Yes SD is short for Strategic Deconditioning. I’m also new to this but my understanding is that you rest as intensely as possible. Clearly most people can’t go on bed rest for 10 days or so but the more you can take any type of load off your muscles the better you will decondition them.
Toolman's Log
- Thread starter Toolman
- Start date
Correct. Someone else says that you basically hang out on the couch and have people bring you stuff. I use the time to stretch, relax, and plan my next cycle.
Good luck with that. I think most people take 7-10 days for SD.
Finally! Back to the gym after an eternal ten-day SD period.
Cycle 6 "A" Workout
Close Grip Pulldown 90x20
Barbell Shrugs 95x24
Deadlift 2@100x15
Leg Press 315x15
Ham Flexor 30x15
Hammer Strength Chest 130x20x14
One Arm Tricep Pulldown 45x15, 40x15, 35x15
Hammer Curls 2@20x20
I had decided to do a week of high reps (up to 30) at the beginning of the cycle, just to see how my body responds, but I made this decision after my RM testing, so I had to guess a bit on what weight to use for these workouts. You see Tricep Pulldowns, for example, where I was dropping the weight in an effort to find one I could do for more than 20 reps. No matter. I did those one arm after the other with no rest and got massive contractions and and awesome pump anyway. Not bad for the first workout in ten days. I am also focusing on keeping the weight moving without stopping at the top or bottom of each rep, placing more emphasis on the negative portion, and keeping the targeted muscles contracted for the whole set.
My "A" Workout has more focus on back. The "B" Workout will have more of a legs/chest focus.
A note on the version of Pulldowns I'm using: PJ Braun described an exercise where you use the little V-grip handles on the pulldown machine, but you sit backwards. Sitting as bolt upright as possible, this places your hands slightly behind your head at the top of the movement, then you simply drive straight down with your elbows, bringing the handles down below your chin. According to PJ, this will help develop the lats closer to the insertion point at the shoulder and help give a wider appearance from the front on front double bicep and lat spread poses.
Not sure what happened on the chest machine. Either I didn't take enough of a break between sets, or I have a nutrition issue, because I had extreme lactic acid buildup during the second set and couldn't complete very many reps.
Finally, for this cycle I am adding BCAA to my routine, though I'm not sure the best way to use them. Should I take them before, during, or after my workout? The product I have is USP Labs Modern BCAA which is ten grams of BCAA per serving, which is actually higher than recommended by others. I think I'll take one serving before the workout, and sip a second serving during. Anyone have any other recommendations?
Anyway, I have some nice DOMS today so I'm happy!
Cycle 6 "A" Workout
Close Grip Pulldown 90x20
Barbell Shrugs 95x24
Deadlift 2@100x15
Leg Press 315x15
Ham Flexor 30x15
Hammer Strength Chest 130x20x14
One Arm Tricep Pulldown 45x15, 40x15, 35x15
Hammer Curls 2@20x20
I had decided to do a week of high reps (up to 30) at the beginning of the cycle, just to see how my body responds, but I made this decision after my RM testing, so I had to guess a bit on what weight to use for these workouts. You see Tricep Pulldowns, for example, where I was dropping the weight in an effort to find one I could do for more than 20 reps. No matter. I did those one arm after the other with no rest and got massive contractions and and awesome pump anyway. Not bad for the first workout in ten days. I am also focusing on keeping the weight moving without stopping at the top or bottom of each rep, placing more emphasis on the negative portion, and keeping the targeted muscles contracted for the whole set.
My "A" Workout has more focus on back. The "B" Workout will have more of a legs/chest focus.
A note on the version of Pulldowns I'm using: PJ Braun described an exercise where you use the little V-grip handles on the pulldown machine, but you sit backwards. Sitting as bolt upright as possible, this places your hands slightly behind your head at the top of the movement, then you simply drive straight down with your elbows, bringing the handles down below your chin. According to PJ, this will help develop the lats closer to the insertion point at the shoulder and help give a wider appearance from the front on front double bicep and lat spread poses.
Not sure what happened on the chest machine. Either I didn't take enough of a break between sets, or I have a nutrition issue, because I had extreme lactic acid buildup during the second set and couldn't complete very many reps.
Finally, for this cycle I am adding BCAA to my routine, though I'm not sure the best way to use them. Should I take them before, during, or after my workout? The product I have is USP Labs Modern BCAA which is ten grams of BCAA per serving, which is actually higher than recommended by others. I think I'll take one serving before the workout, and sip a second serving during. Anyone have any other recommendations?
Anyway, I have some nice DOMS today so I'm happy!
From what I’ve read taking the BCAAs a little before your workout is best especially if you are working out fasted. I imagine that during or just after would also help maintain their availability to the muscles.
I’m interested in hearing how you feel about them. I’ve considered them but never used them myself.
Setbacks! Man, I have been having trouble getting into a groove on this cycle. I came down with a head cold last week (second in two months) which I am able to deal with and work around, but still it's got my eating, sleeping, and training schedule all out of whack. That and playoff football. Still I managed to get to the gym on Friday as scheduled and have a decent workout:
Workout B
Squats 2@45x15
Hammer Strength Leg Extensions 45x15 (I think I misread my notes for this and used 45 each leg instead of 45 total because this was very hard)
Hammer Strength Pullover 90x20
Wide Grip Pulldowns 70x20
Incline Dumbbell Press 2@25'sx20
Dumbbell Laterals 2@10x20
Dumbbell Shrugs 50'sx15
Hammer Curls 20x20
On squats, I set the safety bar of the rack just above the knees, and lowered the bar until it came in contact with them. This puts my butt about three inches from the floor at the bottom. I had to use an empty bar but my quads still felt great after.
The next workout, which was on Sunday morning didn't go so well. This was to be the A workout:
Shrugs 100x30
Close Grip Pulldowns 100x24
Both of these felt great and I was feeling really confident, then I started the deadlifts. First set was 115 for 15 reps. Then I rested about two or three minutes enjoying the pump I was getting and started the next set, during which I really focused on keeping my scapula down and in, and my chest out. After about ten reps, I was breathing hard (not too hard) and really beginning to explode on the positive portion of the rep. Then with only two reps to go, POP! My low back snapped and I dropped the weight. After about ten minutes of stretching and trying to walk it off, I decided I couldn't continue. The pain was pretty bad.
Fortunately, over the course of the rest of the day it didn't get any worse, but then it didn't get any better either. Happily, the pain has decreased and my range of motion has increased over the last two days, and I am going in this afternoon to finish the workout I started, though I'm dubious about doing anything that might involve the low back, such as Leg Presses and/or Leg Curls. We shall see. Meanwhile I'm watching my bodyweight drop and feeling increasingly weak. I know I have to be extremely carefull with my back for a while, but I can't let the last ten months of progress go by the wayside! I've come too far and I'm getting too old to be staging yet another comeback.
Workout B
Squats 2@45x15
Hammer Strength Leg Extensions 45x15 (I think I misread my notes for this and used 45 each leg instead of 45 total because this was very hard)
Hammer Strength Pullover 90x20
Wide Grip Pulldowns 70x20
Incline Dumbbell Press 2@25'sx20
Dumbbell Laterals 2@10x20
Dumbbell Shrugs 50'sx15
Hammer Curls 20x20
On squats, I set the safety bar of the rack just above the knees, and lowered the bar until it came in contact with them. This puts my butt about three inches from the floor at the bottom. I had to use an empty bar but my quads still felt great after.
The next workout, which was on Sunday morning didn't go so well. This was to be the A workout:
Shrugs 100x30
Close Grip Pulldowns 100x24
Both of these felt great and I was feeling really confident, then I started the deadlifts. First set was 115 for 15 reps. Then I rested about two or three minutes enjoying the pump I was getting and started the next set, during which I really focused on keeping my scapula down and in, and my chest out. After about ten reps, I was breathing hard (not too hard) and really beginning to explode on the positive portion of the rep. Then with only two reps to go, POP! My low back snapped and I dropped the weight. After about ten minutes of stretching and trying to walk it off, I decided I couldn't continue. The pain was pretty bad.
Fortunately, over the course of the rest of the day it didn't get any worse, but then it didn't get any better either. Happily, the pain has decreased and my range of motion has increased over the last two days, and I am going in this afternoon to finish the workout I started, though I'm dubious about doing anything that might involve the low back, such as Leg Presses and/or Leg Curls. We shall see. Meanwhile I'm watching my bodyweight drop and feeling increasingly weak. I know I have to be extremely carefull with my back for a while, but I can't let the last ten months of progress go by the wayside! I've come too far and I'm getting too old to be staging yet another comeback.
TunnelRat
Active Member
ATG squats -- nice!
15 reps is hard with deadlifts -- even with light weights.
Maybe try single-leg presses -- that tends to take your lower back out of the equation a bit.
whistledixie
New Member
Whoa, that's a scary predicament - glad to hear everything is improving!
Chiming in about the BCAA supp. I started taking a pre-workout BCAA supp (Scivation - XTEND) this cycle and love it! I've heard it works best for higher rep workouts in terms of helping push through the burn - but the recovery it provides is what I like. I've been hitting this cycle really hard and feeling it, but I have yet to feel under-recovered during a session.
Strange but I was thinking that I'm getting more of a burn during this cycle, but not sure if that's from the BCAA's, or the meds I'm taking for my cold, or if my diet needs some adjusting. Thanks for the input, and encouragement!
Tuesday:
Leg Press 160x30, 160x20
Ham Flexor 20x20
Hammer Strength Chest 150x14
Hammer Curls 2@20x20
One Arm Tricep Extension 3@35x20
This was the continuation of the workout that I started on Sunday. Still have pain in the lower back, but not as bad. I think my body (and some other HST members) has spoken on the issue of high reps (20+), and I won't be doing that again. Still, I was encouraged by the pump that I got on some of these. I'll be starting up again today with two weeks of 15's, though I won't be doing squats or deadlifts probably for another week or so.
Still not sure about the BCAA's. I have been getting what I'm still calling a placebo effect from them which is a kind of nice but anxious tension during and immediately after the workout. Once I get over the cold and my back heals, I should be able to see for sure if these are having any positive effect.
Leg Press 160x30, 160x20
Ham Flexor 20x20
Hammer Strength Chest 150x14
Hammer Curls 2@20x20
One Arm Tricep Extension 3@35x20
This was the continuation of the workout that I started on Sunday. Still have pain in the lower back, but not as bad. I think my body (and some other HST members) has spoken on the issue of high reps (20+), and I won't be doing that again. Still, I was encouraged by the pump that I got on some of these. I'll be starting up again today with two weeks of 15's, though I won't be doing squats or deadlifts probably for another week or so.
Still not sure about the BCAA's. I have been getting what I'm still calling a placebo effect from them which is a kind of nice but anxious tension during and immediately after the workout. Once I get over the cold and my back heals, I should be able to see for sure if these are having any positive effect.
After a week of high rep sets, which was interesting but not as productive as I hoped, and during which I was nearly sidelined by a back inury, I've officially begun my sixth HST cycle with the first four workouts of 15's:
Thursday 1/20 Workout A
Squats 2@45x15
Hammer Strength Leg Extensions 2@90x15
Hammer Strength Pullover 100x15
Wide Grip Pulldown 2@80x15
Incline Dumbbell Press 25x15 30x15
Dumbbell Laterals 2@12x15
Dumbbell Shrug 50x15 55x15
Dumbbell Curls 25x15
Saturday 1/22 Workout B
Shrugs 2@110x15
Close Grip Pulldown 2@110x15!
Deadlift (From rack) 2@45x15
Leg Press 200x16 200x20 (Rest/pause)↑
Ham Flexor 40x14!
Hammer Strength Chest 155x15
Superset:
EZ Curls 2@ 50x15
One Arm Tricep Extension 2@40x15
Monday 1/24
Squats 45x15 65x15
Hammer Strength Leg Extensions 100x15+
Hammer Strength Pullover 110x15!
Wide Grip Pulldown 2@90x20 (Rest Pause)↑
Incline Dumbbell Press 2@35x15
Dumbbell Laterals 2@15x15
Dumbbell Shrug 60x15
Hammer Curls 30x15
Wednesday 1/26
Shrugs 2@125x15
Close Grip Pulldown 2@115x15!
Deadlift (From rack) 2@120x12
Leg Press 2@230x15!
Ham Flexor 40x15↑
Hammer Strength Chest 160x15!
Superset:
Barbell Curls 2@50x15! Straight bar felt good for the first time in years!
One Arm Tricep Extension 2@45x15
Lot's of catching up to do. Between work and the playoffs, and recovering from my back injury, blogging has suffered. My workout, however, has been slowly chugging along. I haven't missed any workouts but have been taking it easy where my low back is concerned. I've cut weights considerably on squats and deadlifts, but have been very strict on form and in the case of squats keeping range of motion high. I've been doing deads from the rack so most of the effort is coming from the upper back. Feels pretty good right now so I'll start to slowly increase range of motion, then weight as I get back to going all the way down. I have two workouts left in the 15's, so I think I'll be ready to get back on track for the 10's.
Everything else feels good: Leg extensions, incline press, and barbell curls especially. I haven't used a straight bar for curls in a long time due to pain in my elbows, but this seems to have subsided so I'm happy to be doing these again.
Also, for biceps I've started rotating different curling movements to see how they respond. Workout A is Dumbbell curls or hammer curls, and workout B is EZ bar curls or Barbell curls. I haven't found a tricep exercise for workout A yet but have been playing with different overhead extensions. I like the one arm extensions I'm doing on workout B, so I may just stick with these for a while.
Everything's already starting to get tight again and this is driving me mentally. It took a fair amount of internal prodding to get to the gym at the beginning of this cycle, but now it's like just try and stop me. I usually see the most growth during the 10's so the next two weeks should be interesting. I should know by then if the BCAA's are helping.
Thursday 1/20 Workout A
Squats 2@45x15
Hammer Strength Leg Extensions 2@90x15
Hammer Strength Pullover 100x15
Wide Grip Pulldown 2@80x15
Incline Dumbbell Press 25x15 30x15
Dumbbell Laterals 2@12x15
Dumbbell Shrug 50x15 55x15
Dumbbell Curls 25x15
Saturday 1/22 Workout B
Shrugs 2@110x15
Close Grip Pulldown 2@110x15!
Deadlift (From rack) 2@45x15
Leg Press 200x16 200x20 (Rest/pause)↑
Ham Flexor 40x14!
Hammer Strength Chest 155x15
Superset:
EZ Curls 2@ 50x15
One Arm Tricep Extension 2@40x15
Monday 1/24
Squats 45x15 65x15
Hammer Strength Leg Extensions 100x15+
Hammer Strength Pullover 110x15!
Wide Grip Pulldown 2@90x20 (Rest Pause)↑
Incline Dumbbell Press 2@35x15
Dumbbell Laterals 2@15x15
Dumbbell Shrug 60x15
Hammer Curls 30x15
Wednesday 1/26
Shrugs 2@125x15
Close Grip Pulldown 2@115x15!
Deadlift (From rack) 2@120x12
Leg Press 2@230x15!
Ham Flexor 40x15↑
Hammer Strength Chest 160x15!
Superset:
Barbell Curls 2@50x15! Straight bar felt good for the first time in years!
One Arm Tricep Extension 2@45x15
Lot's of catching up to do. Between work and the playoffs, and recovering from my back injury, blogging has suffered. My workout, however, has been slowly chugging along. I haven't missed any workouts but have been taking it easy where my low back is concerned. I've cut weights considerably on squats and deadlifts, but have been very strict on form and in the case of squats keeping range of motion high. I've been doing deads from the rack so most of the effort is coming from the upper back. Feels pretty good right now so I'll start to slowly increase range of motion, then weight as I get back to going all the way down. I have two workouts left in the 15's, so I think I'll be ready to get back on track for the 10's.
Everything else feels good: Leg extensions, incline press, and barbell curls especially. I haven't used a straight bar for curls in a long time due to pain in my elbows, but this seems to have subsided so I'm happy to be doing these again.
Also, for biceps I've started rotating different curling movements to see how they respond. Workout A is Dumbbell curls or hammer curls, and workout B is EZ bar curls or Barbell curls. I haven't found a tricep exercise for workout A yet but have been playing with different overhead extensions. I like the one arm extensions I'm doing on workout B, so I may just stick with these for a while.
Everything's already starting to get tight again and this is driving me mentally. It took a fair amount of internal prodding to get to the gym at the beginning of this cycle, but now it's like just try and stop me. I usually see the most growth during the 10's so the next two weeks should be interesting. I should know by then if the BCAA's are helping.
Good to hear your back is coming along. I’ve been quite pleased with how well my ruptured lumbar disk has responded to doing Dead Lifts.
Looking forward to hearing how they are working for you as I’m trying to figure out what curling movement(s) to add to my next cycle.
Also looking forward to your opinion on the BCAA’s. that’s something I haven’t tried yet. Partly because I’m eating a crapload of whole protein anyway but pretty soon I’m going to have to start cutting and was considering using BCAA’s.
Looking forward to hearing how they are working for you as I’m trying to figure out what curling movement(s) to add to my next cycle.
Also looking forward to your opinion on the BCAA’s. that’s something I haven’t tried yet. Partly because I’m eating a crapload of whole protein anyway but pretty soon I’m going to have to start cutting and was considering using BCAA’s.
Friday 1/28
Squats (Warmup) 45x15 65x3 (Work set) 95x15
Hammer Strength Leg Extensions 2@110x15 (Rest/pause on second set)!!
Hammer Strength Pullover 120x15!
Wide Grip Pulldown 2@100x15 ↑
Incline Dumbbell Press 2@40x15!↑
Dumbbell Laterals 15x15 20x15 -
Dumbbell Shrug 65x15-
Dumbbell Curls 30x15
Back is getting much better, but I still took it easy on squats using about 20% less weight than my goal. Still had good range of motion so my legs still got a good workout. Plus I kicked ass on the leg extensions so I feel I made up for it.
Sunday 1/30
Shrugs 2@125x15 (I then realized this was the same weight as last time, so) 135x15
Close Grip Pulldown 2@120x15! (I'm really liking these)
Deadlift (Full range of motion) 2@135x10
Leg Press (Warmup) 180x10 360x10 (WOrk set) 420x15!
Ham Flexor 2@45x12-
Hammer Strength Chest (Warmup) 90x10 140x10 (Work set) 170x15!
Low cable crossover 12.5x15
Superset:
Barbell Curls 2@55x15!
One Arm Tricep Extension 2@50x15!
Dumbbell Press 25x15
Finally, my first really good workout of the cycle. I had no back pain at all so I went full-range on deadlifts, beating my goal for the 15's by ten pounds, and my last 15RM by twenty. I'm happy I took a cue from PJ Braun and put shrugs and pulldowns before deads. It doesn't seem to affect pulling power, and the traps and lats get hit harder. Great pump with this combination.
I pretty much met or beat my goals in all other exercises, with the exception of ham flexors. The weight was there but I couldn't get more than 12 reps. I suppose I could have used rest/pause to get the last three, but I didn't want to risk my low back. These are done unilaterally so you have to be careful maintaining a neutral spine.
Starting the ten's tomorrow. Motivation's high and I'm ready to go! (I'm all but tying myself to a chair to stay away from the gym today!) I can feel a growth cycle coming on and can't wait to see what happens next!
Squats (Warmup) 45x15 65x3 (Work set) 95x15
Hammer Strength Leg Extensions 2@110x15 (Rest/pause on second set)!!
Hammer Strength Pullover 120x15!
Wide Grip Pulldown 2@100x15 ↑
Incline Dumbbell Press 2@40x15!↑
Dumbbell Laterals 15x15 20x15 -
Dumbbell Shrug 65x15-
Dumbbell Curls 30x15
Back is getting much better, but I still took it easy on squats using about 20% less weight than my goal. Still had good range of motion so my legs still got a good workout. Plus I kicked ass on the leg extensions so I feel I made up for it.
Sunday 1/30
Shrugs 2@125x15 (I then realized this was the same weight as last time, so) 135x15
Close Grip Pulldown 2@120x15! (I'm really liking these)
Deadlift (Full range of motion) 2@135x10
Leg Press (Warmup) 180x10 360x10 (WOrk set) 420x15!
Ham Flexor 2@45x12-
Hammer Strength Chest (Warmup) 90x10 140x10 (Work set) 170x15!
Low cable crossover 12.5x15
Superset:
Barbell Curls 2@55x15!
One Arm Tricep Extension 2@50x15!
Dumbbell Press 25x15
Finally, my first really good workout of the cycle. I had no back pain at all so I went full-range on deadlifts, beating my goal for the 15's by ten pounds, and my last 15RM by twenty. I'm happy I took a cue from PJ Braun and put shrugs and pulldowns before deads. It doesn't seem to affect pulling power, and the traps and lats get hit harder. Great pump with this combination.
I pretty much met or beat my goals in all other exercises, with the exception of ham flexors. The weight was there but I couldn't get more than 12 reps. I suppose I could have used rest/pause to get the last three, but I didn't want to risk my low back. These are done unilaterally so you have to be careful maintaining a neutral spine.
Starting the ten's tomorrow. Motivation's high and I'm ready to go! (I'm all but tying myself to a chair to stay away from the gym today!) I can feel a growth cycle coming on and can't wait to see what happens next!
Thanks TR. Of course, you were right too. I hung in there and waited till yesterday to hit the gym and had a great one. Here's the log:
Wednesday -- Cycle Six, Week Three, First day of ten's
Squats (Warmup) 2@45x15 65x5 85x3 (Work set) 3@100x12 !↑
Hammer Strength Leg Extensions 2@120x10 (Rest/pause on second set)
Hammer Strength Pullover 105x5 3@130x10!
Wide Grip Pulldown 100x12x12x10 ↑
Incline Dumbbell Press (Warm UP) 25x10 35x5 (Worksets) 45x12x12x10!↑
Dumbbell Flyes 2@20x15↑
Dumbbell Laterals 20x12x10 -
Dumbbell Shrug 2@65x10 -
Hammer Curls 2@35x10
Overhead Tricep Extensions 25x15
Great workout! Best one of the cycle so far. Completely pain free! My form felt perfect on squats and was able to go extremely deep. One thing I've learned is that you can't be afraid of squats. Just start light and get the form, and range of motion, right and they feel great! I suspect that I'll be jumping up in weights on these fairly quickly now that I have it down. I've returned to doing extra warm up sets. I think this is necessary for me to avoid injury.
One thing is that it took a long time to complete. About an hour to complete nearly 30 sets, including warmups. I will probably drop the third work set on some exercises as the weights increase. I saw a discussion, probably here somewhere, about time under tension, so I bought a watch with a stopwatch function and timed some of the sets. Most were at least 40 seconds. I usually perform sets with no pause between reps so I think this is pretty accurate, and from my understanding in the optimum range. Also, by my calculation I spent about as much time lifting weights as I did resting.
Everything is sore today. Not too much, just enough to remind me that I was at the gym yesterday. Should be easy to avoid it today!
Friday
Due to a time constraint, I split today's workout into an AM/PM split.
AM
Shrugs (Warmup) 45x15x10 95x5 115x3 135x1 (Work Sets) 145x12 This felt easy, so 155x12↑
Close Grip Pulldown 125x12x10x8! ↑
Deadlift (Warm Up) 2@95x5 115x5 135x1 (Work set) 145x10
Leg Press (Warmup) 270x5 360x5 410x5 (WOrk set) 440x10!
Ham Flexor 45x11x10x8(failure)
PM
Hammer Strength Chest (Warmup) 90x5 140x5 (Work set) 175x10x10x8 (Failure)!↑
Low cable crossover 3@12x12x15(Rest/pause on third set)↑
Superset:
One Arm Tricep Pulldown 55x12x12x10!!!↑
Barbell Curls 3@55x12!!!↑
Hammer Curl 20x15x15x10 (Rest/Pause) Serious burn!
Dumbbell Press 30x10↑
Wow! I wish the AM/PM split was a little more practical because I can see why people train this way. I was able to increase volume without getting tired, and still able to have some great sets late in the second session. Even able to toss in some burnout sets of hammer curls after three supersets for triceps and biceps!
I did have to keep the work sets for deadlifts and leg presses as my low back was sending me coded messages to be careful.
I'm definitely in the midst of a growth phase right now. My muscles are tigher and looking fuller, and noticibly rounder for the first time. I'm seeing more cuts and veins too, so I think my gains in lean body mass is probably greater than the scale suggests. I'm at 190 which up five pounds since starting this log, so I figure I've probably dropped a couple pounds of fat in the process.
Note to Grunt: I'm very happy so far with the results of my current arm training. I basically have two A workouts and two B workouts, though there's only slight variations in the biceps movement from one to the other:
Workouts A
Superset:
Barbell Curls or EZ Bar Curls
One Arm Tricep Pulldown
Workouts B
Alternating Dumbbell Curl or Hammer Curl
Overhead Tricep Extensions
I think adding hammer curls, which I started last cycle, have made a big differnce in how my arms look. With more brachialis development they are looking much thicker especially when relaxed, which to me is very important.
Also, I think I'm getting results from the BCAA. I know I feel different during the workout, and the growth phase I was expecting later in the ten's came sooner. Also, I feel like I'm recovered from each workout sooner. Besides having increased calories, adding BCAA's pre-workout is the only thing I've changed this cycle.
I was beginning to have serious doubts about reaching my goal of 195 lbs by the end of February, but most of my weight increase has been in the last month which I think can be attributed to having my diet in order, so it still seems easily attainable. The question is can I drop enough fat in the fifteen weeks after that to compete. I will probably need to drop about 16 lbs in that time. I did it before, but that was about 18 years ago. I still have a pretty fast metabolism but it may not be as fast as it used to be.
Anyway, this is an exciting time for me. I'm getting comments from friends about how I look, so I'm really looking forward to what I might look like at the end of this cycle. At that time I'll decide on my competition strategy. By staying focused, I think I can make my ultimate goal of competeing in two shows this year, one in June and one at the end of October. Doing so, however, I'd probably have to stick with the middleweight class in both and think about moving up next year. If I skip the show in June, I may be able to pack on enough muscle to be in the light-heavies in October, though possibly not as competitively. Decisions, decisions.
Due to a time constraint, I split today's workout into an AM/PM split.
AM
Shrugs (Warmup) 45x15x10 95x5 115x3 135x1 (Work Sets) 145x12 This felt easy, so 155x12↑
Close Grip Pulldown 125x12x10x8! ↑
Deadlift (Warm Up) 2@95x5 115x5 135x1 (Work set) 145x10
Leg Press (Warmup) 270x5 360x5 410x5 (WOrk set) 440x10!
Ham Flexor 45x11x10x8(failure)
PM
Hammer Strength Chest (Warmup) 90x5 140x5 (Work set) 175x10x10x8 (Failure)!↑
Low cable crossover 3@12x12x15(Rest/pause on third set)↑
Superset:
One Arm Tricep Pulldown 55x12x12x10!!!↑
Barbell Curls 3@55x12!!!↑
Hammer Curl 20x15x15x10 (Rest/Pause) Serious burn!
Dumbbell Press 30x10↑
Wow! I wish the AM/PM split was a little more practical because I can see why people train this way. I was able to increase volume without getting tired, and still able to have some great sets late in the second session. Even able to toss in some burnout sets of hammer curls after three supersets for triceps and biceps!
I did have to keep the work sets for deadlifts and leg presses as my low back was sending me coded messages to be careful.
I'm definitely in the midst of a growth phase right now. My muscles are tigher and looking fuller, and noticibly rounder for the first time. I'm seeing more cuts and veins too, so I think my gains in lean body mass is probably greater than the scale suggests. I'm at 190 which up five pounds since starting this log, so I figure I've probably dropped a couple pounds of fat in the process.
Note to Grunt: I'm very happy so far with the results of my current arm training. I basically have two A workouts and two B workouts, though there's only slight variations in the biceps movement from one to the other:
Workouts A
Superset:
Barbell Curls or EZ Bar Curls
One Arm Tricep Pulldown
Workouts B
Alternating Dumbbell Curl or Hammer Curl
Overhead Tricep Extensions
I think adding hammer curls, which I started last cycle, have made a big differnce in how my arms look. With more brachialis development they are looking much thicker especially when relaxed, which to me is very important.
Also, I think I'm getting results from the BCAA. I know I feel different during the workout, and the growth phase I was expecting later in the ten's came sooner. Also, I feel like I'm recovered from each workout sooner. Besides having increased calories, adding BCAA's pre-workout is the only thing I've changed this cycle.
I was beginning to have serious doubts about reaching my goal of 195 lbs by the end of February, but most of my weight increase has been in the last month which I think can be attributed to having my diet in order, so it still seems easily attainable. The question is can I drop enough fat in the fifteen weeks after that to compete. I will probably need to drop about 16 lbs in that time. I did it before, but that was about 18 years ago. I still have a pretty fast metabolism but it may not be as fast as it used to be.
Anyway, this is an exciting time for me. I'm getting comments from friends about how I look, so I'm really looking forward to what I might look like at the end of this cycle. At that time I'll decide on my competition strategy. By staying focused, I think I can make my ultimate goal of competeing in two shows this year, one in June and one at the end of October. Doing so, however, I'd probably have to stick with the middleweight class in both and think about moving up next year. If I skip the show in June, I may be able to pack on enough muscle to be in the light-heavies in October, though possibly not as competitively. Decisions, decisions.
Super Sunday. Did another AM/PM split:
AM
Squats (Warmup) 2@0x12 95x5 115x3 (Work sets) 135x10 (Rest/pause) 115x11x11!
Hammer Strength Leg Extensions 2@120x10 (Rest/pause on second set)
Hammer Strength Pullover 105x5 3@130x10!
Wide Grip Pulldown 100x12x12x10 ↑
PM
Incline Dumbbell Press (Warm UP) 25x10 35x5 (Worksets) 45x12x12x10!↑
Dumbbell Flyes 2@20x15↑
Dumbbell Laterals 20x12x10 -
Dumbbell Shrug 2@65x10 -
Hammer Curls 2@35x10
Overhead Tricep Extensions 25x15
The way I feel today, two days after my last workout, I think I'm going to be using AM/PM splits as much as possible the rest of the way through this cycle. I feel great especially my quads, lats, and arms, all of which are pumped even now, and I can feel not soreness but more of a tightness deep in the muscles I've never felt before. My biceps, for example, are much tighter even when not flexing. I had to cover all my mirrors because I wasn't able to walk past them without stopping to flex! I'm trying to go two days without any exercise, including posing practice. It's tough when you're making gains like this.
Also, my form throughout was absolutely perfect! On squats, I went as deep as ever and was able to really contract the quads hard going up. The last couple reps really felt incredible! On pulldowns, I kept my scapula locked in position and felt major contractions all the way down the lats*. I'm very happy with this current routine. I do plan to make one change and that is again on how I warm up. I was looking at the Max-OT program and I like their warm up protocol, which in all reality is much like how I've been doing it, but a little more structured (I've changed their numbers from pounds to percent):
Don't know about that last part.
*Edit: I just remembered that on Saturday night, I did this no-weight contraction workout I found on You Tube. Basically flexing and contracting each muscle hard for two sets of ten. In a way it's kind of a virtual workout if you imagine yourself using actual weights with absolute perfect form. I'm sure this carried over to my real workout the next day.
AM
Squats (Warmup) 2@0x12 95x5 115x3 (Work sets) 135x10 (Rest/pause) 115x11x11!
Hammer Strength Leg Extensions 2@120x10 (Rest/pause on second set)
Hammer Strength Pullover 105x5 3@130x10!
Wide Grip Pulldown 100x12x12x10 ↑
PM
Incline Dumbbell Press (Warm UP) 25x10 35x5 (Worksets) 45x12x12x10!↑
Dumbbell Flyes 2@20x15↑
Dumbbell Laterals 20x12x10 -
Dumbbell Shrug 2@65x10 -
Hammer Curls 2@35x10
Overhead Tricep Extensions 25x15
The way I feel today, two days after my last workout, I think I'm going to be using AM/PM splits as much as possible the rest of the way through this cycle. I feel great especially my quads, lats, and arms, all of which are pumped even now, and I can feel not soreness but more of a tightness deep in the muscles I've never felt before. My biceps, for example, are much tighter even when not flexing. I had to cover all my mirrors because I wasn't able to walk past them without stopping to flex! I'm trying to go two days without any exercise, including posing practice. It's tough when you're making gains like this.
Also, my form throughout was absolutely perfect! On squats, I went as deep as ever and was able to really contract the quads hard going up. The last couple reps really felt incredible! On pulldowns, I kept my scapula locked in position and felt major contractions all the way down the lats*. I'm very happy with this current routine. I do plan to make one change and that is again on how I warm up. I was looking at the Max-OT program and I like their warm up protocol, which in all reality is much like how I've been doing it, but a little more structured (I've changed their numbers from pounds to percent):
Don't know about that last part.
*Edit: I just remembered that on Saturday night, I did this no-weight contraction workout I found on You Tube. Basically flexing and contracting each muscle hard for two sets of ten. In a way it's kind of a virtual workout if you imagine yourself using actual weights with absolute perfect form. I'm sure this carried over to my real workout the next day.
Last edited by a moderator:
whistledixie
New Member
I'm with you on the AM/PM split. I was really digging it last cycle. I wish I could've kept it up this cycle. The biggest difference was seperating the shoulder press & bench press. I am really struggling with them. If I do bench first, the shoulder press is horrible and vice versa.
I like the warm up ideas here. Now that I'm getting to the heavier loads, I'm going to print this out and start using this as a guide for my warm up sets. Thanks!
I like the warm up ideas here. Now that I'm getting to the heavier loads, I'm going to print this out and start using this as a guide for my warm up sets. Thanks!