Gamechanger: Gain 30, Pull 500.

Sci said:
Check out this jay cutler back workout... This is sick. I would probably be in a stretcher for a week after this workout. This is the one I watched which has him doing 300-400 reps for his back in one workout. My joints would just explode.
http://youtu.be/Jeq2PJpawsI
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His form is pretty awful on pretty much every exercise... interesting that his workouts are mostly based on "feel" and not programmed based on science... Not very motivating for me to watch these freaks. Totally unrealistic since I'm never going to use roids nor do I desire to be freakish.

Motivation is Clarence Kennedy. Youtube that kid and be inspired!! :o)
 
My legs and glutes are very sore again, leg presses are the bomb.
Also, I have to give credit to the landmine rows, my biceps tendons are a bit inflamed, definitely a great bicep compound move! Though I'll be sticking with machine rows to more isolate the upper back.
 
See that's weird, I get minimal bicep response from those rows. Although thinking back to when I started, I remember my forearms were screaming.
 
AlexAustralia said:
See that's weird, I get minimal bicep response from those rows. Although thinking back to when I started, I remember my forearms were screaming.
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It's probably a form issue. Somehow the way I was doing them heavily involved my arm flexors.
 
Sci said:
It's probably a form issue. Somehow the way I was doing them heavily involved my arm flexors.
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Maybe it would be good to post up some videos of how everyone does them? I've not tried the rows yet, but the presses nuke my triceps whilst my shoulder doesn't feel like it gets too much of a work out.
 
AderynGlas said:
Maybe it would be good to post up some videos of how everyone does them? I've not tried the rows yet, but the presses nuke my triceps whilst my shoulder doesn't feel like it gets too much of a work out.
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Come to think of it, the soreness is somewhere in my elbow. I thought it was by biceps tendon, but I think it's also at the back of elbow at the triceps tendon. The landmine stuff definitely works the arms hard.
 
I decided to take some video footage of my workout...make it a video log, just for fun.

Deadlift: 315x8

Weighted Dips: 245 (me+gear+25plate) 3x8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApyKBvSDtj0

Machine Pulldowns: 250 2x8 didn't like these, went back to the cable.

NG Cable Pulldowns: 180 3x8 Definitely like the cable better. Couldn't get a video of either of these.

DB Press: 65s 3x8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMkYegUSaFM
DB Laterals: 17.5s x8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jQoRXae6lw
Machine Rows: 270 x7, 250x8, 230x8 My back was pretty exhausted after 5 sets of pulldowns, I took a video of the last set, which was a drop set, and form was a bit sloppy after so many sets for back.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmNcs6S-1-o
Machine Flyes: 245 3x8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUZhFTFv7jg
Seated Calves: 140 3x8 No video, too boring.

Very pleased with the deadlift. No pain at all. The footlift is working exactly, better than expected. Still disappointed with my puny lats, but they will eventually grow and get stronger. Got a ways to go still before I am moving decent weight with pulldowns and rows. I am around 213 pounds, getting close to my goal of 220. Getting pretty fat as you can see in the videos...very little definition left. But hey, its a bulk!
 
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Cool approach to your training log, Sci. Glad that the foot lift is working well, looks like you are on pace for a 405 deadlift.

I am jealous of your gym... and your round plates. The plates at my gym are 12-sided, which sucks for doing proper deadlift pauses at the bottom. At the bottom of the motion, depending on how the plates land, the barbell could shift as much as 3 inches in either direction, sometimes 1/2 the barbell shifts forward and the other 1/2 shifts backward...

Anyway, in watching your videos, you are quite obviously putting on some good weight!
 
Thanks Native. It was kind of a pain to take videos at a busy gym, I probably won't do it again for awhile. It was fun though to get a "live action" take of my workout. i am well pleased with my form in all the lifts. I will take a video of my 405 pull in a few weeks to see what that looks like.
I am getting overly fat, but the extra muscle mass is nice. Looking forward to a cut at this point. Trying to stay focused on my bulk.
 
Pfft, fat my a$$.

Nice stuff. I think you need to be careful about using a lower-back 'jerk' to create momentum on the rows. Everything else looked tight.
 
AlexAustralia said:
Pfft, fat my a$$.

Nice stuff. I think you need to be careful about using a lower-back 'jerk' to create momentum on the rows. Everything else looked tight.
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Yeah, very true, but I should of recorded the first set instead of the last. As I noted above, I had already exhausted my upper back with Pulldowns, so the rows got really sloppy, especially the final set. Normally I do them better.
 
All exercises done for 3x8
Leg Press: 430
WG Dip: 245
WG Hammer Pulldown: 250
DB Press: 65s

I overdid it a bit the other day. Alex was right, 48 reps with close to my 8RM for chest is too much. I am dropping the Flyes, dips are just such a demanding exercise on both pectorals and triceps, there really isn't much else needed after them.

For Pulldowns, I tried another hammer strength machine. This one is more of a wide-grip pronated Pulldown. It was awesome, best lat activation I have experienced yet! I will be doing these until I am strong enough to do weighted pull-ups through my whole HST cycle.

Here is the exercise: highly recommended if your gym has this machine.
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/LatissimusDorsi/LVPulldownH.html
 
HST
DeadLift: 335x5 RPE 9
Wasn't fully recovered from the last Deadlift session, either that or 335 is WAY heavier than 315.

Leg Press: 450 2x8

WG Hammer Pulldown: 270 3x8
Obviously the hammer machines have a leverage advantage, no way I could do this much on a cable or in weighted pull-ups.

WG Dip: 250 3x8

Cable Row: 180 3x8

DB Press: 70s 3x8 PR :)

Mach Flyes: 255 1x8
Mach Rev Flyes: 150 1x8
Just one set of each for a good horizontal shoulder stretch both ways.

Body weight: 215 lbs

One more session of 8s, then on to the heavy stuff.
 
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Yeah, you're definitely not as fat as you think you are yet. And so close to your goal of 220 lbs. Maybe another few weeks. Before you end your bulk for a proper cut, I would like to see you hit a new PR on deads... 405 is so close.
 
Totentanz said:
Yeah, you're definitely not as fat as you think you are yet. And so close to your goal of 220 lbs. Maybe another few weeks. Before you end your bulk for a proper cut, I would like to see you hit a new PR on deads... 405 is so close.
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I know. I'm still bulking nicely, still gaining muscle. It's just ironic timing, in the middle of a sweltering July, when it seems like everyone in the gym is lean this time of year.
But yeah, it's going well, another few weeks and I should be at my goal. Looking forward to all new PRs too.
 
Today finished the 8s, with one top set. Sort of testing my maxes, without actually going to failure. All exercises were roughly RPE 9. Did a bunch of stuff, I actually like lower volume, I can fit more exercises in with only one top set.

Rack Pull: 405x5 RPE 9
My spine is the weak link lately in the deadlift, so I will be working on rack pulls for awhile as prescribed by Totentanz. Definitely an amazing exercise on the erectors and traps, like nothing else.

Chins: 220(BW) 3x5

Hammer Pulldowns: 300x8

Cable Rows: 190x8

Leg Press: 500x8

Leg Curls: 135x8

Chest Press: 170x8

Dips: 255x8

DB Press: 70s x8

Front Laterals: 12.5s x10
thumbs pointed down, in the scapular plane, focusing on supraspinitus and serratus

Rear Laterals: 12.5s x8

Concentration Curls: 35s x8

Rope Pushdowns: 87.5x8
 
AlexAustralia said:
Can you c&p Totez prescription for Rack Pulls?
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Nothing elaborate, It was actually awhile back, he just told me to do rack pulls if I want to work on the lower back. Rack pulls are what hypertrophied up his erectors, when he was building his deadlift. I then got all sidtracked with the low-bakc problems, but now that I have the foot-lift sorted out, I can resume my quest for a 500 pound deadlift!
Totentanz said:
If lower back is the primary concern then heavy rack pulls will do more to strengthen the low back than really anything else, since the loads you can use with rack pulls greatly exceeds what you could use with deads or deficit deads. This is assuming that you are using your back to lift the load with rack pulls and not squatting the bar up as some people are known to do. I honestly think that rack pulls, which I incorporated early on, are pretty much the primary reason that my erectors are as strong as they are. I remember a few months after I first started rack pulling and I felt my erectors and was blown away. I hadn't reached back there to really feel them since prior to starting rack pulls and the difference in growth was tremendous.

You may want to look into straps for heavy rack pulls if you decide to go that route, just so that grip is not the limiting factor. To focus on lower back strength, I would stick to doubles or triples on the rack pulls and only do a few sets. 9 reps total would probably be sufficient at first. How much are you rack pulling right now? When my max dead was only 405, I was rack pulling in the 600s after getting accustomed to the lift. I wouldn't be surprised if you could work up to a 500 lb rack pull.
If you did do this, I would drop the load on deads back for sure. Keep them around the 3 x 5 x 315 range while you focus on strengthening up that lower back. Or even just do the rack pulls on deadlift day instead of deads.
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