Grunt11's Training Log

I totally get what you are saying about needing the workout. That's how I retain my sanity too.
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Yeah, I just hope I can increase the intensity enough to make 3 workouts a week carry me through.

Awesome to hear the versa gripps worked that well for you. I'm definitely going to have to pick up a pair sometime soon. Someone recently had some sitting in the lost and found at the gym and I was tempted to try them out but decided against it.
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Based on today I’m pretty sure they are going to help with the tendonitis in my forearms since I felt no strain at all once I realized I didn’t have to hold the bar tight. ;)

Those foot cramps are a huge pain in the ass.
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First time I’ve had one lifting. I sure hurt like hell.

Have you gotten Fallout: New Vegas yet?
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Not yet. For some reason I just wasn’t taking a liking to Fallout 3 at first despite loving Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. But once I finally figured out the interface and some of the tactics I’ve decided it’s one of my favorite games. So Vegas is on the menu for sure.

Here’s a link to my setup:

http://www.axiomaudio.com/boards/ub...&Main=16300&Words=room&Search=true#Post309421

The screen is a 134 inch diagonal 16x9 format. I’ve made some improvements like getting a better carpet and mounting some of the speakers that were just sitting on boxes. The side LCD is on a swing out mount and folds behind the curtains if I want it out of the way for movies. For gaming I often keep it out and set to a computer input while the big screen is set to the Xbox. That way if I get desperate I can look up a cheat while still staying in the game.
 
Week 1: Workout 1: Today:

Sumo Deadlift (platform) 230 lbs. x10 x10
Flat Bench Press 150 lbs. + 7lb. resistance band x10 x10
Power Squat (ATG) 200 x10 x10
BB Shrug 290 lbs. x12 x12
BB Calf Raise (walkouts) 250 lbs. x 20

I can’t be sure until I test my 1RM but I think the platform Deadlifts are going to help a lot.

I bought some resistance bands for when I have to travel since on some trips I don’t even get away from the airplane so I wanted to be able to do some sort of workout even when flying. So since I have them I figured I’d try them out on Bench Press and Olympic Squat at least since my sticking point on both of those is part way up.

I used the Versa Grips on the Shrugs and I’m even more pleased with them now that I’m putting more weight on the bar. It’s easy enough to put them on at the start of the exercise and as I added weight to get to the working set all I had to do is spin them around on my wrist and was able to grab and carry things normally then just spin them back around for the next set. I’m very pleased with them and can already feel they are taking al load off my forearm tendons.

In part to give my arms a break and also to get accustomed to heavier weights on my back I switched doing the calf raises from holding the bar like a Shrug to up on my back like an Olympic Squat. So it’s sort of like doing Calf Raises and with a Walkout I guess.

For now I’m not doing any separate lat exercises on heavy day until I can see how my arms tolerate doing lighter ones on the light and medium days. I might as some in if my arms are doing ok but for now the Deadlifts are my only Monday back exercise.

I took measurements today for comparison at the end though the gains have slowed down quite a bit over the last 7 months. Depending on how I come out BF% wise after this cycle my next one might be a cut.
 
Week 1: Workout 2: Today:

SLDL 170 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
Incline DB Bench Press 40 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
Close Parallel Grip Lat Pulls 110 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
Incline DB Shoulder Press 35 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
Front Squat 145 lbs. x 4 x 4 x 8 +3 +3 +3
DB Upright Rows 30 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5

I tried Front Squats for the first time today and boy was I having trouble keeping the bar in place.

The lat pulls felt ok on my tendons but last cycle they usually felt good during and after the workout but later in the day started hurting. Not sure about the Upright Rows though. No problems with my shoulders but they seemed to more stress on my tendons than I liked. I’d hate to drop either of these so if they seem to be causing problems I might even try dropping the weight and just try to use them for a burn to get the blood flowing.
 
grunt11 said:
I tried Front Squats for the first time today and boy was I having trouble keeping the bar in place.
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Yeah, I think you're supposed to have trouble with the bar on Front Squats. It's best if you can use the clean grip. My arms and shoulders don't work that way, so I've settled for Dave Tate's crossed arms hold.

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Dag, I'm out for a few weeks and you've already caught up with me. Your squat 1RM matches mine, and you're only 10 lbs behind me on the deadlift. Looks like I'd better get back to work!
 
Yeah, I think you're supposed to have trouble with the bar on Front Squats. It's best if you can use the clean grip. My arms and shoulders don't work that way, so I've settled for Dave Tate's crossed arms hold.
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My arms don’t bend back far enough to use the clean grip so I was trying crossed arms. The bar kept slipping off my sweaty shoulders (sleeveless shirt), so I put on a regular T-shirt which worked better but I don’t think I was holding my arms up high enough.

Dag, I'm out for a few weeks and you've already caught up with me. Your squat 1RM matches mine, and you're only 10 lbs behind me on the deadlift. Looks like I'd better get back to work!
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I may be catching up in 1RM but I imagine I have a few pounds on you in body weight so I think I have a way to go to truly catch up. ;)
 
Week 1: Workout 3: Yesterday:

Conventional (platform) Deadlift 205 lbs. x 12 +4 +4 +4
Incline DB Bench Press 45 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
Supported DB Row 70 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
Incline DB Shoulder Press 35 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
Preacher Curls 35 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5

I was also going to do Olympic Squats but after running some wind sprints on Wednesday one of the ligaments in my left knee is not happy with me. The Deadlifts felt fine but I didn’t want to push it.

Although I’m only a week in I’m already considering switching back to a 5 day Upper/Lower/Upper/Lower/Upper spilt. I was really angry at work on both Tuesday and Thursday because I hadn’t worn myself out from working out prior to going in. I think as long as I really limit the lower days to only variations of Squat and Deadlift and use the Versa Grips for Deadlifting my arms will be ok. I know that everything I’m reading says 3 day full body split is bet long term for natural lifters but I’d rather sacrifice a little in the weight training department to reduce the risk I do something “anti-social” to a boss.
 
grunt11 said:
I know that everything I’m reading says 3 day full body split is bet long term for natural lifters but I’d rather sacrifice a little in the weight training department to reduce the risk I do something “anti-social” to a boss.
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It's good to be tired (you might wanna try a little Xanax, too).
 
TunnelRat said:
It's good to be tired (you might wanna try a little Xanax, too).
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Actually I would love to try it but I would be risking my job if I did. I just came off Fluoxetine (generic Prozac), for anxiety, after 4 months because it would have required me to submit for a Medical Evaluation Board (MEB) which if denied would have cost me my job five and a half years from retirement.

The story in a nutshell is that I’ve always butted heads with some of the bosses, especially one of the E-9s who was here. It led to him having a personal vendetta against me and trying to get to me any way he could. Since he couldn’t get under my skin directly (8 years in the Corps and 4 years in the Army so Air Force NCOs are a joke to me) he went after a friend of mine. She was a 23 year old who had befriended and started carpooling with me. We became very trusted friends sharing things with each other people would be uncomfortable telling their priest in confession.

Because I’m a civilian technician what he could do to me is severely limited but she was on temporary active duty orders supporting her family and her deadbeat husband’s mother and two other sons while working another part time job and going to school full time. This ass decided to separate us by putting her on day shift; I’m swing shift which would have totally screwed up her second job, school and what little family life she had. Being scared of losing her active duty orders she wasn’t going to fight it so I did.

The battle raged for about 2 months before I won a Pyrrhic victory, she got to say on nights but couldn’t carpool with me anymore. In the process they tried to pressure her to file a sexual harassment complaint against me which she wouldn’t because there wasn’t any. However, they succeeded in scaring her into staying away from me. I tried to talk her into filing a sexually discrimination complaint against them but she was scared she’d loose her orders and also afraid of what would come out in any testimony, she had told me a lot of “unflattering” things she had done that her husband didn’t know about and didn’t want to give him any ammunition if she filed for a divorce.

To make things worse this crap they pulled confirmed to our coworkers that the requisite rumors we were screwing were in fact true which of course someone relayed to her husband. I could go on but suffice to say this turned into one giant f**k story and because of her fear of what I might come out in any testimony I felt precluded from filing any law suits too. The frustration of watching a friend screwed with like this on my account and not being able to do anything about it pushed me to the edge and I had to go on meds. I came off of them both because of the MEB I would have to have submitted for and they had pretty much stopped working. However, every day I go to work I’m reminded of this crap and it drives me to distraction not being able to do anything about it without screwing her over.

The reason I started lifting again is because I was up to running 70-100 miles a week to burn off the anger energy. That was becoming all-consuming so I decided to start lifting both to regain some of the weight I had lost because of this and because I can exhaust myself lifting in much less time than running requires.

Sorry for being so long winded but I figured I might as well just get it out there. Not to mention talking about it is hopefully therapeutic.
 
Week 2: Workout 1: Today:

Bench Press 160 lbs. (+14 lbs. resistance bands) x 9 +3 +3 +1 (fail) 160 lbs. (w/o bands) x 5 +3
Close Parallel Grip Lat Pulls 120 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
Seated Incline Shoulder Press 40 lbs. x 15 +4 +4 +3
Supported DB Row 75 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
Decline Triceps Extensions 25 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
BB Preacher Curls 40 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5

I didn’t feel like I had enough reps on the Bench Press when I failed so I took off the resistance bands and did 2 more Myo-rep sets without them. I got 5 on the first extra set because of the extra time it took to pull the bands off and reset the bar.

I wasn’t sure were to start the weight on the Triceps Extensions so I started very light and will work my way up.

I did go ahead and split my routine into upper and lower again both for my sanity and because I really thing 3 upper and 2 lower body workouts is the right workload for my Muscle and CNS recovery. I’ll just have to monitor my tendons and ligaments keeping some higher rep work mixed in and not going to low in reps on any of the exercises I find are aggravating them.
 
Week 2: Workout 2: Today:

Sumo Deadlift (platform) 250 lbs. x 10 +4 +4 +4
BB Shrugs 305 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
Olympic Squats 185 lbs. x 12 +4 +4 +4
BB Calf Raises (walkouts) 265 lbs. x 20 +10 +10 +10
Hip Thrusts 135 lbs. x 10


I sure am glad I separated upper and lower body. There’s no way I could have done this workout justice if done along with upper body, both would have suffered. I know many Myo-rep proponents suggest not doing Deadlifts and Squats for safety reasons another compelling reason is that they suck. More precisely leave you sucking wind. Strength-wise I could easily have done more than 10 reps on the Deadlift but oxygen was becoming an issue. At least I have the option of switching to Max-Stim on the Deadlifts next week since I will be using 80% of my last 1RM. I plan to keep Deadlifting from the platform for as long as I can to see what if any benefit I gain from it.

I just started adding weight to the hip thrusts after doing bodyweight only last cycle. I’m hoping they translate into better Deadlifts and Squats since I use a wide stance for both of those lifts. They seem to be a good Glute exercise without adding another lift that hammers my lower back more than it’s already getting hit.
 
Week 2: Workout 3: Today:

Incline DB Shoulder Press 45 lbs. x 12 +4 +4 +3
Close Parallel Grip Lat Pulls 125 lbs. x 15 +5 +4 +4
Incline DB Bench Press 50 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +4
Supported DB Rows 75 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +4
Decline BB Triceps Extensions 30 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
BB Preacher Curls 45 lbs. x 15 +5 +4 +3

Nothing special to say about today’s workout.

One thing to note from yesterday is that my entire back chain is sore especially my Glutes and Traps.
 
Week 2: Workout 4: Today:

Power Squats 215 lbs. x 5 +3 +3 +3 +3 +3
SLDL 185 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
BB Calf Raises (walkouts) 285 lbs. x 20 +10 +10 +10
BB Shrugs 315 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
Hip Thrusts 145 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5

I felt really weak on the Squats today, I’m not sure why since everything else felt good.
 
Week 3: Workout 1: Today:

Flat Bench Press 170 lbs. (+14 lbs. resistance bands) x 10, 170 lbs. x 10 (M-Time)
Close Parallel Grip Chin Ups BW (172) x 20 (M-Time)
Incline DB Shoulder Press 45 lbs. x 10 +3 +3 +3
Supported DB Row 80 lbs. x 15 +4 +4 +4
Decline Triceps Extensions 35 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
BB Preacher Curls 50 lbs. x 15 +5 +3 +3

The resistance bands sure do make the Bench Press more difficult than the weight they represent seems it would.

I was scheduled to do 130 lbs. on the Lat Pulls today but because of the friction on my Lat Pull station the initial pull felt like a Chin Up anyway so I just switched over to Chin Ups. That will keep the weight progression even with the Bench Press.

I switched to doing Max-Stim for the exercises that should be at 80% of my 1RM. I forgot how much they make me sweat. I’m not sure what it is but for some reason Max-Stim reps just seem to “feel” more productive than Myo-Reps. I’m not sure what it is since both methods should ensure full fiber activation when done appropriately. I may end up switching everything but the arm isos over to Max-Stim if it feels like my tendons can handle it. However, if I do that I will still need to do some sort of Myo-set for all the push and pull muscles.

I skipped last Friday’s workout since it was a day off work and I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give my body some extra rest every other week since I have every other Friday off.
 
Week 3: Workout 2: Today:

Sumo Deadlift 265 lbs. + Platform x Fail, 265 lbs. x 20 M-Time
Olympic Squat 195 lbs. x 10 +4 +4 +4
BB Calf Raises w/walkouts 295 lbs. x 20 +10 +10 +10
BB Shrugs w/Rack Pulls 330 lbs. x 12 +5 +5 +5
BB Hip Thrusts 155 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5

The 265 lbs. off the 3 inch platform didn’t budge. I made the platform so I could flip it over and have only 1.5 inches but decided after the fail it was wiser just to get the reps done and not screw around.

Despite profuse sweating while Deadlifting the Versa-Grips held firm though later when I put them back on for the Shrugs the wrist pads were still soaking wet. However, I doubt any of us are averse to our own sweat or we wouldn’t be doing this sort of stuff. ;)

Well I’ve finally broken through the 170 lbs. body weight mark. My weight has been bouncing around a lot because of hydration issues that come with working outside in 110F + temps. But I’ve finally spent one full week above 170 lbs. so I’m calling it. I should make 175 lbs. this cycle if I keep focused on eating as much as I have been. Depending on when our fitness test is scheduled this year I may be able to do one or two more cycle of bulking or I may have to start cutting.
 
congrats on hitting 170! thats awesome mate. unfortunately i lost the will to keep eating. too much going on at the moment, i am finishing up at work and moving back home to sydney from london. will be getting married in august so i figured i would do a bit of a cut to fit into my trousers! so i guess i'll have to wait to the end of the year to catch up.
 
Thanks Oz.

Congratulations on your upcoming marriage, if I haven’t said it already.

It’s nice to break through that plateau since I was stuck at 166 lbs. for so long.

In a related note I forgot to mention earlier something interesting happened at work yesterday. The Air Force seems to be looking for mostly anorexic people these days so the newer ABU uniforms are cut a little on the small side. Well I always keep my sleeves rolled up but yesterday when I got to work I couldn’t get my uniform off because my arms were stuck in the sleeves. I had to have someone else pull them off.
 
Week 3: Workout 3: Today:

Incline BB Shoulder Press 105 lbs. x 25 (M-Time)
Close Parallel Grip Chin Ups BW (172 lbs.) x 25 (M-Time)
Incline DB Bench Press 47.5 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
Supported DB Row 80 lbs. x 14 +4 +4 +4
Decline BB Triceps Extensions 40 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
BB Preacher Curls 55 lbs. x 12 +4 +4 +3

I felt really good lifting today, not sure why since nothing diet, sleep or otherwise was different yesterday.

I think next year I’m going to time my cycles so that I cut just as the weather is starting to heat up here. Carrying an extra 32 lbs. of body weight, some of which is fat, in the heat is getting brutal.
 
Week 3: Workout 4: Today:

Power Squats 230 lbs. x 20 M-Time (did as pause squats)
SLDL (1.5” platform) 200 lbs. x 15 +5 +5 +5
Calf Raises (walkouts) 310 lbs. x 20 +10 +10 +10
Shrugs (rack pulls) 345 lbs. x 15 +10 +8 +Fail
Hip Thrusts 165 x Skipped

I did 5 more reps on the Squats at this weight than I did last cycle and could have done more but 20 seemed good enough.

I couldn’t pull the bar off the rack for the 3rd Myo-rep set on the Shrugs. I guess it’s asking a bit much to do Rack Pulls after the Squats and SLDLs. When I did them last week at 330 lbs. I thought to myself, how did I ever pull this off the ground last cycle when it’s so hard off the rack.

By the time I got to the Hip Thrusts I was beat and threw in the towel. Next week I think I will switch to doing them only once a week on Thursday so I have an extra recovery day over the weekend since I could really feel the Squats in my Butt today.

I’ve really come to appreciate the Versa-Grips doing SLDL. Not having to think about gripping the bar (though sometimes I catch myself doing it) allows me to concentrate on my back and legs. The exercise feels more productive and also safer.

I forgot to mention that I decided to take measurements today because so far this week a bunch of people have commented on how wide my shoulders look. Almost all my measurements were up some (not sure if significantly with hydration and all), however my shoulder measurement is now 48 inches up from 47 inches when I ended my last cycle 4 weeks ago. That’s 1 inch in 3 and a half weeks of workouts. I guess good things happen when you force yourself to eat enough.
 
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