Had a few guys in the gym today. Ball State is on Spring Break this week, so numbers will be down some. Decided to pull some today, as my deadlift is still in the dumpster. Was me, Joe, Sam, Big Swole, and Brandon. Alva showed up later, as he was working 700 light years away.

Jump-rope
100 Reps

Lax Ball

Static Stretches

Hip Mobility Stuff

Deadlifts off of 3″ mats, NO BELT
135×10
135×5
225×5
315×3
365×3
405×3
455×3
495×3
545×3
605×3 PR
The first and 3rd rep were good technique wise, but rep number 2 was a stiff leg. Also, deadlifting is HARD without a belt when done like this. My saving grace is that I beat Big Swole by 50lbs and 2 reps. He also wore a belt.

Bodybuilder Barbell Rows
135×10
315×10
365×4

My low back was fried after the deadlifts. Was all over the place. Probably could have done more, but was starting to get a fairly significant heave after 4 reps.

Safety Squat Bar Good Mornings
Barx10
95×10
135×2x10

Upper back exercise
95×10
135×10
185×10
Not sure what these are truly called. I’m going to get a video of the technique though, as this is a lift that HAMMERS your upper back. Im going to get some video for the Exercise Index here today or tomorrow and include it. I think you guys will enjoy it.

DB Shrug
45×2x20
70×2x10
EVERY rep was done with a 3 second pause at the top. Ass kickers for sure.

Pulldown Abs
Heavy for 3 sets of 12.

Fat Gripz DB holds
70lb DBs for 3 sets of 15 seconds

Then I stretched out some and had some clients come in. Good times, but my back is SMOKED up. Took a contrast shower and had my wife do some work on my back before bed, and I feel much better now, but will be pretty sore tomorrow.

Here is the video and writeup from my meet earlier this month. It went pretty well all things considered. I only went 3 for 9 on my attempts, but managed to hit a new PR in the bench, and the deadlift, as well as moving my total up 30lbs to 1820. Not happy with how it went, but it happens. Hope you guys like the video, it is pretty self depreciating, that’s for sure!

Me pulling a 700 pound deadlift

I knew that we were supposed to get a ton of snow, but the forecast for Indiana was also calling for ice and sleet. Rather than try to make the drive over to Columbus in all of that crap, I left Muncie Thursday night and drove to Wendler’s. That was about the most uneventful thing to happen all weekend. However, Friday morning I realized I had made a good choice.

I woke up around 9 AM and started to head over to the meet venue, which was at the Courtyard Marriott. Danny has all of his meets there. It started snowing a bit on the way, but it wasn’t bad. The drive was about 20 minutes from London. I made weight – at 302 even – and spent about an hour bullshitting with some guys in the lobby. The weather was quite a bit different when I left the hotel that afternoon. My car was covered in snow. Roads had also digressed to the point that I thought I was going to die – more than once – and the same drive that took me 20 minutes an hour ago took almost 50 minutes on the way back!

The ride in Saturday morning was even worse. Jim, Leigh An and myself took an hour and fifteen minutes to get there in Jim’s monster truck. No worries though, I was ready to go.

I was lifting in the third flight. I felt strong, and planned to open at 890 pounds in the squat. It’s not a huge weight, but honestly something that I feel I could handle on my worst day…no matter what. It turned out to be a good call, as it would be the only squat I got in. Warm-ups went great, everything felt light and solid on my back. I was excited.

Warm-ups:

Bar x 10

135 x 5

225 x 5

315 x 3

405 x 1 added belt and briefs after

500 x 1

600 x 1 added suit after

700 x 1

800 x 1

I went up and took the opener – 890 pounds was good, three whites. Took 1000 on the second. I took it out strong, it went down easy, made it about halfway up and…started losing it forward. It stalled out, and they grabbed it – no lift. The third lift was similar. I took it out strong, sat back, and continued to do so until I realized I was going to fall over backwards, and told them to take it. I would rather miss a lift than dump a grand on someone because I’m an asshole. I’d like to say thanks to the 500 guys Danny had spotting. Although I missed two out of three, I wasn’t even close to being injured. I wish I had some sort of excuse as to why I missed, but in reality, I just sucked. The strength was there and then some, but I just didn’t have it. I just sucked.

Bench press was the same for me. One and done. I did set a 30 pound PR, hitting 230. Could I do more than I open with? Absolutely. There’s a reason I didn’t though. For me, as a lifter, it doesn’t make any sense to have spotters and loaders rip the bar down from 800 to 250 so I can take a second attempt. Meets take a long time anyway, and if I can do my part to shorten it up, that’s what I’ll do. I’m still going to end up getting beat by 500-600 pounds plus in the bench anyway, so what does it really matter?

I was impressed with the guys in the bench-only flight. There were about 20 guys in the bench-only flight, and they literally had 35 missed attempts IN A ROW. That has to be some sort of record. I wish more bench-only guys were like Vincent Dizenzo or Joey Smith and actually opened with weights that they could handle. Instead, they just get a gangster shirt and are only strong enough to lock out what is coincidentally the lightest weight they get to touch. I don’t know if there were 20 misses in any flight where they do all three lifts. Mike Maxwell was on the mic, and he let them know what he thought too. It was pretty funny, and definitely ran over into the powerlifters benching.

Deadlift went well for me, and was the only real hiccup at the meet. Danny had said they were going to combine the last two flights, so everyone started warming up, then about 10 minutes later, they decided to keep it at three flights. I had just pulled my third warm-up, so no damage was done.

Warm-ups:

225 x 1

315 x 1

405 x 1

225 x 1

315 x 1

405 x 1

500 x 1

600 x 1

My opener was 700. I pulled it easy for a 20 pound PR. I really thought that this meet was going to be the one I was actually close to my capabilities in the deadlift. Nope. Took 735 on a second, which would have given me a 60 pound PR and the biggest pull in our gym. Hips rocketed out of the bottom for a huge miss. I guess it does take technique to pull sumo. I took 735 on my third and pulled it conventional. It went up pretty quick to (what I thought) was lockout. Got the down signal, and set it down. I looked at the lights, two reds. Apparently I re-bent my knees. Damn you John Bott! I haven’t completed or gotten white lights on a third deadlift at any meet John judges. I think he hates me. Ha! Sounds better than what is true – that I just suck.

I didn’t have the day I wanted, going 890 – miss – miss – 230 – pass – pass – 700 – miss – miss…for three of nine and a total of 1820. However, I did set two PR’s and a total PR. So, I can’t really argue with that. I know some things I need to work on and get fixed, so it’s back to the drawing board to get shit right.

]]> http://www.jasonpegg.com/meet-writeup/feed/ 0 http://www.jasonpegg.com/quick-contest-update/ http://www.jasonpegg.com/quick-contest-update/#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:30:14 +0000 Jason http://www.jasonpegg.com/?p=469

Hey guys, Sorry for the long ass delay and not letting anyone know shit about who won. I have been having major computer troubles for the last few weeks, and was dealing with VERY spotty internet connections and availability here at home. My 6 year old HP was just no longer showing me the love. Got a shiny new MacBook now though, and am about 98% caught up. Hopefully i will get ahold of you guys tomorrow or Friday. Im really sorry.

Jason

Logo of the Indianapolis Colts

Lots of good stuff coming up this week. Can you guess what I am excited for? If you guessed Superbowl Sunday, you’re absolutely right. hahaha. I kind of gave it away though, but Im sure that someone out there had absolutely no idea. However…

Got a TON of big things going on this week. got a bunch of awesome clients to train this week, as usual, and also have a ton of first timers coming to the gym to check things out. Really looking forward to getting them in the doors, as I’ve spoken to them, and they have some lofty goals. Im really ready to get after it and get them to where they want to be! Big Swole and Alva are also training for a meet in March, so I will be helping them out a ton with their training.

I actually have a meet this weekend I am really excited about. I am doing the Lexen ProAm in Columbus, Ohio Saturday. Im excited, as meets are always a good time to meet up with old friends, see huge weights lifted, and meet other lifters. Danny Dague always puts on a great lifter focused meet, and I feel extremely ready for this one. I really believe that i will finally squat 1000lbs. I hate to make predictions, but it is definitely there if I have a good day. If any of you are going to be in the area, or are interested in checking it out, let me know and i will get you the meet info.

Make sure you check out our newsletter too if you haven’t already. Going to be lots of great content coming out in the next few weeks that is going to be for our newsletter subscribers only! Don’t worry, Im not that guy who sells your information with anyone, and I’m not going to spam you with a ton of emails every month.

I am also HOPING to make some big changes to the site this week. The personal training side of things are the priority here now, but i do manage to mix in some of my personal stuff. Hopefully by the end of the week i will have everything transferred to the new personal training domain name, and this will become my personal blog to talk training, and other sweet stuff. Not that I mind discussing personal training, i just feel that its more fair to both my clients and my regular readers if there was a separation. If it doesnt go this week, it will definitely happen next week.

Did i mention that I was excited to see the Colts in the Superbowl? Its nuts. I’m painfully excited for it. Im sure that you might not be a Colts fan, especially if you live in New York, but I want you to be excited this week too. That is why I am offering 12 WEEKS OF FREE ONLINE TRAINING to 3 readers here. There is a slight catch, but its not bad. If you’re interested, you have to do 2 things. Really only 2 things, but the third would be greatly appreciated! First thing is leave a comment in the comments section that says “I’m interested.” Then I need you to send an email to jason@jasonpegg.com and explain, in as many words as you feel is necessary, why I should pick you. It doesn’t have to be long by any means. You never know, a simple “I want to be awesome” might suffice. HAHA A chance to win $225 worth of programming from me for 5 minutes of your time. GET AFTER IT!

I will pick the winner on Friday, and let you know by email at halftime of the game if you have won! you will also get a post about you here with your name and your goals, unless you just want to keep it a secret. Up to you.

Like I said, leave me a comment, shoot me an email, and root for the Colts!

Monster Milk by Cytosport

This is the first of what hopefully becomes a list of reviews. There are two reasons that I do this. The first one is for my personal training clients. I have a lot of younger athletes that come in, and, unfortunately, kids are seriously swayed by the advertising they see. They ask me all the time my thoughts and input on a HUGE range of supplements. Huge! It also happens that the same kids that I am training are also asking about a product they saw in a magazine. The second part of this is purely selfish. For whatever reason, as long as I have been lifting weights, I have had an almost obscene obsession with supplements. My views on them have changed quite a bit, but I am still really interested in the industry. Sometimes they pan out, sometime they dont.

I bought this Muscle Milk at the GNC in the mall here in town. But wait, Jason, you hate GNC! You’re right, I do. I was in a pinch, and didn’t have the days to wait for some shipping. Also had some stuff coming from another company already. The Monster Milk was “On Sale” for 35 bucks for 2 pounds. This was the cheapest that they had in the store. And now, I know why. At least I think I do. It was kind of surprising, as I remember being a fan of the original Muscle Milk.

Individual product specs aside, there were some things that I HATED about this, and the reason I give it the review that I am. First, and for nearly everyone, was the taste. While the label promised it would “taste like a REAL milkshake” I fund the opposite to be true, unless you are into gasoline flavored milkshakes. okay, i did use a bit of exaggeration here, its not quirte gasonline, but it is chemical. I don’t know specifically WHAT caused this taste, I think it was the MCTs in it, but it was an overpowering chemical taste. Absolutely awful. Wondering if it was just my palate, I mixed it a few different ways. I used milk, and I used water. Used a lot and a little od both of them. I used more powder, and I used less. Every time, the same result. Sweet flavor dominated by a nasty chemical taste.

Mixability was also a big issue with Monster Milk. Monster Milk was actually able to defeat my Blender Bottle. This is a first, ever, and I have had these blender bottles for almost 4 years. I seriously think that these could blend raw meat. They’re awesome. That being said, Monster Milk showed them who was boss. I tried using room temp water, hoping that would improve its ability to mix up. Nope. No change. I even sat and shook one shaker cup full of the stuff for literally 3 minutes. STILL had clumps. In this day and age of instantized proteins, this is ridiculous. I thought maybe it was due to the product being compressed inside the scoop, so I just limp wristed a scoopful. Same thing. CLUMPS.

The nutrient profile was the one redeeming factor in my eyes. 25 grams of good protein a scoop, and only 2 grams of sugar. Actually has fiber in it too, which was nice. That’s about it though. I eat well enough and with enough variety I dont worry about the vitamin or mineral content of the product. It also has aminogen in it, which is an enzyme that helps digest protein. This is always nice, especially if you are eating TONS of protein. Muscle Milk also contains Creatine in the form of Kre Alkalyn. The amount per serving is only a gram though, so I dont think it would really make a noticable difference.

All in all, I was pretty disappointed in this supplement, and the purchase in general. I know that it was only 35 bucks, but still. This product just didnt do anything for me, outside of having an impressive label. All told, however, I wouldnt recommend this to anyone. The taste and mixability were bad, and I just cant justify dropping another 35-60 bucks to find out if i just got “a bad can.” Sorry Cytosport. Only going to get me once.

BSU Cardinal Logo

Training for me was deloading. Didn’t squat one rep or pull at all. Just some restoration stuff. Good to go. I feel like a million bucks, which is good this close to the meet. Maybe a little bloated, but you will have that sometimes. hahahaha

I also started working at Ball State University with the women’s volleyball team. This is in addition to the personal training im doing Definitely keeps me busy in the gym! This is an awesome opportunity for me, and I am hoping to make the most of it. They train like beasts, and, surprisingly to me, are pretty strong. They are on a pretty basic program, nothing crazy. I will post updates here and there about some of the stuff that we do in the weightroom to get them ready for the spring season. It starts in about 8 weeks.

Thats about it from this end. I plan on getting back on it this week, assuming this computer holds up. I thought it had died yesterday, but a little time off and some Army style motiviation seemed to fix it for now. So that’s good news. More to come this week! Honest!

Picture courtesy of EliteFTS

I know its Thursday…I know, I know. Here is what i did on Monday, my last “training’ workout prior to the meet. My Last realization workout went well. Worked up to the 85% range, and then pissed away a rep on some reverse bands that were awful. More about that later.

Lax Ball

Foam Roller

Squat with Mastadon
barx5
150×5
240×5
330×3
420×2
500×1
600×1 added belt for this
700×1 This is a PR I think. It was pretty easy. Ace Briefs on After
790×1 a but high and awful form…just done to get my briefs the rest of the way up
suit on after. Ace suit on after
870×1 Straps Up
960×1 Reverse purple bands. These bands were so beat I think that a mini would have worked better. Took off less than 60lbs at the bottom. Pretty easy rep though.

Standing Fall out Abs on TRX
4×10
Then I had personal training clients from 6-8. Busy busy!

I’m going to pull from the pins tomorrow, or Friday, depending on where you live. Something difficult, but not a max effort. Will work up to openers next week. Good times!

This goes along with the new years resolution stuff we talked about earlier. along with utting out the sugar from your diet, youre going to do two things differently. They are both easy to do, and require little on your part, other than getting it done. I noticed huge improvements in my mood, energy, and results when i started doing these consistently, and I know that you will as well! I have heard some great things back from my personal training clients with the results and changes that they are seeing from these two things.

1. Eat breakfast within 15 minutes of getting up.
This is hugely important, and i try to stress it to my personal training clients all of the time. You HAVE to eat breakfast. This serves two purposes that are applicable to us. One, it gets nutrients to the muscles. After 8 hours of sleep, your body has hammered away at most of the fuel sources floating around in your blood stream, and has possibly started in on your catabolizing, or breaking down your muscles to use for fuel. If you have any interest in getting stronger, or getting bigger muscles, or losing fat, this is something that we DO NOT want. It is literally taking your hard work and undoing it. You are literally moving backwards. Another thing that it does is get you ready for the rest of the day. i know so many people whose first meal of the day is lunch, or something crappy from a vending machine or gas station on the way to work. AWFUL. Not only is it bad for you, it tastes like shit. It also helps you eat less throughout the day. research has shown that people who eat breakfast consume less. Without trying. This is huge for any of you who are trying to lose fat and weight. Another thing that I have noticed too, not only with myself but my training clients is that eating breakfast really helps “set the tone’ for the day. You eat a good breakfast, and it sets you up for a healthy lunch. I know that one of my personal training clients used it as a deterrent mentally, and said that he “couldn’t justify” the extra calories at lunch from a missed meal at breakfast.

2. Eat a protein shake after you train
If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, the one you consume after you workout, your post training meal, is number two. Like we talked about with breakfast, your muscles have just done a ton of work, and need fuel NOW! For those that are trying to lose fat, a protein shake is the best way to go. just make sure that you are using a high quality whey protein, and not some shitty Walmart or GNC brand. They ARE cheap, i realize this, but like anything else in life, you get what you pay for. Also, as far as the protein goes, you get what you DON’T pay for. Things like gas, bloating, and diarrhea. These come from shitty whey concentrates, that dont have the lactose, or fat taken out of them. Try to avoind them at all costs, and get a high quality Whey Protein isolate. Way easier on the stomach and digestive tract. Your friends will appreciate it too.

Now what you have to do is take these two things, along with reducing the sugar in your diet as uch as you can, and use this week to make them habits. Do them every day. Your body will thank you. I promise.

If you missed the New Years Resolution Post, You can check it out HERE

had another squat workout yesterday. Went infinitely better than Fridays deadlift workout did, that is for sure! Also hit a big milestone for me with my first 1000 pound squat. I know it is just a gym lift, and wont “count” until I get it done in a meet, but either way, its still pretty cool. how many guys do you know that can squat a grand? hahaha

Lacrosse Ball work

PVC Roller
quads, abductors, upper and lower back

Static stretching

Free Squat with Mastadon
barx2×10
150×5
240×5
330×2
420×1
510×1 (added briefs after)
600×1 (added suit after)
780×1
930×1
960×1 (setup was off on this one. came forward a bit but managed to drive through it.)
1000×1 PR

The 1000 went really well, better than I thought it would have. Came out well, was set up solid, no issues. Went up a lot easier than I thought it would. it honestly surprised me, and that is why I laugh like an idiot at the end. I haven’t been that surprised with a lift in the gym in a long time. Chek out the video, and you will see what I mean.

Sugar is by far the biggest roaadblock to your goals!

If you guys read the blog yesterday, you saw that I wrote about a few different things to help you keep on track with your New Years Resolutions. The first topic I touched on, and one of the biggest, after taking action, was breaking into your diet slowly. This is something that I talk to all of my personal training clients about, and an approach that I have found is the best way for me personally to transfer from eating like crap all of the time into more of a fat loss type of nutrition. I hate calling them diets, but that is another topic for me…

There are a few things that I tell all of my clients to do, regardless of their goals, and a few that are more geared towards those who are trying to lose fat and get back into shape. While some of these are more restrictive than others, they are all not only effective, but important steps for you on the road to your goals in 2010. I will talk about more of these as the week goes on, as you will really get the best results if you take your time and fully implement them as time passes. You will also see that some are diet changes, and some are lifestyle changes. They are both based around your nutrition however, as it will be the most important piece of the puzzzle for you to really have a good grasp on.

DIET CHANGES

1. Cut out the sugar!
The biggest one for most people is also the first one for a reason. Sugar, whether it be in the form of sugar in your coffee, high fructose corn syrup in your daily 44-ouncer from 7-11 sugar alcohols in your sugar free cookies, do more to derail you on the way to your goals than anything. Its hard too because anymore, there is sugar in damn near EVERYTHING that we eat. Did you know that there are 9 grams of sugar in a Quarter Pounder from McDonalds? That’s the same as 3oz of Coke or Pepsi. You don’t taste it like that though do you? Remember, its everywhere, and paying close attention to food labels is going to become very important. Now, it is going to be impossible for you to really eliminate all of the sugar from your diet, as even potatoes and rice have some sugar, but you really need to cut out as much as possible. If its sweet, and its not a Diet Coke, you can probably figure out that you’re wrong. a few things you can do is switch your sugar in your coffee for splenda. My wife did it and she hates anything that isn’t full flavor! trade out your regular pop for the diet variety. Coke Zero and Pepsi max beat the crap out of diet coke and diet pepsi, and it only takes a day or two to completely forget that it tastes a touch different than the norm. Take a week, cut out as much sugar as you can, and keep your sugar intake at this new lower level as you go on. You may find that you lose 10-20lbs just from switching from regular pop to diet. My dad did. You can to. Now get to reading those labels!

Like I said a bit ago, this is just a bit of some of the things I have for you guys to help you out on your way to losing weigh, getting fit, and having a kick ass 2010. ALL of these have been used not only on myself, but after i tested them, I introduced them to my personal training clients, and they are having great results with them as well. Keep in mind that with your diet, little changes can go a long way, especially if you were way off track in the first place.