Sparks' Never Ending Training Log

sparks2012 said:
23AUG16

Legs:

BB Back Squat:
20 X Bar
10 X 135
7 X 225
3 X 275
1 X 295 - Left Hip, Weird Feeling, Not During Lift But After
1 X 295
3 X 275
2 X 275
2 X 275
BB Front Squats - ATG, Pauses:
3 X 135
3 X 155
2 X 175
3 X 135
Sumo Pulls:
5 X 135
4 X 225
2 X 315
0 X 405 - Hips Still Too Weak For 405 Sumo
3 X 315
3 X 315
*I can feel that my Sumo's have a lot of potential. 315 is consistently smooth, even on sets at the end. Once my hips get stronger then I should break through some major plateaus
GHR's SS w/ Single Leg Sled Press:
15 X BW/10 X 2 PPS
15 X BW/8 X 3 PPS
15 X BW/8 X 3 PPS
Unilateral Extensions SS w/ Unilateral Standing Hamstring Curl:
20 ea. X 70/20 ea. X 60
20 ea. X 90/20 ea. X 80
15 ea. X 110/7-8 ea. (+7-8 Partials) X 100


Switched things up today...trying to take the advice of HIT4ME and go with the less is more approach, especially for the bigger lifts. With doing less, I've gotta find the right balance between intensity and volume to still be productive...looks like I'll be learning more and more through the next couple lower body days. I like the feel of doing pulls on leg days, the Sumo's felt great. Like better than they've ever felt before. But my hips are still weak, as it was the first thing to break in the chain when I attempted 405. Quads/Hams/Glutes felt fine and seemed to be working in unison while pulling. Lower back involvement was minimum, as it should be for Sumo, and I noticed a little tiny bit of thoracic rounding. Nothing injury worthy (I hope) but these should also help strengthen that area up. Once I got the movements that were higher reps, the pump was quick to come, so the GG/Dust combo seems to work. I was also sweating my a$$ off from the get-go, awesome feeling. Focus was crazy too, hopefully this first dose isn't a fluke. The hip pain/tightness went away once I got in to doing the pulls, so it was probably just really tight. Also did 20-25 mins of fasted Stairmaster this morning too. We have Friday off, so I'm contemplating going in for cardio tomorrow and not going in on Friday.
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hairygrandpa said:
Talking about "less is more", watched some youtubers talk about it, stating: it's the opposite, apparently overtraining creates more muscle nuclei, example: mechanics using wrenches all day have huge forearms.
Then I saw an ex champ from the 70's , he said: 3 times a week / 3 sets per body part is enough, it worked then-it works now.

My head spins... LOL
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sparks2012 said:
Dear god, you and me both brother. There's so many different theories out there. Most with at least one elite-level athlete behind the program stating it works. I can wrap my head ahead the styles of DC and Yates', and also John Meadows' MOUNTAIN DOG training. But those, like we've discussed before, require a lot of planning, knowing your maxes, how to push yourself, etc. etc. Meanwhile, you've got guys like us who love to throw it all into the workout and still make progress, at a decent pace, and fairly consistently. Albeit, it may not be maximal and there may be some diminished returns, but with anecdotal evidence that it works we are reluctant to do something so opposite of what's been working. "Head spinning" doesn't even begin to describe it.
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hairygrandpa said:
Looking at you, keep doing what you do!
We both like the higher volume -more sets approach, even if less is equally beneficial, I would not do it.
What really got me thinking.. is it possible we need more rest to optimize gains, like doing 4 days of 2 times a month?
Lifting seems so easy, just move iron in different ways until you can't do it anymore, that's it... but apparently not. LOL
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sparks2012 said:
Yes, I've also thought about extended time off (3-5 days rest) but I scream "NONONONONONO" in my head every time it crosses my mind...I will stick with the less sets/more intensity approach for lower body, especially pulls/squats for the next couple weeks to see how it works. If I notice a POSITIVE change in strength or size I will slowly, yet still reluctantly, try out the same approach for upper body. I'm desperate at this point to become stronger on the squat and deadlift. Even in a deficit, it can still be done. I believe so anyway.
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Sparks2012, thanks for the mention! Sorry for the late follow up. I've been so crazy at work the last couple days. From the looks of your photos, there isn't many pages that you need to take out of my book! You are there man. I am trying to get where you are, I should be doing whatever you did.

DC and Yates styles are right in line with my philosophies. I've tried explaining my theories to HGP and I think I am bad at it so I haven't gotten it to click yet :) so I am going to try again based on the great discussion above.

My philosophy is that we train to grow. The process goes: train to stimulate a response, recover (replace the energy burned training and repair damage), grow (over compensate so that you are better prepared for the stress)

This means that you should be seeing strength increases every single workout. Because if you train effectively (meaning you have stimulated growth), then when you workout next time there should be some over compensation from that stimulus. If you train, and then come back and are not stronger then you either didn't stimulate growth, didn't recover, or didn't over compensate.

And of course your body can't over compensate until it has recovered.

So, if you KNOW you stimulated growth, and still haven't become stronger, you then KNOW you haven't fulfilled step 3 (over compensation) and you may not have fulfilled step 2 (recovery).

What this means is that there is a specific dose of exercise necessary for growth, and the more exercise you do, the more time you need for recovery (because you burn more energy and do more damage).

In this light, longer sessions can be effective, but you have to give like get periods for recovery and over compensation. If you do short, hard workouts, you can recover more quickly and grow more quickly, and thus train again soon err and run the cycle more quickly. The question becomes, how quick is that actually? Mike Mentzer applied this theory to hundreds of clients he said and found some people had very poor recovery abilities and could do very little volume once every four days before they saw strength increases. He suggested this was a starting point because if you start there, you can experiment with more frequency until you stop seeing results and then you have actual timeframes for recovery. But if you just randomly start at 2x per week, and it doesn't create improvements every time, do you do higher frequency or lower frequency? You could go in two directions and never figure out where you should be.

The downside of Mentzers theories is that the CNS has a harder time recovering than a muscle. Lifting heavy can really stress the CNS and hinder recovery. Mentzer suggested moderate rep ranges and higher rep ranges for legs, and I think this is why, even though he never really talks about the CNS.

Of course, if you are doing 20 sets per body part today and go back in 3 days and you are stronger, then you obviously have run through all three steps (stimulate, recover, grow)....so you aren't overthrowing, you are getting results.
 
Wot 0430 came too quick...I'm up though. Almost out the door lol. HIT4ME I read through your response. I do agree with most of it, but even with the perfect training environment, having the 3 factors you mentioned aligned perfectly there would STILL be diminishing returns. While I do agree that IF you can stimulate growth/strength every workout then your frequency/volume/intensity is right on, there comes a time when the body isn't going to adapt to the stimulus quite as well. Take an elite level powelifter for instance. They train purely for strength for the most part, right? At the elite level, they've got their training down to a literal science. Their frequency and volume changes based on what program and what phase of a program they're on. However, they have a meet in March where they total 1509 between all 3 lifts. Let's say that this guy had JUST figured out how to maximise all 3 factors you stated above. So, from March out to his next meet in October, he's dong everything to a "T". Yet, he gets to the meet and feels he didn't make any progress. His total comes out to 1509 again even though all those factors were perfect...my point being that the bod will only replicate something for so long as far as what stimulus is required to grow and get stronger, and over time that response will become slower and slower. I do disagree that it is hard to make any gains after the first 2 years of training because that's when your "noob" phase has worn off, as i regularly notice progress still and so do many others. There's a million and one different variables that come into play here,but that's not to say your idea doesn't have any merit.
 
25AUG16

Chest/Back:

Incline DB Press SS w/ DB Rows:
15 X 45's/10 X 80
12 X 65's/10 X 90
10 X 80's/10 X 100
5 X 95's/16 X 65
Cable Flyes - Random Position Every Set SS w/ Hammer Strength Pulldown - Undergand:
15 X 25kg/20 X 2 PPS
15 X 25kg/14 X 3 PPS
12 X 25kg/12 X 3 PPS
BB Rows SS w/ Decline BB Press:
8 X 185/15 X 135
8 X 185/10 X 185
8 X 185/8 X 185
Wide Grip Pull-ups SS w/ Flat Chest Press Machine - All Sets to Failure:
13 X BW/8 X 70's
11 X BW/7.5 x 70's
9 X BW/5 X 70's
Straight Arm Pulldowns - AMRAP, 1 Set Only:
36 X 30kg - Including Partials

Decent session today. Workout felt great other than the fact that I've got a nagging shoulder issue at the moment. I feel that I may be more dehydrated than usual, so it's taking a toll on my joints. That's one of the first signs for me that I'm not drinking enough water. I can still press, and most movements don't bother it directly but moving it in certain directions was painful. Came home and immediately rolled in the armpit area to try and get some release up in there as my left side, especially behind my shoulder blade, has been really tight lately. Spent about 10 mins focusing on that side before I had my wife "pop" something under my shoulder blade area. Almost immediate relief, but the area is now sore. Like tight muscle sore, not injury sore (hopefully). There's still some residual pain in my shoulder but I have no clue what causes the area back there to get so tight. I'd love to go see a massage therapist and let them go to town on all the knots and tight spots I know I have. I have an idea why my left side is always getting tight though. I always sleep with my left arm under my pillow, usually stretched above my head so the delt heads are in a somewhat shortened position for an extended period of time. When I sleep I'm sure I twist it around so something in the shoulder/scapular/shoulder blade area gets gummed up pretty easily. Hard habit for me to break, been doing that for years. Anyway, today was a good session, despite the nagging pain. Another quick one too, about 45 mins altogether.
 
HIT4ME said:
From the looks of your photos, there isn't many pages that you need to take out of my book! You are there man. I am trying to get where you are, I should be doing whatever you did.
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I know, right? I keep telling him that I want to look like him when I grow up!!!
 
I did the same thing two weeks ago with my shoulder.. Went to bed feeling good and woke up with pain in left shoulder. I rest and took Ibuprofen for two days, on the third day I hit dumbbell Press..
The next day my Shoulder was feeling much better..
Great workout sparks2012! I did Chest and Back as well..
 
sparks2012 said:
Wot 0430 came too quick...I'm up though. Almost out the door lol. HIT4ME I read through your response. I do agree with most of it, but even with the perfect training environment, having the 3 factors you mentioned aligned perfectly there would STILL be diminishing returns. While I do agree that IF you can stimulate growth/strength every workout then your frequency/volume/intensity is right on, there comes a time when the body isn't going to adapt to the stimulus quite as well. Take an elite level powelifter for instance. They train purely for strength for the most part, right? At the elite level, they've got their training down to a literal science. Their frequency and volume changes based on what program and what phase of a program they're on. However, they have a meet in March where they total 1509 between all 3 lifts. Let's say that this guy had JUST figured out how to maximise all 3 factors you stated above. So, from March out to his next meet in October, he's dong everything to a "T". Yet, he gets to the meet and feels he didn't make any progress. His total comes out to 1509 again even though all those factors were perfect...my point being that the bod will only replicate something for so long as far as what stimulus is required to grow and get stronger, and over time that response will become slower and slower. I do disagree that it is hard to make any gains after the first 2 years of training because that's when your "noob" phase has worn off, as i regularly notice progress still and so do many others. There's a million and one different variables that come into play here,but that's not to say your idea doesn't have any merit.
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So you are taking it a step further. Yes, there is a genetic limit to what we can achieve. Our bodies are not capable of building muscle indefinitely, and I would also say that in today's society, our expectations of the muscle we can build is greatly exaggerated by the prevalence of steroids, which totally changes a lot of factors. For instance, I'm not sure of what you've used and haven't used and I am not making any accusations - but if you are natural, I would say you have made a lot of progress toward the limits of your natural potential. You have a great physique and I'm not saying you are "done" but from a natural perspective - you are most likely pretty darned close. I mean, you have a lot of muscle on your frame and it's lean.

Once you've reached this point, you're correct, gaining strength will become harder and harder. BUT - my theory also gives a framework that is useful for someone as they near their potential. Most people, as they get bigger and closer to this potential just assume they have to do more and more - and this is actually not true. It's actually the opposite.

Think of it this way, as you improve, your ability to do work improves - but your ability to recover doesn't improve as much. It just cannot. You may double your muscle mass, but you won't be able to improve your protein synthesis by 100%. Add to this the fact that you will be burning more energy and damaging more muscle with every workout once you're bigger, without an equal improvement in recovery ability, and you can see WHY the returns diminish.

I don't care how strong you are and what you perceive, bench pressing 300 pounds, even if it is easy for you, burns more energy than bench pressing 200 pounds - even if it is hard for you. i.e. - when you are starting out and can only bench 200, it may feel hard, but the force involved is the force involved and it involves converting a certain amount of mass/calories into muscle force/movement and moving 200 pounds will always take that much energy/calories. Later on, 300 may be easy for you, but just because it is easy doesn't mean it burns any less energy. It burns more. You are converting calories into 300 pounds of work instead of 200 pounds. And this means, you have a deeper hole to recover from, and thus actually may need MORE time between workouts as you progress.

But nobody thinks of these things. They all just think, "do more - stimulate more". But stimulation may not be the problem at that point, it may be sufficient recovery because the effort required for sufficient stimulation digs such a deep hole.

And in these terms, if you look at all of the power lifting programs - the successful programs kind of follow this to some degree, or at least parts of it. Maybe "active recovery" has a benefit and doing non-stimulating workouts helps somehow. I don't know. I'm not saying the theory is 100% right, but it's very useful when planning.

Also, I would define "over training" as any time you train before you have completely recovered AND grown. So, if you aren't recovered from a workout and go back and do a second workout, you are overtraining in that workout. But everyone hates that term overtraining - I do believe that short, acute periods of overtraining that are planned and not chronic - can have a place. The body needs to survive and if it is hit with a load it can't handle and can't recover from, and put in that stress for a period of time, once it is given the chance to recover, as long as the period wasn't so long that the recovery needed will warrant that the growth stimulus will be "forgotten" by the time you recover, then your body will adapt to become more resistant to the work load. This may have its uses too.

Again, I'm not saying I'm right necessarily - just that some of these ideas are worth considering and applying. You may be surprised at the new roads they take you down and how suddenly you think to yourself, "I always thought this one way but in a new light that seems counter productive".
 
HIT4ME said:
So you are taking it a step further. Yes, there is a genetic limit to what we can achieve. Our bodies are not capable of building muscle indefinitely, and I would also say that in today's society, our expectations of the muscle we can build is greatly exaggerated by the prevalence of steroids, which totally changes a lot of factors. For instance, I'm not sure of what you've used and haven't used and I am not making any accusations - but if you are natural, I would say you have made a lot of progress toward the limits of your natural potential. You have a great physique and I'm not saying you are "done" but from a natural perspective - you are most likely pretty darned close. I mean, you have a lot of muscle on your frame and it's lean.

Once you've reached this point, you're correct, gaining strength will become harder and harder. BUT - my theory also gives a framework that is useful for someone as they near their potential. Most people, as they get bigger and closer to this potential just assume they have to do more and more - and this is actually not true. It's actually the opposite.

Think of it this way, as you improve, your ability to do work improves - but your ability to recover doesn't improve as much. It just cannot. You may double your muscle mass, but you won't be able to improve your protein synthesis by 100%. Add to this the fact that you will be burning more energy and damaging more muscle with every workout once you're bigger, without an equal improvement in recovery ability, and you can see WHY the returns diminish.

I don't care how strong you are and what you perceive, bench pressing 300 pounds, even if it is easy for you, burns more energy than bench pressing 200 pounds - even if it is hard for you. i.e. - when you are starting out and can only bench 200, it may feel hard, but the force involved is the force involved and it involves converting a certain amount of mass/calories into muscle force/movement and moving 200 pounds will always take that much energy/calories. Later on, 300 may be easy for you, but just because it is easy doesn't mean it burns any less energy. It burns more. You are converting calories into 300 pounds of work instead of 200 pounds. And this means, you have a deeper hole to recover from, and thus actually may need MORE time between workouts as you progress.

But nobody thinks of these things. They all just think, "do more - stimulate more". But stimulation may not be the problem at that point, it may be sufficient recovery because the effort required for sufficient stimulation digs such a deep hole.

And in these terms, if you look at all of the power lifting programs - the successful programs kind of follow this to some degree, or at least parts of it. Maybe "active recovery" has a benefit and doing non-stimulating workouts helps somehow. I don't know. I'm not saying the theory is 100% right, but it's very useful when planning.

Also, I would define "over training" as any time you train before you have completely recovered AND grown. So, if you aren't recovered from a workout and go back and do a second workout, you are overtraining in that workout. But everyone hates that term overtraining - I do believe that short, acute periods of overtraining that are planned and not chronic - can have a place. The body needs to survive and if it is hit with a load it can't handle and can't recover from, and put in that stress for a period of time, once it is given the chance to recover, as long as the period wasn't so long that the recovery needed will warrant that the growth stimulus will be "forgotten" by the time you recover, then your body will adapt to become more resistant to the work load. This may have its uses too.

Again, I'm not saying I'm right necessarily - just that some of these ideas are worth considering and applying. You may be surprised at the new roads they take you down and how suddenly you think to yourself, "I always thought this one way but in a new light that seems counter productive".
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I totally agree with you on everything here. I as well do not like the term "overtraining", I prefer to use "over reaching" if anything. A short period of over reaching can be very beneficial, provided other parameters are monitored closely. As far as holding more muscle mass in general (compared to the avg joe), I definitely agree and have fallen into the trap of more stimulus = more progress. You begin to correlate more size/strength equating to having to have more output to make progress. I have recently gotten better with that mindset, more than a year ago my sessions were long and included a lot more work than I'm doing now. Only recently have I scrutinised what I'm doing close enough to throttle back on some things and not so much "take it easy" as it is training smarter. Chest training for instance, I don't see a reason to hit more than one exercise (pressing specifically) for each flat/incline/decline on a regular basis. I'll throw in a finisher or something for one of those areas I feel I'm lacking in as 2nd pressing exercise for that angle to "over reach" a bit, but that is the ONLY exercise that I will double up on. Really, the only group I have trouble with limiting is back because there are so many different movements that hit the back in slightly different ways. I try and keep it simple and use compound lifts except for one or two movements on back, but even then limiting overall exercise selection can be a challenge especially if you're feeling great in the gym that day. As far as the ability to recover as you progress, I see it like this: Your body will eventually catch up to the added stimulus and recovery will return to normal, but not for long, then recovery time will dip down below baseline levels and take time to get back to where it was. So yes, with continued progress, recovery is undoubtedly expected to suffer and you can dig yourself into a deep hole if you're not in tune with your body. The only thing that I do not agree with is the energy output being the same for someone pressing at 200 lbs and another being at 300lbs. Common sense tells us that more weight = more energy used. But the guy struggling with 200lbs is (in my opinion, I could be completely wrong in this idea) naturally not as acclimated as the guy struggling with 300lbs. So, the guy who isn't acclimated could possibly be burying himself in the hole even more. Not saying he's necessarily expending more energy than pressing with 300lbs would, but he could be temporarily (time varying, everyone is different) further impairing recovery because he could be unknowingly overworking something, which would hurt him more in the long run more than the guy expending more energy. This idea makes sense in my head, but for some reason I'm having trouble articulating it the same way in writing. I hope that you can somewhat see what I mean, I see your point and it is logical by all means but I just have a different view on it.

Lastly, being natural or not plays a huge role in all this. I would not consider myself natural because I have used PH's in the past, and am about to run another cycle starting in the next few days. I honestly have no clue where my max natural potential is, I have no one else in my family with a remotely close genetic makeup to compare myself with as far as size or strength because nobody else has taken this as seriously as I do lol. I could very well be (although I doubt it, and am also certainly hoping this isn't the case) close to my max potential. Being as lean as I am right now is an illusion making me appear bigger than I actually am. But as far as maintaining size/strength and getting any leaner at the same time, I think I am fairly close to max potential while "unassisted", but the tables will be turned shortly in that aspect.
 
BEAST73 said:
I did the same thing two weeks ago with my shoulder.. Went to bed feeling good and woke up with pain in left shoulder. I rest and took Ibuprofen for two days, on the third day I hit dumbbell Press..
The next day my Shoulder was feeling much better..
Great workout sparks2012! I did Chest and Back as well..
Click to expand...

Glad to hear that you're not suffering from the shoulder pain any longer, but as much as I hate to admit it, I know rest or a significant decrease in loads used is the answer. I iced it earlier, but there is still some slight residual pain. I have legs tomorrow, so hopefully minimal shoulder involvement will give it some rest and I'll be good by Saturday. Worst comes to worst, I'll have to rest Saturday and return Sunday. Hopefully you felt better on your presses today than I did!
 
After my last lesson hurting my shoulder, I urge you all to do rotator cuff strengthening exercises regularly. It's about a dozen different exercises and some stretches.
Doing them will take 20-40 minutes.
 
sparks2012 said:
I totally agree with you on everything here. I as well do not like the term "overtraining", I prefer to use "over reaching" if anything. A short period of over reaching can be very beneficial, provided other parameters are monitored closely. As far as holding more muscle mass in general (compared to the avg joe), I definitely agree and have fallen into the trap of more stimulus = more progress. You begin to correlate more size/strength equating to having to have more output to make progress. I have recently gotten better with that mindset, more than a year ago my sessions were long and included a lot more work than I'm doing now. Only recently have I scrutinised what I'm doing close enough to throttle back on some things and not so much "take it easy" as it is training smarter. Chest training for instance, I don't see a reason to hit more than one exercise (pressing specifically) for each flat/incline/decline on a regular basis. I'll throw in a finisher or something for one of those areas I feel I'm lacking in as 2nd pressing exercise for that angle to "over reach" a bit, but that is the ONLY exercise that I will double up on. Really, the only group I have trouble with limiting is back because there are so many different movements that hit the back in slightly different ways. I try and keep it simple and use compound lifts except for one or two movements on back, but even then limiting overall exercise selection can be a challenge especially if you're feeling great in the gym that day. As far as the ability to recover as you progress, I see it like this: Your body will eventually catch up to the added stimulus and recovery will return to normal, but not for long, then recovery time will dip down below baseline levels and take time to get back to where it was. So yes, with continued progress, recovery is undoubtedly expected to suffer and you can dig yourself into a deep hole if you're not in tune with your body. The only thing that I do not agree with is the energy output being the same for someone pressing at 200 lbs and another being at 300lbs. Common sense tells us that more weight = more energy used. But the guy struggling with 200lbs is (in my opinion, I could be completely wrong in this idea) naturally not as acclimated as the guy struggling with 300lbs. So, the guy who isn't acclimated could possibly be burying himself in the hole even more. Not saying he's necessarily expending more energy than pressing with 300lbs would, but he could be temporarily (time varying, everyone is different) further impairing recovery because he could be unknowingly overworking something, which would hurt him more in the long run more than the guy expending more energy. This idea makes sense in my head, but for some reason I'm having trouble articulating it the same way in writing. I hope that you can somewhat see what I mean, I see your point and it is logical by all means but I just have a different view on it.

Lastly, being natural or not plays a huge role in all this. I would not consider myself natural because I have used PH's in the past, and am about to run another cycle starting in the next few days. I honestly have no clue where my max natural potential is, I have no one else in my family with a remotely close genetic makeup to compare myself with as far as size or strength because nobody else has taken this as seriously as I do lol. I could very well be (although I doubt it, and am also certainly hoping this isn't the case) close to my max potential. Being as lean as I am right now is an illusion making me appear bigger than I actually am. But as far as maintaining size/strength and getting any leaner at the same time, I think I am fairly close to max potential while "unassisted", but the tables will be turned shortly in that aspect.
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I think you misunderstood what I was saying about the 300 pounds vs. 200 pounds...which is probably because I didn't explain it right

The mechanical process of moving 300 pounds takes a certain amount of energy (regardless of training or ability). I.e. even a machine moving 300 pounds has to produce energy to move 300 pounds. For simplicity we can use a calorie as a unit of energy and thus it takes a certain number of calories to move 300 pounds. It takes significantly less energy to move 200 pounds. Human or machine. Trained or untrained.

Someone who has acclimated to bench pressing 300 pounds won't grow unless they force the body to adapt to sufficient stress (305 pounds) to adapt. This burns a significant amount of energy to stimulate growth.

A person who is not trained only has to bench 205 to progress from 200 - the stimulus requires much less energy to trigger growth.

So the issue is, someone who is trained doesn't necessarily have any better recovery ability - our metabolic processes likely improves but not in accordance with our strength. But in order to trigger growth they have to dig a bigger energy "hole" at 300 pounds than someone who is benching 200. The person benching 300 will often think training more and more often will trigger growth, but they are going to overtrain much more easily than the 200 pound presser. They require less work, harder, and more recovery time. This is the opposite of how we all think about this though.. we just keep doing more and eventually it isn't only diminishing returns, it will be counter productive.
 
hairygrandpa said:
After my last lesson hurting my shoulder, I urge you all to do rotator cuff strengthening exercises regularly. It's about a dozen different exercises and some stretches.
Doing them will take 20-40 minutes.
Click to expand...

You are very right, RC exercises are largely overlooked until you're facing an injury and you're left with no choice. Gonna break out the bands and do some pre-hab work tonight. I should start doing some light RC work at the end of my chest/back sessions, not too hard to superset them with calves and DB Pullovers/Straight Arm Pulldowns so it shouldn't add too much time at the end.
 
HIT4ME said:
I think you misunderstood what I was saying about the 300 pounds vs. 200 pounds...which is probably because I didn't explain it right

The mechanical process of moving 300 pounds takes a certain amount of energy (regardless of training or ability). I.e. even a machine moving 300 pounds has to produce energy to move 300 pounds. For simplicity we can use a calorie as a unit of energy and thus it takes a certain number of calories to move 300 pounds. It takes significantly less energy to move 200 pounds. Human or machine. Trained or untrained.

Someone who has acclimated to bench pressing 300 pounds won't grow unless they force the body to adapt to sufficient stress (305 pounds) to adapt. This burns a significant amount of energy to stimulate growth.

A person who is not trained only has to bench 205 to progress from 200 - the stimulus requires much less energy to trigger growth.

So the issue is, someone who is trained doesn't necessarily have any better recovery ability - our metabolic processes likely improves but not in accordance with our strength. But in order to trigger growth they have to dig a bigger energy "hole" at 300 pounds than someone who is benching 200. The person benching 300 will often think training more and more often will trigger growth, but they are going to overtrain much more easily than the 200 pound presser. They require less work, harder, and more recovery time. This is the opposite of how we all think about this though.. we just keep doing more and eventually it isn't only diminishing returns, it will be counter productive.
Click to expand...

Ah, yes I see what you're saying now. In your first post I thought that this may be what you were getting at, but I threw out my thoughts just in case something was misconstrued. That is absolutely true. Logically, someone would think it took X amount of work to here, so I need to double X amount of work to get even further. Definitely not the case, but as you said it's not always that easy grasp. Like I mentioned earlier, I still struggle with putting that into practice, especially if you're just killing it in the gym that day. Seems counterintuitive to think that way, but you can't argue with the body.
 
LOL, good, now that you see my point, I'm not sure if it's right or not - but it's worth thinking about. You look like you're doing pretty good on your own, so I hope this triggers something useful ....at the very least, it will allow you to justify a day off :)
 
Decided to take a rest day today, as much as my mind is saying "NO" , my body was telling me otherwise. Perfect opportunity to literally not do a darn thing today as we had the day off from work. Just what I needed. Slept for 7 hours last night and "napped" for another 6 after breakfast. Because of that, I know for a fact my body needed a break. Not counting macros/cals like normal today either, I loaded up on carbs at a Pancake & Waffle shack for breakfast, took some partitioners beforehand to maximise the recovery and glycogen loading potential of them. Shoulder is not as stiff and the pain is not nearly as noticeable, so hopefully loading up on water and other nutrients today will have a positive effect. The multi's I take have a joint support compound that works well enough, provided I'm drinking enough water. I also think that this issue could have possibly stemmed from when I pressure washed out whole driveway and patio. My shoulder was held at an awkward angle for a couple hours on both days and I noticed some slight discomfort after that. Probably didn't give it enough time to recover with the frequency of my sessions and everything. I also didn't hit legs today because when I squat I keep my upper back and shoulders tight as hell, and I wanted to shy away from anything that could possibly put it in a compromising position today. I feel tomorrow I should be good to resume everything as scheduled. If so, I will be starting my log for the kit I received from LG Sciences tomorrow as well. I'll drop the link to that one in here when it's up. The Burn Extreme package left Chi-Town early yesterday morning so I'm hoping it'll be ready to pick up tomorrow, at the latest Monday.
 
HIT4ME said:
LOL, good, now that you see my point, I'm not sure if it's right or not - but it's worth thinking about. You look like you're doing pretty good on your own, so I hope this triggers something useful ....at the very least, it will allow you to justify a day off :)
Click to expand...

Lol you are right! A rest day was needed today! Thank you for the kind words, I too hope that this mentality will help me to train smarter while still training hard.
 
sparks2012 said:
Lol you are right! A rest day was needed today! Thank you for the kind words, I too hope that this mentality will help me to train smarter while still training hard.
Click to expand...

If you train smarter, you WILL train HARDER. Because you will be rested and able to give your all to each workout. A lot of times, when over trained, workouts become ineffective because you just can't give enough. Better, IMO, to just take a day off and come back when you can bust ass than to waste a workout at half speed.

Of course, maybe I'm just a bad influence. Maybe I just want to be the only one with abs on this board, and since I don't have them, I have to sabotage everyone else!
 
27AUG16

Legs:

BB Back Squats:
15 X Bar
12 X 135
10 X 135
7 X 225
5 X 225
3 X 285
3 X 285
1 X 305
1 X 305
Close Stance Squats - Stimulate Hip Activation, ATG:
3 X 225
3 X 225
3 X 225
Sumo Pulls - Slow Negs, Double Overhand, No Straps/Belt
8 X 135
5 X 225
3 X 315
2 X 335
1 X 355 - Smooth As F#*K, Grip Almost Lost It
0 X 375
Back Off Set(s) - RDL's @ 225:
10 X 225
10 X 225
Leg Press Machine - Low, Close Stance for Quad Emphasis:
30 X 190
30 X 260
30 X 350
20 X 440
Unilateral Leg Extensions SS w/ Unilateral Standing Hamstring Curls - Dropsets, 3 Drops Per Set:
15,9,8 X 100,60,40/10,10,10 X 120,80,60
13,12,12 X 130,90,60/4,6,8 X 140,110,80
Standing Calf Raises or "WADENSTRECKER" as the Machine Calls It:
20 X 85
15 X 115
12 X 145
10 X 175
8 X 205

Definitely had a good session after yesterday's rest. Trained fasted today, hence the lightheadedness after some of the "heavier" pulls. I'd like to point out that 95% of my squats have been a "close" stance for me, more like a shoulder width or OLY style stance, which is not to be confused with the actual close stance squats done later in the session where my feet had 6" or less between them with knees flaring out, but not tracking over the toes. Interestingly enough, the closer stance felt like I had more power to drive back up, and I really felt my lats cranking hard on those few sets especially while coming out of the hole (and it was deep!). I used to think that a wider stance is generally better for spreading force through a larger area and being able to push more, but being in a more compact position seems to help keep that "Spring" tension at the bottom and produce more force coming up. Either way, I think I did better with limiting total work on the bigger lifts as to not over-tax myself yet still yield results as I progressed a little heavier than last session. I still have a general focus on hypertrophy, so the workload may look like a lot for strength training but this balance is less work than I've been for a while. I also started my run with the LG Kit today. Obviously didn't notice anything right off the bat today, but I'm thinking that by 5 days in I could notice something. Although this is probably placebo, I noticed a slight increase in "gym aggression", or maybe overall motivation is a better desorption. About to take some starting pics and create the new thread. I'll drop it in here when it's ready.
 
Dude, you are certainly well trained and hard working! Respect.
 
28AUG16

Delts/Arms:

Face Pulls:
30 X 25kg
30 X 35kg
30 X 50kg
Seated DB OHP SS w/ Single Arm OH DB Tri Extensions:
15 X 40's/12 X 30
12 X 50's/12 X 30
8 X 60's/8 (+4 RP) X 30
2 X 70's - Failure/10 X 30 - Failure
Incline DB Curls SS w/ Seated DB Front Raises:
12 X 25's/15 X 20's
6 (+2 Partials) X 35's/12 X 25's
5 (+2 Partials) X 35's/10 X 30's
Skullcrushers - EZ Bar SS w/ 10lb Plate Seated Side Laterals - Constant Tension:
12 X 30kg/17 X 10's
10 X 35kg/16 X 10's
8 X 35kg - Failure/13 X 10's
Plate Loaded Shrugs SS w/ DB Cross Body Curls:
20 X 2 PPS/10 X 35's
20 X 2 PPS/8 X 40's
20 X 2 PPS/8 X 40's
Standing Behind The Neck Straight Bar OHP - Burnout SS w/ Straight Bar Tri Pushdowns:
16 X 30kg/20 X 30kg
15 X 30kg/15 X 42.5kg
10 X 30kg/8 X 57.5kg
Hammer Strength Machine Curls SS w/ Reverse Pec Deck:
18 X 50's/15 X 40
14 X 60's/10 X 55
10 X 70's/10 X 70
Seated Dip Machine Dropset - 240, 150, 50:
23/15/18

Good overall session today. Held back a bit on the delt training to re-assess the "injury". Nothing to note there except for everything felt pretty good today. I have to watch the angles of my upper arms and elbows carefully when I'm doing any kind of DB raise. Arms felt really pumped today. Excited to finally get this cycle rolling.
 
sparks2012 said:
28AUG16

Delts/Arms:

Face Pulls:
30 X 25kg
30 X 35kg
30 X 50kg
Seated DB OHP SS w/ Single Arm OH DB Tri Extensions:
15 X 40's/12 X 30
12 X 50's/12 X 30
8 X 60's/8 (+4 RP) X 30
2 X 70's - Failure/10 X 30 - Failure
Incline DB Curls SS w/ Seated DB Front Raises:
12 X 25's/15 X 20's
6 (+2 Partials) X 35's/12 X 25's
5 (+2 Partials) X 35's/10 X 30's
Skullcrushers - EZ Bar SS w/ 10lb Plate Seated Side Laterals - Constant Tension:
12 X 30kg/17 X 10's
10 X 35kg/16 X 10's
8 X 35kg - Failure/13 X 10's
Plate Loaded Shrugs SS w/ DB Cross Body Curls:
20 X 2 PPS/10 X 35's
20 X 2 PPS/8 X 40's
20 X 2 PPS/8 X 40's
Standing Behind The Neck Straight Bar OHP - Burnout SS w/ Straight Bar Tri Pushdowns:
16 X 30kg/20 X 30kg
15 X 30kg/15 X 42.5kg
10 X 30kg/8 X 57.5kg
Hammer Strength Machine Curls SS w/ Reverse Pec Deck:
18 X 50's/15 X 40
14 X 60's/10 X 55
10 X 70's/10 X 70
Seated Dip Machine Dropset - 240, 150, 50:
23/15/18

Good overall session today. Held back a bit on the delt training to re-assess the "injury". Nothing to note there except for everything felt pretty good today. I have to watch the angles of my upper arms and elbows carefully when I'm doing any kind of DB raise. Arms felt really pumped today. Excited to finally get this cycle rolling.
Click to expand...
sparks2012... I am waiting for you to CRUSH THIS SH1t!!!!!
 
29AUG16

Chest/Back:

Wide Neutral Grip Pulldowns SS w/ Decline BB Press:
20 X 80/20 X 135
15 X 140/12 X 205
12 X 200/4 X 255
10 X 210/8 X 215
Flat DB Press SS w/ DB Rows:
7 X 100's/10 ea. X 100
8 X 100's/10 ea. X 100
Dropset/-25% Row Weight AMRAP:
8 X 100's, 5 X 65's/19 ea. X 75
BB Bent Over Rows SS w/ Cable Flyes:
10 X 95/12 X 20kg - Med High Pos
12 X 95/12 X 20kg - High Pos
10 X 115/12 x20kg - High Pos
Row Dropset:
10 X 115, 8 X 95
Incline DB Hex Press SS w/ Chins:
18 X 35's/14 X BW
7 X 50's - Failure/12 X BW
10 X 40's - Failure/10 X BW


Great session, short amount of time in there and did work too. Posts in this thread won't be as detailed as normal, as I'm putting a lot of attention towards the LG stack I'm running so that log will have a lot more info on the workout and whatnot. This will be populated daily to account for training sessions, but for the next few weeks it'll be minimal compared to what I normally post up in here.
 
30AUG16

Legs:

BB Back Squat:
15 X Bar
10 X 135
7 X 225
4 X 225
Working Sets:
3 X 295
1 X 315
1 X 315
1 X 315
3 X 295
2 (+1 RP) X 295
Close Stance, Knee Flare BB Back Squat - ATG, Pauses:
3 X 245
3 X 245
2 (+1 RP) X 245
Sumo Pulls - Slow Neg:
5 X 135
5 X 225
3 X 315
2 X 365 - Sumo PR
0 X 385
3 X 315
3 X 315
Back Off Set(s) - RDL's AMRAP:
12 X 225
17 X 135 - Constant Tension
Leg Extensions SS w/ Standing Calf Raises:
20 X 150/15 X 145
15 X 200/15 X 145
Extensions Drop Set:
13 X 200, 21 X 100
Calf Raise Drop Set:
13 X 145/18 X 70


Strength is creeping back up, think I finally got the perfect amount of work going on for the squats and pulls. Felt great, everything was working smoothly.
 
Sorry for not posting much in here lately guys. Been kinda busy and the other log is getting most of my time on here. I'll throw up the past few days worth of sessions tomorrow with a brief synopsis of each. All I gotta say for now is that this run is going gooooood
 
31AUG16

Delts/Arms:

Seated DB OHP - Unsupported:
15 X 40's
12 X 40's
10 X 55's
4 X 70's
2.5 X 70's
10 X 50's
Underhand Cambered Bar Pushdown SS w/ Face Pulls - Cambered Bar:
20 X 25kg/20 X 35kg
15 X 35kg/17 X 50kg
15 X 50kg/15 X 65kg
10 X 65kg/10 X 80kg
DB Cross Body Curls SS w/ DB Standing Side Laterals:
12 X 35/15 X 25's
10 X 35/12 X 30's
10 X 35/10 X 30's
Incline Skullcrushers - EZ-Bar SS w/ Plate Front Raises:
20 X 15kg/15 X 45
18 X 25kg/12 X 45
12 X 35kg/12 X 45
10 X 35kg/10 X 45
9 X 35kg/9 X 45, 10 X 25
Spider Curls SS w/ DB Shrugs:
12 X 20kg/15 X 85's
10 X 25kg/12 X 100's
8 X 30kg/6 X 130's
16 X 15kg/12 X 70's
OH Rope Tri Extensions SS w/ Standing DB Arnold Press:
25 X 25kg/15 X 30's
18 X 35kg/8 X 35's
14 X 42.5kg/8 X 40's



02SEP16

Chest/Back:

Incline BB Press:
15 X 135
12 X 135
3 X 205
4 X 205
Close Neutral Grip Pulldowns:
20 X 110
10 X 170
8 X 200
6 X 200
T-Bar Rows SS w/ Decline BB Press:
15 X 50+Weight Of Bar/10 X 205
15 X 100+WoB/9 X 205
10 X 150+WoB/8 X 205
8 X 150+WoB/6 X 205
Incline DB Hex Press SS w/ Incline Bench DB Rows:
12 X 50's/10 X 90
9 X 65's/10 X 100
6 X 70's/6 X 110
Hammer Strength Plate Loaded Flat Press SS w/ Wide OH Grip Pull-ups:
12 X 2 PPS/12 X BW
5.5 X 3 PPS/15 X BW
3.5 X 3 PPS/9 X BW
Straight Arm Pulldowns SS w/ Incline Push-ups:
15 X 50kg/26 X BW
15 X 50kg/18 X BW, 6 X BW - Drop To Smaller Incline
15 X 50kg/15 X BW, 5 X BW - Small Incline To Big Incline
Hammer Strength Front Pulldown SS w/ Hammer Strength Flat Press:
12 X 70's/8 X 70's
12 X 70's/5 X 70's
Standing Calf Raises SS w/ Hanging Leg Raises:
20 X 100/20 X BW
15 X 160/20 X BW
9 X 220/20 X BW




03SEP16

Legs:

Sumo Pulls:
12 X 135
5 X 225
5 X 315
3 X 365
0 X 385
1.5 X 365 - Grip Failure
5 X 315
5 X 315
Sled Press:
20 X 4 PPS
15 X 6 PPS
10 X 8 PPS
13 X 6 PPS
11 X 4 PPS
Unilateral Leg Extensions SS w/ Seated Hamstring Curls:
17 X 80's/17 X 100
15 X 100's/15 X 140
13 X 120's/9.5 X 170
11 X 140's/9 X 170
12 X 90's/14 X 90
Hammer Strength V-Squat Machine - Feet Close, Far Forward, Mimic Hack Squats:
12 X 110
8 X 150
8 X 190
Standing Calf Raises - AMRAP X 160lbs
18 X 160
14 X 160
12 X 160
9 X 160





04SEP16

Delts/Arms:

Hammer Strength Shoulder OHP Machine SS w/ Side Lateral Machine:
20 X 60's/20 X 50
20 X 90's/20 X 60
10 X 120's/10 X 70
8 X 120's/8 X 70
Rope Face Pulls SS w/ Rope Pushdowns:
20 X 25kg/20 X 50kg
20 X 35kg/20 X 57.5kg
15 X 50kg/15 X 65kg
10 X 65kg/10 X 72.5kg
Hammer Strength Bicep Curl Machine SS w/ 45lb Plate Front Raise:
19 X 70's/15 X 45lb
15 X 70's/15 X 45lb
12 X 70's/15 X 45lb
11 X 70's/15 X 45lb
Rope Cross Body Curls SS w/ Cable Side Laterals:
15 X 15kg/10 X 10kg
12 X 25kg/12 X 10kg
10 X 30kg/12 X 10kg
V-Bar Pushdown SS w/ Reverse Pec Deck:
20 X 42.5kg/25 X 40
20 X 57.5kg/25 X 40
17 X 72.5/25 X 40
Single Arm Cable Curls SS w/ Underhand Cable Kickbacks
15 X 15kg/15 X 10kg
10 X 20kg/15 X 10kg
Burnout:
25 X 10kg/22 X 10kg - No Attachment Neutral Grip
 
Yes, I know that last post is terribly long. In short, these last few sessions have been great, even if there's a turn of events that leaves with less than "ample" time for a session that's structured to my liking. If you haven't been following my other log, I bumped my cals by 300-500/day as I felt I was lean enough to play with intake & macro breakdown without losing too much progress. I'm on day 3 of that so far and I'm still holding tight. Carb consumption for the weekend hasn't been a typical carb cycling protocol but it also hasn't been a free-for-all either. I'm staying under 180g which is a huge jump from where I was, but the increase in carbs has helped the way I feel and how I'm performing drastically. I think it comes down to carb intake and carb sources for me, so as long as I keep that aspect strict I think the increase in cals will overall be extremely helpful. So the PH run is going smooth, and I think it's starting to really kick in now. That combined with NI's Burn Extreme is kicking the fat right off me. At first, the Burn seemed almost too strong for me to dose. It has some goodies I've never used before so it shocked my system a bit but after the 2nd day I felt great on it. At first I was going to run it with cardio only but now I'm thinking one in the morning would be fine ED, as the extra focus boost it gives me would be awesome to have all the time. A couple update pics are attached:

Invalid Link RemovedInvalid Link Removed

Finally getting those peaks to grow. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
 
sparks2012 said:
31AUG16

Delts/Arms:

Seated DB OHP - Unsupported:
15 X 40's
12 X 40's
10 X 55's
4 X 70's
2.5 X 70's
10 X 50's
Underhand Cambered Bar Pushdown SS w/ Face Pulls - Cambered Bar:
20 X 25kg/20 X 35kg
15 X 35kg/17 X 50kg
15 X 50kg/15 X 65kg
10 X 65kg/10 X 80kg
DB Cross Body Curls SS w/ DB Standing Side Laterals:
12 X 35/15 X 25's
10 X 35/12 X 30's
10 X 35/10 X 30's
Incline Skullcrushers - EZ-Bar SS w/ Plate Front Raises:
20 X 15kg/15 X 45
18 X 25kg/12 X 45
12 X 35kg/12 X 45
10 X 35kg/10 X 45
9 X 35kg/9 X 45, 10 X 25
Spider Curls SS w/ DB Shrugs:
12 X 20kg/15 X 85's
10 X 25kg/12 X 100's
8 X 30kg/6 X 130's
16 X 15kg/12 X 70's
OH Rope Tri Extensions SS w/ Standing DB Arnold Press:
25 X 25kg/15 X 30's
18 X 35kg/8 X 35's
14 X 42.5kg/8 X 40's



02SEP16

Chest/Back:

Incline BB Press:
15 X 135
12 X 135
3 X 205
4 X 205
Close Neutral Grip Pulldowns:
20 X 110
10 X 170
8 X 200
6 X 200
T-Bar Rows SS w/ Decline BB Press:
15 X 50+Weight Of Bar/10 X 205
15 X 100+WoB/9 X 205
10 X 150+WoB/8 X 205
8 X 150+WoB/6 X 205
Incline DB Hex Press SS w/ Incline Bench DB Rows:
12 X 50's/10 X 90
9 X 65's/10 X 100
6 X 70's/6 X 110
Hammer Strength Plate Loaded Flat Press SS w/ Wide OH Grip Pull-ups:
12 X 2 PPS/12 X BW
5.5 X 3 PPS/15 X BW
3.5 X 3 PPS/9 X BW
Straight Arm Pulldowns SS w/ Incline Push-ups:
15 X 50kg/26 X BW
15 X 50kg/18 X BW, 6 X BW - Drop To Smaller Incline
15 X 50kg/15 X BW, 5 X BW - Small Incline To Big Incline
Hammer Strength Front Pulldown SS w/ Hammer Strength Flat Press:
12 X 70's/8 X 70's
12 X 70's/5 X 70's
Standing Calf Raises SS w/ Hanging Leg Raises:
20 X 100/20 X BW
15 X 160/20 X BW
9 X 220/20 X BW




03SEP16

Legs:

Sumo Pulls:
12 X 135
5 X 225
5 X 315
3 X 365
0 X 385
1.5 X 365 - Grip Failure
5 X 315
5 X 315
Sled Press:
20 X 4 PPS
15 X 6 PPS
10 X 8 PPS
13 X 6 PPS
11 X 4 PPS
Unilateral Leg Extensions SS w/ Seated Hamstring Curls:
17 X 80's/17 X 100
15 X 100's/15 X 140
13 X 120's/9.5 X 170
11 X 140's/9 X 170
12 X 90's/14 X 90
Hammer Strength V-Squat Machine - Feet Close, Far Forward, Mimic Hack Squats:
12 X 110
8 X 150
8 X 190
Standing Calf Raises - AMRAP X 160lbs
18 X 160
14 X 160
12 X 160
9 X 160





04SEP16

Delts/Arms:

Hammer Strength Shoulder OHP Machine SS w/ Side Lateral Machine:
20 X 60's/20 X 50
20 X 90's/20 X 60
10 X 120's/10 X 70
8 X 120's/8 X 70
Rope Face Pulls SS w/ Rope Pushdowns:
20 X 25kg/20 X 50kg
20 X 35kg/20 X 57.5kg
15 X 50kg/15 X 65kg
10 X 65kg/10 X 72.5kg
Hammer Strength Bicep Curl Machine SS w/ 45lb Plate Front Raise:
19 X 70's/15 X 45lb
15 X 70's/15 X 45lb
12 X 70's/15 X 45lb
11 X 70's/15 X 45lb
Rope Cross Body Curls SS w/ Cable Side Laterals:
15 X 15kg/10 X 10kg
12 X 25kg/12 X 10kg
10 X 30kg/12 X 10kg
V-Bar Pushdown SS w/ Reverse Pec Deck:
20 X 42.5kg/25 X 40
20 X 57.5kg/25 X 40
17 X 72.5/25 X 40
Single Arm Cable Curls SS w/ Underhand Cable Kickbacks
15 X 15kg/15 X 10kg
10 X 20kg/15 X 10kg
Burnout:
25 X 10kg/22 X 10kg - No Attachment Neutral Grip
Click to expand...

Holy crap!! I had to go back and read that, I thought it was one long ass workout until I saw the dates. Nice sessions though brother!!
 
D
sparks2012 said:
Yes, I know that last post is terribly long. In short, these last few sessions have been great, even if there's a turn of events that leaves with less than "ample" time for a session that's structured to my liking. If you haven't been following my other log, I bumped my cals by 300-500/day as I felt I was lean enough to play with intake & macro breakdown without losing too much progress. I'm on day 3 of that so far and I'm still holding tight. Carb consumption for the weekend hasn't been a typical carb cycling protocol but it also hasn't been a free-for-all either. I'm staying under 180g which is a huge jump from where I was, but the increase in carbs has helped the way I feel and how I'm performing drastically. I think it comes down to carb intake and carb sources for me, so as long as I keep that aspect strict I think the increase in cals will overall be extremely helpful. So the PH run is going smooth, and I think it's starting to really kick in now. That combined with NI's Burn Extreme is kicking the fat right off me. At first, the Burn seemed almost too strong for me to dose. It has some goodies I've never used before so it shocked my system a bit but after the 2nd day I felt great on it. At first I was going to run it with cardio only but now I'm thinking one in the morning would be fine ED, as the extra focus boost it gives me would be awesome to have all the time. A couple update pics are attached:

Invalid Link RemovedInvalid Link Removed

Finally getting those peaks to grow. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
Click to expand...
Damnit man! Lean as h3ll and looking strong.
 
I know your busy with the family, just wanted to let you know the AM family still had you and your family in our prayers and thoughts. Stay safe brother
 
FireTitan said:
I know your busy with the family, just wanted to let you know the AM family still had you and your family in our prayers and thoughts. Stay safe brother
Click to expand...

Thanks brother, you know that means a lot. I appreciate the support we've received vicariously through everyone who's chimed in.
 
Don't worry guys, this thread didn't die out. This past week has been incredibly stressful and busy. Some time in the next day or two I'll throw up the training logs since the last update as well as a summary of progression/regression. Thanks for being patient! Lol
 
sparks2012 said:
Don't worry guys, this thread didn't die out. This past week has been incredibly stressful and busy. Some time in the next day or two I'll throw up the training logs since the last update as well as a summary of progression/regression. Thanks for being patient! Lol
Click to expand...

Take your time brosef
 
sparks2012 said:
Yes, I know that last post is terribly long. In short, these last few sessions have been great, even if there's a turn of events that leaves with less than "ample" time for a session that's structured to my liking. If you haven't been following my other log, I bumped my cals by 300-500/day as I felt I was lean enough to play with intake & macro breakdown without losing too much progress. I'm on day 3 of that so far and I'm still holding tight. Carb consumption for the weekend hasn't been a typical carb cycling protocol but it also hasn't been a free-for-all either. I'm staying under 180g which is a huge jump from where I was, but the increase in carbs has helped the way I feel and how I'm performing drastically. I think it comes down to carb intake and carb sources for me, so as long as I keep that aspect strict I think the increase in cals will overall be extremely helpful. So the PH run is going smooth, and I think it's starting to really kick in now. That combined with NI's Burn Extreme is kicking the fat right off me. At first, the Burn seemed almost too strong for me to dose. It has some goodies I've never used before so it shocked my system a bit but after the 2nd day I felt great on it. At first I was going to run it with cardio only but now I'm thinking one in the morning would be fine ED, as the extra focus boost it gives me would be awesome to have all the time. A couple update pics are attached:

Invalid Link RemovedInvalid Link Removed

Finally getting those peaks to grow. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze.
Click to expand...

Just when I thought you couldn't get any more ripped or shredded.... :)
 
I'm still here guys. Things are starting to calm down a bit, and the andro kit is coming to and end so that log is almost over. I'll be populating this one more now, but now that I've let this get so far behind I probably won't be going back to the 4th of this month and adding in every workout since then. Instead, here is a brief synopsis of training triumphs and shortfalls from the past 3 weeks or so:

-Reworked squat form, having knee issues with going to parallel or just below parallel. Now going full ATG every rep, every set and am already hitting numbers I was hitting before the change in form. Overall feeling better and hoping to increase output that way.

-Pulls are done on leg days and done Sumo instead of conventional now. Felt I was largely neglecting hips and glutes, so this change has helped a lot.

-Included Trap bar deads for a different type of quad recruitment, I can use more weight than I can squat this way so hopefully that's overloading the quads a little bit.

-Upper body pressing movements are stronger and more stable than ever. Added roughly 20-30lbs to my working sets for bench and close to 50 for BB OHP, these numbers are exaggerated due to the andro kit as well.

-Diet, and physique has taken a hit since being back in the states for the issue with my FIL. That's the largest issue I have considering the progress I made while cutting hard. I should be able to bounce back in a couple weeks once we're back. Update pics soon to come.
 
sparks2012 said:
I'm still here guys. Things are starting to calm down a bit, and the andro kit is coming to and end so that log is almost over. I'll be populating this one more now, but now that I've let this get so far behind I probably won't be going back to the 4th of this month and adding in every workout since then. Instead, here is a brief synopsis of training triumphs and shortfalls from the past 3 weeks or so:

-Reworked squat form, having knee issues with going to parallel or just below parallel. Now going full ATG every rep, every set and am already hitting numbers I was hitting before the change in form. Overall feeling better and hoping to increase output that way.

-Pulls are done on leg days and done Sumo instead of conventional now. Felt I was largely neglecting hips and glutes, so this change has helped a lot.

-Included Trap bar deads for a different type of quad recruitment, I can use more weight than I can squat this way so hopefully that's overloading the quads a little bit.

-Upper body pressing movements are stronger and more stable than ever. Added roughly 20-30lbs to my working sets for bench and close to 50 for BB OHP, these numbers are exaggerated due to the andro kit as well.

-Diet, and physique has taken a hit since being back in the states for the issue with my FIL. That's the largest issue I have considering the progress I made while cutting hard. I should be able to bounce back in a couple weeks once we're back. Update pics soon to come.
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Good to see you homie, and glad its all slowing down. Great workout
 
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