Sparkss journey to recovery

Sparkss said:
9/9 Chest/Tris

Incline DB Bench Press...........................30/20, 40/15, 12, 12, 12
Flat DB Bench Press...............................40/15, 15, 15, 15
Incline DB Pull Over................................40/9, 12, 12, 10
Incline Overhead Tri Ext..........................30/15, 10, 10, 10

Another short day today. Work is killing me (13+ hour days, eating at my desk, no real breaks outside of "forced" bio breaks). I rearranged my workouts this week for a variety of reasons, the main one right now is due to my shoulders (mainly my traps) feeling like I just crushed a massive shoulder workout, even though I have not exercised my shoulders in well over a week. So I pushed my back and then chest workouts up in the schedule.

I also have been compressing my workouts due to time constraints. I noticed (not surprisingly) that when I reduce my inter-rep rest periods that the total # of reps (and sometimes weight) goes down. Which is better for adaptation (hypertrophy)? Longer rest + more reps/more weight? or shorter rest periods and less reps/less weights?
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Total reps going down is expected when shortening your rest times between sets, so don't worry about that.

How long are your typical rest periods and how much have you shortened them too recently?

The conventional recommendation for rest period length is 45-90 seconds for most hypertrophy exercises. However, some of the latest research from Dr. Brad Schoenfeld (hypertrophy guru) has shown that rest times of 3+ minutes were superior for hypertrophy in certain circumstances:

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in the end, both are effective, and it's probably good to cycle through different rest period lengths as another method of periodization and "muscle confusion" haha. Plus, if you're starting to max out on your available weights, shortening the rest periods is another way to get more bang for your buck out of the weights and still keep the gains coming.
 
Robert5891 said:
Total reps going down is expected when shortening your rest times between sets, so don't worry about that.

How long are your typical rest periods and how much have you shortened them too recently?

The conventional recommendation for rest period length is 45-90 seconds for most hypertrophy exercises. However, some of the latest research from Dr. Brad Schoenfeld (hypertrophy guru) has shown that rest times of 3+ minutes were superior for hypertrophy in certain circumstances:

Invalid Link Removed

in the end, both are effective, and it's probably good to cycle through different rest period lengths as another method of periodization and "muscle confusion" haha. Plus, if you're starting to max out on your available weights, shortening the rest periods is another way to get more bang for your buck out of the weights and still keep the gains coming.
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Thanks, I will need to review which circumstances benefit from the longer rest periods. My rest periods do occasionally stretch to 3+ minutes. My home gym shares a room with my home office. So my office PC is on and nearby when I am working out. Sometimes I get pinged or an Email that I need to respond to, which I will do in between sets. And to correct what I stated above, I meant inter-set rests, not inter-rep rest periods :) Although I do try to handle any work in between exercises instead of in between sets, but that is not always possible.
 
9/10 Rest day (yard work)

Just taking it easy today and getting in some cardio in the form of 90+ minutes of yard work. Plus my shoulders are still pretty sore, but now it is feeling more like a "I slept in a bad position" sore, where as before it was just sore, more like a DOMS sore. Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day.

With all the recent shifts to HST by many of the threads I follow here on AM I am deciding what I will do when my TRT, and optimistically cycle of something, starts (and my recovery will support more/different workouts from what I am doing now). I just don't know how the PH recovery uptick compares to the other recovery improvements I have read for the more "serious" compounds, which it seems that a lot of what I read was about those stronger compounds (and I will be sticking with PHs).
 
Sparkss said:
9/10 Rest day (yard work)

Just taking it easy today and getting in some cardio in the form of 90+ minutes of yard work. Plus my shoulders are still pretty sore, but now it is feeling more like a "I slept in a bad position" sore, where as before it was just sore, more like a DOMS sore. Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day.

With all the recent shifts to HST by many of the threads I follow here on AM I am deciding what I will do when my TRT, and optimistically cycle of something, starts (and my recovery will support more/different workouts from what I am doing now). I just don't know how the PH recovery uptick compares to the other recovery improvements I have read for the more "serious" compounds, which it seems that a lot of what I read was about those stronger compounds (and I will be sticking with PHs).
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Tomorrow will be what you make of it my friend! And you Sir, will make it rock!
 
9/11 Shoulders / Traps

Seated Side Lateral Raise...........................10/20, 15/12, 12, 10
Standing Bent Over Rear Delt Raise...........25/15, 15, 15, 15
Front DB Raise............................................25/12, 12, 12, 12
Seated Overhead Press..............................25/15, 15, 15, 15
DB Shrugs...................................................45/15, 15 ,15, 15

I did a light shoulder workout today, really focusing on TUT and holding the contractions. My shoulders and neck were still pretty stiff and sore when I woke up and I could not decide if it would help or hurt to do my shoulder exercises, so I went in with light weights. The main pain point was my middle delts, almost tender to the touch yesterday. So the side lateral raises were the lightest, and I did not finish all of my sets of them either. After that my shoulders started to loosen up. By the end I felt ten times better than when I started. I can finally (again) change lanes without turning my whole body in my seat. In other words I can turn my head instead of having to turn my whole upper body.

I also did not want to take another day off because tomorrow will be a rest day. I have a dentist appointment early in the morning, so no work out for me tomorrow, unfortunately.
 
per our previous conversation about my super wonky T and E2 numbers, even while taking AlphaMax XT (4+ weeks in when the bloods were drawn), I did notice that since going back on AMax my sore/dry elbows have stopped squawking at me. I started back on Epicat and AMax last week, after meeting with my doctor. With my #s I figured I could use all the help I could get and since he did not want/need another blood draw, nothing to stay "clean" for, I started that afternoon/evening. I am pretty happy with the Performax line, with SlinMax being my favorite partitioner/GDA right now. And better sleep when taking Amax at night before bed.
 
FireTitan said:
Youre still impressing and improving brother! Dont let up. And dont focus to much on numbers, unless their PRs
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Thanks. I am definitely trying not to dwell too much on those lab results.
 
9/12 Rest day

I would rather have been lifting. Even leg day, instead of the dental work I just had done. I still can't talk, nor eat, until the lidocaine wears off.
 
FireTitan said:
It's hard, but doable. And youve come this far. Wasnt it you that quoted on my log "you didnt come this far to only come this far"? If you didn't, someone did and I love it
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I do not believe that quote was from me, but I do remember seeing it. Wish I could take credit for it though, it is an awesome quote/saying!!!

I am already trying to plan out what I am going to do after I start TRT. If I was smart I would wait a couple of months into TRT, maybe even running another natty stack (I like ABE + Epicat) or giving that OL Orig1n a try that I ordered, and waiting to start anything stronger/PH/etc.

I also need to educate myself more on the pluses and minuses to gainz on TRT. I know that PCT isn't needed, and that a test base is provided by way of the TRT, but there are other considerations, such as E2, cortisol and other levels that I may not have had to deal with for some of the PHs that now I would. I mean it can't all be sunshine and roses :).

The one slight downside is that my endo uses the pellets, which is a plus imo since I only go in once every 5 ~ 6 months, but the inability to adjust on the fly is the downside. Plus, if I do consider PHs during my first TRT run (first set of pellets), then I do have an end date to back into, that period in between pellet shots where the old set is wearing out and the new set starts to kick in that I think it would be counter productive to be ending a cycle at that time. But maybe it doesn't really matter?
 
Sparkss said:
I do not believe that quote was from me, but I do remember seeing it. Wish I could take credit for it though, it is an awesome quote/saying!!!

I am already trying to plan out what I am going to do after I start TRT. If I was smart I would wait a couple of months into TRT, maybe even running another natty stack (I like ABE + Epicat) or giving that OL Orig1n a try that I ordered, and waiting to start anything stronger/PH/etc.

I also need to educate myself more on the pluses and minuses to gainz on TRT. I know that PCT isn't needed, and that a test base is provided by way of the TRT, but there are other considerations, such as E2, cortisol and other levels that I may not have had to deal with for some of the PHs that now I would. I mean it can't all be sunshine and roses :).

The one slight downside is that my endo uses the pellets, which is a plus imo since I only go in once every 5 ~ 6 months, but the inability to adjust on the fly is the downside. Plus, if I do consider PHs during my first TRT run (first set of pellets), then I do have an end date to back into, that period in between pellet shots where the old set is wearing out and the new set starts to kick in that I think it would be counter productive to be ending a cycle at that time. But maybe it doesn't really matter?
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I think pellets are the most convenient form of TRT, congrats on that!
To your info, I'm using DHEA in form of Dermacrine with my TRT on -and off, makes me feel way better.
I go as long without AI as possible to help my joints stay lubricated. Also, I switched recently from Adex to Exemestane.
Adex curved my libido to hard, while Exemestane seems more forgiving.
 
hairygrandpa said:
I think pellets are the most convenient form of TRT, congrats on that!
To your info, I'm using DHEA in form of Dermacrine with my TRT on -and off, makes me feel way better.
I go as long without AI as possible to help my joints stay lubricated. Also, I switched recently from Adex to Exemestane.
Adex curved my libido to hard, while Exemestane seems more forgiving.
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Thanks for the feedback. I am surprised to hear that dermacrine use had any effect during TRT. That just highlights how much I have yet to learn. :)
 
Sparkss said:
Thanks for the feedback. I am surprised to hear that dermacrine use had any effect during TRT. That just highlights how much I have yet to learn. :)
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Same here, still learning!
Look up DHEA and TRT. Since Dermacrine has an impeccable record for its functionality, I would skip oral DHEA.
 
Sparkss said:
I do not believe that quote was from me, but I do remember seeing it. Wish I could take credit for it though, it is an awesome quote/saying!!!

I am already trying to plan out what I am going to do after I start TRT. If I was smart I would wait a couple of months into TRT, maybe even running another natty stack (I like ABE + Epicat) or giving that OL Orig1n a try that I ordered, and waiting to start anything stronger/PH/etc.

I also need to educate myself more on the pluses and minuses to gainz on TRT. I know that PCT isn't needed, and that a test base is provided by way of the TRT, but there are other considerations, such as E2, cortisol and other levels that I may not have had to deal with for some of the PHs that now I would. I mean it can't all be sunshine and roses :).

The one slight downside is that my endo uses the pellets, which is a plus imo since I only go in once every 5 ~ 6 months, but the inability to adjust on the fly is the downside. Plus, if I do consider PHs during my first TRT run (first set of pellets), then I do have an end date to back into, that period in between pellet shots where the old set is wearing out and the new set starts to kick in that I think it would be counter productive to be ending a cycle at that time. But maybe it doesn't really matter?
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Ill be doing test-c shots, and taking arimidex for the estrogen. Its all self administered, so ill have to man up on the shots, but its for the good. Not using it for gains necessarily, but it cant hurt either. PM me your email and Ill tell you what im using and how if your interested.
 
9/13 Legs

Squats....................................................115/20, 155*/15, 15, 15
1 legged standing calf raises (BFR).........35/25, 25, 25, 25
Lunges (DBs)...........................................25/12, 12, 12, 12
Forearm Curls (using an old Marcy forearm "strengthener" from my post-surgery recouperation) 4 sets of 20 at the max resistance

Sort of lack luster workout. I tried to figure a way to do hamstring curls or leg extensions using the powerblocks. So far no luck with that, but I have some ideas. Been in B2B meetings all day, thought I had a 30 minute break, but just got pulled into yet another meeting, so going to have to cut this post short.
 
9/14 Rest day

Another rest day due to an absolutely insane meeting schedule. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
 
9/15 Chest/Triceps

Incline DB Press.......................................25/20, 45/12, 12, 12
Flat DB Press...........................................45/12, 50/12, 12, 12
Incline Flye...............................................20/15, 25/15, 15, 15, 14
Flat Flye...................................................25/8*
Incline DB Pull Over.................................40/10, 12, 12, 12
Incline DB Tricep Extension.....................30/15, 15, 15, 14

Pretty good feeling workout today. I decided to go a little heavier with a target rep range of 12 (down from 15). This workout is similar to one I used with good results before my shoulder injury/surgery. Part of following that old routine I added in flyes, with lower weights to focus on form and strengthening my shoulder more than anything else. The incline flyes felt good, the flat flyes brought serious shoulder impingement to where I did not even finish a set and decided to move on to the next exercise. The rest felt good, overall.

Right now I am back taking AlphaMax XT (morning and evening) and Ep1c Unleashed (morning/PWO). I also added in AlphaBeta Elite last week (I had a bottle and really liked the run of it earlier this year).
 
9/16 Back / Biceps

1 Arm DB Row..........................................50/17, 70*/15, 15, 15
Bent Over BB Row (overhand grip)..........155*/12, 12, 12
Landmine SuperSets (1 arm/D-handle)....70*/(15/15), (15/15), (15/15)
Hammer Curls...........................................35/12, 30/11, 12, 11, 12
Concentration Curls..................................20/15, 15, 15, 15

Decent workout this morning, but I kept getting interrupted. Plus,for the first couple of sets the weights "felt" heavier than usual. But I worked out of that hole, and despite the many interruptions from work, I managed to get a decent workout and even broke a sweat on a couple of the sets. It would have been a more "complete" sweat w/o the interruptions though.

I was running out of time so I had to skip my lower back hyper extensions. I will try to work them into my next workout as I really need those to keep my bulging lower discs at bay. When I dove into the hammer curls my form was sloppy, so I lowered the weight. Even though I did less reps with teh lower weight, I felt more bicep activation. I really focused on the form and taking it slow and feeling the contraction. The same for the concentration curls. The 15 rep sets took minutes to complete because I took it super slow, and even slower on the negative. Even with the small weight by the time I was done with each arm set my arm was blown up like a balloon and already sore. I can only imagine that using BFR *shudder*. Something for next week :).

Tomorrow will be a rest day for 2 reasons. I need to get the yard work done and also our daughter came home from school this afternoon running a pretty high fever, so we have been and will be taking turns taking care of her tonight and this weekend. Not the greatest setup for a workout so I am going to skip it and focus on my family.
 
Sparkss said:
9/16 Back / Biceps

1 Arm DB Row..........................................50/17, 70*/15, 15, 15
Bent Over BB Row (overhand grip)..........155*/12, 12, 12
Landmine SuperSets (1 arm/D-handle)....70*/(15/15), (15/15), (15/15)
Hammer Curls...........................................35/12, 30/11, 12, 11, 12
Concentration Curls..................................20/15, 15, 15, 15

Decent workout this morning, but I kept getting interrupted. Plus,for the first couple of sets the weights "felt" heavier than usual. But I worked out of that hole, and despite the many interruptions from work, I managed to get a decent workout and even broke a sweat on a couple of the sets. It would have been a more "complete" sweat w/o the interruptions though.

I was running out of time so I had to skip my lower back hyper extensions. I will try to work them into my next workout as I really need those to keep my bulging lower discs at bay. When I dove into the hammer curls my form was sloppy, so I lowered the weight. Even though I did less reps with teh lower weight, I felt more bicep activation. I really focused on the form and taking it slow and feeling the contraction. The same for the concentration curls. The 15 rep sets took minutes to complete because I took it super slow, and even slower on the negative. Even with the small weight by the time I was done with each arm set my arm was blown up like a balloon and already sore. I can only imagine that using BFR *shudder*. Something for next week :).

Tomorrow will be a rest day for 2 reasons. I need to get the yard work done and also our daughter came home from school this afternoon running a pretty high fever, so we have been and will be taking turns taking care of her tonight and this weekend. Not the greatest setup for a workout so I am going to skip it and focus on my family.
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Nice work my friend, super stoked for you getting it done! As for the little one, take care of her my friend!!
 
hairygrandpa said:
Best wishes to your daughter from me! Family first!
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FireTitan said:
Nice work my friend, super stoked for you getting it done! As for the little one, take care of her my friend!!
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Thanks for your kind thoughts. It wad a bit of a rough night, but she seems to have stabilized. Still running a fever, but not so out of control as it was last night.

I just have to ask, Why do kids always seem to get sick on a Friday afternoon? (after the regular doctor is closed and the only medical available until Monday is the ER or an Urgent Care facility, who charge triple or more than your regular Dr for a visit)
 
9/17 Rest day

Was supposed to do yard work today, but none of our lawn equipment worked today. It was a total shambles of a day. The weed eater would not start, the mower started then blew the motor barely 5 minutes into the yard (loud pop followed by a large puff of white smoke, and then the starter rope would just "free pull". no compression. So I spent most of today taking care of the little one and trying to find a good deal on a replacement mower (and weed eater motor). *sigh*. Looks like tomorrow will be a rest day (from working out) too.
 
Sparkss said:
9/17 Rest day

Was supposed to do yard work today, but none of our lawn equipment worked today. It was a total shambles of a day. The weed eater would not start, the mower started then blew the motor barely 5 minutes into the yard (loud pop followed by a large puff of white smoke, and then the starter rope would just "free pull". no compression. So I spent most of today taking care of the little one and trying to find a good deal on a replacement mower (and weed eater motor). *sigh*. Looks like tomorrow will be a rest day (from working out) too.
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HIT4ME is the repair guy, would be great to have him as a neighbor!

[video=youtube;SbTWLdT_tgk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbTWLdT_tgk[/video]
 
3/18 Rest day (#2)

Ended up having a ton of honey-do yard work piled on me and spent just shy of 4 hours working on the yard. I did it fasted and took some yohimbine before I went out. But that was also before I had any clue as to just how long I would be out there, or I would have eaten first :)


hairygrandpa said:
HIT4ME is the repair guy, would be great to have him as a neighbor!]
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LOL, well, our old mower is toast, no breathing life back into that one. Such is life. :)
 
hairygrandpa said:
HIT4ME is the repair guy, would be great to have him as a neighbor!

[video=youtube;SbTWLdT_tgk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbTWLdT_tgk[/video]
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Lmao -sparkss where you live? A mower is almost always repairable. However, if you knew enough to test the compression, you know more than enough to fix it if it is repairable. Did you actually test it? What type of mower? May be hard to fix over the net, but willing to try.
 
HIT4ME said:
Lmao -sparkss where you live? A mower is almost always repairable. However, if you knew enough to test the compression, you know more than enough to fix it if it is repairable. Did you actually test it? What type of mower? May be hard to fix over the net, but willing to try.
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See? :)
He is the ONE!
 
HIT4ME said:
Lmao -sparkss where you live? A mower is almost always repairable. However, if you knew enough to test the compression, you know more than enough to fix it if it is repairable. Did you actually test it? What type of mower? May be hard to fix over the net, but willing to try.
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Thanks for the offer, but I have already replaced it. It was not work my time to tear down the engine to find out if it was the rings, head gasket (though not sure on a small motor like that if it would cause it to loose compression) or if I cracked the head or block. It was old, and I was looking for an excuse to replace it. This was it :).
 
Sparkss said:
Thanks for the offer, but I have already replaced it. It was not work my time to tear down the engine to find out if it was the rings, head gasket (though not sure on a small motor like that if it would cause it to loose compression) or if I cracked the head or block. It was old, and I was looking for an excuse to replace it. This was it :).
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Really Sparkss? Can you imagine someone saying the same thing about hairygrandpa cause hes been around the lawn for several years? Very disappointed in you. Lol
 
9/19 Shoulders / Traps

Seated Side Lateral Raises..........................10/20, 15/15, 15, 15, 15
Seated Bent Over Read Delt Raises............25/15, 15, 15, 15
Standing Front DB Raises............................25/15, 15, 15, 15
Upright BB Row............................................65/15, 15, 15, 15
DB Shrugs....................................................55/15, 15, 15, 15

The workout today felt good. I had limited interruptions and for the most part was able to focus on the exercises. I kept the weight low and really focused on form and holding the contraction. I could feel good activation with each set and while I did not get drenched with sweat as I have before, I did work up a good sweat overall. However when I look at the volume I noticed that I still took right around 90 minutes to complete it. Although, again, I did take each rep slow, to a 1, 3, 2 count (contract, hold, negative) which did elongate each set. But I still felt really positive about today. The mind-body connection was firing on all cylinders.
 
Sparkss said:
9/19 Shoulders / Traps

Seated Side Lateral Raises..........................10/20, 15/15, 15, 15, 15
Seated Bent Over Read Delt Raises............25/15, 15, 15, 15
Standing Front DB Raises............................25/15, 15, 15, 15
Upright BB Row............................................65/15, 15, 15, 15
DB Shrugs....................................................55/15, 15, 15, 15

The workout today felt good. I had limited interruptions and for the most part was able to focus on the exercises. I kept the weight low and really focused on form and holding the contraction. I could feel good activation with each set and while I did not get drenched with sweat as I have before, I did work up a good sweat overall. However when I look at the volume I noticed that I still took right around 90 minutes to complete it. Although, again, I did take each rep slow, to a 1, 3, 2 count (contract, hold, negative) which did elongate each set. But I still felt really positive about today. The mind-body connection was firing on all cylinders.
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Dude, seriously. It seems like you have really been stepping it up a few notches. Great work, just dont quit!!
 
Sparkss said:
9/19 Shoulders / Traps

Seated Side Lateral Raises..........................10/20, 15/15, 15, 15, 15
Seated Bent Over Read Delt Raises............25/15, 15, 15, 15
Standing Front DB Raises............................25/15, 15, 15, 15
Upright BB Row............................................65/15, 15, 15, 15
DB Shrugs....................................................55/15, 15, 15, 15

The workout today felt good. I had limited interruptions and for the most part was able to focus on the exercises. I kept the weight low and really focused on form and holding the contraction. I could feel good activation with each set and while I did not get drenched with sweat as I have before, I did work up a good sweat overall. However when I look at the volume I noticed that I still took right around 90 minutes to complete it. Although, again, I did take each rep slow, to a 1, 3, 2 count (contract, hold, negative) which did elongate each set. But I still felt really positive about today. The mind-body connection was firing on all cylinders.
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any suggestions for getting a better contraction or mind-muscle connection on side laterals? I struggle to feel them, same with upright rows, I only feel them in the biceps...
 
Robert5891 said:
any suggestions for getting a better contraction or mind-muscle connection on side laterals? I struggle to feel them, same with upright rows, I only feel them in the biceps...
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I find that doing them seated helps me with the isolation on the SL Raises. I keep my back plastered to the seat-back and that stops me from leaning forward and recruiting my rear delts (which often happens when I do standing SL Raises).

With the upright row I make sure that I do go so heavy that I cannot get the full contraction. I usually can just touch my chin with the bar (at least for the first 10 or so reps). I am not sure the appropriate width, but I go with a bit narrower than shoulder width grip. my hands are about 10" - 12" apart (that much space between my index fingers).

I also found that I get a better burn for both SL raises and upright rows if I lower the weight a little (until my form is spot on) and hold the contraction.

HTH
 
9/20 Legs

Sumo Dead Lifts............................115/18, 155*/10, 12, 12, 12
Single Leg Calf Raises...................45/20, 35/20, 20, 20
Single Leg DB Leg Extension.........15/15, 25/15, 15, 15
..Superset
Single Leg DB Curl (hamstring).......15/15, 25/15, 15, 15


I got a little creative with my leg workout today. I have started swapping deads and squats as my starting leg workout move. I lowered the weight and focused on not rounding my back, standing perpendicular to the mirror versus facing it, so that I could watch my back and form. I did my reps until my back started to round, then stopped. Then on the calf raises I am following the AM article about training the calves and 1. move them towards the front of the workout and 2. choose a weight where you can hit between 20 and 30 reps, with 30 being the target when possible. I did not use the BFR bands today. Here is the creative part. I hated not having the equipment (or space) to do leg extensions or hamstring curls. So I thought about it and bought a pair of ankle straps, the kind you can attach to the low pulleys for working the legs from different angles.I attached one to the PowerBlock and to my working ankle and connected them with a carabiner. I then sat on the weight bench and propped my foam roller under my leg and proceeded to do my leg extension reps. Because I was so close to the floor still I only got about 6" of motion in the exercise, but that was enough to feel it in my quads, and I held the contraction at the top. Then I swapped the ankle strap my other leg and did that set. For the hamstring curls I stood on a tall step platform (approximately 8 ~ 10") and just curled my leg up to my rear end with the weight attached. That became increasing difficult to hit full contraction as the sets progressed. Likely not the best to try a standing leg curl like that after doing dead lifts :).
 
Sparkss said:
9/20 Legs

Sumo Dead Lifts............................115/18, 155*/10, 12, 12, 12
Single Leg Calf Raises...................45/20, 35/20, 20, 20
Single Leg DB Leg Extension.........15/15, 25/15, 15, 15
..Superset
Single Leg DB Curl (hamstring).......15/15, 25/15, 15, 15


I got a little creative with my leg workout today. I have started swapping deads and squats as my starting leg workout move. I lowered the weight and focused on not rounding my back, standing perpendicular to the mirror versus facing it, so that I could watch my back and form. I did my reps until my back started to round, then stopped. Then on the calf raises I am following the AM article about training the calves and 1. move them towards the front of the workout and 2. choose a weight where you can hit between 20 and 30 reps, with 30 being the target when possible. I did not use the BFR bands today. Here is the creative part. I hated not having the equipment (or space) to do leg extensions or hamstring curls. So I thought about it and bought a pair of ankle straps, the kind you can attach to the low pulleys for working the legs from different angles.I attached one to the PowerBlock and to my working ankle and connected them with a carabiner. I then sat on the weight bench and propped my foam roller under my leg and proceeded to do my leg extension reps. Because I was so close to the floor still I only got about 6" of motion in the exercise, but that was enough to feel it in my quads, and I held the contraction at the top. Then I swapped the ankle strap my other leg and did that set. For the hamstring curls I stood on a tall step platform (approximately 8 ~ 10") and just curled my leg up to my rear end with the weight attached. That became increasing difficult to hit full contraction as the sets progressed. Likely not the best to try a standing leg curl like that after doing dead lifts :).
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"Home brew workouts" for the win!
If you get lost in a desert you will find some camel bones and make your own gym, awesome :) !
 
well, I will attest to the effectiveness of those unorthodox leg exercises yesterday. I actually got a cramp in my hamstring last night (brought tears to my eye) and can feel a tightness all up and down the back of my legs today (and I am walking a little funny from the soreness). I still need to work on the quad exercises though. I didn't really feel that nearly as much today.
 
Sparkss said:
well, I will attest to the effectiveness of those unorthodox leg exercises yesterday. I actually got a cramp in my hamstring last night (brought tears to my eye) and can feel a tightness all up and down the back of my legs today (and I am walking a little funny from the soreness). I still need to work on the quad exercises though. I didn't really feel that nearly as much today.
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Try doing Bulgarian split squats with a little bit of forward torso lean, an I guarantee you'll feel it in your quads, also do front squats with DBs held at shoulder height
 
Robert5891 said:
Try doing Bulgarian split squats with a little bit of forward torso lean, an I guarantee you'll feel it in your quads, also do front squats with DBs held at shoulder height
Click to expand...

Good idea, front squats with DB's!
Not sure if Sparkss can do them because of shoulder issues.
 
Sparkss said:
9/20 Legs

Sumo Dead Lifts............................115/18, 155*/10, 12, 12, 12
Single Leg Calf Raises...................45/20, 35/20, 20, 20
Single Leg DB Leg Extension.........15/15, 25/15, 15, 15
..Superset
Single Leg DB Curl (hamstring).......15/15, 25/15, 15, 15


I got a little creative with my leg workout today. I have started swapping deads and squats as my starting leg workout move. I lowered the weight and focused on not rounding my back, standing perpendicular to the mirror versus facing it, so that I could watch my back and form. I did my reps until my back started to round, then stopped. Then on the calf raises I am following the AM article about training the calves and 1. move them towards the front of the workout and 2. choose a weight where you can hit between 20 and 30 reps, with 30 being the target when possible. I did not use the BFR bands today. Here is the creative part. I hated not having the equipment (or space) to do leg extensions or hamstring curls. So I thought about it and bought a pair of ankle straps, the kind you can attach to the low pulleys for working the legs from different angles.I attached one to the PowerBlock and to my working ankle and connected them with a carabiner. I then sat on the weight bench and propped my foam roller under my leg and proceeded to do my leg extension reps. Because I was so close to the floor still I only got about 6" of motion in the exercise, but that was enough to feel it in my quads, and I held the contraction at the top. Then I swapped the ankle strap my other leg and did that set. For the hamstring curls I stood on a tall step platform (approximately 8 ~ 10") and just curled my leg up to my rear end with the weight attached. That became increasing difficult to hit full contraction as the sets progressed. Likely not the best to try a standing leg curl like that after doing dead lifts :).
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Doing great homie! Proud of you. I will say this one thing, for your sake. Be careful turning perpendicular to the mirror and watching. Technically youre taking tour head/spine out of alignment when you do that and it can cause some issues. Just dont want my buddy laid up
 
Robert5891 said:
Try doing Bulgarian split squats with a little bit of forward torso lean, an I guarantee you'll feel it in your quads, also do front squats with DBs held at shoulder height
Click to expand...

hairygrandpa said:
Good idea, front squats with DB's!
Not sure if Sparkss can do them because of shoulder issues.
Click to expand...

I tried those, in fact that was how I did squats when I first started, but I was not able to hold them well during the motion. Thanks for the suggestion though! :)
 
FireTitan said:
Doing great homie! Proud of you. I will say this one thing, for your sake. Be careful turning perpendicular to the mirror and watching. Technically youre taking tour head/spine out of alignment when you do that and it can cause some issues. Just dont want my buddy laid up
Click to expand...

Agreed. I don't watch every rep, but more like the first 2 or 3 then maybe one more "checK" before the end of the set and/or if I feel the form slipping.
 
9/21 Chest/Triceps

Incline DB Press......................... ..............25/20, 50/10, 10, 9, 9
Flat DB Press......................... ..................50/15, 15, 15, 15
Incline Flye.......................... .....................25/12, 12, 12, 12
Incline DB Pull Over.......................... .......40/12, 12, 12, 12
Incline DB Tricep Extension..................... 30/15, 12, 12, 12

Today started off "off". I did not sleep well, waking up a bit groggier than normal. I make my own shake mixes from bulk ingredients and prepare my PWO, post and night time shakes in small tupperware containers and just pour them into the shaker when I am ready to drink them. So this morning I proceeded to mix my PWO shake and was too tired and poured from a tuperware that had my night time shake in it, so my PWO ended up having another 20g of Casein. Then I took a dose of Hydro3 (from some samples I had) and one of the two capsule broke and spewed powder around. So I opened another sample pack to get my full dosage of 2. After that my workout was interrupted a couple of times, but I just was not feeling it today. I put up some decent numbers (compared to my previous workouts) and I had a massive pump going that lasted for hours, but I just was not feeling the muscle activation. My triceps were like a frigging balloon by the time I was done, but I am not feeling like I worked it now (at the end of the day). I am taking tomorrow off to get some much needed rest and to let my body recover (getting old sux, especially having to keep taking breaks). Friday will also be a rest day as I have another dentist appointment first thing in the morning. But I figured two days rest and I should be able to come back with an intense workout on Saturday!
 
Sparkss said:
9/21 Chest/Triceps

Incline DB Press......................... ..............25/20, 50/10, 10, 9, 9
Flat DB Press......................... ..................50/15, 15, 15, 15
Incline Flye.......................... .....................25/12, 12, 12, 12
Incline DB Pull Over.......................... .......40/12, 12, 12, 12
Incline DB Tricep Extension..................... 30/15, 12, 12, 12

Today started off "off". I did not sleep well, waking up a bit groggier than normal. I make my own shake mixes from bulk ingredients and prepare my PWO, post and night time shakes in small tupperware containers and just pour them into the shaker when I am ready to drink them. So this morning I proceeded to mix my PWO shake and was too tired and poured from a tuperware that had my night time shake in it, so my PWO ended up having another 20g of Casein. Then I took a dose of Hydro3 (from some samples I had) and one of the two capsule broke and spewed powder around. So I opened another sample pack to get my full dosage of 2. After that my workout was interrupted a couple of times, but I just was not feeling it today. I put up some decent numbers (compared to my previous workouts) and I had a massive pump going that lasted for hours, but I just was not feeling the muscle activation. My triceps were like a frigging balloon by the time I was done, but I am not feeling like I worked it now (at the end of the day). I am taking tomorrow off to get some much needed rest and to let my body recover (getting old sux, especially having to keep taking breaks). Friday will also be a rest day as I have another dentist appointment first thing in the morning. But I figured two days rest and I should be able to come back with an intense workout on Saturday!
Click to expand...

You know youll come back kicking hard
 
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