Thread: G-man's Journal

BBG & P/RR/S - Week 1

Incline Bench Press
225x3
255x3
275x3? (can't remember if it's a pr)
265x3
255x3
235x5
235x5

Rack Pulls
495x5
545x4
585x3
635x2 vid:
455x6

Decline Bench Press
275x5
295x4
315x2
265x5
265x5

Hammer Strength Rows
70x6
100x5
120x4
140x3
80x6
80x6
80x6

Hammer Strength Curls
90x5
115x4
135x4
90x6
90x6

One-arm Tricep Cable Pushdowns
95x6 (limit)
120x6 (limit +25 plate)
90x6 (limit)

NOTES: Workout felt good. I'm liking the reps with the compound lifts and it gives my joints a nice break. I went for 3 with the rack pull and had it, but gave up just before lockout, not sure why and kinda pissed....

Damn! Had no idea you were going to be doing exactly what I'm doing! Finally now I'll have some motivation to stick to it. Workout really really looks good man, I'm impressed. Strength all around looks great. And I really like that I won't be doing such low reps all the time, should be nice for a change of pace.

And yeah, me and G are pretty on the same page in terms of lifting, wanting to stay natural, and be as big/strong/lean as possible at the same time. Our biggest difference is that I'm pretty much stoned or drunk everyday, lol.

Looking very strong.

By the way, are you going to be doing a 3 on / 1 off split like I am? I'm looking forward to being in the gym more often.

Originally Posted by M.J.H.

Damn! Had no idea you were going to be doing exactly what I'm doing! Finally now I'll have some motivation to stick to it. Workout really really looks good man, I'm impressed. Strength all around looks great. And I really like that I won't be doing such low reps all the time, should be nice for a change of pace.

And yeah, me and G are pretty on the same page in terms of lifting, wanting to stay natural, and be as big/strong/lean as possible at the same time. Our biggest difference is that I'm pretty much stoned or drunk everyday, lol.

Surprised M? Haha yeah man I've been thinking change for a while now. I've never tried BGB and you seem to respond well with it and since we're pretty much the same person I figured I'd give it a run. Instantly I like the break from the one rep maxes...the lowest rep I will go is 3 with this in the power week. And I think that's pretty low too. I'll admit I didn't read everything through and through about BGB or P/RR/S so I'm sure some things are going to be wrong with my workouts. But it doesn't matter, because I'll recover and get stronger anyways...

LOL yeah that is the biggest difference you freakin party machine. I get gone on the weekends though, don't get me wrong...

Originally Posted by Double D

Looking very strong.

Thanks a lot D I appreciate you checking out my journal!

Originally Posted by M.J.H.

By the way, are you going to be doing a 3 on / 1 off split like I am? I'm looking forward to being in the gym more often.

Oh boy you're going 3 on 1 off? Well I think what I'll do is either 3 on 1 off or 2 on 1 off, depending on how things feel on that third day. To be honest I'll probably just do 3 on 1 off though, because on all my off days I feel like lifting. At least that's how it was on Westside. We shall see..

Yeah man, 3 on / 1 off. I prefer it this way, because like you on my 3rd day I'm always itching to be in the gym. Anyway, I forgot to mention arms! In BGB you train biceps on your quad dominant day, and then triceps on your hamstring dominant day. I'm not sure why it's not mentioned in the layout of the split. If you read the BGB article on WannaBeBig.com you'll see exactly what I mean. In other words, a quad dominant day might look like this, if it wasn't combined with P/RR/S:

1. Leg presses 5x5
2. Standing BB curls 5x5
3. Squats 3x8
4. Hammer Curls 2x12
5. SLDL 2x12

In other words the main focus is on quads, hamstrings being secondary with just one exercise, and then biceps also being secondary with just two exercises. I'm sure you'll modify it to your own personal needs/goals, but you get the idea.

are you sticking to low reps or are you gonna add some higher rep stuff in there too? By higher reps I mean 8 or so and low reps I mean 4-6.

Nice rack pulls btw

edit: I am a dumbass, it's your power week..... oops, forget this then

Originally Posted by Stewart20

are you sticking to low reps or are you gonna add some higher rep stuff in there too? By higher reps I mean 8 or so and low reps I mean 4-6.

Nice rack pulls btw

edit: I am a dumbass, it's your power week..... oops, forget this then

Haha thanks for stopping by Stewart - yeah, power week right now. Gonna keep the reps between 3-6 for now.

Originally Posted by M.J.H.

Yeah man, 3 on / 1 off. I prefer it this way, because like you on my 3rd day I'm always itching to be in the gym. Anyway, I forgot to mention arms! In BGB you train biceps on your quad dominant day, and then triceps on your hamstring dominant day. I'm not sure why it's not mentioned in the layout of the split. If you read the BGB article on WannaBeBig.com you'll see exactly what I mean. In other words, a quad dominant day might look like this, if it wasn't combined with P/RR/S:

1. Leg presses 5x5
2. Standing BB curls 5x5
3. Squats 3x8
4. Hammer Curls 2x12
5. SLDL 2x12

In other words the main focus is on quads, hamstrings being secondary with just one exercise, and then biceps also being secondary with just two exercises. I'm sure you'll modify it to your own personal needs/goals, but you get the idea.

Ok I see, thanks M. I'm gonna change it around for myself and do some type of arm work everyday, probably with only one exercise per muscle though. As I continue on with training I see more benefit from doing each muscle more frequently with less volume each time, so I'll continue on with this approach.

BBG & P/RR/S - Week 1

ATG Squats
315x3
365x3
415x3 (new 3rm)
365x5

Hammer Strength Squat
315x5
495x5
585x3

Seated Leg Curls
210x6
230x6
250x6
270x6

Calf Raises
170x5
160x4
130x6
120x6

Rope Cable Hammer Curls
95x5 (stack limit)
105x5
120x5
145x4 (stack +45 lb plate)
95x8

NOTES: Solid.

damn, nice squattage there....

are you doing any more hamstring specific work? I think you need to throw some more "heavy duty" hamstring stuff in there other than leg curls, just so you don't develop any imbalances. You have 2 quad dominant movements and only one hamstring....RDLs or Glute Ham raises would work nicely here

Awesome workout G, your squatting strength is friggin' insane! Come hamstring dominant day I think it's about time I do some 3x3 with deadlifts, see what I can pull off. Really looks a ton like my workout today though, the only thing that I did differently was alternated a lower body exercise with a curl of some sort. You'll definitely love your next two workouts by the way. Vertical push/pull tomorrow is heavy pull-ups, pulldowns, pullovers, etc.

Originally Posted by Stewart20

damn, nice squattage there....

are you doing any more hamstring specific work? I think you need to throw some more "heavy duty" hamstring stuff in there other than leg curls, just so you don't develop any imbalances. You have 2 quad dominant movements and only one hamstring....RDLs or Glute Ham raises would work nicely here

Thanks Stewart, and good question. I've really been slamming the hamstrings lately with GHR's, in an attempt to get that lift up to par, so I took it easy today with the hamstring work. In the next workouts you'll definitely see more hamstring exercises, including GHRs and SLDLs.

Originally Posted by M.J.H.

Awesome workout G, your squatting strength is friggin' insane! Come hamstring dominant day I think it's about time I do some 3x3 with deadlifts, see what I can pull off. Really looks a ton like my workout today though, the only thing that I did differently was alternated a lower body exercise with a curl of some sort. You'll definitely love your next two workouts by the way. Vertical push/pull tomorrow is heavy pull-ups, pulldowns, pullovers, etc.

Thanks man. So on hamstring dominant day one of the main lifts could be deadlifts from the floor? I just did rack pulls yesterday so I may pass on regular deadlifts on that day. I don't even want to know what you'd pull for a 3x3 with deadlifts...

Definitely looking forward to vertical push/pull day - it may end up being my favorite..

And arm work, yeah, I'm just kinda gonna throw it in whenver/whever I feel like it. As long as I do two tricep and two bicep lifts per week all is good (at least that).

Yeah exactly, 100% right now, G. Arm work is thrown in wherever, pretty much. I always liked to do it on leg days just because I hate going to the gym and strictly training legs. But vertical push/pull I think is my favorite as well, but they're all actually pretty decently fun. Typically you do your heavy pulling from the floor on hamstring dominant day, but it being power week, I think you were fine with rack pulls on horizontal push/pull. Keep it up, man, how's the diet?

Originally Posted by M.J.H.

Yeah exactly, 100% right now, G. Arm work is thrown in wherever, pretty much. I always liked to do it on leg days just because I hate going to the gym and strictly training legs. But vertical push/pull I think is my favorite as well, but they're all actually pretty decently fun. Typically you do your heavy pulling from the floor on hamstring dominant day, but it being power week, I think you were fine with rack pulls on horizontal push/pull. Keep it up, man, how's the diet?

I'm really liking this split man, the routine is a nice break from Westside. I've always been better at reps than going for 1 reppers anyways..

Diet is clean probably 90-95% of the time. Lots of chicken and all kinds of healthy fats, and post workout I supplement with egg white powder (never been a huge fan of whey). I order straight from a farm and get a 10 lb box for 65 bucks, not bad. Tastes like crap though lol, but it works. I noticed though that you eat far less carbs than I do. I eat tons of fruit pre/post workout, and a good amount of complex carbs at non workout meals. Calories right now are around maintenance, which for me is about 3,000-3,500 per day. Some days are over, some are under, which I think helps rev up the metabolism, but my weight is still consistently around 218-223 or so.

Power Week - Vertical push/pull

Standing Barbell Military
185x4
185x4
195x4
195x4

Hammer Chins
BW+90x3
BW+90x3
BW+90x4
BW+90x4

Dumbbell Lateral Raises
45x4
45x4
45x4
45x4

Chin Downs (pulldown machine)
100x6
100x6
120x5
130x4 (machine limit)

Overhead Cable Tricep Extensions
95x5 (machine limit)
95x5
80x6
87.5x5

NOTES: Solid. Strong. Good workout.

what is a hammer chin?? nice presses BTW....do you clean the weight up or take it from a rack?

Wow, you weren't kidding bro, our workouts really do look about the same! And I'm assuming hammer chins are just done with your palms facing each other, correct? Workouts really looking good, I'm going to try and get myself to do some kind of cardio today on my day off, even though it's gonna' be a pain. Tomorrow I'm probably going to be working out down at the beach, so maybe I'll try and get a video up.

Originally Posted by Stewart20

what is a hammer chin?? nice presses BTW....do you clean the weight up or take it from a rack?

Thanks Stewear, just a neutral grip chin (palms facing each other). It's the strongest pullup I can do, they feel awesome.

I clean the weight and then press on the standing presses.

Originally Posted by M.J.H.

Wow, you weren't kidding bro, our workouts really do look about the same! And I'm assuming hammer chins are just done with your palms facing each other, correct? Workouts really looking good, I'm going to try and get myself to do some kind of cardio today on my day off, even though it's gonna' be a pain. Tomorrow I'm probably going to be working out down at the beach, so maybe I'll try and get a video up.

Correct on the hammer chins M.

6/9 - Hip Dominant workout skipped. I went to the gym tired and rushed, worked up to a 455 pull and was gonna do a 3x5, but honestly had trouble with just getting it for a single..perhaps I should have done it today but decided to just skip it all together.

6/10

Horizontal Push/Pull - Power Week

Decline Bench Press
295x3
305x3
315x2
295x4

V-Handle Cable Rows
180x6
220x6
260x4 (stack)
260x5 (stack)

Incline Bench Press
255x4
255x4
255x4
255x4

One-Arm Cable Rows
180x6
220x5
200x6
200x6

EZ-Bar Curls
140x4
140x4
140x4
140x4

NOTES: I was weak on decline but strong on inclines. I felt more energized as the workout went on, strange. Good session.

Damn nice workout, bro. Your curls are strong as hell, too, by the way. I know what you mean about not feeling strong during deadlifts, my hamstring dominant workout was horrible. I'm really looking forward to the shock workouts, honestly, lol.

Originally Posted by M.J.H.

Damn nice workout, bro. Your curls are strong as hell, too, by the way. I know what you mean about not feeling strong during deadlifts, my hamstring dominant workout was horrible. I'm really looking forward to the shock workouts, honestly, lol.

Thanks M. Still looking forward to those shock workouts you Westside fiend you?

Quad Dominant - Rep Range Week

Leg Press
765x5
945x4 (pr ???)
945x3

Glute Ham Raises (half reps)
BWx8
BWx8
BWx8

Standing Leg Curls
70x10
90x10
120x10

One-Leg Calf Raises
BWx16
BW+25x8
BW+25x8

Weighted Hangs
BW+135x63 seconds
BW+180x34 seconds
BW+225x20 seconds

Cable Rope Hammer Curls
95x12 (stack)
95x11 (stack)
95x8 (stack)

+abs

NOTES: It's rep range week (8-12) on P/RR/S but I hate going high rep on legs simply because it hurts and I don't want my thighs any larger. I like fitting into jeans (barely...). So I'll stay low on quad reps. Lots of PRs..got some funny looks hanging 5 plates from the waist and hanging...

Vertical Push/Pull - Rep Range Week

Seated Dumbbell Military
90x8
100x8 (pr???)
90x8

Chin-ups
BW+65x8
BW+25x8
BW+25x8

Dumbbell Lateral Raises
30x10
30x10

Rack Chins
BW+40x8
BWx7

WG Upright Rows
50x8
40x11
40x10

V-handle Pulldowns
100x12
80x10
80x12

Cable Overhead Tricep Extensions
80x10
87.5x10
80x10

NOTES: Awesome session. Bodyweight down at 215 !! I have to remember to eat enough at my meals working outside now (burnin cals all day). I get the meals in, but I have to keep the cals high. This is a good weight for the summer though, so perhaps I'll maintain here. Got some pics to show what it is: