My Big, Stinky Log
- Thread starter _tim
- Start date
_tim
Well-Known Member
I hope so, Colby!
C2 @ 85%
Legs. Woo-Hoo!
I'm living by a very simple principle this week - drop form, drop weight. Today was a shining example of that.
ATG Squats: WU: 135 x 8; 185 x 5
215 x 5 x 2; 195 x 5 x 3 - I dropped form like it was going out of style on my second set. So, I dropped the weight by 20 pounds and finished up using the best form I've ever had on this exercise.
Next, a superset. [Leg Curl/Leg Extension]
Leg Curl: 115 x 5 x 5 - WAY too light, but deceptively so; I thought it was going to be hard, but even on my last set I didn't struggle once. I'll adjust upward - not sure why I didn't today.
Leg Extensions: 270 x 5 x 5 - I actually was going to do 320 on these today, but my form wasn't great and my extension wasn't nearly as full as it should have been. So - off came the 25's and away I went. 270 was still quite hard, but the extra extension at the top of each rep was just friggin' GREAT.
Lastly, an Ab superset. [Upper Machine/Lower Machine] I'll explain.
Upper Machine: 100 x 11 x 1 - This machine has a plate stack for the load, and a pad that rests on your chest. Your feet rest on a small bar. I use this thing about as evil as I can. I set it up for a full range of motion (the chest pad is adjustable). The contraction lasts for a slow 5-6 count. The negative portion of the rep is done at regular speed - but I NEVER LET THE PLATES TOUCH, and I NEVER STOP. My abs have been hurting this week, so one set of 11 was plenty.
Lower Machine: BW x 12 x 1 - This machine looks a bit like a dip setup with a really big pad attached to the back of it. It has a place for your feet, and the motion is then driven feet-forward for something like a modified leg lift. 12 reps with a normal pace was again plenty.
When I was done with this part of the superset, my abs seized so violently that I dropped where I was and started stretching. Even as I write this, my posture is maybe better than normal because my abs ain't close to happy, and they've already seized twice since I've been at work.
All in all, pretty happy with the workout.
C2 @ 85%
Legs. Woo-Hoo!
I'm living by a very simple principle this week - drop form, drop weight. Today was a shining example of that.
ATG Squats: WU: 135 x 8; 185 x 5
215 x 5 x 2; 195 x 5 x 3 - I dropped form like it was going out of style on my second set. So, I dropped the weight by 20 pounds and finished up using the best form I've ever had on this exercise.
Next, a superset. [Leg Curl/Leg Extension]
Leg Curl: 115 x 5 x 5 - WAY too light, but deceptively so; I thought it was going to be hard, but even on my last set I didn't struggle once. I'll adjust upward - not sure why I didn't today.
Leg Extensions: 270 x 5 x 5 - I actually was going to do 320 on these today, but my form wasn't great and my extension wasn't nearly as full as it should have been. So - off came the 25's and away I went. 270 was still quite hard, but the extra extension at the top of each rep was just friggin' GREAT.
Lastly, an Ab superset. [Upper Machine/Lower Machine] I'll explain.
Upper Machine: 100 x 11 x 1 - This machine has a plate stack for the load, and a pad that rests on your chest. Your feet rest on a small bar. I use this thing about as evil as I can. I set it up for a full range of motion (the chest pad is adjustable). The contraction lasts for a slow 5-6 count. The negative portion of the rep is done at regular speed - but I NEVER LET THE PLATES TOUCH, and I NEVER STOP. My abs have been hurting this week, so one set of 11 was plenty.
Lower Machine: BW x 12 x 1 - This machine looks a bit like a dip setup with a really big pad attached to the back of it. It has a place for your feet, and the motion is then driven feet-forward for something like a modified leg lift. 12 reps with a normal pace was again plenty.
When I was done with this part of the superset, my abs seized so violently that I dropped where I was and started stretching. Even as I write this, my posture is maybe better than normal because my abs ain't close to happy, and they've already seized twice since I've been at work.
All in all, pretty happy with the workout.
_tim
Well-Known Member
D2 @85%
Not bad. Still no Oly warmup, but I'll get back to that next week.
Bench Press: WU: 135 x 10; 155 x 8; 185 x 6
205 x 5 x 5 - Only used a spotter on the last set and he only touched the bar at mid-lift on my last rep.
Superset: [Incline DB Press/Incline Curl]
Incline DB Press: 60 x 5 x 4; x 2 x 1 - Died on the last set.
Incline Curls: 40 x 5 x 4; x 1 x 1 - The dying thing was apparently a theme.
I got kinda short for time, so I decided just to batter my bi's a bit.
Hammer Stength Curl:
-Static Hold: 80 - Basically a hold with a long negative.
-Rep Out: 40 - I didn't count.
All in all, a good end to the week.
Not bad. Still no Oly warmup, but I'll get back to that next week.
Bench Press: WU: 135 x 10; 155 x 8; 185 x 6
205 x 5 x 5 - Only used a spotter on the last set and he only touched the bar at mid-lift on my last rep.
Superset: [Incline DB Press/Incline Curl]
Incline DB Press: 60 x 5 x 4; x 2 x 1 - Died on the last set.
Incline Curls: 40 x 5 x 4; x 1 x 1 - The dying thing was apparently a theme.
I got kinda short for time, so I decided just to batter my bi's a bit.
Hammer Stength Curl:
-Static Hold: 80 - Basically a hold with a long negative.
-Rep Out: 40 - I didn't count.
All in all, a good end to the week.
_tim
Well-Known Member
A1 @ 90%
Time kept me from doing my Oly warmup today. I gotta get to bed on time!
Pendlay Rows: WU: 115 x 8; 135 x 7
165 x 5 x 5 - Felt pretty good, but I know it'll continue to get better as I get stronger. Parts of the lift really don't feel right, and I'm convinced that's due to strength.
[Bar Skullz/Pullups] x 5
Barbell Skullz: WU: 95 x 7
100 x 5 x 2; 105 x 5 x 3 - I started out with 110 on the bar and my form declined as the first set finished. So, I dropped the weight, but I dropped it too much. That's why I split the sets 2/3 between 100 and 105.
Pullups: BW+20 x 5 x 4; x 4.75 - That last set just did not want to be finished.
[Close Bench/CNGP] x 2 (time)
Close Bench: 170 x 5 x 2 - Felt GREAT.
CNGP: BW+40 x 5 x 2 - Felt good but I'm glad that I only did 2 sets - I was fading fast in that last set.
All in all, a good start to the week.
Time kept me from doing my Oly warmup today. I gotta get to bed on time!
Pendlay Rows: WU: 115 x 8; 135 x 7
165 x 5 x 5 - Felt pretty good, but I know it'll continue to get better as I get stronger. Parts of the lift really don't feel right, and I'm convinced that's due to strength.
[Bar Skullz/Pullups] x 5
Barbell Skullz: WU: 95 x 7
100 x 5 x 2; 105 x 5 x 3 - I started out with 110 on the bar and my form declined as the first set finished. So, I dropped the weight, but I dropped it too much. That's why I split the sets 2/3 between 100 and 105.
Pullups: BW+20 x 5 x 4; x 4.75 - That last set just did not want to be finished.
[Close Bench/CNGP] x 2 (time)
Close Bench: 170 x 5 x 2 - Felt GREAT.
CNGP: BW+40 x 5 x 2 - Felt good but I'm glad that I only did 2 sets - I was fading fast in that last set.
All in all, a good start to the week.
_tim
Well-Known Member
B1 @ 90%
FINALLY.
Oly WU: Hang Cleans. - I started with just the bar and did reps until it felt right. I then added tens to each side and did more until it felt right. Then I added two more tens to the bar and went again - and did three solid reps. I then added two more tens and did another three reps with what I felt to be pretty good form. Light? Absolutely. A great start? Hell yeah. I meet with a trainer tomorrow for the first time.
Standing Press: WU: 80 x 8
100 x 5 x 5 - Yes, I repeated the weight from last week - but this time, I actually finished every set.
Rev Pec Deck: 140 x 5 x 4; x 4 x 1 - That last rep seriously didn't want to happen, even after a rest-pause.
DB Lateral Raise: 25 x 5 x 5 - I decreased the weight to focus on form. I'll progress the load when it's time.
Shrugs: 270 x 5 x 5 - Thank you straps!
Abs: [Roman chair/Lying leg lift] x 2
The Roman Chairs were done in two sets of 8 with a 25 pound weight, and the lying leg lifts were done until I started to cramp up.
5 Minutes HIIT on the ellipse.
Great workout.
FINALLY.
Oly WU: Hang Cleans. - I started with just the bar and did reps until it felt right. I then added tens to each side and did more until it felt right. Then I added two more tens to the bar and went again - and did three solid reps. I then added two more tens and did another three reps with what I felt to be pretty good form. Light? Absolutely. A great start? Hell yeah. I meet with a trainer tomorrow for the first time.
Standing Press: WU: 80 x 8
100 x 5 x 5 - Yes, I repeated the weight from last week - but this time, I actually finished every set.
Rev Pec Deck: 140 x 5 x 4; x 4 x 1 - That last rep seriously didn't want to happen, even after a rest-pause.
DB Lateral Raise: 25 x 5 x 5 - I decreased the weight to focus on form. I'll progress the load when it's time.
Shrugs: 270 x 5 x 5 - Thank you straps!
Abs: [Roman chair/Lying leg lift] x 2
The Roman Chairs were done in two sets of 8 with a 25 pound weight, and the lying leg lifts were done until I started to cramp up.
5 Minutes HIIT on the ellipse.
Great workout.
_tim
Well-Known Member
Musing
OK. So I met with a trainer today to go over form for my hang cleans, and I ended up having my whole thought about what I do in the gym turned upside-down.
The good news is that I really, truly understand what I was doing wrong for my Cleans. I know what I have to do to improve, and how I will train this lift going forward.
The bad news is that I think my approach for this mesocycle may provide exactly what I've been worried about lately. Having 8 weeks of HST, then 8 weeks of SST then 8 weeks of power-laden Olympic lifting seems counter-productive. I'm really not feeling the 5x5 stuff, guys. The trainer I worked with happens to be a guy I see every so often in the gym doing cardio - he's a professional bodybuilder who is ranked nationally. Turns out that he's watched my routine in bits and pieces and we did a lot of talking. He understood where I was coming from, but made a fairly significant suggestion to change things up - NOW.
I may have my rating slashed and all kinds of negativity thrown my way for suggesting that I'd change up after such a short time, but so be it. The thing is, I got a small sample of what felt right today - what felt friggin' great.
Given the fact that I did a ton of cleans, squats and deadlifts today (witt the trainer), I'm taking tomorrow off. I'll take the night to sleep on it and see if I have any more clarity in the morning.
OK. So I met with a trainer today to go over form for my hang cleans, and I ended up having my whole thought about what I do in the gym turned upside-down.
The good news is that I really, truly understand what I was doing wrong for my Cleans. I know what I have to do to improve, and how I will train this lift going forward.
The bad news is that I think my approach for this mesocycle may provide exactly what I've been worried about lately. Having 8 weeks of HST, then 8 weeks of SST then 8 weeks of power-laden Olympic lifting seems counter-productive. I'm really not feeling the 5x5 stuff, guys. The trainer I worked with happens to be a guy I see every so often in the gym doing cardio - he's a professional bodybuilder who is ranked nationally. Turns out that he's watched my routine in bits and pieces and we did a lot of talking. He understood where I was coming from, but made a fairly significant suggestion to change things up - NOW.
I may have my rating slashed and all kinds of negativity thrown my way for suggesting that I'd change up after such a short time, but so be it. The thing is, I got a small sample of what felt right today - what felt friggin' great.
Given the fact that I did a ton of cleans, squats and deadlifts today (witt the trainer), I'm taking tomorrow off. I'll take the night to sleep on it and see if I have any more clarity in the morning.
TunnelRat
Active Member
<div>
(_tim @ Sep. 13 2007,00:14)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">The thing is, I got a small sample of what felt right today - what felt friggin' great.
Given the fact that I did a ton of cleans, squats and deadlifts today (witt the trainer), I'm taking tomorrow off. I'll take the night to sleep on it and see if I have any more clarity in the morning.</div>
It's not a bad thing to take advice from someone who understands where you want to go and can tell you how to get there. Especially if he's been there himself.
Changing a program while you're still right in the middle of it is not necessarily a bad thing. Think of if more along the lines of a course correction that gets you back on track.
The key would seem to be that you enjoyed a "small sample of what felt right".
(_tim @ Sep. 13 2007,00:14)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">The thing is, I got a small sample of what felt right today - what felt friggin' great.
Given the fact that I did a ton of cleans, squats and deadlifts today (witt the trainer), I'm taking tomorrow off. I'll take the night to sleep on it and see if I have any more clarity in the morning.</div>
It's not a bad thing to take advice from someone who understands where you want to go and can tell you how to get there. Especially if he's been there himself.
Changing a program while you're still right in the middle of it is not necessarily a bad thing. Think of if more along the lines of a course correction that gets you back on track.
The key would seem to be that you enjoyed a "small sample of what felt right".
_tim
Well-Known Member
Thanks Tunnelrat - I appreciate your comments.
You wouldn't believe this guy's physique. He's a beast, but he doesn't look ridiculous. By that, I mean this: just look at Ronnie Coleman today. I was a huge Coleman fan - until maybe a year or two ago when he became what I consider to be a blob.
This trainer, looking the way he does, is 36 by his ow admission. I'm 31. We talked quite a bit about age, about joint health, and about muscle density. One of the biggest parts of our conversation was about volume. He'd seen me doing my 5x5 stuff, and asked me how I felt. To further on what I said yesterday - I feel stronger, but I feel kinda sloppy - like a blob. This low volume stuff definitely has its place, but more and more I'm feeling that this setup just ain't me.
Let me explain why I said the phrase quoted by rat in his response ("... got a small sample of what felt right today - what felt friggin' great"
. We did a mix of power lifts and volume lifts like I'd never done before. He had me do deadlifts like never before - that forced both good form and explosive movement. He changed my squat a bit - and made it 125% better. As I said, my Hang Clean is on the right path now. We did some constant tension stuff that was really close to what I have done in the past, but with a slight modification I'd never thought of. When we talked about how to apply this, it all sorta became clear.
Alternating weeks:
Bench, Cleans, Squats, Deads - training for power, broken into two workouts, low-medium volume.
Volume lifts by muscle group (goal of 3 sets of 20 reps) for muscle density, broken into five workouts.
Sound crazy? I did a little bit of all of that, and the FEELING I got was insane. It wasn't just the pump - it was something CNS related that had nothing to do with fatigue. I feel incredible today - absolutely incredible.
So, a deviation in approach. I'll lay out the plan maybe later today.
...In a new log.
You wouldn't believe this guy's physique. He's a beast, but he doesn't look ridiculous. By that, I mean this: just look at Ronnie Coleman today. I was a huge Coleman fan - until maybe a year or two ago when he became what I consider to be a blob.
This trainer, looking the way he does, is 36 by his ow admission. I'm 31. We talked quite a bit about age, about joint health, and about muscle density. One of the biggest parts of our conversation was about volume. He'd seen me doing my 5x5 stuff, and asked me how I felt. To further on what I said yesterday - I feel stronger, but I feel kinda sloppy - like a blob. This low volume stuff definitely has its place, but more and more I'm feeling that this setup just ain't me.
Let me explain why I said the phrase quoted by rat in his response ("... got a small sample of what felt right today - what felt friggin' great"
. We did a mix of power lifts and volume lifts like I'd never done before. He had me do deadlifts like never before - that forced both good form and explosive movement. He changed my squat a bit - and made it 125% better. As I said, my Hang Clean is on the right path now. We did some constant tension stuff that was really close to what I have done in the past, but with a slight modification I'd never thought of. When we talked about how to apply this, it all sorta became clear.Alternating weeks:
Bench, Cleans, Squats, Deads - training for power, broken into two workouts, low-medium volume.
Volume lifts by muscle group (goal of 3 sets of 20 reps) for muscle density, broken into five workouts.
Sound crazy? I did a little bit of all of that, and the FEELING I got was insane. It wasn't just the pump - it was something CNS related that had nothing to do with fatigue. I feel incredible today - absolutely incredible.
So, a deviation in approach. I'll lay out the plan maybe later today.
...In a new log.
<div>
(_tim @ Sep. 13 2007,05:14)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"> The trainer I worked with happens to be a guy I see every so often in the gym doing cardio - he's a professional bodybuilder who is ranked nationally.</div>
It's great that you are taking some advice from the guy. Just bear in mind that if he is, in fact, a pro bb then he will be juicing. And if he says he isn't then, well... I'll let you be the judge of that. Just be mindful that what works well for someone on juice (ie. lots of volume) may not be that great for you at all. Go with what works and keep HST principles in mind and you won't go far wrong.
(_tim @ Sep. 13 2007,05:14)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"> The trainer I worked with happens to be a guy I see every so often in the gym doing cardio - he's a professional bodybuilder who is ranked nationally.</div>
It's great that you are taking some advice from the guy. Just bear in mind that if he is, in fact, a pro bb then he will be juicing. And if he says he isn't then, well... I'll let you be the judge of that. Just be mindful that what works well for someone on juice (ie. lots of volume) may not be that great for you at all. Go with what works and keep HST principles in mind and you won't go far wrong.
_tim
Well-Known Member
<div>
(Lol @ Sep. 13 2007,09:42)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">It's great that you are taking some advice from the guy. Just bear in mind that if he is, in fact, a pro bb then he will be juicing. And if he says he isn't then, well... I'll let you be the judge of that.</div>
I completely agree Lol - and I actually called him out on it (the juicing issue). He may well have lied - but he showed me a bag that had no fewer than 8 different supplements in it. Supposedly he sips creatine all day long.
I completely agree that this volume thing may not be the best thing for me, seeing as I'm a non-juicer - but just going based on feel today alone, I'm gonna give it a go and see what happens. I will absolutely stick to HST principles as much as I can - the way this will lay out won't look or feel like HST at all.
One thing I forgot to mention - he said he started BB'ing at 32, and it all started with him thinking "I wonder how many times I can lift this". Even if that was a line, that's the approach I'll take, with a few goals in mind (for the volume segment). I can only imagine how cool it would be to be able to rip out 3 sets of 20 pullups - or standing press - or any of the other lifts that give me hell.
The power stuff is incredibly exciting for me - I finally feel like I have a solid base to work from.
We'll see.
(Lol @ Sep. 13 2007,09:42)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">It's great that you are taking some advice from the guy. Just bear in mind that if he is, in fact, a pro bb then he will be juicing. And if he says he isn't then, well... I'll let you be the judge of that.</div>
I completely agree Lol - and I actually called him out on it (the juicing issue). He may well have lied - but he showed me a bag that had no fewer than 8 different supplements in it. Supposedly he sips creatine all day long.
I completely agree that this volume thing may not be the best thing for me, seeing as I'm a non-juicer - but just going based on feel today alone, I'm gonna give it a go and see what happens. I will absolutely stick to HST principles as much as I can - the way this will lay out won't look or feel like HST at all.
One thing I forgot to mention - he said he started BB'ing at 32, and it all started with him thinking "I wonder how many times I can lift this". Even if that was a line, that's the approach I'll take, with a few goals in mind (for the volume segment). I can only imagine how cool it would be to be able to rip out 3 sets of 20 pullups - or standing press - or any of the other lifts that give me hell.
The power stuff is incredibly exciting for me - I finally feel like I have a solid base to work from.
We'll see.
UFGatorDude30
New Member
I'll be interested in seeing your new plan. I'm glad you got someone to help you out with the cleans, I know it's a great feeling when you pop it and it just feels right.