Heavy Density: Coach Szolek Destroying Something Beautiful

[Doug Szolek]

"Where'd you go psycho-boy?"
"I wanted to destroy something beautiful."
If I need to tell you where that line is from then it probably just means that you spend you're time a bit more productively than watching the same movies over and over...

I walked into the gym this morning with the weight of one of my first "bad-days" in a long time resting on my all-too-apt-at-carrying-a-burden shoulders. I'm not the type to wear my emotions on my sleeve, mainly becaue I rarely were shirts with sleeves. I take my burdens to my Iron Church and lay them at the alter of blood, sweat, tears and vital essence that is my training.

In a language that few can hear and even fewer understand I confess the truth of who I was to become who I am. This is my worship service, this is my time of Holy transformation, this is my work and my passion.

In the fires of my training only the purest expression of I survives to grow another day.

So I opened the door and I stepped inside. I'm inside my heart. Now I imagine that my pain is a white ball of healing light.

I took this heavily muscled frame of bone and sinew and set to work at destroying something beautiful... myself. To do this I chose a means that up to now had only been joked about. I grabbed my Bruiser and began a density cycle that will lead up to a 100+ rep death march of the ABC Side Swipes (details to be released in the upcoming issue of CST mag).

This, My Personal Training Log, is the record of my work. Read it for what it's worth to you and feel free to offer comment, question, and/or suggestion along the way. By myself but not alone I invite the tribe to come along for what will be one helluva ride.

[Doug Szolek]

10-05-03 morning

Heavy Density

ABC Side Swipes
40sets of 5reps in 40 minutes

Bruiser Class Clubbell®

Total volume: 215 reps (accidentaly flowed into a 6th rep once or twice then just went nuts on my last set and did about 12 in addition to the mandatory 5)

average PRE=6-7
average RT=7-10

Notes: I return home to find that I can't fit through the door. Developed a slight blister on the pad of my right ring finger. Happens every time I start a density cycle will be a nice callus in a matter of days.

There is something truly primal going on with this exercise. I feel kinda like Dr. Frankenstein when he brought the monster to life and only then realized that he may not be able to control it.

I alternated Right and Left ABC Grip each set but in the future I plan to do the first half Left and the second half Right to more closely emulate how I intend to perform the death march (50 Left Grip and 50 Right Grip non-stop).

Also it took at least till the 6th set for the Bruiser's handle to warm from my grip. Those first few sets had my hands quite numb and that made for very interesting gripping.

[Scott Sonnon]

Brother, you continue to amaze me. If you didn't ever encounter challenge, the unknown would be boring.

[Doug Szolek]

11-05-03 morning - mid day

Dynamic Range Of Motion

Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar: Infinities, Diagonals, YinYangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles
Shoulders: rolls, Arm Screws, Infinities, Circles, Waves
Elbows: Circles, Infinities, Rolls, Waves
Wrists: Circles, Infinities, Diagonals, Rolls, Waves
Fingers: Circles, Rolls, Waves
Pelvis: Infinities, Diagonals, Yin Yangs, Clover Leaves, Revolvers, Circles, Alternating Hip Infinities.
Hip, Knee, Ankle: Infinities, Circles, Waves
4 Corner Balance Drill w/ Arm Stretch: Slow Flow through each position for 2reps each leg.
Feet: Waves, Rolls.
Vibrational Drills: Squats, Strikes, Projections, Sweeps.

Notes: Slightly rushed session, still suffering the effects of stress mixed with a brutal introductory Density Session. Just as I post this the muscle soreness is beginning to crop up in my triceps, lats, and traps predominantly. Body Flow out of bed in the morning is sizing up to be an exercise in relaxation and patience.

[Coach Jones]

Now that's what I cal DENSITY!! You're a machine, man.

-Brandon

Let's just be happy that you can you talk about this club.

[Connie Brown]

Love the title and am in awe of the program.

but okay - what is the movie? I am feeling a lack in pop culture

[Doug Szolek]

Love the title and am in awe of the program.

but okay - what is the movie? I am feeling a lack in pop culture

It's a safe bet that if I quote a movie and don't give reference to it right then, it's probably Fight Club. Next on the list of possibilities would be the Matrix, and then an odd quote from Snatch or the Big Lebowski is bound to pop up now and again, but in this case as in about 75% of the time, it's Fight Club. Seen the movie more times than I can count (no exageration here folks I've really lost count), read the novel three times (enjoyed the ending much better than the movie), and have listened through the soundtrack probably several houndred times (in working out, while writing, and while driving across Montana (that state is just too big)).

Too big for who, "Za German's"

[Scott Sonnon]