CK's Journal - The Road To Achieving a 1-Star Rating

Ok. Following on from that train of thought above:

I did some thumbless grip squats today and started to feel pain in my thumbs, the same kind as I got from benching earlier in the week. This leads me to the conclusion that the pain in my thumb was actually caused by the thumbless grip on squats I did last week, compounded by benching heavy two days later.

This makes sense, because when I tried the thumbless grip today it felt like the weight of the bar was just pushing down on my thumb, sort of bending it backwards. No more thumbless grip, simples. Still going to give benching a miss this week though, just to be on the safe side.

13/3/10

Stretch/light OH squats (didn't have time to foam roll)

Squat
BW x 8
20kg x 8 x 2
40kg x 6
60kg x 5

90kg x 5 (+2.5kg)
90kg x 5
90kg x 5
90kg x 5
90kg x 4
Last few reps got quite back-y.

Box Squat
75kg x 5
75kg x 5
75kg x 6 (+1)

Leg Press
125kg x 8 (+2.5kg)
125kg x 8
125kg x 10
125kg x 10

GM's
50kg x 8 x 3

Notes: Didn't feel that strong squatting today, my form went to pieces on the last rep or two in the last 2 sets. Having said that, my strength on the Leg Press is getting exponentially stronger (they felt so so easy today, reps just kept coming), and seeing how Leg Press is probably a better indicator of pure quad strength (yes?), this is authority for the proposition that my quads are getting stronger fast. My weakness in squatting appears to be at the bottom, particularly keeping a strong back coming out of the hole. So this suggests any one of my hams/glutes/hip flexors/lower back to be the weak link. Hopefully box squatting heavy will sort this out soon. Might add in some more direct hammy work as well.

Also, saw the entire Irish rugby team walking out of the gym just as I was arriving. Apparently they were there doing a light recovery session followed by a sauna. I wish I had got there earlier to see them working out, but it was class seeing them all anyway, what a win today! Come on Ireland!

Weighed myself this morn, gained 1kg in the last week and a half. Wonder how much of that is lean!

Yep. Lots of SLDL. RDL. GMs, pullthroughs, back extensions and box squating to get that back, hams and glutes strong

Good sess though and hopfully found the cause of your thumb pain!

Cheers Iain. Do you think it would be better to just train posterior chain assistance stuff on Leg day after squatting? Or should I mix it up and do some of it after Deadlifting? At the moment all I'm doing really is GMs and Box Squats, but could defo do with some more!

Do a posterior type movement both sessions.

Maybe do one heavier movement ie GM's then another lighter movement. Pullthroughs are a good lift to do light as extra work.

Trial and error pal. Remember though you carn't do every good lift!!! lol

Ok cheers Iain, appreciate the advice as ever!

I got a shooting pain in my lower abdomen around midday yesterday, and felt a bit sick to the stomach ever since then, and still don't feel great today. No idea what it is (but my brother puked up his ring a few days ago so maybe there's a bug going around).



Suffice it to say my diet yesterday suffered, and it will today as well. Just going to take it very easy on the food until I feel 100% again.

Exams are in less than a week now so they are taking full priority, even over diet. I will not be training again until after the 29th, when my exams end.

On the upside, ask me anything about the rules governing distribution of one's property upon dying testate, the settled land acts 1882-1890 or the rules of adverse possession and chances are I will be able to answer it. Studying is fun.

Me I'd train to get some down time from studying. Need that time to let it sink in :)

^You may have a point there... LOL

Ok well I suppose I will need to blow off some steam as I can't be studying 24/7, may do a light session or two.. My main reasoning is that I just don't want to injure my hand or anything!

Yeah well I concure don't do anything that may f'up your hand

Good luck for the exams; I take it you are studying undergraduate law then?               

Thanks a lot! Nope well past undergrad mate! I've got an undergrad and a masters already. These exams are the entrance exams to the law society (not sure what the equivalent is in the UK), basically the professional training body for solicitors.

Oh the Legal Practice Course then.    

Yeah basically, but I'm not on the course yet this is just the exam to get into the place to start the practice course! Up until recently I would have been exempt from these exams because I have a law degree, but like 10 years ago or so they brought in some new rules so that everyone has to do them no matter what degree you have. Clearly just a money making swindle!

I was generously chosen by Monster supplements to test out a box of PhD Methoxy-7-Test as part of that competition they had running in the supplements forum. Just got the package today.

Like I said I will not be training until my exams are over on the 29th (not in any serious capacity at any rate) so obviously I'm going to wait until then to try it out.

Normally I'd be skeptical of natty test boosters but this looks like an interesting product because: it's got ZMA in it, which I have always rated and would use all the time if I could afford to, ALCAR which I have read good things about for cutting purposes, and ALA which is an antioxidant which can only be a good thing.

As for the actual substantive test boosting ingredient, methoxy-7, well, I have no idea really what to expect from it, most people on MT would say it would have a negligible affect on somebody my age but there really is no way of finding out until I try it. For all I know I could be predisposed to low testosterone (god knows sometimes it feels like it!).

Whatever the result it'll be nice as a natty to try a slightly more 'hardcore' supplement without actually taking steroids, lol.

This cut cannot come soon enough. I've been out of the gym for a week and a half and already I have noticed a significant increase in chub, despite reducing carbs significantly to compensate for the lack of expenditure. I'm still hammering the protein though so I guess the kcals surplus is gonna add fat no matter what, I was just afraid of going catabolic during this hiatus so I guess it's an inevitable trade off.

But at least I now have somewhat of a cutting plan together.

THE CUT

I managed to get a lend of an exercise bike from a mate for 3 months, which is so handy, so I'm going to be doing 30-40 mins low intensity steady state first thing in the morning, 5 times a week. Plus one or two HIIT sessions throughout the week. HIIT will prob be just sprint intervals, or possibly intervals on the bike, but I'm toying with the idea of doing some variety of tabata interval or barbell/kettlebell complex or something similar (if anybody thinks this would be a good idea or a bad idea, please speak up!)

As for diet, haven't fully decided yet but I reckon I am just going to cut down the carbs to just pre-wo and post-wo meals, keeping protein intake high and increasing fat intake somewhat. All other meals will consist of lean protein, some fats (olive oil, nuts), and a ton of veg.

Weights routine will stay the same, I want to maintain my numbers if not increase on them.

Can't tell you how excited I am about this, I have never been lean in my life so this is long overdue. Ideally I would have more lean muscle before cutting but I can no longer stand it, it has to be done. So I am not holding my breath, I don't expect to look shredded afterward, but if I can see a few abs after 12-14 weeks then I will consider it a success (assuming I haven't lost too much muscle!)

Ballbag AKA onefatidiot

Haven't taken any pics recently, but this one is from a couple of months ago:



I look more or less the same now except slightly bigger shoulders, traps (I think) although my quads have gotten a lot bigger, and unfortunately prob about 2-3% bodyfat more. I actually seem to have love handles now, where as I don't really in that pic!

I don't know if I'm going to post up before pictures for the cut. I will certainly take some, and if I'm happy with the cut at the end of it I'll post them up for comparison!

Not bad mate , I was expecting alot worse.

Good luck with the cut and yeah you should do before/afters really

Ive not read through your whole journal , But have you done any cycles or do you plan to?

Ballbag AKA onefatidiot

Not bad mate , I was expecting alot worse.

I think I am a good bit worse now though!

Ballbag AKA onefatidiot

Good luck with the cut and yeah you should do before/afters really

Ive not read through your whole journal , But have you done any cycles or do you plan to?

Cheers dude, looking forward to it immensely!

Nope I've never turned to the dark side, but I go through phases of temptation! There was a period a few months ago where I had actually ordered a tub of Epi from muscle finesse, and just by pure chance my card was declined. I took it as a sign so I canceled the order LOL. But yeah I often think about it. At the moment I want to stay natty, see how I look after the cut and then go on a massive rebound.

At this stage if I was ever to go on cycle I would prob just jump in at the deep end and go for SD stacked with Xtren or something, lol. (I would go for dbol or test but it's unlikely that I'd get a source).

But certainly, the plan is natty for the foreseeable future!