One can never get too much MOTIVATION!

1ifeblood

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I joined AM over a year and a half ago and have jumped in on occasion to find some tidbits of information when I’ve needed it. I never really got too involved in any conversations or followed any logs…until recently. I have to say I’m really impressed with this community. You guys motivate and inspire as well as teach what you know. I’m usually not one to post or really get involved because honestly, I never felt I had much to offer to a community like this. But after seeing the kind of motivation you guys provide, I thought…I need me some of that!
I’ve been involved with lifting weights since high school (20 years ago!). My dad held the Midwest regional championship title in powerlifting for 3 years (1970s) so I’ve been raised with a strong background in weight lifting. (Yes, my dad juiced but as he says, so did everybody! lol) Even though I’ve always had an interest in lifting I’ve never really been dedicated…I mean REALLY dedicated. The kind you need to see real results. I’ve attempted it in the past on different occasions but I never really had the cashflow one needs to effectively get dedicated, plus when you can’t even pay your bills it’s hard to tap into an Alpha mindset. But as of 3 years ago I’ve been remarried to a young, SEXY wife, have a new job and make plenty of money…I can say my mind has definitely gone ALPHA! Now I’m ready to do what I need to in order to LOOK it!
Anyway, I’ve been lifting pretty consistently for the past 2 years using fairly basic w/o plans (my dad had me on a powerlifting routine for about 6 months). My plan is to just start logging what I’ve been doing in the gym…what supplements I take, what my diet consists of, observations I’ve made…and ultimately see what kind of feedback I get from the true Alphas!
 

kisaj

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Hey man, that's awesome. With your mind set, there is no doubt you'll be able to accomplish what you are after. But, in reality it was probably always there, but for some reason you got in your head that you need money to be dedicated.

I too started lifting right before my 18th birthday almost 21 years ago (yikes!). My dedication to the gym and nutrition was gained from my old man as well. Straight from Hungary, his old school, hard ass attitude comes from the life he lived (Special Forces, mob muscle, hardcore lifter). You could say that I never really had a chance. I've never done a steroid and my dad would have kicked my ass if he ever found out about it- it was simply eat (lots of meat and potatoes), sleep, and work hard. That, and I had to learn how to fight and defend myself.

I think everyone here is on for a reason and that is to look and be the best we can, albeit for different reasons. Myself, I have always been competitive and wanted to be the strongest, sharpest, and most ready person in everything. My background is likely pretty different than most anyone on here growing up skating professionally, raced DH mtn bikes, semi-pro snowboarding, and now for the last 5-6 years just entering any fitness/endurance type competition I can find time for. Not the typical body building type mind set most around here have, but one of the strongest 5-6 guys in the gym regardless.

Plus, how the hell else am I going to keep up with my two little girls that are full of energy and a wife that never stops?
 
1ifeblood

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Lol...thanks for the reply! Just chuckled because I have 4 kids, 3 girls and a boy...and another on the way! So I definitely know what you mean by keeping up with your kids. Man, if I had that much energy I'd be able to take over the world, ha!

I may have used lack of money as an excuse to not get dedicated...really though, I just wasn't happy with my life period.

After I get out of my meeting this morning, I'm going to post up what I've been doing for the last 6 weeks and what my diet looks like.
 
1ifeblood

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Okay so my routine is like this:

4:30am Drink ON Whey Protein w/ milk + Banana + Animal Stack + Animal Rage
5:30 Musclepharm Creatine 5mg + Xtend + C4 Extreme (2 scoops)
6:00 Workout
7:00 Post-w/o supp (Torrent, Dark Matter) or ON Whey Protein w/ skim choc milk
8:00am - 9:00pm Meals x 5
10:00pm ON Casein Protein w/ 2% milk or 2 srvs Cottage Cheese

Monday (Legs) - Squats, Leg Curls, Standing Calves
Tuesday (off) - I'm off of work this day but sometimes will do light cardio
Wednesday (Chest) - DB Incline Flyes, HS Incline Press, Cable X-overs
Thursday (Back) - Deads, HS Iso-rows, Rev Pulldowns
Friday (Shoulders) - Front DB raise, Lat DB Raise, Inc Rev DB flyes
Saturday (Arms / Abs) - Machine Curls, Machine Extensions, Dec Crunch

5'11, 183lbs, bf/calipers 14%

My diet consists of 2500 calories a day but I probably take in more because I find myself eating more than what I have set up. And since my BMR is between 2200-2400 depending on what method is used...I figure as long as I'm getting at least the 2500+ I should be gaining fairly lean. Which I have been for the last 6 weeks so I'm happy. I've gained 8lbs since September after having cut for my wedding/honeymoon and bf has increased 2%...which I'm fine with. Macros are 238g Protein, 278g Carbs, 50g Fat (about a 3rd of each kind: sat, poly, mono).

Today was supposed to be leg day but I had a hard time falling asleep last night. I usually don't have that problem but for some reason I was feeling very anxious. Stayed up until 1:00am so obviously wasn't going to try and get up in the morning to workout. Which, btw, I workout in the mornings because I work 8am-8pm most nights which usually ends up being later than 8, so I'm pretty much ready to just get home to my family at this point. Working out in the morning insures that I have time set aside to do it without interfering with family/relaxation time. So I'll be doing my leg workout tomorrow morning which is usually my day off anyway.

 

kisaj

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What is your goal? I'm betting you would see great results with less accessory and isolation work with a concentration on big compound lifts. Not saying that what you are doing isn't working for you, but seems like a lot of extra time spent on "little" lifts.
 
1ifeblood

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Like doing a flat bench instead of incline? Or Shoulder press instead of front delt raises?

Oh, and currently my goal is to gain lean mass. I would like to gain another 5-10 lbs of muscle by March then cut to summer
 

kisaj

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No, just seeing the leg curls, flys, cable x, raises, arm curls, etc.. I won't get into the debate on how effective these are, but they won't help you add serious mass- which 10lbs of muscle in 3 months is.

When I want to add mass, I stick with nothing but big compound movements and then break that into a high rep/set med weight day and a low rep/med set and high weight day. I happen to be on a mass adding phase right now after running a lot of HIIT this summer. I do it every fall and winter for 4-5 months and pack on 8-10 lbs to get ready for the spring. I usually come out of winter around 215.

Deads (regular and sumo), squats, bulgarian squats, SL (or romanian) deads, rows, flat bench, presses, cleans, weighted pullups/dips etc...
 

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That's awesome that you guys are same age as me and have little girls too! Mine is 11 and I too have been lifting since I was 17 now I'm 38. I have been on trt for about 5 months now and I was wondering if I decide I wanna have a baby later am I gonna be sterile if I come off of the trt?
 

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Another question kisaj, for guys our age is it still safe to do dead lifts stiff legged deals? I feel lots of pain for days after I dead so I was thinking of cutting then out.
 

kisaj

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Sure they are safe, but if you don't feel comfortable with them, try Romanian instead. SL will work the hams more, but if you can't keep proper form (some guys I know can't get full ROM without putting a lot of curve in their back), then you could hurt yourself. I squat twice a week and on the heavy day, I do Romanian and on the high rep day, I do SL because I don't like to go real heavy- just get a nice stretch on my hams.
 
1ifeblood

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Good Advice Kisaj, I know 10lbs of muscle in 3 months would be some major growth which is why I'm really looking for 5+...So you're saying that on legs day I should just do Squats and SLDLs? Whereas now I'm doing 3 sets of each exercise around 12-15 reps I should focus on those two exercises twice a week...one day being light weight and the next going heavy? How is your week set up?
 
toddgranit

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In for this!
Best of luck, and welcome to the boards.
Peace
 

kisaj

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Good Advice Kisaj, I know 10lbs of muscle in 3 months would be some major growth which is why I'm really looking for 5+...So you're saying that on legs day I should just do Squats and SLDLs? Whereas now I'm doing 3 sets of each exercise around 12-15 reps I should focus on those two exercises twice a week...one day being light weight and the next going heavy? How is your week set up?
Do what works for you, please don't take this as me telling you that it is wrong. I just want to offer my opinion. This is my current:

Day 1-
Squats 1 x 12 @135
1 x 10 @ 225
1 x 6 @ 275
1 x 6 @ 325
1 x 4 @ 375
1 x 10 @ 225

Romanian DL 1 x 15 @ 135
1 x 10 @ 185
1 x 6 @ 225
1 x 4 @ 275
1 x 6 @ 225
1 x 10 @ 135

Calves (Standing) - I'll do the whole stack for 5 X 20
Calves (Seated) 3-4 plates for 5 x 12

Day 2 of legs (usually 4 days after)

Squats 1 x 15 @ 135
5 x 10 @ 225

SL Deads 1 x 15 @ 135
5 x 10 @ 185

Then I will incorporate HIIT that day which usually includes sprints with sand bags, tire flips, and hill sprints.

That is the leg day routine I have been on for a few months now. On a 3rd day, I will have a pull day with rows and deads (alternating sumo and regular each week), and a 4th day, I will have a push day. All 4 days in the gym, I end the workouts with weighted pullups and dips. On my other 3 days, I am doing something out of the gym like running, biking, etc.. All are full ROM, ATG squats, and very careful with form.
 
1ifeblood

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Thanks todd...glad to be here!

Kisaj- That's a strong workout, bud! I don't know if my cns could handle squats and deads on the same day...twice a week. I have a feeling your body is a bit more advanced than mine (i say "a bit" sarcastically lol).

Currently I'm just trying to increase the weight on my exercises every workout. I started at 11-15 reps for 3 sets and over the course of 4 weeks am hitting a weight at 11-13 reps. Once I get to a weight that I'm only doing 6-10 reps I'll add another set. And again at 2-5 reps. I don't add another set though until I can't get even 1 set in that rep range. I haven't completed a full cycle of this yet but am very happy with the results so far. Mostly with the feeling of my joints and tendons which I accredit to starting with light weight for high reps.

Unfortunately my schedule this week is all jacked up because my boss is on vacation and we normally run 3 guys in my dept and now only have 2, so I'm working longer hours and needing sleep. But everything will be back to normal on monday so I'll be able to hit the gym once more...i hate missing workouts but the added sleep has been nice lol!
 
1ifeblood

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Leg workout complete...well, sort of.

Squats 185x12, 185x10
Leg curls 75x15x3
Standing calves 120x20

My legs were extremely shaky during the squats. My last w/o I did the same weight for 12 reps on my last 2 sets after doing 175x15. And this time even though I felt strong moving the weight, my legs were just shaking almost out of control. Not only that but I got very light headed by rep 10. So I skipped my last set of squats. Leg curls were good, always get a good pump in my hams. By the time I hit calves I was completely depleted. Does missing a week really throw you off your game that much??

The only thing I did differently that I can note is that I usually have a banana for carbs when I take my protein shake at 430 but we were out so I didn't. Really wasn't thinking it would make that much of a difference, but maybe.

Any thoughts?
 

kisaj

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No, a week off doesn't do that, it was likely due to something else. Low blood sugar, not breathing right...

It really would be good for you to at least add some warmup sets in if you are doing so few sets as is. Start with the bar and get good and low, then add some 25s and do the same and then start into your routine. You want to get the blood circulating and into the legs and then start throwing your weight on. You'll find that you'll be able to start adding more weight too.

Also, please keep my suggestion of some dead work for your hams and glutes. Leg curls are crap by themselves and don't work everything. They are fine as a warm up or if you are isolating, but as an overall ham exercise, they come up short.
 
1ifeblood

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As always, thanks for the advice Ki. I definitely warmup before doing a major compound exercise. First I'll squat all the way to the floor about 10 times, then use the bar, then 135 before I get to my working sets.

I do deadlifts on back day. After I finish a cycle of my current routine I'm going to start implementing SLDLs on leg day.

As far as the light headedness and fatigue goes, I don't know. I've never had issues with blood pressure. Actually it's always been really good. I'll just have to see if it persists. Do you think it could have something to do with the supps I'm taking?

Legs are definitely sore today. Thankful that it's my day off so I don't have to do anything lol.
 
1ifeblood

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Chest day today...felt WAY better than monday! Good energy and focus...and today I had a banana before my w/o so I'll attribute it to that lol.

Incline DB fly: 35x15, x12, x12
HS inc press: 140x6, 130x6, 120x9
Cable x-over: 65x17, x15, x17 (broke form for total failure)
 
Blergs

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GREAT STUFF MAN! Glad things are going well for you!
Keep up the good work!

I also love how motivation some members here are, love this community myself!

KEEP ON LIFTING! :-D
 
1ifeblood

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Thanks for the post Blergs! I've definitely received some good advice from Ki that I plan to implement into my routine. I'm always open for suggestions/criticism and I know I'm far from being an expert at this stuff so any knowledge or experience that can be passed along is greatly appreciated!
 

kisaj

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Kisaj- That's a strong workout, bud! I don't know if my cns could handle squats and deads on the same day...twice a week. I have a feeling your body is a bit more advanced than mine (i say "a bit" sarcastically lol).
Let me give you a secret- L-citrulline. But, shhhh, don't tell anyone else about it.
 
1ifeblood

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Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving...I ended up slacking off for the rest of the week due to an over abundance of food, drink, late nights, and festivities. But I hit legs this morning and DAMN did I feel good! No shakiness our light-headedness. Felt focused on every rep and dug deep to get them.

Squats: 185x12x3
Leg curls: 80x15x3
Calf raises: 240x15, x10, 120x15

I actually felt like I could throw up after my workout. I never feel that way but my intensity was way up and I could tell I was really pushing myself. Looking forward to the rest of my workouts this week!
 
1ifeblood

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Let me give you a secret- L-citrulline. But, shhhh, don't tell anyone else about it.
do you take that by itself or part of a supplement?
 
thyrod

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In on this! Relatively same stats just a little bit extra weight and bf. (185)14.9-15.2)
 

kisaj

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do you take that by itself or part of a supplement?
By itself. I was a huge Hemavol lover and decided to experiment with the ingredients on their own to see what I was getting the most out of- because I was going through tubs way too fast and it was getting expensive. In the end, it was either the agmatine or citrulline. The agmatine gave a good veiny look, but didn't help with endurance and power, plus there are little in studies to back it up in this manner. Citrulline on the other hand has a lot of studies showing how effective is and it is what I found increased power output and endurance by maybe up to 30-40%.

For my own experiment, I did the Tough Mudder twice in the same weekend. The first time without and the second with. I should have been drained by all rights on the second day and I actually topped my finishing time by 24 minutes. Also, added it in before a century ride that I do every year. Demolished my previous times and actually ran a 5k the next morning with no soreness. I realize this is all open to many variables, but with the weight and power I've added in the gym since taking this, I am a solid believer.

The best part is that there is no loading phase.
 
1ifeblood

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In on this! Relatively same stats just a little bit extra weight and bf. (185)14.9-15.2)
Glad to have you on board, bud!

By itself. I was a huge Hemavol lover and decided to experiment with the ingredients on their own to see what I was getting the most out of- because I was going through tubs way too fast and it was getting expensive. In the end, it was either the agmatine or citrulline. The agmatine gave a good veiny look, but didn't help with endurance and power, plus there are little in studies to back it up in this manner. Citrulline on the other hand has a lot of studies showing how effective is and it is what I found increased power output and endurance by maybe up to 30-40%.

For my own experiment, I did the Tough Mudder twice in the same weekend. The first time without and the second with. I should have been drained by all rights on the second day and I actually topped my finishing time by 24 minutes. Also, added it in before a century ride that I do every year. Demolished my previous times and actually ran a 5k the next morning with no soreness. I realize this is all open to many variables, but with the weight and power I've added in the gym since taking this, I am a solid believer.

The best part is that there is no loading phase.
I've been reading up on it...looks like it's synergistic with arginine. My question is...I have Arginine AKG in the Extreme C4 and Citrulline malate in the Animal Rage. I'll do my own research on the differences but maybe you can give me a short answer as to what's different about these ingredients...if any.
 

kisaj

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Arginine has long been proven as ineffective when taken as a supplement because of how it broke down in the Urea cycle. Citrulline actually converts into Arginine in the body and is much more effective than just taking Arginine. Arginine is cheap and there is still an old school mentality that it actually works, so it is still used.

There are a lot of scientific papers on how this process works and why Citrulline is superior in so many ways. I could research them, but a quick Google study will link to a ton of them.
 
1ifeblood

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Sitting here waiting for my pwo supps to kick in before I hit the gym...wishing I had got more sleep but that's hard to do when I don't get home until 9 pm. Didn't wind down until 1030, probably fell asleep around 11 and had to get up at 430. Today is back day so I'm hoping I can muster the energy and focus I need to make it a good w/o. Yesterday's chest workout felt great! I had the intensity and drive that I felt on monday. Almost a mental attunement of my muscles allowing me to will the last few reps out even when it feels my muscles want to stop. It's a great feeling!

Incline DB Flyes: 40x15, x12, x10
HS Inc Press: 125x9, x9, x7, x6 (Since I'm working within the 6-10 rep range now I threw in another set)
Cable x-over: 70x13, x12, x12 (dropped it to 30 and did a full burn out)

I can feel my body wanting to go heavier and it's getting hard to not just throw a bunch of weight on lol. But I'm going to continue to keep the progression going until I get there. Here's a question...is there anything that I can take before going to bed that will make 5 hours of sleep as efficient as 8? lol...something I'll have to research.
 

kisaj

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I like macuna pruriens (L-dopa) and I found that taking rhodiola rosea in the day made my sleep much better. I don't think I've slept over 5-6 hours in 15 years, so I need to make the best of it.

On nights when my mind is racing, valerian helps me out.
 
1ifeblood

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I like macuna pruriens (L-dopa) and I found that taking rhodiola rosea in the day made my sleep much better. I don't think I've slept over 5-6 hours in 15 years, so I need to make the best of it.

On nights when my mind is racing, valerian helps me out.
Good stuff! I'll check it out!
 
1ifeblood

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Finally have a moment to post my workout today...first off I'll say that by the time I got to the gym I was just going through the motions. Did a few warm up sets on deads then did my first working set and it just felt so freaking light! So I just kept adding weight lol...every exercise was like that. Total focus and muscle/mind connection. I never broke form and was squeezed every rep!

Deads: 265x15, 275x12 (could have done more but my grip gave out), 280x13 (with straps)
HS Iso-row: 140x15, 150x15, 160x12 (this surprised me the most because usually I'm so spent after the deads that I can barely hold on, but that wasn't the case this time...felt very strong doing these, and LOVED it!)
Pulldown: 110x15, x13, x10 (I upped the weight to 240, grabbed hold of the bar and did 5 reverse shrugs then dropped it to 120 to do more but my grip was done...I couldn't hold on any more)

What seemed like a morning that would bring about yet another mediocre workout, it fell right in line with the rest of the week and resulted in an all around great experience! Tomorrow is shoulders...I think I'll incorporate shoulder presses so I can put some heavier weight on my delts.

Also, I bought some citrulline and EFAs...always knew I needed to supp omegas but just never did. What is a good dose to start at with the citrulline? From what I've read 6g/day has shown good results so I was thinking 2g 3/day. Does it matter if it's empty stomach or with meals?
 

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Good stuff man, I bet you could have some 325-350 deads in the low rep range based on those numbers.

I have read the same about 6g, but I take 4 with some orange juice about 45 min before anything active and it's perfect.
 
1ifeblood

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Shoulders felt good today. I just wish I could get a skin splitting pump in my shoulders like I get in my chest and arms. It's not for lack of working my shoulders either.

DB OH press: 40x15, 45x10, x9
DB BO rev delt fly: 15x15x3
DB front raise: 20x16, 25x15, x15
DB lat raise: 15x16, x12, x8

My shoulders were SHOT by the end of the workout. It felt good I just didn't feel as pumped as I thought I should after hitting them that hard.
 
1ifeblood

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Chest workout:

DB inc fly - 45x12, x12, x10
HS inc press - 130x12, x6, x7 (not sure where that last rep came from on my last set. I pushed thinking I wouldn't complete it because that's what I did on set 2 but I just kept pushing and the weights kept moving lol...didn't break form either)
Cable x-over - 75x12, x10, x10 (forced to failure)

Before I left I felt all sorts of energy so I laid on the flat bench and started repping the bar as fast as I could until my chest was so blown up it felt like it would burst!

It's 11:30am now and I feel like I've taken caffeine for the first time...except that I'm always consuming caffeine! Energy is through the roof...hands are shaking and I get tongue tied when I talk, like my brain has moved past the thought I was trying to express before my mouth was done expressing it lol. I'm assuming that it has something to so with Musclepharm Recon which I started taking today...i also supplemented 3k mg of citrulline pre-wo on top of what I get from animal rage and xtend (total of 5k).
 
1ifeblood

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Back day today...good news is I broke new barriers:

Deads 295x10x3

Bad news is that I had nothing left afterwards. I'm wondering if I'd benefit more from alternating a light weight/high rep week with a heavy weight/low rep/more sets week. It just seems like that's what my body wants to do. The heavy week I would just workout m/w/f and do 5x5s, Squats/Bench/Deads...the following week I'd basically do what my current workout is. Any thoughts?
 
1ifeblood

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I think you know my thoughts on that topic.
I do...thought it might be a move in the right direction, dedicating every other week to just heavy compound movements. The thing that scares me though is that I don't have a partner so going heavy could be dangerous. Especially on the bench press
 

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No need to go to failure, or even 2 rep max. You can stay heavy and stay in the 3-4 range while still maintaining benefits. Don't be thinking about hitting the machines to make up for this either!
 
1ifeblood

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No...I'm going free weights all the way. Squats, Deads, Bench...I'll start hitting it monday.
 
1ifeblood

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Been sleeping pretty good lately...straight through the night but I have to say I really didn't want to get up this morning. Nothing a dose of C4 can't remedy though. Got to the gym and blasted my shoulders:

DB OH Press - 45x12, x12, x10
Rev Fly Machine - 40x15, 45x15, 60x15 (once I was able to focus in on the rear delts, this gave me an awesome pump!)
Front raise - 25x15, x15, x10
Sat on the lat raise machine and burned them out for 20+ reps.

My workouts felt good this week but I'm DEFINITELY ready to start going heavy...i can just feel it! Question: I take ON whey protein 1.5 hours before I workout and recon immediately after...would I still benefit from drinking BCAAs intra w/o?
 
1ifeblood

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Heavy leg day...

Squats: [warmup barx10, 135x10, 185x7] 205x6, 215x6, 225x5, 225x5
Leg extensions: 100x16

Was a bit shakey on the last set of squats. Probably just not use to going heavier. Next time I'm going to try to throw another working set in. When I get to the point that I feel more stable I want to throw a heavier set of 3 reps in.
 
1ifeblood

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Hit my chest heavy today:

DB bench press: [warmup 30x10, 45x8] 60x6, 70x6, 80x2, 75x4, 70x4
Incline DB fly: 30x16 (failure)

Wow, my chest was burning after I was done! It felt great to move some heavy weight! Oh and my legs are SHOT from wednesday. Pretty excited to start moving some numbers!
 
1ifeblood

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Not really...today there was a guy on the bench the whole time I was there. I do like DBs though for a few reasons...mainly because I can drop the weights if I decide to try for that last rep and fail, also because I like that each side is working independently of the other so I get a better gauge if I'm lagging on one side.
 

kisaj

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I ask because I know that you are trying to add mass and DB is great for unilateral strength, but BB is considered a primary lift and will allow you to lift heavier and to support mass building. DB is great, but you may want to try and incorporate BB with it. I think you'll be surprised how weak your BB lifts are because you don't do them and that is neglecting a big lift for strength and mass.

Just my opinion, but for your goals in order of importance, it goes:

BB and DB
BB
DB

Another option would be sets of flat bench and then incline DB.
 
1ifeblood

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Absolutely! My intention was to do BB flat bench on heavy day because I know you can move heavier weight. I am still worried about doing it without a spotter though. Because if I feel like I can get another rep I'm gonna try for it, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm gonna get it lol. So in that respect, if I'm gonna have to cut myself short using a BB for safety purposes, but can allow myself to push...er...myself when using DBs, would I not benefit more from using the DBs? Maybe I'm over thinking it.
 

kisaj

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No, you aren't going to benefit more by doing them alone. You may be over thinking it because you don't (and shouldn't) need to push yourself to failure to get great gains from benching. A few ways to do this if you are having trouble getting out of your head would be:

Pyramid training- warm up
1 x 12
1 x 10
1 x 8
1 x 5
I am not a huge fan of traditional pyramid training because you tend to spend a lot of energy getting to the heavy weights.

Reverse pyramid. Warm up 2 sets and then figure out what 75-80% of your max lift is. Start with that weight and then move down over 3-5 sets. This way you are using your energy at the beginning and lessen your chances of failure at the end because you are lifting lighter for more reps.

GVT method. Find your 50-60% max weight and do 10 sets of 10 reps.

There are a lot of ways to incorporate BB training and you shouldn't have the thought of getting hurt in your head. The only thing in your mind should be the muscles being worked and intensity to get to your goal.
 
1ifeblood

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Good stuff! I've actually been looking into GVT and Wendler 5-3-1. I'm seriously considering 531.
 
1ifeblood

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So I've decided I'm going to spend the next couple weeks preparing my body for heavy weights and getting a good feel for what my current PRs are for Squat, Bench, Deadlift, and OH Press to prepare for 5-3-1 at the first of the year. The first run I do will utilize the Strength Builder Assistance work, so my program will look like this:

Strenth Building
Squat
Week 1. Warmup, 75% x 5, 80% x 5, 85% x 5
Week 2. Warmup, 80% x 3, 85% x 3, 90% x 3
Week 3. Warmup, 75% x 5, 85% x 3, 95% x 1
Week 4. Deload, 60% x 5, 65% x 5, 70% x 5
*Assistance Work
Squat: 5x10x50%
Leg Curl: 5x10
Bench
Week 1. Warmup, 75% x 5, 80% x 5, 85% x 5
Week 2. Warmup, 80% x 3, 85% x 3, 90% x 3
Week 3. Warmup, 75% x 5, 85% x 3, 95% x 1
Week 4. Deload, 60% x 5, 65% x 5, 70% x 5
*Assistance Work
Bench Press: 5x10x50%
One Arm DB Row: 5x10
Deadlift
Week 1. Warmup, 75% x 5, 80% x 5, 85% x 5
Week 2. Warmup, 80% x 3, 85% x 3, 90% x 3
Week 3. Warmup, 75% x 5, 85% x 3, 95% x 1
Week 4. Deload, 60% x 5, 65% x 5, 70% x 5
*Assistance Work
Deadlift: 5x8x50%
Leg Raises: 5x12
OH Press
Week 1. Warmup, 75% x 5, 80% x 5, 85% x 5
Week 2. Warmup, 80% x 3, 85% x 3, 90% x 3
Week 3. Warmup, 75% x 5, 85% x 3, 95% x 1
Week 4. Deload, 60% x 5, 65% x 5, 70% x 5
*Assistance Work
OH Press: 5x10x50%
Chin Up: 5 sets to failure
 
1ifeblood

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So today I decided to do deadlifts right off the floor to see what my 1RM was...

Deadlift: warmup, 225x5, 275x6, 315x1, 295x3, 225x10
V-bar Pulldown: 100x16

Wednesday I'm going to go for my 1RM on OH Press.
 

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