T Nation

Mr. Program Hopper

#1412

Shit nice rows

#1413

Gotta keep that back and grip strong man!

DEADLIFT (ss: Mobility)
405x3
425x3
445x3
465x2+3 (straps on last 3)
385x6

CABLE ROWS (ss: Push Ups, Curls)
Whole stack @ 3x15

CONDITIONING CIRCUIT
Did something similar to this since I had a training partner today. This shit is no joke!

#1414

FRONT SQUAT (ss: Mobility)
335x5
335x5
335x5
335x5
335x5

INVERTED ROWS, CURLS, PUSH UPS
100 each

FRAME CARRY (TRAP BAR)
315 x 50 yards
315 x 50 yards
315 x 50 yards

Hands were SHOT after this workout. No rows for me tomorrow lol. On a side note, shoulder is getting better. Push Ups have minimal pain.

#1415

@twojarslave Hey man, can I get your meat loaf recipe? Iā€™ve never made meatloaf in my life. But having something like that would be great for me. Thanks!

#1416

You bet.

For the meat, I usually go with as good of quality as I can find, usually grass-fed beef but no big deal if just regular supermarket stuff. Iā€™ll sometimes put ground bison in instead of beef if it is on sale, but it will be ā€œdryerā€ because of the leaner meat. Ground veal can work fine too, either as a pork or beef substitute, but I always go with at least one pound of beef. You can throw a few egg yolks in as well to add fat if you like. But below is how I normally do it

2 pounds 85/15 ground beef
1 pound ground pork.
2 large eggs
1 and 1/2 cups of oatmeal. Bread or bread crumbs can work fine here too, but oatmeal is better nutrition.

Thatā€™s what I consider the ā€œbaseā€ of the meatloaf. Seasonings I change up all the time. If you want really easy just add a packet of Liptonā€™s beef and onion soup mix or onion soup mix. Itā€™s the cheap dry powder stuff usually by the gravy section. Hit it with as much salt and pepper as you think you need, mix it up and off you go.

For a little bit smokier flavor Iā€™ll go with a few teaspoons of hot smoked paprika.

A few splashes of worchester sauce or liquid aminos can add some umami.

Iā€™ll usually put some garlic powder in there, maybe a few teaspoons (I donā€™t measure much, just eyeball). Fresh garlic can work well too. A few cloves crushed up.

Onion powder can work well, so can can dicing up onions as big or small as you like.

You can throw diced green peppers or red peppers in there too. I usually donā€™t but I have before.

If you think your meatloaf is coming out dry, you can chop up bits of bacon and mix that in too, or add more egg yolk or go with fattier meats.

Itā€™s really all about what flavors you want to impart and how fatty/juicy you want it to be. I tend to like beefy/onion/garlic, but itā€™s pretty hard to mess up unless you over-season it.

Once youā€™ve got your ā€œbaseā€ and whatever else you want to throw in to the loaf selected, just mix it up in a big old bowl. I just use my hands and mush it around until everything is evenly incorporated. A mixer would get the job done fine too Iā€™m sure.

Once it is all mixed together I put it on a baking sheet and shape it into a loaf, about the same size as a large loaf of bread. Some people prefer to bake it in a pan, but I like a crust on the entire outside of my meatloaf.

Bake at 350 for one hour. If your loaf is thicker or thinner you may need to adjust by 5 min or so. If you plan on slicing it and grilling the slices on a cast iron pan, it doesnā€™t hurt to undercook the meatloaf just a little, like maybe 5 min or so and a little bit red in the center.

Another tip for slicing is to let the loaf completely cool in the refrigerator. Slice it when chilled with a very sharp knife to get an even surface that will brown up nicely in a cast iron pan or something similar. If you slice it while itā€™s hot it will be chunky and wonā€™t grill up so nice later on.

Meatloaf is really a great way to make up a bunch of protein and once you get the basic idea down it is easy to play around to suit your preferences and pretty hard to mess up. Iā€™ve made a lot of other, more elaborate meatloafs off of sites like Americaā€™s Test Kitchen, but they are generally a big pain in the ass. This takes me like 5 minutes to prep, which is why I always go back to it.

I like to grill up slices with red onion, a little bit of cheddar and some barbeque sauce or ketchup. Great for sandwiches or just like that if youā€™re keeping carbs low. Sometimes Iā€™ll make up a nice onion mushroom gravy to go along with it. Itā€™s just a really versatile, cheap and easy meal.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!

#1417

Oh and a few more things. Dontā€™ add more onion powder if youā€™re going with the soup mix method unless you really think it needs more onion flavor.

This would also be killer on a Big Green Egg. I never pulled the trigger on that this year, but I probably will next year.

#1418

Thanks man, I appreciate the detailed write up!

What type of oatmeal do you use? Do you cook it before? I only have steel cut, so before making it want to make sure I donā€™t fuck it up lol.

#1419

Just regular dry oatmeal with the pilgrim on it, straight out of the tube. It soaks up the fat from the meat as it cooks, so no need to cook ahead of time. Makes prep really easy.

I donā€™t see why steel cut wouldnā€™t work but Iā€™ve never used it.

#1420

Oatmeal is also something you can add more or less of, depending on what you like. Like I said, really hard to mess it up. Play around and see what you like.

#1421

Sounds good man! Iā€™m going to try this on Sunday for my meal prep!

#1422

POWER CLEAN (ss: Mobility)
135x5
155x3
185x3
205x3
225x3
245x3
265x3
285x3 (PR!)
315xFAIL lol
285x2
245 @ 4x2

T-BAR ROW (ss: Lunges, Abs)
Filled the thing with 25ā€™s @ 4x12

SPRINT
6 sprints @ probably 90%.

NOTES
A few people stopped to watch me power clean once I put 285+ on lol. I only know this because at the gym the platforms face a mirror. Then after my power clean session I had a group of 2 kids and one adult come talk to me to ask me how someone on the smaller side can put up that much weight. I told them my secret : steak burritos, spinach and lift heavy lol.

#1423

Eatinā€™ thick and liftinā€™ heavy! Also, just a general reminder that I am always impressed (and jealous) of your strength feats.

#1424

I honestly donā€™t think I eat more than 3000 calories in a day. But I think just the consistency of eating well (mostly) and lifting heavy and hard day in and day out has helped. I just looked up what i ate yesterday and I ate 2632 cals lol.

Thanks man! But no feats here at all.

Iā€™m just an average guy that decided to:

  1. Not overthink
  2. Keep it simple as fuck
  3. Lift heavy and often
  4. Run a bit, stretch a bit
  5. Eat well
  6. And do that for a prolonged period of time.
  7. Be aggressive when lifting

Itā€™s funny because my first 3 years of training I did 5x5 and got nowhere at all. I was still only squatting 185 benching 155 and all of that.

But my last 3 years of training Iā€™ve basically have still done 5x5 mostly but obviously have gotten to where I am now lol.

Lifting is EASY, itā€™s your mind thatā€™s difficult to master!

#1425

Strong lifting in here!!

#1426

Per hand??

#1427

What the hell!! Youā€™re a beast

#1428

Thanks man!

Fuck no lol. Iā€™m not a mutant. Itā€™s more of frame carry (trap bar) with 315 on it.

Lol, thanks man. Just explosiveness!

#1429

I wouldnt have been surprised if it was per hand haha.

Share with me some of that! I need it lol

#1430

Do a lot of jumps (especially broad jumps) and explosive front squats. If you can front squat it for 3-5 you should be able to clean it (with practice)!

#1431

BACK SQUAT (ss: Ab Wheel - 5x15)
135x10
185x3
225x3
275x3
315x3
365x3
385x1
405x8
405x7
405x5
315x10

15 min AMRAP
5 - pistol squats
5 - broad jumps
10 - push ups