My deadlift max has jumped 15kg without performing a deadlift rep

Half-way through the Smolov squat cycle and the results are looking positive! Last week I finished the Base Mesocycle, which meant it was time to test my 1 rep max.

When testing your 1 rep max, you need to warm up and at the same time not fatigue yourself. This often means 1-2 reps max of a lower weight working your way up to peek. Use your intuition of how you feel to gauge the increments of adding weight.

Be smart by testing with a training partner who can spot you. There’s nothing worse when pumping iron than crumbling under weight and getting stuck. You’ll probably break a bone, tear a ligament, and get a shot of humiliation. One guy I know tested his dumbbell bench press and got a few fractures on his face.

My overall goal for the 13 week cycle was to add 25kgs (55lbs). I wanted to go from 100kg to 125kg. I started the testing aiming for 110kg having warmed up from 70kg. Bam, 110kg felt easy. Perfect form. So 10 more kilos went straight on the bar. The barbell came off the rack. It felt good on the shoulders. Down I went into the lowest point of the squat position. Straight back up I came, yet half a foot up… I was stuck for 0.1 of a second. I momentarily freaked out yet managed to complete a rep with good form.

I may have been able to do more, but as with most testing and especially the squat, it’s better to be safe. I was satisfied anyway.

So there you have it. 20 kilos to my squat in 8 weeks when I haven’t increased my squat for almost 2 years. I thought it was impossible. Who said you have to believe to achieve…

Curious about my deadlift, I tested that as well and added 15 kilos to it when I haven’t deadlifted at all since starting the squat program.

Maybe it’s possible to add 100lbs to your squat in 13 weeks. My new goal is 135kg.

Other Articles That Might Interest You

1. 7 Tips to Recover Fast From Training to Double Your Results (Plus Smolov Squat Experience Update 2)
2. Smolov Squat Experience: Adding 100 Pounds to My Squat in 3 Months

There’s 6 techniques aside from stretching that improve your body’s ability to recover
(photo courtesy of Flavio@Flickr)

The Smolov squat cycle is the toughest training program I’ve done to date. Squats are simply brutal because they hit every big muscle in the body. Combine that with 2 days between heavy squats and you get lifts with sore muscles.

Training breaks down muscle tissue. Recovery is where 95% of your time is spent and where your results come from. The pumped feeling and look you get after the gym is only from heightened blood flow. Post workout your muscles are actually at their weakest. Ah, the gym: the only place where people go to spend money with the intention to get further away from their goals.

This post covers what I do to minimize soreness and improve my results after intense training. All athletes, gym-goers, and others whose body is of importance for physical performance should follow these protocols for faster recovery.

1. Hydrotherapy

That’s a fancy name for hot-cold oscillations. If you’re hardcore, do ice baths and hot showers, but most of us normal people with feelings can use a cold and hot shower instead.

This is where an adjustable shower head comes in handy. Turn on only the cold water and put up with it for 40 seconds. If you’re scared of cold water like me, apply it directly on the muscles you work out instead of your whole body.

Next, turn up the water temperature to a safe hot level. Do that for 3 minutes. Go back to cold again for 40 seconds and alternate however many times you think is necessary.

Get out of the shower and I guarantee you’ll feel tingly and invigorated all over! I recommend you do this each time you have a shower, not just post workout. You’ll just feel better.

2. Stretch

Stretching disentangles muscle fibers much like pulling on a wrinkled shirt. Aligned muscle tissue means better performance and nutrient flow. It also helps flush out lactic acid like hydrotherapy. And more commonly known, you’ll keep a healthy range of motion in the muscle.

The standing glute stretch is one of my favorite stretches. Hip stretches are generally a great idea for anyone who regularly sits a desk to get good posture and manage lower back pain. You can search Google for good stretches if there’s a muscle group you don’t know how to target or you want to try a different stretch.

3. Foam roll

Foam rolling is self-myofacial release. It’s basically a cheap and easy self-massage. You can learn more about it here.

I’m not going to lie, foam rolling is painful. The more painful it is for you, the more indicative you need it. The trick is to find a sore spot and hold it for several minutes until the pain goes away then move on until you find another muscle knot. During the Smolov squat program, I’m trying to roll my quads for 30 minutes a day because they’re the most painful part for me.

I was going to include a massage as a recovery tip but few people have the luxury to afford a regular one. The effects are the same. Maybe you can treat yourself to a massage as a reward for finishing a training program. Whatever helps you justify the pleasure.

Watch the great video below for ways to best use a foam roller.

The video begins with some ways to use what’s called a trigger ball shared in my next tip.

4. Use a trigger ball

A trigger ball is a little prickly bugga you’ll come to hate. It’s basically a small rubber ball with spikes that costs a few dollars. If you don’t have one, it’s worth the investment, but a tennis ball could supplement it if you’re a beginner.

Use it much like a foam roller. I primarily use it on my glutes because it hits the area so well. Here’s a video of beasty NFL trainer Joe DeFranco using a ball for myofasical release in the glutes:

If the first exercise is too painful, you can put your foot on the ground to lessen pressure.

5. Eat a cow

Or down cycles of quality protein to rebuild damaged tissue from exercise. I supplement with Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard straight after workouts and before bed. ON Gold is touted as the number one supplement on bodybuilding.com for years. Not bad for a product in a volatile industry.

6. Move around

Sport nerds call it “active recovery”. I call it “don’t sit on your ass”. Increased blood flow carries vital nutrients to hasten body repair. 30 years ago doctors prescribed rest for everything. Sprained your ankle? Rest. Had your arm operated on? Rest.

Research today has found rest (read, unused muscles) to be detrimental in full recovery because of muscular deterioration and immobility. Break your wrist, get your arm in a sling, and you may get a frozen shoulder from not using your shoulder! My Dad had lumbar vertebrae surgery last week and had to exercise 3 hours following the operation.

7. Sleep

Train hard then on the following nights sleep for 4 hours and you’ll notice extended soreness and muscular fatigue compared to 8+ hours of uninterrupted sleep. For tips to get a good sleep, I actually have a post on that!

Smolov Updates

It’s fitting to include a post on recovery as the second update to my Smolov squat experience because as mentioned in the first update, recovery seems to be key in this cycle (like it should be in most training programs).

The first week was difficult squatting with sore muscles. I’ve never done that before as I’ve always allowed muscle soreness to go away before lifting. I’ll admit I’m guilty of not following everything in this post to improve recovery. Bad boy!

I lifted 85 kilos quiet comfortably at the end of the first cycle. I feel I could break my 1 rep max of 100kg already. Sweet!

Just quietly, I’m one day behind because I (innocently) thought the second cycle started a day later than it did. Shouldn’t matter. The extra day of rest won’t hurt.

If you missed it, you can checkout the first post of my Smolov squat experience.

Other Articles That Might Interest You

1. Add 20kg (44lbs) to Your Lift in 8 Weeks (Smolov Squat Experience Update 3)
2. Smolov Squat Experience: Adding 100 Pounds to My Squat in 3 Months

Day 1 of my Smolov squat experience

My legs are shaking already. I almost quit the Smolov squat cycle as soon as I started. More about my interesting day 1 completed today later in this introduction post.

What is the Smolov Squat Cycle

It’s a hardcore squat routine (Russian of course) designed by Sergey Smolov. When I say hardcore, it’s hardcore. You can read more about the cycle from Mehdi Hadim over at StrongLifts.

The cycle goes for 13 weeks. See my entire 13 week plan. It’s basically split into 4 cycles of squatting, squatting, and more squatting.

I started on the 28th of September 2011. I don’t know if I’ll stick to the full 3 month program – who knows what will come up on my calender – yet I’m committed to at least the first cycle, which is 4 weeks. Posting about it here almost live is sure to motivate me. I certainly don’t want to quit in-front of my blog readers

The Goal

I’m no bodybuilder or powerlifter. Look at me:

Okay, it’s not really me. A day 1 pic is at the start of this post.

I’m 6’9″ and have struggled to increase strength and size (er-erm, muscle size) for years. As you see in my plan linked above, my current 1 rep max for the squat is 100kg. That’s ass to parallel with pretty good form. It ain’t easy moving all that weight the distance I have to lift it!

Though some people have supposedly added 100 pounds to their squat, I have a goal of half that. So the low down is: my current 1rm is 100kg (220lb) with the goal of 125kg (about 275lb).

Why 55 pounds in 3 months? I may be limiting myself by setting a smaller goal, but it’s believable to me. This is based on SMART goal-setting. It’s pushing my attainable factor as I’ve never made those gains before, but I believe it’s possible.

If I squat 125kg by the end of the year, I’ll do something to celebrate with you! Ideas?

Day 1 Reflections

I haven’t squatted for 8 months because of the basketball season here in Australia has just ended. I could of squatted light in-season, but chose not to because I figured I’d retain most of my strength and size over the period, which did happen.

So day 1 began today in my small home gym. It’s a good period for me to start because you should do the cycle when you have no other physical requirements like sport otherwise you’ll over-train.

As I lifted the barbell for my second set of the day, I felt soreness on the inside of my left and right hamstrings. “What! Already? You’ve hardly started and you’re already questioning whether you should do the second set which is suppose to be easy.” Not a good sign.

I paused with the weight on my shoulders considering if I should do the second set. I didn’t go ahead. At least not yet.

In the past I would’ve called it a day. But I knew I had to do something different if I was to get different results. I don’t know my limits, I don’t know what would happen if I kept squatting. Would I tear my hamstrings? Possibly, but it didn’t feel that severe… so I pushed on and completed the day. Phew.

Straight upstairs I went to swallow whey protein and recover feeling satisfied and relieved day one is complete. My hamstrings are already sore 2 hours post workout. It seems half the battle of this cycle is going to be recovery. Plenty of stretching, foam rolling, and hydrotherapy in the shower is in plan.

I would of surely completed day 1 easier had I done a week or two of squatting earlier. That’d be my first mistake.

Tomorrow will be interesting. I’ve never squatted with really sore muscles. Apparently you need to as part of muscular adaption in the first cycle.

What to Expect

I don’t know what to expect other than guaranteed soreness and de-motivation. But here’s the plan: I intend to post an update at the end of each week. Seeing that I’m doing for at least 4 weeks, that’s 4 updates. The next update will cover my first week.

What will be in my Smolov journal? Brute iron being pumped, most likely whinging of my soreness, training advice, recovery techniques, random videos, and probably even recipes. Is there anything you’d like to see or read about?

Other Articles That Might Interest You

1. Add 20kg (44lbs) to Your Lift in 8 Weeks (Smolov Squat Experience Update 3)
2. 7 Tips to Recover Fast From Training to Double Your Results (Plus Smolov Squat Experience Update 2)

Are glasses or surgery really the answer to poor vision?
(photo courtesy of Evil Erin)

Can your eyes really regain their clarity from childhood. If the heart, liver, skin, nails, and bones can heal themselves, why can’t eyes?

I just finished Relearning to See over the Christmas period in an attempt to regain my vision. It’s a monster book. I found Vision Without Glasses shorter and easier to understand.

I have about 20/200 vision in each eye with minor astigmatism. Put it this way, I’m pretty damn blind. I can just see clearly at a computer screen. Text beyond there gets unreadable.

About six years ago the clarity of text on blackboards from the back of a classroom became blurry. My vision worsened for another year. At that time, I decided to do something about it.

I got glasses. Suddenly I could see again!

It was a false miracle.

My perception of depth went out of whack. I parked the car coming home from the optometrist with my glasses on, thinking I did a perfect three-point park. I was one-and-a-half meters from the side! Woah! This bad boy is going to have to get some adjusting to.

Headaches developed. Overtime things went blurred again. It was as if my body yelled at me to remove the foreign object from my eyes.

Like almost everyone with glasses, eventually I needed a stronger prescription. Out goes some money, in comes new glasses, and my confidence lowers. People say “hi” from a distance and I have no idea who they are. “Hey… mate.” Some communication coach I am.

It made me consider surgery. $6000 for better vision? Surely there’s a better option. After all, it’s another quick fix society loves. Why don’t I go get implants or liposuction while I’m at it.

After reading Relearning to See, which covers the Bates Method of vision correction, I’ve learned a lot. Students of the method have miraculously healed their problematic eyes. My acuity has yet to improve (because it’s been only a week since practicing better vision habits), but I’m more relaxed. And relaxation is the key to see clearly again.

I might save you from flicking through the 500-page textbook-like vision bible. If you want to improve your vision and throw away your glasses, boil it down to this question, “How can I relax more?”

• Blink naturally. It’s relaxing to your eyes.
• Do not stare. Diffusion is strain.
• Scan with your eyes, shifting your focus between central points. This is called centralization. The central part of human vision contains cones responsible for clarity.
• Breathe naturally deep into your stomach.
• Alleviate yourself from neck tension. Learn to self-massage.
• Relax your mind. A tense mind tenses your eyes. Students have found when they stress over study, their vision blurs.
• Discard glasses where it’s safe to do so. Don’t drive if you can’t see.

Steven Aitchison has five good “eye exercises” on his blog mentioned in the book. No point me repeating them here.

If you want to improve your eye sight naturally without glasses or surgery, the Bates Method is what you’re after. Stop yourself wasting more money on glasses and get protected from the dangers of lasik eye surgery. I suggest you get your hands on this guide to completely learn how to see clearly again.

Other Articles That Might Interest You

No related posts were found, so here's a consolation prize: 7 Tips to Recover Fast From Training to Double Your Results (Plus Smolov Squat Experience Update 2)

You too can sleep like an angel
(photo courtesy of malias)

I use to be awful sleeper. Some nights mornings I’d drink caffeine before going to bed. I’d work or play the latest computer game through the night and hit the sack when normal people were getting up for work.

I’d sleep good for a week, but then it came to Friday or Saturday nights. I’d arrive home from a club such as The Family at 7am then sleep to 4pm and make my body’s natural rhythms out of whack again.

Not only was I sleeping at times suitable for the other side of the world, but when my huge body hit the bed it’d take an hour to get to sleep.

How to Change Your Sleep Patterns for Good

I tried really hard to normalize my sleep patterns throughout the week, but I’d have one “bad night” where I’d sleep in after a crazy night out to destroy that week’s hard efforts. It’s like an alcoholic having a drink after abstinence – I felt one wrong move put me back to square one. A late night or a bad night’s sleep after two weeks of following the perfect sleep routine removed whatever habits were trying to be installed.

One study kind of contradicts this. Habitual behavior expert Phillippa Lally from University College London published a study in the European Journal of Social Psychology that looked at how long it takes to form a habit – the stage at which behavior doesn’t require self-control.

Lally found the more consistent you practice a soon-to-be habit at its early stage of development, the quicker you develop the habit. Though the amount of time it takes to develop a habit varies, the study found it took an average of 66 days to form a habit, which contradicts the common myth of 21 days. Lally says missing a single day didn’t diminish the chances of the new habit.

These findings cannot directly be applied to sleeping, however. If you miss a single day of practicing your good sleeping habits with a sleep-in, for example, the effect doesn’t stop at that day. It becomes difficult to sleep how you want the following day because one night’s sleep affects the next night; it isn’t like trying to build a habit of eating fruit each morning where one missed single day doesn’t influence the next.

Be brutal with your sleep patterns until the initial tough-it-out period is behind you. Don’t make any exceptions otherwise you’ll find yourself stuck in your old, energy-sucking sleep routine. It took me four years of waking up at a time in Australia when most Americans rose to figure this out.

The Greatest Secret of a Good Night’s Sleep and the Cure for Insomnia

The most important lesson you can take from this article is to wake up at the same time Monday to Sunday. Get out of bed the same time each day even if you have a great social life.

I’ll admit I don’t always rise from the depths of my bed the same time each day, but I have a solid understanding of how much sleep I need to get through the day with good energy. If you have good body awareness and go to bed at five in the morning, usually you can set an alarm at nine, for example, even if your usual wake up time is seven o’clock.

If your sleep patterns aren’t ideal, however, it’s vital you wake up at the same time regardless of how much sleep you got the previous day. When you’re changing your sleeping habits, don’t mess with your wake up time. This is the key secret to cure insomnia.

13 Tips for a Great Night’s Sleep

There’s more you can do than count sheep to sleep better at night

With the principles I’ve shared up to this point as foundations for a great night’s sleep, here are thirteen additional tips to cure many sleep problems and help you quickly fall asleep – no need to count sheep:

1. Exercise for 30 minutes a day. You must spend energy to receive energy. I don’t care how tired you feel – you must exercise. People who exercise have better body temperature cycles suitable for quality sleep and are more energetic. If you don’t exercise at all, you’ll feel sluggish throughout the day because your body temperature remains stagnant. Don’t exercise too late in the day, however, otherwise you’re body temperature will be too high for good sleep.
2. Get 15 minutes of sunlight a day. If you struggle to rack up a few minutes in the sun each day, you’re not sleeping as well as you could be. Your internal body clock uses sunlight to control its energy levels. Light makes you awake while darkness releases melatonin to make you sleepy. Get outside and at least open your curtains to absorb some light for better sleep.
3. Stay away from caffeine and alcohol six hours before bedtime. I use to think a cup of coffee two hours before bedtime didn’t keep me awake – actually, I thought it helped me get to sleep from the energy crash and it did. However, these drinks disrupt later sleep cycles so you’ll get poor sleep.
4. Quit smoking. Nicotine is a stimulant. Also, smokers can experience nicotine withdrawal during the night that disrupts sleep. Your body will thank you in more ways than better sleep once you quit sucking down that crap. I’ve never been a smoker, but Allen Carr’s The Easy Way to Stop Smoking seems to be a miracle book for many smokers.
5. Stay away from television and computer games before bedtime. I’ve found I won’t sleep no matter how tired I am until one hour has passed since playing a computer game or watching television.
6. Don’t take sleeping pills. I’m not a doctor so you should consult with a doctor before following the advice in this article. If you want to be scared from taking sleeping pills ever again, read about the dark side of sleeping pills.
7. Get a nice bed. You spend one-third of your time in bed so make yourself comfortable. Make sure you have plenty of room to stretch out even if you’re huge like me!
8. Eliminate sensory input. Make your bedroom as dark as possible and get outside noises to a minimum. A towel under a door helps with both. I’ve found a sleeping mask to be a miracle for light rooms and improving the quality of my sleep – just be aware you could sleep more than usual because natural sunlight won’t get into your eyes.
9. Make your room a good temperature with ventilation. If you’re in a hot room with bad ventilation, expect bad sleep. You won’t fall asleep when you’re hot unless you’re really tired. The body best falls asleep often in cooler temperatures. Open your windows if you can to let in cool air. If you get cold, put on more blankets. Fresh oxygen is vital for good sleep. Experiment with the room temperature best for you. A thermostat to measure your ideal room temperate and a fan to cool you down and ventilate the room will improve your sleep and give you more energy.
10. Checkout the End Tiredness Program. In it you discover how to manage jet lag, shift work, and eliminate tiredness. You can learn about it here.
11. Find your sleeping personality. I’m a fetus on my right side! I’ve noticed that 95% of the time I won’t fall asleep until I’m in that position, which feels the most comfortable.
12. Build a relaxing sleep routine. Try yoga, reading, or visualizations, for example, to see what relaxation techniques you like. Do these consistently before going to bed and you’ll notice you fall asleep without worry-filled thoughts clogging your mind.
13. Change what isn’t working. If you lay in bed for 20 minutes and do not feel sleepy maybe because your mind is rushing, do something else. Things that have worked for me include eating a light meal because a hungry stomach can keep me awake, drinking water, visualizations like tensing then releasing all the muscles in my body from head to toe, reading, or doing some non-stimulating activity until I feel tired.

Follow this advice and you’ll wake up refreshed with heaps of energy ready to create the reality you desire!

If you have any tips that help you sleep better, share them in the comments below.

Other Articles That Might Interest You

No related posts were found, so here's a consolation prize: Add 20kg (44lbs) to Your Lift in 8 Weeks (Smolov Squat Experience Update 3)