Better Than I've Ever Been (Classic) [Forum Archive]

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Better Than I've Ever Been (Classic)

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Posted by: 33sun33

Hello all,

Im going to give an online journal another shot, as I find that methodically keeping track of my stats and progress can only help me reach my goals. Speaking of goals, my immediate goal is to gain size and strength for the next month, before beginning a dreadful cut. I still have another 5 weeks to go on my current bulk, and had intended to not only focus on overall size and strength, but to incorporate certain strength and plyometric exercises to help increase my vertical jump. I still have this dream of dunking two handed again at my advanced age of 34. But that was before two severe ankle sprains set my progress back. Doc says the ligaments in both ankles are way looser than normal, and that I should wear a brace whenever a play. Im cool with that, and I dont think it will greatly effect my training.

I am only this week beginning to incorporate core leg exercises back into my routine, starting with the Romanian Deadlift yesterday (went great), and likely some squats for next workout on Friday.

Right now Im following a basic Push-Pull plan three times a week, while trying to eat as much as possible and using a generic creatine mono. Without further adieu, here is my current plan:

Push

Incline DB Press: 3x8-10 reps
DB Push Press: 3x6-10 reps
Flyes: 2x8-12reps
Shoulder Prehab cable work: 2x10-12 reps (both of my shoulders have recurring AC issues)
Tricep Accessory Exercise (usually cable push downs or skullcrushers): 2x8-10
BB Front Squats: 2x8-12
BB Jump Squats: 3x6-8
Planks

Pull
DB Rows: 3x8-10
Pull Ups: 4x7-8 (max)
Romanian Deadlifts: 3x6-10
Lat Pulldowns: 2x8-10
Depth Jumps: 4x6
Bicep Accessory Exercise (usually standing full ROM DB curls): 2x8-10
Reverse Flyes: 2x10

Posted by: 33sun33

Here are the results of yesterday's pull workout. Overall, it went pretty well.

DB Rows: 80x10; 90x8; 90x6 (grip is a major issue - need to wear some gloves or bring my straps next time)

Wide grip, full rom, pull ups: 4 x 7 reps with bodyweight.

Romanian Deadlifts: 135x10; 225x8; 225x8

Lat Pulldowns: 180x10; 270x10; 320x6 (felt nice. 270 was surprisingly easy, so I gave 320 a shot.)

Reverse Flyes: 70x12; 85x10

Bicep Curls: 35x10; 40x8

Depth Jumps: skipped these to give ankle a little more time to heal

Supermans: also skipped these

Posted by: 33sun33

I had a surprisingly good Push workout today! I say surprisingly since Ive been totally stressed out about work, and didnt sleep all that well last night.

Incline DB Press 50x8; 65x10; 75x8; 75x4. (last set sucked, but I was pretty happy getting 8 reps in at 75! Most Ive done in a while, and only tried it since someone was using the 70lb DBs for like an hour)

DB Push Press 25x10; 40x8; 50x8; 55x6

BB Front Squats 95x8; 115x8 (felt very good... was a little worried how my ankle would hold up (just coming off a sprain) but it felt great)

BB Jump Squats 95x8; 115x8 (felt great. Ive read that one should keep the weights relatively low when doing jump squats, so while these were relatively easy to do, I didnt amp up the weights)

Machine Flyes 220x10; 250x8

Reverse Cable tricep pushdowns 47x12; 52x10

Front and Side Shoulder Raises 15x10; 15x10

Posted by: 33sun33

Hey all,

had a good workout today for the most part. Just trying to keep it moving along!

DB Rows

50x8; 80x8; 90x8; 90x8 (felt pretty good. I really need to work on my grip tho, and my left hand gives out quicker than my right. Next pull workout I HAVE to remember to bring my straps or something, bc my grip is holding me back on this)

WG Pull Ups

bwx7; bwx7; bwx7 (felt pretty good, but my shoulder was bothering me, so i didnt push it)

Romanian Deadlifts

135x8; 225x6; 225x6; 225x6; 225x5 (felt good, in hindsight I probably did too many sets/reps. more certainly is not always better)

Hammer Machine Pull Downs

180x10; 270x8; 320x8; 360x4 (these felt awesomely easy! 320 was my previous best, and I was able to crank out 8 reps fairly easily! Tried 360... could only get 4 reps, but whatever, im still happy)

DB Curls

35x10; 40x8

Box Jumps/depth jumps

bwx5; bwx5; bwx5 (I did these essentially as a superset. Jump up onto the box, and then do a depth jump off the box. Not sure if this is a good idea or not, but seemed like an efficient way to get off the box for the next jump)

Posted by: sara

Good luck with the new journal

Posted by: 33sun33

Thanks Sara!

Posted by: 33sun33

Had a decent workout today, but my energy very quickly waned. Started off strong, but at the end I had no energy and seriously felt faint. So I cut an exercise or two and called it a day.

Incline DB Press 50x10; 70x10; 70x10; 70x9. Pretty happy about almost going 3 sets at 10 reps each with the 70lb DBs. slow and steady progress

Front Squats 95x10; 135x6; 135x5. 95 felt very light, but I started to quickly tire at 135. Might have been pushing myself a little too much.

DB Push Press 40x8; 50x8; 55x6. Ehhh... this was the beginning of the end. It seems I was worn out after the incline press, and all the rest of my lifts sucked.

Machine Chest Flies 220x10; 250x8

Reverse Tricep Cable Extensions 50x10; 60x10

Shoulder Prehab skipped

BB Jump Squats skipped

Well... my energy was horrible today. Maybe cause work has been a real stress lately, and my sleeping has been off. Luckily, the big stressful event at work ended yesterday, so hopefully I can get more rest. Next workout is Saturday.

Posted by: 33sun33

Had a really good workout today! I was a little worried, since I cheated and had a 20 oz milkshake a couple of hours before the workout, but my lifts were pretty good nonetheless. When I first started lifting, I used to hate the pull type lifts (only wanted to do chest and arms, lol). But now that I have reformed my ways due to this site, pull day is by far my favorite day!

DB Rows

[50x7; 65x4- warmup] 90x9; 95x9; 100x6. Wow. These felt incredibly easy, and I probably could have gone for 8 reps at hte 100lb DBs. These are all PRs! the difference? Well, I finally remembered to bring straps. Grip failure was holding me back big time. I was a little awkward at using the straps today, but hopefully I will get better at it with time.

Pull Ups BWx7; BWx9; BWx8

Romanian Deadlifts 135x8 (warmup); 225x6; 245x6; 245x6

Hammer PullDowns 180x6 (warmup); 270x10; 320x8; 370x4. Well, the last set was a little too heavy for me, at least in terms of my rep range goal. But I thought I would go crazy today and give it a shot.

Reverse Machine Flies 85x10; 100x10

DB Curls 40x8; 35x10

Box Jumps followed by Depth Jump off the box bwx6; bwx5; bwx5; bwx5

Posted by: sara

Quote:

Originally Posted by 33sun33

Had a really good workout today! I was a little worried, since I cheated and had a 20 oz milkshake a couple of hours before the workout, but my lifts were pretty good nonetheless. When I first started lifting, I used to hate the pull type lifts (only wanted to do chest and arms, lol). But now that I have reformed my ways due to this site, pull day is by far my favorite day

I bet that milkshake got you going

Posted by: 33sun33

Im a bit late posting Monday's Push workout, but here it is:

Had a fairly bad workout today. Not sure if it was due to a hectic day at work, bad diet or what, but everything seemed heavier than usual and I ran out a steam very quickly. Hopefully I can pick things up next Push workout.

Incline DB Press 70x7; 70x7; 70x7. I was hoping to get around these numbers (or a rep or two better) with the 75lbs, but this was hard enough! My performance actually decreased from my last push day.

DB Push Press 50x8; 50x7; 50x6. Same thing here. Not a good performance.

Front Squats 95x10; 135x6; 135x6.

BB Jump Squats skipped... I was dead by this time

Machine Flies 250x8; 220x10

Tricep Ext skipped

Shoulder Prehab skipped

All in all a pretty horrible workout.

Posted by: 33sun33

I had an OK workout today. Not great, but not bad like my last Push workout on Monday.

DB Rows 80x10; 90x10; 100x6. Decent numbers. Still having trouble using straps on the DBs, and its a little annoying to retighten the straps and such when I switch hands. So this workout I actually ditched the straps altogether. On the 100lb DBs grip was a problem, and after every two reps I had to sit the DB down and readjust my grip. Argghh...

RDLs 135x8; 225x6; 245x6; 265x3.

Pull Ups bwx7; bwx10; bwx10. Pretty decent reps for me today. Im still not sure if current wisdom is to do pull ups or chins; and if wide grip means width is really a myth, etc... So today, I kept my palms facing away from me, but did not go wide grip. Instead I just used a "neutral" width (shoulder width) grip. That made pull ups so much easier than wide!! Im pretty sure if I keep using the neutral grip Ill start repping out over 10 every set, and eventually will have to add weight (maybe I should do so now?)

Hammer Machine Pull Downs 270x10; 320x8. Pretty easy... could have done a third set with heavier weights but didnt see the point. I also wonder if I should be doing this exercise at all - ive heard rumblings that it can be bad for your shoulders (and I already have ac joint shoulder problems)

Reverse Flies 100x10; 100x10

DB Bicep Curls 35x10; 40x8

Box Jumps SS with depth jumps bw x5; bwx5; bwx4; bwx5 (at 11th level height)

All in all a decent workout. Still bulking, but admittedly not eating as much as I should (I actually find it easier to NOT eat rather than to eat in massive quantities). But Im likely only bulking for another week, and then Ill start a new cut. Didnt weigh myself or check BF, but I estimate Ill need to cut about 10lbs of fat to get where I want to be this summer (sub 10% bf).

Posted by: 33sun33

Hey all. Had a pretty good workout today, even though its a couple of days late (decided to make an impromptu trip to NYC this weekend and thus couldnt work out).

Incline DB Press 50x8 (warmup); 70x10; 75x8; 75x6. This was definitely an improvement from my last Push day. Happy with 10 reps at 70... now i just have to work on getting the reps up on that last set!

Front Squats 95x10; 135x8; 135x7. Pretty decent here. Still trying to nail the form, and avoid any (more) back problems.

BB JUmp Squats skipped yet again. Just feel wierd doing loud and attention grabbing jump squats at the squat rack during prime time at the gym. Either I have to just deal with it, drop this from my routine, or start going to the gym when its mostly deserted. Option 1 is probably the best.

DB Push Press 50x8; 55x7

Standing Alternating DB Shldr Press 25x10; 35x10

Machine Flies 220x10; 250x6

Cable Reverse tricep Ext 70x12; 80x10

Posted by: the other half

gosh, this name looks so familiar, but where have i seen it before.

hey there mr. 33, good to have you back agian.

i see the workouts are still pretty decent.
hope the ankle gets better, there is nothing worse than a good tweaked ankle.

maybe you can get on the seniors league basket ball team. they wont be so hard on you

Posted by: 33sun33

Quote:

Originally Posted by the other half

gosh, this name looks so familiar, but where have i seen it before.

Hey TOH! How are things? Thanks for checking in - Ill try to be more vigilant about tracking progress online. Ankle is fine, but yeah - playing ball with these young kids is definitely not good for my health!

Posted by: 33sun33

Had a fine workout today. I might have to drop the DB Rows due to a weak grip though. I just cant seem to hold onto the 95lb/100lb DBs for more than 6 reps. Straps kinda work, but they are awkward and really mess up my timing (adjusting straps for each hand during a single set). Gloves just make my grip worse. Oh well... Ive been looking for a reason to go back to Yates rows.

DB Rows 60x8 (warmup); 85x10; 95x8; 95x8

Romanian Deadlifts 135x8 (warmup); 225x6; 245x6; 265x4; 275x4

Pull Ups bwx8; bwx10; bwx10

Reverse Flies 100x10; 115x10

Hammer PullDowns 180x10 (warmup); 270x10; 320x8; 340x8

DB Curls 35x10;40x8

Posted by: 33sun33

Had a fine workout today, after a week long absence from the gym due to the stomach flu!! Given that I couldnt really eat anything at all for the last few days, I decided it was an opportune time to start my summer cut. Weight right now is 205lbs, and my goal is to get down to 8% bodyfat (need to measure my body fat right now, but I think 8% BF on me will be around 195lbs). Diet has been pretty good the last couple of days since getting over the flu, and my workout today was decent considering. Probably going to drop my reps to the 6-8 range while in a caloric deficit. But Ill stick to a Push-Pull workout, at least until May when Ill be playing basketball 3 times a week (thinking of modifying my workout to a push-legs-pull at that point).

Incline DB Press
55x6; 70x6; 70x6; 75x6

Front Squats
95x8; 115x6; 135x6

BB Push Press
95x6; 115x6; 135x4

Machine Flyes
255x6; 235x6

Tricep Reverse pulldown
60x10; 70x8

Jump Squats
No jump squats today, as I played basketball the night before.

Posted by: 33sun33

Pretty good workout today. Diet on this cut is mostly in check. My problem usually isnt eating too much, but not eating enough (or cutting calories too quickly). But so far my strength hasnt dropped.

Romanian Deadlifts

[135x10] 225x6; 255x6; 275x4

Yates Rows

135x10; 185x10; 225x6; 225x4. I havent done Yates Rows for a long while. Happily surprised with these numbers.

Pull Ups

bwx8; bwx7; bwx8

Hammer Machine Pulldowns

270x8; 320x6

Reverse Machine Flyes

100x10; 115x10

DB Curls

35x10; 40x6

Planks

1.5 minutes; 1 minute

Posted by: 33sun33

Had a good workout today, even though I couldnt do squats (urghhh) since these two dudes had tied up the only two squats racks in the gym for the entire time I was there. Probably could have worked in with them, but didnt want to be bothered with unracking and reracking weight all the time. So I did lunges instead. For the first time in a long time.... my legs hurt....

DB Incline Press

[50x8] 70x6; 75x6; 80x3. Very happy with these results! Surprised that 75 was relatively easy whilst on a cut

Machine Flyes

250x6; 265x6

Shoulder Raises

15lb x 12

Push Press

95x7; 115x6; 95x8 (standing press - not push)

DB Lunges
25x10; 30x8. Stopped here bc it was killing my legs!!! I really thought I tore something in my arse! Maybe I should start doing lunges for a while instead of front squats!

Reverse Tricep Cable Pull downs

70x6; 85x6

Core Work/Stretching

planks - 1.5 minute; 1 minute; Birddogs - 20 sec holds x 4;

Posted by: 33sun33

Pullups BWx10, BWx10, bwx8. Really happy about getting two sets of 10 on pullups! PR

Romanian Deadlifts 225x6; 265x5; 265x5; 225x4

Yates Rows 185x10; 225x6; 225x4; 185x6

Hammer Pulldowns 270x6; 320x6; 340x4

DB Curls 35x10; 45x8

Box Jumps bwx5x3

Posted by: the other half

good to hear that you are over the stomach sickness.

god, if i got to 8 % bf, i would weight maybe 175.

good luck on the cut.

Posted by: the other half

oh and by the way, lunges always seem to put you in your place dont they?

Posted by: 33sun33

delayed posting of my push workout. I think these numbers are right, but my memory may be off:

DB Incline Press

70x8; 70x8; 75x6

BB Push Press

115x6; 135x6

Standing BB Military Press

95x8; 95x6

Machine Flyes

265x6; 265x5

Cable Tricep Reverse

85x10; 85x8

Shoulder Raises

15x10; 15x10

Shoulder Prehab work w/ elastic bands

x2

Front Squats

95x10; 115x6; 115x6

Posted by: 33sun33

Oh, how I love pull day!!! For some reason, pulling movements are just so much more fun to me now than pushing!

Pull Ups

bwx10; bwx10; bwx10. Very happy with these! First time, I think, I ever did 3 straight sets of 10 - and they all felt relatively easy. Even though Im on a cut, Im wondering if its time to start adding some weight?

Romanian Deads

[135x8 warmup/form] 225x6; 265x6; 275x3; 225x6. Pretty happy with my results. 275 was nice to hit, but still a little heavy for me

yates rows

[135x10 warmup] 225x6; 225x5; 225x4; 185x8. Pretty decent. 225 is a little too heavy for me to control with good form all the way to 6 reps tho, which is why I stopped short in later sets. I actually prefer doing DB rows, but still having major grip issues. But since Im cutting my volume a bit anyways, maybe Ill switch back to DB rows next week

Hammer Machine pulldowns

270x8; 360x6. The 360 I think was a PR, which is odd since Im on a cut. But on the other hand, I have cut down my volume a bit with less reps and heavier weight.

Reverse Flyes

115x10; 130x8

DB Curls
40x8; 40x8

I also did a bunch of core work (planks for 2 min hold then a 1 minute hold; birddogs; etc...). And I put in 20 minutes of HIIT on the bike and elliptical machines.

Posted by: 33sun33

Alright, so Ive been cutting for the last 1.5 weeks. Im using creatine, and before my cut I was eating a lot (or trying to - eg, bulking) and using higher reps, etc...

During my cut, I have dropped the volume down a bit and have continued with the creatine, while trying to cut calories. I will be perfectly honest and state that my cut the last week has NOT been perfectly clean or on point. I went out with my girl for some ice cream during a particularly nice warm day earlier this week, and also had some pizza on another day.

I know, I know... very bad behavior. But with a few exceptions, Ihave been following my diet pretty well.

Anyways, here is the kicker. Ive actually increased in weight from 205lb to 209lbs. Whats up with that? I can understand staying the same weight (eg, not making progress), but four pounds?

Here is the other kicker. I dont feel like Im much fatter. I actually feel stronger and more muscular. Is it possible that those 4 lbs are not all fat?

Anyways, Im going to stick to my cut, and be more vigilant about my diet. Im going to try to put in some cardio every day (started playing basketball again), so I should see results eventually. I know it wont happen overnight, but my goal is to cut 10lbs in 6 weeks or so.

Posted by: 33sun33

Hey all,

Had a pretty good Push workout today, which was the first of a new Push-Legs-Pull plan I will be following. Any suggestions are welcome. I decided to switch things up to avoid overtraining the legs, as I plan on playing basketball 3-4 times a week while cutting over the next month or two. Here is what it looks like:

Push (Monday)

Incline DB Press: 3-4x6
BB Push Press: 4x4-6
Flyes: 2x6-8
Standing DB Alternating Shldr Press: 2x6-8
Tricep Cables: 2-3x6-8
Rotator Cuff Band work

Legs (Wednesday)
Squats or Lunges: 4x4-8
RDLs: 4x4-6
Jump Squats: 2x6
Various Core work (planks, birddogs, supermans, etc...)
[I know this is a little unbalanced - probably should add some ham curls in here]

Pull (friday)
Weighted Pull Ups: 4x6-8
DB Rows: 4x6-8
Pulldowns: 2x4-6
Yates Rows: 2x4-6
DB Bicep Curls: 2x6-8

I plan on doing HIIT after most workouts, as well as playing BBall on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays

One interesting thing Ive noticed since starting my "cut" is that my weight has increased by a few pounds, and Im lifting a little bit heaviers. I have a number of theories as to why this is happening.

First, maybe this is coincidental and Im just seeing some late gains from my bulk, and it will be harder to maintain this intensity as I enter a caloric deficit

Second, maybe Im actually in a caloric excess. During the bulk, I admittedly did not keep close track of everything I was eating. I tried to eat as much as possible (clean foods), and eat 6 times a day. But during the cut, Im paying much closer attention to what I eat, and have planned meals for every day. My current diet looks like this:

Breakfast: 4 egg whites, 1 egg yolk, 1/2 cup steel cut oats, various veggies (usually mushrooms and asparagus for my omelette), 1/5 cup of lf cheese, 1 tbsp of lf sour cream; 1 tbsp of smart balance, 1/2 apple (this is by far my biggest meal of the day)

Meal 2: Protein shake with 0 carbs

Lunch: Big salad of various greens, 1 can albacore tuna, 1 tbsp mayo, 1 tsp mustard, some spices, 1 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Meal 3: Protein Shake with 0 carbs

Dinner: Grilled chicken/fish/lean pork, veggies (usually roasted), sometimes a sweet potato

But for whatever reason Im up from 205lb to close to 210lbs, and Im lifting heavier than before. It may also be due to a decreased volume in the gym (6 reps rather than 8-12). But my physique looks as good, or actually better in the mirror so Im not too mad or worried. Ill try to take my BF measurement soon.

Without further ado, here are my results for my new push day:

Incline DB Press

50x8 (warmup); 70x6; 75x6; 80x5 (very happy with this last set)

BB Push Press

95x6; 115x6; 135x5; 135x5 (also happy with last two sets... maybe be a PR)

DB Shldr Press, standing and alternating

35x8; 45x6

Machine Flyes

265x5; 250x6; 235x6

Rotator Cuff work
various exercises using bands - this has been helping my problem ac joints out a lot

Tricep Cable Pushdown

uhh.. forgot to do these

Cardio

hiit for 12 minutes on recumbent bike

Posted by: 33sun33

Played some basketball for 30 minutes in the park. good times. ankle felt good, my shot was on point, but legs still dont have spring in them

Posted by: 33sun33

Had a good workout today. Some of my numbers keep creeping up, even tho Im on a cut. Also found out the scale at the gym is broken, so hopefully I havent actually gained 5 lbs since starting the cut.

Weighted Pull Ups

bwx10; bw +22.5lb x 5; bw+20lb x5; bw+20lbx5. First time I was ever able to do weighted pull ups!!! It felt awesome, even though I can only pull a 20lb DB between my legs. Pretty sure I could get a couple of reps in at 25lbs. Maybe next time.

DB Rows

80x8; 90x6; 100x6 (grip was failing.. had to reset for last two reps); 105lb x 3 (grip really really limited me on this last set... very annoying). If anyone has a suggestion about maintaining grip during DB rows, let me know. I tried straps - they work, but very annoying to use on dumbbells.

Hammer Machine Pulldowns

320x6; 370x5. Last set was pretty hard, but also a lot of weight for me.

Yates Rows

145x10 (wm); 225x6; 225x4 (fail). Failed on last set, NOT due to my back, but bc of grip again!!! very annoying. At least with Yates rows, I know straps will work well. Guess I need to start bringing straps every pull day now.

DB Curls (accessory)

40x8; 45x8

Elliptical HIIT

15 minutes

Diet (so far)

breakfast: 1/2 cup oats (1tblsp smart balance and raisins); 4 egg whites, 1 whole egg with mushrooms an 1/4 cup lf cheese (too much cheese, I know)

pwo shake: protein shake with creatine (approx 120 cals, 45 g protein.. no carbs.. I need to get a shake mix with carbs, or just eat something else)

lunch: two veggie chicken patties, two slices whole wheat bread, 1tbsp mayo, some mustard, 1/8 cup lf cheese, some tomatoes

snack 2: protein shake

dinner: girlfriend is making pasta florentine (spinach) with chicken sausage. also had tomatoes and avocado as appetizer. Havent crunched the macros, but dinner will probably be more carbs than I need, but hey..

Posted by: 33sun33

Had a decent workout today.

Front Squats

95x8; 115x6; 135x5; 135x5. Actually pretty happy with how (relatively) easy 135 felt on the front squats. Not big numbers, but my best in a while since Ive taken things slow with squats after hurting my back a year or so ago. Hopefully once I go back to a bulk later in the summer or fall, I can see those numbers really go up.

Romanian Deadlifts

225x6; 225x6; 265x5; 275x3.

BB Jump Squats

95x6; 95x6

Swiss Ball Ham Leg Pulls
2x8
Not sure what to call this, but its when you lay on your back, with your heels on a swiss ball, and then get into a plank type position and pull the swiss ball under your body with your legs. I couldnt think of another ham workout (didnt want to just do ham curls- they always seem like such a waste), so I threw this in. This exercise actually made my hams cry much more than the many deadlifts!

Various Core/Abs work
Planks: 2 minute hold; 1.5 minute hold
Swiss ball crunch: 1x25
various stretching re back
Weighted Cable side bends - 65x12; 80lbs x10

I really dont know what to do, or how many exercises to perform, for core work on this day. Planks are a must (maybe I should do more than just two static holds). I kinda like a bit of weighted work (eg, the side bends and regular crunches). Im thinking I should throw some leg raises and maybe birddogs in there too?
Weighted Crunches - 150x12; 170x10; 190x6

Posted by: 33sun33

Played basketball in the park yesterday. My shot is perfect, but I still dont have any spring in my legs. I think, since Im already cutting, that I might as well integrate the vertical jump bible training into my regimen this summer. That will basically mean that I will do jump training on Sundays and Wednesdays, and Push on Tuesday and Pull on Friday. Ill probably give the first jump day a shot tomorrow, and will post my results (and modified program).

Anyways, today was push day. Went OK, but I really ran out of energy fast and was feeling faint towards the end of the workout.

Incline DB Press

55x6; 70x8; 75x6; 75x6; 75x5

BB Push Press

95x6; 135x4; 135x4; 135x4

Machine Flyes

250x6; 265x6

Alternating Standing DB Shldr Press

35x8; 40x6

Tricep Cable Pull down

72.5x6; 65x9

Shoulder Prehab with Bands
x2

Planks

1.25 minutes. Stopped after one set since I really felt faint by this time. I feel much better now that I ate! damn i hate cutting

Posted by: 33sun33

So here is the new regimen, incorporating the vertical jump bible plan by Kelly Baggett. This looks like its going to be hell, but hopefully it will increase my reactive strength me with my cut.

Sunday- Legs
4 star drill
Low squat ankle jumps
Lunge Jumps
1,2,3 Jumps
20 yard sprints
[5 minute break]
squats
Leg curls
Low depth jumps

Monday- Push
Incline DB press
BB Push press
Machine Flyes
Standing DB Press
tricep curls
abs

Wednesday- Leg 2
4 star drill
regular ankle jumps
Lunge Jumps
1,2,3 Jumps
20 yard sprints
[5 minute break]
jump squats
BB lunges
Leg curls
Low depth jumps

Friday- Pull
Weighted Pull Ups
DB Rows
Pulldowns
Yates Rows
Bicep Curls
Abs/core

Posted by: the other half

looking good, i pretty much gave up on trying to inprove my vertical after i gained 60 pounds since highschool. i used to be able to get my hand over the rim, now i can barely touch the net.lol. i just find it better to be the assist person now. not that i play much ball anymore. have fun with the cut. i know i need to do another one and drop about another 10 pounds

Posted by: 33sun33

Thanks TOH. The ankle is feeling better, so Im going to give this jump training stuff (Kelly bagget's program) a try. We shall see. Its just a shame a cant dunk anymore, when I used to fly through the air! of course, I was a skinny kid back then and about 40-50 pounds lighter

Weighted Pull Ups

bwx8; 20lbx5; 20lbx5; 20lbx6. Felt decent, but kinda a pain holding the db between my legs. Might have to try using the belt

DB Rows

[60x8] 80x6; 90x6; 100x6; 110x3 (failed on 3rd rep with left hand). Felt great as usual. But also as usual I continue to feel my grip is holding me back. But maybe its getting better- the 90lb DBs were fine in my hand, but the 100s were hard as hell to hold onto. I dont know why Im somuch stronger on this exercise than other exercises - like disproportionately strong compared to like pull ups, presses, etc... Im pretty sure my form is strict. anyways, im not complaining!

Hammer Pulldowns

270x8; 360x5

Yates Rows

[135x8] 225x5; 225x5; 135x10. Forgot my straps again (im horrible at remembering stuff like that), and thus my grip was compromised on my two working sets. So i threw in an extra, and unneeded, set at the end in frustration

DB Bicep Curls

45x6; 50x5

Reverse Flyes

105x9; 115x9

I also did some stretching at the end, as well as HIIT on the bike for 15 minutes.

Posted by: 33sun33

OK workout today after a bad weekend re my diet.

Incline DB Press

[55x8 warmup] 75x6; 75x6; 75x6; 75x5

BB Push Press

95x6; 95x6; 135x6; 135x4

Standing Alternating DB Press

30x10; 40x7

Machine Flyes

265x5; 220x9

Tricep Cable One Arm

20x10; 30x5

skipped shoulder prehab due to mad busy gym

bike- hiit for 13 minutes

Posted by: 33sun33

Had my first workout of the vertical jump bible training program yesterday. My legs are still sore!!!

Here is the program:

4 square drill: 2x10
low squat ankle jumps: 3x30
Rhythmic Lunge jumps: 3x10 (per leg) (these were sooo hard!!!)
1,2,3 jumps: 3x5
20 yard sprints: x3

[5 minute break]

front squats: 3 sets of 8 reps at 95lbs
leg curl: 125x8; 140x8; 125x8
low depth jumps: 5x4

All in all a good workout. Fairly easy so far, with the exception of the lunge jumps which were really hard.
I will be following this jump program twice a week for the next month, and I have high hopes.

Posted by: 33sun33

Had a good workout today, but should have looked at my numbers for last session (didnt push myself as hard as I could have)

Weighted Pull Ups

bwx6; 25lbs x5; 25lbx x5; 25lbx5 (followed by bwx8).. Felt really good. 25lbs is still a little heavy, but happy I could consistently get 5 reps

DB Rows

70x8; 90x6; 90x6; 90x6. Felt fine, grip as always is bothersome. Should have pushed myself with the 100lb dbs

Yates Rows

225x5; 225x5; 185x8 (strict and slow form)

Hammer Pulldowns

320x6; 360x5

Reverse Flyes

135x8; 115x8

DB Curls

40x8; 45x5

planks - 2.5min hold; weighted ab machine x2; various stretching...

Posted by: 33sun33

Ok, havent posted the last couple of workouts - my bad. Here is todays:

Pull Ups

bwx10; bwx10; bw + 25lbs x 4; bw+25lbs x5. Weighted pullups are still a little hard, but Ill keep doing them since bw alone seem a bit too easy now. I should probably spend more sets doing the weighted, instead of squeezing out reps at bodyweight. Next time!

DB Rows

80x8; 90x6; 90x6. Seriously, I may have to drop these. grip is becoming a major bummer

Hammer Machine Pulldowns

320x8; 360x5

Hammer Machine Rows

180x10; 230x8; 270x6

DB Curls

40x10; 50x6

Core Work

Planks - 2.5min total; 1 set of birddogs, various stretches/yoga moves

Cardio

12 minutes HITT on bike

Posted by: 33sun33

Had a decent workout today. I was traveling since last Wednesday and was unable to hit up a gym during that time, so its nice to get back on track. Buuuttt... Im taking a trip to Europe for almost three weeks in early July, and its doubtful Ill be able to do much in the way of working out then!

Incline DB press

[50x8 warmup] 70x6; 70x8; 70x7; 70x6

BB Push Press

95x6; 135x5; 135x5; 135x4; 135x4

DB Alternating Shldr Press

35x10; 45x6

Machine Flyes

265x6; 285x4

Tricep Pulldowns

45x12; 52x8

Shoulder prehab work

HIIT Bike for 10 minutes

Posted by: 33sun33

Im back from my 2 week vacation abroad - Spain and Sweden are amazing, btw. I didnt do much of anything in terms of weight lifting or cardio (save for swims in the ocean) while away, but I actually was able to eat fairly healthily due in part to the better diets over there.

If anything, my trip abroad made me realize how fat and out of shape americans are. It was a very very rare thing to see even a chubby person in Spain or Stockholm. if anything, i felt a little chubby at 13% bf! So now Im very motivated to kick some ass and stay truer to my diet and increase cardio. probably will lose a little muscle, but so be it.

My plan is to keep with a Push-legs-pull workout three times a week, but add 20-30 minutes of cardio after each workout. I also plan to either Run or play basketball the remaining 3-4 days in the week. Diet will mostly stay the same, but hopefully with no cheats. One big test of my new devotion will be tonight, when I go to my monthly poker game where there will be beer, pizza and wings for the taking. I think Ill be fine with some seltzer water, lol.

Pull Ups

bw x 10 for 4 sets

Seated Rows

180x10; 230x8; 270x5; 270x5

Hammer Pull Downs

270x8; 320x5

yates rows

185x6; 185x5 (these were hard for some reason)

DB Bicep Curls

35x10; 45x6

Reverse flyes

115x8

Planks

1.5 min x 2; various stretches

Stationary Bike

HIIT for 13 minutes; then another 12 minutes at constant speed

yesterday I also went for run, and tomorrow I will do the same or play ball.

Posted by: 33sun33

Well Im back after a break from posting my progress, although Ive mostly kept up with the workouts. I just bought a house, and have been living in a temporary apartment until we close (hopefully next week), which has unexpectantly thrown off my schedule a bit. Also joined an intramural basketball team, so Ive been trying to think of a good way to balance playing ball 2 times a week with hitting the gym.

My goals right now are to slow bulk, while keeping my legs fresh for basketball and possibly integrating some polymetrics into the mix. So I am considering doing the following, which really isnt all that different from what Im doing now:

Monday: Push

Incline DB Press: 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps
BB Push Press: 3-4 sets x 4-6 reps
Machine Flyes: 2 sets x 10 reps
Standing DB Shoulder Press, Alternating, while on stability ball: 2 x 8-10 reps (IM not sure if this is a real exercise (adding the stability ball), but it sounds like it would be difficult)
Close Grip Bench Press: 2 sets x8-10 reps
Shoulder Prehab Work with Bands

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Legs

Front BB Squats: 3-4 sets x 6-10 reps
Sumo Deadlifts: 3-4 sets x 3-6 reps
BB Jump Squats: 2 sets x 6 reps
Romanian Deadlifts: 2 sets x 4-6 reps
Ab and Core work

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Pull

Weighted Pull Ups: 4x6-10
Seated Row: 4 x 8-10
Seated Hammer PullDown: 2x8
Yates Rows: 2x6-8
DB Bicep Curls: 2x8-10

Saturday: Basketball
Sunday: Basketball

Posted by: 33sun33

So here is yesterday's leg workout, even if I didnt follow my exact training plan. One reason Ive decided to post myworkouts again, is that I kept forgetting how much weight I moved last workout, and thus wasnt pushing myself as hard as I should have been. Looking at my old posts, I see that Im actually lifting a little less than I should be.

Front Squats: 95lbs x 1; 135lbs x 7; 135lbs x 7; 135 x 5
Sumo Deads: 135 x 8; 225 x6; 245 x 3; 245x3
Romanian Deads: 225 x6; 245 x 6; 275 x 3

I pretty much burned out after that, and quit the workout. Squats PLUS deads in the same workout is hard! Hopefully I can do better next week.

Posted by: 33sun33

Im sure my posting here seem schizophrenic and chaotic to say the least. Well, its been a crazy last 6 months or so - lots and lots of traveling that disrupted my gym schedule, I bought my first house, etc....

But in any event, things have mosty settled down, and Im pretty committed to staying the course with this new new workout- modified Bill Starr. I had good results on a modified Bill Starr in the past, and since Im slow bulking, I thought Id give it another shot (plus Ive been doing variations of push pull or push pull legs for a while).

Workout A

Flat DB Press: 5x5
Front Squat: 1x5
Rows: 5x5

Workout B

Sumo Deadlifts: 4x3
BB Push Press: 4x5
Hang Cleans or Box Jumps: 3x5
Core Work

Workout C

Flat DB Press: 1x5
Front Squat: 5x5
Rows: 1x5
DB curls: 2x8
Triceps: 2x8

Posted by: 33sun33

first workout on a modified bill starr program. Kept it relatively light for the most part, but strong workout nonetheless

Flat DB Press: 5x5

60 x 5 x5: pretty easy. In hindsight, should have gone higher, but wanted to ensure I started off with a weight I could confidently control for 5 reps and 5 sets

Front Squats: 1x5

135x5. After a warm up, felt pretty good. Not sure I could go 5 reps at that weight tho

Hammer Machine Rows: 5x5

230lbs x 5 x5

Posted by: 33sun33

Had a pretty good workout on Monday. Didnt post my last couple of workouts, but Ill try to be better from here on out. I am traveling (again) this Thursday thru Sunday, so Im considering doing my Friday workout (see my modified Bill Star) on Wednesday, and then the Wed workout at the hotel on Friday. I just highly doubt the hotel would have a squat rack or DBs of sufficiently high weight to do benches, squats and rows.

Flat DB Press: 5x5

70x5x5: felt pretty good, if not easy. Definitely will step up to 75lb for my 1x5 on wednesday, and then next Monday will likely tackle 75x5x5

Front Squats: 1x5

135x5. Felt decent, a little harder than I expected. I may end up doing 115x5 for 5 reps tomorrow instead of 135

Rows: 5x5

270 x 5 x5. felt great, as though i could easily up the weight. will step up to maybe 300 x 5 for my 1 rep day tomorrow.

various core work (planks, etc...)

Posted by: 33sun33

Had a good workout yesterday, even though I did my Friday workout on Wednesday since I will be traveling the rest of the week. I was worried that being sore would affect my performance, but I felt very strong throughout!

Flat DB Press: 1x5

75x5. Was relatively easy, after a brief warmup with lighter weights. Im fairly confident I can pull off 75 x 5 for 5 sets come Monday

Rows: 1x5

310x5. Also pretty easy! Ill probably keep it at this weight, or perhaps go up to 320 for my 5x5 on Monday.

Front Squats: 5x5

115 x5 x5. Also relatively easy. The squat racks had mad people waiting in line to use them, so I just cleaned a bb from the ground to start my squats.

Posted by: 33sun33

Flat DB Bench

75 x 5 x 5 sets. Pretty solid throughout. A little difficult towards the end. Definitely try 80lb DBs on my 1x5 come friday.

Front Squat

135 x 5. A little difficult, but easy enough to get the 5 reps in. Not so sure I can go 5 sets for 5 reps at this weight on Friday.

Rows

270x5; 320x5; 300x5 for 3 sets. Ok. So 320 is still too heavy for me to go 5 sets. I dropped it to 300 and it was mostly fine.

Posted by: 33sun33

Well, i havent logged a few of my workouts, but as the semester nears an end next week (Im a teacher), I have missed a little over a week of the gym. things should be settled down now until xmas at least, and so Im faced with continuing my bill starr program (I was about to go into deload), or change it up. Since I havent been in the gym for about a week and a half, I decided to just restart Bill starr and hope I can keep at it for 9 weeks.

The next four weeks should be easy to stay on the routine, and hopefully I can find a gym when Im traveling for the deload week, which will be on xmas week.

So I went back to the gym, and here are my results:

Flat DB Bench: 5x5

70 x5x5

Hammer Rows: 5x5

300x5x5

Front Squats: 1x5

135x5

Posted by: 33sun33

Flat DB Bench: 1x5

75 x5. Felt pretty nice. I should be back to my old numbers next week

Front Squats: 5x5

135 x5 x5. Very happy to get in a 5x5 at this weight! I think its a pR for me

Hammer Rows: 1x5

320 x5.

Tricep Cable pulldowsn: 2x10

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