A Squatter's Rites

Doing good, guys. Can't say the same for my lifting. I miss having the guys up in Detroit to train with. All my lifts have gone way down. I've just been doing a FB split 4x/wk. Fun, but doesn't really get me anywhere.

...eating great though. Lots of steak, avocado, berries, greek yogurt, veggies. Absolutely no BB supps but lots of good ol' vitamins. Slamming vitamin D, C, and E, lots of MACA for training purposes, CoQ10. Feeling good.

Life isn't too shabby lately. Working a lot but I have my free time too. Beer, cigars, training, shooting my guns, getting new tattoos, surfing, traveling. Life is good.

I think I'm sitting at 180 or so now. It's where my body goes to when I'm not overly involved with diet. I don't mind my look either, and my Squat is still pretty good. I could bounce right back to heavy lifts in no time I'm sure.
 
Irish Cannon said:
Doing good, guys. Can't say the same for my lifting. I miss having the guys up in Detroit to train with. All my lifts have gone way down. I've just been doing a FB split 4x/wk. Fun, but doesn't really get me anywhere.

...eating great though. Lots of steak, avocado, berries, greek yogurt, veggies. Absolutely no BB supps but lots of good ol' vitamins. Slamming vitamin D, C, and E, lots of MACA for training purposes, CoQ10. Feeling good.

Life isn't too shabby lately. Working a lot but I have my free time too. Beer, cigars, training, shooting my guns, getting new tattoos, surfing, traveling. Life is good.

I think I'm sitting at 180 or so now. It's where my body goes to when I'm not overly involved with diet. I don't mind my look either, and my Squat is still pretty good. I could bounce right back to heavy lifts in no time I'm sure.
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Good deal sounds like you are happy and that is the most important thing.
 
Got it going on Nick. You should be very proud of yourself champ!
 
Congratulations, brother-eternal!!

Job very well done. :clap2:
 
Thanks guys. I should be able to start updating in here now too, since I have a life again. Everyone is telling me that everything is easy from here until I'm done with my doctorate. That exam I took yesterday is considered by far the hardest part of this program.
 
It's been a while since I've updated in here, so I'll summarize what my routine/goals/diet are right now.

- I'm training 5days a week, once a day. Making time for 2 a days got old, so I bumped my training days from 4 to 5 and just go once.
- Using a straight forward split:
Press/Pull/Squat/Press/DL --- arms on the Pull and DL day, Legs on squat and dl
- Diet is clean, but I'm not tracking calories too tightly, somewhere in the neighborhood of 3500-4000 a day. Pretty much low carb, except for fruit post-workout.

An example workout, from Yesterday, which was my PULL/arms day:

Tri-set: Weighted Chins/Rope Pushdowns/Static Hammer Curls
Chins: +70 4x8
Rope Exts: 70, 80, 90, 100 4x15-20 - strict form, hard contractions for 1sec at bottom of each rep
Hammers: 55, 55, 60, 60 4x8 - Held flexed at 90degrees for 2sec each rep. Makes hammer curls WAY harder. I can do 80s for 8 if I don't flex and pause at the top, so you can see what a difference this makes.

Pause DB Rows: 125 4x5
Just like with the hammer curls, I brought the db up to top of my ROM, so it was touching my ribcage and I'd hold the weight there for 2secs. Again, it makes each rep way harder. Given that the 125s are the heaviest dbs my gym has, I needed a way to increase the efficacy for this movement.

T-Bar "Rack Run": 1plate x5, 2x5, 3x5, 4x5, 5x5, 6x5, 5x5, 4x5, 3x5,2x5
- I'd do 5 reps, throw another plate on, do another 5, and repeat, resting no more than about 10secs. I was pleased that I had no leg drive til I hit 6 plates, and even then it was minimal.

Preacher Tri-set: Spider, Preacher, BB Curls: 10reps per movement, no rest, 90lb, 4 trisets
Supersetted with JM Press: 115 4x15-20 - still have to be pretty ginger with my elbow, but at least I can do tricep movements again!

Cable Curls: 160 4x8
Supersetted w/Straight-bar pushdowns: 160 4x15-20

And Today, my arms and back are fried.
 
This week has been full of glory. Today was the first Squat Day with my new Inzer Lever Belt, which I need a name for, btw. Damn, that thing makes a WORLD of difference!

My ETERNAL gratitude to all of you whom recommended I make the investment and buy a quality belt!

Having never squatted with a belt, I wasn't sure what to expect, and so really took my time warming up and getting used to the movement with the belt. But I quickly realized that with the extra back support, I could feel each squat more in my legs and it was far easier to keep my chest up through each rep. Just push into the belt and drive through the hips!

Anyways, here's the bottom line:

I FULL Squatted 405x6!

To give you an idea of what that means, for the past several months I've been barely hitting 405x3 squatting to a box at parallel. And today, I had no box and was taking these reps below parallel! 405x6 has been my squat goal for close to a year now!

Anyways, I did other stuff too; some leg extensions, leg curls, calf raises and plate pushes, but those are no big deal. Today's squat session will stand out in my memory for a long time. :biglaugh:
 
Resolve said:
This week has been full of glory. Today was the first Squat Day with my new Inzer Lever Belt, which I need a name for, btw. Damn, that thing makes a WORLD of difference!

My ETERNAL gratitude to all of you whom recommended I make the investment and buy a quality belt!

Having never squatted with a belt, I wasn't sure what to expect, and so really took my time warming up and getting used to the movement with the belt. But I quickly realized that with the extra back support, I could feel each squat more in my legs and it was far easier to keep my chest up through each rep. Just push into the belt and drive through the hips!

Anyways, here's the bottom line:

I FULL Squatted 405x6!

To give you an idea of what that means, for the past several months I've been barely hitting 405x3 squatting to a box at parallel. And today, I had no box and was taking these reps below parallel! 405x6 has been my squat goal for close to a year now!

Anyways, I did other stuff too; some leg extensions, leg curls, calf raises and plate pushes, but those are no big deal. Today's squat session will stand out in my memory for a long time. :biglaugh:
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Awesome, awesome stuff!! I knew you'd love the mighty Inzer.

In Norse Mythology, Thor has 2 sons. One is named Modi, which means moody or specifically anger. That's what I named my belt. It matches my ever-surly mood.
His other son is named Magni which means strong or mighty.
Sounds like a good name for your royal blue belt of glory. :hammer:
 
Very cool name indeed! Congrats on ALL of your recent successes Resolve. So training 5 days a week are you still doing the ADF?
 
Resolve said:
Magni it is, my brother-in-arms! Great idea. :D
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Of course I don't have to tell you that it's pronounced Mag-nee. It's Icelandic. The more common name Magnus is used a lot in Sweden and Germany.

But I like the original......Magni. It's very old-school. :deal:
 
"Magnus" means the same thing in Latin, and "Magni" is the possessive form. In either language, Latin or Nordic, it'll fit nicely. I intend to achieve glorious things with that belt.

Actually, after my last set yesterday, BW told me she thinks I'm ready to do a PL meet. First time she's ever expressed that level of confidence in me.
 
Resolve said:
This week has been full of glory. Today was the first Squat Day with my new Inzer Lever Belt, which I need a name for, btw. Damn, that thing makes a WORLD of difference!

My ETERNAL gratitude to all of you whom recommended I make the investment and buy a quality belt!

Having never squatted with a belt, I wasn't sure what to expect, and so really took my time warming up and getting used to the movement with the belt. But I quickly realized that with the extra back support, I could feel each squat more in my legs and it was far easier to keep my chest up through each rep. Just push into the belt and drive through the hips!

Anyways, here's the bottom line:

I FULL Squatted 405x6!

To give you an idea of what that means, for the past several months I've been barely hitting 405x3 squatting to a box at parallel. And today, I had no box and was taking these reps below parallel! 405x6 has been my squat goal for close to a year now!

Anyways, I did other stuff too; some leg extensions, leg curls, calf raises and plate pushes, but those are no big deal. Today's squat session will stand out in my memory for a long time. :biglaugh:
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Too bad mine didn't fit you. Now you see why I wanted you to try it!
 
Irish Cannon said:
Too bad mine didn't fit you. Now you see why I wanted you to try it!
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Lol, you weren't kidding man, it makes a huge difference!

Yesterday was DL day, but my legs were actually still so shot from squats a couple of days ago (scheduling forced these two days closer together this week than normal) that I decided to go for rack pulls.

Worked up to a double with 535 with no straps, held at lockout til my grip gave. Then I strapped up and worked up to 635x3. I only used Magni on the top two sets.

Did a few sets of Good Mornings with 315, supersetted with high box step-ups.

Finished off my legs with a huge set of 50 on the Hack Machine with 2pps. Good grief that took some will power.

Did a bit of ab work and grip work and called it a day.
 
Man that sounds awesome brother! Way to demolish those legs.
 
Thanks, Kleen, they are definitely demolished. I'm finding that the machine hacks really allow me to focus on pushing my knees outwards as I descend. I really feel them stretch my hips when I reach the bottom of the rep.

Anyways, today was heavy Press day. I've been starting with shoulders on this day, because I've found that warming up the delts thoroughly makes for smoother horizontal pressing.

Superset: Seated OH DB Press/Lateral DB Swings
80x5/10x35 (just to warm-up, loosen the joints)
90x5/65x35
100x5/65x35
115x3/65x35 (115x3 matches a PR that I haven't been able to reach since last summer)
- My shoulders are getting stronger. Going to stick with 115 til I can get 6-8 controlled reps.

Triset: Mini-Monster Band Press/Floor Press/Mini-Monster Facepull
x20/135x3/x20
x20/225x3/x20
x20/275x3/x20
x20/315x3/x20
x20/335x3/x20 (I believe this too matches an old PR)
The third rep with 335 was a real grinder, but the first 2 had some good power behind them. As my triceps continues to heal and regains its old strength, I'm sure this will improve.

Floor Press Lockout from Pins:
335x1 +1 with controlled eccentric (just to get the feel for the movement)
Dropset: 365x4 +315x3 +225x5 +135x5w/controlled eccs
In between the first double and the dropset, I did some miniband triceps extensions to really pump those suckers up and warm the joints, to prevent pain. It worked.

Cable Crossovers:
90x12
100x12
100x12 +80x8 +60x12

Called it a day. Feelin' hefty, if a little water-logged.
 
NICE WORK Resolve!
 
Way to work it, brother-eternal. Matching old PR's soon becomes smashing old PR's!! This is the kind of report I want to hear. You're triceps is definitely on the mend and I'm ecstatic for you.

Keep on keeping on!!!

May the power of the legendary Magni always be at thy side (and around thy mighty waist). :hammer:
 
Thanks TG! Yup, the tri is definitely healing. It's a little sore now; I'm gonna ice it for a bit then stick it in a heating pad.

On an unrelated note: every freaking time I listen to Manowar "The Blood of Odin", I get goosebumps. Every time.
 
Resolve said:
Thanks TG!

On an unrelated note: every freaking time I listen to Manowar "The Blood of Odin", I get goosebumps. Every time.
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Now thou knowest what makest mine heart of hearts sing to the highest boughs of Yggdrasil. :hail:

And thou hast heard of the truths that causeth the living lightning to drive this mortal vessel of mine that houseth the spirit of the true ThunderGod. :hammer:


 
Thanks everybody! I've got a touch of the flu or something right now - I'm incessantly tired and have no appetite. I've continued lifting, but the last couple of sessions have not been anything special. Think I'm going to deload and make sure I'm getting enough cals until I feel like my old self again.
 
Resolve said:
Thanks everybody! I've got a touch of the flu or something right now - I'm incessantly tired and have no appetite. I've continued lifting, but the last couple of sessions have not been anything special. Think I'm going to deload and make sure I'm getting enough cals until I feel like my old self again.
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I shall tell thee of an ancient rune that an old seeress told me when the mountains of Midgard were yet young.

"Shrug off whatever sickens thee. Depend upon thine own strength." :yup:

:hail::notworthy:
 
Wow, I've been remiss in updating.

So, I'm kind of drifting back over to IF from ADF. I'm lifting 5-6days a week, so alternate day fasting doesn't work so well.

On Monday I hit up back and arms. Highlights would include trying out some incline bench supported bb rows, and doing weighted pull-ups for the first time in who knows how long. The supported bb rows rock! I set an incline bench to about a 40 degree angle, braced the bottom of it with the 125lb dbs and set up the bb at the other end. I'd pull a rep up to the top, hold it contracted, then lower under control - it isolated my back better than any other row I've done in a long time.

Also did some db rows and a "Death Set" of cable rows with the full stack (300lb). I made 24reps. Not too shabby.

Yesterday was squat day, and I've been really desiring some high rep squats. So that's what I did. Warmed up with a couple sets of 30 at 135, a set of 20 at 225, then grabbed a box and did a final all-out set with 315x15 to the box, which I think was about 18" in height. Hardest part was freaking breathing for those last few reps - Valsalva'ing with belt and weight for high reps is rough!

Went and did some machine work and stumbled home.

Today I'll be doing heavy presses. Looking forward to it.
 
I like doing those with DBs because of the added ROM
 
Nice work Resolve! I was thinking that was a lot of training days for ADF. I am kind of all over the place with my IF. On "Burn Days" sometimes I fast the entire day and only have a meal in the evening before bed. Just really depends on how I am feeling that day. Then on "Build Days" I tend to eat a little more calories in the 8 hour window. However I tend to keep my feeding window no bigger than 8 hours. Interestingly enough I have found I don't need much extra on the Build Days to keep adding muscle even if I only get in 500-1000 calories on my burn days. Basically where I would have thought that if 1 day is 2500 calories in order to "average out" for the week I would need 5000 on a Build day to make up for it but that is not the case at all. I can eat 3000-3500 on a Build Day and still make progress as far as muscle gains are concerned. So really the deficit made on the burn day seems to simply be coming from all fat stores and not any muscle stores. That is pretty awesome, and probably the same thing you found with ADF?
 
BarbellBeast said:
Nice work man.. I'm gonna have to try that incline bench row.
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It's a fun movement. I actually put my legs up on the bench too, bent at the knees with my calves/shins on the seat, sticking out behind me. It's easier to set up and execute the lift that way.

See Branch Warren doing inc bench conc. curls or John Meadows doing Rear Delt Swings and they use the same position on the bench.

Tomahawk88 said:
We have an incline bench row set up like that at my gym. Might have to give it a go tomorrow.
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I've used the regular "chest supported row" that some gyms have, and this is a close substitute. The motion is a bit "freer" because it's a bb, not an apparatus attached to the support.

AZMIDLYF said:
I like doing those with DBs because of the added ROM
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Yeah, I thought about using DBs, I was just really in the mood for bb rows. :)

MrKleen73 said:
Nice work Resolve! I was thinking that was a lot of training days for ADF. I am kind of all over the place with my IF. On "Burn Days" sometimes I fast the entire day and only have a meal in the evening before bed. Just really depends on how I am feeling that day. Then on "Build Days" I tend to eat a little more calories in the 8 hour window. However I tend to keep my feeding window no bigger than 8 hours. Interestingly enough I have found I don't need much extra on the Build Days to keep adding muscle even if I only get in 500-1000 calories on my burn days. Basically where I would have thought that if 1 day is 2500 calories in order to "average out" for the week I would need 5000 on a Build day to make up for it but that is not the case at all. I can eat 3000-3500 on a Build Day and still make progress as far as muscle gains are concerned. So really the deficit made on the burn day seems to simply be coming from all fat stores and not any muscle stores. That is pretty awesome, and probably the same thing you found with ADF?
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Yes, quite similar. The benefits of the low calorie days do not nullify the anabolic effects of the high calorie days. However, I'm actually having trouble eating enough now that I'm using IF again. I have a post-workout meal and I'm full forever. There has been much forced feeding in the Resolve house the last few days.
 
Resolve said:
It's a fun movement. I actually put my legs up on the bench too, bent at the knees with my calves/shins on the seat, sticking out behind me. It's easier to set up and execute the lift that way.

See Branch Warren doing inc bench conc. curls or John Meadows doing Rear Delt Swings and they use the same position on the bench.


Yeah, I thought about using DBs, I was just really in the mood for bb rows. :)
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Love the incline supported rows, big man. And I highly suggest you doing them with DB's next time like AZ advocated. Much better contractions and increased ROM.

I also do both of those movements you outlined. The Branch Warren inc. bench conc. curls and the John Meadows Rear Delt Swings.

Give those a try sometime as well. You'll love both movements. :banana:

It is a pure joy and true delight to see you hitting the weights with such fervor and fury!!




Battle On, My Berzerker Brother!!

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I'm sure I'll use the DBs at some point, it does make more sense logistically. As I said, I was just really hankering to use the bb for some reason.

The Rear delt swings are murder! I'll sometimes superset them with my incline db presses - I love that combo.

I'm actually going to try those Conc. curls for the first time today. I'm doing an Arms day, for the first time in recalled history. :) Knowing me, though, it'll probably end up having some abs and calves in there too.

thundergod said:
Love the incline supported rows, big man. And I highly suggest you doing them with DB's next time like AZ advocated. Much better contractions and increased ROM.

I also do both of those movements you outlined. The Branch Warren inc. bench conc. curls and the John Meadows Rear Delt Swings.

Give those a try sometime as well. You'll love both movements. :banana:

It is a pure joy and true delight to see you hitting the weights with such fervor and fury!!

Battle On, My Berzerker Brother!!
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Ok, well, it's been a good week. Making solid progress. The following are highlights from the last 4 or so training days.

Heavy Press (Wed):
- DB Shoulder Press: 115s x4 (PR)
- Floor Press: 355x1 (PR)
This was an exceptional workout from start to finish, I had excellent focus and precision from beginning to end.

Deadlift focused legs (Fri):
- DL: 555x1 w/straps
Close to meeting an old PR. I managed 525 without straps, but my hands began opening on my first attempt at 555. So I strapped in pulled that sucker hard. My right eye turns really red when I really exert myself, due to getting a fire ember in it when I was a boy scout, and let me tell you, that eye was freaking CRIMSON after that pull. I love it!

Push Press and Chest Accessory (Today)
- Push Press: 255x1, attempted 275 twice but just missed lockout. My triceps are still a weakpoint, but at least there's no pain in them anymore.
- Dips: +135x3 - not too special, but the most I've done in a while.

BW will be visiting family all next week, so my routine may have to be altered slightly, as I won't have a spotter. I'll be playing that by ear.
 
Excellent work Resolve! Good to hear yo can move that kind of weight again with no pain. Congrats on all the PR's! Way to go in and dominate the iron!
 
A proper representation of the might of the legendary Magni, himself.

You are a modern day incarnation of the storied son of Thunder. :hail:

Nothing can hold thee back now save for fear, doubt and unbelief. And I know thou won't allow such weak mortal emotions to strip thee of thine power.
 
Resolve said:
For anyone interested, the lack of updates has been due to a mysterious injury has left me unable to grip properly with my right hand. X-Rays reveal no fractures, so I'm assuming something is torn. I see a specialist Wed.
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I'm certainly no doctor, heck, I don't even play one on T.V.
But I'm guessing that it's entirely possible that it could be small muscles in the hand that have been over-stressed and maybe slightly "pulled". Either that or it could be ligament/tendon-related..............or the dreaded carpal tunnel nerves.
But I'm doubtful that something is truly "torn". I think you would have lasting excruciating pain if something was torn.


I'm calling upon All-Father's mercy and grace to be upon thee always. :hail:
 
Hope the hand is improving Resolve!
 
thundergod said:
I'm certainly no doctor, heck, I don't even play one on T.V.
But I'm guessing that it's entirely possible that it could be small muscles in the hand that have been over-stressed and maybe slightly "pulled". Either that or it could be ligament/tendon-related..............or the dreaded carpal tunnel nerves.
But I'm doubtful that something is truly "torn". I think you would have lasting excruciating pain if something was torn.


I'm calling upon All-Father's mercy and grace to be upon thee always. :hail:
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I certainly hope you're right. The prayers are appreciated. :)

MrKleen73 said:
Hope the hand is improving Resolve!
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Still can't grip worth a damn - it starts with the pinky finger on my right hand, extending back up into my wrist. I can't even make a fist. :/
 
Man sorry to hear that. Think positive and take care until then hopefully something is just swollen and compressing a nerve and once the swelling subsides things will be better. I have heard of it happening before.
 
I see that the stats have been updated!! Geez...
 
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