| Kill With Power; Die!! Die!! | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 5 2005, 07:37 PM (10,154 Views) | |
| Matt Frost | Sep 25 2005, 03:22 AM Post #226 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Wow, what a day. Fun, competitive, intense. It was such a great competition. My training partner Doug Kirby, who I call "The Terminator" for his inhuman, cyborg-like single-minded focus while doing the events, won his third straight NAS contest in a row and is on his way to nationals on November 5th. I'm rooting hard for the guy, he's just a gifted athlete with unlimited raw power and potential. My other training partner, Craig Strohmeyer, placed 5th in the LW Open (-231) category, beating out several larger competitors to gain his best finish in a NAS contest. I placed 8th out of 13 guys, which was not my best finish, but it was pretty close between some of us. Only 3 points separated me from the top 5, and had I done better in the truck pull I would have most likely been top 5. Here's a brief summary: 1. Axle Clean & Press for reps, 225 lbs, 60 seconds. I took myself back to Yoda & Reggie's coaching. From Yoda- pace myself and don't try to go too fast, and control the axle not just on the way up, but on the way down too. From Reggie- when your body starts telling you to quit, don't listen to it. You can always push yourself a little harder. I scored 5 reps, which is a contest-best for me in this event. Bruised my left leg pretty badly on this while lowering the axle on the first rep. With a lighter weight I can use my legs to slow the weight to the floor, but 225 hit it pretty hard. 2. Farmer's Walk, 255/hand, 100 feet, no drops, 60 seconds. I got a little past 75' and lost my grip. The handles were not bare metal like the ones at Iron Sport, these had a coat of paint on them making them just a little bit slicker. I was a little miffed at my performance here seeing as I just did this weight last week, but, I put it behind me and got myself set for the truck pull. 3. Truck Pull- 20-ton fire engine for 50', 60 seconds. Going into this, I got myself pretty psyched. I was 350 on the scale, bodyweight was on my side, but, something else wasn't- experience. The harness fit well enough, and my new shoes had plenty of grip. What did me in, I think, was impatience. I had no trouble getting the initial pull, moving the truck, but I had no idea when to start trying to take steps. I should have taken two or three good, solid, complete pulls before I tried pumping my feet. I just couldn't establish any kind of rhythm on this, and when time was called, I had only moved the truck 23'. I was quite disappointed, as this tie-for-last finish really hurt me in the overall standings. I was only mollified by the fact that this was a tough event, and only 3 out of the 13 guys took the truck the distance. 4. Tire Medley- 650, 780, 1000 tire, 2 flips each, 60 seconds. Revenge was mine. They used the starting method of last-goes-first in next event rule, so I was second on the tire for the heavies, following Nick, whom I tied with on the truck pull. The two 650 flips went quick. The two 780 flips were fast. A quck breath and I hit the pig with all I had. This tire was just like the Iron Sport tire but slightly bigger. The tread pattern was identical, and that helped a lot. The two flips went- slowly, but they went, and I completed the tire medley in 54 seconds. Another contest-best for me, finishing the tire flip. I did a Svend-like leap on the tire and bellowed "VICTORY!!", the crowd was into it, but my time didn't stand up to everyone- I placed 5th overall in the event. 2nd through 5th place in this were all within 3 seconds of each other too. Doug Kirby did it in 39. The fuckin' Terminator, I'm telling you. 5. Stones- 180, 245, 275, 300, 330, 44" platform for all stones, 60 seconds. Same weights as last year's stones in this contest. I popped the first three stones in 10 seconds, took a breath, grabbed that 300, pulled for all I was worth. I came within mere inches of getting it over the lip, but it slipped just a little. I regripped and pulled some more, but I started to lean to one side and had to drop the stone. I had 25 seconds. Another lap and pull, this time again, I came close to placing it, but my legs were running out of steam. A third pull with 10 seconds ticking got it to my lap, but I ran out of time and energy. I left everything out there, though, so even though it was an 8th place finish, it was one I fought tooth and nail for. This is going to close out my season this year. I've decided to forego nationals and focus on maximizing strength, event work, and conditioning, as well as allow myself to heal up. I was lucky today, my wrist and adductor gave me no trouble beyond some mild discomfort. Four others weren't so lucky- one competitor tore a bicep, another possibly his achilles. One guy split his finger open loading a stone when he pinched it between the platform and the stone, and Nick pulled his groin to the point where he had to back out before the stones. I honestly hope that these injuries were overstated, and that the competitors heal up completely and come back stronger. My thanks go out to Cam Gardner, Kirk Nowack, Kevin Nowack, Walt Gogola, Al Thompson, Strong & Shapely Gym for having us (sorry about the bathroom counter, someone broke the veneer and the owner was pissed, so he didn't allow any of us male competitors to use the bathrooms, lockers, or showers... do you know what it's like changing out of your Rehbands and Under Armours in a parking lot in broad daylight with a towel that is almost too small being the only thing separating you from Irish embarrassment?), Dan, Donavon & his wife for coming to cheer me on and take pics (coming soon), my training partners Craig & Doug for inspiring me, and everyone who came to watch- half the entry fee went towards Hurricane Relief efforts in the Gulf Coast. Thanks all, and next year, I'm winning. |
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| Jamie | Sep 25 2005, 05:54 AM Post #227 |
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First Moderator on the SDF; first to have moderator title revoked.
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Great work, Matt. Some solid performances, and it looks like you've got some fire leading into the off-season. Where did Bud place? |
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| Llamapower | Sep 25 2005, 08:06 AM Post #228 |
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Not The Mama
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Good stuff Matt! :rock |
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| Frozenkilt | Sep 25 2005, 02:37 PM Post #229 |
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Online douche. GOLD! I need more Gold
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Tight contest and a solid performance, Matt. Great work and nice looking plan for the next little while and the next year. Been a good year for you, training and competition-wise. - Sean |
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| Matt Frost | Sep 25 2005, 03:12 PM Post #230 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Bud placed 2nd in the Men's Open. I tell you, I really liked the way the weight classes were set up- just like Nats. LW and HW Teen, LW and HW Open, same weight distinctions (105kg over and under). I don't see NAS foregoing weight classes that they have entirely but this kind of setup makes things a whole lot more competitive. |
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| Matt Frost | Sep 25 2005, 03:36 PM Post #231 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Thank you Sean. My immediate plan is to heal up. I need some active recovery. I think this hypertrophy program I am on will be good for that since the weights are not excruciating. I have to step up the pace of those workouts though, and burn more calories. Instead of worrying about "cardio" on machines I am just going to fix my bicycle and ride to work (if it's raining or snowing) and walk if the weather is decent. I only drive two days a week, and it's a little over 2 miles to work, so let's go! I'll probably drop some weight on that, and depending on how fast I walk, conditioning will also improve. Event focus means I am going to work hardest on the events I did poorly in this year, which are farmer's walk (need stronger grip and foot speed), stones (have to start lapping 300 pound stones consistently), truck pull/forward drags, and yoke (even though I've been improving at this, I want to continue that trend). For overheads, I plan on alternating between log and axle week-to-week, and changing pressing techniques as well as effort. Example- one week I will do max effort log using push-jerks, next week dynamic effort axle with strict & push press, then switch techniques- next will be DE log/strict or push andnext will be ME axle with power/split jerks. So an event session will look like: Overhead Farmer's Yoke & Drag or car pulls Stones And I will also apply some ME/DE variations to the other events too, just so I don't get burned out. Gym focus will be on this program for now, but then I want to hit a serious strength gain program, bring up my DL and Squat, continue to work the bench press and inclines. I plan on hitting next season like a category 5 hurricane. Seeing Doug's success and relentless approach to events- that's where I want to be. And the only thing that'll get me there is busting my ass. |
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| NickGiammarresi | Sep 25 2005, 03:49 PM Post #232 |
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from this year to last year you made huge improvements. Awesome job |
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| Matt Frost | Sep 27 2005, 01:33 PM Post #233 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Thanks Nick, I hope I improve just as much if not more next year. I have some pictures I will be posting later this evening, have to update my website and such. I am still waiting for some pics from others, and I am hoping to get one or two from the pro photographer who was there. When I do that, I'll post a nice write-up in the Competitions section. |
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| Matt Frost | Sep 29 2005, 05:20 PM Post #234 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Taking the week off due to a giant bruise on my left quad. This thing is monstrous. I have pics I will post, but it's just ugly. From the axle, mostly, but this is also the leg I wedge under the tire too. It's still sore to the touch, though the pain and discoloration is beginning to fade. Will be doing some light events on Saturday. |
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| Lance Peterson | Sep 30 2005, 03:04 PM Post #235 |
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GREAT JOB AT THE CONTES! Heal up soon! |
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| Matt Frost | Oct 2 2005, 03:13 PM Post #236 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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Saturday, October 1. Couldn't ask for better weather. Sunny and cool outside. It was so nice that the usual Saturday crowd was absent from the gym. There were only a handful of people there, and it's usually pretty busy on Saturday morning. Trained with Craig (who should be starting a journal here if he hasn't already). Since I had rested all week, the plan was light weight, higher reps. Started with the 12" log. 12' Log: log (100 lbs) x 1 clean, 10 presses log x 10 cleans, 10 presses 144 x 5 cleans, 5 presses 198 x 5 cleans, 5 presses 218 x 5 cleans, 5 presses 242 x 1 clean, 7 standing presses (an assortment of push presses and push-jerks) I wore my Chuck Taylors on this because Walt mentioned that flat-soled shoes are better for a 12" log. Of course he was right, hehe. You get a lot more leg drive that way. Farmer's Walk: 85/hand x 150', one turn 175/hand x 150', one turn 175/hand x 250', three turns. Ack. Lost it in the home stretch, as I was shooting for two laps. My legs gave out before my grip did. After that third turn, each step seemed like my legs got heavier and heavier, I couldn't pick up my feet, and my legs buckled. I was sucking wind like crazy. My goal here is to build grip endurance and conditioning so I can move faster and hold on to the weight. So, once I complete the two laps with 175 in each hand I'll bump it up 20 lbs. each and start the process all over again. In other splendid news, Reggie brought a nice rope to the gym. We were gonna use it but Craig was anxious to hit the stones. As I was warming up on the small stone, I felt a twinge of irregular pain in my left knee. I repositioned my feet and lifted again, and there it was. I decided to pass on the stones, because even with the light stone, it felt like it could give out if I pushed it. I may have twisted it slightly on that last farmer's walk. And, despite a good, thorough warmup of my shoulders, I tweaked something in my right shoulder blade on those log presses. The bruise is slowly going away. People were quite mortified by the sight of it yesterday. I had a fleeting fear that whatever blood vessels I broke in there were sill bleeding, and I hope that isn't the case, but if this lasts another week with little change I am going to the doctor. The area is a little sore today but doesn't look like it's bruising further. This pic was taken Monday following the contest: ![]() These were taken Tuesday. The bruising traveled around to the back of my leg. Right now it is the same size, but a little darker on the back side and fading on my quad. ![]() ![]() Trust me, it looks a whole lot worse than it feels. |
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| Llamapower | Oct 2 2005, 03:20 PM Post #237 |
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Not The Mama
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SHIT!!! That looks terrible! |
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| Caber McJock | Oct 3 2005, 02:57 PM Post #238 |
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I agree
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Don't be too surprised if it gets even bigger. I had a similar experience with a 150lb DB, and the bruise went from my hip to my heel. It was so bad when I went for Physio they brought in students to see it, and I overheard their instructor telling them I was in a car accident.
I like that idea. The walking will be a good type of cv work for guy your weight, and if you're in a hurry you can bike. Perfect! |
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| Matt Frost | Oct 3 2005, 03:30 PM Post #239 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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How long did you have lingering pain for, Jeff? I am still feeling some twinges and soreness. It's almost like I can feel the fluid still in there, though most of it has dissipated on my quad. And do you think it's OK to train on? |
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| Caber McJock | Oct 3 2005, 03:49 PM Post #240 |
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I agree
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It was actually damn near crippling for about a week. After that I had some soreness whenever I squatted for a while too. Is it still sore to touch? I would rest it a while longer if so. |
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| Frozenkilt | Oct 3 2005, 04:00 PM Post #241 |
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Online douche. GOLD! I need more Gold
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Bromelain time! - Sean |
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| Matt Frost | Oct 3 2005, 05:08 PM Post #242 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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It's sore to the touch, and when I bend my leg or lay on my stomach (when I sleep). It was never cripplingly painful, though. Sean- what is Bromelain? |
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| Caber McJock | Oct 3 2005, 05:19 PM Post #243 |
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I agree
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Yeah, i would give it a couple of days more Matt. If it sticks around, you could maybe try some ultrasound to help get it broken up a bit. Big bone bruises like that are a total bitch. Happens in football a lot if you take a helmet on the thigh. |
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| Frozenkilt | Oct 3 2005, 06:24 PM Post #244 |
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Online douche. GOLD! I need more Gold
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Pineapple extract. Generally used as a digestive aid when taken with food to help breakdown protein. But, when taken on an empty stomach and in higher than the usual recommended dosage, there's some anecdotal evidence that shows that it helps break up bruises and some muscle scarring, allowing bruises to heal a lot faster. - Sean |
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| Caber McJock | Oct 3 2005, 08:07 PM Post #245 |
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I agree
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I bet your colon will have some 'anecdotes' after this. |
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| Matt Frost | Oct 4 2005, 12:50 AM Post #246 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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I think I'll just skip my squats tomorrow. It's really going away quickly, drinking a lot of water has helped. |
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| Matt Frost | Oct 5 2005, 02:46 AM Post #247 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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I feel so... alive. It's really good to be back. As much as I enjoyed the week of rest I had last week, I just didn't feel properly vented. I stressed out way too easy. I've come to realize that I need to train. If I don't, not only does my body suffer, but my mind does as well. It has become an anchor in my life, to which everything else is attached. For example- I eat healthier when I am training. When I skip sessions, even out of necessity, I also tend to lose discipline in my diet. I don't go to bed and wake up at the same times. But when I train, it all seems to fall into place a lot easier for me. It's become my purpose, my focus. Without it, I fall apart. So with this, my introduction back into training picks up on week 2 of the hypertrophy program I am on. Power Cleans: warmup 50kg x 1 power clean, 1 hang clean, x 2 143 x 6 163 x 6 198 x 6 220 x 4 While I wasn't entirely dissatisfied with these, they could have been better. I really caught most of them upright, but I've been trying to remember to drive my hips back, heels to the platform, and stick those elbows out. A couple of times I tweaked my right wrist, which I had jammed on my last PR clean. I isolated the cause of the pain- when I catch the weight before my elbows are all the way through, the bar jars straight down on my wrist. Imagine catching a barbell with your wrist set, oh, say, how it is when you bench press. On the reps where I let the bar cradle in my fingertips, I felt no stress and pain, and only a little after jarring the wrist on the 90kg set. So, I am going to really drill that full clean and work on my catch on the lighter days, and stagger the reps so that it's 1 full clean, 1 quick hang clean- just a shrug and a drop into a front squat. Will keep icing and wrapping my wrist too, as well as working in some strengthening exercises for it. On a positive note, I thought I would be a lot more winded after so many reps, but I really wasn't. Sweating a lot, sure, but I felt good, never tired. Not even throughout the rest of my workout. Bench Press: warmup bar x 10, 135 x 10 155 x 10 165 x 10 185 x 10 185 x 10 Not too bad. I had a fellow lifter come check my form. I used a medium grip. Each rep was controlled from the moment I unracked the weight. I've learned to use my lats to pull my chest up to the bar without too much of an arch and without my ass leaving the bench. I let the bar touch, and I get a good but controlled drive off of the chest. My partner, who is more of a chest & guns guy who is making the transition to the Dark Side, said I should not quite lock out to keep my pecs fully involved, and I did get quite a burn on the last two sets. My goal here, after all, is to get a bigger chest. Front Squat: 143 x 10 163 x 4 OK. Stopped that pretty quickly. I was getting these sharp, progressive pains in my left knee just below my patella. I should have warmed up a little more, perhaps. I kind of just jumped into the work sets. My knees were not bothering me at all during the cleans. Either way, I decided to back off on these for now. Could be related to the bruise, or the tweak I had during the stones on Saturday. Will do some regular stretching and see how it feels next week. Military Press: 95 x 10 95 x 10 95 x 10 95 x 10 The weight called for on the chart was ridiculously light, so I just made it 95 all around. This gave me quite a burn in my shoulders. Tight form, feet together, all strict reps, no bounce. Calf Press: 315 x 15 315 x 15 370 x 12 370 x 12 Easy enough, these felt very light to me. Did them on the leg press machine and I only counted plate weight. Tricep Rope Pressdown/DB Front Raise superset: 60 x 12/35's x 12 60 x 12/35's x 12 70 x 10/35's x 12 70 x 10 Pressdowns were tit, but the front raises were challenging, especially when you control the negative portion of the exercise. I see a lot of people who just let the dumbbell fall once they raise it, and even I caught myself after that first set. Adductor Machine. Yes, the thighmaster. But, it's good for rehabbing pulled groins, and I wanted to see if my pull was healing OK. I did a few sets. 40 x 10 60 x 10 80 x 10 Felt OK. The machine is hard to get into, one could almost pull their groin simply trying to climb into the machine. Abs- Machine Crunches: 90 x 10 90 x 10 90 x 10. Called it a night. The cleans took forever because I was rotating in with about 4 other lifters. Took me almost 50 minutes just to get through 4 sets of cleans, so I wanted to go through the rest of my training as fast as possible. The rest lasted me an hour and fifteen, some of that was trying to address my knee pain on the front squats (I was hesitant to quit- I tried Icy Hot and some hamstring stretching, and that helped, but the pain would creep up with each successive rep, so I figured, better not tempt fate). |
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| NickGiammarresi | Oct 5 2005, 12:39 PM Post #248 |
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Hey Matt here is the link for the NJ strongestman photos! [URL=http://www.prophotoalliance.com/...13&folder= BTW I see you do some calf work in your program....Im going to start doing some also I must have the damn skinniest calves around!!!! |
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| Caber McJock | Oct 5 2005, 12:55 PM Post #249 |
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I agree
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These are what, power cleans? |
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| Matt Frost | Oct 5 2005, 04:04 PM Post #250 |
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Fuckin' SLAYER!!
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2:16 PM Jul 11
