• 10 minutes on the black Rumble Roller and lacrosse ball.

Band Pull Aparts

• A bunch of reps, multiple angles with the Voodoo Floss bands

Shoulder Dislocations

• 10

L-Sit Chin Ups

With blue Fat Gripz.

• Body weight (~200 lb): 5

Low Bar Squat

Beltless up to 410 lb.

Paused up to 460 lb.

• 45 lb: 10
• 140 lb: 10
• 230 lb: 5
• 320 lb: 3
• 410 lb: 1
• 460 lb: 1
• 500 lb: 1,1
  • Missed on the 2nd rep on both sets.
• 460 lb: 2

Face Pulls

• 70 lb: 12
• 90 lb: 10

Reverse Grip Bench Press

Paused until 370x2.

Paused again at 340 lb.

• 45 lb: 10
• 140 lb: 5
• 230 lb: 3
• 370 lb: 2 * PR!
  • 2 rep max, up +5 lb from last week!
  • Felt a bit shaky and hard, but looked easy on video.
• 340 lb: 2,2,3

Deadlift

Wow a bunch of strapped deadlift PRs today:

• 140 lb: 5
• 230 lb: 5
• 320 lb: 3
• 410 lb: 1
• 460 lb: 1
• 500 lb: 1
• 530 lb: 1
• 560 lb: 1 * PR!
  • 1 rep max...with straps though.
• 500 lb: 2
  • Matches my 2RM. Wanted 3.
• 460 lb: 4 * PR!
  • Wanted 5, but gassed out. Still a 4RM I believe.

Training Log: Friday May 24, 2013 is a post from: JohnPhung.com

• 10 minutes on the black Rumble Roller

Band Pull Aparts

• A bunch of reps, multiple angles with the Voodoo Floss bands

Shoulder Dislocations

• 10

L-Sit V-Grip Pull Ups

• Body weight (~200 lb): 5

Front Squat

Beltless and paused up to 230 lb.

Paused again at 260 lb.

• 45 lb: 10
• 100 lb: 10
• 140 lb: 5
• 190 lb: 3
• 230 lb: 3
• 280 lb: 2
• 330 lb: 1
• 370 lb: 2 * PR!
  • 2 rep max!
  • Only got 1 rep last week due to tweaking something in my back.
• 260 lb: 3,3,3,3,3
  • Paused.

Face Pulls

• 70 lb: 12
• 90 lb: 10

Reverse Grip Bench Press

All reps are paused.

• 45 lb: 10
• 140 lb: 5
• 230 lb: 3
• 320 lb: 1
• 355 lb: 1
• 320 lb: 3

Overhead Press

• 45 lb: 10
• 100 lb: 5
• 140 lb: 3
• 190 lb: 2
• 235 lb: 2,2
  • Wanted 3 reps, but my left thigh (vastus lateralis probably) started to cramp up on the first set, 3rd rep. Tried it again, but no go.

Barbell Curl

• 45 lb: 10
• 100 lb: 8

Training Log: Wednesday May 22, 2013 is a post from: JohnPhung.com

L-Sit Chin Up

Hook grip on my B&R bar. Done throughout the workout.

• Body weight (~200 lb): 5,5,5

Heavy Bag and Jump Rope

1 minute rest in between rounds.

Used the Gymboss interval timer to set the intervals.

• Jump rope: 3 minutes
• Jump rope: 3 minutes
• Jump rope: 3 minutes
• Jump rope: 3 minutes
• Jump rope: 3 minutes

Neck Training

Using the Ironmind neck harness and low pulley attachment.

Neck Extension (Harness)

• 30 lb: 20
• 60 lb: 20
• 100 lb: 15
• 70 lb: 10
  • Drop set.

Neck Flexion (Harness)

• 30 lb: 20
• 60 lb: 20
• 100 lb: 15
• 70 lb: 10
  • Drop set.

Neck Side Flexion (Harness)

• 30 lb: 20
• 50 lb: 20
• 70 lb: 15

Training Log: Tuesday May 21, 2013 is a post from: JohnPhung.com

• 10 minutes on the black Rumble Roller

Band Pull Aparts

• A bunch of reps, multiple angles with the Voodoo Floss bands

Shoulder Dislocations

• 10

L-Sit Chin Ups

Fat gripz.

• Body weight (~200 lb): 5

Low Bar Squat

Paused until work sets. Beltless up to 410 lb.

Not feeling very explosive on the squats at all. Going to lower the volume this week (no sets of 5).

• 45 lb: 10
• 100 lb: 10
• 140 lb: 10
• 230 lb: 5
• 320 lb: 3
• 410 lb: 1
• 440 lb: 1
• 410 lb: 3,3,3
  • +2.5 lb from last week.

High Bar Squat

• 410 lb: 3,3
  • +2.5 lb from last week.

Face Pulls

• 70 lb: 12
• 90 lb: 10

Reverse Grip Bench Press

Paused.

• 45 lb: 10
• 140 lb: 5
• 230 lb: 3
• 320 lb: 1
• 370 lb: 1
• 320 lb: 3,3,3,3,3
  • +5 lb from last week.
  • 5 sets instead of 10.

Training Log: Monday May 20, 2013 is a post from: JohnPhung.com

Here's a recap of this past week:

Bench Press: 315 lb x 10 x 3, 365 lb x 2 (2RM)

On Monday I did a bunch of paused bench presses with 315 lb for 10 sets and 3 reps a piece:

I'm getting a lot of practice with paused reps, so I think I'll be OK for the meet.

On Friday, originally I was planning on 370 lb for 2 reps, but after not setting any PRs so far this week, I decided to play it safe and go for 365 lb instead.

You'll notice in the videos that I'm using the crappy spring collars instead of my Ivanko COT-1.25. And there are no fractional plates on the bar. Usually I put on a couple of fractional plates to the bar before adding the 45s. Those collars weight 1.25 lb each, so the combined additional weight is 2.5 lb. I normally throw on 2.5 lb of fractional plates to the bar (so the total weight before the plates is 5 lb) so that my numbers look nicer.

365 lb felt pretty easy to be honest, and I'm going to try 370 lb x 2 this upcoming Friday.

Missed Squat PR's

On Wednesday I wanted to front squat 370 lb x 2, which would have been a 2RM, but after the first rep I felt a sharp pain in middle of my back, along the right side. After this, I stopped squatting.

I felt pain whenever I twisted my torso or took deep breaths. This pain persisted the next day, but it dulled quite a bit on Friday.

On Friday, I wanted to low bar squat 500 lb x 2, but missed on the 2nd rep:

I didn't feel that the mishap that I suffered from Wednesday had anything to do with missing the rep, but more like I felt tired after the first rep.

For squats, I'll just work on hitting my sets and reps and a moderate weight with speed from now on, and save any PRs for the platform in June.

Deadlifts

Of all the lifts...I'm worried about the deadlift the most. Mainly because of using a hook grip with a weight that I'm not accustomed to, and I don't train the deadlift very often.

I'm aiming for 550 lb in the competition.

I have deadlifted 550 lb before with straps, and my best with a hook grip is 540 lb. However, last Friday, I couldn't even deadlift 530 lb.

My pain tolerance for my thumbs is higher now, from a combination of deadlifting with a hook grip, and doing L-sit chin ups with a hook grip. I hope the pain tolerance will be high enough.

I think they might be using a deadlift bar during the competition. Apparently that makes it easier lift the bar off the ground (hence, getting a bigger deadlift) because the bar is not as stiff (ie. whippier). Or something like that.

For my deadlift training, I'm just going to work up to a heavy-but-non-grindy single with a hook grip, and do few sets of 3 afterwards. Nothing special really, but hopefully I end up pulling 550 in June!

Belted Bench Press

I used to wear a belt when I benched, mainly just for the hell of it. I mean, I have a belt, might as well wear it right?

However, I stopped wearing a belt for bench presses because I didn't see the point, and sometimes the buckle would pop open as I inhaled into my chest making my stomach temporarily slimmer.

But after reading this Q&A by Jennifer Petrosino, it made me re-think and reconsider wearing a belt again.

The reverse grip bench press touches the body quite low (below the sternum/upper abs) compared to a regular bench press. When I wear a belt, I can reduce the range of motion because my gut is pushed up and out (meaning, the top part of my gut - below the sternum or upper abs area - sticks out more). I haven't measured it or taken any pictures, but it looks like I get about an inch less range of motion with a belt. I'll look into this further in the future and maybe write a post, but it does seem to work in reducing ROM without the need to have a insane arch.

Also, I'm working on breathing into my belly to make it stick out more before unracking and lowering the bar.

I think with the combination of wearing a belt, and breathing into my gut making it as huge as possible, my ROM will go down, and my bench press numbers will go up.

Stuff You Should Read

1. Rogue Voodoo Floss Bands Review by John Phung (That's me!)
2. The Truth About Certifications by Don (not sure the last name)
3. Coaching The Sumo Deadlift by Jacob Cloud

365×2 Bench Press PR, Missed Squats, Deadlift Worries, Belted Bench And Stuff You Should Read is a post from: JohnPhung.com

• 10 minutes on the black Rumble Roller and lacrosse ball.

L-Sit Chin Ups

With blue Fat Gripz.

• Body weight (~200 lb): 6

Low Bar Squat

Beltless up to 410 lb.

Paused up to 460 lb.

• 45 lb: 10
• 100 lb: 10
• 140 lb: 10
• 230 lb: 5
• 320 lb: 3
• 410 lb: 1
• 440 lb: 1
• 460 lb: 1
• 490 lb: 1
  • Thinking of trying this for 2 reps, but after the first rep I was pretty certain I would not make the second.

High Bar Squat

• 420 lb: 3

Deadlift

Hook grip.

• 140 lb: 5
• 230 lb: 5
• 320 lb: 3
• 410 lb: 1
• 460 lb: 1
• 500 lb: 1
• 520 lb: 1
• 530 lb: X
• 460 lb: 3
• 410 lb: 3

Training Log: Saturday May 18, 2013 is a post from: JohnPhung.com

This elbow pain made low bar squatting unpleasant, and it wasn’t exactly fun while performing other activities such as curls, chin ups, pull ups, overhead presses and bench presses. All of which are the primary exercises I perform most of the time!

To deal with the pain, I have tried ibuprofen, adjusting my hand/arm/elbow position during the squat and adjusting my grip width for the bench (this was before I used the reverse grip).

But after watching a video by Glenn Pendlay titled “tendonitis cure”, I decided to buy myself a rubber bicycle inner tube and try it out myself.

Here’s the video:

By the way, don’t you think he looks a little bit like Commander Riker from Star Trek: The Next Generation?

Especially the Riker from Borg-overrun parallel universe in the episode “Parallels”:

Anyway, getting back on topic, I bought a bicycle inner tube, cut it as instructed in the video above, wrapped up my elbow as tight as I could and started flexing and extending my arm.

After I took it off, I felt no more pain…it worked!

I did this for a couple of weeks prior to my workouts, but there were a few issues with the rubber tubing solution.

The bicycle inner tube was it a pain in the ass to put it on by myself. It was pretty stiff, and the inner tube that I purchased was too short (it was on sale for a dollar, which is why I got it). Plus, it stunk like a rubber tire!

I made the decision to get the Rogue Voodoo Floss bands after experiencing how effective this “wrapping some rubber band around your elbow” is for eliminating elbow pain, and getting fed up with how difficult it was to wrap this short bicycle inner tube by myself.

At the time, I got the regular, black Voodoo Floss bands, but now they have a thicker version in red called the Voodoo X bands. They’re the same length and width as the original, but provide even more compression.

Rogue Voodoo Floss Bands

When I first opened up the package, I noticed a nice pleasant smell. Maybe my sense of smell is screwed up, but it smelled like bananas, or something fruity and edible. It did not smell like rubber to me.

It’s made in Srilanka out of natural latex rubber.

Here’s what it looks like in and out of the packaging:

They come in pairs, and are 7’ long, 2’ wide and can stretch to 150% it’s length. It says 17’ on the piece of paper that came with the bands, but according to my calculations, 150% of 7’ is 10’ 6”.

There’s also a 28’ long version of the Voodoo Floss bands for those who want to cut their own lengths.

Compared to the rubber bicycle inner tube, the Voodoo floss bands are much more stretchy and softer in texture which makes it a lot easier to put on.

How To Use It

I’ve only used this on my elbow joint, so I cannot speak about how it works for the knee, ankles and other parts of the body.

Here’s what I do in a nutshell: I put on the bands by myself, making sure to wrap it really tight, and flex and extend my elbow multiple times. After about 30 seconds to 1 minute, I take off the wraps.

Here's a bigger picture of my elbow wrapped up:

And here’s what it looks like when I take them off! The red marks are temporary.

Below are some videos by Kelly Starrett demonstrating how to use the Voodoo Floss bands in more detail:

Elbows

Patella Femoral Pain

Shoulders

Ankles

How Do Voodoo Floss Bands Work?

So this is probably why it’s called “Voodoo”.

I couldn’t find anything solid that explains how the Voodoo Floss bands work, other than a bunch of bro-sciencey sounding stuff.

I’m sure in the future Science will explain how it works, but in the meantime, I’m satisfied that it just works.

When I am preparing to workout and my elbow tendonitis is acting up, I am not concerned with how the Rogue Voodoo Floss bands work. I only care that they work and take away the pain so I can exercise without the golfer’s elbow interrupting my workout.

Alternative Uses: Band Pull Aparts

I don’t experience elbow pain all the time, so I don’t wrap my elbows very often.

However, I do use it before just about every workout as part of my shoulder warmup. I perform band pull-aparts (which I don’t think I have recorded in my training logs) usually after I’m done torturing myself on the Rumble Roller.

I find that performing band pull aparts using the Voodoo Floss bands, followed by some shoulder dislocations prior to low bar squatting has eliminated just about all shoulder pain I used to experience from low bar squats.

Conclusion

The Rogue Voodoo Floss bands is the most effective way that I have come across to take away any elbow pain almost instantly, at least temporarily.

I would say that it’s an essential tool in your toolbox (gym bag or home gym) not only as a something to get rid of nagging joint pain via compression, but also as a shoulder warm up tool through band aparts.

It’s a drug-free way to eliminate pain. I’m not sure if it’s a permanent fix, but it works better and faster than anything else I have tried.

If you’re suffering from elbow pain, but don’t want to fork out $24 for a pair of 7’ long, 2” wide rubber bands, then pick up an inner bike tire and try this method out for yourself.

You’ll probably encounter the same experience I have, that is getting rid of the elbow pain with the inner bike tire, and then getting frustrated with trying to put it on and getting annoyed by the rubbery smell that you’ll eventually reconsider buying the Rogue Voodoo Floss bands.

And don’t take my word for it.

Check out the reviews on Rogue Voodoo Floss bands for yourself and read what other people say about them.

Rogue Voodoo Floss Bands Review is a post from: JohnPhung.com

• 10 minutes on the black Rumble Roller and lacrosse ball.

L-Sit Chin Ups

With blue Fat Gripz.

• Body weight (~200 lb): 6

Low Bar Squat

Paused until work sets.

Beltless up to 410 lb.

• 45 lb: 10
• 100 lb: 10
• 140 lb: 10
• 230 lb: 5
• 320 lb: 3
• 410 lb: 1
• 440 lb: 1
• 460 lb: 1
• 500 lb: 1
  • 1st rep felt hard, and I missed on the 2nd rep.
• 420 lb: 3

Face Pulls

• 70 lb: 13
• 90 lb: 12

Reverse Grip Bench Press

Paused until 365x2.

• 45 lb: 10
• 140 lb: 5
• 230 lb: 3
• 280 lb: 1
• 330 lb: 1
• 365 lb: 2 * PR!
  • 2 rep max!
  • I was planning on attempting 370x2, but I wussed out and did 365 instead.
• 330 lb: 3,2,2
  • Paused.
  • Last rep on the first set was tough.
  • I think I'll start doing all doubles next Friday.

Training Log: Friday May 17, 2013 is a post from: JohnPhung.com

• 15 minutes on the black Rumble Roller and lacrosse ball.

L-Sit V-Grip Pull Ups

• Body weight (~200 lb): 6

Front Squat

• 45 lb: 10
• 100 lb: 10
• 140 lb: 5
• 230 lb: 3
• 280 lb: 1
• 330 lb: 1
• 370 lb: 1
  • Wanted to go for 2 reps, but felt a little twinge in the middle of my back on the right side.
  • Going to stop front squatting here, don't want to make this any worst.

Face Pulls

• 70 lb: 12
• 90 lb: 10

Reverse Grip Bench Press

All reps are paused.

Wore my Romaleos 2 and didn't use the 35 lb plates under my feet today.

• 45 lb: 10
• 140 lb: 5
• 230 lb: 3
• 280 lb: 1
• 320 lb: 1
• 350 lb: 1
  • Ugly rep.
• 340 lb: 1,1
• 320 lb: 3

Overhead Press

• 45 lb: 10
• 75 lb: 8
• 100 lb: 5
• 140 lb: 5

Barbell Curl

• 45 lb: 10
• 100 lb: 6,6,8

Training Log: Wednesday May 15, 2013 is a post from: JohnPhung.com

• 15 minutes

L-Sit Chin Up

Hook grip on my B&R bar. Done throughout the workout.

• Body weight (~200 lb): 6,6,6,6,6,6,6

Heavy Bag and Jump Rope

1 minute rest in between rounds.

Used the Gymboss interval timer to set the intervals.

• Jump rope: 3 minutes
• Jump rope: 3 minutes
• Jump rope: 3 minutes
• Jump rope: 3 minutes
• Jump rope: 3 minutes
• Jump rope: 3 minutes

Neck Training

Using the Ironmind neck harness and low pulley attachment.

Neck Extension (Harness)

• 30 lb: 20
• 60 lb: 20
• 100 lb: 10
• 120 lb: 5,5
• 90 lb: 10
  • Drop set. Done right after last set of neck side flexion.
• 70 lb: 10
  • Drop set.

Neck Flexion (Harness)

• 30 lb: 20
• 60 lb: 20
• 100 lb: 10
• 120 lb: 5,5
• 90 lb: 10
  • Drop set.
• 70 lb: 10
  • Drop set.

Neck Side Flexion (Harness)

• 30 lb: 20
• 50 lb: 20
• 70 lb: 10
• 90 lb: 5,5
• 70 lb: 10
  • Drop set.

Training Log: Tuesday May 14, 2013 is a post from: JohnPhung.com