AK's Journal

Old one of James' articles that seems to have risen to fame recently!

10 reps on some sort of weighted calf raise, 2s up, pause, 2s down.

10 reps unweighted on a platform, same as above.

10 reps unweighted on the floor, bouncy bouncy.

Repeat that 3 times with no rest

Chest/Tri's

Flat DB

37.5kgx12
32.5kgx8
27.5kgx10

Decline BB

80kgx9
70kgx10
60kgx12

Cable Crossovers

30kgx12
25kgx12
25kgx10 > 15kgx20

Incline Smith

20kgx12
20kgx12

Overhead Extensions

50kgx15
40kgx12
30kgx10

Single-Arm Pushdowns

15kgx8
10kgx12
10kgx12

Foam roll and stretching to finish.

Good session today - threw in some delt stuff between chest and tri's work too as i'm away for a friends birthday on saturday evening so sunday morning i won't fancy training, will throw in hams/bi's on saturday and that'll be that.

Tiredness from last night probably played a part in some of the numbers not really changing from last week, tri's felt especially smoked, but a good one regardless. Just need to rest up now for Saturdays exertions

Nice one bud.... how long do you tend to roll each muscle for when you do it BTW?

Limits, like fear, are often just an illusion: MJ 12/9/09
My journal

Not long normally - thoracic spine mobility i do a handful for as i tend not to get any tightspots there, but lower back and hams i'll do maybe 6-8 slow rolls plus pausing on any tightspots i find.

The niggle in my back i'll pause on for about 30 seconds, roll a bit, pause a bit longer as it seems to work it out quite nicely.

Best get an early night pal! :)

Stonehenge
 
Where the banshees live and they do live well

Yeah, not all that long then. I sometimes wonder if I try and spend too long. I don't spend ages but I do spend a little while and I think the pushing myself back and forwards is what aggrevates my shoulder sometimes. Few roll with a little extra focus on the 'knots' it will be for a bit.

Limits, like fear, are often just an illusion: MJ 12/9/09
My journal

Back/Hams/Bi's

Deadlift

Various warmups

200kgx1
220kgx1
227.5kgx0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQpbhTrd8ho

Chins

BWx11
BWx6
BWx5

T-Bar Row

65kgx10
55kgx10
55kgx10

Cable Row

11 plates x10
10 plates x10
9 plates x10

Pullover Machine

65kgx10
65kgx10

Finished up with some ham curls, biceps stuff, facepulls and stretching/foam rolling.

Lovely stuff today Chuffed with the 220 but a bit dissappointed with the failed set - could've uglied it up but didn't fancy risking my back on it. Will get it on the next training cycle

Nice lifting, mate (altho can't view vids at home)... you're well ahead of me for 230 ATM, even excusing my past weeks illness I don't think 220 is quite back in me yet and I certainly wouldn't have the balls to try 500lbs yet. Good session

Limits, like fear, are often just an illusion: MJ 12/9/09
My journal

Buggers are taking an age to process anyway - you'll probably still be waiting at work on monday!

Youtube's telling me the user has removed the videos! Did you mistakenly post up one of your 'home movies'?

Journal

LOL, no. I've had to arse about with the files because i had to rotate them, then it added 7 minutes onto the file length!

Give me 20 minutes, i say hopefully

Sorted - working link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQpbhTrd8ho

Nice lifting there!!!     

 

Looked like you failed that 227 before you'd started cos that 220 went up very smoothly. NIce lifting.... that said 227 straight after 220 might be a big ask.

Solid lift tho dude.

Limits, like fear, are often just an illusion: MJ 12/9/09
My journal

Cheers chaps - i'm setting the lofty goal of 250 by the close of 2010, gives me around 8 months to really crack on. I might look into some proper periodisation or DL training if i can fit it in around the other stuff, we'll see how it goes!

On a dimmer note since i went to a friends for a birthday on saturday my sleeping pattern has been thrown well and truly out of whack, not aided by the fact we weren't in bed until about 5.30 in the morning! I took an extra 24 hours rest, but it didn't sort itself, and as a result i feel like a total zombie and couldn't face quads this morning, so i'll do them tommorow and hope i can get some proper kip tonight.

Chest/Tri's

Flat DB

38kgx10
34kgx8
30kgx8
26kgx8

Cable Crossovers

17.5kgx10
15kgx10
12.5kgx10
10kgx12

Incline Smith

30kgx12
35kgx10
35kgx8

DB Flyes

12kgx12
12kgx10
12kgx8

Overhead Extensions

24.5kgx12
21kgx8
17.5kgx10

Single-Arm Pushdowns

5kgx12
5kgx10

Foam roll and stretching to finish.

Strength a bit all over the shop tonight but not too fussed about it given the circumstances, chest got a solid pump with rest periods around 60-90s throughout- just tri's that are the weak link on the heavy pressing still. Will start putting some more functional stuff in next week as my elbow's calmed down quite a lot now. Main aim for today was just to get in and do something to try and tire myself into a good nights sleep!

On another note - had some comments from some people i used to work with last night that i look like i've dropped a fair bit of weight around my face, which is nice since i'm down to 1 chin and the hamster look is gone Also seem to be getting a bit of vascularity in my forearms, not bad for a 200lb featherweight

That'll teach you, you can't party and train well. You need to get back to being a sad, house bound recluse who's only activity beyond his kitchen is the gym!

You slacker

250 eh? I'd love to pull 250

Limits, like fear, are often just an illusion: MJ 12/9/09
My journal

Tell me about it! Since sunday it's been a case of being tired all day, go to bed, can't sleep, rinse and repeat. The 4th day in it's losing it's novelty a tad.

I'd be well chuffed to pull 250, need to bring my hams up to speed a bit though as getting the bar the first 6-8 inches is the hardest bit, after that i fly through it.

If you wnat to have a good chance at pulling 250 this year you'll need to be even more serious with your deadlift planning.
 
Next setp 227.5-230. Plan to nail that then make next plan. Look up Ed coan routine 10 wks iirc.
 
You may not want to run it verbatum but you can look at the % it uses etc for the deadlift. Basically each wk you work up to a top double the  get volume in on lighter work. This is followed up by some circuits (but with 1min rest between lifts so not fast paced).
 
I can email you a spread sheet if you'd like a gander?

Stonehenge
 
Where the banshees live and they do live well

I think i've seen that one Kenders - is it this one? Set at current max 220, desired max 230;

http://tsampa.org/train...=kg&submit=Calculate

You think other than heavy reps/speed lifts i need the circuits or would the other back stuff i normally do suffice?

Rant time.

Woke up this morning feeling refreshed for the first time since Saturday morning, got right into the mindset of training quads and calves, arrive at the gym to a notice;

"Free weight area closed for repairs"



No mention of it yesterday when i was in, ****ed off doesn't quite cover it.

Did a half-ársed back session as a result that i'm not gonna bother putting up, just involved Chins/DB rows/Cable rows/Pulldowns/Facepulls.

Leaves me with tommorow and sunday to fill in the gaps for DL's, hams/delts/bi's and quads/calves. I'll probably for quads/calves as normal tomomrow then do regular DL's instead of RDL's on sunday, then get back to normal next week.

That's a joke, no heads up at all!? Tossers. I'd be right pissed off.... but then I'd have calmed down and thought 'cool, an extra day off' LOL. But being geared up for it I'd be unhappy for sure

Limits, like fear, are often just an illusion: MJ 12/9/09
My journal

I was ready to fly off the hook if it was going to be out of action for more than a few days, i forked out 35 quid for 2 fcuking weeks at this hole because it's the only place in town with a squat rack! Absolute mare.

Though now i've chilled out a bit, not sure how fun squats will be after 2 consecutive days prior training though

Even more reason to pissed off then, mate..... but also 3rd day straight, even more reason not to worry.

Limits, like fear, are often just an illusion: MJ 12/9/09
My journal

Quads/Calves

Mobility work, foam rolling.

Front Squat

80kgx3
90kgx3
100kgx3
110kgx2

Back Squat

100kgx10
110kgx8
110kgx10

Staggered Leg Press

160kgx8 (per leg)
150kgx8

James' 3 minute calf workout

On leg press - 150, 120, 80kgx10

Stretching and core work to finish.

Didn't fancy higher reps on the fronts today after 2 days prior training and the recent front squat thread in General, so figured i'd find out where i'm at strength wise. May have had a triple on the last set, but it would've been ball-bustingly ugly Happy enough though, most i'd had across my shoulders before today was 95 i think.

Quite enjoyed doing back squats after though, might keep it this way for a while. Light enough to not niggle my back, but enough to get me sweating profusely

All other stuff was suitably hard work, finally got a day off tommorow though to rest up for sundays Deads

Nice going for 15kg more than you are used to carrying, good work. Fronts seem all the rage right now.

Limits, like fear, are often just an illusion: MJ 12/9/09
My journal

Yup, supporting the weight felt fine which was nice - still feels a bit 'strange' on the lower back sometimes so i have to remember to just drop my hips back a bit with the narrower stance.

Hopefully get up to 100 for reps in the next few months.

Delts/Hams/Bi's

Deadlift

Change of tact for DL's for now at least, using parts of Ed Coans 10 week cycle routine;

1x2 @ 190kg
Speed Deads - 6x3 @ 160kg - 90-120 seconds between sets.

Cable/DB Laterals

7.5kgx10/12kgx6
5kgx10/10kgx10

DB Press

24kgx10
24kgx8
20kgx8

DB Curls

14kgx12
14kgx10

Cable Curls

24.5kgx10
21kgx10
15kgx12

Stretching and foam roll to finish.

Bit of a subdued session, still feeling a bit weary from 3 days of training and hitting quads on friday, so quite honestly once the DL's were done i'd lost interest in pushing it

Probably resultant from the fatigue as well, but 195 felt much heavier than it should've done. It probably doesn't help the bar sits a few inches higher at FF than at the uni gym for whatever reason - which seems to make it more difficult to really tighten up and drive off the ground. Wonder if i need to be pulling from a small deficit here to balance it out.

Speed work was a new experience too - first few were OK but by the 4th set it seemed to catch up with me a bit, lower back niggle pumped up a bit but i think thats more because its felt a bit crap recently. Tried to go double overhand for as long as possible because i need to sort out my shoulder imbalance - so really i'm caught in two minds as to how long realistically i should continue to lift over/under as i think this may be one cause of the problems.

2 days off anyway, plenty of rest, probably a bit of cardio, hopefully get a better week of training next time around

So you are really going for this 250 as a priority then eh? Should be interesting to see how it goes. As for the grip, stick with DOH as much as you can, you'll be suprised how quickly it improves

Limits, like fear, are often just an illusion: MJ 12/9/09
My journal

Yup figured i need a new numbers target for this year!

I warmed up with the DOH's and managed to grip 180 for 1 but i could feel it wasn't quite secure in my hands, then 4 out of the 6 speed sets were DOH before it started to go.

Might have to rejig my routine a bit to do back & hams together as my hammies are feeling it quite a bit today - not sure it's going to be wise to hit them hard with lots of DL work and then assistance stuff the day after.

The only downside is that means fitting DL's & Speed DL's, Powershrugs, Chins, Rows, RDL's and GHR's in the same session, fun!

dirtyvest

As for the grip, stick with DOH as much as you can, you'll be suprised how quickly it improves

Agreed...I used to drop my DOH when I didn't need to thinking that I couldn't lift heavy using it.  Now I only use a rvs grip for 1RM attempts.  It only took about a month for my DOH to catch up and my snatching and cleaning has improved massively because of it!

You might have to rejig it a bit then. I don't see why you can't do the assistance stuff sometime inbetween just don't go mad. I heavy DL on a Fri and on Mon I'm doing legs and RDLs etc. I guess it depends how optimal you want it all to be.

Limits, like fear, are often just an illusion: MJ 12/9/09
My journal

What are your best lifts mate and whats are your goals? sorry to ask , just too lazy to read through

Ballbag AKA onefatidiot


What are your best lifts mate and whats are your goals? sorry to ask , just too lazy to read through

I posted them in my PB thread the other week when you asked you goon

Notable lifts include;

80kgx1 Push press (had to stop doing these so haven't tried to get to 2 plates yet)
145kgx10 Squat
110kgx2 Front Squat
115kgx1 Flat Bench - Stopped as i'm no longer flat BB benching
220kg Deadlift

Goals? Not sure this year other than 250kg DL. Just concentrating on dieting away this fat to a point i'm happy to start adding weight to my frame again and keeping training consistent in the face of various niggles. If BS'ing didn't start annoying my back i would've gone for 4 plates there, but rather be niggle free than have that particular accolade.

dirtyvest


You might have to rejig it a bit then. I don't see why you can't do the assistance stuff sometime inbetween just don't go mad. I heavy DL on a Fri and on Mon I'm doing legs and RDLs etc. I guess it depends how optimal you want it all to be.

Yeah i'm gonna give a proper legs session a bash again tommorow - will keep it simple with F.Squats, RDL's, Extensions, GHR's and a finisher with lunges. Once i'm back at uni i'll sub out extensions for hack squats mot likely.

Quite strange how in practice we'll all do 12-15 or more sets for chest/back, but quads i can only face about 6 intense ones LOL

Ak_88



I posted them in my PB thread the other week when you asked you goon

Notable lifts include;

80kgx1 Push press (had to stop doing these so haven't tried to get to 2 plates yet)
145kgx10 Squat
110kgx2 Front Squat
115kgx1 Flat Bench - Stopped as i'm no longer flat BB benching
220kg Deadlift

Goals? Not sure this year other than 250kg DL. Just concentrating on dieting away this fat to a point i'm happy to start adding weight to my frame again and keeping training consistent in the face of various niggles. If BS'ing didn't start annoying my back i would've gone for 4 plates there, but rather be niggle free than have that particular accolade.

LOL I thought I had asked you but I hadnt posted in your journal before , so was scratching my head....Now I remember though
 
Good luck on the DL , Im sure it will come sometime soon.

It's odd AK. The weird thing with my legs, certainly from a strength perspective, is that as soon as I add in anything other than my FS and ext my progress really seems to staul. I probably do more work sets on biceps than I do legs LOL (altho probably not as much total load - probably )

Limits, like fear, are often just an illusion: MJ 12/9/09
My journal

Yeah - i still need to figure out exactly what it was that made my legs grow when i was training with IB - they went from ~22" to 24" in 8 months and arguably are my 2nd best bodypart (doesn't take a lot LOL) behind my back.

It was either Front squats or 15 rep back/hack squats with leg extensions (FST-7 IIRC), but i guess it'll be easier to determine that when im back in a calorie surplus, can't expect too much growth when im losing weight.

Todays stuff;

Legs

Front Squat

90kgx8
85kgx8
80kgx8

RDL

110kgx8
110kgx8
100kgx8

Leg Extensions

35kgx12
30kgx12
30kgx12

GHR/Pullthrough

BWx12/17.5kgx8
BWx12/17.5kgx8
BWx10/17.5kgx8

James' 3 minute calf workout

Different machine today, was a bit pants, half decent pump.

Stretching and core work to finish.

Good session - 90kg felt surprisingly comfy across the shoulders today, although a few times i found myself being pulled forward by the weight and elbows dropping - nothing major in terms of having to clean up the reps, probably just where my abs need to catch up with doing Fronts.

Kept the rest periods down to 90-120s again today - giving a first set to last set time of 39 minutes 17 seconds (eat your heart out No.13 )
and was covered in sweat by the 2nd set of RDL's Need to find my groove properly with these still for the happy medium between a good hamstring stretch and keeping a good lower back arch - long arms means i need to go a tad lower, but find my back can round as a result.

Found leg extensions and GHR stuff a bit 'fluffy' and not as heavy going as i'd like, ideally i need to find a way to increase the GHR's as i'm trying to keep my hamstring stuff (i'm currently using a broomhandle for balance i've not got a proper GHR station) to hip-extension exercises now to try and get some carryover into my DL's. Might chuck Pullthroughs into my back day because they gave the most horrendous of lower back pumps!

Re leg mass: of course it could simply have been the CHANGE in stimulus more that the actual routine itself.
 
I rate pullthrus.

Limits, like fear, are often just an illusion: MJ 12/9/09
My journal

Solid sess. What did you put in as target weight?

Stonehenge
 
Where the banshees live and they do live well

230 for this cycle Kenders, 240 the one after if all goes well, then 250 after that!

Got 38 weeks left of this year - so that almost gives enough for a 4th cycle if things go pete tong. Will either do some filler stuff between cycles or just go straight through it and see if i can get it earlier than close of the year!

dirtyvest


Re leg mass: of course it could simply have been the CHANGE in stimulus more that the actual routine itself.
 
I rate pullthrus.

I love 'em, just not so much when my niggle is pumped from GHR's LOL.