Catalyst Fitness GO! Newsletter - July 2008

LEANER THAN EVER, AND BEACH-READY! 

RESULTS - FASTER THAN EVER!

SUCCESS LIKE NEVER BEFORE!

...IN THE LATEST

CATALYST GO! NEWSLETTER!

 

Catalyst Fitness        Catalyst Athletic * Crossfit

498 Queen Street 99 Industrial Court 'B'

Sault Ste. Marie Sault Ste. Marie

253-0011 256-1344

catalystfitness.ca catalystgym.com

TESTING

Yesterday was a big day at Catalyst.  I put on the shortest shorts I could find and Chris put dish soap on my thighs.  Strangely though, that wasn't the highlight of my day.

We tested my deadlift in the morning.  I woke up yesterday feeling a bit sluggish.  Knowing what a big day I had ahead of me, I had a big breakfast and got my head ready to deadlift 460lbs.  Everything felt pretty good until we hit 460, then the wheels fell off. I took a couple of swings at it but couldn't get the bar to go any higher than midway up my quad.  Chris suggested that I put on my running shorts and use the soap to get past my sticking point, but I just couldn't get my quads to fire and my head to come up to lock it out.  I was angry, I felt like crap and I was hungry again, so I headed home for lunch and a quick nap.

The afternoon brought huge news and huge results!  I got a call from a client who had just weighed in and lost his 101st pound!   Amazing!  Motivated my his hard work and a large coffee I set out to test my bench. When we started out, I was pressing between 205 to 210lbs and to be honest, they weren't pretty.  Yesterday I kept nailing lift after lift without Chris even thinking about spotting me.  My new max bench press after 8 weeks is now 240lbs!  A 35 lbs increase! 

Body fat measurements brought great news as well.  We did the skinfold test on Tuesday morning.  Throughout the eight weeks, my body weight fluctuated between 185 and 190lbs.  On testing day I weighed in at 188 pounds and 11% body fat.  A huge 10% drop and several pounds of muscle gain!

Tomorrow we will test vertical and horizontal jumps and this phase of the Watson Project will be complete!

 

Catalyst Fitness Inc.
498 Queen St. East, 2nd Floor
Sault Ste. Marie
(705)253-0011
www.gocatalyst.ca
www.catalystfitness.ca

Am I awesome yet?

At the beginning of this little project I joked that my goal for the eight weeks was to become awesome.   Well, our eight weeks are up and testing will begin today.   Without doing any of the testing I know that I've made improvements in all of the categories we originally tested in.  The biggest success of the whole program was that I developed some great habits and an enjoyment for training that I feel like I had lost for a while.  I had been unmotivated and stale, but by making myself accountable to anyone that would listen and by training with the best in town I've made some huge gains in more ways than we set out to do.

If anyone wants to question my dedication to this project they should have a look at my shins. Just like George Costanza had his hopes of being a hand model dashed, I too have seen my shin modelling career killed before it had a chance to start.   I have literally lost my fair share of blood and sweat in my training.  Usually I scrape myself up pretty good deadlifting, but on Thursday I really nailed myself on the hight plyo box and took a chunk out of my right leg.  I had to clean some skin off the box and bandage up before I could finish my workout.

So, stay tuned for testing results over the next couple of days, as well as plans for what I'm up to next! 

 

Catalyst Fitness Inc.
498 Queen St. East, 2nd Floor
Sault Ste. Marie
(705)253-0011
www.gocatalyst.ca
www.catalystfitness.ca

Catalyst Fitness Go! Newsletter - March 2008

MORE GROUPS THAN EVER BEFORE!

BIGGER, BETTER PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING GROUPS!

KIDS' PROGRAMS O'PLENTY!

PLUS, BIG NEWS ON CATALYST GYM!

ALL IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE!

NEWSLETTER

 

Catalyst Fitness Inc.
498 Queen St. East, 2nd Floor
Sault Ste. Marie
(705)253-0011
www.gocatalyst.ca
www.catalystfitness.ca

Great day for running

Today my workout simply said "Hill intervals."  Since this could mean a bunch of different things, some that I might not like, I didn't get Chris to elaborate.  It was a beautiful day outside, cold and sunny.  I left my house and ran in the Fort Creek trails for about 35 minutes on some of the hillier sections that I knew.  If a hill was especially tough I'd turn around and run it again.  I have a young Golden retriever/lab mix who came along with me.  He absolutely loved it, and I loved the fact that he slept the rest of the day and didn't chew up anything else around the house.  Getting out and running felt good and I'm looking forward to adding a bit more to my program in the coming weeks!

---

500

A lot of the time when I write in this blog, I have a hard time talking about myself.  I never want to come off arrogant.  I hate when people in my profession do that because a lot of times it comes off sounding fake, as if the person doing the talking is trying to make up for short comings in other areas (you know what I mean).

I feel pretty confident in myself after yesterday though, so bear with me.  Yesterday I managed to rip 500 lbs off the floor in a hex bar dead lift! 

The hex bar is a bit different than lifting with a regular Olympic bar, in that it's shaped like a hexagon that you stand inside, and has two handles running north/south.  It's kind of like picking up two suitcases.  Did I mention that it's like picking up 500 lbs worth of suitcases?  I did?  Good.

The best part about yesterday was that I was totally self motivated, I just closed the door and went to work.  I didn't even really add up the weight until I got close to 500, I just lifted and everything felt great...almost easy! 

I had a good bench workout today, lots of board pressing and rep work.  2 hours after finishing and my triceps feel like they're back to normal size again! 

Tomorrow I'm putting on the headphones and heading outdoors for some running and hill work.  Hopefully the weather stays as nice as it's been!

One last thing:  I lifted 500 lbs.

 

Catalyst Fitness Inc.
498 Queen St. East, 2nd Floor
Sault Ste. Marie
(705)253-0011
www.gocatalyst.ca
www.catalystfitness.ca

One week plus a day to go!

I met briefly this morning with our nutritionist Kelly Burton to map out my next week of good eatin'.  Kelly is great at suggesting foods based on how I'm feeling.  I've seen the benefits over the last 7 weeks and trust her advice completely!

I have a lower body speed work day to do tomorrow that looks like a fun challenge.  Last night I was in a gymnasium so I tried dunking a tennis ball.  I definitely have more pop from a standing start.  Not sure that I'd put down a full sized basketball just yet.....but we'll try next week!

 

Catalyst Fitness Inc.
498 Queen St. East, 2nd Floor
Sault Ste. Marie
(705)253-0011
www.gocatalyst.ca
www.catalystfitness.ca

465 lb lap dance

I hope that title puts a mental image in your head that lasts all day....not pretty. 

I joined the powerlifting group last night again for some max effort deadlift.  Last week I nailed 450lbs, this week we aimed high and I went for 465lbs.  I got the bar off the floor fairly quick and got stuck midway up.  For what seemed like forever I had the bar just sitting in my lap scraping my quads....but no amount of grunting and swearing could get it the rest of the way.  This happened a few times, after which I took a swing at 360, but my nervous system and back weren't having it. 

I'm a bit sore today, but getting some stuff done in the office so I can concentrate on my bench session in half an hour!

 

Catalyst Fitness Inc.
498 Queen St. East, 2nd Floor
Sault Ste. Marie
(705)253-0011
www.gocatalyst.ca
www.catalystfitness.ca

Row and Run

Yesterday I had to do some anaerobic work. It was on my sheet so it had to be done, but it was a nice change for me since I haven't done much of it since we started the project.  My sheet said "Row or run: 30 seconds on, 1 minute off."  When asked how many repeats, Chris said "oh, about half an hour's worth", like he does it all the time.  I decided to row, run and then row again, like a running sandwich. mmmmm......sandwich.

Here's how I did it.
5 minute rowing warmup
10 minutes rowing: 30 seconds at 1:42 pace, 1:00 at 2:30 pace

quick drink and grabbed a towel on the way to Catalyst's state of the art staircase

10 minutes on the stairs: 30 seconds running stairs, 1:00 walking stairs

then back to the rower for 10 more minutes of 30 on, 1 off.  (On this set I was trying to row so hard, I fell right off the seat of the rower!  Next time, I'll have to duct tape myself in. Or wear a helmet.  Or both)

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Tearing the Place Apart for PRs

As mentioned, I hung around to do my workout with the group last night.  It turned out to be a great call.  Five of us showed up and cranked up the intensity.  4 out of 5 of us put up new Personal records in the Deadlift.  Even Tyler put in a great effort a day after his lonely Crossfit workout on Sunday.  The music was loud, the shouts of encouragement were louder and we have a new place on the wall to hang a poster. (Ask Chris why, it was great)
Chris lead the group with an amazing 515 lb lift.  KK got his name up on the client record board with a 435, beating the old mark of 430....it's been up there for a while and needed to be beat!  Josh flirted with 350 for about 87 attempts before finally ripping it off the ground....he seriously made it look so hard, and then all of a sudden so easy.  And finally, this Watson Project must be doing something because I added 20 pounds to my deadlift and pulled 450!  I took a swing at 460 and had it sitting on my lap for a while but didn't have the strength to bring it all the way up.....I'll get it next time, just a bit more postural work and that number will climb!

Thanks to the guys in the group.  I had a great time, and it was sweet to see everyone dig deep and do well, I'll definitely be joining you again!

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Max Effort Pull

Last week I learned a couple of things.  First, planning things out works a lot better when you actually do it.  And second, I have a love/hate relationship with rubber bands. 
Week five was probably my least consistent week as far as nutrition goes.  The first four weeks were great because I got things done at the beginning of the week and made things ahead of time, so that I had things ready when they were needed.  I procrastinated a lot this past week, so I often found myself improvising or picking things up here and there. 

The rubber bands?  On Thursday we did max effort press work with our medium resistance bands.  The bands make things super hard in about the last six to eight inches of the press (the lockout).  I always feel weak with pressing movements to begin with, so the addition of the bands makes me feel flat out useless....and weak....etc.  As much as I hate them, you've got to love the challenge and the pay off!  (Chris thinks I might actually take the bands out for Valentine's Day...but I think we'll just stay "friends")

I'm excited about tonight.  Instead of one on one training, I'll be joining Chris and his Monday night Strongman group at Catalyst and going for a max effort deadlift.  Expect big numbers!

---

5lbs on your bench without doing anything?

I've had a couple of requests from readers of the blog this week.  Readers who are good at math.  Readers who notice things, like that Mike's bench went up 5lbs between the testing period and the first workout - without him doing anything!
There are things you can do to bring your bench up 10lbs TODAY.  Check our site (www.catalystfitness.ca) for an article this weekend!
Chris

This week, Mike shifts from a power-dominant plan to a force-dominated one.  In the next 4 weeks, you'll see his lifts change from nonspecific to specific, and he'll get shorter workouts that will primarily exhaust his nervous system.
Two exceptions: the bench press and deadlift, because he'll be tested on them.
Mike's preliminary testing (done last Friday) indicated that his bodyfat had dropped 4%, which is a big deal.  He also hit a PR on the chinup and both jumps, and we haven't really done work to address either yet, just built the base.  We're excited to see what he can do after the next 4 weeks.  Stay tuned!

Chris

Day 1 - M/E Lower
Chinup to bar				4	10
Hex Bar DL			MAX
Snatch-grip DL from plate			heavier	3	10
GHR	elevated			3	12
Rock-bottom Squats			105	3	10
Planks				3	as long
Day 2 - speed upper
Plyo Pushups (disinhibitor)				5	5
Speed Bench -			50%	9	3
no bands, 3 grips
Decline Bench				5	5
Face Pulls				3	10
Shrugs				3	12
Row/Scap Row				3	15/15
Day 3 - rest
Day 4 - M/E Upper
Seated Row				4	8
1-arm pulldown				2	12/side
Dynamic shoulder movement
M/E - medium band				5,5,5,5,3,3,1,1
50%x2, 65%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 92%
1.5 rep press				3	0:00
2-board press				5	3
Lockouts				1:00	2
Day 5 - rest
Day 6 - speed lower
Dynamic Warmups - critical
Jumping Squats			55	9	1
Jumping Kneeling Squats			0-55	9	1
Plyo - onto and off of box				5	5
Box drops - 30"				3	5
1-leg hops				2	8/leg
Drop and Horizontal Jump				3	3

 

Catalyst Fitness Inc.
498 Queen St. East, 2nd Floor
Sault Ste. Marie
(705)253-0011
www.gocatalyst.ca
www.catalystfitness.ca

BIG changes!

My workouts this week went great!  Food was excellent and I feel like I've got a ton of energy for the workouts and all the other stuff I do during the week!  Despite a small set back last week with the sore traps and some tight muscles around my low back and hips today, I feel like I'm making some great progress.  An important thing to remember is that not every workout can be fantastic, so as week 3 winds up, I'm feeling strong and happy with what we've done.

The most exciting thing to happen this week came from one of my favourite clients.  This guy shows up at the gym 2-3 times a week ready to do whatever I tell him to, and do it hard!  He's sarcastic and swears at me a lot, but he gets the job done.  He sweats buckets, works till he wants to puke and on certain special days, he even bleeds a bit.  To some people this sounds like overkill.  Not to this guy...he's got a goal.  To lose 100 pounds.  The amazing thing?  He's only got 16 left to go!

When he first went to see the fantastic staff at Celebration Medical Weight Management he had blood tests done.  Some of his numbers were bad!  He was told that his insulin levels were some of the worst they had ever seen.  Liver enzymes?  Not pretty.  He wasn't sitting on the fence for diabetes and other health problems.....in his own words, he was "riding a motorcycle full speed at that fence".

The great news is that he had these same tests redone this week and all of his numbers are at a normal healthy level!!  Not just slightly decreased....normal and healthy!  Plus he'd lost 6 more pounds since his last weigh in!

This guy is going to achieve his goals and then some.  Why?  Because he wants to, has to, needs to.  It's easy to say you've set a goal for yourself, what are you doing about it today?  Tomorrow?  Next week?  Weight loss doesn't happen easily or quickly, it takes hard work and dedication.  I couldn't be more happy for, and proud of this guy!

We come into contact with a lot of fantastic people at Catalyst, and it's people like this that make this job fun!

Keep up the great work!

---

A pain in the neck

Max effort bench on Thursday was different.  We went with a super narrow grip that I'm not really used to, but I pushed through and got some good hard lifts in.  Chris is a great training partner and coach! Instead of filling your head with tons of info, he'll give you one or two little things to work on with each lift until the big picture comes together.  When I'm  pushing as much weight as I can and feel like that embolism might burst, thinking a lot is something I don't want to do a lot of.

Things got crappy for me when we were doing overhead lockouts.  Between our shrug warm-up and pressing, my traps and levator scapulae just had enough.  With 185 on the bar, my whole upper back felt like someone tasered me.  Disappointed in myself, I cut the workout short and our massage therapist Joann took care of me.  A few days later, it's still a bit uncomfortable but I'm good to go for max effort squat in a few hours from now. 

While I was writing this, I got a phone call from Kelly about my food intake.  She sent me a fantastic shopping list and food plan for this week which I'm pretty excited about.  Also, she suggested I get some more papaya into my diet.  She tells me papaya is a natural anti-inflammatory.  Useful and delicious!

---

Max effort Thursday

Today we're doing M/E bench work, and I'm lucky enough to have some spare time to do it WITH Mike, instead of hovering above him with a calculator, yelling.  I'm also lucky enough to have some spare time this morning to load up on sodium to induce 'bench bloat' - Mike has no such luck.  He's busy!
We'll be cutting the accessory work a bit short today.  We've been invited to learn some Gymnastics at Sault Gym Club tonight, and I think we're going to need all the triceps help we can get.  You'll see our biceps work disappear also, since our goal is to master a couple of muscle-ups tonight.  Watch for the video on our main site.
-Chris

 

Catalyst Fitness Inc.
498 Queen St. East, 2nd Floor
Sault Ste. Marie
(705)253-0011
www.gocatalyst.ca
www.catalystfitness.ca

Good eatin'

Week 2 has started off with two great workouts!  Another max effort squat session on Monday.  After a big warm-up, including some slosh pipe work, I took my squat up a few pounds before I ran out of jam around 285.  Lots of quad work afterwards! 
 
Yesterday was speed bench.  I know Chris told everyone in his last post to poke me in the chest today because I'd likely be sore.  Two things....first of all, no sucka has been foolish enough to take that dare.  And secondly...I'm not that sore.  Same thing happened after the squat workout.  Last week I could barely walk down the stairs for a few days, this week I feel great.
 
I think a lot of the credit for this goes to my food plan.  I've gotten myself well organized and am following it as closely as humanly possible.  Not only am I not as sore, but my energy (and mood) is more consistent through the day!  I think there are a few things that Kelly and I have to iron out, but I'm happy about how it's all coming together!
 
Tomorrow, max effort upper body!

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Mike's Program - Week 2

You'll note a few changes this week.  While watching Mike and Ty do box squats, I noticed something: these guys would be great ski jumpers!  Also, Mike was losing power from knee extension, even though he was unconsciously rolling forward onto his toes the whole time.  Thus, more knee extension this week, and more accommodating resistance movements - bands, etc. - on both upper and lower body days.
The slosh pipe is a fun new toy that we're not bored with yet.  Watch for an article on our main site this week.
The bench throws - Mike sets up as if he's going to do a floor press, then literally throws the bar in the air and I catch it (hope so - Mike makes a living off his face!)  We're focusing on the concentric motion here.  Dr. Fred Hatfield ('Dr. Squat') would have tagged this as 'Compensatory Acceleration Training' but that's just branding.  It works because there's little muscular inhibition near the top end of the press, which is where Mike stalls with the heavy stuff.
On to it!  If you see Mike on Wednesday, don't poke him in the chest - on second though, DO poke him in the chest. He won't be able to retaliate.

			lbs	sets	reps
Day 1 - M/E Lower
Slosh Pipe Squats
Slosh Pipe Lunges
Front Squat - 3 x 10			125, 145	3	10
Squat - parallel				5,5,3,3,3,1,1
Romanian 1-leg squats			35	3	10
Leg Extension			180	3	10
Day 2 - speed upper
Stiffarm Lat				4	15
Paused Chinup				3	as long
Dynamic Shoulder stretches				4:00
Speed bench - MED. BAND TENSION				9	3
start narrow, work wider - 3 grips
Explosive Pushups				3	as many
Bench Throws			75	5	5
Day 3 - rest
Day 4 - M/E Upper
Overhead Shrugs				3	12
Hex Bar Shrugs				3	15-20
Close-Grip Bench to 3RM				5,5,5,3,3,3
Pin Lockouts - upright			185	3	as many
Rolling Triceps Extension			85	3	as many
Renegade Twists				2	1:00
Hammer Curl				4	as many
Day 5 - rest
Day 6 - speed lower
Power Clean			105	5	5
Box Squat	low  box, medium band		145	9	2
Box drops - 24" box				5	5
Ab - rotation, static

 

Catalyst Fitness Inc.
498 Queen St. East, 2nd Floor
Sault Ste. Marie
(705)253-0011
www.gocatalyst.ca
www.catalystfitness.ca

The Whys of Weeks 1 and 2

by Chris

I posted Mike's workout for Week 1 last week, but didn't offer any explanation.  I'll do that now.

Mike's following a basic Westside template: two maximal effort days (one lower, one upper) and two speed-based days.  The 'max effort' (noted as M/E) days are to help Mike with gross motor unit recruitment.  That means nonspecific, general improvement of muscular recruitment.  He's improving his ability to use the power of more muscle fibres all at once.  

The speed days are a bit more interesting.  These don't follow a typical Westside style, but incorporate more plyometrics and Olympic lifting (cleans.)  Mike primed his CNS with the cleans, thanks to Tyler (our best olympic-lifting coach) then hammered the low box (11") and then busted it up on the low plyometric box.  They did 5 sets of 5 with a fairly long recovery on the plyo box; it takes longer for your nervous system to recover than your muscles, in this instance.  Then they did a bunch of stability work with the new slosh pipe (watch for a new article about THIS sucker on our site this week!)

Right now, my main concern is Mike's total force recruitment; next we'll worry about the generation of force through bigger joint angles.  That's why you'll see some accomodating resistance work in Week 2 (bands, etc.)   His M/E lower work will repeat, because he'll hit a higher squat number just from the effects of lift re-familiarization.  Enjoy his posts!

Hooked on speed

On Saturday Tyler and I got together for my speed lower body day. We cranked off some light, fast cleans at 5 sets of 5 alternating fast. As soon as the bar touched the ground at the end of a set, the other guy jumped right in. Same thing with speed squats to the 12 inch box which we hit for 9 sets of 2. Because of our differences in height, I'd argue (and Tyler has to agree) that I did double the work that he did!
Afterwards we did some drop jumps off our medium box. By the end both of us were inadvertently showing off perfect star jumps that would make any junior gymnast jealous.

This week Chris went into his shop in the back room and made us a new toy. Any time Chris builds something new our clients know they better watch out! (push/pull box, wall ball target) The Slosh Pipe is no exception. Basically it's an eight foot section of 6 inch PVC pipe, capped at both ends and filled half way with water. It only weighs 30 pounds but is impossible to hold still! Tyler and I played around with it for about 20 minutes trying to find the hardest ab/low back exercises possible. I think we came up with a few great ones. After some twisting toe touches my obliques came out to say hello with some wicked spasms...good times!

Today (Sunday) is a rest day which I've taken literally by laying on the couch and watching football. I'll play some pickup hockey tonight, then it's back to work tomorrow. Can't wait to see what's in store for me!
_________________________________________________________________
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YEAH BUDDY!

"Everybody wanna be a body builder, but ain't nobody wanna lift this heavy ass weight......whooooooo!!" Ronnie Coleman

Inspired by Ronnie Coleman's attitude, if not his intelligence or grammar, I hit the gym Thursday evening for a max effort bench night. I felt tired with the lat pull apart and row warm-ups, but felt great once I started pressing.

Chris marked out my weight progressions for me and I felt like I flew through them. After a 195 single, we jumped to 220...5 pounds above my PB. You don't make friends with salad, and we don't go for the tie when you can set new benchmarks. (Literally and figuratively) Ty spotted me through the unrack, had time to go make a pot of coffee and helped me back in.....it wasn't fast but it went up! So we have a new bench PR. I was jacked!

I found a new favorite exercise in rolling tri extensions! You start on your back with a barbell at arms length and roll it towards your head. Just before you hit your head you snap it up by straightening your arms, then return it to the ground and roll it away again. (Check catalystfitness.ca for the video clip) Lots of fun, after the bench I felt like I should be wearing a helmet for this one!

Kelly has spent a lot of time this week, putting together some great meals for me, and already I feel great and like I've got more energy! I think this part of the project will be the most challenging for me, but I am committed to it!

Today was a rest day and to be honest, the first day my legs felt completely normal since the squat workout on Monday. Good news since tomorrow Ty and I are going to crank up some speed lower body action!

I'll
_________________________________________________________________
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A sample daily food plan for Mike

Kelly's given Mike day-by-day, hour-by-hour, calorie-by-calorie instructions.  Not everyone needs her to be so specific, but we thought we'd go all the way with this.
Mike's got M/E Bench Press this afternoon, so that meat at the end will be much appreciated, I'm sure.
-Chris

Breakfast

2 eggs scrambled with red pepper, onions, mushrooms and potatoes. 

Snack

Power smoothie

-         Coconut oil, mixed berries, flax seeds, hemp hearts and pineapple juice.  Add carrots if you require higher glycemic index for post-workout.

-         Apple

Lunch

- Green salad with almonds, spinach, romaine, onions, green and red pepper, avocado and goat cheese. 

-         Tuna salad sandwich on whole grain bread.   

Snack

Pita wrap on whole grain bread with hummus, red peppers, celery, grated carrots, cucumber and cheese. 

Supper

8 oz Steak with Sweet Potato, sesame seeds, and broccoli

Snack

8 Walnuts and an apple

TWO DAYS IN!

 
 
After my first two days of workouts I'm happy to see that tomorrow is a rest day!  I've just finished up a 45 minute bike spin group at Catalyst and am refueling while I write this.
 
I'm so pumped about this project!  The first question I get when I tell people what we're doing is "why"?  I have a lot of reasons for wanting to do this.  I've recently had some big changes in my personal life and have come to realize that there are a lot of aspects of who I am that I need to change or work on......This is one of those things.  Also, we always hear the experts say that even the best trainers shouldn't be responsible for thier own training.  When we train ourselves, we often become too biased or too proud to admit our weaknesses.  In the next 8 weeks, my nutrition and workouts will be taken care of by the best in town.  I've never been a terrible eater, but Kelly Burton is going to show me exactly what to eat and drink.  I'm one of the best qualified trainers in town, but I haven't worked as hard as I have in the past two days, in several months!  If you had the best at your disposal, wouldn't you be stupid not to take advantage of the situation?
 
The other question I get is "what are you training for?"  The simple answer:  To be awesome.  The serious answer?  I want to be powerful!  I play a lot of sports where explosive sprinting and jumping make a big difference.  I want to be able to dunk a basketball in eight weeks.  I love deadlifting, maybe because it's the one lift that I excel at, but I also want to put up some serious numbers on squat and bench.  I'm mot doing this to be a bodybuilder....I'm doing this to be strong and powerful.  But if a by product of all of this is a great set of abs, I probably wouldn't say no.
 
Last but certainly not least, I'm doing this for every one of my clients.  I want to be accountable to you the most.  I want you to see that I'm willing to try new exercises on myself first before I throw them at you.  I want you to know that I sweat and grunt and push myself to the limits just like you're willing to do each and every time you come here.
 
Hope you all enjoy this, please check back often, I plan on keeping a detailed account of every up and down for the next 8 weeks!
 
See you at Catalyst!
 
 
 

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Mike's workouts - week 1

Watson, Mike		01/07/2008
					lbs	sets	reps
Day 1 - M/E Lower
Front Squat - 3 x 10					85, 105, 125	3	10
Thrusters - 3 x :30					55	3	:30
Seated Row					180, 220	4	12,12,8,8
Squat - parallel						5,5,3,3,3,1,1
Superset: Plank/GHR
Day 2 - speed upper
Stiffarm Lat						4	15
Paused Chinup						3	as long
Dynamic Shoulder stretches						4:00
Speed bench - MED. BAND TENSION						9	3
start narrow, work wider - 3 grips
Explosive Pushups						3	as many
Day 3 - rest
Day 4 - M/E Upper
1-arm row						3	12
Pullaparts						3	15-20
Flat Bench to max						5,5,3,3,3,3,1,1
Pin Lockouts - upright					185	3	as many
Rolling Triceps Extension					85	3	as many
Wall ball - no leg						2	1:00
Hammer Curl						4	as many
Day 5 - rest
Day 6 - speed lower
Power Clean					105	5	5
Box Squat	low  box, no band				145	9	2
Box drops - 24" box						5	5
Ab - rotation, static

 

Catalyst Fitness Inc.
498 Queen St. East, 2nd Floor
Sault Ste. Marie
(705)253-0011
www.gocatalyst.ca
www.catalystfitness.ca