Ouch. That is all I have to say about what transpired in my first Sheiko workout.
Boris, I'm sorry that I doubted you, just don't hurt me - ok? Boris? ..............
Bench Press -all reps paused
1x5x205
2x4x245
2x3x285
3x5x305
Squat - all reps paused
1x5x265
2x5x315
5x5x370
Close Grip Bench Press - all reps paused
1x5x205
1x5x245
4x4x285
Dumbbell Fly
5x10x60's
Standing Good Morning
5x5x225
Duration: 1hr 45m
When I printed off the "beginner" Sheiko workout #29 I looked at the numbers and, like many before me, said to myself that this would be quite easy and I'm not sure if I would feel anything. Boy was I wrong! I did not touch higher than 75% of my max on bench or squat and my body is so freaking sore today I can hardly believe it. Thank you smolov (Manhaven Project) for giving me a heads up. I assumed that the "accumulation of volume" would be felt after a few weeks, not the first workout! I'm sure that this is a sign of things to come and it most certainly will only get harder as the weeks progress. I can do this. I can do this.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Sunday Dinner 1/27/13 - Piccata!
1/27/13
Pork piccata
Spaghetti with lemon cream sauce
Insalata Suzanne
No pictures today! My computer died last week and I'm waiting for a replacement, actually I'm getting an upgrade for the first time in 8 years!
Pork Piccata
3lbs center cut pork loin, sliced thinly and pounded flat
1 white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic
High quality olive oil
1 cup sherry
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup capers
Fresh Italian parsley, chopped roughly
Salt and pepper
flour for dredging
butter for frying
At the grocery store I picked out a 3 pound center cut pork loin roast and asked the butcher to cut it in to 1/2 inch chops and run it through the cube machine twice. The cube machine is an apparatus that tenderizes the meat by running it through two gear-like blades, and the result is often the famous "cube steak." Most of the time these steaks come from tough cuts of meat and are therefore run through the machine several times. With small chops or a more delicate cut of meat one or two times through is more than satisfactory, and it saves you the trouble of pounding the meat flat at home.
First mix some all purpose flour with salt and pepper to dredge the chops in. Next heat a mixture of olive oil and butter in a frying pan. Dredge the chops one by one and fry, then remove from heat and cover to keep warm. Once all of the meat is cooked scrape out any burned bits of food from the pan, but try to leave anything brown - that will enhance the flavor of the piccata sauce. I added a bit more olive oil for frying, then added the diced onion and garlic. That will deglaze the pan, and allow the onion to fry for 5-10 minutes. Next add the wine and allow to reduce down for an additional 5-10 minutes. After the contents of the pan has achieved a creamy consistency add the lemon juice, salt and pepper, chopped parsley and capers. Cook briefly, about 5 minutes, cover and remove from heat.
Spaghetti with lemon cream sauce
1 lb spaghetti
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup high quality olive oil
1/2 cup heavy cream
zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
I love this sauce, it is the second time I have made it this year. So easy!
Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest and set aside while pasta is cooking. Grate cheese and add salt and pepper. Once pasta is done cooking, drain and add back in to pot. Next add the liquid mixture, cheese, and heavy cream in to the pot and mix very well with the pasta. Allow to sit, covered for a few minutes to allow sauce to thicken and stick to pasta. If sauce is too thin, you can always reserve a bit of the pasta cooking water to add back in, the starch will thicken nicely.
Insalata Suzanna
Mixed greens
Hot house tomato, sliced
red wine vinegar
high quality olive oil
salt and pepper
shaved parmigiano reggiano
A throwback! Louisville favorite. Just a plain mixed green salad :)
Pork piccata
Spaghetti with lemon cream sauce
Insalata Suzanne
No pictures today! My computer died last week and I'm waiting for a replacement, actually I'm getting an upgrade for the first time in 8 years!
Pork Piccata
3lbs center cut pork loin, sliced thinly and pounded flat
1 white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic
High quality olive oil
1 cup sherry
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup capers
Fresh Italian parsley, chopped roughly
Salt and pepper
flour for dredging
butter for frying
At the grocery store I picked out a 3 pound center cut pork loin roast and asked the butcher to cut it in to 1/2 inch chops and run it through the cube machine twice. The cube machine is an apparatus that tenderizes the meat by running it through two gear-like blades, and the result is often the famous "cube steak." Most of the time these steaks come from tough cuts of meat and are therefore run through the machine several times. With small chops or a more delicate cut of meat one or two times through is more than satisfactory, and it saves you the trouble of pounding the meat flat at home.
First mix some all purpose flour with salt and pepper to dredge the chops in. Next heat a mixture of olive oil and butter in a frying pan. Dredge the chops one by one and fry, then remove from heat and cover to keep warm. Once all of the meat is cooked scrape out any burned bits of food from the pan, but try to leave anything brown - that will enhance the flavor of the piccata sauce. I added a bit more olive oil for frying, then added the diced onion and garlic. That will deglaze the pan, and allow the onion to fry for 5-10 minutes. Next add the wine and allow to reduce down for an additional 5-10 minutes. After the contents of the pan has achieved a creamy consistency add the lemon juice, salt and pepper, chopped parsley and capers. Cook briefly, about 5 minutes, cover and remove from heat.
Spaghetti with lemon cream sauce
1 lb spaghetti
1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup high quality olive oil
1/2 cup heavy cream
zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
I love this sauce, it is the second time I have made it this year. So easy!
Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest and set aside while pasta is cooking. Grate cheese and add salt and pepper. Once pasta is done cooking, drain and add back in to pot. Next add the liquid mixture, cheese, and heavy cream in to the pot and mix very well with the pasta. Allow to sit, covered for a few minutes to allow sauce to thicken and stick to pasta. If sauce is too thin, you can always reserve a bit of the pasta cooking water to add back in, the starch will thicken nicely.
Insalata Suzanna
Mixed greens
Hot house tomato, sliced
red wine vinegar
high quality olive oil
salt and pepper
shaved parmigiano reggiano
A throwback! Louisville favorite. Just a plain mixed green salad :)
Smolov Conclusion - Skills Test
1/25/13
Weight - 209
Today was an extremely busy work day, had clients running back to back from morning to night. Didn't eat a thing prior to working out, but still felt really good going in to this mock meet. I decided to max out bench press and deadlift as well as the squat so I had accurate numbers for my next phase of training. It was a successful session, and a great ending to the Smolov Experiment.
Squat - 525, which is a 25 pound beltless raw personal record
Bench - 405, went up semi-easily and very acceptable within the context of not having pressed at all for the last 6 weeks. Elbow felt good as well.
Deadlift - 585, also beltless PR
Now that I have these numbers I will be using them for training percentages, with the next step being the Sheiko Experiment (http://www.manhavenproject.com/sheiko-training-plan/)! Boris Sheiko is a Russian powerlifting coach who has come to fame by bringing elite competitors to the international stage regularly over the past 20 years. Sheiko wrote a book on powerlifting and also released a number of meticulously designed programs that he has used to prepare a number of lifters of varying skill. I will begin #29, which is an introduction to his training regimens, which could be summed up by one word - Volume. This will be a great deviation from anything I have done in the past 6 years as a powerlifter. My training in the past has been heavily influenced by powerlifting and strength coach guru Louie Simmons (Westside Barbell Club) and Ivan Abadjiev (Bulgarian national olympic weightlifting coach) and manifested by my frequent use of Intensity (High load, >85% of an absolute 1 rep max) during training sessions. As I developed this style granted me great results, and I broke personal records left and right for several years.
Since my injury in 2008 I have had substantial difficulty in maintaining this style of lifting for extended periods of time without incurring injury in some point or another. This is what leads me to the Sheiko experiment. Sheiko uses a variety of sub-maximal loads (50-85% of true one rep max) with differing set-and-rep prescriptions to stimulate the body without exposing it to such high loads that injury is a high risk. Another characteristic of this training is that each training day is a whole body lift and the competition lifts comprise the bulk of the program. That means every day there will be squatting, bench pressing and deadlifting with room for little else. The repetitive nature is similar to Smolov in that the body must accustom itself to these movements and become very efficient. At least, that is the idea.... Several elite American lifters (Wade Hooper, Eric Talmant) have used these workouts as the basis for their success and I am willing to give it a try - just to see what happens.
Oh and by the way, I've picked a new meet. Actually two. The first is the Orange County Powerlifting Championships on May 17 in Pine Bush, New York and is a USAPL sanctioned meet. USAPL (USA Powerlifting) is one of the most accredited powerlifting organizations in the country, and this will be my first time lifting for them. The second meet is the Vermont Powerlifting Championships in November sponsored by 100% Raw Powerlifting.
Cheers!
Weight - 209
Today was an extremely busy work day, had clients running back to back from morning to night. Didn't eat a thing prior to working out, but still felt really good going in to this mock meet. I decided to max out bench press and deadlift as well as the squat so I had accurate numbers for my next phase of training. It was a successful session, and a great ending to the Smolov Experiment.
Squat - 525, which is a 25 pound beltless raw personal record
Bench - 405, went up semi-easily and very acceptable within the context of not having pressed at all for the last 6 weeks. Elbow felt good as well.
Deadlift - 585, also beltless PR
Now that I have these numbers I will be using them for training percentages, with the next step being the Sheiko Experiment (http://www.manhavenproject.com/sheiko-training-plan/)! Boris Sheiko is a Russian powerlifting coach who has come to fame by bringing elite competitors to the international stage regularly over the past 20 years. Sheiko wrote a book on powerlifting and also released a number of meticulously designed programs that he has used to prepare a number of lifters of varying skill. I will begin #29, which is an introduction to his training regimens, which could be summed up by one word - Volume. This will be a great deviation from anything I have done in the past 6 years as a powerlifter. My training in the past has been heavily influenced by powerlifting and strength coach guru Louie Simmons (Westside Barbell Club) and Ivan Abadjiev (Bulgarian national olympic weightlifting coach) and manifested by my frequent use of Intensity (High load, >85% of an absolute 1 rep max) during training sessions. As I developed this style granted me great results, and I broke personal records left and right for several years.
Since my injury in 2008 I have had substantial difficulty in maintaining this style of lifting for extended periods of time without incurring injury in some point or another. This is what leads me to the Sheiko experiment. Sheiko uses a variety of sub-maximal loads (50-85% of true one rep max) with differing set-and-rep prescriptions to stimulate the body without exposing it to such high loads that injury is a high risk. Another characteristic of this training is that each training day is a whole body lift and the competition lifts comprise the bulk of the program. That means every day there will be squatting, bench pressing and deadlifting with room for little else. The repetitive nature is similar to Smolov in that the body must accustom itself to these movements and become very efficient. At least, that is the idea.... Several elite American lifters (Wade Hooper, Eric Talmant) have used these workouts as the basis for their success and I am willing to give it a try - just to see what happens.
Oh and by the way, I've picked a new meet. Actually two. The first is the Orange County Powerlifting Championships on May 17 in Pine Bush, New York and is a USAPL sanctioned meet. USAPL (USA Powerlifting) is one of the most accredited powerlifting organizations in the country, and this will be my first time lifting for them. The second meet is the Vermont Powerlifting Championships in November sponsored by 100% Raw Powerlifting.
Cheers!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Smolov Week 3 Recap
This week was a doosy! Definitely felt like I was beat up and spending my nights in a grungy garbage dumpster somewhere all week, culminating in a nasty cold/sore throat at the end of the week. I guess this is what Smolov does best though, challenge your fortitude and ability to recover! After 5x7x405 on Thursday I was really dreading the final training days of this workout. Knees, hip flexors, low back all extremely tight and cranky. Luckily no pulls/strains/sprains though. 7x5x430 wasn't too bad during the actual lift but afterward I felt like death! Got a much needed 12 hour sleep binge Saturday night though and went in to the last workout 10x3x450 feeling pretty good. Got some timely squat tips from a very insightful friend at the gym and just beasted the last workout. Can't wait to recover this week and kill test day on Saturday, which we will do a mock full powerlifting meet. I was planning on just squat testing, but the guys over at ManhavenProject (http://www.manhavenproject.com/powerlifitng-blog/ - who have a great pool of knowledge and experience concerning the Smolov squat routine and Sheiko powerlifting routines - see volume based weight lifting) suggested that I test the deadlift too. I also decided to test bench press because I need to have an accurate number following the 4 week layoff because of my bum elbow. Looking forward to giving the Boris Sheiko inspired powerlifting routines a try starting with #29 next week!
Final week of Smolov recap:
Tuesday -
4x9x385
Thursday -
5x7x405
Saturday -
7x5x430
Sunday -
10x3x450
Video of W3D4 set 6 of 10 (apologies for the terrible camera angle)
Final week of Smolov recap:
Tuesday -
4x9x385
Thursday -
5x7x405
Saturday -
7x5x430
Sunday -
10x3x450
Video of W3D4 set 6 of 10 (apologies for the terrible camera angle)
Monday, January 14, 2013
Smolov Week 2 Recap
Smolov pt II
Second week of the Smolov squat program has been a success. I'm definitely starting to feel the challenges of the workout after making a few changes. I underestimated my squat max by 15 pounds (485) because I was unsure if I had the conditioning to make it through the whole program. After week one being a breeze and the first two workouts of week 2 also being quite easy I readjusted my max by 10 pounds (495) to make it more challenging. That little doctor definitely worked. The last two workouts of week 2 were a real challenge!
Tuesday
4x9x365
Thursday
5x7x385
Saturday
7x5x415
Sunday
10x3x440
I also started working in some light upper body, as my elbow is feeling much better now. This week I will be adding in some additional pressing and upper body pulling on Tuesday and Thursday to make sure I can hit my stride after I finish this part of the squat workout.
Second week of the Smolov squat program has been a success. I'm definitely starting to feel the challenges of the workout after making a few changes. I underestimated my squat max by 15 pounds (485) because I was unsure if I had the conditioning to make it through the whole program. After week one being a breeze and the first two workouts of week 2 also being quite easy I readjusted my max by 10 pounds (495) to make it more challenging. That little doctor definitely worked. The last two workouts of week 2 were a real challenge!
Tuesday
4x9x365
Thursday
5x7x385
Saturday
7x5x415
Sunday
10x3x440
I also started working in some light upper body, as my elbow is feeling much better now. This week I will be adding in some additional pressing and upper body pulling on Tuesday and Thursday to make sure I can hit my stride after I finish this part of the squat workout.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
New Years Post - First Training Post of the year - Smolov Week 1 Recap
Due to a string of injuries my training has been changed somewhat.. My right elbow has been thoroughly messed up for a few weeks now so I'm finally taking some time off from upper body movements. For the next 4 weeks I'll be doing a specialized squat program as described here: http://wkak.net/SmolovFAQ.htm
The routine has a reputation for being brutal towards the end, and I only plan on doing the first 4 weeks of the 13 week program. Hopefully this will help my squat out, and address what I feel is the weak link in my powerlifting total.
The past week of training went as such:
Tuesday -
4x9x340
Thursdsay -
5x7x365
Saturday -
7x5x385
Sunday -
10x3x415
The routine has a reputation for being brutal towards the end, and I only plan on doing the first 4 weeks of the 13 week program. Hopefully this will help my squat out, and address what I feel is the weak link in my powerlifting total.
The past week of training went as such:
Tuesday -
4x9x340
Thursdsay -
5x7x365
Saturday -
7x5x385
Sunday -
10x3x415
New Years Post - First Entry for 2013! - Food
I hope that everybody had a great holiday season! Things have been pretty wild and I have had a hard time keeping to my normal schedule. Both brothers have been back home from college and have been helping with the cooking and with Christmas and New Years parties I haven't had to make very much! Here's a recipe for a little something I had to whip up for dinners during the week:
Ragu Bolognese
Macheroni al Forno
Ragu Bolognese
2 lbs lean ground beef
2 lbs ground pork
1 lb ground veal
1 large white onion, diced
6 carrots, diced
6 celery stalks, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 28 oz cans of tomato puree
2 cups red wine
Fresh Rosemary, minced
Fresh Thyme, minced
Parmigiano Reggiano rind
salt and pepper
butter for frying
Heat butter in pan, fry onions for 7-10 minutes. Add carrots, celery and garlic, cook for additional 5-10 minutes. Add meat and brown in pan. Add red wine, tomato puree and bring to boil. Add herbs, salt and pepper, bring to boil then reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 45 minutes.
Macheroni al Forno
2 lbs pasta, cooked until al dente
Besciamella
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all purpose unbleached wheat flour
2 cups milk
1 cup grated cheese (pecorino romano and/or parmigiano reggiano)
Salt and Pepper
Fresh ground nutmeg
Heat butter in saucepan over medium heat, add flour and whisk until smooth. Keep stirring over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add milk and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Reduce heat and stir often until sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper, freshly grated nutmeg to taste.
Put the cooked pasta in a baking dish, mix in besciamella, then ragu bolognese, top with more bolognese and grated cheese. Bake in oven at 350 for 30 minutes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)