Sparks' Never Ending Training Log

BEAST73 said:
Awesome Workout!
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Thanks buddy! Your drop to 1,100 cals/day motivated me to drop mine a little lower. I'm very interested to see how that works for you. I'm contemplating running something similar, but I don't know where to draw the line with "yo-yo" dieting...yet.
 
sparks2012 said:
Thanks buddy! Your drop to 1,100 cals/day motivated me to drop mine a little lower. I'm very interested to see how that works for you. I'm contemplating running something similar, but I don't know where to draw the line with "yo-yo" dieting...yet.
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I am pretty tuned in on the 1100 cal.
Hoping that I can keep My Strenght up these next 17 days..
 
BEAST73 said:
I am pretty tuned in on the 1100 cal.
Hoping that I can keep My Strenght up these next 17 days..
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With a short(er) duration, I don't think you'd lose a lot of strength. I'm assuming it's gonna be ALOT of egg whites and chicken during that drop with carbs and fats being minimal?
 
sparks2012 said:
God have mercy on your taste buds. I've found garlic and any kind of hot peppers thrown in the mix to be helpful. I'll be following your log closely to see how your run looks, as well as to offer any motivation I can!
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Thanks Bro, I will need the Motivation..
 
Very weird day today. Woke up, was on track and everything with egg whites and black coffee for breakfast. Fast forward to late afternoon, I pass out until midnight, found that the wife picked up some sushi for me. Destroyed that. Got hungry again, so we went for a midnight snack at McDonald's. Oh well. I guess I needed that extra sleep.
 
24JUL16

Legs:

Activation:
Sled Press - 1 PPS, Multiple Angles/Foot Position:
~40 X 1 PPS

BB Back Squat - Close Stance, Pin Squat:
10 X 135
10 X 155
10 X 175
10 X 195
10 X 215
10 X 235
8 X 255
5 X 275
BB Lunges - 2 Sets of 135 Until Failure:
Set1
Right: X 16
Left: X 20
Set 2
R: X 19
L: X 15
Seated Calf Raises SS w/ DB SLDL's:
15 X 2 Plates/12 X 60's
15 X 2 Plates/12 X 60's
15 X 2 Plates/12 X 60's
10 X 3 Plates/10 X 80's
12 X 3 Plates/10 X 80's
Sissy Squat SS w/ Lying Hamstring Curls:
10 X BW+25/12 X 90
10 X BW+25/10 X 110
10 X BW+25/8 X 130
Leg Extensions - Pause @ Peak Contraction:
15 X 130
12 X 150
12 X 170
10 X 190
9 X 210
20 X 110

Trained pretty much fasted today, aside from 2 scoops/16oz 2% milk for a shake when I woke up. Interesting session, pumps weren't crazy but I feel like I had good output today. Did sets of 10 on squats, ramping up 20lbs until I couldn't hit 10 anymore. Stopped at 275 as my back was starting to tighten up. Liking the feeling of the close stance squats and the pin squat variation really helped me control my descent, no banging and clanging on the catch bars. Smooth as butter lol. My legs are smoked, so it'll be interesting to see how recovery goes with a drop in my intake. I've got about 1,300 cals left today so I might treat myself to small steak tonight.
 
Had to look-up "Sissy Squat". WTH?
Interesting exercise.
For a guy of my age, this looks too dangerous though.
 
hairygrandpa said:
Had to look-up "Sissy Squat". WTH?
Interesting exercise.
For a guy of my age, this looks too dangerous though.
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It is...different. But, I wanted something "new" to challenge the quads, can't be any worse than the way Tom Platz used the hack squat machine lol. You could try it without any added weight, maybe superset it with another quad-dominant movement so added weight wouldn't be as necessary.
 
25JUL16

Delts/Arms:

Activation:
Front/Side/Rear Raises:
20 X 15's
Rope Pushdown:
25 X 70
Cambered Bar Curl:
25 X 50

Smith Machine Shrugs:
15 X 2 PPS
15 X 2 PPS
12 X 3 PPS
6 X 4 PPS
12 X 3 PPS
15 X 2 PPS
15 X 2 PPS
Standing DB Side Laterals SS w/ Seated OH DB Tricep Extension:
10 X 25's/15 X 50
10 X 35's/15 X 70
10 X 35's/12 X 90
10 X 35's/8 X 100
10 X 35's/6 X 100
Preacher Curl Machine SS w/ Bent Over Rear Delt Flyes:
20 X 55/12 X 20's
16 X 70/15 X 20's
12 X 85/12 X 25's
10 X 100/12 X 25's
Underhand Pushdown - Cambered Bar SS w/ Cable Rear Delt Raises:
20 X 80/15 X 20
15 X 100/15 X 40
12 X 120/13 X 40
Drop Set: 90,80,70,60,50:
Total 61 Reps
Standing DB OHP - Ramp Set, All Till Failure - 25,30,35,40,45,50:
15,12,8,8,6,2
DB Hammer Curls:
20 X 20's
15 X 30's
10 X 40's


Pretty good workout, nothing to be excited about. Delts/Arms is turning into one of my least favorite days for some reason. Oh well, just gotta push through it.


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Snapped these after today's session. I'm happy, but I'm not at the same time. Need more detail. Legs lacking a lot, at least that's the way it looks. But yeah, better than a couple months ago. Work in progress. Kinda like interstate construction in Ohio, never gonna be finished.

Oh, also I'm weighing in at 189...that's territory I have not been in for a long time.
 
Sh*t dude. You are looking ripped and huge. I am trying to remember the last picture you posted, you were not that big. How long ago was the last picture? and what the heck supp are you on (I want some.. hell, I want a case of it).

The beard is different too. How does your wife like it? Mine hates facial hair, so the only beard I ever have is when I am working from home that day and don't bother to shave LOL :)

And I echo was HG said, your waist is off the hook, especially compared with your lats "V" and shoulder width.
 
hairygrandpa said:
Looking awesome!
I envy your small waist, damn.
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Sparkss said:
Sh*t dude. You are looking ripped and huge. I am trying to remember the last picture you posted, you were not that big. How long ago was the last picture? and what the heck supp are you on (I want some.. hell, I want a case of it).

The beard is different too. How does your wife like it? Mine hates facial hair, so the only beard I ever have is when I am working from home that day and don't bother to shave LOL :)

And I echo was HG said, your waist is off the hook, especially compared with your lats "V" and shoulder width.
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Thanks guys, really appreciate the kind words. The "V" taper is definitely there, but like I said, some more detail is what I'm striving for. If I had a bit more mass on the legs it would accentuate that look, but I'll get there. I have wide-ish hips but my waist has always been fairly small, I don't think I ever taped more than a 33-34". Sparkss The last picture you probably saw was in June maybe? Right around the end of my log for jalfrey with the RagNOrok. I'm actually using the bare min on supps right now, and have been for a while. Right now I'm using Orange Triad by Controlled Labs, a multi/joint support/immune/digestive health all in one. Really convenient, just 3 pills in the morning and 3 more at night. Other than that, it's Myofeed protein by Purus Labs, BCAA/Amino for an intra drink, preworkout, and I started using Apple Cider Vinegar about 2 weeks ago to further aid in digestion as well as the many overall health benefits it has. I'm waiting on some Citrulline Malate by Primaforce, some BCAA's by USP, and Condense/Noxygen from Purus to come in. No creatine right to see how I fare without the added water weight. Dropped my cals to 2,600-2,900 for close to 2 months, then started doing 2,400-2,500 this week, but I only got a little over 1,800 yesterday. I've really just been experimenting with diet to make any "drastic" changes. I'm still waiting on a thermogenic that smith_69 sent me, so whenever my parents decide to mail that I'll be using that as well. I have very high hopes that it well give me that extra edge and help shed any excess water and hopefully get these veins popping in my legs and delts.

As far as the facial hairs goes, I've been on leave so I stopped shaving to see where I can get it to by the middle of August, with shaving every day it's hard to see what you'd look like with any facial hair so I'm taking that opportunity now. My wife likes the scruff, but I prefer to trim it to a goatee when I have the chance. I might not trim it at all and see how thick it'll come in, been a while since I've been able to do that. hairygrandpa , I'm jealous of those biceps and cannonball delts you've got, they're all around full and have a good 3-D look to them.
 
26JUL16

Chest/Back:

Activation:
Wide Grip Lat Pulldown:
15 X 115
Pec Deck:
15 X 70

Incline BB Press SS w/ Seated Cable Rows - Shoulder Width Neutral Grip
12 X 135/15 X 130
9 X 185/15 X 145
6 X 185/14 X 160
Cable Flyes - High Position SS w/ Weighted Underhand Chins:
15 X 30/10 X BW+45
15 X 40/10 X BW+45
15 X 50/9.5 X BW+45
13 X 60/8 X BW+45
Decline DB Press SS w/ Single Arm DB Rows:
12 X 60's/10 X 70
12 X 60's/10 X 80
12 X 60's/10 X 80 - Pause @ Peak
CYBEX Flat Press Machine SS w/ Close Grip Lat Pulldown:
15 X 130/15 X 145
10 X 170/10 X 160
7 X 210/8 X 190
Burnout - Move Handles Closer To Stimulate Chest Throughout Whole Movement, Keep Handles That Way For Entire Set:
12 X 90
Burnout - Single Arm Lat Pulldown, Constant Tension:
10 X 55 Left/Right Side
Straight Arm Pulldowns - Rope Attachment, Keep Ends As Far Away From Each Other As Possible SS w/ 35lb Plate Pinch Press:
10 X 40/15 X 35lb
10 X 50/15 X 35lb
15 X 60/15 X 35lb
Cable Crunches SS w/ Hanging Knee Raises:
20 X 170/20 X BW
20 X 170/20 X BW
20 X 170/20 X BW

Another successful chest/back day. Maintained a pretty good despite having minimal carbs before heading in. Keeping them around 120g for the whole day now that I figured out how to adjust the macro percentages in the app I'm using to track cal intake. I didn't do any pulls today, I really wasn't feeling them and I thought I'd give my posterior chain a small break. It's been working overtime lately with the higher volume squats I'm doing, and my hips were extremely tight as well so I just stretched them for about 5 mins at the end. Keeping ab work simple, I don't know how easy it is for my body to get blocky in the midsection, and I'm after the "classic physique" look so I'm trying to keep any added mass to the midsection at a minimum. Focused a lot on contractions today, as well as negatives. Didn't feel as strong as my last chest/back session, but I still hit decent numbers this afternoon.
 
solid one right there
 
sparks2012 said:
Thanks guys, always motivating when there's positive feedback!
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absolutely bro. just trying to catch up- been moving the past few weeks, just about done. took off work today to have a piano moved and box after box. will be completely done by sunday but this is f***king draining man. def getting in my cardio! -- sorry for some late replies
 
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Chasing the pump today. I'll be running a few mini-experiments in order to try and find the most suitable supps to help attain the magical pump.

I'll be starting off with the 3 pictured above. Purus Labs' "Condense" and "Noxygen", and PrimaForce "Citrulline Malate".

Active ingredients for each are as follows:

PF Citrulline Malate - You guessed it, Cit Mal. Specifically L-Citrulline-DL-Malate. Serving size is 1 level scoop, recommended taking 1-3 before and during exercise.

PL Noxygen - Carbs (1g), Sugar Alcohol (1g), Sodium (150mg), HydroMax glycerin (1.5g), Noxygen Blend [Nitratene (FCC Grade Sodium Extract), Beet Root Extract] (740mg). Serving size is 1 scoop, recommended dose is 1-2 servings before training.

PL Condense - Chloride (48mg), Sodium (130mg), Potassium (52mg), ATP-Sustaining, Lactate Buffering, Blood Oxygenating Mitochondrial Efficiency Complex [Betaine Anhydrous (2.5g), Beta Alanine (as CarnoSyn, 2g), Nitratene (FCC Grade Sodium Nitrate, 480mg), Caffeine (200mg)] (5.18g). Serving size is 1 scoop, recommended dose is 1-2 scoops.

I know there's a ton of variables that go along with being able to achieve and maintain a good pump, so I'll try and keep them consistent for the duration of this "trial". Consumed 38g carbs roughy 1 - 1.5 hrs before training, consumed roughly 30 oz of water between then and when I slammed the PWO stack. Today I'll be using 1 scoop of Condense (Natural Sangria Lemonade) and 2 scoops Noxygen. Will update with results when I get back. Maybe even a picture if it's amazing!
 
27JUL16

Legs:

BB Back Squat - Speed Work, Close Stance:
15 X Bar
15 X 135
10 X 205
10 X 205
3 X 255
3 X 255
1 X 305
1 X 305
Front Squats - 3 Sets AMRAP X 135, ATG Pause @ Bottom, Close Stance:
12 X 135
7 X 135
5 X 135
DB SLDL's SS w/ Lying Hamstring Curls:
15 X 65's/20 X 50
15 X 80's/20 X 70
15 X 90's/12 X 90
Unilateral Sled Press SS w/ Sled Press Calf Raises:
10 X 2 PPS/15 X 2 PPS
8 X 3 PPS/12 X 3 PPS
6 X 4 PPS/10 X 4 PPS
12 X 2 PPS/10 X 2 PPS
Leg Extensions SS w/ Lunges - In Place, Movement Between 1/4-3/4 ROM To Keep Tension, Done Until Failure Holding 25lb Plate:
30 X 110/13 X Lunge
25 X 150/12 X Lunge
20 X 190/10 X Lunge
Seated Calf Raises:
15 X 2 Plates
15 X 2 Plates
15 X 2 Plates

Well, I definitely felt that I had great pump today. Whole leg; glutes, hams, quads had a nice full feeling. Towards the end, when I was exhausting the quads, it was almost painful, in a good way. It's been about an hour since I was done and my legs still feel like balloons lol. It's a better pump than I've had in a while when it comes to legs, I'd rate it at 7/10. Hopefully with this continued deficit this will give me some crazy veins in the legs. Overall this was a productive session, and I've got a good baseline on where to judge the rest of these mini-experiments. To reiterate, this was 2 scoops of Noxygen, and 1 scoop of Condense. Mixing all in one cup was easy, I didn't really need to stir it. Sangria Lemonade was a refreshing flavor, nothing like I've had in a supp before. There was noticeably salty flavor, and I'm not surprised considering both products have at least 180mg of sodium between 1 serving of both products. Not enough to turn me away from a product, but it was noticeable.
 
Hopefully with this continued deficit this will give me some crazy veins in the legs.
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Made me chuckle...
Wait until you are past 45, crazy veins appear on the legs without working out, like magic. LOL

Great workout, by the way!
 
hairygrandpa said:
Made me chuckle...
Wait until you are past 45, crazy veins appear on the legs without working out, like magic. LOL

Great workout, by the way!
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I've seen that, guys older than me that appear to not lift or lead a healthy lifestyle, yet they've got veins that rival Frank McGrath! Lol looks like I've got something else to look forward to. And thanks! Dunno why but anything over 300 just feels ridiculously heavy. I don't get it. Strength has never been my strong suit though, so hopefully still hitting 300's during a cut is a sign I'll come back better when I return to maintenance or a surplus.
 
Just downed 3 scoops of Cit Mal and 1 scoop of Condense. Water intake is pretty much the same, carbs are a little higher at 35g, but it shouldn't be enough to throw off anything. Shoulders and arms tonight, I'm really going to hammer them with everything I've got and try and blow these suckers up tonight.

I should add that I took 3 scoops of CM before fasted cardio this morning, had a profound effect on endurance. My legs were decently pumped as well, and feeling pretty sore from yesterday so I did some stretching/rolling which helped but my hams are still really sore. From here on out I'll be dosing 3 scoops CM in AM, before cardio as to not skew results too bad. Just to leave no possibility unexplored, I'll re-do the 2 scoops Noxygen/1 scoop Condense while dosing 3 scoops CM in the morning.
 
I used to get good results using CM in my "homemade" PWO. Better than other NO boosters. I think that you will like it, it is supposed to also help with recovery. If you can get past the tart taste that is :)

No experience with the others you are trying. Following along intently.

Currently still hooked on Ragnorok (for now :)) for my PWO
 
28JUL16

Delts/Arms:

Cable V-Bar Pushdown SS w/ Cable Curls - Straight Bar:
20 X 80/20 X 40
18 X 120/20 X 90
13 X 170/14 X 120
9 X 200/9 X 150
Seated DB OHP - Rest Pause X 3 SS w/Standing Alternate DB Curls:
12/8/7 X 40/10 X 25's
10/6/4 X 65/10 X 35's
5/4/0 X 75/10 X 45's
Incline DB Skullcrushers SS w/ BB Upright Rows:
18 X 20's/20 X 65
14 X 30's/16 X 85
12 X 35's/12 X 105
Burnout Set - Upright Rows, Constant Tension:
20 X 65
Face Pulls - Rope SS w/ Strict Cambered Bar Pushdown - X Reps Overhand/X Reps Underhand:
20 X 100/12 ea. X 40
19 X 120/10 ea. X 55
15 X 140/8 ea. X 70
Machine Preacher Curls SS w/ Revers Pec Deck:
15 X 70/16 X 60
13 X 100/15 X 70
9 X 130/13 X 85
Rope Pushdown SS w/ Side Laterals w/ 10lb Plates - Max Contraction:
18 X 100/15 X 10's
13 X 110/15 X 10's
10 X 120/16 X 10's
20 X 60/20 sec. Static Hold X 10's
Single Arm Cable Pushdown - No Attachment SS w/ Bent Over Rear Delt Raises:
18 X 30/15 X 25
17 X 30/15 X 25
Hanging Knee Raises SS w/ Cable Straight Bar Curls:
30 X BW/18 X 80
30 X BW/15 X 100
30 X BW/30 X 60


Impressed with a couple things from this session. One of them being the perceived boost in endurance I felt, and the other being a solid pump, and feeling contractions just a bit more than normal. Pump came on quick, but the brunt of it had passed about 3/4 through (approx. 1 hr in, out of a total of 1.5 hrs or so). Maybe I just got used to the feeling of it and it never left. Either way, CM is holding up its end of the deal. I enjoyed the ride tonight, went hard on the presses hairygrandpa style with the rest/pauses on those. Really easy way to get a lot of work done in a short time, technically 9 sets of presses done in maybe 7-8 mins. Trying to focus more on some underhand movements for tri's as I've neglected that movement plane for a bit now. Had some good veins in the forearms going, just a little while longer before they're peeking through everywhere else. Enjoyed this sesh thoroughly, will try 3 scoops AM pre-cardio tomorrow, and re-do the Noxygen/Condense mix. I'd rate the "pump" tonight an 8.5-9/10, seeing as I don't normally get a great pumped up feeling with shoulders, but tonight was a different story.
 
Sparkss said:
I used to get good results using CM in my "homemade" PWO. Better than other NO boosters. I think that you will like it, it is supposed to also help with recovery. If you can get past the tart taste that is :)

No experience with the others you are trying. Following along intently.

Currently still hooked on Ragnorok (for now :)) for my PWO
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I am finding that I like CM, quite a bit actually. I would've ordered some CM while I was logging it but part of the rules was that no other PWO/pump products were to be used. I'll def be stacking Rag with CM, pumps would be crazy. Recovery could be placebo as of right now, considering I've only dosed it twice, buuuut I don't feel as worn out and I'm not too sore overall. We'll see come morning though. The tart/sour taste isn't bad, I kinda actually enjoy it lol so it's a win-win so far.
 
there is also a 2:1 CM (2 parts citrulline for each part malate. If I recall it has better pumps but less for endurance/recovery. I had actually switched to that before I started using Rag. I wonder what Rag tastes like with CM mixed in? More tropical I bet :)
 
29JUL16

Chest/Back:

Activation:
Pec Deck:
20 X 55
Seated Cable Row:
20 X 100

Flat DB Press - Feet Up SS w/ DB Rows:
12 X 65's/12 X 35
10 X 80's/15 X 60
7 X 100's/12 X 100
6 X 100's/10 X 100
Deficit Deads SS w/ Decline DB Press:
15 X 135/15 X 70's
10 X 225/10 X 70's
6 X 315/12 X 70's
1 X 365 - No Straps, Grip Limiting Factor/10 X 70's
Incline DB Hex Press SS w/ Incline DB Rows:
15 X 40/15 X 40
12 X 50/12 X 50
9 X 60/9 X 60
20 X 30/20 X 30
Lat Pulldown - Wide Grip SS w/ CYBEX Flat Press Machine - Handles Pushed Together For Max Chest Stimulation:
15 X 160/20 X 50
12 X 160/15 X 90
11 X 160/10 X 130
10 X 160/9 X 130
Seated Cable Row - Neutral, Shoulder Width Grip SS w/ Pec Deck - One Arm @ A Time, Bring Bar Across Body For Max Contraction:
20 X 115/12 X 70
16 X 140/10 X 85
13 X 160/8 X 100
Straight Arm Pulldown SS w/ Flat Plate Pinch Press:
15 X 60/30 X 35
15 X 80/27 X 35


3 scoops CM before cardio this morning, 5 mile walk with the dog, in total 70 mins of cardio today. Had a good pump throughout the session, it wasn't as quick to start as the CM on its own but it was sustained through the whole time. Really pushed everything today, hit failure and then some. I'd rate this pump an 8/10, the continued CM use seems to have an effect on endurance as well. I've enjoyed the past few workouts quite a bit, hopefully the fun continues! This was a re-do of the 2 scoop Noxygen/1 scoop Condense, with the 3 scoops of CM before fasted cardio.
 
sparks2012 said:
29JUL16

Chest/Back:

Activation:
Pec Deck:
20 X 55
Seated Cable Row:
20 X 100

Flat DB Press - Feet Up SS w/ DB Rows:
12 X 65's/12 X 35
10 X 80's/15 X 60
7 X 100's/12 X 100
6 X 100's/10 X 100
Deficit Deads SS w/ Decline DB Press:
15 X 135/15 X 70's
10 X 225/10 X 70's
6 X 315/12 X 70's
1 X 365 - No Straps, Grip Limiting Factor/10 X 70's
Incline DB Hex Press SS w/ Incline DB Rows:
15 X 40/15 X 40
12 X 50/12 X 50
9 X 60/9 X 60
20 X 30/20 X 30
Lat Pulldown - Wide Grip SS w/ CYBEX Flat Press Machine - Handles Pushed Together For Max Chest Stimulation:
15 X 160/20 X 50
12 X 160/15 X 90
11 X 160/10 X 130
10 X 160/9 X 130
Seated Cable Row - Neutral, Shoulder Width Grip SS w/ Pec Deck - One Arm @ A Time, Bring Bar Across Body For Max Contraction:
20 X 115/12 X 70
16 X 140/10 X 85
13 X 160/8 X 100
Straight Arm Pulldown SS w/ Flat Plate Pinch Press:
15 X 60/30 X 35
15 X 80/27 X 35


3 scoops CM before cardio this morning, 5 mile walk with the dog, in total 70 mins of cardio today. Had a good pump throughout the session, it wasn't as quick to start as the CM on its own but it was sustained through the whole time. Really pushed everything today, hit failure and then some. I'd rate this pump an 8/10, the continued CM use seems to have an effect on endurance as well. I've enjoyed the past few workouts quite a bit, hopefully the fun continues! This was a re-do of the 2 scoop Noxygen/1 scoop Condense, with the 3 scoops of CM before fasted cardio.

Awesome Work!
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hairygrandpa this one was closer to 2 hours...maybe 90-105 mins. Took a little extra to catch my breath with the deadlift and press superset.
BEAST73 thanks man! Still trying to hit everything with max intensity, so far it's working.
 
Also, I'm confident that I could've hit 3-5 with 365 on the deficits...I lost my other strap, so I only have 1 in my bag right now lol. For future reference, deficits are done on a 2" platform. All pulls are done double overhand and without straps as much as possible. Normally I'd have to strap up @ 405+, especially for rack pulls when I'm hitting close to 500.
 
sparks2012 said:
Also, I'm confident that I could've hit 3-5 with 365 on the deficits...I lost my other strap, so I only have 1 in my bag right now lol. For future reference, deficits are done on a 2" platform. All pulls are done double overhand and without straps as much as possible. Normally I'd have to strap up @ 405+, especially for rack pulls when I'm hitting close to 500.
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I hope you wear a belt, I got cautious now, LOL.
 
hairygrandpa said:
I hope you wear a belt, I got cautious now, LOL.
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Actually, no I don't wear a belt for anything right now. Last time I wore a belt was when I hit 405 for a max on squats, but that was over a year ago. Can't even get close to that now. I used to rely way too much on a belt, hurt my back while I was in Korea doing normal Deads with 365...not sure what happened but I distinctly remember coming off the floor and feeling something "slip" in my back. It was agonising, couldn't walk right. Military doc injected with some kinda pain killer and prescribed me muscle relaxers and percs, told me I "probably" pulled something and they weren't doing any X-Ray's or anything. Felt fine after getting back to my room, woke up the next day and sat in my computer chair and I couldn't stand up. Had to crawl to the counter and pull myself to my feet. After that it was a lot of research and stretching, but I was in the gym hitting legs 2 days later. Obviously no squats, deadlifts, or anything that put a lot of pressure on my lower back. Fast forward over a year and I finally hit 365 again on deads, then shortly after I hit 405 and have been stuck around there for some time. Probably poor programming and not recognising my weaknesses is the reason for the multi-year plateau lol...few months after I hurt myself I was able to start light. 135 on the bar felt like 315, and every rep was calculated otherwise I'd snap my sh1t up again. Started off with lighter box squats too in order to give the lower back a break when I was coming out of the hole. It was a rough time, I didn't use any of the meds, didn't want to risk not being able to train because I was doped up. Anyway, after a lot of research and time, I hardly have any lower back issues, I'll tweak it like everyone does on occasion but I'm gtg by my next pull/squat session. Never went back to the doc to figure out what was wrong either. I suspect that having my wallet in my back pocket for years on end caused some kind of imbalance and it finally took its toll on me.
 
Alright, looks like I'm 3 scooping CM, AND 2 scooping Noxygen for legs tonight. I see no sense in messing with lower doses, whatever my body can't/won't use I'll just piss out later so I'm running max doses for now to see if there's any synergistic effects. If there are, maybe I can fine tune to see what ratio (if any) works best with the few products I have currently. Both of them are good so far, and relatively cheap, Condense is a good PWO that has no dyes which I'm a huge fan of. Clean and consistent energy with no noticeable crash, I can feel it coming on approx. 10 mins after taking. Carbs are a little higher today, had a veggie pita earlier (55g so far), might make a difference. We'll see...stay tuned for a (hopefully) super pumped leg session.

Also, 3 scoops CM pre-cardio this morning. 30-40 mins walk with dog and wife. Slower pace as wife is still healing from broken foot, I'd estimate 1.4-1.75 miles, took a different route than normal, didn't have my phone to accurately judge distance today.
 
30JUL16

Legs:

BB Back Squat - Close Stance, Using Mini- Reds:
10 X 135
10 X 135
10 X 135
10 X 135
10 X 135
10 X 135
10 X 135
10 X 135
10 X 135
10 X 135
*30-60 Rest Between Banded Squats
Smith Machine Back Squat - Max Effort, Till Failure:
8 X 2 PPS
9 X 2 PPS
8 X 2 PPS
DB SLDL's SS. w/ Lying Hamstring Curls:
20 X 45's/20 X 90
15 X 80's/12 X 130
12 X 90's/3 X 150, 4 X 130, 6 X 110
10 X 100's/10 X 110 - Forced Reps
DB Sumo Squat SS w/ High Stance Leg Press:
20 X 60/20 X 2 PPS
20 X 60/17 X 4 PPS
20 X 60/13 X 4 PPS
Leg Extensions - Focus On Outer Quad Sweep:
18 X 170
17 X 210
15 X 250
10 X 290 - Partials
31 X 150 - Rest Pauses
Calf Raises w/ Sled Press:
20 X 4 PPS
14 X 4 PPS
12 X 4 PPS
10 X 4 PPS


Uhhh, yeah. Hurting already. I was starving by the end of my session. Did an "intermittent fast" approach today, wasn't really intentional but by definition that's what it turned out to be. Had to make some food AS SOON as I got home. These pups were pumped up tonight. I just kept going over a Tom Platz quite over and over in my head tonight. Something to the affect of "...you can't physically do one more but you grunt out another 10 anyway, your nose starts bleeding on the 8th rep, you rack it after the last 10. That was your first set." TELL ME THATS NOT SOME HARDCORE SH1T!! My weights may not be remarkable by any means, but I'm working hard. I really just went for exhaustion, and I achieved that for sure. Here are some pics from the session:
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This was right after the 10x10 with minimal rest. The rest are at the end.
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Strike a pose! Lol
 
I forgot to mention that the max dose of each pump product handled really well. I think combining the 2 is the way to go. Will mess around with dosing in the next few days.

31JUL16

Delts/Arms:

Strict Tri Pushdown - V-Bar SS w/ Rear Delt Row Machine:
18 X 55/15 X 30
13 X 70/15 X 50
8 X 85/13 X 50
6 X 100/12 X 50
Standing DB OHP SS w/ DB Shrugs:
12 X 30's/12 X 100's
12 X 40's/12 X 100's
8 X 50's/12 X 100's
6 X 60's/7 (+5 RP) X 100's
Press Burnout - Alternating Standing DB OHP, Keep Upper Arm Parallel To Floor When Not Pressing:
10 ea. X 35's
Tri-Set:
Seated Hammer Curls, DB Side Laterals w/ 5 sec. Hold @ Top, BB Reverse Curls:
10 X 30's/7 X 15's/20 X 55
9 X 35's/5 X 20's/15 X 65
8 X 35's/3 X 25's/10 X 65
Underhand Cambered Bar Pushdown SS w/ Seated Plate Arnold Press:
15 X 70/12 X 25lb Plates
16 X 90/10 X 25lb Plates
12 X 110/9 X 25lb Plates
11 X 110/9 X 25lb Plates
Cambered Bar Cable Curls SS w/ Rope Face Pulls:
15 X 70/25 X 80
15 X 90/15 X 100
12 X 110/15 X 120
Hanging Knee Raises SS w/ AMRAP Preacher Curl Machine:
30 X BW/25 X 55
30 X BW/9 X 100
30 X BW/13 X 70


Today was actually a good workout, I didn't want to get in there earlier in the day but I got moving around and rearranging the living room, so the activity boost changed my mind. Today's mix was 1 scoop Noxygen/1.5 scoops CM and 1 scoop Condense PWO, with the 3 scoops CM in the morning as standard. I had a really full pump today, more than I can say for the past few delt/arm days. In addition, to that my total carbs were tremendously higher today than normal. Total of 234g for the whole day by the time I finished my last meal, and I trained late as well for I had a considerably higher amount in my system. Anyway, pump was quick to come on, and lasted the whole session. Sitting at home and can still feel shoulders are pumped a little...workout was about an hour, been done for an hour and a half now so that's pretty good in my book.

Sorry for the recent pic spamming, but these workouts are too good to not "document" lol
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Love the pics. They give me a goal to shoot for myself! :)
 
Sparkss said:
Love the pics. They give me a goal to shoot for myself! :)
Click to expand...

Well I'll keep em' coming then! I can't help it, I haven't seen drastic changes like this in a long time. It's pretty obvious that a good cut is what I needed to reignite that fire. It sucks, no doubt , but when you see the changes on an almost weekly basis it's impossible to not stay motivated.
 
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