[size=+3]The Return of THE BEAST- Derek Charlebois’ 2008 Journal[/size]
[size=+2]The Return of The Beast—Week 4 (1/21/2008-1/27/2008)[/size]
I am back to bulking this week, though right now I am only having carbs post workout. My goal is to get 7 meals of 50 grams of protein and 20 grams of good fats (plus carbs with my post workout meal).
Week 4 Diet (Bulk)
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Week 4 Workout
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Week 4 Supplements
Pre-Workout = 1 Scoop Primal EAA + 2 Scoops VasoCharge
During Workout = 6 Scoops of Xtend
-Elastamine
-Cissus
- Fish Oil, CLA, GLA
-Pro-Liver
-Lean Green
-Insopro-R (with meal 1 only)
Xtend Mega-dosing = 12 scoops sipped during the day
Monday 1/21/2008
I am starting my new workout routine today. The muscle groupings are a little different than before. I feel this setup will allow me to hit each muscle group better, leading to increased gains in size.
Workout = Chest + Calves
Bench Press
315 X 3, 3, 3
Incline BB Press (with 3 second pause at the bottom)
185 X 10, 9, 8
Incline Hammer Press
180 X 10, 10, 10
Cable Flies
50 X 15, 15, 15
Cable Crossovers
50 X 15, 15, 15
Seated Calf Raise
165 X 8, 8, 8
Donkey Calf Raise
250 X 15, 15, 15
Workout Comments
Today’s workout was very productive. Did some incline barbell presses today in place of my normal incline DB press and I think I am going to go back to incline DB presses. I feel that incline DB press offers a different stimulus than barbell presses and like the way it feels more than incline barbell press right now. Just to note, I alternate between sets of cable flies and crossovers with my calf exercises. So I will do a set of cable flies then a set of seated calf raises. This strategy is a great time saver. I’ve been stuck at 315 X 3 on bench press for a couple weeks now. This is always where I reach a sticking point. I usually get up to about 335 for 3 reps then settle back down at 315 for 3 and get stuck there. I am going to try to beat this next week and if I don’t I am going to change up my rep scheme on bench press.
Tuesday 1/22/2008
Workout = Deadlift + Delts + Traps
Dealift
405 X 3
455 X 3
405 X 3
315 X 10, 10, 10
DB Side Lateral
40 X 6
30 X 10, 10
Smith Shrug
315 X 10, 10, 10
Cable Lateral
30 X 12, 12, 10
Low-Middle Trap Smith Shrug
225 X 10, 10, 10
I do these a bit differently than the standard shrug. Instead of shrugging my shoulders up I lift my scapulas and retract my shoulder blades together. I feel this hits more of the lower and middle traps.
Rear Delt Lateral
30 X 10, 10, 10
Workout Comments
I really like this new workout setup. In the past I have always done deadlifts at the beginning of back day, so deadlifts were always followed by some heavy back movements (i.e. bent over rows). Doing deadlifts followed by delts and traps a less demanding and will allow me to hit my back hard on its own day.
Wednesday 1/23/2008
Off Day
Thursday 1/24/2008
Workout = Back
Reverse Grip Bent Over Row
185 X 10
205 X 10
225 X 6
Pull-Ups
BW X 10, 8, 6
Hammer Strength Row alternated with Hammer Strength Pulldown
270 X 10/270 X 10
320 X 6/320 X 6
320 X 6/320 X 6
Seated Cable Row alternated with Lat Pulldown
180 X 10/180 X 10
200 X 10/200 X 10
70 X 10/70 X 10 (1-Arm at a time)
Workout Comments
I think putting back on its own day with no other muscle groups or deadlifts will lead to some great gains. This workout allowed me to really focus on my back and it is here to stay!
Friday 1/25/2008
Workout = Arms
I decided to do things a little differently today. I have ALWAYS started my arms off with heavy movements like barbell curl and close grip bench. Today I am going to put those at the end of my workout.
DB Preacher Curl
40 X 10, 10, 10
DB Kickback
30 X 10, 10, 10
Hammer Strength Preacher Curl
50 X 6
40 X 1
50 X 6
Machine Extension
50 X 10
60 X 6
50 X 10
Barbell Curl
75 X 10, 10, 10
Close Grip Bench
185 X 10
205 X 10
225 X 6
Various Cable Curls and Pressdowns
BB Forearm Curl
155 X 10, 10
Hammer Gripper
150 X 10, 10
Workout Comments
Doing isolation exercise before the big heavy compound movements definitely provided a different feel and I liked it. Doing this also made it so I had to go lighter on barbell curls and close grip bench, which my joints are thanking me for. I think I am going to stick with this strategy for a little bit.
Saturday 1/26/2008
Workout = Legs
Squats
365 X 6, 3, 3
Stiff Leg Deadlift
185 X 10, 10, 10
Leg Press
630 X 10, 10, 10
Bunch of Leg Extensions, Leg Curls, and some sets of the Ab/Adductor machines.
Workout Comments
A solid workout day. I tried going a little heavier on squats today. This is the heaviest I have gone since my lower back injury. I think I am going to go back down to 315 and work on increasing my stability and endurance on squats. Right now I can get 315 for 10 reps. I am going to shoot for 315 for 12-15 reps next week.
Weekly Reflection
I tried out some new training strategies this week that seems to work well for me. I am going to use these strategies next week as well. I will be keeping my diet the same next week. After next week I will most likely increase calories. Right now I am aiming to enter the 2009 NPC Michigan Championships. This will be my first competition in 5 years! This is the competition I was going to enter in 2006 but was unable to due to certain factors. I have definitely made some improvements over the past 5 years, but I have had some injuries that have hold me back. First it was my IT band on my left leg. This happened when I was trying to squat 600 lbs. I was stuck at 585 lbs for 3 reps and I think I was just pushing myself too hard to often; this was an overuse injury. Next came my lower back injury which slowed me down from September 2006 to about September 2007. My lower back is still not 100% but it is slowly getting better. Right now my main focus is adding muscle, specifically to my back. I have over a year until the 2009 NPC Michigan Championships, which gives me time to make improvements. It is time to get to work!
