breezy's training, supplementation, and food log

gokix811 said:
Crazy conditioning on that guy! Too bad about the pics. You need someone to go and take pics of you!
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Yeah, he's all ripped up. I'll try to make someone show up next time.





I had a great back session this morning. I'm still being cautious and avoiding certain exercises, but that hasn't prevented me from having effective workouts.


Pull-Ups
3 sets wide pronated
3 sets wide neutral




Prone Cable Rows
3 sets upper back
2 sets mid back
2 sets lower back

All of the new equipment at my gym has sparked my creativity lately and inspired new exercises and/or variations. I currently have about 50 things that I'd like to try in the next couple months. Theses rows were just awesome. I worked 3 different angles and destroyed every inch of my back, from top to bottom. This is probably my new favorite way to target upper back and I'll continue using all the angles going forward.

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Here's a video showing the 3 rowing angles used, targeting each part of my back:

[video=youtube_share;uxeAr0YRzXI]http://youtu.be/uxeAr0YRzXI[/video]





HS MTS Low Row
3 sets of 10

-supinated grip

-same idea as plate loaded machine (bending over to pick up plates could be an issue, so these machines are a great option)




DB Pullovers
2 sets of 12

-performing these wasn't an issue, but I chose to slide off the bench, instead of bending forward to get up and possible aggravating my lower back




Stretchers
3 sets of 10




HS MTS High Row
2 sets both arms at once: pumping style
2 sets single arm: hard 2 second flex

-pronated grip
 
Really liked that rowing combination. That TUT. :cool:

Have you tried any self-myofascial release on glutes at all for your back? Hope it gets better man, can't have cyborg Breezy not killing things. ;)
 
Distilled Water said:
Dallas next year, GF got us both for pics!
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Sounds like a plan, homie.

wasme said:
The is a helluva work out for someone with a back problem. Gotta like new equipment!
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Plenty of volume, but nothing too "big" or "heavy". It goes along with my plan for the next few weeks anyways. After going hard all prep, sessions will be more pumping style and higher volume, while my calories climb. I'll finally have a few off days too. :)


bolt10 said:
Really liked that rowing combination. That TUT. :cool:

Have you tried any self-myofascial release on glutes at all for your back? Hope it gets better man, can't have cyborg Breezy not killing things. ;)
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Thanks man, trying to get the most out of every rep :thumbsup:. The contraction with these was awesome and I'll definitely keep them in the rotation. I thought about trying different bar attachments, but the single handles couldn't have worked any better.

I haven't, but will look into it when I get home tonight. It's been improving and hopefully will be good by the end of the week. Haha yup, that's the last thing I want.
 
wasme said:
What is your plan for days off? It seemed during prep you weren't taking many rest days at all. (1 per week or so?)
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I don't have anything set in stone, but will probably train 5 days per week for now (if I can force myself to take 2 days off). That's because I literally didn't have any. 7 days per week all prep and didn't miss a single session. That's why I hardly did any cardio as well. Meadows style.
 
I trained legs this morning. I was ready to hit arms if my back couldn't handle it, but everything that I attempted went smoothly. Reps were on the higher end and the weight used was pretty light. That said, the session was still brutal.


HS Kneeling Leg curl
6 sets of 12-15 reps



Banded Hack Squats
machine x25
bands x25
50 + bands x20 + 10 count isotension
90 + bands x20 + 10 count isotension
90 + bands x17 + 10 count isotension + bands x5 + 7 count rest (lockout) + bands x 4

-constant tension

-heels close together, toes pointed out on block, driving with balls of feet (until final band only reps)

-4th set band only: 5 second eccentric, pause in hole, explosive concentric to 3/4 lockout


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Here's the big finale. This was torture and I haven't been able to think straight since. Loved it though.

[video=youtube_share;u-Yil00frgE]http://youtu.be/u-Yil00frgE[/video]





Sissy Squat (stand)
3 sets of 8 reps

-5 second eccentric

-arms out / leaning back

IMG_20130321_165142.jpg
 
Smith Lunges
2 sets of 8 reps
2 sets of 6 reps

-50lbs on bar

-very slow and controlled, focusing on the stretch

performed similar to what is shown in the below video:

[video=youtube_share;fiysDfA_sZg]http://youtu.be/fiysDfA_sZg[/video]




Occluded Leg Extensions
25, 15, 15, 15
 
wasme said:
Nice workout Breezy. I really wanna try Occluded Leg Extensions. Where do you wrap them?
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Thanks, wasme. You should give it a shot.

Here's how to wrap for leg work:

[video=youtube;vhsKki1tZU4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhsKki1tZU4&list=PLNAUreWTt_ShX51sm1DEoKyt 9aVXVHOnJ&feature=share[/video]
 
Here's an example of how you could do extensions:

[video=youtube;0YVfbb5iEVI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YVfbb5iEVI&list=PLNAUreWTt_ShX51sm1DEoKyt 9aVXVHOnJ&feature=share&index=1[/video]
 
Chest and shoulders this afternoon.


HS MTS Incline Press
-8 total sets
-working up with sets of 10 until I couldn't get 10
-chest arched/big stretch/quick flex



Band Chest Contractions / Fat Bar Incline Bench Press / Band Over and Backs
15 / 8 / 10

-bench: constant tension / worked up with sets of 8 until failing to get 8 / think I did 7 total sets, stopping at 245x6



Incline Neutral Grip DB Press
-3 sets of 10
-slight incline
-constant tension


Banded Machine Flyes
-2 sets of 20
-chest arched/big stretch/hard flex




Banded Rear Delt Machine Flyes
-5 sets of 15
-2 second flex
-30-40 seconds rest


These are amazing. Flexing in the contracted position against the added tension of the bands lit up my rear delts. I moved the bands a little further down on the outside handles and had my arms come over the top, holding the inside handles. Can't believe I hadn't tried this before.

Invalid Link Removed



Banded Cage Press
-4 sets of 8
-didn't reset between reps: lowered to chin level, just above pins


6 ways / Spidercrawls
-3 sets of 10 / failure




And some amazingly delicious post-workout protein pancakes. :)

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Breezy those pancakes look great. Just got my Strawberry cheesecake OEP and O would love to steal that recipe if you don't mind, for my first taste
 
How big is that plate?! Lol. Pancakes look bomb. Going to make some myself tonight!
 
kbayne said:
How big is that plate?! Lol. Pancakes look bomb. Going to make some myself tonight!
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I was wondering the exact same thing lol. I believe it's a Peterbuilt hubcap though...Not a plate :P
 
Banded rear delt flys... Man, I learn a lot from you...
 
gokix811 said:
Matt, you need a bigger plate. :-) Haven't tried that flavor yet.
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They're the biggest ones I could find; picked up 4 of them :). It's delicious (easily my favorite strawberry protein that I've tried), but Vanilla and Banana are probably my favorites.

Driven2lift said:
Breezy those pancakes look great. Just got my Strawberry cheesecake OEP and O would love to steal that recipe if you don't mind, for my first taste
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Nice man. Let me know what you think. There's nothing fancy about these. It's actually just pancake mix, protein, and water. An old Matt Porter food prep video popped up on Facebook last night, which reminded me that I've had an unopened box of Krusteaz low fat pancake mix sitting in my cabinet (he used it during first half of prep). I can't remember the last time I used a mix, but it was great.

batter:
2 cups pancake mix
1 1/3 scoops OEProtein
1 3/4 cups water

glaze:
2/3 scoop OEProtein
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

WF pancake syrup on top

I wanted 150-175g carbs and it turns out 160g worth of mix (2cups) makes a lot of pancake.





kbayne said:
How big is that plate?! Lol. Pancakes look bomb. Going to make some myself tonight!
Click to expand...


Montego1 said:
I was wondering the exact same thing lol. I believe it's a Peterbuilt hubcap though...Not a plate :P
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Lol it's huge. The bottom couple pancakes have a bigger circumference than the tub of protein (maybe by ~2"), which gives somewhat of an idea how big the plate is.


pancake pyramid. :)

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Those pancakes look awesome. I know some pancake mixes say to put in eggs and oil. So you don't use either of those?
 
I had a solid back pumping session this morning. My back is still improving a little each day, and I hope to add some "heavier" lifts next week. I'm missing Meadows Rows, One-Arm BB Rows, Deads, and Rack Pulls.


Inverted Fat Bar Band Rows (?)
3 sets flat
3 sets decline

-pulling towards chest (mid and just below) and flexing entire back as hard as possible

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-Here's a set at each angle. These don't look like much, but can provide a ridiculous lat pump. You can zero in on different areas, depending on the bench/pulling angle and grip width used.

[video=youtube_share;WdeJCb2Y4gI]http://youtu.be/WdeJCb2Y4gI[/video]





Elevated Rack Rows (slight incline)
4 sets of 10-12 reps

Invalid Link Removed

[video=youtube_share;2bixOjixWrc]http://youtu.be/2bixOjixWrc[/video]
Edit: You can now add multiple videos to the same post. :thumbsup:




Neutral Grip Banded High Rows
2 sets mid back
2 sets upper back/mid traps

-I attached a neutral grip bar(s)/bands to the top of a rack for a couple rowing variations.

-The first 2 sets were done sitting on a flat bench, leaning back slightly with my chest arched, and rowing to just below my chest with a hard flex.

-The second 2 sets were done sitting back on an incline bench, and rowing to my upper chest (very slow and controlled) with a hard flex. These smoked my upper back/mid traps. I switched to a straight neutral grip bar, which I preferred.

-My phone died while trying to record a set


Invalid Link Removed





Standing Cable Shrugs
4 sets of 10

-3 second flex at the top

-I set the cables to the lowest setting on the same dual cable tower that I used for the prone rows last back session (love this setup and have a ton of stuff that I'm planning on using it for). I'd thought about doing these at an incline, but my mid traps were already beat up from the previous exercise. If you have access to this setup or one similar, I highly recommend trying these, as it was incredibly easy to isolate my traps (which can be hard for some) and the pump was ridiculous.

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HS MTS High Rows
4 sets of 10
 
pete8407 said:
Those pancakes look awesome. I know some pancake mixes say to put in eggs and oil. So you don't use either of those?
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Yeah, they were. Nope, it says to only add water.
 
wasme said:
Those inverted rows with bands look great. Will try those out.


Glad to hear the back is improving daily!
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They're solid. Let me know how it goes.

Thanks. I was able to do some stuff today that I couldn't last week, and hope to be BB squatting and doing deads pretty soon.




Lying Leg Curls
2 warm-up sets of 15
6 sets of 10 working up

-very strict form with a hard flex



Lying Leg Press
2 warm up sets of 15
5 sets of 12 working up

-frog stance mid platform (where angle changes)

-constant tension

-quad stretching between sets after the 2nd set (once legs were fully pumped)

-failed trying to get in this thing last leg session

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Banded 1.75 Smith Squats
4 sets of 8

-feet out in front of bar path / narrow stance

-dropping below parallel, coming up to just shy of lockout, dropping deep with a 5 second eccentric, pausing at the bottom for 2 seconds, exploding to lockout = 1 rep

-quad stretching between sets

-this was torture (but my back was fine)

Invalid Link Removed




Leg Extensions / DB Squats
3 sets of 8/10

-extensions: explosive concentric with a 2 second flex at top / not letting weight bottom out during eccentric

-db squats: constant tension

-quad stretching between sets




Occluded Seated Leg Curls
20, 15, 15, 15


-quad and ham stretching to end the session







Here's a meal from today. Carbs are in every meal now.


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*free range omega eggs, egg whites, spinach, Ezekiel English muffins, sliced chicken breast, chili garlic sauce, cracked black pepper, coconut oil
 
I was working on finding some competition photos from the Cutler (found and emailed multiple photographers) and came across one site with a bunch posted (none of me). This is a pretty good example of the high level of competition at regional shows here (Masters and HW). I don't know if any of these guys placed, but they all came in looking awesome.

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When I met up with Kleen to go see the Phil Heath here in Houston, their masters division looked like basically they took the best out of the lot and put them together lol. That's how you know hard work pays off.
 
Montego1 said:
When I met up with Kleen to go see the Phil Heath here in Houston, their masters division looked like basically they took the best out of the lot and put them together lol. That's how you know hard work pays off.
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Yeah, I was impressed with the level of competition in every category, but especially some of the masters. I've seen some older competitors that were clearly on the decline, but these guys looked like they're still making progress, which is pretty inspiring. I'll be able to enter the class in a couple more years. :eek:





Awesome chest/shoulder session this afternoon. My back felt great and I'm starting to crank up the intensity. Good timing, as my calories are back up in a range where I can begin to add some size.


Slight Incline DB Press
50x10
60x10
70x8
80x8
90x8
100x8
110x8
115x6

-25lb plates under flat bench for slight incline

-constant tension with slow eccentric and big stretch

-worked up with sets of 8 until I couldn't get 8 without breaking form




Banded Incline Smith Press
95+bands x20, 10 count, 95+bands x15, 10sec isotension (wide grip)
135+bands x15, 10 count, 135+bands x10, 10sec isotension (wide-mid grip)
185+bands x12, 10 count, 185+bands x8, 10sec isotension (mid grip)
225+bands x6, 10 count, 225+bands x3 (close-mid grip), 10 count, 135+bands x12, 10sec isotension (super-wide grip)

-constant tension (lockout/rack during 10 count rest periods)






Incline DB Flye-Press / Strict DB Flyes / Band Over and Backs
60x10 / 20x10 / 10
55x10 / 20x10 / 10
55x10 / 20x10 / 10

-~22 degree incline




Banded Rear Delt Machine Flyes
100+bands x8 +12 partials + 10sec isotentension
100+bands x8 +12 partials + 10sec isotentension
100+bands x8 +12 partials + 10sec isotentension
100+bands x8 +12 partials + 10sec isotentension

-slow and controlled

-2sec flex on initial 8 reps




Cable 10 and 2 O'Clock Laterals
10 + 20 swings
10 + 20 swings
10 + 20 swings
10 + 20 swings

-laterals: I used the same dual pulley tower I've been using lately. I stood facing away from the tower a couple feet in front of it with the cables crossed, pulling up and out from behind my back

-swings: I stepped back in line with the base of the tower and performed partial swings. Starting the motion from slightly behind my back involved some rear delts as well.

-both were awesome




Seated Cable Shoulder Press
8
8
8
8

-slow eccentric / explosive concentric to lockout

-I put a back supported bench in the middle of the same tower. These were great as well and a definite keeper.
 
pete8407 said:
115 on DB press is awesome man! I like how the swings you did started from behind you instead of the side.
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Thanks man. I honestly don't put much focus on the weights used for the majority of exercises done. I'm trying to build muscle..."heavy" is relative and muscle knows tension. Yeah, I've always done the same with standing machine laterals and swings for the same effect. It works out great.
 
breezy11 said:
Thanks man. I honestly don't put much focus on the weights used for the majority of exercises done. I'm trying to build muscle..."heavy" is relative and muscle knows tension. Yeah, I've always done the same with standing machine laterals and swings for the same effect. It works out great.
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Don't let Branch Warren hear you say that :)
 
I hit back this morning. I was considering adding in some Meadows rows or a deadlift variation, but decided to play it safe and wait a little longer. My session was awesome regardless.



Wide-Grip Pull-Ups
4 sets of 8

-chest arched / slow and controlled




Banded HS Low Row
4 sets of 8R/8L + 4R/4L

-1st 8 reps: pumping motion

-last 4 reps: 4 sec concentric/eccentric with a big focus on tension, squeezing, and stretching

-alternated starting arm each set


[video=youtube_share;EObZ5Xi29Z8]http://youtu.be/EObZ5Xi29Z8[/video]






Decline Cable Pullovers
4 sets of 8-10

-constant tension

-slow and controlled

Well, these are amazing. The list of stuff I want to try on this tower keeps piling up. Lat tension remains high throughout the entire movement, as opposed to DB pullovers, where you have to limit the range of motion to keep the weight on your lats. The movement felt similar to a Nautilus pullover machine.


[video=youtube_share;LmRZqBTOPI0]http://youtu.be/LmRZqBTOPI0[/video]






Prone Cable Rows
4 sets of 10

-I used the same tower and straight bar setup as the previous exercise, but was face down on an incline bench like the rows I did last week. Focus was on the meat of the lats.




Prone Upper Back Cable Rows / Shrugs
4 sets of 8 / 10

-same setup, but switched to independent handles. I kept my elbows high and wide for the rows and targeted upper back/mid traps. After 8 reps, I switched to a very slow and controlled shrugging movement. The range of motion for shrugs was only a couple inches with a 3 second flex in the contracted position.






Single Arm Pulldowns
4 sets of 10R/10L

-slight lean back / chest arched / hard flex at bottom

-new pulldown station with dual pulleys worked great for these
 
Montego1 said:
Don't let Branch Warren hear you say that :)
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Hahah. Here's a decent Milos video on the topic:

[video=youtube_share;bkrG958FuF8]http://youtu.be/bkrG958FuF8[/video]


Edit: I still like to mix in bigger lifts and "heavy" weight too, but am usually focused on working the muscle instead of moving weight (very heavy squats/deads may be different).
 
I beat my legs up good this morning. I finally got some squats in, but stayed with a light weight. My back felt fine and I should be good to go with most, if not all exercises (maybe not heavy deads).


Seated Leg Curls
40x20
60x15
80x12
100x10
120x8
140x6, 80x8, 40x8, 140x25 partials + 15 second iso-hold

-strict form, hard flex




SSB Squat
135x15
185x12
225x6
245x6
265x6
275x6
295x6
315x6


-constant tension: 3 second eccentric, explosive concentric to 3/4 lockout

-45-60 seconds rest

-the constant tension, tempo, and rest periods allowed me to hit my legs hard without going heavy




Banded Leg Press
bands x25
bands + 90x15
bands + 180x12
bands + 270x10
bands + 360x8
bands + 410x6, bands + 270x6, bands +180x6, 5 second rest, bands + 180x4


-bands: doubled Pro Monster Minis and doubled Pro Minis

-constant tension: 4 second eccentric, 1 second pause, explosive concentric to 3/4 lockout

-quad stretching between sets




Leg Extensions
3 sets of 25

-1 sec hard flex at lockout

-quad stretching between sets

-don't remember weight used




Occluded KB Walking Lunges
15, 15, 12 (fail)

-5 second eccentric

-reps per leg




Occluded KB Stiff Deads
15, 15, 15, 15
 
Nice lifting coming off of the contest. I do think that considering your training experience and the fact that you are already pretty cyborg-like strong, you don't really need tons of "strength" work. You obviously are still hitting very high levels of muscular tension via some of your methods used. ;)
 
bolt10 said:
Nice lifting coming off of the contest. I do think that considering your training experience and the fact that you are already pretty cyborg-like strong, you don't really need tons of "strength" work. You obviously are still hitting very high levels of muscular tension via some of your methods used. ;)
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Thanks man. Haha yeah, strength isn't a big concern and it's there when I need it. I'm pretty happy with where my training has gone over the last couple years (so are my joints) and am really zeroing in on what's effective, since first moving towards bodybuilding. What I'm even happier about is that I feel like I'm still able to improve upon it and learn more daily. I just love to train. :)




pete8407 said:
Killer workout as always, I'm glad to hear your back is pretty much healed up!
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Thanks pete. It's slowly getting there.
 
Chest and shoulders this morning. This was my favorite session that I've had in a while, which combined some approaches/techniques form some of my biggest training influences as well as my own. The exercise selection, how they were performed, and their placement felt highly effective.


Flite Neutral Grip Machine Press
15
5
6
8
10
12

Invalid Link Removed
*old picture/didn't use bands


-slow and controlled: very high focus on feeling every fiber of my chest stretch and contract

-I hadn't used a neutral grip on this machine previously, but it hit my upper pecs extremely well. My chest was already in rough shape and ridiculously pumped following these sets.




Banded HS MTS Incline Press
3 sets of 8

-explosive concentric to lockout with a 2 second flex




Incline Cable Press / Incline Cable Flyes / Upper Chest Cable Front Raises (close neutral grip)
3 sets of 10 / 10 / 10

-used dual pulley tower for all 3 exercises

-press/flyes: on incline bench at ~33 degree angle

-raises: grabbed single handle attachment with both hands (neutral grip) and raised my arms while flexing my chest as hard as possible, hit upper chest hard



Prone Cable Rear Delt Laterals
4 sets of 15

-2 second flex to top, slow eccentric

-face down on incline bench in dual pulley tower, cables crossed




Prone Cable 10 and 2 O'clock Laterals
3 sets of 12

-2 second flex at top, slow eccentric

-face down on incline bench facing away from dual pulley tower, cables crossed, pulling up and out




Band Horizontal Press / Band Prone Press / Band Pull Aparts / Spider Crawls

-3 sets of 8 / 8 / 10 / fail


-horizontal press: lying face down on flat bench with bands around feet and around thumbs/over palms

-prone press: same band setup, lying face down on incline bench (similar movement to reverse machine shoulder press that I do)

-Both band pressing exercises were awesome. I preferred the use of bands over the DB and machine alternatives and wish I had thought to try these earlier.
 
pete8407 said:
Damn, that was a sick workout! Do you have your next show planned? Sorry if I missed it
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Thanks man. Nothing planned yet, just focused on growing for now.




I hit back this morning. My lower back is feeling pretty good, but I'm in no rush to test it with heavier lifts at this point. I gave High Volume a try today (1 scoop pre with Jack3d micro and 1 scoop in intra drink), which had my back ready to pop.




Banded Meadows Row Variation
15
10
10
8
8

-slow concentric/eccentric with a hard flex

-feet pretty close together and parallel

-Pro Short Mini

-huge pump from these to start the workout

[video=youtube_share;U_EAVEunk28]http://youtu.be/U_EAVEunk28[/video]






Banded Supported T-Bar Rows
15
12
10
8 , 6 + 10 second iso-hold

-chest up, targeting meat of the lats

-explosive concentric, controlled eccentric

-doubled Pro Minis




Straight Arm Rope Pulldowns
8 + 4
8 + 4
8 + 4
8 + 4

-1st 8 reps: smooth pumping motion

-last 4 reps: 4 second concentric, 2 second flex, 4 second eccentric

-slight lean forward while keeping chest up, bringing arms down to sides, not letting weight bottom out at the top




Dual Pulley Cable Pulldowns
10 + 4
10 + 4
10 + 4
10 + 4

-1st 10 reps: explosive concentric with a hard flex, 2 second eccentric

-last 4 reps: explosive concentric with a hard flex, 5 second eccentric

-done from knees between dual pulley tower with independent handle attachments




Bent Over Cable Rows
15
12
10
8
6

-bent over 90 degrees, targeting upper back/traps

-slow and controlled: the lower the reps (and heavier the weight), the slower the movement

-used straight bar that attached to duals pulleys at each end from the ground (same as used for decline cable pullovers last session)
 
I've been doing a variation of that Meadow's Row with a band for some of my back work lately. It is killer and the pump is intense. :o
 
bolt10 said:
I've been doing a variation of that Meadow's Row with a band for some of my back work lately. It is killer and the pump is intense. :o
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Awesome. Yeah, they feel amazing and the pump is pretty ridiculous. I think that's only my third time trying them like that, but I'll be working them into more sessions going forward. :thumbsup:
 
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