Me

2012-08-06 workout – Wendler 5/3/1 program, Cycle 12, Squat/Bench Press 3

/ hsoi

Not quite the PR’s I wanted, but PR’s nonetheless.

“Week 3”

  • 5/3/1 – Squat (working max: 280#)
    • 2x5x45 (warmup)
    • 1x5x115
    • 1x5x140
    • 1x3x170
    • 1x5x215 (work)
    • 1x3x240
    • 1x3x270 (PR-tie)
  • 5/3/1 – Bench Press (working max: 225#)
    • 2x5x45 (warmup)
    • 1x5x95
    • 1x5x115
    • 1x3x135
    • 1x5x170 (work)
    • 1x3x195
    • 1x6x215 (PR)
  • Asst. #1 – Shoulder-width pronated grip, lat pulldowns
    • 3 x 10 x 130
  • Asst. #2 – Back Raises (hands behind head)
    • 3 x 15 x BW
  • Asst. #3 – DB Bench Press
    • 3 x 10 x 120
  • Asst. #4 – Face Pulls
    • 3 x 12 x 70
  • Foam Rolling

On squat, I was hoping for 4 to set a true PR, but only got 3. Rep 3 was bowling-shoe ugly so there was no point in going for 4. Prior to this, my best ever on squat was 270 for 3, so I at least tied it. But frankly, I think this is a better one. First, it’s a clear-cut improvement over cycle 11 (260 for 3 reps). Second, my form is a lot better than it was some months ago. I’m certainly going below parallel… from time to time other guys in the gym watch me and comment on my depth. I’ve been making a bigger effort at going deeper, chest up, neck into the bar, etc., and so with better form and using technique to get the bar up instead of muscling it all up there…. well, I figure this technically ties my all-time PR but I know it’s better than the last time I hit this weight.

Bench was a rep PR. I’ve done more absolute weight (220 for 3), but last time I did 215 was for 3 reps. So I’ll take this, be happy, and be excited about next cycle.

Thinking towards the future, and I’ll only mention it briefly now, I am likely to change my routine in the coming months. I want to get my bench press working weight to 225, and that’s 2 cycles (6 weeks) away. That should also take the top working weight of press to 160, deadlift to 350, and squat to 290. Yeah, part of me kinda wants to keep going to get my squat to 315 (which will be one hell of an accomplishment given how much I don’t like squatting), but I need to change gears on my goals: I need to shed some fat. I want to see if I have the discipline enough to drop about 20# in 3 months. That is certainly do-able, if I’m smart and dedicated. I’m not 100% sure what my program will be, tho I know it’ll primarily be about diet. My present thinking keeps 5/3/1 as my core, dropping my last set back to prescribed reps (tho on 5/3/1 week I’ll do a triple), accepting that strength may plateau (but I’m OK with that; I can live with not progressing, but I don’t want to regress), and increasing conditioning work. I’ve not settled on anything yet. Heck, I even thought it might be interesting to change squats to do a 20 rep program… tho that’d probably be wrong on a restricted diet. But point being squat a lot to boost up conditioning.

Diet will have to really fall in line too. I’m already examining my current ingestion and seeing what I can do. I figure there’s no better time than now to start tightening things up. For example, one simple change is no more whey in milk… just water. This should make my True Nutrition sample exploration more interesting; tho given that I MIGHT have one or two in milk just for taste research, but then compensate elsewhere.

And I know this puts off my longer term goals of getting into the 1000# club, but 1. I’ll be lighter and just as strong, and I’ll take the better ratio, 2. my greater goal is my health, not how much I bench, so I must work towards that end.

AAR – BP1 @ KR Training 4 Aug 2012

/ hsoi

With the Texas summer settling into full swing, classes are still being held but with an eye on the heat. So this past Saturday KR Training held only a Basic Pistol 1 class.

A highlight for me was seeing the TXGunGeek and misbeHaven, whom I haven’t seen in a while. Was good to see them.

Class was full and demographics were varied. About half the class was women. Ages ranged from a teenager there was his father, on up. Various ethnicities and backgrounds too. Some may choose to stereotype gun-owners as old, white, redneck men — they only show their ignorance when doing so.

Class ran well, tho shuffled around a bit in an effort to get folks out on the range before it got too hot. I didn’t see how long we were out there, but it felt like it went on longer than usual. A good thing tho, helping people try a bunch of different guns.

I found myself speaking a great deal about gun fit, and had an interesting observation at my station. I had a different set of guns: Glock 19, Glock 22, Springfield XD-9 5″, M&P-9 full-sized, M&P9 Shield, M&P-22, and a J-frame. On the one hand, I felt like I was shilling for Smith & Wesson. But the more interesting thing was showing off gun fit to the students. I’d look at the size of their hands and length of their fingers and put them on a particular gun, then have them pick up another one and compare. There were a lot of people with hands of just the right size that the Glock would be too big, so I’d put them onto the Shield and it would fit but might be almost too small. Then put them onto the M&P (medium backstrap) and it would be a “just right” fit. Not only do I hope this impressed upon students that if you pick a Glock or an XD or an M&P, they’re mostly going to wind up being the same in terms of reliability, capacity, etc., but fine details of ergonomics can often end up being the final and important factor in your choice.

Further reinforcing this, TXGunGeek has big hands and the XD fits him a lot better. While the XD is generally alright for me, the way the frame is cut is, for lack of a better term, just a hair more angular and brick-like. Due to the way I’m constructed, my trigger finger would rub the frame just enough to push everything left. But without changing a thing in my shooting style, the M&P doesn’t exhibit the problem because the frame has just a slight enough contour difference that my finger doesn’t rub. Little things like this end up mattering, and you cannot be afraid to keep working at it to seek the equipment that’s right and works best for you. Buy a gun, if it doesn’t work, sell it, try another. But then, once you settle upon your equipment, move beyond it — it’s just stuff, nothing to get too ego-attached to. Then begins the work to build skill, and onwards up the pyramid.

The day was short but significant. And I got to have lunch at the Elm Creek Cafe just up TX-21 from the range. Folks, that’s some good home cookin’, and a great way to round things off.

2012-08-03 dry fire practice

/ hsoi

Following TLG’s sample dry fire routine.

Week 3, Day 5, shooter’s choice.

I can do whatever I want today (other than nothing). Given my recent increase in shooting my BUG and seeing what I’m seeing there, I opted to do the basic routine but with my S&W 442.

  1. 20 reps of wall drill from extension 2H
  2. 5 reps of wall drill from extension SHO
  3. 5 reps of wall drill from extension WHO
  4. 20 reps of wall drill from press-out 2H
  5. 5 reps of wall drill from press-out SHO
  6. 5 reps of wall drill from press-out WHO

The main focus was getting on the trigger faster.

All in all, not hard to do… I think it’s a mental thing as to why I’m going slow. That I know it’s harder to press the trigger: heavier, longer trigger; lighter gun; smaller, harder to grip gun. So the press of that trigger is going to be harder to do, so go slower to ensure the sights aren’t disturbed and the trigger not slapped.  But even just letting myself go “at speed” today, I’m still not sure if It was good enough because the sights are bad enough and the grip angle is just slightly different (more downward cant needed). So… hard to tell. What might be good for me to try tomorrow is some live fire with the snub and just press it out fast and get on the trigger fast and see what I see. If what I see live matches what I see dry, and of course I’m getting acceptable hits, then I’ll know what to keep looking for in dry practice as acceptable visual feedback.

2012-08-02 workout – Wendler 5/3/1 program, cycle 12, Deadlift/Press 2

/ hsoi

Go in. Set PRs. Leave. And it’s only week 2.

“Week 2”

  • 3 reps – Deadlift (working max: 345#)
    • 1x5x140 (warmup)
    • 1x5x175
    • 1x3x210
    • 1x3x245 (work)
    • 1x3x280
    • 1x7x315 (rep PR)
  • 3 reps – Press (working max: 155#)
    • 2x5x45 (warmup)
    • 1x5x65
    • 1x5x80
    • 1x3x95
    • 1x3x110 (work)
    • 1x3x125
    • 1x7x140 (rep PR)

Today ended up being a jack-shit day. Why? Because.

I went in and hit my main lifts. I set rep PR’s, and it’s only week two.

I did try doing some pronated-grip pullups, but I did one, shoulder said “no”, and that was the end of that. I was hoping I could do 3 sets of pull-/chin-ups, but nope. Oh well.

2012-08-02 dry fire practice

/ hsoi

Following TLG’s sample dry fire routine.

Week 3, Day 4 (basic routine)

  1. 20 reps of wall drill from extension 2H
  2. 5 reps of wall drill from extension SHO
  3. 5 reps of wall drill from extension WHO
  4. 20 reps of wall drill from press-out 2H
  5. 5 reps of wall drill from press-out SHO
  6. 5 reps of wall drill from press-out WHO

This session went really well. I’m focusing on maintaining “the string” of the eye-target line and bringing the gun and sights right up into it. It’s a fine-tuned change that’s difficult to convey here, but I know what I’m after. Plus as always, working on getting on the trigger sooner, faster, and without slapping it. All strings were done “at speed”, and I can see some improvement… or maybe today was just a good day. 😉

For me the bottom line is having the discipline to do this every day. I don’t recall the exact statistic but it’s something like to just maintain your level of skill you have to practice a couple of times a week. If you want to improve, you have to practice more. If you practice less, expect your skills to degrade. I know I’ve been at a plateau for some time, so I expect with dry practice 5x a week and getting more regular range time (due to the structure of KRT classes this summer), I expect things should be well and in order.

Hey…. Tom Givens is coming back to the area in March 2013, and I want to be awesome.

2012-08-01 dry fire practice

/ hsoi

Following TLG’s sample dry fire routine.

Week 3, Day 3, retention

  1. 10 reps of wall drill from press-out 2H
  2. 10 reps draw and fire from retention, slow
  3. 10 reps draw and fire from retention, 3/4 speed
  4. 5 reps draw and fire from retention while stepping L, 3/4 speed
  5. 5 reps draw and fire from retention while stepping R, 3/4 speed
  6. 10 reps beginning at full extension, draw back to retention, and fire, 3/4 speed, 2H
  7. 10 reps wall drill from press-out 2H (not standard part of TLG’s routine)
  8. 10 reps wall drill from press-out 2H 3/4 speed (not standard part of TLG’s routine)

It was good to work retention. We do a retention drill at the end of Defensive Pistol Skills 1 and it’s good to get practice on that drill. #6 is a new one on me tho.

I added some more wall drills at the end because that’s a fundamental skill and I think one good to end on. I am trying to pick up my speed without sacrificing good hits… watch that front sight, no dipping! I’m really working on trying to work at faster speeds and not slapping the trigger… but I still get more front sight dips that I care for. It’s a combination of loose/inconsistent grip, and too much trigger finger. I’m also playing a bit with my finger placement, but I think that may be a red herring… that I’m trying to fine-tune something that isn’t a relevant part of the present equation. Hard to say at this point tho.

2012-07-31 dry fire practice

/ hsoi

Following TLG’s sample dry fire routine.

Week 3, Day 2, SHO (all drills SHO)

  1. 20 reps of wall drill from press-out
  2. 10 reps draw & fire, slow
  3. 10 reps draw & fire 3/4 speed
  4. 5 reps reload from slidelock, slow
  5. 5 reps reload from slidelock 3/4 speed
  6. 5 reps TRB
  7. 5 reps LRW
  8. 10 reps wall drill from press-out

All drills are strong-hand-only. So I reckon that means the weak-hand is 100% not involved. So all those reloads, all those malfunction clearances, one hand only. This is where a good rear sight like a Dawson Precision Charger is quite useful.

This is also illustration that while these skills are unlikely to be something you generally need, there’s merit in knowing and practicing them but with perspective. Note the skill is only worked once in the 4-week session (well, twice technically since you’ll do it again WHO next week), and when it is worked, it’s not worked for many reps. This way you don’t ignore the skill completely, but you also don’t spend more time than is warranted, instead spending that finite time on highly important skills like the press-out.

But of course, this is just a generalized routine. Your goals may necessitate a different approach. I think it’s a good template to start with, and eventually I’ll refine and change it to suit my needs.

2012-07-30 dry fire practice

/ hsoi

Following TLG’s sample dry fire routine.

Week 3, Day 1, basic routine

  1. 20 reps of wall drill from extension 2H
  2. 5 reps of wall drill from extension SHO
  3. 5 reps of wall drill from extension WHO
  4. 20 reps of wall drill from press-out 2H
  5. 5 reps of wall drill from press-out SHO
  6. 5 reps of wall drill from press-out WHO

After my performance on Saturday I wanted to work on speed of the press out and getting on the trigger faster. Sure enough I got on the trigger faster, but I see the sights dip. Ugh. I can tell part of it is not having a consistent “crush grip”… a common problem I have when I dry fire because my brain knows I’m dry firing.

So… more things for me to work on. There’s always a list of stuff.

 

2012-07-30 workout – Wendler 5/3/1 program, cycle 12, Squat/Bench Press 2

/ hsoi

Monday is International Chest Day. Literally everyone in the gym this morning was benching in some manner or other.

“Week 2”

  • 3 reps – Squat (working max: 280#)
    • 2x5x45 (warmup)
    • 1x5x115
    • 1x5x140
    • 1x3x170
    • 1x3x200 (work)
    • 1x3x225
    • 1x5x255
  • 3 reps – Bench Press (working max: 225#)
    • 2x5x45 (warmup)
    • 1x5x95
    • 1x5x115
    • 1x3x135
    • 1x3x160 (work)
    • 1x3x180
    • 1x8x205 (PR)
  • Asst. #1 – Shoulder-width pronated grip, lat pulldowns
    • 3 x 10 x 130
  • Asst. #2 – Back Raises (hands behind head)
    • 3 x 15 x BW
  • Asst. #3 – DB Bench Press
    • 3 x 10 x 120
  • Asst. #4 – Face Pulls
    • 3 x 12 x 70

I did not want to go to the gym today, but those are the days when you must go. Of course, it wound up being a great workout. I felt strong. I powered through my squats. Yes the last set was a little sloppy, but I worked hard on my form through all other sets. I felt ass hitting grass. Stomach out into the belt, neck pressed into the bar, upper body tight, hands squeezing the bar. And when I came out of that hole I powered the hell out of the thing… tho I need to work on getting arm drive in there at the same time (instead of after I’m half way up). Still, that was really good.

I didn’t realize it until I got home, but 8 reps @ 205 is a rep PR for me on bench press. Still not an extraordinary amount of weight, but things are feeling good. I did something different on that last set: I wore my belt, cinched as tight as I do for squats. I’m also thinking some about form, but not killing myself over it… are my feet placed well and I’m getting drive? fine, don’t sweat minutia of positioning. And I just pressed. I am going to wear my belt more often. I see little reason to not wear my belt for my work sets on all the big 4 lifts (bench was the last holdout).

I do need to up the assistance work a bit… I could go to 135 on pulldowns, add some weight on back raises, go to 130 on db press. But I’ll wait and up them next cycle. Next week is 5/3/1 week so little point in upping things at this point.

Only bummer is my old ankle injury just won’t stop flaring up. 😦 Really bums me. I’m not yet convinced there’s any point in seeing a doctor as I know what I can tell them and I know what they’ll say to me. I could probably see a sports specialist and get MRI’s and all sorts of expensive things done, but I still bet I’ll hear the same thing and my wallet will be a lot lighter. But I am keeping an eye on it. No sled dragging until it’s better because I just don’t need the abuse. 😦

AAR – DPS-BUG @ KR Training 28 July 2012

/ hsoi / 4 Comments

Today was pretty cool.

I took part in the first offering of KR Training’s new “Defensive Pistol Skills – Back-up Gun” class. I participated as a student, tho I certainly assisted where and when necessary. I’ve been looking forward to this class, because I think it’s an important offering.

You see, like all things made by humans, guns aren’t perfect. Like all mechanical things, guns can break. There are many reasons for carrying a Back-Up Gun (BUG), and mechanical failure of your primary gun is one reason — hence, “back-up”. But because BUG’s tend to be small guns, like Glock 26’s, snub-nose revolvers, Ruger LCP, Kel-Tec’s, the smaller Kahr’s, and the like, a lot of people choose to carry these “little guns” as their primary guns. Whether you carry one of these guns as a primary or a secondary, taking a class like DPS-BUG is highly recommended.

I recommend taking such a class because shooting these guns is not like shooting a full-sized gun. Basically, it’s harder to shoot them and shoot them well. They have low-capacity, so every shot matters. Some of them shoot weaker rounds, like .38o Auto, so again every shot matters. Then because they are small, the sight radius is short thus a small change in alignment can mean a big difference in the ability to hit the target. It’s hard to get a good grip on them. Many are intentionally designed to be “double-action-only” with long and heavy triggers; that’s hard enough to shoot with as it is, then coupled with such a lightweight gun makes it even harder to shoot. Carry modes, like in a pocket (holster) are harder to draw from. I know these sorts of guns are very popular with folks that carry concealed, so if you opt to carry such a gun you should get some training in the use of that gun.

The class curriculum is based upon the Defensive Pistol Skills 1 course, but it is NOT the same course. If anything, consider DPS1 a prerequisite to this class. DPS-BUG starts out with some fundamentals work using the little gun, because that is important. All the “high speed low drag” stuff means nothing if you can’t basically hit what you need to hit. And yes, you will be working on one-handed shooting… you can hate it all you want, but you won’t stop sucking at 1H shooting unless you keep shooting 1H. There’s group shooting, shooting against a timer, shooting the “3 Seconds or Less Drill” (in fact, we shot that both with our BUG’s and our full-sized guns, to compare and contrast). We shot from a chair, to allow experimentation with drawing a BUG, since they might be carried in an ankle rig or a pocket holster.

That was one cool thing about the class: experimentation. Whereas a lot of other classes have to be straightforward in the gear and what’s done in class, here part of the point was to allow you to see and figure things out. Normally carry in a pocket holster? Maybe try an ankle rig, or using off-body carry like a fanny pack or a daytimer. It’s a great opportunity to try things out and figure out how things are going to actually roll and work for you.

As for how the class went for me….

I shot my S&W 442 with the DeSantis Clip Grip the entire class. For much of the class I actually opted to use the clip grip and draw from the appendix position. That actually worked quite nice, tho it’s still a little difficult to get a solid draw (gotta get your stomach out of the way). I’m also happy that my hand held up after 150-200 rounds of abuse. 🙂

The big take home for me? I need to work on getting on that long, heavy trigger press a lot faster. My problem is because of that long heavy trigger  to overcome, I will smash it thus yank the hell out of the gun. To avoid that, I press a lot slower than I should. I scored suboptimally on the “3 Seconds or Less Drill” with the snub because on the last string (7 yards, 3 shots WHO, 3 seconds) I only got 1 shot off. I was determined to only get good hits even if it meant I didn’t get all the shots off, but totally lacking 2 shots killed my score. *sigh*  So I need to work on getting on the trigger sooner and faster yet ensuring an acceptable hit.

I’ll also say, when we switch to our normal carry guns at the end, it felt weird. Not just because I had a large gun in my hand, but when I shot it I could feel the springs vibrating and shaking. It was weird. 🙂  In fact, I felt like I couldn’t shoot as well… just spent 3 hours shooting this little hammer, then switching guns and shooting the full-sized M&P9 felt totally foreign in my hands. Just more things to practice and work on.

And I remembered to put on sunscreen this time. 😉

A good day. I hope we can offer this course more often… and I hope more people will be willing to take it. If you carry a small gun, you owe it to yourself to take this class. You’ll learn a lot.