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breezy's training, supplementation, and food log

I had a very long day of work yesterday and couldn't make the gym. Tonight was a light back session that I came up with on the fly (following certain guidelines).


Here's what was done.


-HS Leg Press Rows: This was done on a HS leg press with one swinging platform, as opposed to the uni-lateral machine that I had been using for single arm rows.

[video=youtube_share;wF4S1heMUNA]http://youtu.be/wF4S1heMUNA[/video]




-DB Pullovers



-Assisted Pull-Ups/Band Pulls superset: I used the cheater machine for pull-ups to ensure hitting my target reps with strict form.

[video=youtube_share;9jdkwo6EHyg]http://youtu.be/9jdkwo6EHyg[/video]




-Close Grip Pulldowns/Standing Close Grip Cable Rows superset

[video=youtube_share;mf-J5HRbu60]http://youtu.be/mf-J5HRbu60[/video]




-HS Shrugs
 
Long video. I've only watched about 15 minutes, but heard it's interesting.

[video=youtube_share;sN4vWzFvIqY]http://youtu.be/sN4vWzFvIqY[/video]
 
Long video. I've only watched about 15 minutes, but heard it's interesting. Invalid Link Removed

Watched it all last night. Good conversation between the two.
 
Watched it all last night. Good conversation between the two.

I got through a good amount of it. I'll probably watch the rest if I have time tonight. Here's the old Kai Greene routine that they mentioned, if you haven't seen it.

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Life has been hectic lately. I was supposed to train (heavy) legs this morning, but had a lot to do and didn't have the time to accomplish what I wanted. That said, I decided to do a quick chest/shoulder session when I got to the gym. It was only a few exercises, but I made them count.


I started with slight incline DB press, working up with sets of 10, until I reached a somewhat tough 10 (few reps left in tank). Once there I did 3 sets of 10 with that weight (100lbs), using constant tension. Then I added bands for 3 sets at the same weight, with a double drop and good stretch on the 3rd set.


[video=youtube_share;dl4gt0MjPl4]http://youtu.be/dl4gt0MjPl4[/video]


I finished the chest work with 4 sets of straight arm cable raises, using both hands and a single handle attachment. I had a video of these on my old youtube channel.


For shoulders, I did 4 sets of 10 on rear delt machine flyes with band pull aparts to failure + partials.
 
[video=youtube_share;Qwyr0nk4TpU]http://youtu.be/Qwyr0nk4TpU[/video]
 
[video=youtube;9VWunG1V72w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VWunG1V72w[/video]
 
This week and next are incredibly busy with work. I've made it to the gym the last 2 days (arms and legs), but won't have time tomorrow.

I went to the butcher shop today and stocked up on meat for the week. One of the specials was these seasoned turkey breast steaks. I got a few that are 20oz and wish I'd grabbed a ton more because they're amazing.

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And I cracked open my last tub of Enhanced yesterday. I didn't realize that I still had some and finding it felt like Xmas. Focus has been outstanding the last couple of sessions. :)
 
Jealous on both counts.

Enhanced and turkey steaks, good times!
 
Haha yeah, they're both fantastic. I hadn't used Enhanced in a long time and almost forgot how much I love it. It was like the first time I sampled it all over again.

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Love Enhanced. Glad I still have some tubs :).
 
Found a tub of enhanced in a random box when I was moving yesterday hahaha

To say I was excited would be an understatement.
 
Love Enhanced. Glad I still have some tubs :).

I might have to find some more to hold me over until the new stim pre comes out.


Found a tub of enhanced in a random box when I was moving yesterday hahaha

To say I was excited would be an understatement.

Haha awesome. Lucky day for both of us.
 
Here's a superset from this morning's session. This was done after a lot of chest work and before shoulder work.


Rope Pushdown/Floor Press Superset: I was a big fan of this combo and where it was placed in my workout. It allowed me to hammer my tris and finish off what was left of my chest. For the floor presses, my focus was on controlling the eccentric portion of the movement, keeping my elbows in somewhat, and explosively pressing to lockout. This was the final round of 4, so I was running out of steam.

[video=youtube_share;Zs0Lv1mrCAU]http://youtu.be/Zs0Lv1mrCAU[/video]
 
Here's a couple exercises from this morning's back session:


Banded One Arm BB Row Variations: This was the second exercise of my workout. I did 3 sets with a close stance and 3 with a staggered stance. Both felt great, but hit the lats differently.

[video=youtube_share;QJxRi4h5vPs]http://youtu.be/QJxRi4h5vPs[/video]



Rack Deads: I ended my session with these. The plan was to work up with sets of 5 until failing to get 5. I thought that my last set of 5 would be at 495, but once I got the 5th rep, I decided to keep going for a challenge set. I managed 11 reps and called it a day. My phone shut off while recording the final set and it wasn't saved properly when I turned it back on (tried uploading anyways, but won't play). I don't think I've ever tried going that heavy when pulling from slightly below the knees, which I find challenging because it takes a lot of leg drive out of the equation.

[video=youtube_share;Hw-N5nTLLYo]http://youtu.be/Hw-N5nTLLYo[/video]
 
Just a heads up for anyone signed up for the Analyzed Army, an email was sent a few minutes ago.
 
Tonight's session was secondary legs with a focus on hamstrings. I started with leg curls, moved on to SLDL, and finished with smith lunge/smith squat supersets (focusing on hams and adductors).


Barbell SLDL: I worked up with sets of 8 to what would be a tough 10 reps, and then stayed at that weight for 4 sets of 8. Here's a set at 315 and another at 405 (working weight).

[video=youtube_share;QCi80nZkCnk]http://youtu.be/QCi80nZkCnk[/video]
 
Tonight's session was secondary legs with a focus on hamstrings. I started with leg curls, moved on to SLDL, and finished with smith lunge/smith squat supersets (focusing on hams and adductors).

Barbell SLDL: I worked up with sets of 8 to what would be a tough 10 reps, and then stayed at that weight for 4 sets of 8. Here's a set at 315 and another at 405 (working weight).

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Are you currently training seven days a week?

I find it's nice for cutting up but I grow better off 4-5.
 
Are you currently training seven days a week?

I find it's nice for cutting up but I grow better off 4-5.

It's been 5-6 days. Legs is the only optional day that I don't skip and sometimes when I add extra back work it takes more than a week to get through everything (chest/shoulder "pump" isn't optional).

I'm actually doing a little mini diet now. Not really cutting, but I dropped cals a good amount and am keeping carbs peri-workout for a few weeks before pushing cals/carbs again.
 
It's going to be a very long day. I left for the gym at 4am and won't be getting home from work until close to 10pm :tired:. This morning's chest/shoulder pump session was pretty simple. For chest work, I did 8 sets of 10 on slight incline hex press (60 sec rest) and 1 set of 20 on db flyes with very strict form. Shoulder work was 6 ways/neutral grip reverse machine press supersets and band pull aparts.


[video=youtube_share;-ER3VJYveAE]http://youtu.be/-ER3VJYveAE[/video]



[video=youtube_share;RAg0JiXQ92k]http://youtu.be/RAg0JiXQ92k[/video]
 
Breezy, it seems like a lot of your workouts focus on only 1-3 moves for a lot of sets... do you find that sticking to less moves and more sets works better for you then say 4-5 moves for less sets?
 
Breezy, it seems like a lot of your workouts focus on only 1-3 moves for a lot of sets... do you find that sticking to less moves and more sets works better for you then say 4-5 moves for less sets?

curious for this as well.

Also interested in hearing what your routine currently looks like by day / week if you don't mind. I know you briefly covered it above, just curious in the entirety of it if you don't mind
 
Breezy, it seems like a lot of your workouts focus on only 1-3 moves for a lot of sets... do you find that sticking to less moves and more sets works better for you then say 4-5 moves for less sets?

Most of the training that I post doesn't paint a good picture of my current program at all. When I list an entire session, its usually an optional day, which can be quite different from the primary sessions for each muscle (I believe I explained the optional/pump days not too long ago). If I post something from a primary day its usually just an exercise or 2 from the session. Today's session was from John (minus the set of db flyes and the machine shoulder press wasn't supposed to be "reverse"), but most days that I post are ones where I choose the exercises, following his guidelines (I have specific sessions and general guidelines to choose from for optional work). These pump sessions with one exercise for chest work aren't very common either. The primary sessions typically have 3-6 exercises for 3-6 working sets (plus warm-ups) per muscle, and the rep range varies. Everything varies.

curious for this as well.

Also interested in hearing what your routine currently looks like by day / week if you don't mind. I know you briefly covered it above, just curious in the entirety of it if you don't mind

This is the base of it.

Day 1: Legs
Day 2: Chest/Shoulders (and odds and ends)
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Back
Day 5: Off
Day 6: Chest/Shoulders (pumping day)
Day 7: Arms

I add optional days on "off" days and sometimes rearrange days depending on what additional work I plan on doing. It's different almost every week. For example, I moved "Back" to day 3 this week and did "optional Legs" on day 4. If I were to hit everything twice (besides arms), I'd bump "Chest/Shoulder pump" to day 5, and hit "optional Back" or "Arms" on days 6 and 7.

Like I mentioned to aceroni, sometimes I'll go through all primary and optional days, but add in an off day as well.
 
I like the day off before and after back - never thought of it. I find sometimes after doing back and not taking a day off, I can struggle with part of the chest/shoulder pump day - especially with bent over laterals etc, as things are already pretty sore. Might actually give this a try.
 
Most of the training that I post doesn't paint a good picture of my current program at all. When I list an entire session, its usually an optional day, which can be quite different from the primary sessions for each muscle (I believe I explained the optional/pump days not too long ago). If I post something from a primary day its usually just an exercise or 2 from the session. Today's session was from John (minus the set of db flyes and the machine shoulder press wasn't supposed to be "reverse"), but most days that I post are ones where I choose the exercises, following his guidelines (I have specific sessions and general guidelines to choose from for optional work). These pump sessions with one exercise for chest work aren't very common either. The primary sessions typically have 3-6 exercises for 3-6 working sets (plus warm-ups) per muscle, and the rep range varies. Everything varies.



This is the base of it.

Day 1: Legs
Day 2: Chest/Shoulders (and odds and ends)
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Back
Day 5: Off
Day 6: Chest/Shoulders (pumping day)
Day 7: Arms

I add optional days on "off" days and sometimes rearrange days depending on what additional work I plan on doing. It's different almost every week. For example, I moved "Back" to day 3 this week and did "optional Legs" on day 4. If I were to hit everything twice (besides arms), I'd bump "Chest/Shoulder pump" to day 5, and hit "optional Back" or "Arms" on days 6 and 7.

interesting, thanks man.

i had a feeling i was doing too much volume in the past, and this post essentially confirmed it

i've changed it up now where i'm sticking to only 5 primary days, and one day of weakpoint training (Arms, rear delts, and light back) thanks for the insight. gonna try sticking to only 3-6 exercises as well. i have a tendency to just wanna keep going and then eventually it comes to 8-10 lol, gotta remember quality/intensity > quantitiy
 
interesting, thanks man.

i had a feeling i was doing too much volume in the past, and this post essentially confirmed it

i've changed it up now where i'm sticking to only 5 primary days, and one day of weakpoint training (Arms, rear delts, and light back) thanks for the insight. gonna try sticking to only 3-6 exercises as well. i have a tendency to just wanna keep going and then eventually it comes to 8-10 lol, gotta remember quality/intensity > quantitiy

I have this same problem... sometimes you're just in the zone ha.
 
I like the day off before and after back - never thought of it. I find sometimes after doing back and not taking a day off, I can struggle with part of the chest/shoulder pump day - especially with bent over laterals etc, as things are already pretty sore. Might actually give this a try.

Yeah, the day off can help, especially if you have a history of back issues like we do. That said, I end up training more often than not. Back has been doing good though.



interesting, thanks man.

i had a feeling i was doing too much volume in the past, and this post essentially confirmed it

i've changed it up now where i'm sticking to only 5 primary days, and one day of weakpoint training (Arms, rear delts, and light back) thanks for the insight. gonna try sticking to only 3-6 exercises as well. i have a tendency to just wanna keep going and then eventually it comes to 8-10 lol, gotta remember quality/intensity > quantitiy


No problem man.


That sounds like a decent plan. Haha yeah, no need for 10 exercises if you aren't training multiple muscles. Make every rep count. :thumbsup:
 
I trained arms tonight, but finished with a little back work. I'm not doing a pump session this week, so I threw in 5 sets of these.



HS MTS High Row: There was a video of this approach on my old channel. These were done alternating one arm at a time. I drove my elbow back and held at peak contraction while rowing with the other arm. Each set was finished using both arms at once.


[video=youtube_share;3qmWnEjkNkw]http://youtu.be/3qmWnEjkNkw[/video]
 
Surely that music isn't playing overhead at the gym?
 
Surely that music isn't playing overhead at the gym?

No, that was one of many horrible music options available on youtube. I got rid of the original audio because it was flagged for copyrighted music.
 
Here's a couple exercises from today's leg session.


Banded HS Leg Press: I decided to use this machine because it hits my quads better and is more challenging compared to the other options available. You don't need to load a ton of plates on it either, which is a plus. I worked up with sets of 8 until I could barely get 8. This was the final set, which was challenging from the start.

[video=youtube_share;4h17Yuyyoc8]http://youtu.be/4h17Yuyyoc8[/video]





Walking DB Lunges: These were done one leg at a time (10 reps on one leg and 10 on the other coming back). This was the first of 4 sets done on 45 seconds rest. The sets that followed were brutal.

[video=youtube_share;OagtCmw5w-8]http://youtu.be/OagtCmw5w-8[/video]





The rest of the session involved intensity techniques and high reps.
 
I'll be working until tonight (no football :(), but got in a solid chest/triceps/shoulder session this morning.


Reverse Band Bench Press: These were done after machine press and incline barbell press. I worked up to a weight that was good for a solid 5 reps and used that weight for 3 sets of 5. Then I lowered the weight a little, brought my grip in about an inch, and did another 3 sets of 8. The bands were set so that I was taking pretty much all of the weight at the top. I actually had to adjust the bands slightly because they lost all tension and slipped out of place on my first set of 8, after bringing my grip in (locking out at a higher position). The video shows my last 2 sets of 5 and my last 2 of 8 (dropped a little weight on the final set to keep hitting 8 with decent form and without leg drive).


[video=youtube_share;VtzS0ZW3ZVE]http://youtu.be/VtzS0ZW3ZVE[/video]
 
This morning's back session went well. My sciatica hasn't been an issue for the last week or so. I was still a little cautious with certain movements, but it didn't have me hold back much.


One Arm BB Row: These were done with strict form. I didn't want the weight to move unless my lat was doing the work (no momentum/quickly jerking arm back, leaning back to support weight, ect.)

[video=youtube_share;vkg2d9yaPyQ]http://youtu.be/vkg2d9yaPyQ[/video]






Banded Smith Rows

[video=youtube_share;IoJq-zHvzXY]http://youtu.be/IoJq-zHvzXY[/video]





Pull-Ups with negatives: I did these until form started to break and then jumped up for an additional 3 slow negatives. I used an aerobic step to help with the jump after the first couple of sets.

[video=youtube_share;px-708cF4NE]http://youtu.be/px-708cF4NE[/video]





Rack Pulls: These were done from mid-shin this week. I worked up with sets of 3 to a pretty tough triple (455) and stayed there for 3 sets. Then I dropped some weight and repped out to failure. I ended up with 405x16 (was shooting for 12-15), which I may or may not have on video. My phone was dead after the set, but I'm hoping the video shows up later (happens 50% of the time when phone dies).

[video=youtube_share;Us8Hk_hFBY4]http://youtu.be/Us8Hk_hFBY4[/video]



The session ended with banded hyperextensions, including a drop set.
 
I love this tread because it always motivates me to focus on form and contraction of the target muscle instead of just throwing weight around... I literally have caught myself at the gym like "how would breezy do this?"
 
I love this tread because it always motivates me to focus on form and contraction of the target muscle instead of just throwing weight around... I literally have caught myself at the gym like "how would breezy do this?"

Reflects my thoughts exactly...
 
I love this tread because it always motivates me to focus on form and contraction of the target muscle instead of just throwing weight around... I literally have caught myself at the gym like "how would breezy do this?"

Reflects my thoughts exactly...

Thanks guys. It's always good to hear that people are getting something out of it. I used to train primarily for strength, but since moving my focus towards building muscle, putting a lot of emphasis on form and hitting the target muscle(s) as best I can has been a huge help. My joints are much better off as well. I used to constantly be dealing with pain and nagging injuries. That said, there are times when some less than perfect reps can be thrown in the mix and beneficial.
 
[video=youtube;IQqJlbmvdws]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQqJlbmvdws[/video]
 
Thanks guys. It's always good to hear that people are getting something out of it. I used to train primarily for strength, but since moving my focus towards building muscle, putting a lot of emphasis on form and hitting the target muscle(s) as best I can has been a huge help. My joints are much better off as well. I used to constantly be dealing with pain and nagging injuries. That said, there are times when some less than perfect reps can be thrown in the mix and beneficial.

It's just extremely refreshing to see someone making great progress while using good form and reasonable weights. It's just not that useful or motivating seeing pro level bb's doing bench sets of 20 with like 400lb... Seeing someone doing rows and presses and raises with "normal" people weights is really motivating. Makes being big without running 284826279395 grams of test/tren year round for life a much more realistic and attainable goal. Plus, like you said, the risk of injury is so much less when you keep your form in check and weights within reason. I can say that the last 8 weeks lowering weights and checking form has made my body feel totally renewed. And fixing up some diet deficiencies has helped too (which I stole a bit of from here as well ;) )
 
Just watched the MD video. Can't wait for next video and get some insight on their intra-workout nutrition thoughts and what they got going on in that big black tub with a scooper the size of a protein scoop lol.
 
It's just extremely refreshing to see someone making great progress while using good form and reasonable weights. It's just not that useful or motivating seeing pro level bb's doing bench sets of 20 with like 400lb... Seeing someone doing rows and presses and raises with "normal" people weights is really motivating. Makes being big without running 284826279395 grams of test/tren year round for life a much more realistic and attainable goal. Plus, like you said, the risk of injury is so much less when you keep your form in check and weights within reason. I can say that the last 8 weeks lowering weights and checking form has made my body feel totally renewed. And fixing up some diet deficiencies has helped too (which I stole a bit of from here as well ;) )

Thanks man. Yeah, there's more than one way to build muscle. Some pros have horrible form, but it obviously works for them. Meadows was the biggest influence when it came to changing my approach. In the video, he and Evan are using less weight on the HS incline than most people on AM with decent strength would. He also mentioned how he considers "failure" when form breaks. Outside of bench, squats, and deads, Meadows goes lighter on most of the exercises in his programs than you see a lot of people using. Your muscles don't know how much weight you're using; "heavy" is relative and muscle knows tension. It can be hard, but if someone can focus on strict form, a new "heavy" can be established. Glad I've been able to help.

Just watched the MD video. Can't wait for next video and get some insight on their intra-workout nutrition thoughts and what they got going on in that big black tub with a scooper the size of a protein scoop lol.

Good video. I'm pretty sure John will break it down the same way he always does. Haha that's the new intra product from Prime Nutrition. He's already mentioned the profile, but I don't remember the exact mix. It has EAAs (no Peptopro to keep price down), HBCD, CM, electrolytes, and maybe a couple other ingredients.

Ohhh new MD video!

There is a method to Matt's madness. :biggthumpup:

Sometimes. :)
 
Second part is up:

Invalid Link Removed
 
Second part is up:

Invalid Link Removed

Awesome. Thanks for the heads up.


Edit: Pretty cool. And they talk more about training smart and not just trying to lift crazy amounts of weight every time you step in the gym. :thumbsup:
 
This morning's session was secondary legs with a focus on quads. I started with 6 sets of leg curls, 4 sets of adductor machine, and then moved on to various squatting techniques.


Quad Focused BB Back Squats: For these I used a shoulder width stance, elevated my heels with 10lb plates, and tried to remain upright (chest kept up/ moving straight up and down) throughout the movement. It doesn't take much weight with this approach to hammer your quads. I slowly worked up with sets of 6 until they started feeling heavy, which was with only 315lbs. The video got cut short after a few reps on the final set (memory was full).

[video=youtube_share;HTgTb7-5qaI]http://youtu.be/HTgTb7-5qaI[/video]





Heel Elevated Pause Squats: I decided to stick with squats at the last minute. The pause was held a little above parallel, as that's where I feel the greatest amount of tension. I didn't count the pauses, I just sat there until I felt like it was time to come back up. These were done for 2 sets.

[video=youtube_share;05LnCpqfhek]http://youtu.be/05LnCpqfhek[/video]





Heel Elevated Multi Pause Squats: This idea popped in my head as I was unracking the bar. They were great and I'll be doing them again. Once the pause squats were done, I counted to 30, and added some additional reps without pausing or heel elevation. I switched to constant tension after a couple reps as well. 2 sets were done on these.

[video=youtube_share;R1jwLLMC1Fc]http://youtu.be/R1jwLLMC1Fc[/video]






Lying Machine Squat: I'm not sure what to call this machine, but it beats my legs up good. I did 4 sets of 25 with my heels together, pushing off the balls of my feet. This techniques hit the vastus lateralis very well (I do the same on hack squats).

[video=youtube_share;st6OS49uodk]http://youtu.be/st6OS49uodk[/video]
 
Thanks guys. It's always good to hear that people are getting something out of it. I used to train primarily for strength, but since moving my focus towards building muscle, putting a lot of emphasis on form and hitting the target muscle(s) as best I can has been a huge help. My joints are much better off as well. I used to constantly be dealing with pain and nagging injuries. That said, there are times when some less than perfect reps can be thrown in the mix and beneficial.

Do you find that you have lowered the weight on most lifts to achieve this - as you are not just going for raw strength?

Or perhaps the better question is, far less focus on the weight used.
 
Do you find that you have lowered the weight on most lifts to achieve this - as you are not just going for raw strength?

Or perhaps the better question is, far less focus on the weight used.

I actually haven't tracked my numbers on any lift in about 2 years (if I post any its from memory). That time has resulted in some of my best (physique) progress in about 19 years of training as well. My main concern when I get to the gym is that I train hard. As long as that's accomplished, I know I'll progress. If I went into each workout thinking about PRs with every lift, I'd most likely be wasting a ton of reps working my joints and ligaments, instead of what's intended.

If someone's primary goal is building muscle, I don't think tracking numbers is incredibly important once they've reached a certain level of strength and LBM (assuming they train hard). If overall strength were to increase or take a dive they should know it regardless.

Another reason why I don't track numbers is the way my sessions are set up. A lift could be performed at a point in the workout where muscle fatigue is a big factor. If I squat x amount of weight towards the beginning of a session and less at the end of the next session, a drop in numbers could be expected. If I know I'm training hard (with good form), its nothing to worry about.
 
I actually haven't tracked my numbers on any lift in about 2 years (if I post any its from memory). That time has resulted in some of my best (physique) progress in about 19 years of training as well. My main concern when I get to the gym is that I train hard. As long as that's accomplished, I know I'll progress. If I went into each workout thinking about PRs with every lift, I'd most likely be wasting a ton of reps working my joints and ligaments, instead of what's intended. If someone's primary goal is building muscle, I don't think tracking numbers is incredibly important once they've reached a certain level of strength and LBM (assuming they train hard). If overall strength were to increase or take a dive they should know it regardless. Another reason why I don't track numbers is the way my sessions are set up. A lift could be performed at a point in the workout where muscle fatigue is a big factor. If I squat x amount of weight towards the beginning of a session and less at the end of the next session, a drop in numbers could be expected. If I know I'm training hard (with good form), its nothing to worry about.
I agree with this! As long as you push yourself each training, you WILL grow!
 
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