Sweetlou's training log

SweetLou321 said:
How are they programmed in? Sets And reps?

Would step ups help too?
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Two sets of 30 seconds walking forward, two sets of 30 seconds walking backwards. Start light for a set to get the feel, then grab something heavy and do it up.
 
jswain34 said:
Yup. I believe he talks about them in his "taming the dragon in your low back" (or something along those lines) video. He likes them for the QL iirc.
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Donnie isn't a big believer on isolation. He treats regions and goes off of test/retest and does the pain go away. Its like the marginal utility of how much time you spend pinpointing versus treating. It totally is great for the QL, but I don't think it'll miss the psoas.
 
SweetLou321 said:
Interesting. Gonna need to try them out. Any vids on it?
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Yeah, taming the Dragon in your lower back. He doesn't talk about the windmills or straight leg situps in it. But it has a lot of good info.
 
So I notice I had a good amount of trouble rowing and activating left lat/traps/rear felt area. I wasn't even moving in the same line in the bb rows at first. What would you think the best plan of attack would be? Unilateral everything starting with left and matching with right? Probably mostly machine based so I can make sure I'm in and even plane (cable/chest so supported)? I've had this for a minute but it got way worse with all the recent injuries and pec strain.

Edit. Been doing db rows for years with little fixing sadly. Maybe a new approach to them?
 
Machines should help limit/target particular ranges of motion, but make sure if you start using a lot more machines to maybe give the core a bit more consistent love, as you'll be losing the indirect stabilization you have to practice w barbell/db work.

Or just do db/bb accessories extremely light til you force yourself to do it right, the way anyone starts out as a personal training client. Feel the muscle and all that jazz
 
Hyde said:
Machines should help limit/target particular ranges of motion, but make sure if you start using a lot more machines to maybe give the core a bit more consistent love, as you'll be losing the indirect stabilization you have to practice w barbell/db work.

Or just do db/bb accessories extremely light til you force yourself to do it right, the way anyone starts out as a personal training client. Feel the muscle and all that jazz
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Both good ideas. I was doing the second one lately.
 
Hyde said:
Machines should help limit/target particular ranges of motion, but make sure if you start using a lot more machines to maybe give the core a bit more consistent love, as you'll be losing the indirect stabilization you have to practice w barbell/db work.

Or just do db/bb accessories extremely light til you force yourself to do it right, the way anyone starts out as a personal training client. Feel the muscle and all that jazz
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I prefer the latter. Machines can make you prone to overcompensate with the dominate side.
 
RegisterJr said:
I prefer the latter. Machines can make you prone to overcompensate with the dominate side.
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I agree with this. Easy example: I find myself using my right leg more than my left with bilateral leg extension machine work.
 
RegisterJr said:
I prefer the latter. Machines can make you prone to overcompensate with the dominate side.
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You're definitely right - doing the machine/cable moves unilaterally is the way to go. Hammer strength is obviously your poster child here for guided movement path and unilateral simultaneous action, but pretty much any machine will work as long as you're willing to spend the time to alternate sides.

Which is why my ass avoids alt DB rows basically. I'm tired after one side is done lol
 
Hyde said:
You're definitely right - doing the machine/cable moves unilaterally is the way to go. Hammer strength is obviously your poster child here for guided movement path and unilateral simultaneous action, but pretty much any machine will work as long as you're willing to spend the time to alternate sides.

Which is why my ass avoids alt DB rows basically. I'm tired after one side is done lol
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Me too. When I was doing Krocs I felt like I needed a solid rest between arms.
 
Always take rest between arms on DB rows. Especially Krocs.
 
Got some caffeine pills. Gonna go for an effective and cheap home made pre. Anything else worth adding that's cheap? Other then creatine, betaine, ect?
 
Sean1332 said:
I've been doing caffeine pills and a stim-free pre myself.

Could add Citrulline Malate or maybe CoP
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I avoid pump ingredients. Bp and just don't care of them. Not gonna spend money on em. Cop is for endurance? Gonna try to score some alpha GPC maybe. Otherwise caffeine and betaine it is for me.
 
Ephedrine?
 
SweetLou321 said:
I avoid pump ingredients. Bp and just don't care of them. Not gonna spend money on em. Cop is for endurance? Gonna try to score some alpha GPC maybe. Otherwise caffeine and betaine it is for me.
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Reading through examine.com, citmal may actually lower BP. I notice good endurance benefits from it. And yeah, COP for endurance.

And I do like alpha gpc.
 
I was under the impression that most "pump" ingredients had a positive effect on BP.

Lou, look into nitrates for your preworkout. I think iForce sells a standalone nitrate product.
 
jimbuick said:
I was under the impression that most "pump" ingredients had a positive effect on BP.

Lou, look into nitrates for your preworkout. I think iForce sells a standalone nitrate product.
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Definitely - they work so well you can actually pass out from low bp if you take too much. There's a reason they're so popular w bodybuilders: you stay on nitrates you can handle more drugs AND improve your pump. Finaflex made Max Pump w Betaine Nitrate and it was incredible. Iforce has Potassium Nitrate I believe like you said.

Caffeine, creatine, betaine are the staple 3. Ephedrine HCL at just 12.5 w an 81mg baby aspirin is a dope addition and you can use it sparingly so not to build a tolerance.
 
jimbuick said:
I was under the impression that most "pump" ingredients had a positive effect on BP.

Lou, look into nitrates for your preworkout. I think iForce sells a standalone nitrate product.
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I have looked into it. Only issue is the potential to drop my bp to low now that I'm on bp meds. I'll have to just test it as I go and see how I do once I'm stable.
 
11/21/15-lower
Warm up
Roll and stretch
Bss/unilateral rdls/band abduction
One arm swings

Cat for time ssb squat
70%-285x6x3 in 14min
Sumo deadlift from the floor 5/3/1 with hook grip
505x3, body rpe 6, thumb rpe 10000000
2in block pull
505x2x3
4in block pull
505x2x3 (I like these better for the intended goal)
Rolling planks (10s each spot for 1min total)/one arm chest supported machine rows
1min/50x12, 3 sets
Notes: have vids will post soon. Squats went great. Truck position held up great. Some getting use to the bar and tipping on some reps. Unsure how to use the handles tho (to pull down or push up?). Hook grip sucks, just like it use to. Back felt better doing it. Thumbs will limit my reps for now. 4in block got my hips in the position I wanted where the hips really pick the weight up. I'm tired. Thanks for any help guys.
 
Seems like you're hitting a groove on the lower body work. I'm confident you'll be back to hitting big numbers (not that you couldn't now) very soon. Just gotta get that upper body fixed. I like the thumb RPE
 
What is truck position? I always ask myself the same thing with ssb..pull down or push up? Hook grip is the tits for making my back (and bicep of the supinated arm for that matter) feel better. Its a night and day difference for me.
 
Last set of squats
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Deadlift off floor
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4in block
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All form critiques welcome.
 
jswain34 said:
What is truck position? I always ask myself the same thing with ssb..pull down or push up? Hook grip is the tits for making my back (and bicep if the supinated arm for that matter) feel better. Its a night and day difference for me.
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Yeah idk on the ssb. I was taught up. Gf says down and was taught that? Maybe Sean can chime in. Yeah it makes your body feel good. I was just lazy to relearn it. Better now then never I guess.
 
Dude those squats looked great (and your pulls). You had good depth and like you said, your torso was in a good position. You weren't trying to reach far back or over extend your butt.

SSB handles? When I use the handles, I grab them and kind of "spread" them back and engage my back. I don't really do much with them. Not pulling up or down necessarily. Lately I've been grabbing the cambered part.
 
Sean1332 said:
Dude those squats looked great (and your pulls). You had good depth and like you said, your torso was in a good position. You weren't trying to reach far back or over extend your butt.

SSB handles? When I use the handles, I grab them and kind of "spread" them back and engage my back. I don't really do much with them. Not pulling up or down necessarily. Lately I've been grabbing the cambered part.
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Thanks man! I really focused on breaking while braced. All the stretching and mobility I've been doing for my his is paying off.

So you just brace against them then let them sit as they would? I push up as seen in the vid. Probably makes it harder bc I change the bar angle during the lift.
 
My insomnia is coming back stronger then ever. Sleeping pills are like tic tacs. My brain just doesn't turn off. Almost every night this week except two I've gotten 2-4 hrs. Then I wake up and can't fall back asleep. I'm getting way over this.

The nights I slept great is when I took the bp supps. One night included the bp meds. I'm about to give up them and taper off and switch back. Bc all I want to do and not feel like I'm dying 24/7 and to be able to sleep. **** the rest.

Edit: nothing is helping. I'm super restless. I'm done with this med. Back to the drawing board. I can't live on no sleep. ****ing retarded. Taking no mental supps. And bare minimum caffeine to get through the day. Hell yesterday I had 100mg at 11am and nothing else on top of working 11hrs. No reason to be up.
 
My hands hurt watching your hook pulls.

Dam man, that sucks. Which I had a remedy for you.
 
RegisterJr said:
My hands hurt watching your hook pulls.

Dam man, that sucks. Which I had a remedy for you.
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My thumbs hurt more then anything else. Lol. I'll need to rework the grip and get it going.

Its ok. At least I'm awake and present during the day which helps. I'll figure it out.
 
Which would you do? (I'm gonna stick to oh db press for now as it doesn't bother my bad shoulder or pec and it will help my imbalances...win win)

Top set amrap style with down sets for volume

Or

Same weight all sets and go up when I hit the desired reps for all weights.

This will be done after cat bench so I'll have my energy to push it BTW.
 
Both (either) look good to me. I'm a fan of AMRAPs currently.
 
On bp supps machine tested bp at 135/80
On meds
135/80
Same machine.

If I can't sleep again tonight I'm going back to the supps. At least I slept on them.

I was gonna donate to check bp that way and I need too. But the wait was an hr and half...to donate. Absurd. I hate orlando.

Anyways my bp is holding strong at high as **** status.
 
Man thats not really "high as ****". Diastolically you are fine. You're only labeled as "prehypertensive" right now.
 
SweetLou321 said:
Oh I know. But I'd like to see it in range honestly. I feel my best around 120/80. What is was about 2 years ago.
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SweetLou321 said:
I'd also really like to not be on meds if I didn't have to be. But at this point I just wanna sleep.
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Oh, yeah, obviously it's ideal if it's closer to "normal". I just didn't want you to stress yourself out about it more so than you already were. And I understand man, getting yourself off meds should always be the goal for anyone on them, imo. I'm sorry if i missed it, but you're sure the insomnia is related directly to your blood pressure being a little elevated?
 
Squats were looking highest quality I've prob ever seen from you, Lou. Depth much better too.

For that matter, great pulls - I died at thumb RPE 1000000

As for db ohp: I always pyramid to AMRAP and end up winded and rest too much for accessory and don't do enough total volume. If I pick a moderately challenging straight weight for all sets I get more work done, faster. And avoid injury.

I've heard from several Tren-users that magnesium products like Natural Calm are the only way they can get to bed. I take 500-1,000mg of SNS Phenibut caps 2-4 nights a wk if I'm not tired as its quite relaxing and helps me get to bed at a decent time easier and sleep deeper. But don't take it if you can't spend 8 hours cuz it can be TOUGH to get out of bed. Really helps my recovery. It can't be taken continually tho lest you build a tolerance and potentially a dependence I suppose. 1-3 days off a wk and it always works the same for me.
 
jswain34 said:
Oh, yeah, obviously it's ideal if it's closer to "normal". I just didn't want you to stress yourself out about it more so than you already were. And I understand man, getting yourself off meds should always be the goal for anyone on them, imo. I'm sorry if i missed it, but you're sure the insomnia is related directly to your blood pressure being a little elevated?
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I know I'm now prehypertensive according to those readings. I just want to keep working towards lower numbers and better health. Preferably without drugs. My gf thinks I should go back to the supps since they are healthier and I had the same readings.

I believe it is. When I can feel my bp (when it spikes, I can't sleep bc it is so uncomfortable). Lately it hasn't been that tho. Its just been extremely restless and not tired. Never had this before. It just started when I started the meds and stopped the supps.

But past times of sleep problems bp was also elevated above 150/90.
 
Hyde said:
Squats were looking highest quality I've prob ever seen from you, Lou. Depth much better too.

For that matter, great pulls - I died at thumb RPE 1000000

As for db ohp: I always pyramid to AMRAP and end up winded and rest too much for accessory and don't do enough total volume. If I pick a moderately challenging straight weight for all sets I get more work done, faster. And avoid injury.

I've heard from several Tren-users that magnesium products like Natural Calm are the only way they can get to bed. I take 500-1,000mg of SNS Phenibut caps 2-4 nights a wk if I'm not tired as its quite relaxing and helps me get to bed at a decent time easier and sleep deeper. But don't take it if you can't spend 8 hours cuz it can be TOUGH to get out of bed. Really helps my recovery. It can't be taken continually tho lest you build a tolerance and potentially a dependence I suppose. 1-3 days off a wk and it always works the same for me.
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Thanks man! I've been doing daily mobility and stretching. Really working on my psoas. I'm glad to hear they are finally coming along. As my ankles get better I hope to get rid of my half inch heel shoes too.

Haven't pulled hook in over a year. Felt just as bad as I remembered lol.

Straight sets it is then. More volume equals better results anyways.

I take 500mg mag nightly. I've never tried phenubit due to the tolerance. Could be good to have in my back pocket tho. I've been using benadryl lately. However this bout of insomnia has not even that working for me. Thankfully I'm very smart during the day still with no extra caffeine. I can see that changing very fast tho if this keeps up.
 
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