Nativetroutbum's Training Log... comments/critique welcome!!!
- Thread starter nativetroutbum
- Start date
nativetroutbum
Member
Hey LOL! I'm not going to be inspiring much of anything this cycle... I basically cut out all of the greatest compounds: Squats, Chins, Dips... all in an effort to see if I could get my shoulder back to 100%. So far so good. I'm hoping I can make a little progress on deads while I'm not doing any other real compounds. At a minimum, I'm going without straps as long as I can in an effort to strengthen my grip. That too is going well so far.
So this week I hit the gym Mon/Wed/Fri... finished 10's today, and I'm relatively pleased with my strength. I'm never really pleased with the way I look, but my forearms and upper arms are looking a little bit bigger. Hurt my left foot on Monday doing calf raises... weird bruise almost at the base of my middle toe on the bottom of my foot. Not a big deal, just painful. It's getting better, but I didn't do anything calves on Wed or today... since
Deads: 135x5, 225x5, 2 @ 315x6, 315x3. Grip was failing after 6 reps... only did a total of 15 reps.
Leg Extension: 90x10, 2 @ 185x10
DB Inc Press: 40x10, 85x8, 85x6, 45x15
Lat Pull down: 100x5, 2 @ 190X10, 90X15
DB Flat Fly: 2 @ 35x15
DB Row: 95x10, 95x5, 95x5. Grip was the issue again. Probably could have gotten 6 or 7, but decided to even it out with 5/5
DB Rear delt raise: 2 @ 20x10
DB Lateral delt raise: 2 @ 20x10 + 10x10
Ghetto Tricep push down: 40x10, 2 @ 75x10, 45x15
DB Hammer Curl: 2 @ 40x10, 20x15
Decline Situps: 2 @ BW+15x20
Shoulder rehab: lying external rotations, 5lb db, 3 sets of 10.
Shoulder is getting there! Relatively pleased with my hideous grip strength. Should be ok to do maybe 325x5 before having to use straps, we'll see.
My friend Dave recently competed in a push-pull powerlifting competition @ weight class 145. He finished 2nd with a Bench of 242 and a Deadlift of 402! Got me thinking that maybe I'll look into such a competition one of these days... the only problem is my weight class. He said the weight classes were 135, 145, 165, 185, etc... so at 177ish, I'm in the middle. I suppose I would have to cut to 165 to have a chance, or I'll just get trounced by the 185'ers. Either way, it might be fun to "compete" at something again.
BW was 177.2 today
So this week I hit the gym Mon/Wed/Fri... finished 10's today, and I'm relatively pleased with my strength. I'm never really pleased with the way I look, but my forearms and upper arms are looking a little bit bigger. Hurt my left foot on Monday doing calf raises... weird bruise almost at the base of my middle toe on the bottom of my foot. Not a big deal, just painful. It's getting better, but I didn't do anything calves on Wed or today... since
Deads: 135x5, 225x5, 2 @ 315x6, 315x3. Grip was failing after 6 reps... only did a total of 15 reps.
Leg Extension: 90x10, 2 @ 185x10
DB Inc Press: 40x10, 85x8, 85x6, 45x15
Lat Pull down: 100x5, 2 @ 190X10, 90X15
DB Flat Fly: 2 @ 35x15
DB Row: 95x10, 95x5, 95x5. Grip was the issue again. Probably could have gotten 6 or 7, but decided to even it out with 5/5
DB Rear delt raise: 2 @ 20x10
DB Lateral delt raise: 2 @ 20x10 + 10x10
Ghetto Tricep push down: 40x10, 2 @ 75x10, 45x15
DB Hammer Curl: 2 @ 40x10, 20x15
Decline Situps: 2 @ BW+15x20
Shoulder rehab: lying external rotations, 5lb db, 3 sets of 10.
Shoulder is getting there! Relatively pleased with my hideous grip strength. Should be ok to do maybe 325x5 before having to use straps, we'll see.
My friend Dave recently competed in a push-pull powerlifting competition @ weight class 145. He finished 2nd with a Bench of 242 and a Deadlift of 402! Got me thinking that maybe I'll look into such a competition one of these days... the only problem is my weight class. He said the weight classes were 135, 145, 165, 185, etc... so at 177ish, I'm in the middle. I suppose I would have to cut to 165 to have a chance, or I'll just get trounced by the 185'ers. Either way, it might be fun to "compete" at something again.
BW was 177.2 today
nativetroutbum
Member
Finished my 3rd day of 5's today. It's been a pretty good week in the gym. The numbers below are where I finished up this week.
Deads: 3 @ 325x5
Leg Ext: 3 @ 205x5 (100x15 metabolic)
Inc DB Press: 3 @ 80x6 (+45x20 meta...)
Lat Pull Down: 3 @ 205x5 (+100x15 meta...)
DB Flat Fly: 3 @ 40x10
DB Row: 3 @ 85x5
DB Bent Rear Delt Raise: 2 @ 20x10
DB Lateral Delt raise: 2 @ 20x10
Ghetto Tricep push down: 2 @ 75x10
1 Arm assisted chins: 2 @ BW-85x5
DB Hammer Curl: 2 @ 45x5 (20x15 meta...)
Decline Crunches: 3@ BW+15x20
RE-hab: lying external rotations, 3 @ 5x10
Notes:
-Deads: completely raw with an alternating grip. 3rd set of 325 I only got 4 due to grip fail, so I set it down, re-gripped and finished the set. Forearms have been considerably sore so I'm hoping they are growing simply due to not using wrist straps on anything. Next week I won't forget my chalk...
-Leg Ext: These always feel pretty intense during training, but I think I need to do more reps. Might experiment with more 6-10 rep sets or multiple metabolic sets.
-Inc DB Press: These have been feeling good. Going to slow-roll my weight increases here, just to make sure I don't overdo it. Likely spend all next week at sets of 80's x6.
-Lat Pull down: Obviously a very different feel from weighted chins, but these are great. Definitely still good bicep involvement.
-DB Flat Fly: Started really light with these but it's paid off. No shoulder issues and WOW that full stretch position is amazing.
-DB Row: Simply one of my favorite exercises. Somewhat slow-rolling the weights here too just to make sure I keep perfect form without using straps.
-Delt stuff: I've been giant-setting these exercises together and have already seen some results. My mid-traps and posterior delts are definitely bigger as a result of the bent raises, and my lateral delts are a little more round. None are huge, but making progress.
-Ghetto Tricep push down: Ghetto indeed, but they work. Triceps are getting some decent work even without doing dips. (I miss dips...)
-1 Arm Assisted Chins: Holy crap!!! I wish I had been doing these all along... Not sure my biceps have ever felt this worked. If you haven't tried these, and you are wanting to build your biceps, you simply must try them.
-DB Hammer Curl: may phase these out now that I'm doing the 1 arm chins... or maybe i'll just do light weight for a metabolic set or two.
BW is hovering right around 177. I have not been tracking my calories, so I'm most surely undereating... but that's ok... I'm trying not to be too obsessive these days especially since my shoulder is still not 100%. Probably not going to be gaining much weight, but if I can maintain or gain strength, I'm good with that for now. Have not been doing ANY cardio... Really want to try and work in two days of cardio per week like I used to.
Hope ya'll are doing well!!
Deads: 3 @ 325x5
Leg Ext: 3 @ 205x5 (100x15 metabolic)
Inc DB Press: 3 @ 80x6 (+45x20 meta...)
Lat Pull Down: 3 @ 205x5 (+100x15 meta...)
DB Flat Fly: 3 @ 40x10
DB Row: 3 @ 85x5
DB Bent Rear Delt Raise: 2 @ 20x10
DB Lateral Delt raise: 2 @ 20x10
Ghetto Tricep push down: 2 @ 75x10
1 Arm assisted chins: 2 @ BW-85x5
DB Hammer Curl: 2 @ 45x5 (20x15 meta...)
Decline Crunches: 3@ BW+15x20
RE-hab: lying external rotations, 3 @ 5x10
Notes:
-Deads: completely raw with an alternating grip. 3rd set of 325 I only got 4 due to grip fail, so I set it down, re-gripped and finished the set. Forearms have been considerably sore so I'm hoping they are growing simply due to not using wrist straps on anything. Next week I won't forget my chalk...
-Leg Ext: These always feel pretty intense during training, but I think I need to do more reps. Might experiment with more 6-10 rep sets or multiple metabolic sets.
-Inc DB Press: These have been feeling good. Going to slow-roll my weight increases here, just to make sure I don't overdo it. Likely spend all next week at sets of 80's x6.
-Lat Pull down: Obviously a very different feel from weighted chins, but these are great. Definitely still good bicep involvement.
-DB Flat Fly: Started really light with these but it's paid off. No shoulder issues and WOW that full stretch position is amazing.
-DB Row: Simply one of my favorite exercises. Somewhat slow-rolling the weights here too just to make sure I keep perfect form without using straps.
-Delt stuff: I've been giant-setting these exercises together and have already seen some results. My mid-traps and posterior delts are definitely bigger as a result of the bent raises, and my lateral delts are a little more round. None are huge, but making progress.
-Ghetto Tricep push down: Ghetto indeed, but they work. Triceps are getting some decent work even without doing dips. (I miss dips...)
-1 Arm Assisted Chins: Holy crap!!! I wish I had been doing these all along... Not sure my biceps have ever felt this worked. If you haven't tried these, and you are wanting to build your biceps, you simply must try them.
-DB Hammer Curl: may phase these out now that I'm doing the 1 arm chins... or maybe i'll just do light weight for a metabolic set or two.
BW is hovering right around 177. I have not been tracking my calories, so I'm most surely undereating... but that's ok... I'm trying not to be too obsessive these days especially since my shoulder is still not 100%. Probably not going to be gaining much weight, but if I can maintain or gain strength, I'm good with that for now. Have not been doing ANY cardio... Really want to try and work in two days of cardio per week like I used to.
Hope ya'll are doing well!!
nativetroutbum
Member
Good day of training today. Went to a different gym, so different equipment; had to change a few things up a bit.
Deads: 45x10, 135x10, 225x5, (belt and chalk) 3 @ 325x5
DB Inc Press: 30x10, 45x10, 2 @ 80x6, 1 @ 80x8
Leg Ext: 90x10, 5 @ 155x5, 90x20
DB Row: 4 @ 90x5
DB Flat Fly: 20x10, 3 @ 40x10
DB Bent Rear Delt: 2 @ 20x10
DB Lateral Delt: 3 @ 15x10
Lat Pull Down: 90x10, 155x5, 1 set with v-bar @ 155x5, back to reg bar @ 185x5, 155x5, 90x10
Tricep Push Down: 3 @ 35x20
DB Hammer Curl: 40x5
DB Standing curl: 4 @ 40x5
Deads: Chalk is amazing. Managed to easily get 3 sets of 325x5. Going to be using the belt/chalk from here up.
DB Press: Keeping the load @ 80 for now, pressing out a few extra reps where I feel like I can.
Leg Ext: Different machine... don't like it as much as my usual. Felt a little pain in my left knee, so I decided I would keep the load low and just do more volume... see how it all felt. Probably keep the volume up on these since it's really the only quad movement I'm doing.
DB Row: Chalk is great here too. Zero grip issues; definitely need to advance the load; going to hit the 100lb DB limit soon. When I do, I'll just add more and more sets of 5.
Flys: Experimenting with hand position in an effort to isolate the pec. Seems that when I lslightly externally rotate the dumbell and lead with the bottom of my hand I maximize pec involvement... I need to do some research on this and fine tune.
Triceps: had a proper tricep cable machine, but the loads and cable systems seem very different and very heavy... so I decided to go light and go crazy with the reps.
Biceps: I think the single arm chins are hurting my shoulder, so I'll probably go back to standing DB curls...
BW was 176.6. Going to eat like a horse tonight.
Deads: 45x10, 135x10, 225x5, (belt and chalk) 3 @ 325x5
DB Inc Press: 30x10, 45x10, 2 @ 80x6, 1 @ 80x8
Leg Ext: 90x10, 5 @ 155x5, 90x20
DB Row: 4 @ 90x5
DB Flat Fly: 20x10, 3 @ 40x10
DB Bent Rear Delt: 2 @ 20x10
DB Lateral Delt: 3 @ 15x10
Lat Pull Down: 90x10, 155x5, 1 set with v-bar @ 155x5, back to reg bar @ 185x5, 155x5, 90x10
Tricep Push Down: 3 @ 35x20
DB Hammer Curl: 40x5
DB Standing curl: 4 @ 40x5
Deads: Chalk is amazing. Managed to easily get 3 sets of 325x5. Going to be using the belt/chalk from here up.
DB Press: Keeping the load @ 80 for now, pressing out a few extra reps where I feel like I can.
Leg Ext: Different machine... don't like it as much as my usual. Felt a little pain in my left knee, so I decided I would keep the load low and just do more volume... see how it all felt. Probably keep the volume up on these since it's really the only quad movement I'm doing.
DB Row: Chalk is great here too. Zero grip issues; definitely need to advance the load; going to hit the 100lb DB limit soon. When I do, I'll just add more and more sets of 5.
Flys: Experimenting with hand position in an effort to isolate the pec. Seems that when I lslightly externally rotate the dumbell and lead with the bottom of my hand I maximize pec involvement... I need to do some research on this and fine tune.
Triceps: had a proper tricep cable machine, but the loads and cable systems seem very different and very heavy... so I decided to go light and go crazy with the reps.
Biceps: I think the single arm chins are hurting my shoulder, so I'll probably go back to standing DB curls...
BW was 176.6. Going to eat like a horse tonight.
nativetroutbum
Member
Only managed to get in two training sessions this week. Work-stress has been high. Found out I did not get the promotion I have been vying for since January. I was 2nd overall out of about 60 applicants... I guess I should somewhat feel good about that, but in this case, I definitely feel like 2nd place is the first LOSER! One door closes another opens (I'm trying to stay positive). I now have the opportunity to look around a bit... see what else might be out there; and I've located a 2-year "detail" to another office. Totally different job, different everything. The positives are my commute goes from 1.25 hours to 15 minutes and I will have daily access to the "other" work gym which is overall much better and a more traditional "gym" than what I have been using daily now. There are some other work-related positives, but those are the two "life-related" positives.
So Thursday's workout was my last one this week:
Warmup 3 minutes on eliptical
Deads: 135x10, 225x5, (belt/chalk/alternating grip) 3 @ 335x5
DB Inc Press: 30x10, 45x10, 2 @ 80x6, 1 @ 80x8, 45x15
Leg Ext: 90x10, 5 @ 170x5, 90x15
DB Bent Row: (chalk) 4 @ 90x5
DB Fly: 20x10, 30x10, 3 @ 40x10
Lat Pull Down: 90x10, 3 @ 210x5 +(individual) 70x5
DB Rear Delt Raise: 2 @ 15x10
DB Lateral Raise: 2 @ 15x10
Iso Standing DB Curl: 40x5+5, 40x5, 40x5
Ghetto Triceps: 40x15, 3 @ 75x10
DB Side-curl: 3 @ 20x10
Hammer Curl: 2 @ 20x10
Decline Crunches: 2 @ BW+15x20
Shoulder re-hab: lying external rotations, 3 @ 5x10
Blasting the ole biceps and triceps with a lot of volume since my shoulder can't seem to handle heavy stuff... i.e. iso chins, weighted dips. So far they seem to be responding. Also trying to up the volume on my pecs by adding the additional reps and sets of flys. So far, so good. I know this is not a traditional HST progression, but I'm wanting to experiment a bit.
Forearms are definitely stronger and maybe a little bigger. I'll continue NOT using wrist straps as long as I can. I thought 335x5 would be hard to hold with only chalk... it wasn't. I think I could have gotten ~9 reps on my first set. 90lb DB's are not the least bit difficult for bent rows, so I've been focusing on moving very slowly and gripping really hard. ~3 seconds on each side of the movement.
Hope ya'll have a great weekend!
So Thursday's workout was my last one this week:
Warmup 3 minutes on eliptical
Deads: 135x10, 225x5, (belt/chalk/alternating grip) 3 @ 335x5
DB Inc Press: 30x10, 45x10, 2 @ 80x6, 1 @ 80x8, 45x15
Leg Ext: 90x10, 5 @ 170x5, 90x15
DB Bent Row: (chalk) 4 @ 90x5
DB Fly: 20x10, 30x10, 3 @ 40x10
Lat Pull Down: 90x10, 3 @ 210x5 +(individual) 70x5
DB Rear Delt Raise: 2 @ 15x10
DB Lateral Raise: 2 @ 15x10
Iso Standing DB Curl: 40x5+5, 40x5, 40x5
Ghetto Triceps: 40x15, 3 @ 75x10
DB Side-curl: 3 @ 20x10
Hammer Curl: 2 @ 20x10
Decline Crunches: 2 @ BW+15x20
Shoulder re-hab: lying external rotations, 3 @ 5x10
Blasting the ole biceps and triceps with a lot of volume since my shoulder can't seem to handle heavy stuff... i.e. iso chins, weighted dips. So far they seem to be responding. Also trying to up the volume on my pecs by adding the additional reps and sets of flys. So far, so good. I know this is not a traditional HST progression, but I'm wanting to experiment a bit.
Forearms are definitely stronger and maybe a little bigger. I'll continue NOT using wrist straps as long as I can. I thought 335x5 would be hard to hold with only chalk... it wasn't. I think I could have gotten ~9 reps on my first set. 90lb DB's are not the least bit difficult for bent rows, so I've been focusing on moving very slowly and gripping really hard. ~3 seconds on each side of the movement.
Hope ya'll have a great weekend!
nativetroutbum
Member
Just a couple quick updates.
Deads yesterday: 135x10, 225x5, 2 @ 350x5 (double body weight). No straps, just chalk, belt, and alternating grip. Grip was no problem; probably should have done 3 sets, but was running a bit behind schedule. I am very pleased with my grip progress here. After Monday's 3 sets of 345x5, I had a very interesting bruise looking thing on the underside of my right forearm. It was about a 6 inch narrow line of reddish/brown spots that looked like small contact bruises just under the surface of the skin. Looks like a popped a few blood vessels in my forearm. Zero pain. Did not have the same thing happen yesterday when I did 2 sets of 350x5. Planning for 3 @ 355x5 on Friday. Hoping for a 405xmultiple before 31 December.
DB Inc Press: Keeping with the 85's for now. I can fully control the 85's without any wobble at any stage in the motion. I think if I go to the 90's, I will lose some control and form and may put myself at a greater risk for injury... therefore, I'll keep with the 85's for at least another week.
DB Flys: Moved up to the 45's for sets of 10. I am able to control the weight such that I can hold the full stretch position for 1 second before exploding up; then taking a good 2 second on the eccentric motion. Probably move up to the 50's next week. I am pleased that I've progressed on this motion. It is an exercise that I've never spent much time on, but thus far in this cycle I can honestly say I wish I had spent more time on these in the past.
DB bent rows: Moved up to the 95's this week. I'm focusing on the motion and ensuring I'm not "yanking" up the DB. Very happy that a little chalk and an little increase in grip strength seems to have eliminated my need for straps on these too. As I start with the 100lb DB's (my gym's largest DB), I'll simply add reps to my sets as I am able.
Shoulder health: I think the bent rear delt raises and the external rotations are really helping in overall shoulder health. My shoulder has felt solid in pretty much every motion; no tweakiness even. Annoyed that my thesis appears to be correct: Squats, dips, and chins were aggravating my shoulder. I may just need to resign myself to not doing these. Frustrating because dips are one of my favorite and strongest "pound for pound" exercises.
BW: I'm hovering right around 176lbs, but Monday the scale was actually reading something like 175.8 after my workout. Definitely keeping my protein intake high and my workouts heavy, but I'm not eating "bulking" calories. Probably averaging around 2500-2700 calories daily. I'm trying not to be overly concerned about BW; haven't done a BF measurement in a while either. For now, I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and see how everything lands in January. As the holidays approach, I know I'm going to be eating a lot... so the timing of my heaviest workouts will be perfect.
Next year I am going to look into some powerlifting competitions which means I'll need to be able to cut to 165 because I'm confident I'd get blown away at 181... probably get blown away at 165 too...
)
I know I'm basically writing to myself here
but to anyone reading, I hope you're doing well!
Deads yesterday: 135x10, 225x5, 2 @ 350x5 (double body weight). No straps, just chalk, belt, and alternating grip. Grip was no problem; probably should have done 3 sets, but was running a bit behind schedule. I am very pleased with my grip progress here. After Monday's 3 sets of 345x5, I had a very interesting bruise looking thing on the underside of my right forearm. It was about a 6 inch narrow line of reddish/brown spots that looked like small contact bruises just under the surface of the skin. Looks like a popped a few blood vessels in my forearm. Zero pain. Did not have the same thing happen yesterday when I did 2 sets of 350x5. Planning for 3 @ 355x5 on Friday. Hoping for a 405xmultiple before 31 December.
DB Inc Press: Keeping with the 85's for now. I can fully control the 85's without any wobble at any stage in the motion. I think if I go to the 90's, I will lose some control and form and may put myself at a greater risk for injury... therefore, I'll keep with the 85's for at least another week.
DB Flys: Moved up to the 45's for sets of 10. I am able to control the weight such that I can hold the full stretch position for 1 second before exploding up; then taking a good 2 second on the eccentric motion. Probably move up to the 50's next week. I am pleased that I've progressed on this motion. It is an exercise that I've never spent much time on, but thus far in this cycle I can honestly say I wish I had spent more time on these in the past.
DB bent rows: Moved up to the 95's this week. I'm focusing on the motion and ensuring I'm not "yanking" up the DB. Very happy that a little chalk and an little increase in grip strength seems to have eliminated my need for straps on these too. As I start with the 100lb DB's (my gym's largest DB), I'll simply add reps to my sets as I am able.
Shoulder health: I think the bent rear delt raises and the external rotations are really helping in overall shoulder health. My shoulder has felt solid in pretty much every motion; no tweakiness even. Annoyed that my thesis appears to be correct: Squats, dips, and chins were aggravating my shoulder. I may just need to resign myself to not doing these. Frustrating because dips are one of my favorite and strongest "pound for pound" exercises.
BW: I'm hovering right around 176lbs, but Monday the scale was actually reading something like 175.8 after my workout. Definitely keeping my protein intake high and my workouts heavy, but I'm not eating "bulking" calories. Probably averaging around 2500-2700 calories daily. I'm trying not to be overly concerned about BW; haven't done a BF measurement in a while either. For now, I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and see how everything lands in January. As the holidays approach, I know I'm going to be eating a lot... so the timing of my heaviest workouts will be perfect.
Next year I am going to look into some powerlifting competitions which means I'll need to be able to cut to 165 because I'm confident I'd get blown away at 181... probably get blown away at 165 too...
)I know I'm basically writing to myself here
but to anyone reading, I hope you're doing well!
nativetroutbum
Member
I need to get back on the flat bench, no clue what I could to there, especially if I did the lift in wide-grip arched back powerlifting-style... and if I do squats again, I'll train them "powerlifting style" vice full ROM. Not sure where my 1RM is for dealifts, but 2x BW for 5 reps is easy. I'm going to see about 405 for multiple reps before 31 December and see where I land. Either that, or I'll attempt something in the neighborhood of 425 for 1.
Friday's training was great. Our building was shut down but I still had to go to work... nice thing is that the gym had a grand total of 3 people in it including me.
Deads: 135x10, 225x5, 225x3, (belt/chalk/alternating grip) 3 @ 355x5 (slightly more than 2x body weight)
DB Inc Press: 30x10, 45x5, 3 @ 85x6, 50x15
DB Row: (chalk) 4 @ 95x6
Leg Extension: 90x10, 4 @ 185x7
DB Rear Delt Raise: 2 @ 15x15
DB Lateral Raise: 2 @ 15x12
DB Flat Fly: 30x10, 3 @ 45x10
DB Curl: 40x5, 2 @ 45x5
Ghetto Triceps: 80x10, 2 @ 85x10
Lat Pull Down: 90x10, single-arm: 70x6, 70x7, 70x8
Notes:
Deads: Very happy here. Pleasantly surprised with how my grip had progressed; forearms are quite sore today. Overall I "feel" incredible, strong and confident. Today pretty much everything in my posterior chain is sore, but nothing is terribly devastated. Low back is sore, but really not too bad. The tops of my glutes and hammies are more sore than anything else. Monday I think I'll move to 365. Chalk is amazing.
DB Inc Press: I need to advance the load here, but will probably aim for a move to the 90s on Friday. 90's will likely require me to use a spotter, just to be safe. If I don't have a trusted spotter handy, i'll stick with the 85's. I think 90's x5 will match a PR... need to check on that though.
Leg Ext: The quads seem to be responding better to the greater volume; that is, everything is more sore with less knee pain than when I was using a heavier loads. I'm going to continue progressing the load, but will maintain 7-10 rep sets for quads.
DB Flys: These continue to "feel" incredible and produce a silly amount of soreness in my chest, especially at the sternum. I think I'll continue doing 10-rep sets so the weight is fully controlled. Right now, I can't imagine moving much heavier than say 55's and still being able to control the weight properly at the full stretch position.
Ghetto Triceps: These have been great. I haven't taken any measurements but my triceps "look" bigger and more defined.
Looking forward to a couple days of recovery! Going to be eating like a horse this weekend.
Friday's training was great. Our building was shut down but I still had to go to work... nice thing is that the gym had a grand total of 3 people in it including me.
Deads: 135x10, 225x5, 225x3, (belt/chalk/alternating grip) 3 @ 355x5 (slightly more than 2x body weight)
DB Inc Press: 30x10, 45x5, 3 @ 85x6, 50x15
DB Row: (chalk) 4 @ 95x6
Leg Extension: 90x10, 4 @ 185x7
DB Rear Delt Raise: 2 @ 15x15
DB Lateral Raise: 2 @ 15x12
DB Flat Fly: 30x10, 3 @ 45x10
DB Curl: 40x5, 2 @ 45x5
Ghetto Triceps: 80x10, 2 @ 85x10
Lat Pull Down: 90x10, single-arm: 70x6, 70x7, 70x8
Notes:
Deads: Very happy here. Pleasantly surprised with how my grip had progressed; forearms are quite sore today. Overall I "feel" incredible, strong and confident. Today pretty much everything in my posterior chain is sore, but nothing is terribly devastated. Low back is sore, but really not too bad. The tops of my glutes and hammies are more sore than anything else. Monday I think I'll move to 365. Chalk is amazing.
DB Inc Press: I need to advance the load here, but will probably aim for a move to the 90s on Friday. 90's will likely require me to use a spotter, just to be safe. If I don't have a trusted spotter handy, i'll stick with the 85's. I think 90's x5 will match a PR... need to check on that though.
Leg Ext: The quads seem to be responding better to the greater volume; that is, everything is more sore with less knee pain than when I was using a heavier loads. I'm going to continue progressing the load, but will maintain 7-10 rep sets for quads.
DB Flys: These continue to "feel" incredible and produce a silly amount of soreness in my chest, especially at the sternum. I think I'll continue doing 10-rep sets so the weight is fully controlled. Right now, I can't imagine moving much heavier than say 55's and still being able to control the weight properly at the full stretch position.
Ghetto Triceps: These have been great. I haven't taken any measurements but my triceps "look" bigger and more defined.
Looking forward to a couple days of recovery! Going to be eating like a horse this weekend.
nativetroutbum
Member
Good week of training, but I only trained twice due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Finished Wednesday with the following:
Deads: 45x10, 135x5, 225x5, 225x3, (belt/chalk) 2 @ 365x5
DB Inc Press: 30x10, 40x10, 3 @ 85x6, 2 @ 55x10
DB Row: (chalk) 95 x 10, 7, 5
Leg Extension: 90x10, 4 @ 200x7
Lat Pull Down: 110x10, isolations: 3 @75 x 8
Ghetto Triceps: 2 @ 90x10 + 90x6
DB Flat Fly: 30x10, 40x5, 3 @ 50x8
B Rear Delt Raise: 2 @ 20x10
DB Lateral raise: 2 @ 20x10
DB Curl: 3 @ 45x5, 20x20
Notes:
Deads - Pretty happy with my progress here. Overall my strength seems to be about the same; maybe slightly up, but my grip is WAY stronger. My lower back was actually a lot more sore than I thought it should have been on Thursday and Friday. Will re-start on Monday @ 365x5.
DB Inc Press - Really not sure what to do here other than to keep with the 85's. Getting into a proper starting and ending position without injuring myself is hard enough with the 85's... really not sure I could do it with the 90's. I'll stick with the 85's until I can easily get 3 sets of 8 reps.
DB Row - Love these. Grip strength is continuing to increase; managed to get 10 solid reps on my first set.
Lat Pull - Wanted to see how single arm lat pull downs felt. Meh. Will probably go back to the traditional methodology next week.
BW is hovering around 178ish.
Finished Wednesday with the following:
Deads: 45x10, 135x5, 225x5, 225x3, (belt/chalk) 2 @ 365x5
DB Inc Press: 30x10, 40x10, 3 @ 85x6, 2 @ 55x10
DB Row: (chalk) 95 x 10, 7, 5
Leg Extension: 90x10, 4 @ 200x7
Lat Pull Down: 110x10, isolations: 3 @75 x 8
Ghetto Triceps: 2 @ 90x10 + 90x6
DB Flat Fly: 30x10, 40x5, 3 @ 50x8
B Rear Delt Raise: 2 @ 20x10
DB Lateral raise: 2 @ 20x10
DB Curl: 3 @ 45x5, 20x20
Notes:
Deads - Pretty happy with my progress here. Overall my strength seems to be about the same; maybe slightly up, but my grip is WAY stronger. My lower back was actually a lot more sore than I thought it should have been on Thursday and Friday. Will re-start on Monday @ 365x5.
DB Inc Press - Really not sure what to do here other than to keep with the 85's. Getting into a proper starting and ending position without injuring myself is hard enough with the 85's... really not sure I could do it with the 90's. I'll stick with the 85's until I can easily get 3 sets of 8 reps.
DB Row - Love these. Grip strength is continuing to increase; managed to get 10 solid reps on my first set.
Lat Pull - Wanted to see how single arm lat pull downs felt. Meh. Will probably go back to the traditional methodology next week.
BW is hovering around 178ish.
nativetroutbum
Member
Good day of training today.
Deads: 135x10, 135x10, 225x5, 225x3, (belt/chalk) 2 @ 365x5
DB Inc Press: 30x10, 40x5, 2 @ 85x6, 85x9, 50x10
DB Row: (chalk) 3 @ 100x5
Leg Extension: 2 @ 90x10, 3 @ 200x7
DB Flat Fly: 30x10, 3 @ 50x10
DB Curl: 3 @ 45x6
DB Rear delt raise: 3 @ 15x10
DB Lateral Delt Raise: 3 @ 15 x10
Decline Crunches: 3 @ BW+15x15
Triceps: Skipped
Lat Pull Down: Skipped
Deads: Felt great. Definitely had a lot left in the tank. Will be bumping the weight up on Wednesday; thinking 375x5.
DB Inc Press: Not really sure where the 85x9 came from on my last set, but I just kept going... felt awesome. If I had a spotter I would have likely gotten 10... sometimes just having a spotter there gives me a little edge of confidence... Makes me think I need to push it on the first two sets.
DB Rows: I've had a bit of a nagging pain near my right elbow... Seems like a wrist flexor strain... Before today I hadn't noticed it while training; today I did. DB Bent rows caused a bit of irritation (curls did not, so that's good), nothing too bad, but I'm going to keep an eye on it, maybe ice it a little...
DB Flys: About 1/2 the reps were paused at the full stretch position.
BW was only 177.2 after training which is a bit surprising after the massive amount of food I ate Thursday-Sunday...
Deads: 135x10, 135x10, 225x5, 225x3, (belt/chalk) 2 @ 365x5
DB Inc Press: 30x10, 40x5, 2 @ 85x6, 85x9, 50x10
DB Row: (chalk) 3 @ 100x5
Leg Extension: 2 @ 90x10, 3 @ 200x7
DB Flat Fly: 30x10, 3 @ 50x10
DB Curl: 3 @ 45x6
DB Rear delt raise: 3 @ 15x10
DB Lateral Delt Raise: 3 @ 15 x10
Decline Crunches: 3 @ BW+15x15
Triceps: Skipped
Lat Pull Down: Skipped
Deads: Felt great. Definitely had a lot left in the tank. Will be bumping the weight up on Wednesday; thinking 375x5.
DB Inc Press: Not really sure where the 85x9 came from on my last set, but I just kept going... felt awesome. If I had a spotter I would have likely gotten 10... sometimes just having a spotter there gives me a little edge of confidence... Makes me think I need to push it on the first two sets.
DB Rows: I've had a bit of a nagging pain near my right elbow... Seems like a wrist flexor strain... Before today I hadn't noticed it while training; today I did. DB Bent rows caused a bit of irritation (curls did not, so that's good), nothing too bad, but I'm going to keep an eye on it, maybe ice it a little...
DB Flys: About 1/2 the reps were paused at the full stretch position.
BW was only 177.2 after training which is a bit surprising after the massive amount of food I ate Thursday-Sunday...
nativetroutbum
Member
Wednesday was a good day of training. Next training session will be tomorrow, Saturday. Obviously this only gives me one day of rest between Saturday and Monday, but I'll hopefully be good to go. Going to up weights on some lifts tomorrow and then stick with those weights next week.
Deads: 95x10, 135x10, 135x5, 135x5, 225x5, 225x3, (belt/chalk) 2 @ 370x5
Leg Extension: 2 @ 90x10, 3 @ 205x7
Inc DB Press: 30x10, 40x5, 3 @ 85x7 + 50x10
DB Row: (chalk) 3 @ 100x6
Ghetto Triceps: 40x10, 3 @ 85x10
DB Fly: 30x10, 3 @ 50x10
DB Bent Rear Delt Raise: 3 @ 15x10
DB Lateral delt raise: 3 @ 15x10
Lat Pull Down: 110x10, 3 @ 170x5
DB Curl: 45x5, 45x3+1+1
Notes:
Deads: Took me a long time to get warmed up and loose; probably spent nearly 30 minutes on deadlifts alone. My left bicep was very sore from Wednesday; left arm is my supinated grip for deads. I'm definitely getting a good stretch on my left bicep from deadlifts. When I was using straps, I could obviously use a double overhand grip which put less stress on the bicep. Anyway, I gutted through it and managed to do well. Funny, yesterday and today my left bicep was/is LESS sore than it was prior to training on Wednesday. Will go for 2 sets of 375x5 tomorrow.
Everything felt good, especially the DB Incline presses and DB flys.
Deads: 95x10, 135x10, 135x5, 135x5, 225x5, 225x3, (belt/chalk) 2 @ 370x5
Leg Extension: 2 @ 90x10, 3 @ 205x7
Inc DB Press: 30x10, 40x5, 3 @ 85x7 + 50x10
DB Row: (chalk) 3 @ 100x6
Ghetto Triceps: 40x10, 3 @ 85x10
DB Fly: 30x10, 3 @ 50x10
DB Bent Rear Delt Raise: 3 @ 15x10
DB Lateral delt raise: 3 @ 15x10
Lat Pull Down: 110x10, 3 @ 170x5
DB Curl: 45x5, 45x3+1+1
Notes:
Deads: Took me a long time to get warmed up and loose; probably spent nearly 30 minutes on deadlifts alone. My left bicep was very sore from Wednesday; left arm is my supinated grip for deads. I'm definitely getting a good stretch on my left bicep from deadlifts. When I was using straps, I could obviously use a double overhand grip which put less stress on the bicep. Anyway, I gutted through it and managed to do well. Funny, yesterday and today my left bicep was/is LESS sore than it was prior to training on Wednesday. Will go for 2 sets of 375x5 tomorrow.
Everything felt good, especially the DB Incline presses and DB flys.
nativetroutbum
Member
Great day in the gym today.
Warmup: 4 minutes on eliptical
Deads: 135x8, 225x5, 225x3, (belt/chalk/loud music) 375x5, 375x6
Inc DB PRess: 30x10, 45x5, 3 @ 85x7 + 55x10
DB Row: (chalk) 3 @ 100x7
Leg Ext: 2 @ 110x10 3 @ 210x7
DB Flat Fly: 30x10, 3 @ 50x10 + 30x12
DB Curl: 45x7, 45x6, 45x6 +1+1+1, 15x20
DB Bent Rear delt raise: 3 @ 15x10
Lateral raise: 3 @ 15x10
Triceps: 3 @ 30x20
Lat Pull down: 110x10, 2 @ 185x5, 100x10
Decline Crunches: 2 x 15
Worked out early today, felt great once I got started!! Very pleased with deadlifts. With a BW of approximately 178, I'm well above 2x bodyweight now, and the 5 and today 6 rep sets keep coming relatively easily. Grip strength is definitely progressing along nicely too.
Hope ya'll have a great weekend!
Warmup: 4 minutes on eliptical
Deads: 135x8, 225x5, 225x3, (belt/chalk/loud music) 375x5, 375x6
Inc DB PRess: 30x10, 45x5, 3 @ 85x7 + 55x10
DB Row: (chalk) 3 @ 100x7
Leg Ext: 2 @ 110x10 3 @ 210x7
DB Flat Fly: 30x10, 3 @ 50x10 + 30x12
DB Curl: 45x7, 45x6, 45x6 +1+1+1, 15x20
DB Bent Rear delt raise: 3 @ 15x10
Lateral raise: 3 @ 15x10
Triceps: 3 @ 30x20
Lat Pull down: 110x10, 2 @ 185x5, 100x10
Decline Crunches: 2 x 15
Worked out early today, felt great once I got started!! Very pleased with deadlifts. With a BW of approximately 178, I'm well above 2x bodyweight now, and the 5 and today 6 rep sets keep coming relatively easily. Grip strength is definitely progressing along nicely too.
Hope ya'll have a great weekend!
nativetroutbum
Member
Thanks for the encouragement, Sci!
nativetroutbum
Member
Fantastic day of training today. Had to journal it right away.
Warmup: 4 min on eliptical, lvl 10.
Deads: 135x8, 135x5, 225x5, 225x3, (belt/chalk) 2 @ 380x5!
DB Inc Press: 30x10, 45x5, 3 @ 90x6! (I think this is a PR... need to check)
DB Row: (chalk) 3 @ 100x8
Leg Ext: 3 @ 110x12
DB Curl: 45x7, 45x6 +1+1+1+1+1
Ghetto Tricep: 40x15, 2 @ 85x10
Lat Pull Down: SKIPPED
Rear Delt Raise: 2 @ 15x10
Lateral delt raise: 3 @ 15x10
Decline Crunches: 20, 20
BW was 178.8
Notes: Decided to bump up the weight on both Deads and Incline DB Press. Nailed them both. I'm not saying that 380 was easy, but it came right up and was nice and smooth. My breathing was perfect and I was able to "pull the slack out of the bar" on my first rep. I felt like my back was rounding on the last rep in each set, but my buddy who was watching from the side said it looked all good to him. Grip was not an issue at all, I even held the weight for a solid 5-10 seconds after my last rep before slowly putting it down. Very excited about this condsidering my training on Saturday was also very good @ 375x6.
No spotter on the DB presses; cleanly controlled the weight the whole way. No bad pain anywhere. Last two reps in each set were slow and slower-er... but I kept my back/butt glued to the bench, abs tight, and managed to get 6 solid reps on all 3 sets. Definitely going to stick with the 90's for a while; this seems like a great
Pretty excited about my BW too. I haven't been checking every workout like I used to. Now 178.8 and my powerlifting belt has been a little "loose" on the 5th hole where I've had it pretty much since I bought it and got it broken in; with a little help I could definitely get it locked into the 6th hole.
Had a great day at work, had a great night in the gym, and then I came to a hot crock-pot filled with my wife's amazing beef and bean chili and warm cornbread muffins on the stove!!! Eating this beautiful meal as I type this.
Hope ya'll have a GREAT day!!
Warmup: 4 min on eliptical, lvl 10.
Deads: 135x8, 135x5, 225x5, 225x3, (belt/chalk) 2 @ 380x5!
DB Inc Press: 30x10, 45x5, 3 @ 90x6! (I think this is a PR... need to check)
DB Row: (chalk) 3 @ 100x8
Leg Ext: 3 @ 110x12
DB Curl: 45x7, 45x6 +1+1+1+1+1
Ghetto Tricep: 40x15, 2 @ 85x10
Lat Pull Down: SKIPPED
Rear Delt Raise: 2 @ 15x10
Lateral delt raise: 3 @ 15x10
Decline Crunches: 20, 20
BW was 178.8
Notes: Decided to bump up the weight on both Deads and Incline DB Press. Nailed them both. I'm not saying that 380 was easy, but it came right up and was nice and smooth. My breathing was perfect and I was able to "pull the slack out of the bar" on my first rep. I felt like my back was rounding on the last rep in each set, but my buddy who was watching from the side said it looked all good to him. Grip was not an issue at all, I even held the weight for a solid 5-10 seconds after my last rep before slowly putting it down. Very excited about this condsidering my training on Saturday was also very good @ 375x6.
No spotter on the DB presses; cleanly controlled the weight the whole way. No bad pain anywhere. Last two reps in each set were slow and slower-er... but I kept my back/butt glued to the bench, abs tight, and managed to get 6 solid reps on all 3 sets. Definitely going to stick with the 90's for a while; this seems like a great
Pretty excited about my BW too. I haven't been checking every workout like I used to. Now 178.8 and my powerlifting belt has been a little "loose" on the 5th hole where I've had it pretty much since I bought it and got it broken in; with a little help I could definitely get it locked into the 6th hole.
Had a great day at work, had a great night in the gym, and then I came to a hot crock-pot filled with my wife's amazing beef and bean chili and warm cornbread muffins on the stove!!! Eating this beautiful meal as I type this.
Hope ya'll have a GREAT day!!
nativetroutbum
Member
I had a couple of updates following 9 December that were somehow deleted. Nothing major, just recording a little progress here and there... Then for about a week or so I was not able to access the forum at all. Not really sure what happened but I'm glad all is seemingly back to normal.
I'll make a long story short and just journal where I finished up my HST cycle on 23 December. I decided to end things here for a number of reasons, but mainly because I am taking a week + off from work and I wanted to spend the whole time with the family and not worry about running to the gym. So, I decided to go out with a bit of a bang and test my 1RM for deads; then just do as much as I could on everything else, either higher weight or volume... I am going to dramatically change my training in January. Going to get back to basics and if all goes great, I'll look to enter a powerlifting competition: Deads, Squats, Chins, Dips, Flat BB Bench, Rows, a few other things. So anyway, here is where I finished 2013:
Deads: 135x5, 135x5, 225x1, 315x1, (chalk/belt) 405x1, 430x1 (PR!!! BW of 178.8)
DB Inc Press: 40x10, 60x5, 3 @ 95 x 5
DB Row: (chalk) 3 @ 100x10+5+5
Flat Flys: 30x10, 55x5, 3 @ 60x10
Tricep Push down: 30x10, 40x10, 50x10, 60x10, 70x10, 3 @ 75x5
DB Curl: 30x5, 50x12 max-stim
Rear Delt Raise: 3 @ 20x10
Lateral Delt Raise: 3 @ 20x10
Obviously very excited about my new deadlift PR @ BW of 178.8
I'll make a long story short and just journal where I finished up my HST cycle on 23 December. I decided to end things here for a number of reasons, but mainly because I am taking a week + off from work and I wanted to spend the whole time with the family and not worry about running to the gym. So, I decided to go out with a bit of a bang and test my 1RM for deads; then just do as much as I could on everything else, either higher weight or volume... I am going to dramatically change my training in January. Going to get back to basics and if all goes great, I'll look to enter a powerlifting competition: Deads, Squats, Chins, Dips, Flat BB Bench, Rows, a few other things. So anyway, here is where I finished 2013:
Deads: 135x5, 135x5, 225x1, 315x1, (chalk/belt) 405x1, 430x1 (PR!!! BW of 178.8)
DB Inc Press: 40x10, 60x5, 3 @ 95 x 5
DB Row: (chalk) 3 @ 100x10+5+5
Flat Flys: 30x10, 55x5, 3 @ 60x10
Tricep Push down: 30x10, 40x10, 50x10, 60x10, 70x10, 3 @ 75x5
DB Curl: 30x5, 50x12 max-stim
Rear Delt Raise: 3 @ 20x10
Lateral Delt Raise: 3 @ 20x10
Obviously very excited about my new deadlift PR @ BW of 178.8
nativetroutbum
Member
Thanks guys, I appreciate the encouragement. For a variety of reasons, deadlifts are my best lift. Now, if I could get everything else to match up
So, I'm pretty much back to 100 healthy and SD'ing is feeling good. Going to start my new HST cycle on Friday, which gives me 10 full days off. Been eating a lot during my SD. Going to start with 10's, and likely do 3 weeks of 10's.
I'm going to be realistic with my training, squats and deads during the same cycle usually starts well but never ends well for various reasons. So, I'm going to do leg press in place of squats. I think this is simply the best way for me to add muscle to my legs without compromising anything else (including doing exercises that I enjoy).
In an effort to possibly compete in a push/pull event, I'm adding flat BB bench and complimenting with dips. I think these two exercises should sufficiently cover pecs, triceps, and anterior delts. I'm going to be very cautious with flat bench so I don't destroy my shoulder(s).
I am maxed out on DB bent rows. Right now I can fairly easily get multiple sets of 100x10 without straps or any breakdown in form. I consider this a bit of a milestone as 100lb DBs are the highest we have at my work-gym. That said, I need to replace DB rows with something else. I think the combination of Pendlay Rows and Chins will pretty well address all back muscles.
So, here is my plan for my next cycle, please critique. I think i've covered everything, but may be forgetting something.
Thank you!!
[TABLE="width: 98"]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, width: 130, bgcolor: gray"]Deadlift[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, bgcolor: gray"]Leg Press[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, bgcolor: gray"]Chins[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, bgcolor: gray"]Dips[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, bgcolor: gray"]Pendlay Row[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, bgcolor: gray"]BB Flat Bench [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, bgcolor: gray"]Rr Delt raise[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, bgcolor: gray"]Lateral Delt Raise[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl23, bgcolor: gray"]Calf Raise[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl24, bgcolor: gray"]Crunches[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
So, I'm pretty much back to 100 healthy and SD'ing is feeling good. Going to start my new HST cycle on Friday, which gives me 10 full days off. Been eating a lot during my SD. Going to start with 10's, and likely do 3 weeks of 10's.
I'm going to be realistic with my training, squats and deads during the same cycle usually starts well but never ends well for various reasons. So, I'm going to do leg press in place of squats. I think this is simply the best way for me to add muscle to my legs without compromising anything else (including doing exercises that I enjoy).
In an effort to possibly compete in a push/pull event, I'm adding flat BB bench and complimenting with dips. I think these two exercises should sufficiently cover pecs, triceps, and anterior delts. I'm going to be very cautious with flat bench so I don't destroy my shoulder(s).
I am maxed out on DB bent rows. Right now I can fairly easily get multiple sets of 100x10 without straps or any breakdown in form. I consider this a bit of a milestone as 100lb DBs are the highest we have at my work-gym. That said, I need to replace DB rows with something else. I think the combination of Pendlay Rows and Chins will pretty well address all back muscles.
So, here is my plan for my next cycle, please critique. I think i've covered everything, but may be forgetting something.
Thank you!!
[TABLE="width: 98"]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, width: 130, bgcolor: gray"]Deadlift[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, bgcolor: gray"]Leg Press[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, bgcolor: gray"]Chins[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, bgcolor: gray"]Dips[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, bgcolor: gray"]Pendlay Row[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, bgcolor: gray"]BB Flat Bench [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, bgcolor: gray"]Rr Delt raise[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl22, bgcolor: gray"]Lateral Delt Raise[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl23, bgcolor: gray"]Calf Raise[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: xl24, bgcolor: gray"]Crunches[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
nativetroutbum
Member
Any thoughts about Kroc Rows vs Pendlay Rows?