Building Back Up

GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
I know training is not linear, and Hyde is right about that but I need to focus on a semi-more linear progression myself. Lifting with my buddy has led to some a.d.d. lifting with too many ego attempts. He is much less serious than me and less consistent so he goes in, lifts with me, and goes for heavy singles every time. I need to get back to focusing on my foundations.

I should be doing more of that approach you had at some level. instead of killing a set at 405, then lifting with him a big 1rm effort for no good, reason, I should be challenging myself at volume to build up to it better I think.
I hear ya. It might be too early to tell, but I think I progress better with volume instead of this amrap style of 531. I'll give it another few weeks though.

Get that buddy of yours on a real workout plan! Lol
 

Resolve10

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
Any thoughts?
I think you've already had some good responses to this so I am not trying to go in any other direction, but just a couple of things from my own impressions.

1) 531 just might not be for you. I personally didn't like it much at all or any of the kind of pre-written percentage based plans. There are plenty of people that it may work for and percentage style training works for certain types and mindsets, but just wasn't for me. A more intuitive and auto-regulated approach has served me a million times better.
2) There can sometimes be what I like to call "lag" periods in transitional training. I find sometimes when I add new things in or switch some things around or make some change things may initially stall out or even get worse for a little bit. Sometimes this makes me want to change too soon (or I think people switch too quickly), where if I just stay the course then the gains start rolling in afterwards. That doesn't mean that is guaranteed, just maybe an assurance that poor performance now doesn't mean forever.

Hope that makes sense and you get back to the good gains!
 
Dustin07

Dustin07

Well-known member
Awards
3
  • Established
  • RockStar
  • First Up Vote
Get that buddy of yours on a real workout plan! Lol
I think he's been a little spoiled because he just "has" a 405+lb squat any day of the week, untrained. And so when he does some volume he sees strong newbie gains on his press. his biggest weakness being grip strength on the deadlift. So until he started training with me which is more consistent and higher volume typically as you know, he was able to constantly experience newbie gains and never "needed" to mix it up. plus he carries a good 60-80lbs more weight than me. he's easily lost 20 since he started training with me but he's got some natural things going on that make him very strong. if he trained hard he'd be a beast no doubt.
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
PEMed hard today. Really leaning into the intensity theory. Kcal were 2600 yesterday with 234 carbs, 20-30g of that being fruit sugar, so unlikely I think to be from that.

Edit: well, can't be only intensity since it's happened plenty of times without much of any physical activity the day prior.
 
Dustin07

Dustin07

Well-known member
Awards
3
  • Established
  • RockStar
  • First Up Vote
Moodiness and exhaustion? How's the weather?
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
Moodiness and exhaustion? How's the weather?
Actually the moodiness is OK, much better than previous PEM, but the fatigue/lethargy, headache and *brain inflammation* (unsure what to really call this) is a 7-8 on a scale of 1-10. The plus is I'm not snapping at my kids so grateful for that.
 
Dustin07

Dustin07

Well-known member
Awards
3
  • Established
  • RockStar
  • First Up Vote
I can't recall if you had COVID or when but it sounds intense brain fog. I loved this to pull me out.

Took about two or three days of consistent use then, bam. Brain function at 100%
Screenshot_2023-05-02-15-55-21-88_b5f6883d2c20a96c53babc0b4ac88108.jpg
 
Dustin07

Dustin07

Well-known member
Awards
3
  • Established
  • RockStar
  • First Up Vote
Actually the moodiness is OK, much better than previous PEM, but the fatigue/lethargy, headache and *brain inflammation* (unsure what to really call this) is a 7-8 on a scale of 1-10. The plus is I'm not snapping at my kids so grateful for that.
Also we had beautiful 80f temps this weekend followed by massive overcast Monday (when I was fasting) and felt identical to your description. Today it's sunny again and I feel great. That's why I ask a lot about weather. I think it effects people more than they realize.
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
Also we had beautiful 80f temps this weekend followed by massive overcast Monday (when I was fasting) and felt identical to your description. Today it's sunny again and I feel great. That's why I ask a lot about weather. I think it effects people more than they realize.
Sorry, brain fog got me and Forgot to mention that's another part of my PEM, memory loss. Forgot to mention memory loss 😆

But no, the weather has been amazing the past few days and today. 65-70 degrees, bright and sunny. Love it.
 
akboom87

akboom87

Well-known member
Awards
2
  • Established
  • RockStar
Some people really feel the effects of barometric pressure, don’t know if it’s related. But the mentioned of weather made me think of it.
 
Dustin07

Dustin07

Well-known member
Awards
3
  • Established
  • RockStar
  • First Up Vote
Sorry, brain fog got me and Forgot to mention that's another part of my PEM, memory loss. Forgot to mention memory loss

But no, the weather has been amazing the past few days and today. 65-70 degrees, bright and sunny. Love it.


Then I'm at a loss lol

But seriously the nootropics. Particularly those ones I showed.....
 
Dustin07

Dustin07

Well-known member
Awards
3
  • Established
  • RockStar
  • First Up Vote
Some people really feel the effects of barometric pressure, don’t know if it’s related. But the mentioned of weather made me think of it.
I do bigly it's crazy. Honestly infuriating. I'm an AVID boater and I really struggle oct-march to do anything boaty
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar


Then I'm at a loss lol

But seriously the nootropics. Particularly those ones I showed.....
Thanks. I'm not quite in a place to try nootropics yet, but I'll nut up eventually. The overstimulation/insomnia/feels-like-bad-meth is too fresh still lol

Edit: For the record, what I just described was not from illicit drugs, but from methylated B vitamins.
 
Last edited:
Dustin07

Dustin07

Well-known member
Awards
3
  • Established
  • RockStar
  • First Up Vote
Thanks. I'm not quite in a place to try nootropics yet, but I'll nut up eventually. The overstimulation/insomnia/feels-like-bad-meth is too fresh still lol
You think maybe brain chemistry is still trying to equalize from previous substances maybe ?
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
Flat BB Bench 4 x 5, 5, 5, 6 x 225
CG Hammer Incline Press 3 x 10 x 90
Cable Upright Row 3 x 12, 10, 12 x 42.5
Oh Cable Extension 3 x 10, 7, 8 x 35

Bench is coming along nicely. I might have been able to do 7 on that last set, but without a spotter wasn't confident and leaving 1 rir probably beat anyway. It's funny to be how hard that incline Smith press was, but like @MrKleen73 said, it worked the triceps and middle upper chest very well. Pretty sure my tris will be wrecked for a few days.
Flat Bench 4 x 6 x 225
CG Hammer Incline Press 12x90, 3 x 8, 8, 7 x 130
Cable Upright Row 3 x 12 x 42.5
Double Cable Pressdown 3 x 10, 9, 8 x 3
Decline Lateral Raise (left arm only) 10 x 5lb

Adding reps every week to bench now. Think I went too heavy on hammer press though because I ended up not feeling what was supposed to be working the last 2 sets. Going to add a set of Lateral raises to my left arm only every workout also because it's significantly smaller then my right.
 
Dustin07

Dustin07

Well-known member
Awards
3
  • Established
  • RockStar
  • First Up Vote
I really struggle with all incline work. I love it, but every other time I do it I get some weird strains in my left shoulder through bicep. I am pretty sure it's a form issue since i'm largely untrained on incline though so I keep trying to throw it in. I've probably done more incline press in 2023 than the previous 40 years combined lol
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
you know, I'm drawing a blank and don't really know anything about that. what happened?

how you feeling today?
It happened before I started logging, but about a month after my first round of covid. I'm not sure if it was only b vitamins, but also a combination of that and testosterone dose too high (which is why I went so low for so long because I didn't know what really went wrong).

Basically, methylated b vitamins are no good for me, and I tolerated them for several years, but after covid every dose felt like bad meth and lasted for a full 24-36 hours. Ended up in the ER with crazy high BP, massive chest pain, couldn't take full breaths, couldn't sleep, etc. I'm thinking covid changed my brain chemistry somehow. I've since found out I have double COMT mutations and I'm guessing covid broke it further. COMT and MAO are good the brain break down catecholamines like dopamine.

Anyway, after that experience, kept trying different stuff and trying to go back to what worked for years, it was just a bad several months over silly stuff. I mean, a few hundred micrograms of methylfolate and methylcobalamin and I go off the deep end? It feels ridiculous to even type. So that's why you see so much experiments with vitamin and diet combinations in my thread. And the reactions weren't just to b vitamins, foods and other vitamins do it too. 10mg zinc and I ain't sleeping a wink. A couple days of spinach and broccoli and I'll have bizarre muscle cramping/burning with any physical activity.

Feel pretty good today! A little fatigue but I'll take that one a headache any day.
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
I really struggle with all incline work. I love it, but every other time I do it I get some weird strains in my left shoulder through bicep. I am pretty sure it's a form issue since i'm largely untrained on incline though so I keep trying to throw it in. I've probably done more incline press in 2023 than the previous 40 years combined lol
I hear ya! We can't look like Arnold without some incline press amirite? Lol
 
MrKleen73

MrKleen73

Legend
Awards
5
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
  • Best Answer
  • First Up Vote
@Dustin07 do you get the same thing with DB Incline, Machine Incline, and things like Hammer Strength Incline pressing too or mostly with the barbell version? Also have you tried lower inclines? It doesn't take a ton of incline to target the upper pecs so you might try varying the incline and see if you have a sweet spot.
 
Dustin07

Dustin07

Well-known member
Awards
3
  • Established
  • RockStar
  • First Up Vote
@Dustin07 do you get the same thing with DB Incline, Machine Incline, and things like Hammer Strength Incline pressing too or mostly with the barbell version? Also have you tried lower inclines? It doesn't take a ton of incline to target the upper pecs so you might try varying the incline and see if you have a sweet spot.
generally yeah they're all the same. I keep looking at all my incline options and the seats are all fixed position so not adjustable with the exception of a db incline, haven't given that a try in a long time so maybe I'll throw those in this weekend!
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
Squat 5x205, 5x235, 5x265
BB Row 12x95, 10x115, 8x135
Facepulls 3 x 10 x 10
DB Curls 3 x 8 x 25's

Slept pretty bad last night, but thought I was feeling good until I did the first squat at 205. Still did the prescription of 5 x 265 as top set, but wasn't going to attempt amrap. Afterwards, whole body felt wrecked and unstable so I didn't finish bb rows. This keeps happening on this particular workout day.
Squat 3x225, 3x255, 5x285 (amrap)
BB Row 12x135, 3 x 10 x 145
Facepulls 12x5, 2 x 10, 12 x 10
Incline DB Curls 3 x 10, 8, 8 x 25's

Much better workout than last time I did this. Actually able to work squats and rows effectively. I think that last set of Squat was 1 rir, maybe 0 though. Eating extra carbs today to hopefully compensate. I think the Facepulls are a waste of time for me...can't really feel what's supposed to be working, but with my persistent shoulder issues I feel like I should be doing them. I don't know.

@Dustin07 did I catch your Squat yet?!
 
Dustin07

Dustin07

Well-known member
Awards
3
  • Established
  • RockStar
  • First Up Vote
Right on. Thanks. Set a PR so I have a new target for next week!
funny thing is we had bright blue skies yesterday, massive overcast today and I'm DRAGGING my butt. gonna hit my preWO in a few minutes and head out to give it a try.

since I PR'd my bench this week I was thinking about applying the same approach to squats. Maybe test some heavy reps today to see where I am, then a few weeks of banded high volume stuff, then test again. I feel like the banded work helped a lot on the bench so I want to throw it in more with squats and pulls too
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
funny thing is we had bright blue skies yesterday, massive overcast today and I'm DRAGGING my butt. gonna hit my preWO in a few minutes and head out to give it a try.

since I PR'd my bench this week I was thinking about applying the same approach to squats. Maybe test some heavy reps today to see where I am, then a few weeks of banded high volume stuff, then test again. I feel like the banded work helped a lot on the bench so I want to throw it in more with squats and pulls too
Right on. I'll be following along.

Sorry to hear about the overcast. Hopefully the Pre can make up for it.
 
Hyde

Hyde

Legend
Awards
5
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
  • Best Answer
  • First Up Vote
Have you watched any instructional videos on how to do Facepulls?

For what you are benching, your facepull numbers are extremely underdeveloped. Which would help explain some of the shoulder discomfort/issues. So I do think you should probably invest some effort into learning them and practicing more, BUT there are other great ways to attack & bring up the rear delts.

Band Pullaparts tend to be very foolproof in execution - 3x30 with 60 seconds rest between at the end of a training day will really add volume there fast.

Reverse Pec Deck machine is the best way to get them strong IMO, as it really lets you load them up, but it’s the easiest exercise for them to kind of cheat ROM or jerk the weight around.

Seated bent over DB flyes for sets of 12-20 usually let you feel it in the rear delt pretty well and you can do them at home at night, just like Pullaparts, if you want.

Lastly, you can look up DB Ys & Ts laying on an incline bench if you need some more shoulder stability - these are 100% about form & effort, not load, super tiny DBs for this.

Train rear delts 3 different ways over 3 times a week, and they will get stronger quickly and help your shoulder health and probably your bench!
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
Have you watched any instructional videos on how to do Facepulls?

For what you are benching, your facepull numbers are extremely underdeveloped. Which would help explain some of the shoulder discomfort/issues. So I do think you should probably invest some effort into learning them and practicing more, BUT there are other great ways to attack & bring up the rear delts.

Band Pullaparts tend to be very foolproof in execution - 3x30 with 60 seconds rest between at the end of a training day will really add volume there fast.

Reverse Pec Deck machine is the best way to get them strong IMO, as it really lets you load them up, but it’s the easiest exercise for them to kind of cheat ROM or jerk the weight around.

Seated bent over DB flyes for sets of 12-20 usually let you feel it in the rear delt pretty well and you can do them at home at night, just like Pullaparts, if you want.

Lastly, you can look up DB Ys & Ts laying on an incline bench if you need some more shoulder stability - these are 100% about form & effort, not load, super tiny DBs for this.

Train rear delts 3 different ways over 3 times a week, and they will get stronger quickly and help your shoulder health and probably your bench!
When I went through rehab for my shoulder, I could barely do Y's and T's with just my arms lol.

Should I ditch the reverse cable flies for all these exercises, or keep those too?

For reference, my left rear delt and possibly infraspinatus were completely shut down for a very long time. You know how you can see your rear delt at least activate when you lift your arm to the side? I still have to 100% tell my rear delt to activate when my lift my left arm to the side, or I get shoulder pain, every time. It's pretty annoying.
 
Hyde

Hyde

Legend
Awards
5
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
  • Best Answer
  • First Up Vote
When I went through rehab for my shoulder, I could barely do Y's and T's with just my arms lol.

Should I ditch the reverse cable flies for all these exercises, or keep those too?

For reference, my left rear delt and possibly infraspinatus were completely shut down for a very long time. You know how you can see your rear delt at least activate when you lift your arm to the side? I still have to 100% tell my rear delt to activate when my lift my left arm to the side, or I get shoulder pain, every time. It's pretty annoying.
If you struggle to use your hands for Ys & Ts, that’s absolutely what you should be doing.

And you should be doing that mental activation work, going through reps doing that, all the time to rebuild that neural pathway. Like every day drill that.

The greater the deficit, the greater the frequency should be because the stress you can impose is so minimal and easy to recover from.
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
If you struggle to use your hands for Ys & Ts, that’s absolutely what you should be doing.

And you should be doing that mental activation work, going through reps doing that, all the time to rebuild that neural pathway. Like every day drill that.

The greater the deficit, the greater the frequency should be because the stress you can impose is so minimal and easy to recover from.
Good call. I actually completely forgot about the Y's and T's until you mentioned it. I'll implement that daily.
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
Minimal, if any, PEM today! That was with an amrap of squats and pretty heavy work on rows too.

Other factors:
-No supplemental magnesium
-500mcg cyano b12 with breakfast
-lots of carbs from enriched rice and a pretty big piece of pound cake lol
-no veggies

Barely sore from anything also, so I'm going to increase the volume of accessories a little more making it 4 sets for all exercises. It's a good day.

@Dustin07 it's overcast here today, predicting storms tonight. I might be ridiculously sensitive a ton of things, but I don't think weather.
 
MrKleen73

MrKleen73

Legend
Awards
5
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
  • Best Answer
  • First Up Vote
Congrats on that squat PR and feeling good after it!
 
Dustin07

Dustin07

Well-known member
Awards
3
  • Established
  • RockStar
  • First Up Vote
-lots of carbs from enriched rice and a pretty big piece of pound cake lol
-no veggies

Barely sore from anything also, so I'm going to increase the volume of accessories a little more making it 4 sets for all exercises. It's a good day.

@Dustin07 it's overcast here today, predicting storms tonight. I might be ridiculously sensitive a ton of things, but I don't think weather.
all good things man, that's fantastic. Maybe you are sensitive to low carbs the way I am. cutting carbs to hit a caloric deficit historically has given me very similar symptoms to your PEM as well...

Today is day 2 of massive overcast + rain and my system has adjusted to it again so I feel normalish. it's always the first day of a heavy weather system after a couple days of blue skies that knocks me on my ass.
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
all good things man, that's fantastic. Maybe you are sensitive to low carbs the way I am. cutting carbs to hit a caloric deficit historically has given me very similar symptoms to your PEM as well...

Today is day 2 of massive overcast + rain and my system has adjusted to it again so I feel normalish. it's always the first day of a heavy weather system after a couple days of blue skies that knocks me on my ass.
How did you lose 40 plus pounds without a caloric deficit, or did you just feel bad the whole time?

Overcast and rain makes me feel like relaxing, but I like that feeling sometimes because in general, we as a family run hard constantly.

Have you looked at Smolov squat program?
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
Standing OHP 4 x 8, 7, 7, 6 x 135
Neutral Grip Pullup 5, 5, 5, 1 5-sec. static hold at top + negative
Lateral Raise 3 x 10 x 17.5's, 14 x 10's
BB Shrug 8x135, 8x155, 2 x 8 x 175
Incline DB Curl 3 x 7, 6, 5 x 30's
Skullcrushers 2 x 8 x 50

Added 1 rep to OHP...total...
View attachment 231694

Other notes:
I was still sore from the facepulls oddly enough, and wondering if that hindered my OHP as I could feel it every rep. Might need to back down on Lateral Raise as I'm heaving it more then I'd like. Skullcrushers are fun 😆
Standing OHP 4 x 8, 7, 7, 7 x 135
Neutral Pullup 5, 4, 4, 4
DB Lateral Raise 4 x 10 x 15's
BB Shrug 10x155, 3 x 8, 8, 6 x 165
Skullcrushers 3 x 8, 8, 7 x 50
DB Curl 1 x 12 x 25's

OHP moving up much slower than bench. Maybe I need a few sets of machine OHP on another day?
 
Hyde

Hyde

Legend
Awards
5
  • RockStar
  • Legend!
  • Established
  • Best Answer
  • First Up Vote
Standing OHP 4 x 8, 7, 7, 7 x 135
Neutral Pullup 5, 4, 4, 4
DB Lateral Raise 4 x 10 x 15's
BB Shrug 10x155, 3 x 8, 8, 6 x 165
Skullcrushers 3 x 8, 8, 7 x 50
DB Curl 1 x 12 x 25's

OHP moving up much slower than bench. Maybe I need a few sets of machine OHP on another day?
Pressing responds better to frequency than anything! It’s the smallest muscles and lightest big lift; the more pressing you can tolerate the better odds you’ll have raising it.

Especially based on that article on frequency and strength from Greg Nuckols linked off the one you posted on hypertrophy. Overall, lower body lifts don’t improve too much going to greater than 1x weekly frequency, while benching showed obvious trending at least through 4x weekly, overall. Of course individual limitations apply, but if you add a pressing instance weekly it will probably help.
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
Pressing responds better to frequency than anything! It’s the smallest muscles and lightest big lift; the more pressing you can tolerate the better odds you’ll have raising it.

Especially based on that article on frequency and strength from Greg Nuckols linked off the one you posted on hypertrophy. Overall, lower body lifts don’t improve too much going to greater than 1x weekly frequency, while benching showed obvious trending at least through 4x weekly, overall. Of course individual limitations apply, but if you add a pressing instance weekly it will probably help.
Right on. I'll add that to my upper push workout. Thanks.
 
Dustin07

Dustin07

Well-known member
Awards
3
  • Established
  • RockStar
  • First Up Vote
How did you lose 40 plus pounds without a caloric deficit, or did you just feel bad the whole time?

Overcast and rain makes me feel like relaxing, but I like that feeling sometimes because in general, we as a family run hard constantly.

Have you looked at Smolov squat program?
I spent my senior year trying to gain weight eating as much food as I could for football. I did running start, (college instead of high school in 12th grade) entered the workforce at 17, and kept eating like I was playing football. Started a business at 19, got married at 20, and realized I was a fat ass when I got winded running out to the warehouse and back to check on something when I had a customer on hold.

The caloric deficit from fat ass to fit was easy. Cut out the ice cream, nachos, mt dews, and started running like I was in wrestling again. Competing in 3-5 5ks a year, lifting every afternoon and doing cardio every morning before work.

Honestly at that point 3,000 calories was probably a deficit lol

But also I was 20, 242lbs, and potentially entering my prime so my timing to get back into shape was lucky. Had I waited ten or 20 years it probably would have been a bitch.
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
I spent my senior year trying to gain weight eating as much food as I could for football. I did running start, (college instead of high school in 12th grade) entered the workforce at 17, and kept eating like I was playing football. Started a business at 19, got married at 20, and realized I was a fat ass when I got winded running out to the warehouse and back to check on something when I had a customer on hold.

The caloric deficit from fat ass to fit was easy. Cut out the ice cream, nachos, mt dews, and started running like I was in wrestling again. Competing in 3-5 5ks a year, lifting every afternoon and doing cardio every morning before work.

Honestly at that point 3,000 calories was probably a deficit lol

But also I was 20, 242lbs, and potentially entering my prime so my timing to get back into shape was lucky. Had I waited ten or 20 years it probably would have been a bitch.
Ohhh, that makes more sense.
 
Dustin07

Dustin07

Well-known member
Awards
3
  • Established
  • RockStar
  • First Up Vote
Ohhh, that makes more sense.
That said... Now at 40, I have managed to piss off every woman in my life losing 5-8lbs in ten days via this ADF and I'm in love with the primal engagement of fasting. The muscle sparing aspects, the mental engagement, the change in perspective and sadly, the near instant gratification.
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
Weight: 223 😆

CG Bench 4 x 8, 7, 6, 7 x 165
DL Deload 5x135, 5x205, 5x265
Inverted Row 4 x 5
Reverse Cable Flies 3 x 12, 10, 8 x 4
Incline DB Curl 3 x 10, 8, 8 x 25's

Decided to deload the DL after the PEM and insomnia shenanigans last week. Also, walked in feeling strong, but just felt weak with 5x265. @MrKleen73 jinxed me lol. Pushed everything else 0-2 rir. Seems like the quick linear progress has slowed down a little.
CG Bench 4 x 9, 8, 7, 8 x 155
DL 5's Week 5x265, 5x305, 6x345 (AMRAP)
Inverted Row 6, 6, 6
Reverse Cable Flies 3 x 10-12 x whatever
DB Curl 3 x 10 x 25's


Something weird is going on. This is several weeks in a row where my DL and squat feel weaker than 3 months ago. My bodyweight isn't any different really; I'm a little leaner so that means I have more muscle somewhere if my bodyweight is about the same. My upper body is definitely stronger. I had to really grind out that last DL to at least match my last 345 amrap. Granted, I did sets of 5 for 5's week leading up to it where I did 3's last time, but if I'm stronger, that shouldn't have mattered. Couple thoughts...

-all the new incline walking is hurting my lower body progress, or even costing my strength
-leaning up with more muscle in my upper body only (maybe?)
-5/3/1 just isn't for me?
-possibly didn't eat as many carbs over the weekend as I used to
-need a more complete deload (but upper body is getting stronger?)
-maybe my lats/back don't like higher volume
-heavier shrugs on Saturday partially bent over taxed me more than I realize

Any thoughts?

Lastly, this one *might* just be a form thing. On CG Bench, my right pec gets almost cramped and far more pumped than my left. Possibly going to heavy and don't realize my form is suffering. Not sure.
Bodyweight: 224

CG Bench 4 x 7, 7, 7, 6 x 155
Deadlift Max 1 x 315, 365, 390, 405, 415, 425
Machine OHP 2 x 10 x 70
Reverse Cable Flies 3 x 10 x 4
Incline DB Curl 3 x 8, 8, 6 x 30's

425 DL PR! At this bodyweight, I think I'm really close to my all time best PR. When I got 475 and 525, I was around 235-245. Either way, this is the most I've done since the 6 month layoff last year. Yay.

Other notes: skipped Inverted row after the max DL because it's still pretty sore from Saturday and figure maxing is enough. Lowered the CG Bench to really focus on form.
 
GreenMachineX

GreenMachineX

Well-known member
Awards
4
  • Established
  • First Up Vote
  • Best Answer
  • RockStar
Flat Bench 4 x 6 x 225
CG Hammer Incline Press 12x90, 3 x 8, 8, 7 x 130
Cable Upright Row 3 x 12 x 42.5
Double Cable Pressdown 3 x 10, 9, 8 x 30 (or 35)
Decline Lateral Raise (left arm only) 10 x 5lb

Adding reps every week to bench now. Think I went too heavy on hammer press though because I ended up not feeling what was supposed to be working the last 2 sets. Going to add a set of Lateral raises to my left arm only every workout also because it's significantly smaller then my right.
Flat Bench 4 x 7, 6, 6, 6 x 225
Incline CG Hammer Press 8x90, 3 x 8, 8, 10 x 100
Cable Upright Row 12x42.5, 10x50, 8x57.5
Double Cable Pressdown 3 x 10, 10, 12 x 30.

Slept like garbage and been up since 3:30am again...so feeling quite rough today, but still managed to add a rep to Bench...sloppy form on the last few reps of last set though. I didn't note it up top, but after about 30 seconds from the last set, I did 1 more pretty slow but perfect rep out of stubbornness 😆

Upright Row moving up. Triceps pressdowns still struggling around the same level.

Otherwise, I've taken assessment of my physique deficiencies, and really my side delts and upper traps need the most improvement...maybe biceps too but not as concerned. I'm considering dropping to only 2 latissimus movements per week (excluding DL if that counts) and adding another Shrug movement in the week.

Day 1: Standing OHP, Pullup, Shrugs, Lateral Raise, Skullcrushers (maybe curls)

Day 2: CG Bench, DL, Machine OHP, Reverse Flies, Curls

Day 3: Flat Bench, Incline CG Hammer Press, Upright Row, Pressdowns

Day 4: Squat, BB row, Shrugs, Facepulls, Curls

4 sets for first 2 or 3 exercises, 3 sets for everything else. Only days 3 and 4 are ever back to back at this point.

Anyone have any thoughts?
 

Similar threads


Top