My Compete + HemaVol Stack Log (Sponsored)

[StackedCop]

Haha I'm just happier without it.

I experimented a bit in high school and I'm glad I did it back then; it made college way less of a transition and I didn't go nuts. For me, though, it's just how I was raised and I don't need lowered inhibitions. I'm really looking forward to having the medical stuff resolved, though, because I'd always viewed alcohol as empty calories and that's far easier to do when it actually makes a difference whether you drink or not, ya know?




I didn't end up hitting the gym, today. Work was very hectic and it's my birthday, so I spent some time with my girlfriend, this evening and will just hit the gym hard, tomorrow and get back on track.

Happy birthday brother enjoy it

 

[MidwestBeast]

Thanks, guys.

I've managed to unwind a bit, this evening and that was nice after the headache that returning to work, today was lol. About to go to bed and looking forward to getting back to routine (hopefully), tomorrow.

 

[allnatural923]

Haha I'm just happier without it.

I experimented a bit in high school and I'm glad I did it back then; it made college way less of a transition and I didn't go nuts. For me, though, it's just how I was raised and I don't need lowered inhibitions. I'm really looking forward to having the medical stuff resolved, though, because I'd always viewed alcohol as empty calories and that's far easier to do when it actually makes a difference whether you drink or not, ya know?




I didn't end up hitting the gym, today. Work was very hectic and it's my birthday, so I spent some time with my girlfriend, this evening and will just hit the gym hard, tomorrow and get back on track.

always good to take time off and have great balance in your life. hope you enjoyed your birthday bro

 

[MidwestBeast]

All right, so mixed bag of feelings about today's workout.

It was high volume leg day and I always like to push on this day (first one in just over a month, too). I was gunning for 1,200 reps and ended up with a little over 1,000.

I strained my right calf on my 12th set of calf extensions and I actually pushed a few reps, but then wised up and decided to call it quits so I didn't set myself back too far/long.

Pre-workout: 2 scoops Hemavol, 2g ALCAR, 200mg caffeine, 1g tyrosine, 1g choline citrate and then 2 scoops MBCAA.

Intra-workout: 2 scoops Compete

Leg Extensions: 115x25/130x25/145x25/160x25/165x20/150x20/135x25/120x25/115x25/110x25/105x25/100x25/95x25/95x25/95x25/95x25

Seated Leg Curls: 80x25/85x25/90x25/95x25/100x25/105x25/105x25/110x25/115x25/120x25/120x25/110x25/105x25/100x25/95x25/95x25

Seated Calf Extensions: 140x25/155x25/170x25/185x25/200x25/215x25/215x25/210x25/210x25/205x50/205x15

 

[MidwestBeast]

And to recap the 2 workouts I had back in IL over the weekend (Friday and Monday):

Back Max-OT:


Underhand Lat Pulldowns: (warm-up: 150x6/200x4) 250x6/260x6/270x6

Seated Rows: 230x8/260x8/290x8

Deadlifts: 315x6/365x6/375x1+4*

*Pressure of my quads against my stomach almost made me puke, so that's why I set it down after the first rep for a few seconds and went straight into the next 4

Not very impressed with my deadlift numbers. Lately, I've been using a Nautilus Xpload machine for deads so I can get a nice 45 degree grip and go overhand on both, but this was just traditional. I really need to start focusing on grip strength. My back and legs can easily pull more, but it's my hands that crap out on me (grip and then blistered up pretty badly; stopped wearing gloves a few months back after wearing them for my entire life of lifting).






Arms HVT:


Olympic Bar Curls: 75x25/75x25/75x25/75x25

Solo DB Hammer Curls (@ Preacher Station): 20x25/20x25/20x25/20x25

Solo Overhead Cable Ring Curls: 27.5x25/27.5x25/21.5x25/21.5x25

Solo Tri Ring Pushdowns: 49.5x25/60.5x25/60.5x25/49.5x25

Solo Tri Ring Reverse Curls: 27.5x25/27.5x25/27.5x25/27.5x25

Solo Overhead DB Tri Extensions: 25x25/20x25/20x25/20x25

Very happy with this one; ridiculous pumps and some nice increases on a few lifts from the previous HVT arm session (just over a month before).

 

[thebigt]

i spent an entire winter one year with a tennis ball in my hand working on grip. the old weight tied to a dumbell bar works good too, imo.

 

[AZMIDLYF]

Farmers Walks will get them as well

 

[criticalbench]

Farmers Walks will get them as well

I suck at them.. my grip is terrible. I can't even do 1 pullup without straps, but can bang out a ton with em! If i forget my straps, i dont train back

Mike

 

[StackedCop]

I suck at them.. my grip is terrible. I can't even do 1 pullup without straps, but can bang out a ton with em! If i forget my straps, i dont train back

Mike

I'm glad my gym sells straps bc I'm the same way. I used to be real big into grip strength but I noticed the more I worked on my grip the more I would drop stuff... Like my cell phone. Started using straps and I stopped dropping stuff.

 

[baldwanus]

I suck at them.. my grip is terrible. I can't even do 1 pullup without straps, but can bang out a ton with em! If i forget my straps, i dont train back

Mike

I'm glad my gym sells straps bc I'm the same way. I used to be real big into grip strength but I noticed the more I worked on my grip the more I would drop stuff... Like my cell phone. Started using straps and I stopped dropping stuff.

my biggest problem: my gym doesnt allow chalk, ghey as fawk.........i usually have to wrap up for just about everything because all the grips are worn + sweaty hands = my back doesnt get as much work as it could becasue the bar keeps slipping from my hands.

 

[AZMIDLYF]

It's been a slow progresion for me with my grip strength. I used to strap up for everything as well but now I only do for the last heavy DL set. I just feel a better mind/muscle connection when I am gripping the heck out of the bar.

 

[Loudy Rowdy]

I suck at them.. my grip is terrible. I can't even do 1 pullup without straps, but can bang out a ton with em! If i forget my straps, i dont train back

Mike

Loudy doesnt use straps
Loudy doesnt use gloves
Loudy get rough hands now and then
so therefore...
Loudy's forearms > Mike's



Ever thought about a few weeks "high reps" for back so wont need straps for a little while?

I'm glad my gym sells straps bc I'm the same way. I used to be real big into grip strength but I noticed the more I worked on my grip the more I would drop stuff... Like my cell phone. Started using straps and I stopped dropping stuff.

do you use a strap to eat your tacos and hotdogs too?



Im not a drinker either...Unless its a bachelor party, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or other related events Loudy gets really Rowdy

 

[allnatural923]

Loudy doesnt use straps
Loudy doesnt use gloves
Loudy get rough hands now and then
so therefore...
Loudy's forearms > Mike's



Ever thought about a few weeks "high reps" for back so wont need straps for a little while?




do you use a strap to eat your tacos and hotdogs too?



Im not a drinker either...Unless its a bachelor party, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or other related events Loudy gets really Rowdy

I take my straps with me when I go grocery shopping

Nothing wrong with using straps lol

 

[MidwestBeast]

Weekend ended up being pretty busy; the girlfriend and I took off for Indianapolis and stayed up there to hit the Linkin Park concert. My buddy from high school works for the band doing marketing/web stuff for them and got us hooked up to meet the band and even upgraded us to some really awesome seats.

I'll be hitting delts/traps for HVT after I get out of the office, today.

 

[mnowak1228]

Weekend ended up being pretty busy; the girlfriend and I took off for Indianapolis and stayed up there to hit the Linkin Park concert. My buddy from high school works for the band doing marketing/web stuff for them and got us hooked up to meet the band and even upgraded us to some really awesome seats.

I'll be hitting delts/traps for HVT after I get out of the office, today.

LOVE LP!! How awesome was it? Did you give them some Compete to try during their set? Lmao

 

[baldwanus]

Weekend ended up being pretty busy; the girlfriend and I took off for Indianapolis and stayed up there to hit the Linkin Park concert. My buddy from high school works for the band doing marketing/web stuff for them and got us hooked up to meet the band and even upgraded us to some really awesome seats.

I'll be hitting delts/traps for HVT after I get out of the office, today.

your weekend >>> my weekend

 

[MidwestBeast]

LOVE LP!! How awesome was it? Did you give them some Compete to try during their set? Lmao

It was way too cool, man. I had to miss Incubus's set to meet them, but that was worth it. The good thing was we still got to our seats in time to hear their last song, which was Aqueous Transmission (and I love that song--very chill). LP played for about 2 hours, which was great, too. The whole thing was awesome, but my favorite (if I had to pick) was probably when they transitioned into a rendition of Sabotage in the middle of Bleed it Out. And during Burn it Down, they had flames on the stage and you could feel the heat coming off of them where we sat.

That's funny about the Compete; I doubt they'd take anything from me, although I could probably give it to my buddy who works for them and have him ask them if they were interested. If anyone could use it, it was Chester. He was all over the place and jumping off of speakers lol.

 

[mnowak1228]

It was way too cool, man. I had to miss Incubus's set to meet them, but that was worth it. The good thing was we still got to our seats in time to hear their last song, which was Aqueous Transmission (and I love that song--very chill). LP played for about 2 hours, which was great, too. The whole thing was awesome, but my favorite (if I had to pick) was probably when they transitioned into a rendition of Sabotage in the middle of Bleed it Out. And during Burn it Down, they had flames on the stage and you could feel the heat coming off of them where we sat.

That's funny about the Compete; I doubt they'd take anything from me, although I could probably give it to my buddy who works for them and have him ask them if they were interested. If anyone could use it, it was Chester. He was all over the place and jumping off of speakers lol.

I got chills just reading this....Id love to take my 13yr old son to see them!!

 

[MidwestBeast]

I got chills just reading this....Id love to take my 13yr old son to see them!!

Not sure where you live, but I was really impressed with the venue. It's an outdoor setup, but the stage and then all the seats are covered by a ceiling. From the stage, it V's out and then after the seats, you've got a general admission lawn that wraps around the back edge. They had a huge screen up behind the stage and we were close enough to see everyone in detail, but LP had a lot of cool graphics and stuff built into a lot of the songs on top of just showing video of them, too.

I haven't been to many rock/alternative concerts, but I have been to enough shows in general to know when someone puts on a good set and LP was amazing. It was a great blend of the old stuff and some of the newer stuff. I think they played 3 or 4 songs off of Living Things, but it was great.

They only have a couple songs that swear, so that's a plus, too (I'm not big on swearing, and then plus if you were taking a kid, that's great). The worst in that regard is probably when they do When They Come for Me.

It's crazy to see all the different types of people that they draw in. I'm kind of awkward at concerts, anyway, because I don't get drunk and/or dance like crazy, but I tend to just kind of rock a little bit and then sing some of the songs, but not all of them. I just love the music and then the feel of the show. But there were the obvious people you'd expect, a lot of younger people, which was cool (Hybrid Theory probably came out when a lot of them were like 3 lol). There was a guy and his wife a few rows in front of us and he was rocking khaki shorts, a tucked in polo and a comb-over (kind of looked like Coach K lol), and then there was a bigger, older guy who had white hair and a beard who had a slew of young women around him that he was dancing with. It's just cool to see how diverse their fans are.

 

[murk01]

It's been a slow progresion for me with my grip strength. I used to strap up for everything as well but now I only do for the last heavy DL set. I just feel a better mind/muscle connection when I am gripping the heck out of the bar.

Yeh. Then u hands kina cramp in a grip position and it takes a sec to losen them up

 

[MidwestBeast]

Just got home from the gym. The forearm pump is ridiculous.


Delts/Traps HVT


Solo Reverse Cable Flys 40x25 / 40x25 / 40x25 / 40x25
DB Side Lateral Raises: 50's x 25 / 50's x 25 / 50's x 25 / 50's x 25
Overhead DB Press: 40's x 25 / 40's x 25 / 40's x 20+5 / 40's x 20+5

Solo Cable Ring Side Shrugs: 190x25 / 190x50 / 190x50 / 190x50 / 190x50
DB Shrugs: 100's x 25 / 100's x 25 / 100's x 25 / 100's x 25



The trap work really got the forearms popping. I bumped up the side shrugs to doing 50 reps and that was nuts. Made a lot of increases from my last HVT delts/traps day and didn't downslide on anything.

 

[TheGilmore]

I take my straps with me when I go grocery shopping

Nothing wrong with using straps lol

Pfft, straps. I take Hemavol when I go grocery shopping. Dem veins as I walk home with my stuff....

 

[MidwestBeast]

One thing I wanted to mention before I forget - it's not a big deal, but it is something I've noticed. I mix my Compete in a half-gallon jug of water and you can see it clump a bit as it hits the water and then sinks to the bottom and if you don't keep shaking it without letting it set for 2 minutes or so, it'll stick to the bottom. I always shake up my intras, but it's a bit annoying having to keep grabbing it and shaking it more to ensure that it doesn't clump up and stick to the bottom. I generally have to do this over the course of about 15 minutes or so (so I have to mix it earlier than I normally do before the gym, or I have to pick it up out of the passenger seat and shake it while I'm driving to the gym lol).

 

[criticalbench]

Ever thought about a few weeks "high reps" for back so wont need straps for a little while?

Yea right, I look fly as hell in my straps.. i wear em for chest day to

 

[AZMIDLYF]

Yea right, I look fly as hell in my straps.. i wear em for chest day to

I wear mine on the treadmill...

 

[mnowak1228]

One thing I wanted to mention before I forget - it's not a big deal, but it is something I've noticed. I mix my Compete in a half-gallon jug of water and you can see it clump a bit as it hits the water and then sinks to the bottom and if you don't keep shaking it without letting it set for 2 minutes or so, it'll stick to the bottom. I always shake up my intras, but it's a bit annoying having to keep grabbing it and shaking it more to ensure that it doesn't clump up and stick to the bottom. I generally have to do this over the course of about 15 minutes or so (so I have to mix it earlier than I normally do before the gym, or I have to pick it up out of the passenger seat and shake it while I'm driving to the gym lol).

Ive had this also, but only if Im not using my blender bottle. Just squeeze the blender ball into the half gallon jug!! Lmao

 

[baldwanus]

Ive had this also, but only if Im not using my blender bottle. Just squeeze the blender ball into the half gallon jug!! Lmao

i was gonna say the same thing.......with my blender bottle, no real issues, but when i put compete in a gallon jug for my softball games i deff notice a little more "settling" at the bottom

 

[murk01]

i was gonna say the same thing.......with my blender bottle, no real issues, but when i put compete in a gallon jug for my softball games i deff notice a little more "settling" at the bottom

I give it a quick shake before every sip. It really isn't a bother.

 

[MidwestBeast]

I give it a quick shake before every sip. It really isn't a bother.

The only bad thing is if I put the scoops in, shake it up, set it down and say I go upstairs to change for the gym or have to do something before I leave, it'll be stuck to the bottom by the time I come back. It doesn't matter how much you shake at that point, it's not moving (and I'm not really keen on trying to take the lid off and shove a knife or something down in there to get it loose lol).

Like I said, it's a very minor issue, but I wanted to mention it because I didn't know if in the future there was an ingredient that could be added at a low enough cost to justify it and possibly help in the dissolving/not clumping/settling.

 

[PuZo]

i was gonna say the same thing.......with my blender bottle, no real issues, but when i put compete in a gallon jug for my softball games i deff notice a little more "settling" at the bottom

Would the temperature of the water affect the settling?

 

[allnatural923]

Yea right, I look fly as hell in my straps.. i wear em for chest day to

I wear mine on the treadmill...

I wear them while driving....top that

One thing I wanted to mention before I forget - it's not a big deal, but it is something I've noticed. I mix my Compete in a half-gallon jug of water and you can see it clump a bit as it hits the water and then sinks to the bottom and if you don't keep shaking it without letting it set for 2 minutes or so, it'll stick to the bottom. I always shake up my intras, but it's a bit annoying having to keep grabbing it and shaking it more to ensure that it doesn't clump up and stick to the bottom. I generally have to do this over the course of about 15 minutes or so (so I have to mix it earlier than I normally do before the gym, or I have to pick it up out of the passenger seat and shake it while I'm driving to the gym lol).

I use a standard shaker and never really had a settling issue, although it seems like a few people have had this problem. Not quite sure what it could be :/

Usually I'll add 2 scoops to a full shaker of water, shake it up for a minute or so right away, set it in the fridge, shake it when i leave for the gym, and it's usually all good.

 

[MidwestBeast]

Just wanted to give a heads up that I've been dealing with some stomach stuff, this past week, so I haven't been into the gym since my last update. As long as everything cooperates, I'll be heading in for a chest session, this afternoon.

 

[criticalbench]

Just wanted to give a heads up that I've been dealing with some stomach stuff, this past week, so I haven't been into the gym since my last update. As long as everything cooperates, I'll be heading in for a chest session, this afternoon.

Stomach bug? Is it coming up, or flowing down you need to be a little more descriptive bro!

Mike

 

[MidwestBeast]

Stomach bug? Is it coming up, or flowing down you need to be a little more descriptive bro!

Mike

Actually, I just had some really bad knotting/cramping in my lower stomach (right at my waistline). I used to have that issue a lot when I was younger and it seems to have popped back up for a while. It's just hit and miss, but I can't seem to pinpoint any direct/specific cause.

 

[MidwestBeast]

All right, so the other day I hit my HVT Chest session:



Bench Press: 160x25 (x4)
Incline Bench Press: 140x25 / 140x20+5 / 140x23+2 / 140x17+8
Cable Fly Machine Decline Bench Press: 110x25 / 110x18+7 / 95x25 / 80x25
Cable Fly (pushing forward): 95x25 (x4)


Pre-workout: 2 scoops Hemavol, 200mg caffeine, 2g ALCAR, 1g Tyrosine, 1g Choline Citrate, 1 serving (new) Xtend
Intra-workout: 2 scoops Compete


Not great numbers, but made increases from my last HVT session on all but decline, so that's good. The bench numbers look very weak for my size, but it's a combination of getting that perfect form and banging out 100 reps, total, as well as my hip imbalance/left delt that seems to be rolled and can't create a stable base for any of my pressing movements (whether it's bench, incline, or even overhead).

 

[MidwestBeast]

Today has been a very gloomy day and one that I would love to just spend in bed or in my recliner (where I currently am lol) watching movies/TV shows all day long. However, I did manage to hit church this morning, which was very necessary, as I've traveled the past 2 weekends and missed 2 weeks in a row. Church is a big part of my life and Sunday is my favorite day (for that reason as well as watching football all day long during those months, haha). It just gets me motivated and puts me into as good of a mood as I'm ever in (combine that with the gym and it's even better -- combine it on a day when I get to do church, gym AND football and you won't see me in a happier mood lol).

Anyway, I got out for church, came home and ate, and then about an hour later fashioned my pre-workout choice for the day. With the rain, I wanted something special:

2 scoops Hemavol + 2 scoops OG Pink Lemonade Focus-XT (and a serving of RecoverPro just before leaving/about 5 minutes after the pre)

The 2 scoops of FXT provided me 400mg of caffeine and all the other things I normally take in bulk pre-workout, anyway. It was a pleasant taste combination. The lemon flavor was a bit more overpowering than I'd prefer, but it was a solid mix and provided an excellent workout.


HVT Back:


Solo Ring Lat Pulldowns (cable fly machine): 125x25 / 170x25 / 185x25 / 200x25 / 215x25 / 215x25 / 200x25 / 185x25 / 185x25 / 185x25
Solo Ring Lat Pull-ins (cable fly machine): 155x25 / 170x25 / 185x25 / 200x25
Solo Ring Seated Rows: 140x25 (x8)
Swiss Ball Crunches: 8x15 (supersetted in between seated row sets)


Added 2 extra sets to my normal 8 for the solo lat pulldowns, added 15 lbs to each of my lat pull-in sets, and added 10lbs to all 8 of my solo seated row sets. Whether I do ab work is just hit and miss, but I wanted something to do with my time between sets for the rows, so this was a good addition.

 

[MidwestBeast]

Had a very solid Max-OT arm session, yesterday:


Pre-workout: 2 scoops FXT + 2 scoops Hemavol

Intra-workout: 2 scoops Compete



*Tricep bar cable pushdowns (close grip): 160x6/160x6/160x6
Low incline skull-crushers: 160x6/160x5/160x6
Overhead solo DB tricep extension: 55x6/55x6/55x6

Olympic bar curls: 150x6/150x6/150x6
Nautilus hammer curl stack: 155x8/170x8/185x8
DB hammer curls: 100'sx8/100'sx8



I usually lead off with biceps, but decided to lead with triceps. Oddly enough, that didn't gain me much in the way of strength, so apparently my bi workouts never tire out the triceps or effect them (if they do, it's negligible). I made some slight increases to each tri set and then the surprise to me was that I made increases on my first 2 bicep workouts, too.

DOMS are absolutely miserable, right now.

 

[Loudy Rowdy]

How do you do your skull crushers? do you actually have someone to hand you the weights? Its usually a bitch to do when working solo

 

[MidwestBeast]

How do you do your skull crushers? do you actually have someone to hand you the weights? Its usually a bitch to do when working solo

I just grab the EZ bar at the shoulder-width grips and basically do a clean, then sit/lie down on the bench, press it up and then shift my hands inward to the closer grips. If I ever work with a spotter, I'll note it. I just don't count on anyone else and very rarely do I feel like I really need it. Would it benefit me on that lift, for example? Most likely. But unless I feel in danger, I just do it on my own (e.g. if I'm going for a PR on bench or something like that, I'll ask someone). Generally, people spotting can screw up a lift more than help it (in my experience).

 

[rochabp]

Oh so you think its cool not to invite me to your log huh?

 

[MidwestBeast]

Oh so you think its cool not to invite me to your log huh?

lol

I don't invite anyone. Seriously, you'll never see me posting log links in any other threads (aside from the original promo thread to show them I started it lol).

Sounds like someone is feeling left out...*hug* :kiss:

 

[PuZo]

Oh so you think its cool not to invite me to your log huh?

I wasn't invited. It's always cool to just show up

 

[MidwestBeast]

I wasn't invited. It's always cool to just show up

The door is always open... :naughty:

 

[rochabp]

lol

I don't invite anyone. Seriously, you'll never see me posting log links in any other threads (aside from the original promo thread to show them I started it lol).

Sounds like someone is feeling left out...*hug* :kiss:

lol im in this like an asian vagina

 

[allnatural923]

Had a very solid Max-OT arm session, yesterday:


Pre-workout: 2 scoops FXT + 2 scoops Hemavol

Intra-workout: 2 scoops Compete



*Tricep bar cable pushdowns (close grip): 160x6/160x6/160x6
Low incline skull-crushers: 160x6/160x5/160x6
Overhead solo DB tricep extension: 55x6/55x6/55x6

Olympic bar curls: 150x6/150x6/150x6
Nautilus hammer curl stack: 155x8/170x8/185x8
DB hammer curls: 100'sx8/100'sx8



I usually lead off with biceps, but decided to lead with triceps. Oddly enough, that didn't gain me much in the way of strength, so apparently my bi workouts never tire out the triceps or effect them (if they do, it's negligible). I made some slight increases to each tri set and then the surprise to me was that I made increases on my first 2 bicep workouts, too.

DOMS are absolutely miserable, right now.

Damn, 100's on hammer curls, nice bro. And solid work on all of the tricep movements too

 

[AZMIDLYF]

Well earned "Beast" title! Lol

 

[MidwestBeast]

Thanks, guys.

Hit a max-OT leg session, yesterday and was pretty pleased aside from not hitting squats (some guy was doing light front squats and I know who he is and he's the type of guy who is on a station for a long time). I didn't want to wait around to start, so I just did leg press. It wasn't until I was about half-way through that I remembered we now have a hack squat station, so then i was mad at myself I didn't do that instead lol. We just got it a few months ago and I've been at this gym for 3 years, so it just slipped my mind.

I'll update the numbers later on here.

I'm on the fence of whether I'm going to hit a max-OT delts/traps session tonight or push it til tomorrow. Might end up pushing it so the gf and I can hang out longer, this evening. Plus, that would give the DOMS in my arms (still there lol) another day to recover and also put me having Sunday off, which would mean not having to wake up for early service at church and just sleeping in, hitting the late service and coming straight home to watch football ALL. DAY. LONG. lol. I feel like that description makes it sound like my mind is already made up, but we'll see.

 

[AZMIDLYF]

Hah, I would say the writing's on the wall...Lol

 

[MidwestBeast]

Hah, I would say the writing's on the wall...Lol

Yep.

lol

I'd just liked that plan way too much and really want to push delts hard. So it's an off day and delts/traps will be smashed, tomorrow.

 

[Loudy Rowdy]

Damn, 100's on hammer curls, nice bro.

^^^^this!!! beats my 45-55lb #IMustBeDoingItWrong

keep up the good work Beast!!!