I am going to take the volume and intensity down on the squat, bench and deadlift because they are taking off. I am going to focus on the snatch and clean & jerk along with the body weight movements. The snatch is especially behind, so I am going to focus on getting it back into the 125k/275lb range as fast as possible. All I care about snatching is 135k-137k, and the 125k will put me within striking distance.
The Deadlift Ladder was a major win. This event has been keeping me up at night, so I was super excited to complete this ladder is 26.2 seconds. I feel like that I will be very hard to beat in this race next year for two reasons: 1. I am short and 2. My arms are long. That makes the range of motion very short.
After all of that, I was ready to call it a day, but Will Hall had other plans. He decided that we should Front Squat 352lbs x 1 rep Every Minute on the Minute for 15 minutes. He wanted to see how I would perform with heavy weight for multiple reps with minimum rest, or basically strength endurance. It was actually very easy for me. I believe that all of my crazy volume over the years has prepared me for events like this. On the final set, Will took 352lb x 4 reps, so I wanted to go for the major victory. I slapped on 44lbs, and I tried to do the same four reps. I got three, and then I failed at the top of four. Dang it! I tried.
I will say that this day killed us both! Lol
1/2/14
Snatch 100/220lb x 1 rep x 4 sets, 110k/242lb x 1
Clean & Jerk 130/1 dead from the week
As you can see, I was wrecked from the day before. I basically used this day as active recovery and mobility. My legs and CNS were shot! Finished the day, went home, ate a lot, and went to bed.
1/3/14 P. Clean & Push Press 125/1&1 PR
Pull-ups strict 9&1/2
Met Con-
Pull-ups 5
Ring Dips 3
KB Lunges 35lb ea. hand 6ea leg
X 3 sets
GHDs ss TRX Leg Curls x 2 sets
Stretch
I ended the day with a solid Clean & Push Press. I am so excited to see my overhead work climbing each week. This will be a major key for my overall strength. Every week it gets better, so it appears that the sky is the limit.
I am also excited to see my bodyweight strength improving. My pull-ups get better every week as well. Will put a little met con together for us to hammer out that also targeted a few of my weaknesses. I finished the day with some hamstring/posterior chain work. Then I stretched, mobilized, and went home.
It was a long week, but I can’t be more excited for my performance and weekly improvement. The feedback is even more exciting. My whole goal is to inspire others towards big goals especially people 35+ years old. I want them all to know that it is never too late to start a new path in life.
Will Hall and I make a great team. We are discussing two awesome programs that you are all going to love. We want results for you all, and we have two sick programs that are going to change the game for you. The two programs will look like this:
1. We are going to put together a program that will bring the Grid Style to all of you. Get strong, more athletic, in shape, and lean! All that I can say is that I love it!
2. Crossing Over- this is where Will Hall will show you guys how he got so jacked after chilling with the CrossFit for a bit. I saw it with my own eyes. It worked.
2015 is going to be an unbelievable year, and I hope that we can help all of you have the best year of your lives.
2015 is going to be an exciting month for us. We hope that we can help as many people reach their goals as possible. Here are a couple ways that we can help you:
1. If you are a weightlifting purist and are searching for a team and coach, try out the Mash Mafia Weightlifting Team. I am going to keep the prices the same for the first couple of weeks, and then they will increase to reflect the quality. To check out the online team, click on the link below:
2. If you are looking to get a hold of your nutrition and/or workouts, check out the “Eat and Lift What You Want” Online Team. To check it out, click on the link below:
If you want to host a Learn 2 Lift Clinic(options of Eat & Lift What You Want, Coach McCauley, or traditional Learn 2 Lift), email me at: Travis.Mash@MashElite.com.
I am excited to partner on some of my seminars with Coach Don McCauley, Level V Senior International Coach and with Adee and Hayden from Team WAG. Lots of great options so let’s get your facility some education in 2015.