Mentalflex's Log- A Work in Progress

[mentalflex]

Uncle Z invited me to start a log on here and I obliged... I figure it will be a good way to keep me accountable towards my goals and motivated.

My past is riddled with health issues, mainly GI issues, which have caused many setbacks, but every time something knocks me down, I come right back...

As far as myself, I have previously competed as a bantamweight and may do so next show as well. I have GI issues and every time I get my weight up and it has hindered me in weight gain. This year I have been taking things slower and taking supplements to ensure my GI system stays healthy.

My goals for this growth season (offseason) is to add 15lbs of muscle (lofty goal) and then after growing, diet down and compete at the top of the bantamweight class and if things go well and I remain healthy, possibly do a national level show.

I am currently following my own program that combines some aspects of Mountain Dog Training, Scott Stevenson's Fortitude Training and DC. In the past I have worked with Scott Stevenson and we still communicate and I keep him informed of my progress, but I will be hiring him to work me through my prep.We just started this new program and previously did Fortitude Training for about 6 months. I am lucky enough to have a very supporting fiance who is my training partner and my only training partner that actually pushes me and make me bust my ass. She hasn't competed but I think it might be on the horizon for her

Although I will not detail every aspect of each day of them program, I will provide some highlights and a general idea of what I am doing.

I have a very fast metabolism and need to eat a great deal of food to add weight. I am currently eating between 4,600 - 5,000 calories per day. My meals are mainly protein and fat up until my pre workout meal. At that point I add in carbs. I have carbs (with protein and amino acids) intra workout and have several protein and carbs meals after training. I add some fats into my later meals and I also eat in the middle of the night (I actually wake up due to hunger without an alarm).

I prefer to keep things simple and have no need to use crazy dosages of anything. I am working with Uncle Z through this growth season and will be evolving what I use based on my goals. I should note that I have a pituitary issues that requires me to be on HRT. I am prescribed Test E, HCG and Arimidex.

I'll be running some Test E and Mast E when my order arrives...

Thank you for following along

Last night we did legs with hamstring emphasis:

Lying Leg Curls - 4 sets of 8, on the last set we did 8, then dropprd the weight and did max reps and then did partials until we couldn't move our legs

Squats - 3 sets of 20, taking the negative nice and slow

Leg Press - 3 sets of 10. On the last set we did a drop set with 3 drops

DB Lunges - 4 sets of 10 with each leg

DB SLDL - 3 sets of 8

Leg Extensions - 1 set of 20, then 8 partials, added weight max partials, added weight, max partials, added weight, max partials

Hamstring isotension ? 3 sets of 30 second isotension

 

[mentalflex]

Yesterday was chest, shoulder and tris and today was back and bis... both sessions were awesome! Kicked ass on all the exercises that were repeated but we added a few things this week.

 

[mentalflex]

No idea what happened to me yesterday but I was puking my brains out all day. We trained legs and I puked multiple times and then several times at home throughout the day.

Training was good though..

Seated Leg curls - 3 sets of 10-12 then 1 drop set

Squats - a few warm ups then sets to failure, 12, 8, 8, 6 - puked after the last set. I got a solid 6 reps with 335lbs...

Leg press - 2 sets of 8 with a 3 second negative then one set with the weight reduced by 25% and we repped it out

Hack Squats - 2 sets of 10 with a 3 second negative then another challenge set just like on leg press

Leg Extensions - 3 sets of 20-25, on set 2, we did 10 partials after the set and set 3 we did 15 partials after the set.

BB RDLs - 3 sets of 8 with a 3 second negative, these burned like crazy and I puked after these

Lying Leg Curls - 4 sets of 12 and the last set was a drop set

Adductors and Abductors - 2 sets of each of 20 reps

I am leaning out, which makes no sense as I am eating a ton of food, but I'll take it

 

[mentalflex]

Last night was a great chest and shoulder session. I am holding a good body fat percentage for me at 8% and I feel good there.

Last Night's session...

DB Hex Press 4 sets of 10
Banded Hammer Strength Decline Press 4 sets of 8
DB Press and Twist 3 sets or 10
Incline Smith Bench worked up to 2 sets of 8 and then did a drop set
Cable Crossovers starting at the Hip 3 sets of 20 with 10 partials after set 2 and 20 after set 3

Superset of the next two
Behind the Neck Shoulder Press 5 sets of 8
Db side Laterals 5 sets of 10 with 10 partials

Superset of the next two
Smith Upright row 4 sets of 12
DB front raises 4 sets of 10

Superset of the next two
Hammer strength front shoulder press 1 set of 10-12 then 1 drop set
Machine Side Laterals 1 set of 15 then 1 drop set

 

[mentalflex]

Decided to just do back yesterday and move arms to what was our off day...

Yesterday's session

Low rows with MAG bar attachment - 4 sets of 8 with a drop set with 2 drops on the last set.

Forced stretch pulldowns (also a MAG attachment) ? 4 sets of 10. We do these by each of us applying upward pressure to the bar when in the stretched position. It burns...

Smith machine high rows ? 4 sets of 12 (pulled bar up to sternum

Single arm lat pulldowns with an underhand grip ? 4 sets of 8
SS w/
DB deadstop rows - 4 sets of 8

Hammer Strength Pulldows ? 2 set of 10-12 then 1 rest pause set in the 15-20 range.

Weighted hyperextensions ? 3 sets of 15 then dropped the weight and repped out

 

[mentalflex]

On wednesday we had a leg session and last night was just arms...

Wednesday
Lying Leg curls - 4 sets of 8, last set is a drop set
Smith Squats - 3 sets of 20
Leg Press 3 sets of 8 with a 3 second negative, the last set was a drop set with 3 drops.
Jefferson Deadlifts 4 sets of 10
Stiff Legged deadlifts 3 sets of 12
Leg Extensions - 2 sets of 20, last set had as many partials as we could get after the set, then dropped the weight, as many partials as we could get... all the way down the rack
Leg Curl Isotension - hold a static contraction for 30 -45 seconds, 3 sets of those
Donkey Calf Raises - 4 sets of 12
Seated Calf Raises - 4 sets of 8

We just did arms last night as Phil Viz helped me out a bit and made some suggestions to alter my training, so we are going to start with the alterations he suggests tonight

 

[mentalflex]

Had off from work for a few days... Trained twice per day and added some cardio. I used the hand held body fat tool at the gym and it said I was 4% LMAO! I'm more like 7-7.5%.... That's fat for me....

Last night was Chest and Tris... I took a video but my girl accidentally hit "stop" twice so I need to upload it to youtube when I get off work to have all of the clips together.

Here was our session:

Cable Flyes - 3 sets of 15 with 3 second negative
DB Incline Bench ? 4 sets of 6, deep stretch
Hammer Strength Banded Chest press ? 4 sets of 8, hard flex at the top, slow negative
Smith Wide Bench Press - 3 sets of 10, last set double drop set
Machine Flyes ? 3 sets of 12, 5 partials on set 1, 10 on set 2 and 15 on set 3
V-Bar Pushdowns ? 2 warm up sets ? Then 4 sets of 20 reps with hard flex at the bottom
Smith Machine CG Press w/ Bands ? 4 sets of 8
Bent over Reverse Grip Pushdowns ? 4 sets of 12, 5 partials on set 2, 10 on set 3 and 15 on set 4

 

[mentalflex]

Wednesday night was hammies and shoulders

Jefferson Deadlifts - 3 sets of 6-8
Stiff Legged Deadlifts? 2 sets of 15-20, 2 sets of 6-8
Seated Leg Curls ? 2 sets of 10 with 10 partials after each. 3 second negative
Adductors and Abductors - 5 sets of each 6, 8, 15, 20, 25
Donkey Calf Raise - 5 sets of 10-12 with 10 second pause on the bottom
Side Lateral - 5 x 8-10 with 5 partials after set 2 and 10 after set 3, 15 after set 4, 20 after set 5 ss w/
Smith Behind the Neck Press 5 sets of 12, 8, 8, 6, 6
Smith Upright Row - 4 sets of 10-12 SS w/
Rear Delt Machine 4 sets of 10, 15, 20, 25 doing 10 partials after each...

My last set here: http://youtu.be/aNkE1qg3rGI?list=UUV...LhId85UMoUMncw

Last night was Back thickness

Had to make some adjustments to training last night as we went to a gym we don't normally go to...
Machine Lat Pulldowns 5 sets of 6-8
Hammer Strength Deadlifts 4 sets of 6-8
Low Cable Rows 5 sets of 8-10 with the last set being a triple drop set.
Giant Set of the next 3
BB rows 4 sets of 8-10
Db Rows with constant tension 4 sets of 10-12
Banded Hyper extensions 4 sets of 15-20
Superset of the next 2
Stretchers 4 sets of 12-15
Wide Freemotion Single arm pulldowns 4 sets of 10-12

 

[mentalflex]

I have a few workouts to log... I've been dealing with some issues and have been having a hard time with life in general. I'm hoping things improve soon as I don't know how much more I can take...

Sunday

Lying Leg Curls ? 4 sets of 6-8, last set was a drop set
Stiff Legged Deadlifts ? 3 sets of 8-10 reps with no lock out and constant tension
BB Back Squats ? 4 sets of 6-8: I worked up to 315 for 6 and got that for 2 sets, she worked up to 185 for 8 for 2 sets
Leg Press ? 3 sets of 12
Hack Squats ? 2 sets of 12 with 3 second negative
Side Leg Press - 3 sets of 12 (hits vastus lateralis great)
Leg Extensions - 3 sets of 20, 5 partials on set 1, 10 on set 2 and 15 on set 3


Monday

Meadows Rows ? 4 sets of 8
Scapulae Stretch Pulldown ? 4 sets of 6

Superset the next two
MAG Bar Pulldown ? 4 sets of 8
DB Rows w/ Elbows Flared, constant tension ? 4 sets of 10

superset the next two
Hammer Strength High Row ? 3 sets of 15 then 1 RP set in the 15-20 range
Machine Rows to Sternum ? 4 sets of 12-15

Standing DB Curls ? 4 sets of 10 w/ 3 second negative
Straight Bar Curls 4 sets of 8 then 1 rest pause set in the 20-25 range
Hammer Strength Preacher Curls ? 4 sets of 10

Tuesday

DB Incline Bench ? 4 sets of 6
Hammer Strength Banded Chest press ? 4 sets of 8
Freemotion Cable Flyes - 3 sets of 15
Smith Wide Bench Press - 3 sets of 10
Machine Flyes ? 3 sets of 12, 5 partials on set 1, 10 on set 2 and 15 on set 3
V-Bar Pushdowns ? 2-3 warm up sets ? Then 4 sets of 20 reps
Smith Machine CG press w/ Bands ? 4 sets of 8
Reverse Grip Pushdowns ? 4 sets of 12, 5 partials on set 2, 10 on set 3 and 15 on set 4

 

[mentalflex]

Last night was our glute and shoulder session

Jefferson Deads 4 sets of 8
BB RDLs 4 sets of 10
Seated Leg Curls 2 sets of 10 with 10 partials after each then a static
Adductors and abductors 5 sets each doing 6, 8, 15, 20, 25 reps
Donkey Calf Raises 4 sets of 10-12

Superset of the next two
DB Lateral Raises 5 sets of 8 with constant tension and 10 partials after each set
Smith Behind the Neck Press 5 sets of 12, 10, 8, 6, 6

Superset of the next two
Smith Upright Row 4 sets of 10-12
Rear Delt Machine 4 sets of 10, 15, 20, 25 with 10 partials after each set

STRETCHED OUT

 

[mentalflex]

Last night was back thickness. We decided to superset most of our exercises, which got the heart rate pumping!

Hammer Strength Behind Back Pulldown 5 sets of 6-8

Super set
Hammer Strength Deadlifts 4 sets of 6-8
MAG Grip Low cable rows 4 sets of 8-10

Super set
BB Bent Rows 4 sets of 10-12
DB Rows 4 sets of 10-12

Super set
Meadows Stretchers 4 sets of 15
Back hypers 4 sets of 20 then dropped the weight and repped out

Stretch and DONE!

I am really digging the Hammer strength deadlifts as conventional deadlifts load my back at an angle that tends to cause pain. My girl likes them as well and that superset was BRUTAL!!!

 

[mentalflex]

I had a viral infection that put me down for a bit... I sucked it up and trained yesterday...it was nice to get back to passion with my life mate... We had a great Chest and Tri session. My tris are still pumped. We picked up the pace as the gym was packed as heel and supersetted where we could. Add in some drop sets, super super slow reps, stuff like that. INSANE PUMP! She told me afterwards when we got home that her arms still had a wicked pump lol

Chest and Tris

Freemotion Cable Chest 4 sets of 15 with constant tension

DB incline press 4 sets of 6, felt great after having blood there from the cable fly. We did a static on the last rep... Great stimulus

Wide Hammer Banded Press 4 sets of 8... this was a burner. We really contracted the pec at the top and forced our chest out at the bottom. PUMP CITY!

Low Incline DB Flyes 4 sets of 10 with a super slow negative and deep stretch. Really feeling the muscle and getting all we had out of it.

Pec Deck Flyes 3 sets of 12 with 5 partials after set 1, 10 after set 2 and 15 after set 3

We mixed tris in bith some of the fly movements....

V-Bar Pushdowns ? 2-3 warm up sets ? Then 4 sets of 20 reps, last set was a drop set. Killer

Smith Machine Close Grip Press ? 4 sets of 8, no bands this week, instead we did forced reps at the end and statics. Last set had forced reps, a static and a drop set. TORTURE.

Overhead rope extensionss ? 4 sets of 12, 5 partials on set 2, 10 on set 3 and 15 on set 4, last set had a drop set tagged on for good measure.

Excellent session. She was sweating and beat up... Beta cret keeping her fueled up.

 

[mentalflex]

Ok, last night was firestorm... no rest, just killed it.

Hammer Strength B/N Pulldown - 5 sets of 6-8, we actually rested while one another did their set...

Hammer Strength machine Deads - 4 sets of 6-8 decided to superset this with low cable rows...
Low Cable Rows, used MAG bar - 4 sets of 8, last set is a drop set. Back toasted.

Smith Bent Rows ? 4 sets of 8-10 supersetted with Db rows...
One Arm Smith Rows ? 4 sets of 10, held the contract and did 3 second negative

Stretchers ? 3 sets of 15 supersetted with hypers..
Weighted hypers - 3 sets of 15-20, dropped the weight and repped out

Kicked ass!

Today, the combination of doing hard ass glute and hammy training the day before and the Hammer deads made my adductors lock up. I actually couldn't move my legs. It took me a while and I rubbed a bunch of kwan loong oil on them and got out bed, barely lifting my feet, and made my girl a birthday breakfast

 

[mentalflex]

Sunday legs:


Lying leg Curls - 4 sets of 6-8, last set did 1 drop set
SLDLs - worked up to 2 work sets of 10 to failure
BB Squats - worked up to a heavy set of 8, then began work sets. 4 work sets of 6-8. I hit a solid 335lbs for 6 and felt great with that.
Leg Press - 3 sets of 12 with a 3 second negative. These were excruciatingly painful
Hack Squats - 2 sets of 12 with constant tension and doing a super slow eccentric and concentric
Side Leg Press - More of a finishing type move to hit abductors and vastus lateralis
Leg Extensions 3 sets of 20 with 5 partials after set 1, 10 after set 2 and 15 after set 3. These were the icing on the cake. Crippling.


Last night was Back Thickness and Tris:

Behind the Neck Hammer Pulldowns - 5 sets of 8 (we always start the session with a width exercise to loosen things up)

Superset
Hammer strength Deads - 4 sets of 8
Low Cable Rows 3 sets, the last set was a double drop set (hellacious super set)

Superset
BB Bent Row - 3 sets of 8 then 1 high rep set, almost like a widowmaker
DB Rows - 4 sets of 10 (probably should have done a chest supported row here... back was on FIRE)

Superset
Stretchers - 3 sets of 15, the last set was a double drop
Back Hyperextensions - 3 sets of 15 dropping the weight and repping out each set

V-Bar triceps pressdowns - 4 sets of 20, screaming hard
Close grip Banded Smith Bench - 4 sets of 8
reverse Grip Pressdowns Leaning at a 45 degree angle - 4 sets of 12, the last set was a double drop

Unreal pump! Back was sore as anything and tris felt like balloons!!!

 

[mentalflex]

Gym was packed last night... We navigated as best as we could...

Chest and Bis... always a fun session!

Freemotion Cable Chest Press - 3 sets of 15, slow negatives, constant tension (getting blood in the chest)
Incline DB Bench - 4 sets of 6-8
Hammer Strength Banded Incline Press - 4 sets of 8-10, hard contraction at the top, slow negatives and deep stretch at the bottom
Smith Wide Bench - 3 sets of 10, last set was a drop set, we also added some forced reps
Pec Deck - 3 sets of 12, 5 partials after set 1, 10 after set 2, 15 after set 3, then dropped the weight, did max reps and as many partials as we could get

Hammer Strength Preacher - 4 sets of 12, slow negative
Incline Bench DB curls - 4 sets of 8-10, flexed triceps at the bottom for full extension of bis
Standing Cable Iso Curls - 4 sets of 15, last set was a drop set... super pumped!

 

[mentalflex]

My girl decided she is going to add size until April then diet for our wedding. She is very lean right now with striated shoulders....

Last night was glutes and shoulders

RDLs 4 sets of 8

superset
Sumo Leg Press 4 sets of 12 with a 3 second negative ss w/
Seated Leg curls 4 sets of 12 with 10 partials after each set

Adductors and Abductors 5 sets, 6, 8, 15, 20 and 25

Donkey Claf Press 4 sets of 12, last set was DC style

Superset
Smith Shoulder Press 5 sets of 8
Db Side Laterals 5 sets of 10

Superset
Hammer Strength behind the neck Shoulder Press 2 sets of 15 then 1 DC style rest pause set in the 15-20 range
Rear Delts Bent over on the side lateral machine 3 sets of 15

Widowmaker DB upright rows I use 35lbs DBs and got something like 32 reps... PAINFUL!

We will be reducing volume a little more and adding in more DC principles as more drop sets, partials, and statics. It seems to work better for gaining weight and will give us a change of pace from the high volume...

 

[mentalflex]

We began reducing volume and increasing intensity, so it is almost like an exaggerated DC 3 way split...

On Monday, Back and bis

Db Offset Grip Curls 2 sets of 12, 16 then 1 RP set in the 20-25 range
Hammer curls, same as above with a static at the end
Cable Isolation Curls 1 set of 12, then 1 WM
Hammer Strength Deads 4 sets, 6, 8, 10, 12
Hammer Strength Behind Neck Pulldowns 3 sets of 6, 8, 10 then 1 RP set in the 15-20 range
Chest supported Cybex Rows 1 set of 10, then 1 WM
Freemotion wide pulldowns 1 set of 12, then 1 WM

Stretched

Last night:

Hammer Incline Bench 1 x 12, 1x 12 with bands, 1x 6 with bands, 1 x 15-20RP
Cable x-over 2x 12 plus 1 WM
Freemotion Cable Shoulder Press 2x 12, 8 then 1 RP in the 15-20RP range
Machine Side Laterals 2x 12, 15 then 1 WM
Freemotion Cable Skullcrusher / Extensions 2 x 12, 8 then 1 RP in the 20-25RP range
Triceps Straight Bar pressdown 2 x 12, 8 then 1 WM

I think i am getting tendinitis... my left biceps tendon going into my elbow is in a lot of pain....

 

[mentalflex]

Intense leg session:

Leg press Calves 4 sets, 3x12 witha 6-8 second negative, 1 with a 6-8 sec negative and 10 sec hold at the bottom

Jeffersons 4 sets of 6, 8, 10, 12

Leg press 3 x 6, 8, 12 then 1 WM

Lying Legs Curls 2 x 8 then 12 and then 1 WM drop set

Leg Extensions 2 x 8 then 12 and then 1 WM drop set

That was enough... my girl was holding back her puke lol

 

[mentalflex]

Bumped up volume a bit on arms, as that seems to be an area that needs it.

Last night:

BB Curls 2 x 12, 8 then 1 x 15-20RP
Cable reverse Curls 2x 15, 12 then 1 x 20-25RP
Cable Straight Bar Curls 3 x 12, 15, 20
Cable X-Over Iso Curls 1 x 12, 1 x WM (got 23 reps)
Meadows Rows 4 x 6, 8, 10, 12
Hammer Strength Behind the Neck Pulldowns 3 x 12, 8, 8 then 1 x 15-20RP
FreeMotion Wide Pulldown 1 x 12 then 1 x WM (got 24 reps)
Chest Supported Cybex Row 1 x 12 then 1 x WM (got 22 reps) then dropped the weight and repped it as much as I could

I'm making decent progress on low doses...

 

[mentalflex]

Last night was chest, shoulders and tris... I am gaining some size despite low doses. Shirts are getting tight o my arms and chest

DB Incline Press 3 x 6, 8, 10 then 1 x 15-20RP
Cable X-Over 2 x 12, 10 then 1 x WM
Hammer Strength Behind the Neck press 3 x 12, 8, 6 then 1 x 15-20RP
Machine Side laterals 2 x 12, 15 then 1 x WM

Superset of the next two
Machine Dips 2 x 12, 10 then 1 x 15-20RP
Pullover Machine Triceps Extensions 2 x 12, 15

Reverse Grip Pressdowns 1 x 12 then 1 x WM

 

[mentalflex]

We had dance lessons last night but decided we would train legs after... not so sure that was a good idea LOL

Rotary Calf press 4 sets of 8-12
Lying Legs Curls 4 sets of 15, 12, 8, 6
BB Squats worked up to 3 heavy sets of 6-8. Did 345 for 6 without knee wraps. I hit 365lbs for 6 last week but that was with wraps. I didn't feel like wrapping last night though...
Side Leg Press 3 sets of 12
SLDL Ladder of Death 205-225-245-265
Leg Extensions 1 x 12 + 1 WM
Seated leg Curls 1 x 12 + 1 WM

SMOKED!

I am still relatively lean but am definitely adding some size. Getting a lot of comments about my size now, which is nice

It is also cool to grow on low doses....

 

[mentalflex]

I've had a rough couple of days... I found out I have lesions on my liver that may be cancerous according to my doctor. I have to go for a CT scan to determine the severity of the lesions...

Anyway, still pushing hard and doing well on my HRT doses using Uncle Z's test.

Last night was chest, shoulders and tris:

Hammer Strength Wide Chest 3 sets of 6,8 12 then 1 RP 15-20
Cable X Over 3 x 8, 10, 12 then 1 WM
BB Military 3 x 12, 10, 6 then 1 RP 15-20
Db Side Laterals 2 x 12, 8 then 1 WM
Free Motion Triceps Ext 3 x 12, 10, 8 then 1 RP 20-25
Rope Triceps Pressdowns 2 x 12, 10 then 1 WM

Short and sweet!

 

[mentalflex]

I've had a rough couple of days... I found out I have lesions on my liver that may be cancerous according to my doctor. I have to go for a CT scan to determine the severity of the lesions...

Anyway, still pushing hard and doing well on my HRT doses using Uncle Z's test.

Last night was chest, shoulders and tris:

Hammer Strength Wide Chest 3 sets of 6,8 12 then 1 RP 15-20
Cable X Over 3 x 8, 10, 12 then 1 WM
BB Military 3 x 12, 10, 6 then 1 RP 15-20
Db Side Laterals 2 x 12, 8 then 1 WM
Free Motion Triceps Ext 3 x 12, 10, 8 then 1 RP 20-25
Rope Triceps Pressdowns 2 x 12, 10 then 1 WM

Short and sweet!

 

[mentalflex]

Instead of waiting until the weekend to squat when it would normally come up in our rotation, I decided to hit squats last night. Got up to 385lbs for 5 GOOD reps.

Seated Calf Raises 4 sets of 10-12
BB Squats 3 sets (work sets) of 5-8
Sissy Hack Squats 2 sets of 15
High and Wide Leg Press 3 sets of 12 then 1 Rp in the 15-20 range
Lying Leg Curls 3 sets of 8, 10, 12 then 1 WM
Leg Ext. 3 sets of 12 then 1 WM
Adductors and Abductors 3 x 15, 20, 25

 

[mentalflex]

I had the CT scan and it showed that the mass on my liver was not a hemangioma, but it could not be determined if it is cancerous. There does not appear to be any metastatic disease but the tumor is pretty considerable in size, about 2 inches by an inch and a half.

Next step is an MRI...

We had dance lessons last night, so no training

Have chest, shoulders and tris tonight and heading to one of the local bodybuilding shows this weekend.