_tim's Log

Traveling is killing me. I'm going to try to get a solid week in this week.

Incline Bench: 2 x 8, 1 x 3 @ 155
Triceps and pecs are weak as anything.

Strive Bench: 1: 90 x 10; 2: 140 x 10; 3: 180 x 10; 4: 230 x 1
I was going for failure. Got there.

SA Cable Decline: 65, 70, 85 x 10

Battle Ropes: 3 x 10 seconds
|
Burpees: 5, 1, 2.5
Yep - untrained I am.
 
Hey Tim, no straps in your gym bag? 32 reps is still a whole lot of deads. :)
Good to see you back at it. All the best for this week. Hope life is treating you and your family well enough. Any long-term effects from your car accident or are you 100% now?
 
Thanks @Lol and @Jester! I like just plain old OHG as a means to develop my grip strength. In terms of health, I have a couple lingering items but I'm working through them. The biggest impact to me right now is travel, but I have a little respite before I head across the country again. That said, I started a new training methodology in which rep ranges aren't predetermined. Instead, you train based on feel, regardless of rep or set counts. This seems to work well given my schedule of late.

Today:
Strive (Flat) Chest Press: 1: 90 x 15; 140 x 13; 180 x 8 | 2: 180 x 2 | 3: 180 x 4x | 5: 230 x 1 + plyo rep
The plates were in the middle and the quarters were on the upper arms for the 5 set.

Incline Bench: 135 x 8; 155 x 4

Dips: BW x 5, 3

I did all of the above in 30 minutes. Had a tiny amount of time today.
 
Hi All - I'm again traveling so today's work was centered around back using body weight movements and light weight, higher rep counts. Not worth logging specifics as a result.

I actually got into a conversation with a dude who was built I found interesting. He uses strictly high rep sets to train - 10-30 per set. My immediate thought is sustainability given the amount of stress involved. What do you guys think though? I've obviously been trying to find a new groove for this 40-year old body of mine. 30 reps seems nuts for the reason above. Yes/no?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
If I was to train between those rep ranges then I would be utilising myo reps to give me more bang for the buck, and at 40 you are still a youngster!!!!
 
Thanks Mick! I gave the rep range a go today (sort of anyway) with a set of 20 followed by 10's. Interesting approach, given the fatigue from the first set. I really don't know if this is something I'd do long term, or use as a short term infusion of volume.

Yet another experiment to conduct.

More hotel workout fun today, focused on chest and abs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Bench: 155, 175, 185 x 10
The 185 set was RP'd 7-1-1-1.

Paused Partial Bench: 155 x 5
The whole goal here was time under tension, so the reps were slow up and down. Basically took the work fairly close to failure.

Squats: 185 x 10; 225 x 8, 3
I worked in with a guy as all the racks were full and I was on little time. Perhaps foolishly, I did no stretching prior to my first set - but aside from horrible form on reps 1 & 2, all was okay. The rest between sets 2 & 3 was around 30 seconds as the guy I was working in with told me he was resting and I could do another if I liked. I figured I'd give it a run, and got a triple.

Pushups: 13, 8
Wrapped this in among stretching.

So all, I'm a little confused and it's silly. I read a few threads regularly and lately I've been seeing a bunch that counters every methodology I've used for about the past 5 years. As a result, I'm going to give credence to the setup that worked for me for a time - the whole push-pull setup. I dunno all, the first battle is getting myself back into a rhythm. The second artifact is settling on an approach from a volume perspective. The one thing I found to be very interesting is that someone updated the findings on rest between workouts. I can't remember where I found it, but I think it's worth considering. I'll post the URL here if I find it. This is another article on the topic, but not what I read initially.

I welcome commentary on this - if you have an opinion, please share.
 
Hey Tim,

Hope all is well with you.

I read as far as this in the linked article...

"...and if you do not get enough rest (this not only includes sleep but also relaxation times when stress is at a minimum) then you will not grow."

... and decided that was as far as I wanted to go. I think what is stated is not true. Muscle tissue repair and hypertrophy are not only going to occur while a person is resting or relaxing. Rest and relaxation are certainly a factor in CNS recovery but it's not the same for muscle hypertrophy. Eg. There's the well-worn example of a muscle growing while under continuous load. (I think it's mentioned in the FAQs on this site?)
Any specific things that you felt were worth discussing in the article?
 
Hey Lol -

I hope things are good with you as well!

This is precisely what I was talking about. What has been abjectly proven in science is being countered with some frequency. The notion of rest was intriguing to me; the link I posted wasn't the original article. Regardless, the point is that for the longest time, the threads I mentioned were in parallel to what we have in the FAQs. Lately (over the last six months or so), those threads are going away from those parallels. It's oddly maddening to me - that's all.
 
Deads: 185 x 10; 225 x 5; 245 x 3
|
NG Chins: 3 x 3 @ BW
My form broke down like crazy in the 245 set. I have to believe at this point my core is weak as anything, so I will be addressing that.

WG Pulldown: 125 x 10; 130 x 8; 145 x 6
|
Back Extension: BW x 15, 15, 12

Cable Rows: 110 x 25, 10
I went for a Kroc theme to up the volume a bit. The first set was clustered 23-2 with maybe 3 breaths between.

Face Pull: 90, 115 x 15

Well, I tried to hit most of the what I could in the pulling space today. My grip was another sore spot showing it needed some attention too by the end.
 
Super Low Time

Seated Military Press: 85 x 15; 105 x 8; 115 x 4
|
Hack Squat: 90 x 15; 140, 180 x 10
The Hack loads are just what I put on the sled. No idea about total load.

DB Bench: 50's x 20; 65's x 6
Though I rotated the dumbbells, I didn't touch them at the top of the rep. I've read this reduces fatigue, so I kept them apart.

This was all I had time for. Came in at about 27 minutes total.
 
Eye Opening

Straight Arm Pulldown: 77.5, 97,5, 105 x 12

Supinated Grip BB Rows: 95, 115, 135 x 10

WG Pulldown: 10, 140, 150 x 10
Last set RP'd 7-3 (very short rest - 3-4 breath RP)

Cable Row: 110, 117.5, 125 x 12

Rack Pull: 135, 165, 185 x 12

Seated DB Curl: 35's, 45's x 10
Each arm done in clusters of 5. Started way too heavy here.

Straight Bar Cable Curl: 90, 105 x 10
Too aggressive here too.

Rope Hammer Curl: 90 x 6
Biceps and forearms cooked enough.

Explanation: I saw this workout in a BB.com email. It was based on an article written by Hunter Labrada and it looked fun, so I gave it a run. In short, I loved this. I don't know if it was just the change or what, but this silly routine that goes against everything I believe was damn fun. I kept the Rack Pulls super light on purpose. Truth be told, I kept the first half sorta light just to get my bearings with form. This would at most be a once-a-week-for-a-little-while type thing. I think I may just slip into BB for a month or so and see if maybe I stay here for a bit. I dunno, all - I'm still absolutely trying to find my way back to center in the gym. If BB is a way to get me there, I'm game to admit I've gone to the dark side.
 
Bench: 165, 185, 195 x 8
195 set was RP'd 6-2

DB Incline: 45s, 55s, 65s x 10

Dips: BW x 6, 4

Machine Fly: 110, 120 x 12

SA Cable Decline: 55, 60 x 12

CG Triceps Extension: 90 x 25; 130 x 12

I think the theme here is "enough". My tri's are weak as anything at the moment, and that's the sole reason I attacked them further after all of the chest work. For the fly movements, I tried desperately to keep my biceps out as much as possible. I brought the bench reps down a tiny bit and likely will do that throughout this experiment for the bigs from time to time, though the floor will likely be 6's.
 
The second most painful cardio...

Squats: 175, 195, 215, 225 x 8
Sleeves only, starting at 215.

DB Bulgarian Split Squats: BW, 25s x 10
My right leg set with the 25s was interesting. I had what I think was a cardio dump after rep 4 and took a seat for a second. I did 6 more after maybe 10 seconds.

Deficit SLDL: 135 x 12, 5

My cardiovascular fitness is lacking tremendously. I'll be addressing that soon.
 
Boxing/Burpee warmup: 15:00
The burpees were "fake" ones in my book, intended just to burn out a little. The fake part - no pushup.

BB Weighted Situp: 45 x 7, 7, 6
I saw these a while back and figured a bit of a strength movement to start up my ab work was far from a bad thing. Arms were extended throughout the movement.

Hang K2c/Pike: 5/5, 3/3

Medicine Ball Russian Twist: 25 x 18, 13
|
Plank: :30 x 2
|
Dead Bug: 8, 3

I'll admit I found the dead bug on BB.com. I'll also admit that it may be the single greatest movement I've found to absolutely blitz the abs. All in all, this was telling to me. My core is lacking tremendously in terms of supporting good form through deadlift and squat work. I'm thinking some additional work is absolutely necessary, in addition to dedicated work like today.

Four in a row, people. I honestly can't remember the last time I got four in during a week. Has to have been months ago. That part I'm extremely happy about.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lol
CG Bench: 135, 155 x 10; 165 x 4

Skullz: 45, 65, 75 x 12

SA Cable Triceps Extension (no handle): 30, 45, 50 x 12

Rope Triceps Extension: 70, 85 x 15

Standing Hammer Curls: 25s, 30s x 10, 35s x 6
Very low rest between sets.

Seated Alternating DB Curls: 25s x 12; 25s x 4

SA Preacher Curls: 20 x 12; 25 x 5

EZ Bar Curls: 55 x 15; 65 x 4

WU & Finished with Rope work

This was mostly assistance work, with a touch of vanity-inspired work.
 
Straight Arm Pulldown: 90, 105, 110 x 12

Supinated Grip BB Row: 115, 135, 155 x 10

Wide Grip Pulldown: 130, 140, 150 x 10

Cable Row: 125, 130 x 12; 137.5 x 9
Last set was RP'd 7-2

Seated SA DB Curl: 30, 35, 40 x 10; 45 x 2
|
Rack Pull: 155, 175, 185 x 12
Last set was RP'd 9-3 due to grip and overall fatigue.

Straight Bar Cable Curl: 110 x 10; 125 x 5

Rope Hammer Curl: 90 x 10; 110 x 4
I alternated these lifts with the hop of getting all sets in. Not so, but much closer than the first attempt.

Overall, pushing the loads a bit really hit my back and biceps today. Felt damn good.
 
Underhand Bench: 135 x 10; 165 x 5; 145 x 10
I saw an article by Jim Stoppani about the upper chest where he mentioned that incline movements didn't really hit the upper pecs all that well, but underhand grip did. So, I gave it a run and found out how hard they are. Crazy variation on bench!

SA Flat DB Press: 45, 55, 65 x 10
I did not rotate or touch the DB's at the top. Goal was constant tension.

Hammer Grip Strive Incline: 140: 1 - 6; 2 - 4; 3 - 5
I kept the plates in the middle position and just moved the quarters. The hammer movement was quite a change.

Pec Deck: 120, 130, 140 x 10

Svend Press: 10 x 10, 10
Gnarly. I've never done these before - intense, and so simple.

SA Cable Fly: 60 , 65 x 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 (alternating, no break)
This was an interesting superset to end the session. The reps were done in clusters as listed, from arm to arm. So, right got two reps, left got two reps, right got four reps, left got four reps, and so forth. 60 was not heavy enough, and 65 got me on fatigue alone.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top