[EasyEJL]

yeah, i'm a first thing in the morning workout, so crazy stim is ok perhaps even necessary

[Hank Vangut]

Originally Posted by EasyEJL

yeah, i'm a first thing in the morning workout, so crazy stim is ok perhaps even necessary

i agree stims are a must for me in morning workouts.
expecially considering it takes the central nervous system a couple of hours to "warm-up" to full speed after you wake up.
of course if you workout every morning your body does adapt.

[VolcomX311]

Originally Posted by Hank Vangut

i agree stims are a must for me in morning workouts.
expecially considering it takes the central nervous system a couple of hours to "warm-up" to full speed after you wake up.
of course if you workout every morning your body does adapt.

Hank, glad you had time to stop by between photo shoots

I agree, when I was on ECY and doing the morning workouts, I'd just hit my morning alarm, pop my pills and sort of doze back off to sleep, but in about 10-15 min, my eyes would forcefully pop open and I'd be ready to go.

No "hardcore" stims, no waking up the roosters on my way out to the gym.

However, my body adapts to Caffeine annoyingly fast and Reset-AD had very short lasting effects for me. Even ephedrine hcl only hits me pleasantly hard for about 2 weeks.

[Hank Vangut]

Originally Posted by VolcomX311

Hank, glad you had time to stop by between photo shoots

I agree, when I was on ECY and doing the morning workouts, I'd just hit my morning alarm, pop my pills and sort of doze back off to sleep, but in about 10-15 min, my eyes would forcefully pop open and I'd be ready to go.

lol, yeah a&f let me out for a bit.

i like this wake-up program you outlined.
i might need try it because i can spend hrs hitting snooze and still i'm never ready to get up.

[VolcomX311]

I sometimes like to take it easy and have a Deads and Traps day, where I'll perform a regular session of Deads and follow up with 4-5 trap centered exercises.

Today, since my hams were still sore from my last session of Deads, I decided to do rack deads, but with my BB twist.

Rack Deads (below the knee), super-set, Barbell Shrugs
225lbs x 10 reps, super-set 22lbs x 15 reps
315lbs x 5 reps, super-set 315lbs x 12 reps
375lbs x 5 reps, super-set, 375lbs x 10 reps
375lbs x 5 reps, super-set, 375lbs x 10 reps
315lbs x 5 reps, super-set, 315lbs x 8 reps
275lbs x 5 reps, super-set, 275lbs x 8 reps

Backside Shrugs
225lbs x 15 reps
275lbs x 12 reps
315lbs x 10 reps

Db Shrugs
110lbs Db's x 12 reps
125lbs Db's x 12 reps
125lbs Db's x 12 reps

Db Upright Rows (trap supplement exercise)
45lbs Db's x 10 reps
50lbs Db's x 10 reps
50lbs Db's x 10 reps

Machine, Side Lateral Raises (trap supplement exercise)
110lbs x 12 reps
120lbs x 10 reps
130lbs x 10 reps

The Rack Deads, super-set, into BB Shrugs is quite honestly, very hard to pull off. You'd be surprised how much Rack Deads can deplete the strength in your traps, so performing shrugs in that state of trap fatigue becomes a serious challenge.

[Hank Vangut]

how do your forearms hold up on this routine? or do you use straps?

[VolcomX311]

Originally Posted by Hank Vangut

how do your forearms hold up on this routine? or do you use straps?

I always use straps for deads and heavy shrugs, but trust me, I don't neglect my forearm development. I may have 1 or 2 whole pages here dedicated to forearm development.

[VolcomX311]

I normally perform deads in the 405+, so peaking my Racks at 375 isn't too rough on the grip, even with the extended shrugs at the end.

[Hank Vangut]

Originally Posted by VolcomX311

I always use straps for deads and heavy shrugs, but trust me, I don't neglect my forearm development. I may have 1 or 2 whole pages here dedicated to forearm development.

1 or 2 pages of forearm development!!
just thinking about that is making my forearms so sore i can barely type this!

[metroba]

Great read Volcom! Reps!

edit: that was pertaining to the Hiit info

[VolcomX311]

Today was my last experience with the White Flood, and I was hoping for a fantastic workout, however, due to whatever reasons, my strength was WAAAAY down. It was just one of those days where nothing was working "as usual." All my lifts felt awkward and unnaturally heavy. It was one of the first times where I didn't consistently pyramid my sets. I admit that sometimes I may pyramid even when I shouldn't, but today's lifts were uncharacteristically conservative and lack luster. With that said, it wasn't all bad, I discovered a new interest and I'll discuss that at the end of this post.

Incline Chest
(as I've brought up many times, I have days where I do a complete chest workout and days where my sole focus are incline movements)

Incline Bench
225lbs x 10 reps
225lbs x 8 reps
225lbs x 8 reps
225lbs x 8 reps
245lbs x 6 reps
245lbs x 5 reps

I didn't stay at 225 with the intention of performing multiple sets at that weight, but at the moment, I genuinely thought it felt too heavy to pyramid and achieve a decent amount of reps the following set. I was sort of going with the flow of my ability to perform.

Incline Hammer Press
230lbs x 10 reps
230lbs x 10 reps
230lbs x 7 reps
250lbs x 8 reps
290lbs x 8 reps
290lbs x 5 reps

Machine, Incline Fly Press
155lbs x 10 reps
170lbs x 10 reps
185lbs x 10 reps
200lbs x 8 reps

15 min cardio - Cardio Row Machine
At all of the gyms I frequent, there are always these two cardio rowing stations that NOBODY ever uses. I can understand why. Upon initial impressions, you sit on the thing, pull the cable for 30-45 secs and think to yourself, "what kind of joke cardio is this?" The key to this cardio row is that you reap what you sow. If you tug on the cable like a beast, then it eventually starts to resist like a beast. If you half@$$$ the pull, then it feels like a half@$$ workout. I decided to give this cardio row a genuine chance and i was pleasantly pleased.

I pulled like a madman, and after about 2min, I began to collect dew on my shoulders, and around 8min, it became a respectable challenge. I only performed 15 min, because currently, my cardio-respiratory fitness is that of a clinically obese, one legged man (far from my days of two-a-day 60 min cardio sessions).

I like how the cardio rows has some translatable benefits. A little fine tuning of the back is a big attraction for me. Furthermore, I was wearing a beater and the cardio row was right in front of a mirror, so with each pull, I was able to see the contraction lines up my arm and into my back & traps, which is a nice motivational point.

I'm a big believer in the stair-climbers and stair-steppers, track work and HIIT but I've killed those workouts to the death, and this row is a nice new, reinvigorating treat to help get my cardio discipline re-established. I would give this exercise a 15-20 min trial, before designating this exercise an official waste of time. I'm looking forward to my next cardio row session, but next time I'll have a more cardio-minded mentality and will hopefully push myself further and slowly re-build my cardio-fitness level.

My strength performance today was disappointingly subpar and left me a bit perplexed, but it happens. However, on a good note, I've found a new cardio hobby.