Grant Voshell's Log

Bar scars

October 8, 2013

1" Deficit Deadlift: 6x2 315

Snatch-Grip Deadlift: 4x6 205

Olympic Squat w/ Narrow Stance: 2x8 205

Leg Extensions: 2x50 BW

I did it again folks. My work set was 65% however I took this from my floor max. I did some research and asked around to find out that a couple of people say that their 1" deficit max is around 95% or so of their floor max. This puts my deficit max around 450-460 and 65% of that is 290-300. Obviously the set was a little heavier than it should have been but I felt like I maintained solid technique and was pretty explosive at lockout. I will be working with this same weight in 3 weeks from now for my next D.E. Deadlift so I hope to be more explosive at that time. On a different note, my camera died halfway through my 4th set so I was only able to record my first 3 sets.

i heard you pull conventional now

Chris Anderson wrote:

i heard you pull conventional now

It is more of a thought than a reality

October 9, 2013

Bench: 3x 210, 225, 240(4)

Hammer Shoulder Press: 8x 45, 70, 90 pps



Bench was pretty solid on this day. The 240-set was probably an RPE 8.5-9 and I am certain that I had another rep in me. I decided to rack after 4 simply because the 4 reps were pretty smooth and I am working on benching with good reps rather than good numbers. I am pretty excited to see how I progress leading up to this meet. With good reps and maintaining technique, I am hoping to put up a decent number on the bench.

October 11, 2013

Squat: 2x 385, 395, 405 w/ wraps

Reverse Band: 8x 225 w/o belt, 275 w/ belt

Back Raises: 1x50

DB Bicep Curls
DB Hammer Curls

I have a video of this but I have not edited it yet. I had to work a double shift on this day with the first one being at 5:15 am and the other right before this session so needless to say, I was pretty exhausted. Fun fact: i was so tired that I fell asleep within 3 minutes of my head hitting the pillow. Anyways, the weight felt heavy and I thought the weight moved kind of slow but after watching the videos and hearing from others, the weight was moving kind of fast. The speed was not blazing fast my any means but it was moving well. I am going to keep squatting in my wraps simply because I need to start handling more weight and really perfect my wrapping.

October 13, 2013

Bench: 5x8 200

Bamboo Bench: 3x15 Bar + 12kg kettlebells

Lat Pullovers
Face Pulls

I was fortunate enough to work with keosawa and really have him scrutinize everything.  I took away a couple of big things from today's session. 1st-when I keep the bar light on my chest, my muscles continue to fire and this prevents my flaring. 2nd-when I rush the reps and do not reset, this tends to lead to bad form for that particular rep so I need to make some sort of hesitation/pause at lockout to reset before beginning the next rep. 3rd-this one is smaller but before every set, keosawa kept telling me to bring my left foot more towards my head. This helped to create a little better balance for me and is something I will have to ask my spotters to keep an eye on. I also noticed this with babyeater's bench so I am wondering if it is in the way we set up on our toes.

October 15, 2013

S.U.M.O. DL from 1" block: 2x 415, 425, 3x 435

Conventional Deadlift: 1x 365 (w/straps), 405 (w/straps), 455 (fail w/straps), 455 (failed again w/straps), 455 (warm-up and w/o straps)

This session was not as great as I would have hoped. The weight felt extremely heavy during s.u.m.o. pulls. One positive thing: I possibly had a 4th rep on this set but the bar slipped out of my hands and off the blocks so I just decided to end it. When I moved to conventional, I worked up to 405 with straps and a double OH grip. I loaded 455 on the bar and continued on with double OH grip and straps but I failed. Second time, I used a mixed grip with straps and failed again. At this point, I was pissed and was determined to give this third one a real ass-whoopin'. I ditched the straps, got focused, and kept telling myself "pick this up as fast as you can!" With that in mind, I walked up to the bar, took a big breath, bent over and stood right back up.

I have been having an uncomfortable feeling/a tightness in my right hamstring these past few days. I am not certain of what is causing this pain at the moment. I do not believe it to be a pulled hamstring since I do not remember a "pop" or a sudden sharp pain; it mostly feels overworked. Stretching feels fine and does not cause me any pain but it feels so annoying. Any ideas or solutions?

Last post:

Subject: Re: Grant Voshell's Log   Wed Oct 16, 2013 1:01 pm

No log, no lift!

Nathan Poage wrote:

Last post:

Subject: Re: Grant Voshell's Log   Wed Oct 16, 2013 1:01 pm

No log, no lift!

No lifts worth logging about... until this Friday

Broceidon wrote:

I have been having an uncomfortable feeling/a tightness in my right hamstring these past few days. I am not certain of what is causing this pain at the moment. I do not believe it to be a pulled hamstring since I do not remember a "pop" or a sudden sharp pain; it mostly feels overworked. Stretching feels fine and does not cause me any pain but it feels so annoying. Any ideas or solutions?

I kinda wonder if there's maybe not continuos spectrum of muscular damage with regular muscle fatigue/microtrauma on one end and a complete rupture at the other. I had a minor adductor tear this summer (actually got visible bruising on the skin) and it was the consequence of ignoring what you're describing to the point where it got worse and worse. I never heard/felt a pop or anything like that.

Maybe do a rehab protocol with full ROM leg curls starting very light if you think it's warranted. . . Purely academic, but I'm willing to bet a little HGH would work wonders. Donovan Bailey reportedly tore all three adductors 10 days out from the '96 Olympics. Didn't stop him from winning gold with a WR performance. So. . .

Will wrote:

Broceidon wrote:

I have been having an uncomfortable feeling/a tightness in my right hamstring these past few days. I am not certain of what is causing this pain at the moment. I do not believe it to be a pulled hamstring since I do not remember a "pop" or a sudden sharp pain; it mostly feels overworked. Stretching feels fine and does not cause me any pain but it feels so annoying. Any ideas or solutions?

I kinda wonder if there's maybe not continuos spectrum of muscular damage with regular muscle fatigue/microtrauma on one end and a complete rupture at the other. I had a minor adductor tear this summer (actually got visible bruising on the skin) and it was the consequence of ignoring what you're describing to the point where it got worse and worse. I never heard/felt a pop or anything like that.

Maybe do a rehab protocol with full ROM leg curls starting very light if you think it's warranted. . . Purely academic, but I'm willing to bet a little HGH would work wonders. Donovan Bailey reportedly tore all three adductors 10 days out from the '96 Olympics. Didn't stop him from winning gold with a WR performance. So. . .

The pain went away a couple of days after I wrote that. I get pains/spasms every once in a while, usually in my back or quads though. I did discover a bruise 2 days later but I am extremely certain it was from the charlie horse I received. All went well on squat last Friday and has felt fine since. Thank you for the response though; interesting thoughts in the latter paragraph.

30 October, 2013

Comp Bench: 2x 220, 235, 4x 250 (PR; best was 250x2)

Narrow Grip Flat-Back: 10x 135, 185, 14x 185

This bench session was amazing. It started off a little shaky but things started feeling good on the first set. I was pretty determined to get 4x250 but I would have accepted 3. After the third rep, I was not certain I had enough to get the fourth but I somehow stayed in my groove and did not let my elbows flare like they normally do. The fact that I broke my old PR with 4 clean reps is awesome. I especially want to thank Keosawa for motivating me, getting me focused, and reminding me of the needed cues so that I could do this. I may have looked like I was not listening but believe me when I say that I took in every word. I will post the video soon.

Off-topic but I got a few negs in a extremely short period and cannot figure where I was negged so to that person/people:

Hello all! I have done a few heavy days and have been thinking about my attempts:

Squat (PR=450): 418 - 451

Bench (PR=275): 253 - 275

Deadlift (PR=462): 424 - 469

I am a little uncertain about my first deadlift but for the most part, I am thinking these will be my first two attempts. All of these lifts will give me an overall PR for each lift as well as a total. Open to thoughts and ideas!

Post today's deadlift video and I will assess.

Nathan Poage wrote:

Post today's deadlift video and I will assess.

Sorry roomie but meine kamera war kaputt. However, I did ask two friends from high school how it looked and they said it looked fast. It came off the floor fast and lockout was faster. While I cannot obtain the validity of these two, I do respect their opinions. The pull felt good; heavy but not a lot of grind. I feel pretty certain I could have done another single if I wanted to.

I've forgotten to mention this to you twice now: I grabbed a few weapon cleaning things from home this past weekend, and if you're still interested, I'm more than willing to show you the firearms I have here and how they work and such. We had talked about this a while ago and I really hope you're still interested. Maybe Daveman would like to get in on the educating as well.

Chris Anderson wrote:

I've forgotten to mention this to you twice now: I grabbed a few weapon cleaning things from home this past weekend, and if you're still interested, I'm more than willing to show you the firearms I have here and how they work and such. We had talked about this a while ago and I really hope you're still interested. Maybe Daveman would like to get in on the educating as well.

Oh yes definitely still pretty interested. Maybe this weekend or the weekend after the meet?

That would work for me. Let's see when Daveman is available.

Some training from this past week:

Monday Deadlift: worked up to a single at 460 and it went pretty well. It felt heavy obviously but I definitely felt strong and explosive throughout.

Wednesday Bench: worked up to 3x 255 which is a new 3 rep PR by about 15lbs. I was kind of hoping for 4 but it just was not in the cards on this day. I am hoping for a big bench this next weekend. I honestly do not know what to expect and I am anxious about the results.

Friday Squat: worked up to a single at 415. It felt heavy and slow to me but others said it was pretty fast and smooth. The last time I went heavy on squat was about 9 weeks ago and I remember the following week was an ugly squat session. I kind of halfway expected the 415 to be a little brutal and hopefully with the recovery from this week, I will put up a big number on Sunday.

Sunday Bench: did 5x6 220. Form felt pretty spot on today. A couple of 6th reps were grinders but I felt like I stayed in my groove. I felt like a couple of reps were touch n' go but keosawa said they all looked paused so I will take his word for it. I am not quite sure if 6x 220 is a PR but I know it is close.

Well, it has been a few days since the meet so here is how my day went down:

BW: 177.0 lbs

I was 4.8 lbs under weight which simply shows that I could afford to eat a bit more the day before weigh ins. I am hoping to get a scale for the holidays so that I can use it to figure out where I am leading up to future weigh ins. My recomp was not the best either. I had 32oz of gatorade (Frost Glacier Freeze because it is the best) and a ton of water post weigh in. I had some protein bars, a rack of ribs and potatoes, and chinese food but I was still pretty hungry most of saturday. Next time, I plan to swap the gatorade for pedialite and to pack sandwiches and other snacks/foods to eat after weighing in

Squat: 418(x), 418, 429

I began warming up after the first attempts of the flight before me and the flight prgoressed much faster than I had anticipated. I remember hitting my last warm up as the MC announced that I was 4 out. I had to rush to the stage and thankfully Kevin from 22nd St offered to wrap my knees and he really cranked the wraps on tight. On my first attempt from the mono, I went to the whole where the bar rolled and fell over my head (thank you spotters). Kevin and GFou both said the same thing "move your feet forward more to get under the bar" and this coming from two people is saying something. Second attempt, I moved my feet forward and the attempt was okay but stay a little shaky. I was planning to hit 451 but given the results of the first two attempts I decided to stay light. Third attempt, I moved my feet forward just a bit more and smoked 429.

Bench: 253, 275(x), 275(x)

I started warming up much sooner because of what happened in squat warm ups. Bench felt absolutely wonderful during warm ups; the speed was extremely fast, I felt strong, and I felt locked in to the bench. Finished warming up with a few minutes to spare. My first attempt of 253 was blistering fast and smooth. The head judge told me "That was a perfect bench. Best I have seen so far" which gave me a ton of confidence. I moved onto my planned 275 bench and I almost locked it out but the weight came towards my head . I remembered Keosawa always reminding me to squeeze the bar tight before unracking and made sure to apply to the third. I called for 275 again, and really focused on my cues but the weight drifted towards my toes at lock out. The head judge said he wanted to give it to me but my elbows were still a little soft. This weight is there but I just have to get it next time.

Deadlift: 423, 462(x), 462(x)

at this point in the meet, I was starting to feel a little fatigued and gassed. Warming up I felt pretty solid. My first attempt of 423, went pretty fast but when I locked it out, I felt the bar whip pull me back forward just a bit and fortunately the judge gave me the down-command as I was being pulled forward. They gave it to me but assured me that they would not pass that again. The second and third attempts of 462 were a similar story. The weight felt light and the bar moved fast and smooth but at lockout the bar whipped and pulled me forward out of my lock out.

Total: 502.5 kg = 1107.8 lbs

Other notes: I was told by a few people that I just did not look well at the meet and I certainly felt the same way. I was there and focused but I was a little off for some reason.  Throughout the week, I noticed I was coughing, sneezing, and hacking more and more each day and I think this cold showed its ugly face to me on Saturday/Sunday. Things like this simply cannot be planned for and it happens.

One last bit, I sat and watch the entire meet on Saturday and while it was a blasty blast, I felt that it took a lot out of me. Next time, I plan to weigh in and either leave right then or watch squat then leave (I am leaning towards the first). It just had my adrenaline and heart beat rushing all day and it makes sense to leave and go watch the live stream instead.

I want to give a shot out to Commanderson, Daveman, GFou, Kevin from 22nd, Keosawa for helping me prepare and compete in this meet. You all helped push me and kept me focused for this meet and despite the not so great outcome, I still had a blast.

19 November 2013

Week 1 of JTS

Some Agile 8 stretches

Squat: 10x 245, 245, 250, 255, 255

Conventional Block Pulls: 4x (5-8reps) 315

Boy, this was a little rough but once the ball was rolling it went okay. The first 3 or so sets felt fine but some fatigue started to settle in. I had mentioned to Anderson that my squat stance felt a little off but I was not sure why. I felt a little unstable and off balance. He watched a set or two and before my last set he suggested to keep the same width but point the toes a bit more forward and the 5th set felt great. On the block pulls, Keosawa noticed the rounding of my back and shoulders and advised to keep them pull back and tight throughout the lift. By doing this, it puts me in a better position to lockout the weight. Just small changes like this can help make a big difference for me.

With my squat back on track and with good technique, I will hopefully continue to make progress. Keosawa, the Lilliebridge training manual, and others keep pointing out that every rep needs to be executed with perfect form in order to become stronger and over this next training cycle, I will do my best to watch and see that I am doing every rep the same and the best way I can. This mindset did wonders for my bench and I hope to see it carry over to the other lifts.

20 November 2013

Week 1 JTS

Comp Bench: 10x 155, 155, 160, 165, 165

Narrow Grip Bench: 8x 155, 165, 10x 175

EZ Bar Curls: 2x8 75, Drop Set 75

I was curious so I checked my weight post-workout which included about 72 oz of water and it was 186.2 lbs = 84.4 kg so not too shabby. Anyways, benching felt solid. A couple of times I felt myself come out of my groove, drift my elbows, or touch-n-go so I stopped, reset, then proceeded. I would say about 80% of the lifts were good lifts. While this is not bad, I am hoping to increase this percentage with each passing training session. I did some narrow grip to emphasis my triceps. With an increase in volume, my triceps are usually the first things to fatigue. JTS says bench once a week and OHP once a week but I am going to bench twice a week since it has been working so well.

I wouldn't shut the idea of overhead pressing out altogether. Although it's not sport specific, I personally feel like OHP is a good general strength builder. What are your two bench days set up like? A heavy day and a rep day?

Also just out of curiosity why the switch from the Cube to JTS? Just looking for something new?

Seth wrote:

I wouldn't shut the idea of overhead pressing out altogether.  Although it's not sport specific, I personally feel like OHP is a good general strength builder.  What are your two bench days set up like? A heavy day and a rep day?

Pretty much. JTS bench is on wednesdays and just some simple volume bench on sundays. it worked pretty well leading up to the meet so I am doing that again. sundays will probably be linear progression starting at 160 and increasing by 5 lbs every week. I would like to manhandle 225

Seth wrote:

Also just out of curiosity why the switch from the Cube to JTS?  Just looking for something new?

I ran the cube for 2 cycles: the first cycle went well for my squat but not so well for bench or deadlift. The second cycle, I do not believe my lifts responded at all so it was necessary for a change. I like the methodology behind the cube with light day, rep day, heavy day but I think it needs some tweaking to be more beneficial

Sounds like a good plan for your bench. I'm with you on the cube method too. I like the ideas behind it but I think it might need a little personalization.