Health / Fitness Web Log Entries
Project HUGE: Hit A New Years Resolution - Deadlifts At 405lbs
Posted: February 20, 2010 at 5:17 PM by Ben Nadel
Before I went to the gym today, my lower back was feeling a little bit tired. I had done squats at 275lb on Thursday (2 days ago) and was still feeling it in my quads and lower back. But, my back didn't feel weak, it just felt tired; as such, I thought I would try some deadlifts just to see how my body reacted. I had quit my deadlift workout the w... read more »
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Project HUGE: Deadlifts At 385lbs And Natural Hamstring Raises
Posted: January 29, 2010 at 6:08 PM by Ben Nadel
After deadlifting 365lbs two weeks ago , I was eager to try and push myself a little harder. Today, I built up to three work sets at 385lbs. After I hit the first set, I was super tempted to jump up to 405lbs (my new years resolution weight); but, it's a good thing I didn't - my form at 385lbs definitely leaves something to be desired. In the fol... read more »
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Project HUGE: Trying Barbell Front Box Squats For The First Time
Posted: January 22, 2010 at 6:50 PM by Ben Nadel
Today at the gym, I tried an exercise that I have never tried before: Barbell Front Box Squats. I've tried and enjoyed box squats for traditional squatting so I thought I would see how a front-loaded squat felt. I went into this thinking that it would put a huge stress on my lower back, especially at the bottom when I sit on the box; but, I'm happ... read more »
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Project HUGE: Barbell Deadlifts - 365x5 With A Concentration On Form
Posted: January 17, 2010 at 2:57 PM by Ben Nadel
Yesterday was my cheat day as far as food goes; so, that meant I had a large General Tso's Chicken with broccoli and brown rice powering my lifts today. As such, I was feeling particularly randy and wanted to try and push my body out of its comfort zone. My first exercise of the day was Barbell Deadlifts. I worked up to two sets at 365 lbs for fiv... read more »
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Project HUGE: Barbell Back Squats - Shaky Form, But Getting Stronger
Posted: January 15, 2010 at 5:19 PM by Ben Nadel
So far, a dedication to getting back in the gym is my most successful new year's resolution . My strength is slowly starting to come back; but, I'm still not pushing my shoulder or wrist too much. Today, I tried to go up in barbell back squats a bit, building up to two working sets with 225 x 10. I feel like my depth is OK, but it could be better... read more »
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Project HUGE: Waking The Beast And My First Video Of 2010
Posted: January 9, 2010 at 5:57 PM by Ben Nadel
After months of not working out , I have spent the last 2 weeks really trying to get back into the gym with consistency and enthusiasm. I'm not following any particular workout program at this point, I'm just going in every other day and doing an exercise for legs, push, pull, and a little bit of arm work. For the first few workouts, I was really... read more »
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Project HUGE: Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein - The Best Tasting, Best Mixing Protein Powder
Posted: August 10, 2009 at 6:40 PM by Ben Nadel
Earlier today, on Twitter, I was asked what kind of protein powder I would recommend as a workout supplement. I'm sure as most people who work out do, I've tried a million different proteins over the years, constantly searching for that one drink that's the right combination of nutrients, taste, and cost. The good majority of the protein powders t... read more »
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Project HUGE: Huge In A Hurry - Get Big - Phase 3 / Week 3
Posted: July 19, 2009 at 3:59 PM by Ben Nadel
I am almost done with the Get Big program in Chad Waterbury's Huge In A Hurry workout . I have been really trying to stick with it; but, as I have gotten farther into the workout, I have started substituting a few of the exercise choices. This last week, Week 3 of Phase 2, I decided to substitute Barbell Box Squats in lieu of Bulgarian Split Squa... read more »
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Project HUGE: Huge In A Hurry - Get Big - Phase 3 / Week 2
Posted: July 6, 2009 at 9:52 PM by Ben Nadel
I just entered the second week of Get Big - Phase 3 in Chad Waterbury's Huge In A Hurry program and was excited to put some more weight on my front squats. After what felt good at 225 last week (for sets of 3 reps), I thought I would try to up the weight to 245 lbs (20 lbs jump). I fear, however, that my eyes were a bit bigger than my muscles. T... read more »
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Project HUGE: Huge In A Hurry - Get Big - Phase 3 / Week 1
Posted: July 3, 2009 at 5:22 PM by Ben Nadel
So this week, I started Phase 3 of the Get Big program in Chad Waterbury's Huge In A Hurry workout . This is the final phase (not counting the unloading week) of the "Get Big" program. Workout A Load: Super Heavy (2-3 RM) Reps: 15 Power Clean Dumbbell Incline Bench Press Front Squat Standing Single-Leg Calf Raises Workout B Load: Medium... read more »
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Thirty Years Of Pain: A History Of The World's Strongest Man DVD
Posted: June 26, 2009 at 9:49 AM by Ben Nadel
I just finished watching Thirty Years of Pain: A History Of The World's Strongest Man . It's a two-part documentary about the World's Strongest Man competition. The first part, Thirty Years of Pain, takes us on a journey through the entire history of the WSM competition, from the first event at Universal Studios right up to the 2008 finals in Cha... read more »
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Strong: The Movie - A Documentary About Joe DeFranco's Gym
Posted: June 24, 2009 at 10:51 AM by Ben Nadel
When I saw the trailer for "Strong: The Movie" by Joe DeFranco , I didn't really know what it was about, but I know that it looked like it kicked ass; the trailer had big guys lifting heavy stuff with bands and chains and 600lb tires all set to a bitchy remix of Daft Punk's, "Harder Better Faster Stronger." In short, the trailer made me want to s... read more »
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Project HUGE: Huge In A Hurry - Get Big - Phase 2 / Week 3
Posted: June 10, 2009 at 4:36 PM by Ben Nadel
I'm in my fourth week of Chad Waterbury's Huge In A Hurry program and unfortunately, things have gotten a little side-lined. I'm suffering from a pec strain in my left pec and what I believe has been aggravated with some sort of rotator cuff injury. I've started doing physical therapy for the pec, but I think I tried to make my rotator cuff musc... read more »
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Project HUGE: Huge In A Hurry - Get Big - Phase 2 / Week 2
Posted: June 2, 2009 at 10:27 AM by Ben Nadel
I've really been enjoying Chad Waterbury's Huge In A Hurry program . Right now, I am in the Get Big program, Phase 2 - Week 2. I've been having some trouble with the Barbell Hack Squats so I thought I'd post a video and get some feedback from my fellow HIAH (Huge In A Hurry) lifters. Also, I think I might just take some fun videos going forward b... read more »
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What Is The Best Time Of Day To Workout?
Posted: April 13, 2009 at 3:01 PM by Ben Nadel
Last night, I watched, "The Human Timepiece," on the Science channel. It was a cool show that explored the internal time regulatory mechanisms of the human body and how the human body functions throughout the day. It stepped through the day in 2-3 hour increments talking about why we are tired or alert and how this directly affects both cognitive ... read more »
