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Strength Dedication Ambition


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Posted by: Gazhole

Right. Never done a training journal so here goes. May not use it, but at least ill use it for today.

See what happens, eh?

***

PUSH

Bench Press - 6, 6, 6, 4 @ 32.5KG DBs
Overhead Press - 8, 8 @ 45KG BB
Weighted Push Ups - 8, 8, 8 @ BW + 15KG
Flat Flys - 6, 6, 4, 3 @ 27.5KG DBs
Arnold Press - 6, 4 @ 20KG DBs
Skullcrushers - 8, 8, 8 @ 25KG TB

Bit of a weird routine today, didnt have my sheet on me, so forgot what i was supposed to be doing, so simply made a routine up on the fly.

I accidently went heavier on the DB presses because im a moron and seemingly cant add up basic numbers, but actually managed to lift it convincingly.

The problem became apparent later on in the workout, when my other exercises suffered from the fatigue brought on earlier on. Oops.

Overhead press went well, push-ups were no problem. Couldnt do dips, unfortunately, since i was training at a friends house, so went a bit heavier on those too. With pretty good results.

Flat flys went pretty badly, due to the fatigue, if it happens again ill have to take them down by a bit of weight i guess. I hate being in a rush.

Arnold presses failed on second set, so i did some lateral raises to finish off the set after a rest pause. Gotta hit everything somehow :P.

Since recently taking my ego down an notch and lowering the weight on my skullcrushers to get the form right on, i was very pleased with how they went. Only went a tad out on the last set, elbows flaring a bit etc. Definitely felt the difference good form can have.

All in all a strange mish mash of what i usually do, but it felt pretty good once i was done, everything felt like it had been hit pretty hard, and i inadvertantly got a new PR on dumbell bench, so whatever.

Right. Hungry.


Posted by: Gazhole

PULL

Chin Ups - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ BW + 15KG
Deadlifts - 4, 4, 6, 4 @ 70KG BB
Upright Rows - 8, 8, 8, 8 @ 40KG BB
Curls - 6, 6, 6 @ 45KG BB
Bent Over Rows - 8, 8, 8 @ 65KG BB
Shrugs - 8, 8 @ 32.5KG DBs
Bench Rows - 6, 6 @ 25KG DB

Not too sure about this one either today. Either gonna take a set off curls or chins i think. By the time i got to curls my biceps were dead, i attempted (and failed) a 50KG BB Curl, but dropped down to 45KG to do my proper sets.

Not quite there yet.

Deadlifts however i was very pleased with. New PR at 70KG for 6 reps, after 2 sets at 4 reps i felt like i could do more so next week ill bump it up to 4x6 and see what happens.

Bent over rows need some work though. Form was a bit sloppy today, may have to take the weight back down to 60KG again and work on them. Sigh!

That said, my back is aching like hell right now, 20 minutes on.

This of course is a modified version of what ive been doing lately, in an effort to get rid of isolation in order to leave myself less fatigued to lift heavier on the big 3 exercises (you know what they are by now).

Worked on monday for bench, however inadvertantly, and it seems to have worked today for deads.

Next up...squats!


Posted by: Gazhole

LEGS

Full Squats - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 60KG BB
Lunges - 8, 8 @ 50KG BB
Hack Squats - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 65KG BB
Good Mornings - 6, 6 @ 40KG BB
Heel Raises - 16, 16, 16, 16 @ 60KG BB

Good one today. Attempted a new PR on Full Squats, but just didnt work out. Strange how 5KG can make the difference between success and failure. Nevermind, ill try again next week.

But even though i didnt get a PR on Full Squats like i was going for, i got a PR on every single other exercise in my workout today.

No wonder i'm feeling so dead. Very pleased!

Hams got hit rather hard today, for a change, its usually all quads. Glad to get some balance between them.

The only problem is that ive noticed leg day is incredibly tough on my knees, theyve always been pretty sensitive. I remember a topic in training where somebody said about a supplement to help with joint pain, specifically the knees in that topic again.

Cant seem to find the topic, but does anybody have any ideas about this? Fish oil? I dunno. Need something though methinks.

Thats assuming anybody actually reads this but me!

Its way too hot outside today. I need some water.


Posted by: Gazhole

PUSH

Dips - 8, 8, 8 @ BW + 15KG
Bench Press - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 32.5KG DBs
Overhead Press - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 50KG BB
Push Ups - 8, 8, 8 @ BW + 15KG
Flys - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 25KG DBs
Front Raises - 6, 6 @ 20KG DB
Skullcrushers - 6, 6 @ 30KG TB

Bloody hell. My shoulders are aching like a hooker's crotch.

Chest and triceps went well, havent lifted that heavy on skullcrushers since i took it all the way down to work on my form, which was pretty tight today.

New PR for weighted dips today also, pleased with that. Kept leaning forward randomly though, which im gonna need to work on, because my chest gets hit hard enough as it is from the DB presses.

Overhead press was my only gripe today, form got really shakey near the end of the last 2 sets, little bit of body english here and there. Dissapointed because it was otherwise a solid session today.

Phew.

USN have changed their formula for Whey Protein again, and its pretty vile if i do say so myself. It smells like raw butterscotch cookie dough mixed with burnt strawberries.

Why must they change it so much?

Anyway. Excellence. Next session going for a PR on deadlift, because after last time i KNOW i can do much more for 4x4. Gonna go for 80KG.Will be one of the VERY few times ive ever lifted more than my bodyweight, certainly the heaviest weight ive ever lifted in my life.

Nuttin but a peanut.


Posted by: Gazhole

PULL

Chin Ups - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ BW + 15KG
Deadlifts - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 80KG BB
Upright Rows - 8, 8, 8 @ 40KG BB
Curls - 6, 6, 6 @ 45KG BB
Bent Over Rows - 8, 8, 8, 8 @ 60KG BB
Shrugs - 8, 8 @ 32.5KG DBs
Bench Rows - 6, 6 @ 30KG DB

Yeah, some improvement there. My form would have sucked on Bent Over Rows today if i hadnt have taken the weight down (though i still managed 2 more reps per set and a 4th set even though all i took off was 5KG...).

Is all down to the Deadlifts. Very chuffed with those. I still need to work on Deadlift form, i generally practice with just the bar, gonna try and do more of that. If i get my form corrected in the next few weeks, ill hopefully see even more improvement.

Thinking of switching bench rows back to one arm bent over dumbell rows again. i much prefer those to bench rows anyway.

Yeah, this entry is mostly back-related but thats because i wasnt really convinced with my bicep-focused exercises. For such a small muscle people seem to care about them WAY too much. Me included.

Chin Ups went "okay". I guess. Didnt get all the way up there, i think i was a little lazy with them today. Same with BB curl, much too much bloody body english going on. The last reps of the last set i literally threw them up so i could be done with them.

To combat this ive decided to restart this cycle again. I was gonna carry on the entire thing (next week all dropsets, week after is my still-in-progress circuit training, then back to the start), but i have to get this bicep crap sorted. Think i did one too many sets last time and fucked them up royally.

Have been doing the same weight for the last few months before i reviewed my program with no problem, just seems to have slipped away for some reason.

Fucking sigh.

In other news, ive put on one or two pounds thanks to eating a great deal of porridge oats and chicken/ham salads alternately every day. Five meals is getting easier every day. Also worked out im getting about 170G+ of protein every day, which surprised the hell out of me.

Though im still only on about 3100/3200 cals. Tops. Its working, but not fast enough. Now that my routine is pretty much (lol...) sorted now, im gonna have to pay more attention to diet.

My friends nearly flipped when they found out i was having the reccomended daily intake of 2500kcal by 2:00pm. Gotta love scaring "normals".

Anyways, im hungry as hell now, and even though my biceps (motherfuckingbastardmusclesneedtodie) arent hurting very much, my back is hurting just sitting down.

Catch you all (yes...all one of you. meaning me.) later.


Posted by: Gazhole

LEGS

Full Squats - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 70KG BB
Lunges - 8, 8 @ 50KG BB
Hack Squats - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 70KG BB
Good Mornings - 6, 6 @ 40KG BB
Heel Raises - 16, 16, 16, 16 @ 60KG BB

This just gets better. Finally a new PR on full squats. God did i want that badly, i was pumped up to hell before my workout today. New squat rack worked great, and had something to do with the increase in weight, since i didnt have to worry about getting it up off my back :P.

Everything after that was that little bit tougher, but i managed to get through it (just). My grip started to give out in the last set of heel raises, so i might look at doing a little grip work to improve that. Its only because theres so many reps in those sets, but it wouldnt hurt to improve.

Not much else to say about that, was one of the best workouts ive had in ages. Certainly the best leg workout ive had...ever!

Next week gonna unload for a week or two and work back up to this intensity and see where i am at that point. Think ill see some strength gains, but we'll see what happens.

Gonna have to force myself to eat a little more in the heat aswell. I have problems when its the summer, i just cant seem to get hungry. Stupid heat.

Anyway, what i really want is a long sit down after all that...phew.


Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazhole
LEGS

Full Squats - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 70KG BB
Lunges - 8, 8 @ 50KG BB
Hack Squats - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 70KG BB
Good Mornings - 6, 6 @ 40KG BB
Heel Raises - 16, 16, 16, 16 @ 60KG BB

This just gets better. Finally a new PR on full squats. God did i want that badly, i was pumped up to hell before my workout today. New squat rack worked great, and had something to do with the increase in weight, since i didnt have to worry about getting it up off my back :P.

Everything after that was that little bit tougher, but i managed to get through it (just). My grip started to give out in the last set of heel raises, so i might look at doing a little grip work to improve that. Its only because theres so many reps in those sets, but it wouldnt hurt to improve.

Not much else to say about that, was one of the best workouts ive had in ages. Certainly the best leg workout ive had...ever!

Next week gonna unload for a week or two and work back up to this intensity and see where i am at that point. Think ill see some strength gains, but we'll see what happens.

Gonna have to force myself to eat a little more in the heat aswell. I have problems when its the summer, i just cant seem to get hungry. Stupid heat.

Anyway, what i really want is a long sit down after all that...phew.
Congrats on the Squat PR. Seems like we have similar goals. I dropped volume, and increased intensity and frequency just in the last week. Keep up the good work!


Posted by: Gazhole

Cheers dude! Im feeling the PR now (ouch.) but damn it was worth it.

I like to vary the volume and intensity, keeps things interesting. Ill do a week of low intensity + high volume, then a week of stuff thats mostly for hypertrophy (sort of a middle ground between the previous week and the next bit...), and then 2 weeks of high intensity + low volume to finish off the month before i unload again.

*Shrugs*.

Guessing your goals are focused around strength atm?


Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazhole
Guessing your goals are focused around strength atm?

Exactly, for 9 months I was in the 8-12 reps range on everything. Like you said, gotta switch it up.


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC
Exactly, for 9 months I was in the 8-12 reps range on everything. Like you said, gotta switch it up.
Hey, we've all been there. I just get bored after doing too much of the same thing.


Posted by: Gazhole

PUSH

Dips - 12, 12, 12 @ BW + 10KG
Bench Press - 8, 8, 8, 6 @ 27.5KG DBs
Overhead Press - 10, 10, 10, 8 @ 40KG BB
Push Ups - 12, 11, 11 @ BW + 10KG
Flys - 8, 6, 7, 4 @ 20KG DBs
Skullcrushers - 10, 10 @ 20KG TB

Hmmm. Crappy today. After an excellent leg workout only a few days ago, my push went to shit today.

No connection, but still annoying.

Was dropping way too many reps, and i was too exhausted to do front raises at all. I also wanted to keep the duration of the workout down, it was pushing just over the hour, and since front raises arent my most critical exercise...

Bad points? Are obvious. Dropped a lot of reps, flys in particular were atrocious, form went out (again) on OH presses, and i cut out an exercise entirely.

Good points? Dips and skullcrushers went really well, and i figured out that i should take the weight down a little (especially on OH press) untill im comfortable working out at this rep range.

So wasnt all bad i suppose, still on a learning curve on what i can and cant handle, and im still progressing.

Onwards and upwards!


Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazhole
PUSH

Dips - 12, 12, 12 @ BW + 10KG
Bench Press - 8, 8, 8, 6 @ 27.5KG DBs
Overhead Press - 10, 10, 10, 8 @ 40KG BB
Push Ups - 12, 11, 11 @ BW + 10KG
Flys - 8, 6, 7, 4 @ 20KG DBs
Skullcrushers - 10, 10 @ 20KG TB

Hmmm. Crappy today. After an excellent leg workout only a few days ago, my push went to shit today.

No connection, but still annoying.

Was dropping way too many reps, and i was too exhausted to do front raises at all. I also wanted to keep the duration of the workout down, it was pushing just over the hour, and since front raises arent my most critical exercise...

Bad points? Are obvious. Dropped a lot of reps, flys in particular were atrocious, form went out (again) on OH presses, and i cut out an exercise entirely.

Good points? Dips and skullcrushers went really well, and i figured out that i should take the weight down a little (especially on OH press) untill im comfortable working out at this rep range.

So wasnt all bad i suppose, still on a learning curve on what i can and cant handle, and im still progressing.

Onwards and upwards!
Hmmm, perhaps you were subconciously cutting rest intervals down trying to get out of the gym quicker, hence the dropped reps? Still looks good to me man, Keep up the good work!


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC
Hmmm, perhaps you were subconciously cutting rest intervals down trying to get out of the gym quicker, hence the dropped reps? Still looks good to me man, Keep up the good work!
Quite possible. Lol. The dropped reps probably arent as important as i made out, i just hate dropping reps. I suppose if the muscles literally couldnt get the weight up there they must have been worked pretty hard, eh?

Still, the flys really took the biscuit :P. Half set? Pff! Ridiculous.

Pull tomorrow, im gonna be pumping myself up all afternoon so i dont repeat yesterday.

Hows your training going anyway? *pops over to journal...*


Posted by: Gazhole

PULL

Chin Ups - 8, 8, 8 @ BW + 10KG
Deadlifts - 8, 8, 8, 8 @ 70KG BB
Upright Rows - 12, 12, 10 @ 30KG BB
Curls - 10, 8, 8 @ 35KG BB
Bent Over Rows - 12, 12, 12, 12 @ 50KG BB
Shrugs - 12, 12 @ 55KG BB

Was exhausted after this so i cut out the bench rows. Though in retrospect (and what ill be doing from now on!) i'll be cutting out the upright rows. Theyre a crappy exercise.

Other than that, even though i dropped a few reps again it wasnt as many as PUSH this week, not to mention everything else went pretty well. Im pretty knackered now, and had to fight back nausea by the time i got to the third set of bent over rows.

Deadlifts were once again a highpoint for me, considering i was lifting the same weight in my strength week for half the reps as i did today. And this is my lightest week. Pretty decent improvement there, so im happy.

Biceps went surprisingly well. Still dropped reps, but better that then let my form go out of whack and get hurt or something.

Yeah, this rep range still needs a bit of work, maybe ill take the sets down on this week, because im running out of time often anyway. Ill have to look into that.

Hmmmm.


Posted by: Gazhole

LEGS

Full Squats - 8, 8, 8, 8 @ 60KG BB
Lunges - 12, 12 @ 40KG BB
Hack Squats - 10, 10, 10 @ 60KG BB
Good Mornings - 10, 10, 10 @ 30KG BB
Heel Raises - 20, 20, 20, 20 @ 50KG BB

Took a set off the Hacks because me knees are taking too much of a battering. Should give them at least a little respite. Added another set to Good Mornings to compensate, so my hams are feeling a bit tender right now :P.

All in all, went pretty good today. Legs is fast becoming my favourite day for some reason.

Squats went particularly well, tried to get even lower than usual and hold for a moment with each rep, which really hurt after a while, but it was teh good kind of hurt.

Lunges were really the only thing that i wasnt happy with today. May substitute them for step-ups again for a little while if i can find something to step up onto.

And the best part - i didnt drop any reps!

Hoorah!


Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazhole
LEGS

Full Squats - 8, 8, 8, 8 @ 60KG BB
Lunges - 12, 12 @ 40KG BB
Hack Squats - 10, 10, 10 @ 60KG BB
Good Mornings - 10, 10, 10 @ 30KG BB
Heel Raises - 20, 20, 20, 20 @ 50KG BB

Took a set off the Hacks because me knees are taking too much of a battering. Should give them at least a little respite. Added another set to Good Mornings to compensate, so my hams are feeling a bit tender right now :P.

All in all, went pretty good today. Legs is fast becoming my favourite day for some reason.

Squats went particularly well, tried to get even lower than usual and hold for a moment with each rep, which really hurt after a while, but it was teh good kind of hurt.

Lunges were really the only thing that i wasnt happy with today. May substitute them for step-ups again for a little while if i can find something to step up onto.

And the best part - i didnt drop any reps!

Hoorah!
Way to go, good lookin workout. I always find it tough on my pride to drop sets, but it always seems my body knows best. For the first couple months of my training I did very little leg training. Once I started hitting them hard I noticed my upper body started blowing up faster. You're lucky you enjoy training legs, ride that wave all the way!


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC
Way to go, good lookin workout. I always find it tough on my pride to drop sets, but it always seems my body knows best. For the first couple months of my training I did very little leg training. Once I started hitting them hard I noticed my upper body started blowing up faster. You're lucky you enjoy training legs, ride that wave all the way!
I hear you on lower body affecting upper body. Since i starting really concentrating on the leg workouts, i just look bigger upstairs aswell. Just thicker i think.

Its great! Gotta love forcing testosterone production with dem squats .

Hacks arent my favourite exercise anyway really. They hurt my knees too much. Step ups would probably be a lot more enjoyable anyway.


Posted by: Gazhole

PUSH

Dips - 10, 10, 10 @ BW + 12.5KG
Bench Press - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 30KG DBs
Overhead Press - 8, 8, 8 @ 40KG BB
Push Ups - 10, 10, 10 @ BW + 12.5KG
Flys - 6, 6, 6, 4 @ 22.5KG DBs
Front Raises - 8, 8 @ 15KG DB
Skullcrushers - 8, 8 @ 25KG TB

Fuck yeah. Only dropped out on the last set of flys. Stupid shoulders simply gave out.

They hurt a crap load right now, lol. Still, happy with today. I like this particular rep range, since i can use pretty heavy weight but still keep moderatly high reps on some exercises. Its really the happy medium between the other two rep ranges i cycle.

Its also the most tiring, my concentration and energy was really waning by the end. Just chuffed i got through it with minimum fucking up.

Dunno if im imagining it, but i think ive lost a little muscle size...not too sure. I still weigh about 160lbs in the morning, but it just looks like im a little smaller. I hate that feeling. Some things look good, others dont, etc.

Probably just imagining it. At least my strength isnt going away, we'll soon see next week when i get back to strength-focused workout. Depending on how i feel, i may go for a few new PRs. If not i guess ill just wait a few weeks and get them next time.

Im sure i could push them up a little bit though.

Stupid brain.


Posted by: P-funk

when are you starting the program?


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by P-funk
when are you starting the program?
Im not sure, ive only been doing push/pull/legs for a month or two. May do it for another month then get cracking on the new one.

Rather excited about it in fact. I have a feeling its going to be absolutely knackering.


Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazhole
Dunno if im imagining it, but i think ive lost a little muscle size...not too sure. I still weigh about 160lbs in the morning, but it just looks like im a little smaller. I hate that feeling. Some things look good, others dont, etc.

Probably just imagining it. At least my strength isnt going away, we'll soon see next week when i get back to strength-focused workout. Depending on how i feel, i may go for a few new PRs. If not i guess ill just wait a few weeks and get them next time.

Im sure i could push them up a little bit though.

Stupid brain.

I feel the same way sometimes. Then I'll see someone that I think is big that I haven't seen in a while and I realize, I'm almost the same size as them so I must be doing something right.

I was a little thrown because I've lost alot of fat since I started lifting. My biceps were 16 1/2 inches when I started working out (no muscle tone at all) and now they are 16 1/4, but I can see every head of my triceps now and I can even make out a bicep if I look hard enough. I'm sure it's just mental, chances are if you're getting heavier and stronger, you're getting bigger. Just keep kickin ass!


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC
I feel the same way sometimes. Then I'll see someone that I think is big that I haven't seen in a while and I realize, I'm almost the same size as them so I must be doing something right.

I was a little thrown because I've lost alot of fat since I started lifting. My biceps were 16 1/2 inches when I started working out (no muscle tone at all) and now they are 16 1/4, but I can see every head of my triceps now and I can even make out a bicep if I look hard enough. I'm sure it's just mental, chances are if you're getting heavier and stronger, you're getting bigger. Just keep kickin ass!
I get that a lot. Theres a few people i know who i deem "big" but the other day one of them commented that "Damn, thats a nice pair of triceps, ive got fuck all. Nice one!".

That sorta thing confuses me, because we see ourselves changing gradually, its WAY harder to notice. I guess that throws you a little.

I always get paranoid that the program im doing is completely wrong. Probably a hang up from my absolute newbie days :P.

Nice going on the guns by the way! Even though theyre probably a tad smaller, i bet they look bigger simply because you can see the muscles. Im at 15 1/2 atm, but i swear its nearer 15 3/4 now.

Its at times like this i look to my motto (journal title).

Baby steps, eh?


Posted by: Gazhole

PULL

Deadlifts - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 75KG BB
Chin Ups - 8, 8, 8 @ BW + 12.5KG
Reverse Flys - 8, 8, 8 @ 22.5KG DB
Curls - 8, 8, 8 @ 40KG BB
Bent Over Rows - 10, 10, 10, 7 @ 55KG BB
Shrugs - 10, 10 @ 60KG BB

KNACKERIIIIIIING.

But alright. Taking a set off bent over rows because my lower back was so painful i couldnt physically finish that last set, thankfully BORs are near the end or that would have been a serious problem.

I cut out bench rows again because of time issues, but the reverse flys were definitly a great replacement for upright rows.

Deadlifts obviously went well, since my lower back didnt make it through the rows. 6 reps felt weird for some reason. Hmm.

Chin ups went great, i was contemplating trying them with some towels but i think ill wait untill im using the lighter weights, and since they went so well im glad i made that decision.

Curls were alright aswell, next time im gonna stand with my back against the wall to try and control my body english (i know i do it every now and again) just so i can get the form dead on.

Overall not a bad workout at all.

Gonna be starting the routine P-Funk came up with soon also, since im coming to the end of my Push/Pull/Legs cycle (2 monthsish?) gonna do another month of it, then get cracking.

Had a really nice protein shake earlier, based on a suggestion recipe by Kenwood:

2 Scoops Whey (45g)
1 Low Fat Yogurt
1 Cup Oats
300ml Half-fat Milk
1 Banana

Mmm. Was very very nice. Surprised i managed to drink it down in one it was that thick. Felt a little bloated after that though :P.

Still.

Legs on saturday, looking forward to it. Thighs are now 22" and steadily growing. Cant wait untill me and my friends have that 100m sprint contest we've been planning. Im gonna kill.


Posted by: Gazhole

LEGS

Full Squats - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 65KG BB
Lunges - 10, 10 @ 22.5KG DBs
Hack Squats - 8, 8, 8 @ 65KG BB
Good Mornings - 8, 8, 8 @ 35KG BB
Heel Raises - 18, 18, 18, 18 @ 55KG BB

Everything hit the right spots today. Didnt miss a step (even on lunges - lol, lame joke alert) and thats why legs really is the best day in this program.

Lovin' it. Everything hurt just the right amount, my form was as dead on as its ever been, and im pretty confident that ill be able to get some sort of a PR next week on the squat (75KG?).

Tried DB lunges today in an effor to keep better form, the BB varient really hurts my back so im concentrating on that more than the actual movement. Happy to say it worked a charm, i could probably go a bit heavier than this because of that, but we'll see what happens next week.

My lower back hurt like hell today, a left over from the combination of Deadlifts and Bent Over Rows on thursday (i dont think ive ever gone that heavy on BOTH exercises...) so that was a tad distracting, had to use my abs a LOT more than usual to stop it messing the squats up, but thankfully its not hurting after the workout.

May take out BORs next time and up the sets on reverse flys, and actually leave enough time for bench rows too. We'll see.

Anyway, in conclusion, legs fucking rock.


Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazhole
Everything hit the right spots today. Didnt miss a step (even on lunges - lol, lame joke alert) and thats why legs really is the best day in this program.

Thanks for the warning!

Have you ever tried Rack Deads? Beofre I was doing full deads I was racking them about 6 inches off the ground to sorta ease my way into them. I think it was good just to get some strength in my lower back and get used to the motion, not to mention it took strain off of my lower back enough to perfect the form. I know how weak my lower back feels after I do BB Rows let alone doing them the same day as Deadlifts. Again, kick ass job, and good luck on the Squat PR!


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC
Have you ever tried Rack Deads? Beofre I was doing full deads I was racking them about 6 inches off the ground to sorta ease my way into them. I think it was good just to get some strength in my lower back and get used to the motion, not to mention it took strain off of my lower back enough to perfect the form. I know how weak my lower back feels after I do BB Rows let alone doing them the same day as Deadlifts. Again, kick ass job, and good luck on the Squat PR!
Ive never tried rack deads, ill have to take a look. Pic? Its probably on exrx.com, lol. Good site.

Im good for the two exercises separately, its just when theyre on the same day its like...overkill on my lower back. I dunno if its just because of that, or it is a strength/endurance issue. The exercises are pretty lower-back intensive, BB rows especially i think. At least i feel it more in those than the deads.

I was gonna put in some planks as assistance work or something, but ill take a look at the rack deads aswell. After all, its a pretty good way of mixing it up i suppose.

And cheers again! Im really looking forward to the PR. Dont you just find it exhilarating knowing youre gonna be lifting more than youve EVER lifted before?

Its great!

Looks like your program is giving you some awesome numbers aswell!


Posted by: Gazhole

PUSH

Bench Press - 4, 4 @ 32.5KG DBs
Bench Press - 4, 4 @ 35KG DBs - PR
Dips - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ BW + 17.5KG
Overhead Press - 6, 6 @ 45KG BB
Overhead Press - 6, 6 @ 50KG BB
Flys - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 25KG DBs
Front Raises - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 17.5KG DB
Skullcrushers - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 30KG TB

Thought id mix it up a bit today. I like this set up a LOT more than what ive been doing recently. Took out push ups for a change, closed the gap in the rep range (why i was doing 4 reps and 8 reps on the same day i dont know...), and made the number of sets 4 throughout.

Still managed to keep it under an hour, just! Im gonna be doing a similar thing with pull also, but more about today.

PR on the DB bench which im happy with. At the time i wanted to go heavier again, but im glad i didnt because skullcrushers were hard enough today without that.

Pushed (PUN!) the the weight up on the OH press aswell, back to 50KG, but for 6 reps this time.

All in all was enjoyable since my energy levels kept pretty high throughout. Guess its all that extra food ive been eating.

Supplemental...two spots on my arm burst while lifting. One on my shoulder during bench, and one on my upper arm during dips. Thats gross, but damn that must have been a pump :P.

Right. Rest time.


Posted by: Gazhole

PULL

Deadlifts - 4, 4,@ 80KG BB
Deadlifts - 4, 4,@ 90KG BB - PR
Chin Ups - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ BW + 15KG
Reverse Flys - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 25KG DB
Bench Rows - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 30KG DB
Curls - 6, 6, 6 @ 45KG BB
Shrugs - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 35KG DB

Deadlifts were awesome. Never lifted that much before. Lower back was pulsing near the end of the workout today, very much aftermath of the deads.

Everything else went surprisingly well, i say surprisingly because i wasnt sure how well itd go with the new setup. It went well. Didnt lose any reps, even on curls which i suck at.

Pretty much just chuffed with the deadlifts to be honest, that was all i was going for today primarily.

So, thats bench and deads taken up a notch, on saturday im going for 80KG on the squats. Should be rather interesting.

Taking another month of this, and ive decided to take a week off lifting at the end of that to rest up. Maybe do some cardio, a bit of swimming, play some soccer or tennis or something.

Theres little chance of me sitting around doing absolutely nothing :P. What usually happens on weeks off is that i end up doing lots of sprinting and bodyweight exercises. I simply cant 100% rest for shit!

Once that week is over, i should be getting back to lifting with P-Funk's routine. Im looking at a few gyms around here, but if they cant perform in the free-weights section im just gonna have to keep struggling through at home.

I do have a Q for anybody reading this. Since ive pushed my cal intake up to gain mass, on a week off, will i continue to eat the same amount even though im not lifting, or should i take it down a little? Maybe take out a shake or two or something?

SHOWER!


Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazhole
PULL

Deadlifts - 4, 4,@ 80KG BB
Deadlifts - 4, 4,@ 90KG BB - PR
Chin Ups - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ BW + 15KG
Reverse Flys - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 25KG DB
Bench Rows - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 30KG DB
Curls - 6, 6, 6 @ 45KG BB
Shrugs - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 35KG DB

Deadlifts were awesome. Never lifted that much before. Lower back was pulsing near the end of the workout today, very much aftermath of the deads.

Everything else went surprisingly well, i say surprisingly because i wasnt sure how well itd go with the new setup. It went well. Didnt lose any reps, even on curls which i suck at.

Pretty much just chuffed with the deadlifts to be honest, that was all i was going for today primarily.

So, thats bench and deads taken up a notch, on saturday im going for 80KG on the squats. Should be rather interesting.

Taking another month of this, and ive decided to take a week off lifting at the end of that to rest up. Maybe do some cardio, a bit of swimming, play some soccer or tennis or something.

Theres little chance of me sitting around doing absolutely nothing :P. What usually happens on weeks off is that i end up doing lots of sprinting and bodyweight exercises. I simply cant 100% rest for shit!

Once that week is over, i should be getting back to lifting with P-Funk's routine. Im looking at a few gyms around here, but if they cant perform in the free-weights section im just gonna have to keep struggling through at home.

I do have a Q for anybody reading this. Since ive pushed my cal intake up to gain mass, on a week off, will i continue to eat the same amount even though im not lifting, or should i take it down a little? Maybe take out a shake or two or something?

SHOWER!
Ha! Almost every one of your posts in your journal has a word or a phrase I am not familiar with. Today's entry: chuffed. Thank God my girlfriends mother is from Norfolk, England. She helps me fill in the gaps! I think a comparable word from America would be stoked? Hehe, anyway looking good on the deadlifts and the curls, I don't curl much more myself.

As for the calorie intake on your week off, I'm not sure about it, because I try not to concern myself so much with my diet, but there may be something in the sticky section about carb cycling that could be helpful.


Posted by: Gazhole

Yes, Chuffed = Stoked :P haha. You wait untill i throw in obscure welsh slang (if i can actually figure out what would be welsh slang. i probably use it all the time but dont notice. the accents around here would blow your mind though).

Deadlifts are great, but curls arent really my favourite exercise. Theyre pretty boring, it has to be said. Still, not as boring as crunches. Or treadmills. Ugh.

Ill pop over to the diet section and see if i can dig anything out. I so wanted to go for 100KG on the deads today, but again i thought better of it. 2lbs off 200 though. This time next month, my friend :P.


Posted by: Gazhole

LEGS

Full Squats - 4, 4 @ 70KG BB
Full Squats - 4, 4 @ 80KG BB - PR
Lunges - 6, 6 @ 27.5KG DBs
Hack Squats - 6, 6, 6 @ 70KG BB
Good Mornings - 6 @ 40KG BB
Good Mornings - 6 @ 45KG BB
Good Mornings - 6 @ 50KG BB - PR
Heel Raises - 16, 16, 16, 16 @ 60KG BB

Mmm. 2 PRs, even more than i expected. Didnt want to go heavier on the hacks, because i dont think my knees would have benefitted from that at all after the full squats.

Good mornings were great though, hams felt very good after that. The temperature here as rocketed the last few days, so i was pretty much dying by the end of the session :P.

Not much more to say than that really, except what a fucking amazing week. 4 PRs is something im very happy with.

Measured last night because i was bored, and thighs have gone up to 22 1/2", arms are now 16", calves are 15", and i tried measuring my chest but...well, that was a shambles. Why cant we have two pairs or arms, thatd be great for lifting.

Can you imagine a double bb row? Or doing flys + db bench alternately between both pairs of arms in a set?

Wow.

Anyway, awesome week. Cant fault it at all. Dont think ive dropped any reps at all, and if so only one or two, and 4 PRs.

Hope next month goes as well.


Posted by: Gazhole

PUSH

Bench Press - 6, 6, 6 @ 30KG DBs
Overhead Press - 8, 8, 8 @ 40KG BB
Dips - 8, 8, 8 @ BW + 15KG
Flys - 6, 6, 6 @ 22.5KG DBs
Front Raises - 8, 8 @ 15KG DB
Skullcrushers - 8, 8, 8 @ 25KG TB

Well tis an unload week, so took the weight down to my "moderate" level and took a set off. It was still quite tough but i kept it at about 45 minutes, which is pretty good for someone who has trouble keeping to an hour in most cases.

Still. Good workout, cant really complain.

Got a lot to do today, so keeping this short and sweet :P. Much like the workout!

Booya.


Posted by: ReproMan

Wow, great work on the PR's. 2 in one session, you're a friggin animal. You deserve an unload week after that! I know mine is feeling great. Although I still have the urge to do alot more, I'm not even breaking a sweat... No worries though, baby steps!!


Posted by: Gazhole

Haha, always with the baby steps!

Yeah, my legs were a little raw after that workout i can tell you. Cheers though man! Appreciated!

The unload is going pretty well, push was fair, wasnt really much of a stretch. Its a little strange purposely not going all out, but hey. Its gotta be done. Strange how just taking off one set can make it so much easier.

Gonna try any of those new exercises out?

Also, for some strange reason our programs are synchronised. Scary...


Posted by: Gazhole

PULL

Deadlifts - 6, 6, 6 @ 75KG BB
Chin Ups - 6, 6, 6 @ BW + 12.5KG
Reverse Flys - 8, 8, 8 @ 22.5KG DB
Bench Rows - 8, 8, 8 @ 27.5KG DB
Curls - 8, 8 @ 40KG BB
Shrugs - 12, 12 @ 30KG DBs

Christ. That was the UNLOAD session? Dunno if im just a bit sleep deprived or tired from work or what, but that was tougher than i expected. Depending on how legs goes on saturday i may consider taking that week off next week or something. Perhaps the week after to correspond with my birthday.

Dont wanna overtrain my body. Perhaps i am due for a little break. Even though ive been doing push pull legs for about 3 months, i dont think ive taken a week off for a little on top of that.

We shall see how it goes. Maybe ill make up a quick full body routine on the fly, do it next week with a bit of cardio, then take thet week after off.

Sounds like a plan to me. I have cramp in my left forearm also. Fucking shrugs.

Mashed potato of some sort for meal later on. I love that stuff. God i need a shower.


Posted by: Gazhole

LEGS

Full Squats - 6, 6, 6 @ 65KG BB
Lunges - 8 @ 20KG DBs
Hack Squats - 8, 8 @ 65KG BB
Good Mornings - 8, 8 @ 35KG BB
Heel Raises - 18, 18, 18 @ 55KG BB

Wow, im not tired at all! Haha, Thats such a disconcerting feeling...NOT being half-dead after a workout. Kinda makes me wanna do some more. My off week is going to kill me, im just gonna be rocking back and forth in my chair with all this pent up energy thats not being used.

Still havent decided what im gonna do about that, i guess ill decide sometime today. I sorta like the idea of doing a 1 week full body, then taking a week off for my birthday. I can get a tattoo at the start of my off week without worrying about it fucking up because of training then.

Hmmm...

Watch this space.


Posted by: assassin

nice workout ...... same exercise order as mine on my leg day , i guess your legs and lower back will be sore a lot for the next days ,lol...... ummm what's heel raises ???


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin
nice workout ...... same exercise order as mine on my leg day , i guess your legs and lower back will be sore a lot for the next days ,lol...... ummm what's heel raises???
Calve raises. I dont call them by their proper name for some reason!

Since this was an unload week my legs werent really too sore at all to be honest. If it were a regular week, or id got a PR on squats, then id feel a bit differently i can tell you.

My lower back is usually fine though.


Posted by: Gazhole

FULL BODY DAY 1

Deadlifts - 4 x 4 @ 90KG BB
Bench Press - 4 x 4 @ 35KG DBs
Chin Ups - 4 x 4 @ BW + 15KG
Shrugs - 3 x 10 @ 32.5KG DB
Calve Raises - 4 x 16 @ 60KG BB
Bicep Curls - 3 x 4 @ 50KG BB

Never had a workout quite like that. I felt very strange all the way through. The combination of Deadlifts and Bench Press was more difficult than i thought, not to mention that entire exercise selection was incredibly hard on my forearms.

My body doesnt quite know what to do with itself at the moment. Im VERY tired.

Full Body workouts rule.


Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazhole
FULL BODY DAY 1

Deadlifts - 4 x 4 @ 90KG BB
Bench Press - 4 x 4 @ 35KG DBs
Chin Ups - 4 x 4 @ BW + 15KG
Shrugs - 3 x 10 @ 32.5KG DB
Calve Raises - 4 x 16 @ 60KG BB
Bicep Curls - 3 x 4 @ 50KG BB

Never had a workout quite like that. I felt very strange all the way through. The combination of Deadlifts and Bench Press was more difficult than i thought, not to mention that entire exercise selection was incredibly hard on my forearms.

My body doesnt quite know what to do with itself at the moment. Im VERY tired.

Full Body workouts rule.
I have to agree, full body workouts rule. However, I can't handle doing deadlifts on the same day as any other major compound. I designed myself a new program (posted it in my journal) to start after my current one is done and I keep deadlifts pretty much on their own day. IMO it is the most physically demanding lift. Great job fighting through though!


Posted by: Gazhole

I agree about the deadlifts. By the time i got to bench i was already pushing hard to actually survive them.

You know its a good workout when your screaming at yourself to get that last rep. I must have sounded like a man possessed :P.

Yeah, i think i saw your program template, good exercise selection if i do say so myself. It seems like everybody is trying out a full body recently. Im starting my proper one after my week off.

In which ill be doing squats and deads on the same day.

God help me :P.


Posted by: Gazhole

Even though this is my week off i couldnt sit idle for the WHOLE time. I got my ass up out of bed and did some spontaneous (very) simple circuits:

***

CIRCUIT 1

x15 Squat Thrusts
x15 Chin Ups
x15 Squats
x15 Crunches

Rest - 30 Sec

CIRCUIT 2

x15 Jumping Jacks
x15 Push Ups
x15 Lunges (per leg)
x15 Reverse Crunches

Rest - 30 sec

CIRCUIT 1

Rest - 30 Sec

CIRCUIT 2

***

Kicked my ass more than i thought it would, but at the same time im not really THAT surprised. I do basically no CV whatsoever usually. Since this only took about 10 minutes tops, i may start putting this into my program. Or something like it.

Heres to the rest of my off week!


Posted by: Gazhole

Well...the off week is nearly over, and if it wasnt for this oppressive heat knawing at my sanity i think id feel a little bit more refreshed for taking it.

Just about got my new full body program tweaked to what i want it to be, and probably more importantly - to accomodate what equipment i have at hand here.

I just hope the weather doesnt turn again, because i have nowhere indoors to put my squat rack (thank god for weather-proof tarpaulins ;P), and since on this program ill be doing squats at least once every week and usually not on the weekend, the weather will HAVE to be fine enough to do it in the evenings.

Hence why im going gym scouting soon. I cant take my training relying upon the fucking weather anymore. Theres gotta be a decent one around here that ive missed in previous searches. There has to be. I refuse to believe that every one of them sucks.

That said, the new program does look very cool. Very taxing, but very cool at the same time. Im really looking forward to starting it.

Gotta get some rest in now, back to work for two days then im off on leave for a week (its my birthday. go me.) so i have to get through a lot of paperwork in the next two days.

I dont know why i even bothered posting this actually...


Posted by: Gazhole

FULL BODY - WEEK A - DAY 1 (RI = 2:00)

Deadlifts - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 85KG BB

Chin Ups - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ BW + 12.5KG
Squats - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 75KG BB

Bench Rows - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 27.5KG DB
Lunges - 6, 6 @ 25KG DB

Reverse Flys - 6, 6, 6 @ 22.5KG DB
Standing Curls - 6, 6, 6 @ 20KG DBs

***

Just to explain that a little. The exercises that are grouped together were supersetted, but with a rest interval in between each set.

So i'd do a set of chin ups, RI, set of squats, RI. Thats one set. I did that another 3 times to make up 4 supersets in this way (4 sets of each movement).

Since deadlifts are really my main exercise i put them off on their own. There was no need to superset it with anything anyway, because i already covered what i wanted to with the other exercises.

First time ive ever done this, and i have to say it was very taxing. A real challenge in the middle there. My back is aching like hell already. Squats were surprisingly easy though, but im happy with it at the moment, it was tough at the time, just not as tiring on the legs as i expected of the whole sessions today.

Im not using my full weight this week, gotta ease back into training, and into this new program. Even without my full weight on the bar, it was still enough to give me insane nausea after i was done. That last set of curls had me clenching my teeth alright. At that point i just wanted it to end :P.

In conclusion, i like this so far. We'll see how the rest of the week goes.


Posted by: ReproMan

Looks good Gaz! I wouldn't make it through 2 sets doing all that supersetting! It's amazing how cutting a little off the RI's can make up for lack of weight. Full body routines rock, I can't see going back now....


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC
Looks good Gaz! I wouldn't make it through 2 sets doing all that supersetting! It's amazing how cutting a little off the RI's can make up for lack of weight. Full body routines rock, I can't see going back now....
It was pretty tough going. If they were proper supersets with no rest in between i think i would have passed out with that volume. P-Funk's idea of putting a rest interval in between was a stroke of genius .

I think the nausea was the blood continuously moving from my upper body to my lower body, if you look at the way the session would have gone it was 1 set upper, 1 set lower, upper, lower etc. all the way through.

I just cant wait untill i really get stuck into this program. This is gonna be a prosperous few months i think. Full body kicks ass!


Posted by: Gazhole

FULL BODY - WEEK A - DAY 2 (RI = 1:00)

Overhead Press - 12, 12, 12 @ 30KG BB

Bench Press - 12, 12, 12 @ 22.5KG DBs
Step Ups - 14, 14 @ 12.5KG DBs

Dips - 12, 12, 12 @ BW + 7.5KG
Calve Raises - 24, 24 @ 35KG BB

Good Mornings - 14, 14 @ 25KG BB
Skullcrushers - 14, 14 @ 7.5KG TB

***

I am SO not conditioned to do that RI yet :P. I was supposed to do way more leg work in this session but i simply couldnt take the RI with that amount of work. Slightly dissapointed because of that.

The step ups really hurt my lower back for some reason, gonna have to look at the form for those to see if im doing anything wrong.

With that said, even though i was a bit annoyed, i didnt miss any reps in this rep range which is unusual. As before, this is a slightly lower weight than i should be doing, just so i can work on conditioning a little bit.

Still pretty darn tired now though, it really is a different flavour of tired than you get from a session primarily focused on strength (2-5 reps). Still, may have to tweak this one a little bit so it doesnt fuck me early on in the session.

I suppose the lack of volume on legs isnt too bad since its full body, and im working legs (and upper body) 3 times a week. In fact, i dont think one part of me feels particulary tired, i just feel all over fatigued...

Shower.


Posted by: ReproMan

I like working in the high rep range personally. I prefer having DOMS and being sore for a couple days over just feeling beat up from the stress of a high intensity workout. I know they say that getting DOMS is no indication of a good workout, but there is something about it that makes me feel great, and I only seem to get it when I work in the 8+ rep range.

Are the grouped exerscises supersetted again? Good stuff.


Posted by: Gazhole

DOMS can be reassuring sometimes. I always get it in the biceps on high rep workouts :P. Makes my arms feel massive the next day, lol.

For some reason though its never TOO bad. For about a year i did high reps and volume and i think that kinda conditioned me not to get DOMS too bad or something. The biceps are an exception though. Ouch.

And yeah, the supersets are the main "thing" about this program. Everything from now on will be that way untill i start another program in a few months.

Its an interesting way of doing it, my body really doesnt like it though :P.


Posted by: Gazhole

Yeah, so i TOTALLY fucked up today.

For some reason didnt feel 100% before i started, but i thought id feel a little better when i got going cos of the adrenaline. Suffice to say that was an idiot idea.

Managed to get through the 4 sets of Deadlifts, and was completely knackered. And i mean completely, i couldnt keep my balance, the sweat was pouring off me like i was in a shower and i was gasping for air.

I thought that was a little odd, but waited around for a few minutes and that subsided, so i set up for the rest interval superset of Chin Ups + Squats.

I did one set of chins and squats before pretty much collapsing on the floor in complete and utter exhaustion. I literally couldnt manage another 2 reps after that.

I dunno why the session just didnt happen today, whether its the ungodly heat we're having lately, or whether im just not fucking good enough for this program or what.

Fucking pissed off though, that i assure you. The icing on the cake (no pun intended, as it is my birthday today) is that nobody here understands why im so angry.

"Its just training, forget about it, why are you so pissed off?"

JUST training? Do you people know me at all?

I hate missing one rep, let alone missing 3/4 of an ENTIRE workout. Fuck that. Something always happens on my birthday to piss me off :P.

Meh. Heres what i managed anyway:


Deadlifts - 8, 8, 8, 8 @ 75KG BB

Chin Ups - 8 @ BW + 7.5KG
Squats - 8 @ 65KG BB


Maybe i should go back to Push/Pull/Legs, i was making amazing progress on that up untill the end. Or mess around with this program to take out the superset thing, just to get myself conditioned to full body workouts so i can superset in 6 months or something.

Anything you guys have on this is most appreciated. Really.


Posted by: ReproMan

I'm actually going through the same thing right now and I'm not supersetting anything. I almost lost my protein shake leaving the gym yesterday. With the full body routine I'm guessing that it's so taxing on the body you have to adjust the weights accordingly. It makes it very difficult to go balls to the wall with any one exerscise. By the time I got to my 5th exerscise yesterday I just wanted to go lie down on a mat in the dark room.

High reps on Deadlifts kick my ass as it is. I think you're doing just fine. I would stick with it for a little while longer, maybe drop reps or weight a little, but I definitely feel great after hitting the whole body. Don't give up on it yet!!

Oh and BTW HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC
I'm actually going through the same thing right now and I'm not supersetting anything. I almost lost my protein shake leaving the gym yesterday. With the full body routine I'm guessing that it's so taxing on the body you have to adjust the weights accordingly. It makes it very difficult to go balls to the wall with any one exerscise. By the time I got to my 5th exerscise yesterday I just wanted to go lie down on a mat in the dark room.

High reps on Deadlifts kick my ass as it is. I think you're doing just fine. I would stick with it for a little while longer, maybe drop reps or weight a little, but I definitely feel great after hitting the whole body. Don't give up on it yet!!

Oh and BTW HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
*Bows* Lol, thankyou dude. Much appreciated!

I think i may have to kick my ego in the teeth and take the weight down for a few things, or take out the supersets for a bit untill im used to this.

This week isnt even the weight id planned to use either. Bloody insane really.

I seemed to do fine with the low reps, the weight for that was fine...again, even though it was lower than i wanted :P.

These full body things are weird. Ive never been good on high reps though, although the high rep day this week was tough but okay. It was just today on the medium rep range where i really struggled.

Ill keep everything as it is for now, and see what happens next week. I was gonna put the weight upto normal levels next week, but following thismorning's fiasco i think ill think twice. Hmmm...


Posted by: Gazhole

Argh. It just gets worse.

I dont know whats happened, whether it was yesterdays (lack of) performance in training or something else, but thismorning i can barely bend my left elbow without screaming because its killing me.

Feels like some sort of tendonitis, but its concentrated on the inside of the elbow just beneath the bicep. Its also all the way around the elbow joint, down my forearm and into my wrist.

Possibly a bad strain, tennis elbow, tendonitis?

Whatever it is its fucking excrutiating. Painkillers do NOTHING! Driving my girlfriend home thismorning was ten minutes of torture because of the damned gear stick.

Screaming your head of trying to change to 5th gear on a 70mph carriageway isnt my idea of fun.

Going for a doctors appointment tomorrow, but suffice to say im pretty sure the advice will be: "take X pill, and rest it for a week or two.

Bloody setbacks, i was making progress!

Where are my fucking chondroitin tablets...


Posted by: ReproMan


Ug, now I fell like a total ass gloating about my knee. I'm sorry to hear you're injured now. The only thing that seemed to help my knee was anti-inflams and muscle relaxers. I'm willing to bet it's a similar injury, mine was in the same place but on my knee of course. It healed up rather quickly if thats any consolation.

Any news from the doctor? Hope ya feel better!


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC

Ug, now I fell like a total ass gloating about my knee. I'm sorry to hear you're injured now. The only thing that seemed to help my knee was anti-inflams and muscle relaxers. I'm willing to bet it's a similar injury, mine was in the same place but on my knee of course. It healed up rather quickly if thats any consolation.

Any news from the doctor? Hope ya feel better!
Hey, dont worry about that. I'm not so immature and shallow that id take offense at you being happy your knee works :P.

I couldnt get an appointment today (because as usual, i need to book two weeks in advance of being sick or injured) but its feeling a lot better today. I keep icing it, and i havent even tried to do anything with it today.

It twinged a little earlier but nothing like it was before (thankfully!). Im supposed to workout tomorrow, but i doubt i will. I feel horrible for not doing it, and im scared of losing my gains, but maybe ill just do some cardio or something.

Better losing a few pounds of muscle than totally fucking up my elbow. Never really had a serious injury apart from my dodgy back.

Cheers for the concern, man .


Posted by: ReproMan

How's the arm?


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC
How's the arm?
Getting better, thanks!

Ive been icing it a lot and taking Chondroitin twice a day, and i havent had anything more than a twinge for a while. Just finished up my first workout in a week:

***

FULL BODY - WEEK A - DAY 1

Deadlifts - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 85KG BB
Chin Ups - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ BW + 12.5KG
Hack Squat - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 75KG BB
Bench Row - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 27.5KG DB
Lunges - 6, 6 @ 25KG DBs
Reverse Flys - 6, 6, 6 @ 22.5KG DB
Curls - 6, 6, 6 @ 20KG DBs

Went well today. I decided to take out the crazy supersetting untill i get back into the swing of things. My elbow held out well, which i was relieved with. We'll see how it feels later. I really hope it doesnt fuck up again.

Still kept it under an hour somehow, not sure how that happened. Not that im complaining, spending too much time working out makes me want to fall over a lot.

Pretty tired today so i appear to be babbling a bit so ill shut up.

Workout good, going back to work tomorrow very bad.


Posted by: Gazhole

FULL BODY - WEEK A - DAY 2 (1:00 RI)

OH Press - 12, 12, 12 @ 30KG BB
Step Ups - 14, 14 @ 12.5KG DBs
Bench Press - 12, 12, 10+2 @ 22.5KG DBs
Calve Raises - 24, 24, 24 @ 35KG BB
Dips - 12, 12, 8+4 @ BW +7.5KG
Good Mornings - 14, 14 @ 25KG BB
Skullcrushers - 14, 14 @ 7.5KG TB

***

Only the last sets of Bench and Dips gave me any real trouble today. I rest paused both sets indicated by the '+' signs up there. Only a short pause of about 5 or 6 seconds, its the rest intervals that fuck me over.

I feel a lot better this time around though, just seem to be pushing harder than before. In Bench Press my right side seemed to be having a lot more trouble pushing the weight up (ironic since my left elbow was the bad one...).

Will have to try and keep my form tighter next time.

Other than that, feeling pretty good about today. Almost lost my lunch on the Step Ups and after Dips, and felt light headed once or twice throughout the session, but thankfully held onto my lunch and more importantly - my consciousness :P.

Saturday is gonna be the real test, 8-10 rep range is what i completely failed on a few weeks ago (again ironic, since i used to work out at that 1:30 RI constantly in Push/Pull/Legs...).

Gonna make sure i get a relatively early Friday night and a good hearty meal an hour or two before i train.

My elbow is twinging a little bit after those high reps so im gonna go ice it or something.


Posted by: Gazhole

Yesterday i was too busy to post this, so for your viewing pleasure:

FULL BODY - WEEK A - DAY 1 (1:30 RI)

Deadlifts - 8, 8, 8, 8 @ 75KG BB
Chin Ups - 8, 8, 4+4, 6+2 @ BW + 7.5KG
Hack Squats - 8, 8, 8, 8 @ 65KG BB
Bench Rows - 10, 10, 10, 10 @ 22.5KG DB
Lunges - Dropped
Reverse Flys - 10, 10 @ 17.5KG DB
Curls - 10, 10 @ 15KG DBs

***

Well yesterday, as i said, was incredibly busy. I got up early so i could fit training in without rushing, but the obvious downside with that is that im crap in the morning (no food in my belly :-[), i surprised myself in actually finishing up as well.

I think my form was a little off in Deadlifts for the first set or two, it felt like my glutes and hams werent doing what they were supposed to, so i was compensating by trying to lift it with my arms a little on the way up. Its usually not a problem, so my warmup probably didnt cut it yesterday (rushing?).

Chin Ups were fine. Had to rest pause the last two sets, but again - it wasnt a particularly long rest pause.

I dropped lunges because my legs felt like theyd been hit by a truck after Deadlifts and Hack Squats, and by the time i got through that mammouth session of Bench Rows i was about ready to throw up.

I got everything else after lunges, and when i finished up i was getting the shakes in my whole body, felt sick etc. Was amusing...

Good session though, very tiring. Afterwards i actually went swimming aswell, so thismorning every part of my body is killing me. My chest still aches from Thursday's high-rep fiasco :P.

Good stuff.

My arm is still improving, thankfully. I think itll be back to normal in another week. Very glad about that.

Now - time for breakfast.


Posted by: Gazhole

FULL BODY - WEEK B - DAY 2 (2:00 RI)

OH Press - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 50KG BB
Step Ups - 6, 6 @ 22.5KG DBs
Bench Press - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 32.5KG DBs
Calve Raises - 16, 16, 16, 16 @ 55KG BB
Dips - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ BW + 17.5KG
Good Mornings - 6, 6, 6 @ 45KG BB
Skullcrushers - 6, 6, 6 @ 25KG TB

***

Not too bad today. Didnt miss any reps, my Skullcrushers are much improved, and i didnt really have any problems getting any of the weights up. Think my strength levels are finally getting back to normal.

The only thing that gave me problems were the Dips. I couldnt get the form right, by the time i got it comfortable the set was over, so i'm gonna have to work on those.

My elbow fucked up a bit, but in a strange twist it was the OTHER elbow and not the one that went crappy recently. Odd eh? It wasnt too bad, i was able to finish up without any trouble, but it just aches and twangs every few minutes. I took an anti-inflam and have been icing it for the last half an hour.

Didnt use up all the tablets for my other elbow, so ill be finishing them off in the next few days and icing this frequently. Its not even half as bad as the other one was, so i think i'll be okay to keep training. If it gets any worse, rest assured ill throw down the barbell and step back again.

I aint no fool, baby.


Posted by: ReproMan

Which exerscise did you hurt your arm on this time?


Posted by: Gazhole

Im really not sure, you know what its like - youre so focused you dont really notice much else.

I think it was aroundabout Bench Press, then it went away, and Dips didnt help matters much. The rest of it was okay aswell, then about ten minutes afterwards it was like "oh...fuck thats kinda painful" :P.


Posted by: Gazhole

Got my blood pressure taken the other day, since it runs in the family i like to keep on top of it. Was 143/84. Not too bad!

Also, my weight has gone up by 7 lbs, giving me a 177 total. I'm going for 185 or 190 as my target weight, maybe 200 depending on how 185/190 looks. After that its gonna be all maintainence.

I dont particularly want to get much bigger than that really. Better have breakfast now.


Posted by: Gazhole

FULL BODY - WEEK B - DAY 1

ATG Squat - 12, 12, 12 @ 55KG BB
Chin Ups - 11+1, 5+7, 0 @ BW + 2.5KG
SLDL - 12, 12, 12 @ 65KG BB
Bench Rows - 14, 14, 14 @ 17.5KG DB
Lunges - 14 @ 15KG DBs
Reverse Flys - 14, 14 @ 12.5KG DB
Bicep Curls - 14, 14 @ 10KG DBs

***

Thought id try a few different things today. Switched Squats to the first exercise, this was the first time ive done ATG Back Squats in about a month, so that was interesting.

After that exhausting few sets Chin Ups didnt go well at all - had to rest pause two sets, and couldnt force myself to do another set after that because i was that close to vomiting. Thats not a smart thing to do after the second exercise of the day.

SLDLs were pretty good, taxing but not many problems. It was just as well i chose that variation after the Squats because my legs were fucked.

The rest of the session was good, felt very sick and light headed once i was done. Couldnt bring myself to take my shake that early on afterwards, so i came on here and posted first :P.

Right, now for that shake.

EDIT: Also, no elbow pain today. Fingers crossed!


Posted by: Gazhole

FULL BODY - WEEK B - DAY 2 (RI 1:30)

Overhead Press - 8, 8, 8, 8 @ 40KG BB
Step Ups - 10, 10 @ 17.5KG DBs
Bench Press - 8, 8, 8, 8 @ 27.5KG DBs
Calve Raises - 20, 20, 20, 20 @ 45KG BB
Dips - 8, 8, 8, 8 @ BW + 12.5KG
Good Mornings - 10, 10 @ 35KG BB
Skullcrushers - 10, 10 @ 17.5KG TB

***

Excellent performance today. Nice going, body. Dont think i really struggled with anything at all, which should be about right actually because im raising the weight back to my regular levels next week. Should be very interesting.

Dips were much improved this time, Bench Press didnt hurt either (yay, etc).

All in all im very pleased with today's session, and im looking forward to saying goodbye to this week in general. Couldnt think of a better way to end it than on a dizzying adrenaline-fuelled high.

Right. Now for a shower because i smell like a hooker.


Posted by: ReproMan

Good work! And still no elbow pain I'm gathering? Awesome.


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC
Good work! And still no elbow pain I'm gathering? Awesome.
Nope. Seems to be recovering faster than i can injure it :P.

Though it did hurt a bit last night when i bench pressed one of my friends. Im actually impressed he could brace himself well enough to keep straight while i pressed.

But other than that, nothing to worry about


Posted by: Gazhole

Taking a day off today. Was my Grandpa's funeral, so not really feeling up to doing heavy deads or anything else really.

Will give my joints a little added rest and continue with the week. Maybe ill switch up my saturday 1:30 RI 8-10 reps for the 4-6 2:00 RI that i was supposed to do today.

I want to prove to myself i can still deadlift 200lbs.

Shit, to tell you the truth im not even thinking about it today.


Posted by: Gazhole

FULL BODY - WEEK C - DAY 2 (RI 1:00)

Overhead Press - 12, 12, 7+5 @ 35KG BB
Step Ups - 14, 14 @ 15KG DBs
Bench Press - 12, 12, 8 @ 25KG DBs

Calve Raises - 24, 24, 24 @ 35KG BB
Dips - 12, 12, 6+3+2+1 @ BW + 7.5KG
Good Mornings - 14, 14 @ 25KG BB
Skullcrushers - 14, 14 @ 7.5KG TB

***

Yeah, so kinda dissapointed here. Full body must be more taxing than i thought. First 3 exercises were at my supposed "regular" weight after my 2 week warmup phase. Suffice to say it didnt really work.

I'll stick to the weights ive been doing i think. Pissed off about it but thats the way it goes i guess. Gonna do heavy DAY 1 on saturday to make up for missing it on tuesday.

Stressed out at the moment, i hate the way it totally fucks you up. Need to try and relax more. Its just been a bad two weeks, and i didnt need a bad workout tonight!

I hate the feeling that youre not doing enough, but when youre not doing enough, youre doing so much you keep going to failure.


Posted by: Gazhole

Ive been rather busy this last few days. I forgot to post saturday's workout, so heres double the...well, workout's. Im too tired to think of something funny.

***

Saturday - FULL BODY - WEEK C - DAY 1 (RI 2:00)

Deadlifts - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 85KG BB
Chin Ups - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ BW + 12.5KG
Front Squats - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 65KG BB
Bench Rows - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 27.5KG DB
Lunges - 6, 6 @ 25KG DBs
Reverse Flys - 6, 6, 6 @ 22.5KG DB
Curls - /

Tried Front Squats for the first time, PL style rather than my usual Olympic style. FUCK are they hard on your wrists. I like the movement, but im either gonna have to go even lighter or do some wrist/forearm accessory work.

Other than that, was a pretty straightforward workout. Neglected to do curls because after the Front Squats my wrists, forearms, and strangely my biceps too werent upto it.

No biggie.

***

Tuesday - FULL BODY - WEEK D - DAY 2 (RI 2:00)

Overhead Press - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 50KG BB
Step Ups - 6, 6 @ 22.5KG DBs
Bench Press - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 32.5KG DBs
Seated Calve Raises - 16, 16, 16, 16 @ 55KG BB
Push Ups - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ BW + 17.5KG
Good Mornings - 6, 6, 6 @ 45KG BB
Skullcrushers - 6, 6, 6 @ 25KG TB

Not too bad today, traps and shoulders really killing me by the end. Triceps and hams were hit pretty good too.

Decided to have a go at Seated Calve Raises today to give my elbows a little rest after heavy Step Ups. Weighted Push Ups were a nice change from Dips too. Again, because of the elbows. I find Push Ups dont hurt as much as Dips.

Yeah, the fucking things are a little tender again for some reason. Im keeping an eye on it. Its not too bad, just a mild annoyance. Im going to see someone about it soon anyway. They helped my girlfriend out with her tennis elbow (Strangely, from playing the Violin... :P), so should be pretty good.

Time to listen to some metal \m/.


Posted by: ReproMan

Front squats are a bitch! They feel so much better on my knees but I can't get comfortable with the grip. Good workouts!


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC View Post
Front squats are a bitch! They feel so much better on my knees but I can't get comfortable with the grip. Good workouts!
Tell me about it! The backs of my hands crossed the pain barrier and went numb by the end of that exercise.

Really good movement, i loved how it felt on my legs (powerlifter stance was nifty aswell), but it just really hurt my forearms.

Perhaps i will persue the exercise, but it would involved taking the weight down a bit to stop my fingers snapping off.

Cheers also . Im already designing my next program. I find i cant seem to stop making them up.


Posted by: Gazhole

FULL BODY - WEEK D - DAY 1 (RI 1:00)

Deadlifts - 12, 12 ,12 @ 70KG BB
Chin Ups - 12, 4+3+5, 4 @ BW + 2.5KG
ATG Squat - 12, 12, 12 @ 55KG BB

Superset: Reverse Flys + Curls - 12, 12 @ 10KG DBs

***

I knew today wasnt going to be a high energy day for me. If i was doing lower reps it would have been fine, even with the higher weights. To combat this, i added some weight to my Deadlift (65 --> 70), and did uber-slow reps and re-gripped after every one to make sure i got the most ROM i could possibly get from the movement.

I dont think my glutes have ever ached quite as much :P.

Chins suffered from that, wasnt too impressed with them personally. Next time ill pay more attention to them. Ill be using the 'right' weight for Deads next time around so it should be a little better.

Squats i did pretty much the same thing as i did on Deads - got as much ROM as i possible could. Im usually pretty low anyway on ATGs but this time my ass was literally 3" off the ground. One day ill get it to actually touch :P.

To finish off i did Reverse Flys (with 2 dumbells, usually i have higher weight with 1 db and alternate sides) supersetted with DB Bicep Curls. Was a good way to finish, because combined with the low RI i was seriously out of breath by the end.

Major lactic acid buildup though. Mmm. Gonna get lovely DOMS tomorrow.

But yeah, considering i was pretty tired before i started out today, im fairly pleased with how that went.


Posted by: Gazhole

FULL BODY - WEEK D - DAY 2 (RI 1:30)

Overhead Press - 8, 8, 8, 8 @ 20KG DBs
Lateral Lunges - 10, 10 @ 20KG DBs
Bench Press - 8, 8, 8, 8 @ 27.5KG DBs
Calve Raises - 20, 20, 20, 20 @ 22.5KG DBs
Dips - 8, 8, 8, 8 @ BW + 12.5KG
Good Mornings - 10, 10 @ 35KG BB
Overhead Tricep Extensions - 10, 10 @ 17.5KG TB

***

Good workout today, was very pleased with it. As is becoming the norm for me now, i tried one or two different things. Namely doing DB OH presses instead of using a BB, lateral lunges to replace step ups because i missed regular lunges the other day, DB calve raises instead of BB, and OH tricep extensions instead of skullcrushers.

All in all it was pretty enjoyable, and tiring enough to get a good rating as a workout. I think i could have gone heavier on the tricep extensions but thats about it really.

Bench press really fucking hurt in the last set aswell, love that feeling. Didnt go to failure, but a few more reps and i would have. And as always, there was serious lactic acid buildup on the calve raises.

The only thing thats been lacking lately is because ive been unusually busy ive skipped a meal here and there.

Nuttin but a peanut.


Posted by: Gazhole

FULL BODY - WEEK E - DAY 1 (RI 2:00)

Deadlifts - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 90KG BB - Highest so far for Full Body
Chin Ups - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ BW + 12.5KG
Hack Squats - 4, 4 @ 80KG BB
Hack Squats - 4, 4 @ 90KG BB - PR
Bench Rows - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 27.5KG DB
Lateral Lunges - 6, 6 @ 25KG DBs
Reverse Flys - 6, 6, 6 @ 22.5KG DB
Bicep Curl - 6, 6 @ 20KG DBs

***

Good workout today. One highest ever lift, and one PR. I wish the weather would improve so i could go out back and use the squat rack though. Think im gonna have to join a gym when i get my car sorted out.

The rest of the session was good, blasted through everything with minimal struggling. Cut the curls short by a set, but who really cares about those anyway, right?

Really getting to like Lateral Lunges for some reason. Its like a stretch and a compound lift combined! Whats not to like? Throw in a blowjob and youve got awesomeness in a can.

Got a few more weeks of this full body thing left, and then im starting a new program (after the obligatory week off, obviously). Currently tweaking, but basically its an Upper/Lower 4 day a week split that ill keep on for about a month or so.

I just feel like a higher frequency split for a little while, thatll leave me a few weekends free to not worry about fitting training in. Variety is the spice, eh?

Looking forward to it, as i do with all new programs. More details are in the thread i started in training.

Time to cook me some steak!


Posted by: ReproMan

Hell yeah, WTG on the PR's.

I was looking at the other thread you started, looks good man. You are definitely getting the frequency increase you wanted with that one!


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC View Post
Hell yeah, WTG on the PR's.

I was looking at the other thread you started, looks good man. You are definitely getting the frequency increase you wanted with that one!
Tell me about it. Its going to be harsh, but i think itll be worth it in the end. Im gonna have a crack at increasing my calories for that month aswell. Put another 300-500 on there or something.

Damn my lower back is getting the DOMS already :P.


Posted by: Gazhole

Yesterday's workout went a little something like this:



FULL BODY - WEEK E - DAY2 (RI - 1:00)

OH Press - 12, 12, 12 @ 15KG DBs
Lateral Step Ups - 14, 14 @ 12.5KG DBs
Bench Press - 12, 12, 12 @ 22.5KG DBs
Calve Raises - 24, 24, 24 @ 35KG BB
Dips - 12, 12, 6+6 @ BW + 7.5KG
Good Mornings - 14, 14 @ 25KG BB
Skullcrushers - 14, 14 @ 7.5KG TB

***

Again, pleased with this. My conditioning at lower RIs and higher reps is definitely improving now. I was a little dead after the Lateral step ups because they are SO much more taxing than normal Step Ups.

If youve never done Laterals before, give them ago. Very taxing exercise.

All in all a good session methinks! The only thing i could get a perfect 10 (or 12 as the case may be) was Dips. That last set just hurt way too much to get the last 6 reps out in good form. Some serious involuntary teeth clenching was going on there.

Good stuff though. Ive got the form right on Good Mornings aswell, they felt perfect today. Well balance, just enough pressure on the hams and less on the calves, and my lower back was hurting in the bad way.

Ill be working out on sunday again this week rather than saturday because i have plans, and i need to sort out some stuff with the bank. Plus i had a good workout last sunday, so may aswell see if its a sunday thing.

Its probably the giant sunday roast dinners i have earlier in the day. The veggies energise me \m/.

Awesomeness!!!!


Posted by: Gazhole

A few friends drove down to get me unexpectedly for a night out yesterday, so i told them to wait and just did a quick 20minute (though very heavy) workout to make up for not following the proper program for that day.

And to show off.

***

Deadlifts - RI 3:00
2 x 100KG BB
2 x 115KG BB
4 x 115KG BB

Chin Ups - RI 2:00
4 x BW+20KG
4 x BW+20KG

Overhead Squats - RI 1:00
10 x 10KG BB
8 x 20KG BB

***

Considering my previous PR was 90KG x 4 on Deads and 15KG x 4 on Chins i was rather pleased with that :P.

Im not going to count them properly yet though, since it wasnt in a 'proper' session. I really enjoyed lifting that heavy though. I'm gonna have to try a purely strength-orientated program and some point. Linear periodization and all that.

If anybody can reccomend something, please do. Im off to read some sticky topics on the subject.

Overhead squats were just an exercise i wanted to try out, since i expect ill be including it in whatever program i decide to do next. Very good exercise, absolutely astoundingly hard to keep perfect form throughout.

Good stuff.

I surprised even myself.


Posted by: Gazhole

Superset #1

DB Bench Press + DB Flys

4 + 4 @ 30KG DBs
4 + 4 @ 30KG DBs
4 + 4 @ 30KG DBs
4 + 3 @ 30KG DBs


Superset #2

Back Squat + Overhead Press

8 + 6 @ 40KG BB
8 + 6 @ 40KG BB
8 + 6 @ 40KG BB
8 + 6 @ 40KG BB


Superset #3

Good Mornings + Calve Raises

6 + 20 @ 45KG BB
6 + 20 @ 45KG BB
6 + 20 @ 45KG BB
6 + 20 @ 45KG BB

***

Once again i'm strapped for time (i didnt know i was so popular...what the fuck is happening?) so i came up with a totally supersetted session on the fly and surprisingly i only dropped one rep, though i attribute that to supersetting two very similar exercises :P.

Everything else went really well. Im exhausted, i think i sweated my bodyweight out, and it took just about 30 minutes to get through. Everybody wins!


Posted by: Gazhole

I knew it was gonna be a bad one as soon as i picked up that barbell.

***

Romainian Deadlifts - 12, 0, 0 @ 50KG BB
Chin Ups - 12, 12, 6 @ BW + 2.5KG
Back Squats - 12, 12, 0 @ 55KG BB
Bench Rows - Dropped
Lateral Lunges - Dropped
Reverse Flys - 14, 10 @ 10KG DBs
Bicep Curls - 14 @ 10KG DBs

***

Not much to say except - WORST WORKOUT EVER.


Posted by: Gazhole

Thus begins a week off!


Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazhole View Post
Thus begins a week off!
I haven't been in journal land in a little while, lookin good man!! A few of those workouts look friggin brutal. Congrats on the Deadlifts, that's a huge increase!


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC View Post
I haven't been in journal land in a little while, lookin good man!! A few of those workouts look friggin brutal. Congrats on the Deadlifts, that's a huge increase!
Cheers dude! I think the heavy deads followed by the supersetting was the reason behind the shitty workout to be honest!

I think my body deserves some time out after that onslaught!

Im increasing my calories and getting my diet balanced over the day, and taking a rest before starting that upper/lower split i mentioned. I think im gonna need all the rest and food i can get to survive a month of that!

How you doing lately, man? Training-wise and otherwise.


Posted by: DOMS

A piece of advice: don't superset RDLs (or any type of DLs). You're only asking for bad form. That's how I popped one of my false ribs.


Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazhole View Post
How you doing lately, man? Training-wise and otherwise.

Eh, not so hot. I re-injured my meniscus in my right knee doing power cleans last wednesday. Gotta take some time off, which is actually perfect, because my gym membership just expired. I think I'm gonna go gym shopping today. We'll see......


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by DOMS View Post
A piece of advice: don't superset RDLs (or any type of DLs). You're only asking for bad form. That's how I popped one of my false ribs.
Shit, ill keep that in mind! Cheers for the warning, dude!

False ribs? Whats that all about? If you dont mind me asking of course.


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC View Post
Eh, not so hot. I re-injured my meniscus in my right knee doing power cleans last wednesday. Gotta take some time off, which is actually perfect, because my gym membership just expired. I think I'm gonna go gym shopping today. We'll see......
Could be a blessing in disguise! Though a knee injury isnt a good thing...blessing or not it still hurts like hell.

How many gyms are near you anyway? Got any in mind?


Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazhole View Post
Could be a blessing in disguise! Though a knee injury isnt a good thing...blessing or not it still hurts like hell.

How many gyms are near you anyway? Got any in mind?
I had my pick of about 10 actually. Went with the Golds that's right by my house. AKIRA (on this board) works out there as well, so it made sense to go there. I couldn't resist doing an upper workout yesterday, too many hot chicks roaming around in there. Feels good to be in a new atmosphere, not to mention they have a trap bar!!!!


Posted by: Gazhole

UPPER (PUSH DOMINANT)

Start Time - 17:15

2:00 RI
OH Press - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 55KG BB
Bench Press - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 35KG DBs
Dips - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ BW + 17.5KG

1:30 RI
Bent Over Rows - 10, 10 @ 30KG BB
Chin Ups - 10, 7+3 @ BW + 5KG
Reverse Flys - 10, 10 @ 17.5KG DB

Finish Time - 18:09

***

Goddammit it feels good to be back, IM. It was only just over a week but it seems like way longer since i worked out. Felt awesome to be lifting again today, you dont realise how much you love doing this untill you find out that you missed picking up pieces of metal so much :P.

So yeah, new Upper/Lower 4 days a week program that ill be running for a month/5 weeks. Today was rather good i thought, went pretty well considering its my first week back. It was over in the less than an hour, i hit nearly all my targets, and it was just enjoyable.

I decided to go for it and cut out arm specialization isolation work. Im glad i did because i was kinda beat after this. Most of you guys swear arm isolation is next to useless in most situations anyway, so what the hell.

Gonna be checking out a gym tomorrow, and doing a leg workout based on my proper one depending on what equipment they have there (being on the local council has major benefits, the gym isnt actually open to the public yet, and when it is ill get a 20% discount! ).

So yeah, fucking awesome. Shifted some relatively heavy weight today.


Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazhole View Post
UPPER (PUSH DOMINANT)

Start Time - 17:15

2:00 RI
OH Press - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 55KG BB
Bench Press - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 35KG DBs
Dips - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ BW + 17.5KG

1:30 RI
Bent Over Rows - 10, 10 @ 30KG BB
Chin Ups - 10, 7+3 @ BW + 5KG
Reverse Flys - 10, 10 @ 17.5KG DB

Finish Time - 18:09

***

Goddammit it feels good to be back, IM. It was only just over a week but it seems like way longer since i worked out. Felt awesome to be lifting again today, you dont realise how much you love doing this untill you find out that you missed picking up pieces of metal so much :P.

So yeah, new Upper/Lower 4 days a week program that ill be running for a month/5 weeks. Today was rather good i thought, went pretty well considering its my first week back. It was over in the less than an hour, i hit nearly all my targets, and it was just enjoyable.

I decided to go for it and cut out arm specialization isolation work. Im glad i did because i was kinda beat after this. Most of you guys swear arm isolation is next to useless in most situations anyway, so what the hell.

Gonna be checking out a gym tomorrow, and doing a leg workout based on my proper one depending on what equipment they have there (being on the local council has major benefits, the gym isnt actually open to the public yet, and when it is ill get a 20% discount! ).

So yeah, fucking awesome. Shifted some relatively heavy weight today.
Way to go man, welcome back!


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC View Post
Way to go man, welcome back!
Cheers dude, its good to be back


Posted by: Gazhole

Dont know exactly what i did today, i was picked to go and try out a new local leisure centre before it opens this weekend, so i had to make the best on fly that i could with all the machines and dumbells i found:

Leg Press - 10, 10 @ 80KG
Leg Press - 4, 4 @ 130KG
Leg Extension - 10, 10, 10 @ 50KG
Leg Curl - 10, 10, 10 @ 60KG
Romanian Deadlifts - 16, 16, 16 @ 22KG DBs
Overhead Squats - 10, 10 @ 8KG DBs

Warmdown - 5 Minutes very low intensity on treadmill.

Total Workout Time - 35 minutes.

***

Bear in mind im trying to remember all this off the top of my head. Suffice to say i wont be joining the gym, its pretty cheap for me cos of my awesome local authority discount, but they just dont have what i want.

The DBs i used for RDLs were the HEAVIEST they had. 22KG!? Bleh.

Everything was a machine apart from that. And half of the room was filled with elipticals, treadmills, steppers, and various bikes.

Other than the equipment i used there were a few pec decks, a lat pulldown, and a few other things that were so ridiculous i cant even name them.

The icing on the cake was the part they didnt implement today, thankfully: when you go there for a workout, you are given an electronic key that looks like, and in fact is, a usb pen drive. After a discussion with one of the gym workers, they will put a program you decide with them onto the pen drive. Then, you PLUG THE PEN DRIVE INTO EACH MACHINE IN TURN, IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO USE IT.

THE ONLY RI YOU CAN USE IS 30s OR 60s. ANY MORE THAN THAT AND THE MACHINE WILL THINK YOU HAVE DISSAPEARED AND WILL RESET ITSELF.

THE MAX WEIGHT ON THE LEG PRESS WAS 190KG, ALL THE OTHER MACHINES WERE LOWER THAN THIS.

IT HAS A TIMER THAT SAYS IF YOURE DOING THE REP TOO SLOW OR TOO FAST.

THERE WERE NO BENCHES, BARBELLS, OR FREEWEIGHTS OTHER THAN DBS.

...

...

...

For what one of those machines cost, you could have bought an amazing selection of freeweights, and even a few regular machines if you wanted to placate the idiots who go in there to "feel the burn", but no.

You want to be high-tech.

The thing is, before they closed for renovation, they had the BEST free-weights section in the whole county. They are gonna have a LOT of pissed off weight lifters on re-induction day, i can tell you that.


Posted by: Gazhole

UPPER (PULL DOMINANT)

Start Time = 17:22

1:30 RI
Bent Over Rows - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 40KG BB
Chin Ups - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ BW + 10KG
Bench Rows - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 27.5KG DB

1:00 RI
OH Press - 12, 12 @ 35KG BB
Bench Press - 12, 12 @ 25KG DBs
Dips - 12, 12 @ BW + 7.5KG

Finish Time = 18:20

***

Fuck my shoulders hurt. All 3 heads got hit pretty hard today, so im finding it rather difficult to keep my arms in certain positions :P. Still, feels good in that odd way...

Went really well i thought. The only thing was my ROM was a little smaller on Chin Ups than usual, i just couldnt go the whole ROM for some reason. No biggie, it was only a fraction anyway.

Damned right! Im liking this program so far. Heres to the next 3 weeks!


Posted by: ReproMan

So do you complete all pulls then go on to the pushes, and vice versa?


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC View Post
So do you complete all pulls then go on to the pushes, and vice versa?
Yeah, i thought itd be a good change from alternating. The last few programs ive alternated them in some way.

Really hits you hard though, i gotta say!


Posted by: Gazhole

LOWER (HAM DOMINANT)

Start Time = 17:03

2:00 RI
Deadlifts - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 110KG BB (Good!)
Good Mornings - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 50KG BB (Too light!)
Calve Raises - 14, 14, 14, 14 @ 60KG BB

1:30 RI
Overhead Squats - 10, 10, 10 @ 25KG BB
Lateral Lunges - 10, 10, 10 @ 20KG DBs

Finish Time = 17:51

***

That was a damned difficult session. Deadlifts were very taxing, my glutes sure are feeling it now. Good weight though, impressed i could get through the rest of the session without fucking up :P.

Good Mornings were too light, i hardly felt them at all untill the last set, so im gonna make them a tad heavier and try and increase my ROM little by little over the coming weeks.

I did have a nasty shock though, i prepared for 2 sets of Overhead Squats and went all out, only then to realised i was supposed to be doing 3 sets. That last set was so painful it was unreal. I finished the last rep, set the weight down, and dropped to one knee on the walk to sit down :P.

That exercise is immense. I love it.

Awesome session. My legs are gonna be messed up tomorrow...


Posted by: ReproMan

Those #'s are climbing, way to go!

Overhead Squats are murder, I can't even think about doing them. Good stuff mein.


Posted by: Gazhole

Cheers, man!

Slowly but surely my body is responding with strength gains instead of size gains i think.

I stuck to a certain range of weights for so long, its only this year that ive actually realised "Hey...i can actually lift way more than this...".

Sometimes its hard to realise when youre actually really trying hard to lift a heavy weight, or just lifting a weight that you think is really heavy :P.

And yeah, overhead squats are killer. Such an exhausting exercise, i simply couldnt do lower rep ranges. Its just too damned difficult to stabilize at higher intensities, lol.


Posted by: Gazhole

UPPER (PUSH DOMINANT)

Start Time = 17:10

1:30 RI
Overhead Press - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 50KG BB
Bench Press - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 32.5KG DBs
Dips - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ BW + 15KG

1:00 RI
Bent Over Rows - 12, 12 @ 25KG BB
Chin Ups - 7+5, 6+3+3 @ BW + 2.5KG
Reverse Flys - 12, 12 @ 15KG DB

Finish Time = 17:56

***

Not too bad today. Certainly starting to feel the higher frequency hitting me, haha. Though im digging my own grave, since that was the whole point of this program :P.

Nevermind. New challenges, new progress.

That sounds like a journal title...

Only thing that needs consideration is my laughable performance on the chin ups lately. Taking the weight down (the added weight) from now on, since i think the extra bodyweight ive put on is to blame for my apparent strength loss.

I dunno. Either way i cant do it at this weight, so the only thing to do is take it down and really push (or pull as it may be) for good ROM and form.

I need some sleep, i am really fucking tired.


Posted by: Gazhole

Yesterday

LOWER (QUAD DOMINANT)

Start Time = 16:43

1:30 RI
Hack Squats - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 75KG BB
Step Ups - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 22.5KG DBs

1:00 RI
Calve Raises - 22, 22, 22 @ 40KG BB

Extra
Swimming - 10 Lengths

Finish Time = 18:00

***

Odd one. Felt rather weak at the weight lifting, so decided to stop flogging a dead horse (after the quad part my lower back was aching so much i couldnt handle any high-rep ham work) and decided to have a swim.

Didnt go too badly considering i havent been for about 18 months, and am 2 stone heavier :P.

Awesome.


Today

UPPER (PULL DOMINANT)

Start Time = 17:33

2:00 RI
Bent Over Rows - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 45KG BB (Too light!)
WG Chin Ups - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ BW + 10KG
Bench Rows - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 30KG DB

1:30 RI
Overhead Press - 10, 10 @ 40KG BB
Bench Press - 10, 10 @ 27.5KG DBs
Dips - 10, 10 @ BW + 10KG

Finish Time = 18:22

***

Good session today. Switched to WG Chin Ups from now on, my lats need some work, and i find it puts less pressure on my elbows than the closer grip equivalents. Dont wanna risk elbow injury again, that sucked like a cheap french hooker.

Bent Over Rows were far too light. I knew my strength would come quickely with these since i havent done them for so long (i guesstimated a weight to start with). Making them a tad heavier.

Other than that, it was standard affair today.


Other Thoughts

Halfway through this program now, another two weeks and a few PRs and ill be starting something new.

I have a few ideas. An Upper/Lower/Full Body thing seems pretty interesting to me. Thinking of adding swimming in as a permenant addition to my fitness again, i saw great increases in endurance when i used to do it every week.

Upper + Lower Days will probably be heavy strength work, structured similarly to what i do now (Quad Strength/Ham Size, Push Strength/Pull Size + the reverse of both) over two weeks to switch them.

The Full Body day will be lower RIs and higher reps to work on muscular endurance. May add in some plyometrics aswell to help my overall performance.

Swimming, like i said, will be on a certain day aswell, so itll probably still be a 4 day a week exercise program, but it wont all be full on heavy as hell weight training like i do now :P.

Think i could keep that up for about 6 weeks or something. We'll see. Ill have to draw something more specific up next week and take a look at it on paper.

Going out tonight, and have a busy weekend in front of me.

Fuck Yeah.


Posted by: Gazhole

UPPER (PUSH DOMINANT)

Start Time = 16:43

2:00 RI
Overhead Press - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 27.5KG DBs
Bench Press - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 37.5KG DBs - (PR!!!!)
Dips - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ BW + 17.5KG

1:30
Bent Over Rows - 10, 10 @ 35KG BB
WG Chin Ups - 10, 5+5 @ BW + 2.5KG
Reverse Flys - 10, 10 @ 17.5KG DB

Finish Time = 17:31

***

Cant put much of a write up here because ive gotta haul ass and shower because im going to see Ross Noble (comedian) in Cardiff in a few hours so i need to run to the station.

Still didnt stop me whacking out an amazing workout though. Very pleased, especially with the PR.

As the recently defeated Ronnie Coleman would say - WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !


Posted by: Gazhole

Darn its been a busy week. I have three workouts to put in one post since i really havent had the time to do it lately. Luckily, i write everything down.

Had to swap around my workout days to accomodate my suddenely busy schedule, but no matter. Still performing. Going all out this week since its the last in what has been a highly exhausting program.

***

Thursday

UPPER (PULL DOMINANT)

Start Time = 16:42

1:30 RI
Bent Over Rows - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 45KG BB
Chin Ups - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ BW + 7.5KG
Bench Rows - 6, 6, 6, 6 @ 27.5KG DB

1:00 RI
Overhead Press - 12, 12 @ 35KG BB
Bench Press - 12, 12 @ 27.5KG DBs
Dips - 12, 12 @ BW + 7.5KG

Finish Time = 17:32

***

Saturday

LOWER (QUAD DOMINANT)

Start Time = 15:05

2:00 RI
Hack Squat - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 90KG BB
Lunges - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 27.5KG DBs

1:30 RI
Romanian Deadlifts /SS/ Calve Raises - 10/20, 10/20, 10/20 @ 45KG BB

Finish Time = 15:37

***

Tuesday

LOWER (HAM DOMINANT)

Start Time = 17:49

2:00 RI
Deadlifts - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 110KG BB
Good Mornings - 4, 4, 4, 4 @ 55KG BB
Calve Raises - 14, 14, 14, 14 @ 60KG BB

1:30 RI
Overhead Squats - 10, 10, 10 @ 25KG BB
Lateral Lunges - 10, 10, 10 @ 20KG DBs

Finish Time = 18:43

***

So yeah, three pretty good workouts IMO. Today was a bitch though, may have pulled a muscle out in my lower back on the Good Mornings. We'll see how it is tomorrow, so fingers crossed its nothing. I guess if it were really serious id know about it now :P.

Getting more confident on Chin Ups and Overhead Squats as time goes on. The former because im concentrating more on ROM than weight lifted, and the latter because its fucking hard and i refuse to let it beat me.

Should be joining a gym soon so i can actually workout somewhere other than my house, haha. Partially need this because im running out of weight, and i want to give the floor a break from being wrecked (parents can be so uptight about things like that).

Should be good. I know a guy who can get me in there for a while without paying, so i can get into using the place. Its not too far from where i live, and its probably one of two places around here that actually cater for the serious lifter over fat middle-aged women....


Posted by: Gazhole

UPPER (PUSH DOMINANT) - Unload

Start Time = 17:32

2:00 RI
Overhead Press - 4, 4, 4 @ 45KG BB
Bench Press - 4, 4, 4 @ 32.5KG DBs
Dips - 4, 4, 4 @ BW + 12.5KG

1:30 RI
Bent Over Rows - 8, 8 @ 30KG BB
Chin Ups - 8, 8 @ BW
Reverse Flys - 8, 8 @ 15KG DB

Finish Time = 18:09

***

Yeah, im pretty much burned out at this point, haha. Even the thought of doing a full workout today made me knackered so i sucked it up and did an unload. Thankfully ive got a week off next week, need to rest up and get my energy back.

Was a good program, perhaps a little too intense for me since i could only keep it up for 3 full weeks! Though i have been taking my carbs down for 2 weeks in an attempt to stop getting fatter :P.

Ah well.


Posted by: ReproMan

I haven't been in journal land for a while now recovering my hand, takin some time off??


Posted by: Gazhole

Quote:
Originally Posted by FatCatMC View Post
I haven't been in journal land for a while now recovering my hand, takin some time off??
Yup, a nice week of R+R and i bit my tongue and joined a gym. ive kinda run out of weight in my house, haha. Not a bad gym really, a lot of machines but they do have some freeweights. Ill make do best i can :P.

Just had my first workout back today, see next post!

Hows things been going with you, man? I too havent been in journal for a while. Everything alright?


Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazhole