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Sparkss journey to recovery

hairygrandpa said:
Most of us have a "girly arm", my left arm comes always 1-2 reps short, even though I train it harder. Right arm flexed: 17.6 inches, left arm: 17.2 inches.
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I know, and my strength matches what you would expect, except for it having been immobilized for almost a month and not used for almost 6 months after that. I had a weight restriction for my arm of like 5 lbs. That was what the screws that held my bicep in place were rated for. then it was 3 or more months for it to reattach itself to my bone (if I recall the amount of time). Then after that 6 month period (I remember they giving me the all clear @ 6 months, but also a warning to take it easy) I still favored my left arm over my right pretty much even since.
 
Sparkss said:
I know, and my strength matches what you would expect, except for it having been immobilized for almost a month and not used for almost 6 months after that. I had a weight restriction for my arm of like 5 lbs. That was what the screws that held my bicep in place were rated for. then it was 3 or more months for it to reattach itself to my bone (if I recall the amount of time). Then after that 6 month period (I remember they giving me the all clear @ 6 months, but also a warning to take it easy) I still favored my left arm over my right pretty much even since.
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After all that torture you endured, the size difference is amazingly small! Good work!
 
hairygrandpa said:
After all that torture you endured, the size difference is amazingly small! Good work!
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Taking into account the differences in your arms, I guess there really isn't any after affect on my arms, size wise, from the surgery. I always thought it was just me, but now I know differently :)
 
couple of quickee updates.

Nolva arrived today, so I am now ready for whatever. Since I am just going to be running epiandro it is like lining up a fire truck for a matchstick. But it just means I have plenty of PCT supplies for a new run, if/when. Still waiting on the Labor Day sale to stock up on a few OTC items.

I seriously had such a great workout today that I decided to ditch the whole "cardio every one day" and just go back to my regular routine. Since we all know weightlifting burns more calories overall than cardio, I can still meet my goals for the reunion. The only difference is that cardio does not jack up my appetite like lifting does. I ate soooo much today, it was unreal. it is weird that I can still see a slight outline of my abs but I am bloated (I have GOT to kill that visceral fat.. hopefully the epiandro will help with that). I woke up and weighed in at 170.4, around 3 PM I weighed again and was 177.4 (no kidding). I even stripped down to my skivvies to make sure I was not adding any clothing weight to it. And before you say I just needed to go to the bathroom, I had no less than 5 BMs today, 4 of which were "full sized". I lost track of how many times I peed. My metabolism was in overdrive. it was crazy. Even up to bed time I am still hungry. Here is what I ate today:

PWO + protein
Post shake
3 orders of salmon and avacado sushi (18 pieces each) *about 1 order an hour, spread across 3 hours
1 protein shake (think the scoop was 25 or 30 g protein)
3 large nectarines
1 small bowl of chips (I was really craving carbs) Tostitos Thin Cantina Style
1 small snack size box of raisins
2 medium chicken fingers (Publix deli)
1 Quest protein bar
1 nighttime shake

I felt like I ate more than that, it looks smaller when I write it down. I felt like I was constantly grazing today, never letting up for more than 30 minutes or so before diving into something else.

Yea, no wonder I have visceral fat, right? LOL

On top of the FD2.0 and AMax I took SlinSane before 2 of the sushi orders. The first one was within an hour of finishing my workout, so I didn't bother with a SlinSane :).
 
In regards to your diet:
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The only moderately bad bit was the chips (ok, and the raisins, not sure about the nectarines, but they were sooo good). Most of the rest of it was clean (not greasy) carbs and protein. So I don't feel terrible about it. But I did feel like I was a cow grazing LOL. Then to list it out it looks like so little, especially compared to some of the #s I see you guys putting up.

On the plus side, I would swear that I have a bit of an all over body pump going right now (I use agmatine in my night time shake, which I already took, a bit early since I am still up typing away :)).

EDIT: I guess the only thing I would say is I would feel a lot better about my intake today if I was already on a cycle of something. I worry that it is too much for my body to properly utilize natty. But I am loving the hunger lately, both in the gym and in the kitchen!
 
Sparkss said:
I wanted to post this pict in that FireTitan posted in another thread.



This is what I want (my body goals). He makes a regular shirt look like a fitted muscle shirt. Dude. I want to make every shirt I wear look good, not look for a shirt to make me look good. That is my goal!
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Bro!! That just made my incredibly sh1tty night at work go away! I Really appreciate that! I still think its just a good fitting shirt,period. But to be honest, you have a h3ll of a drive and I admire it. Your workouts are strong, especially considering what youre using, be proud! And FYI, Id love to have your mid section brother, Im about twice your size in the belly button region!! Keep pushin!
 
Robert5891 said:
Are you using agmatine as an NO2 extender or for its nutrient partitioning effects?
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almost exclusively for its nutrient partitioning.

The SlinSane product that I favor (for high carb meals) has it as its main ingredient, plus I read up on it and taking it before bed helps lean out a little. I add it to my nightime shake to ensure that all of those proteins make it into my muscles (And bypass my waistline).

I get my agmatine as a bulk powder, so it is not expensive at all to add it to my shake.

my PWO has 1g of it for its NO 2 effect, but I also springboard off of that by adding carbs and protein (oats and hydro whey) to my PWO to pre-load my muscles, with the help of that agmatine.
 
FireTitan said:
Bro!! That just made my incredibly sh1tty night at work go away! I Really appreciate that! I still think its just a good fitting shirt,period. But to be honest, you have a h3ll of a drive and I admire it. Your workouts are strong, especially considering what youre using, be proud! And FYI, Id love to have your mid section brother, Im about twice your size in the belly button region!! Keep pushin!
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I only wrote what came to mind when I saw your picture, my first reaction and thought, unfiltered. :)

I have a high metabolism (less so as I age, but still there). So I tend to fluctuate more rapidly than you might expect. My midsection is where most of it shows. I can see the top of my abs but my waist is looking "spare tire'ish" at the moment. Which with my small frame is much more obvious and looks worse imo than the same proportions on a larger framed person.

For example on my weight, yesterday morning I weighed in at 170.4, this morning it was 174.2. that is a huge swing, almost "unreal", but I can tell you those were the exact numbers (immediately upon waking, before eating/drinking anything, right after my morning "deposit"). I have seen it jump backwards by 2 or 3 lbs too, but not so much lately LOL.

Thanks for all of the compliments. I can't wait to see what halo does for you. You already look great, so it will likely make you look awesome! (maybe we can both turn out looking like sparks2012 ? :D).
 
Sparkss said:
I only wrote what came to mind when I saw your picture, my first reaction and thought, unfiltered. :)

I have a high metabolism (less so as I age, but still there). So I tend to fluctuate more rapidly than you might expect. My midsection is where most of it shows. I can see the top of my abs but my waist is looking "spare tire'ish" at the moment. Which with my small frame is much more obvious and looks worse imo than the same proportions on a larger framed person.

For example on my weight, yesterday morning I weighed in at 170.4, this morning it was 174.2. that is a huge swing, almost "unreal", but I can tell you those were the exact numbers (immediately upon waking, before eating/drinking anything, right after my morning "deposit"). I have seen it jump backwards by 2 or 3 lbs too, but not so much lately LOL.

Thanks for all of the compliments. I can't wait to see what halo does for you. You already look great, so it will likely make you look awesome! (maybe we can both turn out looking like sparks2012 ? :D).
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Sounds like a plan!!! Meet you there!
 
Robert5891 said:
How much are you dosing pre workout and how much before Ed for agmatine?
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pre workout is whatever is in the PWO, which is currently 1g. If I change PWOs to one w/o I will re-evaluate adding it in or not.

Before bed is 500mg. I read in a thread on here (somewhere) that was the general consensus for a good bed time dosage for restful sleep. I take ZMA + agmatine at bedtime (also taking one of my AlphaMax doses at bedtime, but that is just until this run is up, then if I recall I am supposed to take a break from it, I need to double check). But those combined, plus 500 mcg of melatonin make for a restful night (at least for me).
 
8/27 Back/Bis

1 arm DB Row........................... .....................50/20, 70*/15, 15, 15, 15
Bent Over UH BB Row........................... .....155*/15, 15, 15, 14
Landmines SS**.......................... ...................70/(5/10), (10,10), (10/12), (12,15)
..Superset
Back Hyper Extension..................... ...............20/25, 25, 25, 20
Concentration Curls......................... ..............25/15, 15, 12, 11
DB Hammer Holds**...................... ................25/(5/10), 20/(5/9), (5/7), (5/6)
Reverse Grip BB Curls...................................25/15, 15, 18, 18

* Max weight available
** 1 arm/2 arm super set

I basically copied last weeks back workout except I went up a little in volume and/or weight. I also moved the concentration curls ahead of the standing hammer hold curls only because I pushed myself so hard on the hyper extensions that I needed to sit down for my next exercise LOL.

In hindsight I also should not have super-setted the landmine with the hyper extensions, since 1. The landmines I do a super set of sorts within that exercise but mainly 2. Because the landmines (especially the single arm ones) uses the lower back stabilizers a lot. So super setting that plus the hyper extensions was putting a ton of strain on my lower back and my lower back fatigue was impacting my landmines exercise.

Nothing else to report except that I noticed an increase in grip strength today. I was not rushing to finish the DB row reps (since my grip usually fatigues before my back does). I also had a fair amount of energy overall. I took CU again (Kiwi still) with 1/2 scoop whey isolate (bulk/unflavored) and 1/2 scoop hydro whey (also bulk/unflavored) and 2 heaping tbs of oats. This combination seems to be the sweet spot for PWO for me so far. I also took 2 hydro3 (from the samples I received) + 5 Epiq (phosphatidic acid) just prior to hitting the weights (or at least that was the plan :)). Although timing was off today since it is the weekend and the family was home, so there were some delays between PWO consumption and start time. But nothing that couldn't be overcome.
 
Ok, guess I am due for some progress picts (versus the pictures of just my injuries LOL)

For comparison, here are two from 5/20/2016

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Here are some from today (taken by my wife, hence the better picture quality :))

In this one you can see the flab hanging over the side of my pants waistband. Even though you can (barely in the picture) make out my ab definition, that flab is still there.

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Here are some additional photos from today

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I can't do the same pose for my surgery side due to shoulder ROM limitations, so here is that arm, flexed at my side

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You could see my midsection excess in the earlier photo, but I purposefully had one take in the most unflattering angle to show the back/flank roll that drives me absolutely nuts.

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I can only see minor differences myself in the pictures. But if I go back even further, to one I took in January (of this year) there is a pretty big difference.

Side by side with one from today. (Left is Feb, Right is today)

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EDIT: I changed it for a picture taken in Feb. It was right after working out (yea, that was all I had, even with a post-workout pump going :)). It is less of a contrast than the Jan picture, but it was framed such that I could almost match today's picture for pose and positioning.
 
Dude how do you not see progress?! You look leaner, and bigger than I thought. Lol don't worry too much about the flank/roll on the back, having shredded erectors and whatever the area is considered at back of the obliques and start of lower lats/erectors is hard for even more experienced lifters...you've made more than leaps and bounds in your progress.
 
Sparkss said:
I can only see minor differences myself in the pictures. But if I go back even further, to one I took in January (of this year) there is a pretty big difference.

Side by side with one from today. (Left is Feb, Right is today)

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EDIT: I changed it for a picture taken in Feb. It was right after working out (yea, that was all I had, even with a post-workout pump going :)). It is less of a contrast than the Jan picture, but it was framed such that I could almost match today's picture for pose and positioning.
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Incredible transformation bro! Be proud and just keep truckin!! Ill be glad when my before and after are THAT much different
 
hairygrandpa said:
LOL!

The last set of pics shows a awesome difference! You are killing it!
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sparks2012 said:
Dude how do you not see progress?! You look leaner, and bigger than I thought. Lol don't worry too much about the flank/roll on the back, having shredded erectors and whatever the area is considered at back of the obliques and start of lower lats/erectors is hard for even more experienced lifters...you've made more than leaps and bounds in your progress.
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FireTitan said:
Incredible transformation bro! Be proud and just keep truckin!! Ill be glad when my before and after are THAT much different
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BEAST73 said:
Awesome Progress!! Sparkss
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Thanks to everyone for the wonderful words of encouragement. Those before/after picts were taken 6 months apart, so not like I did it overnight. I will start my very first PH run in just over a week. I am hoping to continue that progress, same intensity, same determination, but now bolstered by the Epidrone.

On that note I did receive notification that the Epidrone shipment has shipped. So I should have that in hand next week.

Thanks again for all of the kind words.
 
Sparkss said:
Thanks to everyone for the wonderful words of encouragement. Those before/after picts were taken 6 months apart, so not like I did it overnight. I will start my very first PH run in just over a week. I am hoping to continue that progress, same intensity, same determination, but now bolstered by the Epidrone.

On that note I did receive notification that the Epidrone shipment has shipped. So I should have that in hard next week.

Thanks again for all of the kind words.
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The Epidrone is going to help you smoke this homie!
 
8/28 Rest day

Today will be an unplanned rest day. I will push the chest workout to tomorrow (which was originally going to be my planned rest day). I slept much later than normal (a full hour longer than usual), and more sore than normal. Which tells me that while I love the workout intensity, my body (or at least parts of it) are not yet fully on board with it all. :). So taking a queue from my body I am taking a rest day. Tomorrow will be a new day and I plan to hit it with renewed energy.
 
Sparkss said:
8/28 Rest day

Today will be an unplanned rest day. I will push the chest workout to tomorrow (which was originally going to be my planned rest day). I slept much later than normal (a full hour longer than usual), and more sore than normal. Which tells me that while I love the workout intensity, my body (or at least parts of it) are not yet fully on board with it all. :). So taking a queue from my body I am taking a rest day. Tomorrow will be a new day and I plan to hit it with renewed energy.
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Enjoy the day bro
 
Always smart to listen to your body. I hate taking rest days, but know I need to for the overall good, haha!

Sparkss are you following a certain program?
 
Robert5891 said:
Always smart to listen to your body. I hate taking rest days, but know I need to for the overall good, haha!

Sparkss are you following a certain program?
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not yet. Been thinking about PHAT. but for right now I am taking pages out of the various program's playbooks as they fit into my home gym and shoulder ROM restrictions. I do alternate between high volume/lower weights and heavy weights/lower reps in my routine. I usually make the switch from one workout style to the other when the current style feels "stale". Like my recent shift to slightly lower weight in favor of higher volume. Sometimes the shift is due to time and schedule. I can bang out the low reps/high weights quicker than the high volume sets. But mainly I just listen to my body and adjust accordingly.
 
Doing some post weekend catch up, you look great in those comparison photos dude! Really great transfo!
 
lifted67 said:
Doing some post weekend catch up, you look great in those comparison photos dude! Really great transfo!
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Thanks!

Those are basically before/after for the ABE run. Once I added ABE to my supps my progress really seemed to take off. ABE + Epic TD was an awesome run that would do again in a heartbeat. FD 2.0 + AlphaMax has been somewhat lackluster in comparison, at least body comp wise.

Considering that transfo was 100% natty (and at my age) I am excited to see what some PHs can bring to the table (and my results). :)
 
Dude I'm excited to see where you'll go from here, age ain't gonna hold you down at all my friend!
 
PHAT would be interesting to see given the equipment set up you have. I like the idea of PHAT, just not sure how i'd structure based on the set up I have at home.

Currently this is what my training schedule is:

M - Chest/Shoulder/Tri
Tu - Plyos and agility drills
W - Back/Bis
Th - active recovery
F - Legs
Sat - Misc upper body work
Sun - Rest

I'm typically more of a high volume fan doing 20-24 sets per workout and typically stay in the 8-15 rep range, unless I'm doing bodyweight moves like plyos or push up variations, then it's max reps.

But I've been stuck in somewhat of the paralysis by analysis bit lately and keep wanting to change up the workout every couple of weeks....
 
lifted67 said:
Dude I'm excited to see where you'll go from here, age ain't gonna hold you down at all my friend!
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You and me both. Sometimes age is just a number, especially with regards to perception, attitude, drive and commitment and what not. There are many aspects that are truly "decisions" we make. Unfortunately sometimes age is something more. I know that I do not recover as fast as I used to and injure easier. I also have less hair than when I was younger. Those are things I can only exert a limited control over. My decision is to not let those get me down and/or hold me back. I chose to push through regardless of any limitations. :)

I can't get away from the fact that I am aging, but I can chose to embrace it, be aware of it, and to move forward despite of it :D.
 
Robert5891 said:
PHAT would be interesting to see given the equipment set up you have. I like the idea of PHAT, just not sure how i'd structure based on the set up I have at home.

Currently this is what my training schedule is:

M - Chest/Shoulder/Tri
Tu - Plyos and agility drills
W - Back/Bis
Th - active recovery
F - Legs
Sat - Misc upper body work
Sun - Rest

I'm typically more of a high volume fan doing 20-24 sets per workout and typically stay in the 8-15 rep range, unless I'm doing bodyweight moves like plyos or push up variations, then it's max reps.

But I've been stuck in somewhat of the paralysis by analysis bit lately and keep wanting to change up the workout every couple of weeks....
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Looks like a nice split on your workouts. What exercises do you do during your active recovery day?
 
Ever thought about making giant sets out of your push workouts? For example, cycling through chest->shoulder->tri exercise then repeating that sequence 3-4 times and moving onto another giant set?

Wonder how that'd work for hypertrophy?
 
lifted67 said:
Need to add younger women, BJs, red meat and.... Lol ok I'll stop now
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Robert5891 said:
Some how I don't think the wife would approve of one of those options, hahaha!
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lifted67 said:
Yeah mine sure didn't...
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LOL. Looks like we are all in the same boat there !!! Although I do see the logic in your suggestions. Those would definitely increase my ability and mobiiltiy, I would be getting lots of practice bobbing and weaving so that the wife couldn't draw a bead on me for a clean shot :D
 
8/29 Chest/Tris

Incline Bench Press......................... .......30/20, 40/12, 11, 11, 10
Flat Bench Press......................... ...........40/14, 12, 12, 12
Decline Bench Press......................... ......40/12, 12, 12, 11
Cavaliere Crossover..................... ..........60/14, 12, 12, 12
Incline DB Pullover...................... ...........40/15, 15, 15, 14
Lying DB Triceps Extension....................15/10, 8, 8
Planks......................................................50, 38, 30, 30 (seconds hold)

I did all of the presses with the same motion as the flat bench last week, starting with a 45 degree grip and rotating at the top to have my palms facing together and the weights almost touching, and squeeze at the top. It made me have to lower the weights/volume a little, but the affect was intense. When I came out from under the weights on the incline press the sensation was the same as I felt when taking off BFR bands after a set (of arms or calves). I felt this rush of cool across my chest. It was a little less obvious on the decline presses and almost imperceptible on the flat bench press, although I could feel it a little.

I added in planks today. I used to do those every other workout, until a couple of months ago (I got lazy). I decided to add those back in today (it was over due).
 
Sparkss said:
8/29 Chest/Tris

Incline Bench Press......................... .......30/20, 40/12, 11, 11, 10
Flat Bench Press......................... ...........40/14, 12, 12, 12
Decline Bench Press......................... ......40/12, 12, 12, 11
Cavaliere Crossover..................... ..........60/14, 12, 12, 12
Incline DB Pullover...................... ...........40/15, 15, 15, 14
Lying DB Triceps Extension....................15/10, 8, 8
Planks......................................................50, 38, 30, 30 (seconds hold)

I did all of the presses with the same motion as the flat bench last week, starting with a 45 degree grip and rotating at the top to have my palms facing together and the weights almost touching, and squeeze at the top. It made me have to lower the weights/volume a little, but the affect was intense. When I came out from under the weights on the incline press the sensation was the same as I felt when taking off BFR bands after a set (of arms or calves). I felt this rush of cool across my chest. It was a little less obvious on the decline presses and almost imperceptible on the flat bench press, although I could feel it a little.

I added in planks today. I used to do those every other workout, until a couple of months ago (I got lazy). I decided to add those back in today (it was over due).
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I almost always do my chest presses that way. It's really the only way I can feel my chest actually working on DB presses, flat, incline, or otherwise. It was the most frustrating thing never really feeling presses in my chest, but more in my bicep and shoulders. I tend to stick with pushups and their variants as my primary method of working chest. the mind-muscle connection is much stronger for me, I find at least.
 
lifted67 said:
Need to add younger women, BJs, red meat and.... Lol ok I'll stop now
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Robert5891 said:
Some how I don't think the wife would approve of one of those options, hahaha!
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lifted67 said:
Yeah mine sure didn't...
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Robert5891 said:
I almost always do my chest presses that way. It's really the only way I can feel my chest actually working on DB presses, flat, incline, or otherwise. It was the most frustrating thing never really feeling presses in my chest, but more in my bicep and shoulders. I tend to stick with pushups and their variants as my primary method of working chest. the mind-muscle connection is much stronger for me, I find at least.
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I occasionally will finish with declined pushups (feet up on a bench, hands on the floor). I always felt it really recruited the most fibers at the end of my workout to really drive it home. (when I have the time and/or gas to add them in, that is :)).
 
Sparkss said:
I occasionally will finish with declined pushups (feet up on a bench, hands on the floor). I always felt it really recruited the most fibers at the end of my workout to really drive it home. (when I have the time and/or gas to add them in, that is :)).
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Love elevated push ups, doing them 3:1:1, slow down until kissing floor, explosive up. I miss them since the shoulder injury :(
 
Robert5891 said:
Don't uou train primarily with bodyweight training hairygrandpa ?

Suggestions for creating a hypertrophy routine that's predominantly bodyweight based?
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Yes, BW exercises make up 50-60% of my routines:
I'm flattered that you ask me, LOL

I noted growth when I decided to do Back/Chest days twice a week plus one arm-day.
My perception is, that rest pause sets are the way to go, also doing all sets to failure.
3 sets of every exercise, each set is followed by a rest pause set (10 sec pause).

Chest:
Push -ups elevated w. handles (to make distance to floor) 3:1:1, because if going quick, too much reps possible
Dips (diff. variations)
-DB press reverse grip
-cables

Back:
Inverted rows (with one arm if advanced), holding 1-2 sec on top
Pull ups / chin ups
-Lat pull down
-seated row

Shoulders
-all with DB's
Seth feroce style :
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Also doing shrugs the way he does:
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ABS
Planking
Roman chair
Crunches

Legs
Cant do much, knees are bad...
Lounges on one leg, the other resting at bench
-leg extensions
-leg curls

I was doing Chin- or Pull ups twice a week, it will blow up your arms nicely, especially chins.
I love to super set too. The day I do push-ups I don't do dips.

Hope this helped.
 
hairygrandpa said:
ABS
Planking
Roman chair
Crunches
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sparks2012 said:
having shredded erectors and whatever the area is considered at back of the obliques and start of lower lats/erectors is hard for even more experienced lifters
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I don't do crunches, but not for the reasons you may think. I know I can probably maintain a low teens BF% relatively easily with my metabolism (unless it totally goes on strike). I am talking many years from now. Developed abs look great when you have low BF. But put on just a slight layer of fat and those abs only make you look fatter than you really are. I used to do crunches, but since the surgery I only do planks now.

abdominus rectus grow outward as you exercise and train them (crunches, etc)
transverse abdominis grow inward as you train them (planks)

The transverse abdominis has been called Mother Nature's Belt because if you tighten and strengthen it your waist will appear thinner (like when you hold your breath, but your muscles will be doing it for you, no breath required).

I think that I have the definition that I do around my abs and obliques because I predominately use DBs and unilateral movements. That forces my core to become involved in most of the exercises that I perform. Well, at least that is my theory :)
 
Sparkss said:
I don't do crunches, but not for the reasons you may think. I know I can probably maintain a low teens BF% relatively easily with my metabolism (unless it totally goes on strike). I am talking many years from now. Developed abs look great when you have low BF. But put on just a slight layer of fat and those abs only make you look fatter than you really are. I used to do crunches, but since the surgery I only do planks now.

abdominus rectus grow outward as you exercise and train them (crunches, etc)
transverse abdominis grow inward as you train them (planks)

The transverse abdominis has been called Mother Nature's Belt because if you tighten and strengthen it your waist will appear thinner (like when you hold your breath, but your muscles will be doing it for you, no breath required).

I think that I have the definition that I do around my abs and obliques because I predominately use DBs and unilateral movements. That forces my core to become involved in most of the exercises that I perform. Well, at least that is my theory :)
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Ah, good explanation on abs exercises, will do less crunches and do more planking instead. Whoever invented planking should be executed, damn exercise from hell!
Tried vacuums too but do it now at home, as it gives me bowel movements.
 
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