Sci
Well-Known Member
No, it's not a very interesting lift. Maybe I'll get one when I hit 500 lbs just for celebration sakes.
Gamechanger: Gain 30, Pull 500.
- Thread starter Sci
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No, it's not a very interesting lift. Maybe I'll get one when I hit 500 lbs just for celebration sakes.
Too right.
I find middle and rear delts don't need excessive frequency, or rather, don't handle it that well. It's not especially surprising, given how literally small the muscles (realistically, they're smaller than biceps, triceps and a few others).
Rack Pull: 435x3 PR!
Chinup: 220(bw) x6,5,5
Cable Row: 180x8
Hammer Pulldown: 270x10
Leg Press: 520x5, 470x6, 430x8
WG Dip: 265x6, 245x7, 220x10
DB Press: 75s x8 PR! 70s x8, 65s x8
Front Lateral: 12.5s 3x10
Rear Lateral: 12.5s 3x10
Concentration Curls: 40s x8
Rope Pushdowns: 95 (stack) x8
I was quite surprised to get 8 reps with the 75 pound dumbells for shoulder press. I was hoping to get 5, but they felt quite light so I just kept going. I might try pressing the 80s overhead soon!
Hammer Pulldown is really strong. Maybe the leverage is helpful for that machine, but that's a really nice weight. 125kgs or so.
Sci
Well-Known Member
Actually I am talking about the rotator cuff muscles, I am targeting the supraspinitus with the front laterals, which is very tiny, much smaller than the deltoids, but also very important for shoulder stability and one of the most commonly injured shoulder muscles.
I am not sure what you mean by not handling frequency? I have done laterals daily in some periods and it helped my shoulders.
Re: hammer Pulldowns, yeah the machine has a leverage advantage, which is annoying. I wish machines would be designed with a normal balance, or even a disadvantage, but I suppose the lever advantage is there by design to inflate egos and thus inflate sales.
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Sci
Well-Known Member
Right now I just do the front laterals as described in the link, and I do rear laterals lying on an incline bench.
My infraspinitus is quite strong and overly tight, so I don't do external rotations lately, they get plenty of indirect work with rows and rear laterals.
When I was doing rehab, I would do lying laterals and lying external rotations ( 3 sets of 10 fir each) almost every night, or at least every other night. Lately my shoulder is much better so I mainly just do the front and rear laterals 2-3 x/week.
My infraspinitus is quite strong and overly tight, so I don't do external rotations lately, they get plenty of indirect work with rows and rear laterals.
When I was doing rehab, I would do lying laterals and lying external rotations ( 3 sets of 10 fir each) almost every night, or at least every other night. Lately my shoulder is much better so I mainly just do the front and rear laterals 2-3 x/week.
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Sci
Well-Known Member
Yes, right now. Most guys should be doing some sort of external rotations too. Mikeynov's log is a great example of shoulder health. He has been nursing a torn rotator cuff for several months now, and his exercise selection is ideal for that. I think he mainly does lying laterals and some lying ext. rotations of some sort, it seems he varies it up a bit. That is pretty much exactly what worked for me too. In his log, he details some good choices as far as exercises, load, volume, etc. If you want to emulate someone's program for shoulder health, I would emulate his.
Sci
Well-Known Member
Rack Pull: 405x10 max-stim (below knee) felt my entire erectors tense up, then when the tension threshold was reached, the bar would slowly come up off the rack, definitely the best back thickness exercise ever.
Chinup: 220(bw) x5,5,5
Leg Press: 540x3, 450x5,5
My left quad cramped up bad on the first set, I didn't do enough warmup sets, lesson learned, I usually warmup a lot more for leg press. I dropped the load to get some volume at least.
WG Dip: 265x6,4,4 Hard
DB Press: 80s x5 PR! Did another 5 rep set too. I am pretty psyched about pressing the 80 pounders overhead!
Now it's time to eat like a Viking on pillage!
Chinup: 220(bw) x5,5,5
Leg Press: 540x3, 450x5,5
My left quad cramped up bad on the first set, I didn't do enough warmup sets, lesson learned, I usually warmup a lot more for leg press. I dropped the load to get some volume at least.
WG Dip: 265x6,4,4 Hard
DB Press: 80s x5 PR! Did another 5 rep set too. I am pretty psyched about pressing the 80 pounders overhead!
Now it's time to eat like a Viking on pillage!
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Sci
Well-Known Member
Definitely going to alternate BB rows next workout in place of Rack Pulls, my back is already sore right after the workout, intense. I will probably just alternate them each workout from here on out.
Edit: wow, just measured my right arm cold. 16.25" no pump at all. 17" should be easily attainable by next year.
Edit: wow, just measured my right arm cold. 16.25" no pump at all. 17" should be easily attainable by next year.
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Alternating the rows with the rack pulls is a good idea. Keep in mind that the rows will put a lot of stress on the erectors as well if done strictly. Those are some monster rack pulls though. Max stim definitely helps manage the fatigue from them but no matter which way you cut it, 400 + is still going to put a lot of strain on your body. Just wait til you are rack pulling 500 or more. Try a 1 RM on rack pulls some time. Pushing through the barriers to pull a max single on rack pulls is a whole different experience.
Congrats on the arms, yours are almost bigger than mine now.
How do you like those chins after the rack pulls?
Congrats on the arms, yours are almost bigger than mine now.
How do you like those chins after the rack pulls?
Sci
Well-Known Member
I have heard that rack pulls strain the lats pretty hard, but had a hard time believing it. Chins were definitely harder after the rack pulls, my entire back and forearms got hammered by the pulls.
Also, it's possible that the rack pulls contributed to me cramping my left quad during leg presses, though I stupidly only did one warmup set for leg press, because someone already had it loaded up with 12 plates, so I skipped my normal warmup routine, and almost pulled my quad out. It feels ok now.
Also, it's possible that the rack pulls contributed to me cramping my left quad during leg presses, though I stupidly only did one warmup set for leg press, because someone already had it loaded up with 12 plates, so I skipped my normal warmup routine, and almost pulled my quad out. It feels ok now.
The lats are busy holding your (contracting) traps, erectors and skeletal structure in place whilst you move everything about. They play a pretty important role in making sure we don't sway from side-to-side at times like this. Definitely going to be less effective afterwards.
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I definitely enjoy hitting the lats with pulldowns after heavy rack pulls though. Really increases the mind-muscle connection with the lats for me. Normally, it's hard to get that connection with the lats, at least in my experience, but when they are strained from heavy rack pulls or even deads or real heavy rows of some sort, then you do pulldowns/chins/whatever, you can feel them more and feel them contracting, it's easier to consciously pull the weight down (or pull yourself up) with the lats rather than letting your arms take more of the load.
Sci
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I have finally got the "perfect" simplified compound routine.
Rack Pulls / BB Rows: posterior chain ( traps, erectors, hamstrings, calves) + forearms
Chins: Lats, biceps
Leg Press: glutes, quads
WG Dips: Pecs, triceps
DB Press: Delts
Total body program with only 5 compounds. I feel thoroughly worked after yesterday's workout, I am just going to repeat it and go for PRs for the next few weeks. I should break bodyweight of 217 lbs this week.
Some guy on a job told me I look like some kind of weightlifter today and asked me to help him lift some heavy stuff, and my wife keeps telling me how my legs are "huge", though I still think they are small, I guess compared to the pros anyway. But it's nice to finally be seen as a "big" guy, since I started out as a beanpole.
Rack Pulls / BB Rows: posterior chain ( traps, erectors, hamstrings, calves) + forearms
Chins: Lats, biceps
Leg Press: glutes, quads
WG Dips: Pecs, triceps
DB Press: Delts
Total body program with only 5 compounds. I feel thoroughly worked after yesterday's workout, I am just going to repeat it and go for PRs for the next few weeks. I should break bodyweight of 217 lbs this week.
Some guy on a job told me I look like some kind of weightlifter today and asked me to help him lift some heavy stuff, and my wife keeps telling me how my legs are "huge", though I still think they are small, I guess compared to the pros anyway. But it's nice to finally be seen as a "big" guy, since I started out as a beanpole.