Segansational's Motivation Log

[Dustin07]

Congrats on the PR!!

 

[MrKleen73]

Congrats man, I love that feeling when you miss a lift, then psych yourself up and get that muthafugga! It's like willing the impossible to be possible!

 

[Segansational]

Anyone else on android not able to use the AM app this morning? Told me it was invalid, then when I went to search in the app store I didn't see anything...

Random note. I looked at my first couple posts from 2015, I was 158ish. I'm now 174ish, so thats a ~20# difference since starting on this forum. Now, when I cut I can still get down that low, and I am still in bulk mode (and pretty fluffy), but I'd like to think I've made some significant progress since starting my journey on here.

Back. Deload Day 2
Foam rolling/stretching.
Curl Ups x10,5,3
Neutral Grip Pull Ups, 3 sets to failure.
Bent Over BB Rows, Head on Incline Bench:
95x3 - too heavy strict
55x7,10,10
Lat pulldowns, 8 plates x 3x10

More foam rolling to finish, ~44 mins total session time.

Things have been feeling a little tough at home & work balancing priorities. Things are just a little off kilter. Hoping it's just a phase we're going through. Sleep last night wasn't great, interrupted and then too much on my mind.

On the plus side, saw the eclipse a bit yesterday! That was cool.

Pre: 1 scoop Total War, 1 cap Special Forces (last one!), 1 cap Eria J, 2 caps KSM-66, 4 caps Pepti-Plex
Intra: Same as previous.

 

[Dustin07]

Anyone else on android not able to use the AM app this morning? Told me it was invalid, then when I went to search in the app store I didn't see anything...

no issues with the app but woke up to a ton of email notifications I wasn't crazy about lol

 

[MrKleen73]

I feel sorry for all the people who travelled to Texas and paid elevated prices for hotels and whatnot to see the eclipse only to have it pretty much covered by the clouds the whole time. You couldn't really see much of anything here in Houston.

 

[Dustin07]

I feel sorry for all the people who travelled to Texas and paid elevated prices for hotels and whatnot to see the eclipse only to have it pretty much covered by the clouds the whole time. You couldn't really see much of anything here in Houston.

 

[Electrake]

View attachment 241371

Here too

 

[MrKleen73]

View attachment 241371

We had some of that Washington Crud here yesterday and today. Just blah depressing, and oppressive weather. Take it back!!!

 

[SkRaw85]

Anyone else on android not able to use the AM app this morning? Told me it was invalid, then when I went to search in the app store I didn't see anything...

Random note. I looked at my first couple posts from 2015, I was 158ish. I'm now 174ish, so thats a ~20# difference since starting on this forum. Now, when I cut I can still get down that low, and I am still in bulk mode (and pretty fluffy), but I'd like to think I've made some significant progress since starting my journey on here.

Back. Deload Day 2
Foam rolling/stretching.
Curl Ups x10,5,3
Neutral Grip Pull Ups, 3 sets to failure.
Bent Over BB Rows, Head on Incline Bench:
95x3 - too heavy strict
55x7,10,10
Lat pulldowns, 8 plates x 3x10

More foam rolling to finish, ~44 mins total session time.

Things have been feeling a little tough at home & work balancing priorities. Things are just a little off kilter. Hoping it's just a phase we're going through. Sleep last night wasn't great, interrupted and then too much on my mind.

On the plus side, saw the eclipse a bit yesterday! That was cool.

Pre: 1 scoop Total War, 1 cap Special Forces (last one!), 1 cap Eria J, 2 caps KSM-66, 4 caps Pepti-Plex
Intra: Same as previous.

Apple currently. I got a notification when I pulled up the app that it was a demo version and something about paid Tapatalk. I’ve always used this app or the website. Is Tapatalk worth a look? And does it cost money?

 

[SkRaw85]

I feel sorry for all the people who travelled to Texas and paid elevated prices for hotels and whatnot to see the eclipse only to have it pretty much covered by the clouds the whole time. You couldn't really see much of anything here in Houston.

Mob hysteria lol

 

[Dustin07]

Apple currently. I got a notification when I pulled up the app that it was a demo version and something about paid Tapatalk. I’ve always used this app or the website. Is Tapatalk worth a look? And does it cost money?

i've been using the free version forever. it's not without it's flaws but it's pretty good for the forums that it's compatible with

 

[Hyde]

I feel sorry for all the people who travelled to Texas and paid elevated prices for hotels and whatnot to see the eclipse only to have it pretty much covered by the clouds the whole time. You couldn't really see much of anything here in Houston.

I feel sorry for all of the people that genuinely got excited enough to travel for that, period.

Walked outside yesterday at 2pm - yep, there it is, okay back inside to get back to work.

People lose the minds over things like that

Apple currently. I got a notification when I pulled up the app that it was a demo version and something about paid Tapatalk. I’ve always used this app or the website.

Same

 

[slimsaw00]

I feel sorry for all of the people that genuinely got excited enough to travel for that, period.

Walked outside yesterday at 2pm - yep, there it is, okay back inside to get back to work.

People lose the minds over things like that



Same

I feel sorry for all of the people that genuinely got excited enough to travel for that, period.

Walked outside yesterday at 2pm - yep, there it is, okay back inside to get back to work.

People lose the minds over things like that



Same

My brother in law booked an Air BnB in Ohio to see it. I got home from school when it was peak time in Michigan and I was okay… then changed into some comfy clothes.

 

[MrKleen73]

Yeah someone asked me during the time it should have been visible here if I cared. I told them no, I have seen a ring light before. No big deal. I saw this 40 years ago in 6th grade or whatever, and they made it into a big deal and when I saw it I was like Oh okay, lets play some kickball now.

 

[Hyde]

Yeah someone asked me during the time it should have been visible here if I cared. I told them no, I have seen a ring light before. No big deal. I saw this 40 years ago in 6th grade or whatever, and they made it into a big deal and when I saw it I was like Oh okay, lets play some kickball now.

Kickball > eclipse any day of the week, not even a question

 

[slimsaw00]

Not sure if anyone watches Parks and Rec but the way some of the people I know were excited about the eclipse reminded us of the “Reasonablists.”

 

[Segansational]

Well, we thought the eclipse was kinda cool. Lots of cloud cover here, but we didn't travel for it. Just hung around out front of our house.

Yesterday was an off day. This week has been rough with work schedule. Back in the gym for Deload Day 3, Legs.

Foam rolling/stretching
Squats
Warm ups, 95x10
135x8
185x3x10

Leg extensions: 3 plates, 3x10 (mightve done two sets, mightve been 3? Lost track).

Pre: 1 scoop Total War, 2 caps Eria J. Didn't realize that this apparently is WADA banned? Thought that was interesting... I don't get much at 150 mg, so went with 300 mg.

Got my last Easter order in finally. But came with a sample of Innovapharm MVPre. OG version that had DMHA in it, 350 mg caffeine, 100 mg Eria J. Plus full doses of citrulline, HydroPrime, S7... doesn't look like they make it anymore, but this looked like a good formula.

 

[Segansational]

Just downloaded tapatalk, test post.

 

[SkRaw85]

Just downloaded tapatalk, test post.

Greetings

 

[Dustin07]

Just downloaded tapatalk, test post.

Greetings

welcome to AM, A/S/Location?

 

[akboom87]

Greetings

Earthlings

 

[Segansational]

welcome to AM, A/S/Location?

LOL, that was a weird time! Not that the internet isn't a weird place right now too.

Deload Day 4. Shoulders/Arms.

Foam rolling/stretching.

DB laterals x DB front raises, 10x3x10
EZ bar upright rows x resistance band facepulls,
+50x3x10 / 5x3x12
EZ bar curls x Skull Crushers,
+30x2x10
Had to stop here since my son woke up.
Kept this nice and light for deload week.

Didn't get to the rest of my arm WO, but not a bad session overall. Felt pretty dialed in.

Pre: 1 scoop Total War, 2 caps EJ, 2 caps KSM-66, 4 caps Pepti-Plex
Intra: Same as previous

Last WO for the week as I'm taking my kids to the waterpark this weekend to celebrate their birthdays.

@sns8778 does Eria Jarensis have any effect on BP? Getting ready to move into a lower stim phase, but 2 caps of EJ seems to give a slight mental edge for me combined with a normal caffeine stim pre-WO.

 

[sns8778]

Last WO for the week as I'm taking my kids to the waterpark this weekend to celebrate their birthdays.

@sns8778 does Eria Jarensis have any effect on BP? Getting ready to move into a lower stim phase, but 2 caps of EJ seems to give a slight mental edge for me combined with a normal caffeine stim pre-WO.

I hope you have a great time at the waterpark.

No, it doesn't usually have any effect on blood pressure. There are some people that anything stimulating, even a cup of coffee, might effect their BP, but for the normal person, no, it wouldn't.

 

[Dustin07]

but for the normal person

its safe to assume nobody on AM every day is a normal person

 

[Segansational]

its safe to assume nobody on AM every day is a normal person

Truer words were never spoken!

 

[Segansational]

Back from a weekend at the waterpark. Kids had a great time, and just seeing them so happy made it all worth it. They're little fish. Ate whatever I wanted (think pulled pork & bacon BBQ burger, ranch fried chicken sandwich and servings of fries) and didn't bring my protein, etc. So just had a completely free weekend, no workouts. Did have 15k and 17k steps on Sat and Sun though! Plus a workout with the kids wanting to jump the waves at the wave pool and climbing up and down the waterside stairs.

Back at it this AM and coming off deload week, I'm ready to hit it strong. Looking to bust through any lift plateaus on my big 3 over this next 8 week cycle. If I can get to 225/335/315 Bench/Squat/Deadlift I'll be happy with the progression. Would put me at an 875# total and be knocking on the door of 900.

Accessory Chest
Stretching/foam rolling.
Chest exercises.
Bird Dogs x10,5,3
Rotator Cuff Resistance bands, 2x12,12

Incline BP:
Warm up, 45x12
95x10
135x8
155x6
185x2
Slingshot assist:
185x4
185x5

Made sure pins were at the right setting. No issues with the shoulder.

Machine Chest Press,
Warm up, 3 plates x 12
8 plates x 10
8 plates x 10
8 plates x 10
Kept it here and lighter to get the chest pump.

Resistance band flys, 20x3x12

Foam rolling/stretching.

56:03, 179 cals.

Pre: 2 scoops Kraken, 2 caps KSM-66, 4 caps Pepti-Plex. Moving down to lower stim pre for the next 8 weeks.
Intra: Same as usual, though this was more post vs intra-WO.
Post: 2 pumps IML 4-andro TD.

 

[Segansational]

Plan for DL progression:
Week 1 - 245
Week 2 - 255
Week 3 - 265
Week 4 - 275
Week 5 - 285
Week 6 - 295
Week 7 - 305
Week 8 - 315
These numbers are for the top working sets each week, but will likely need to adjust reps depending on how heavy it feels. Expect weeks 4-5 to start to get challenging.

Didn't sleep great last night, so was moving a little slower this AM.

Deadlifts
Foam rolling/stretching
Bird Dogs x 10,5,3

Warm ups, unbelted, overhand grip:
95x10
135x8
185x6
215x3 - these felt good/easy, mostly grip issue towards the end.

Working Sets, belted, mixed grip, foam rolling & resistance band pullaparts 5# before each set:

245x3
245x3
245x3 - Last set a little taxing.

Hands weren't enjoying the pulls today, but physically felt decent coming off the deload week. Right elbow was bugging me a little throughout today's WO though.

Stretching/foam rolling to finish.

54:49, 145 cals.

Pre: 2 scoops Kraken, 2 caps KSM-66, 4 caps Pepti-Plex
Intra: Same as usual, but swapped Kaged for 1/2 a packet of Gorilla Mind hydration.

Yesterday's weigh in held steady at 174.4#.

 

[akboom87]

I like the plan and goal for the big 3! Solid sessions coming back from your deload week. A 875 total at your body weight would be pretty damn good! Hell it will be higher then my total

 

[Segansational]

I like the plan and goal for the big 3! Solid sessions coming back from your deload week. A 875 total at your body weight would be pretty damn good! Hell it will be higher then my total

We'll see - I was hoping for better today on deads, so that 315 might still be tough... we'll see how benching goes tomorrow, plus I'll outline my plan of attack to get to 225.

 

[SkRaw85]

welcome to AM, A/S/Location?

Bro

 

[Segansational]

@Hyde @Dustin07 @SkRaw85 and anyone else have opinions on knee sleeves vs knee wraps? Price difference is about $20 at least via Gym Reapers. I noticed this weekend that even when in the pool, my left knee was really clicking. Figure it's only going to be worse as I test out weights these next several weeks on squats. And this is all while on Joint Edge too.

 

[Dustin07]

I've never used wraps but Hyde and I wear the same sleeves. Rehband 7mms. I highly recommend them... Mine are going on 8+ years old ..... I feel like the price they are now is the price I paid per sleeve back in the day.

 

[MrKleen73]

@Hyde @Dustin07 @SkRaw85 and anyone else have opinions on knee sleeves vs knee wraps? Price difference is about $20 at least via Gym Reapers. I noticed this weekend that even when in the pool, my left knee was really clicking. Figure it's only going to be worse as I test out weights these next several weeks on squats. And this is all while on Joint Edge too.

Wraps are not really for support, they are for rebound, a quality knee sleeve worn throughout your session is going to be healthier for your knee than using wraps. I have actually caused injury to my quad tendon having someone wrap my knees that went to tight. Wraps or for increasing weight, a good sleeve will offer some support, increase temperature AND BLOODFLOW IN THE JOINT. Oops caps lock... I am probably going to order some Gym Reapers just to have a really comfortable set to wear myself.

 

[Hyde]

Would not recommend Gym Reaper stuff; that stuff is low quality.

As mentioned, wraps are purely for carryover - they’re essentially modern equipped lifting with the dominance of Raw now.

You absolutely do not have enough time to train in knee wraps. Your training sessions last less than half of mine, and I don’t have enough time to train in wraps. They make it take FOREVER. Every set you have to put them on, take them off, roll them back up while you try to recover.

And putting them on is exhausting - the barbell club owner tore something in his forearm recently wrapping himself 2 days after wrapping one of his clients at a meet. It wears out your grip & biceps fast.

Plus, they just suck to have on. They sting the entire time, your legs are turning numb, and it’s hard to feel the floor (and even hit depth). They tend to cause the knee tendons to weaken if you don’t take blocks out of them to rebuild the raw knee strength.

 

[akboom87]

@Hyde @Dustin07 @SkRaw85 and anyone else have opinions on knee sleeves vs knee wraps? Price difference is about $20 at least via Gym Reapers. I noticed this weekend that even when in the pool, my left knee was really clicking. Figure it's only going to be worse as I test out weights these next several weeks on squats. And this is all while on Joint Edge too.

I ended up with a cheapo pair of Amazon think they are Jupiter or something like that 26 bucks. I doubt they will last any length of time. I am glad I did get them though because I was not sure of the size, I would Probably go down a size when I go to order my next pair.

 

[SkRaw85]

Yeah gym reapers no go. I got a pair for free, ended up throwing them away as I would not give them to someone.

Wraps are cool but a pain in the d1ck and time consuming. Sleeves are cool and not a complete pain in the d1ck.
I vote for sleeves

 

[Dustin07]

I have gym reaper wrist wraps, but I definitely wouldn't buy their sleeves, or anyone else's to be honest. I have had cheapos that wore out and slid down the leg. The Rehbands should not have lasted a decade but they have....

It's just one of those things like a good belt. Buy once, cry once ... A good pair lasts forever.

 

[Segansational]

Wasn't sure how this morning would go since I'm coming off incline/chest day on Mon, but that's just how my schedule worked out this week. But by the end of this week I'll have hit my big 3 and have my baseline established, plus my full plan mapped out for these 8 weeks.

Bench
Foam rolling/stretching.
Rotator Cuff Ex, resistance bands 2x12,12
Bird Dogs x10,5,3

Bench Press:
Warm ups, 95x10
135x8
165x6 - felt heavy today.
185x3 - slow grind.
195x0 - not today

Slingshot assist:
195x5

Unassisted burnout reps:
155x10*
Went for speed on these.

Neutral grip pushups, 2 sets to failure

Again, my body was suffering a little today being so close to my last bench Day, specifically my left shoulder/elbow were a little unhappy. But all in all a solid session to start things off IMO.

36:14, 155 cals - likely closer to 1 hr, as my fitbit kept pausing during sets.

Pre: 2 scoops Kraken, 2 caps KSM-66, 4 caps Pepti-Plex
Intra: 1 scoop Grunt, 1 scoop Hydra-Charge, 2 scoops Creatine HCL, 1/2 scoop Cluster Bomb, 10g glutamine.

Based on this AM's WO, bench progression plan is as below:

Raw / Assisted
Week 1 - 185 / 195
Week 2 - 185 / 205
Week 3 - 195 / 205
Week 4 - 195 / 215
Week 5 - 205 / 215
Week 6 - 205 / 220
Week 7 - 215 / 220
Week 8 - 215 / 225

Will be moving my 2nd bench/accessory chest day to lighter/higher rep volumes to accommodate vs what I've been doing lately.

 

[Resolve10]

Definitely sleeves over wraps, especially in what you are looking for. There are tons of options these days so just look for something that fits your use case, a lot of the designs are similar. I'll vary between nothing, something as simple as the super minimal hook grip sleeves, neoprene sleeves, or even some cloth sleeves depending on the need.

 

[MrKleen73]

Good to know on the Gym Reapers. I had seen them so much and heard one or two good things about them from someone on here. So I thought they might be an up and comer in the fitness world. Now if you want a sleeve with a bit more spring to it the Inzers are pretty stout. If just for comfort and knee warmth rehbands seem to be the go to. I had some SDB sleeves I really enjoyed.

 

[Hyde]

Something worth mentioning is you do NOT want the high performance, super high dollar powerlifting sleeves you can get now from Inzer, SBD, Iron Rebel, Ghost, A7, etc. You will know them when you see the $120+ price tag.

They are NOT built to last at all; they are for absolute max poundage someone can get out of a sleeve for powerlifting and are terrible to get off/on and wear out fast.

 

[MrKleen73]

Something worth mentioning is you do NOT want the high performance, super high dollar powerlifting sleeves you can get now from Inzer, SBD, Iron Rebel, Ghost, A7, etc. You will know them when you see the $120+ price tag.

They are NOT built to last at all; they are for absolute max poundage someone can get out of a sleeve for powerlifting and are terrible to get off/on and wear out fast.

AND they are not comfortable to wear all workout, it can be done for sure, not going to lose circulation but they bunch up behind the knee which is fine for a one and done set but gets uncomfortable as you go on with the session. At least the Inzers I got when my plan was to return to power lifting. If anyone wants a pair discounted, mine have probably been worn 10-15 times... I definitely get rebound out of them but for what I am doing now they don't make any sense.

 

[Segansational]

OK, so in summary it sounds like knee sleeves, if at all. Again, for me it's just about a little extra support since my left knee has been clicking a lot lately. we'll see how I fare on Friday on squats and then make the call.

I use elbow sleeves when I bench, but they are also very light weight (elastic fibers in cloth) and more for keeping my joints warm than anything else.

 

[Resolve10]

Sleeves may help, but if you are finding your knees are not acting the way you'd like that finding the underlying issue will be worth looking into for the long run as well.

 

[akboom87]

Wasn't sure how this morning would go since I'm coming off incline/chest day on Mon, but that's just how my schedule worked out this week. But by the end of this week I'll have hit my big 3 and have my baseline established, plus my full plan mapped out for these 8 weeks.

Bench
Foam rolling/stretching.
Rotator Cuff Ex, resistance bands 2x12,12
Bird Dogs x10,5,3

Bench Press:
Warm ups, 95x10
135x8
165x6 - felt heavy today.
185x3 - slow grind.
195x0 - not today

Slingshot assist:
195x5

Unassisted burnout reps:
155x10*
Went for speed on these.

Neutral grip pushups, 2 sets to failure

Again, my body was suffering a little today being so close to my last bench Day, specifically my left shoulder/elbow were a little unhappy. But all in all a solid session to start things off IMO.

36:14, 155 cals - likely closer to 1 hr, as my fitbit kept pausing during sets.

Pre: 2 scoops Kraken, 2 caps KSM-66, 4 caps Pepti-Plex
Intra: 1 scoop Grunt, 1 scoop Hydra-Charge, 2 scoops Creatine HCL, 1/2 scoop Cluster Bomb, 10g glutamine.

Based on this AM's WO, bench progression plan is as below:

Raw / Assisted
Week 1 - 185 / 195
Week 2 - 185 / 205
Week 3 - 195 / 205
Week 4 - 195 / 215
Week 5 - 205 / 215
Week 6 - 205 / 220
Week 7 - 215 / 220
Week 8 - 215 / 225

Will be moving my 2nd bench/accessory chest day to lighter/higher rep volumes to accommodate vs what I've been doing lately.

Good bench session! I like the 8 week layout and think that is a very obtainable goal.

 

[Segansational]

Back Hypertrophy Day
Foam rolling/stretching.
Curl Ups x10,5,3

Neutral Grip Pull Ups, 3 sets to failure.

Lat pulldowns:
Warm up, 3 plates x 12
8 plates, 3x10
Kept this light and moved my hands in slightly as my left shoulder was bugging me this morning.

Inverted Rows, 3x5 - these felt tough!

Close Grip Cable Rows:
8 plates x 3 x 10

51:58, 135 cals.

Just really felt everything today, in both a good way (real muscle activation), but also just some fatigue. Nothing super heavy, but I definitely felt like I taxed the muscle groups if nothing else.

Pre: 2 scoops Kraken, 2 caps KSM-66, 4 caps Pepti-Plex.
Intra: Same as previous.

 

[Dustin07]

Raw / Assisted
Week 1 - 185 / 195
Week 2 - 185 / 205
Week 3 - 195 / 205
Week 4 - 195 / 215
Week 5 - 205 / 215
Week 6 - 205 / 220
Week 7 - 215 / 220
Week 8 - 215 / 225

get it!!

have you stocked up on micro plates? I keep thinking of throwing some in my gym bag for those days a 5 or 10lb jump isn't there, but a 1 or 2lb is.

hey, a .5lb PR is a PR and I'll take it all day long

 

[Segansational]

get it!!

have you stocked up on micro plates? I keep thinking of throwing some in my gym bag for those days a 5 or 10lb jump isn't there, but a 1 or 2lb is.

hey, a .5lb PR is a PR and I'll take it all day long

You know what, I really should. I haven't mostly because I have that deal seeker in me and hate paying "full price" for anything. But in this case the investment over time would be well worth it.

 

[Dustin07]

You know what, I really should. I haven't mostly because I have that deal seeker in me and hate paying "full price" for anything. But in this case the investment over time would be well worth it.

you and me both. I used them a LOT when I was pushing my OHP a few years back. it's fun to throw 1lb of micros on and still eek out a PR.

 

[SkRaw85]

Back Hypertrophy Day
Foam rolling/stretching.
Curl Ups x10,5,3

Neutral Grip Pull Ups, 3 sets to failure.

Lat pulldowns:
Warm up, 3 plates x 12
8 plates, 3x10
Kept this light and moved my hands in slightly as my left shoulder was bugging me this morning.

Inverted Rows, 3x5 - these felt tough!

Close Grip Cable Rows:
8 plates x 3 x 10

51:58, 135 cals.

Just really felt everything today, in both a good way (real muscle activation), but also just some fatigue. Nothing super heavy, but I definitely felt like I taxed the muscle groups if nothing else.

Pre: 2 scoops Kraken, 2 caps KSM-66, 4 caps Pepti-Plex.
Intra: Same as previous.

Inverse rows are a deceptive one lol. Awesome training addition!