Grants quest to manly strength and alpha power!

ok im 20 years old, have been training for 3 years or so, my main aim is self improvement, i want to be the best i can be, and try to excel to a certain extent doing the thing i love..

my stats

5 foot 9, 208 pounds

deadlift : 430 X 10 est max 540-50
bench press: 265 x 10 max 340-50
squat : 400 ATG

i train mainly for power strength i dont care about getting bigger, but i obv dont want to be a skinny strong guy lol...


i train in my garden ive got oly weights racks etc, im also making some strongman equipment, as im a purchaser at an engineering company so thats exciting, i also work out at fitness first when i fancy a change :D

ok all comments are aprechiated!

19th july 2009

bench press

225 x 18 hmm i was hoping for 20.
265 + 70 lbs chains X 1
275 + 70 lbs chains x fail
225 + 70 lbs chains x 3
220 x 11 with arched back and leg drive

incline barbell skulls super set slow form close grip bench

45 x 15
95 x 12
115 x 11
135 x 7 http://www.youtube.com/...amp;feature=channel_page


135 x 12
155 x 10
165 x 10

flat db flys

3 sets to failure

not bad i like training with chains next week i will hit 275 with 75 lbs of chains
__________________

Id love to see some pics of your garden where you train, sounds cool.

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hi shane soz i dont no how to quote posts yet, but i will get some pics up when i make my strongman stuff, and check my youtube out, http://www.youtube.com/user/franco18grant

cheers for stopping by!

well im at work now doing the daily internet check, supposed to be training back today, but last night was awesfull for sleep went around 11 and nodded off at half 3! only to have to be up at 6..

hopefully will sneak an hour in when i get home from work..

then get to the chain suspended defiecit deadlifts!!

20/7/09

defiecit deadlifts with chains

6 inch deficit (bar tight on foot)

155 + 75lbs chains x 10
220 x 10 + 75 lb cains x 10
365 x 1 + 75 lbs chains x 1
400 x 1 + 75 lbs chains x 1
410 x 1 + 75 lbs of chains x 1 pb
420 x 1
440 x 1 very hard to keep form good as my legs are really weak and because of the defeicit my torso is on top of my legs!! so its all legs at the start!!

pull ups

bw + 35 x 6
bw x 9
bw x 8

1 arm db  rows

45s + 70 lbs of chains x 7/7
                                      7/7

yates rows

290 x 9
220 x 15
220 x 13

ok not bad i think i could get 450 off the defiecit if i was fresh the whole point in me doing them is that the first part of the deadlift if my weak point in the lift, cus i have weak legs!
                              

going to hit the cardio hard tonight at the gym try to lose some fat ready for my holiday to magaluf in august!

Some great video's there, I checked out a few.

How long you training Grant?

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hi mate, erm roughly 3 years, first started training bodybuilding style but gave that up and now just train for strength, trying to improve power to weight ratio! lost some size since, but strength is improving! i havent been training too seriously of late, to much overtraining, and not enough sleep! im off on holiday to magaluf next month then after that going to hit the weights properly and serious!

22/7/09 shoulders

1 arm snatchs

115 dumbell x 1/1 1/1 1/1 1/1 1/1 1/1 1/1
95 lbs barbel x 1/1 1/1 1/1
115 lb bb x 1/1
125 lb bb x 1/1  this ties my current pb
135 lb x fail!! 3 weeks in a row now just cant lock out

1 arm barbell push press (dbs at gym only go to 102 lbs)

95 x 5/5 warm up
115 x 1/1
125 x 1/1
135 x fail/ 1 went up quite easily with the right arm !

barbel upright rows

135 x 12
         10
          9

front raise's

25 s x 15/15 nice burn, these were real slow
25s x 15/15

ok not too bad, i wont be happy until i can 1 arm snatch the 135 lbs.. this is what im trying to do:

http://www.youtube.com/...ploads-all/2/9td5kRRu2ik

24/7/09

close grip bench press

200 + 75 pounds of chains x 5 mmm not sure whether to be disapointed
242 + 75 pounds of chains x 1
255 + 75 pounds of chains x fail, pushed so hard drove with the legs got 3/4 up.
308 x fail!! mm must of been tied from the chains that a cert for me really

barbel curl with chains

bar + 30 kg x 8 damn really hard the chains wing everywhere lol!
135  x 8 (cheats after 6 reps)
115 x 9 good form

incline skull crushers (these supersetted with the curls)

95 x 15 really easy
115 x 12 easy not to failure
155 x 2 pb! my pb on the flat is 155 x 3 flat is easier though. x 2 on the inc is good!


ok ive come to the conclusion judging from the extensions my triceps are getting stronger! i was happy with that pb, however the benchs with chains are really differcult its hard to gauge the actual the weight your pressing, i did measure the chains and each set came to 37 lbs, i measured them on my fishing scales lol..

24/7/09 legs

squats

370 x 3 very porr
308 x 12 1 '' high
308 x 1 pause ATG

front squat

220 x 9
265 x 2
285 x fail again!!!

lunges

2 sets 10

cant wait till i get back off holiday to get training at a gym with a proper leg press machine etc!

26/7/09 chest

bench press

135 x 12 135 x 10 220 x 1 265 x1

working sets

275 + 70 lbs of chains x FAIL
270 + 70 lbs of chains x 1  not bad
220 + 70 pounds chains x 4
220 x 14
225 x 11 with leg drive.

db press

110s x 11/8
            7/7
            6/6

stopped at this point had a banging headache and was feeling like utter **** might be coming down with somthing the bench press sets wernt to bad though.

skipped tri-ceps ive been training 6 times per week lately and i feel there overtrained like bad.. a couple people at the gym reckon im overtraining aswell.. not enough rest days.

29th july 09

back

well it was pissing down with rain tonight so ended up going up to the gym, which was packed..

deadlifts
225 x 10 warm up
308x 15 warmup not to failure as fast as possible
400 X 10 done slowly with a shrug at the top and deep back movement

barbel rows

225 x 9 slowww
225 x 8
          7

1 arm db rows

102s x 13 13
            11 11
             11 11

lat pulls

1 x 12
1x10
1x 15

pull overs

1 x 15
1x 10

mmm not bad im kind of disapointed with the deadlifts, but i repped the 308 too fast at the start and i think this fuked my back abit! and also the first 5 reps i repped then at the top  i sort of lent back as far as possible and shrugged, i iknow i had at least 12 in me if form was my normal.

altogther i hate working out at the gym too many distractions. also i really wanted to do deficits but there was a shortage of bars so had to work in with my mate hu was doing deads off a high box with lower weight so we had to keep rolling the weight on and off and plates on and off etc, anyway enough excuses!! lol

shouders 30/7/09

seated strict overhead press

135 x 10
155 x 11 not bad 12 would of been nice
176 x 4 poor should of got at least 5

1 arm db push press

110s x 3/3
115 x 3/3
136 x 1/1
142 x 1/1 pb only just was hard to keep a balence in air

barbell upright rows

120 x 12
135 x 11
140 x 8

1 arm snatch

115 x 1/1
120 x fail/fail


ok not bad nice pb on the one arm presses, rows were good aswell, one arm snatchs were disapointing, but this is because my barbell at home is bent and so doesnt rotate making it hard to turn the wrist..

31/7/09 legs

squats

135 x 10 135 x 10 285 x 1

245 x 20 not bad at all slightly below parallel
400 x 1
410 x fail not quite

front squats

220 x 10 PB!!!
286 x 1 PB!!!
245 x 5 clean grip style (wrist training lol)
286 x fail

positive zerchers

365 x 1
400 x 1
440 x 1
465 x 1 easy

very good today finally cracked 286 on the front squats felt quite easy as well maybe had 290, god knows how. all of a sudden ive gained some strength this week on legs after 6 weeks of nothing, and im only taking whey so im pleased!

You into PUA stuff mate?

Also, why are your weights in pounds? I assume you are from the UK if you're going to Magaluf!

Get some vids up of squats or deads!

badboy007


You into PUA stuff mate?

Also, why are your weights in pounds? I assume you are from the UK if you're going to Magaluf!

Get some vids up of squats or deads!

aup mate yeah england, the weights i have at home are in kgs, but the gym i first started in they were in lbs so i like to convert. Plus 500 lbs sounds better than 225 kg lol.
lost me on PUA stuff?
yeah heres my last deadlift video i uploaded onto my youtube. http://www.youtube.com/...amp;feature=channel_page

form isnt great with the bouncing, but i can comfortably do 190 kg x 10, as for squats theres a video somewhere on the you tube but its from a while back.Im alot stronger on them now thank god.. squats are a bit of a weak link for me ! i do them in my rack at home so its easy to hit parellal everytime as one of the holes in the rack is an inche below my parallel spot which i like!

Ok, watched your vids. You're a real strong lad with massive of potential: you should be looking to compete in powerlifting or strongman (U90kg), think you would do well.

Couple of pointers:

Don't use straps for DLs (chalk is better)
Don't bounce your reps on DLs
On benching, keep your feet planted and solid

Where do you live? Nice place you have there.

badboy007


Ok, watched your vids. You're a real strong lad with massive of potential: you should be looking to compete in powerlifting or strongman (U90kg), think you would do well.

Couple of pointers:

Don't use straps for DLs (chalk is better)
Don't bounce your reps on DLs
On benching, keep your feet planted and solid

Where do you live? Nice place you have there.

Thanks mate, yeah spot on regarding the straps. Problem is when it rains everything gets abit slippy, Im thinking about looking to compete in strongman or powerlifitng withen a years time, Im about 205 pounds at the moment so either lose 5 pounds of fat (plenty of it) or clean bulk to 220 for the under 105 kg comps..
Im tempted to bulk cleanly, as Im sure i will gain some good strength since for the last 4-5 months Ive not been eating over 3000 cals, just been trying to improve my weight to strength ratio! Im sure as soon as i start bulking strength will sore hopefully lol, and thanks thats my parents house in cheshire got a fair bit of land, i dont live there any more, but take advantage the best i can, but have to put up with rants about churning the grass haha.

If you're in Cheshire get yourself over to Adlington Barbell or Olympic Gym in Ashton.

In the NW you are spoilt for choice with powerlifting/strongman gyms.

cheers man i will look into that would be good joining some kind of club!

2/8/9 bench day
warm ups
135 x 12 135 x 10 220 x1 265 x 1

working sets

275 + 70 pounds chains x 1 pb!! http://www.youtube.com/...amp;feature=channel_page
220 + 70 pounds chains x 5 good
286 x 5
230 x 13 with leg drive

inclines

135 x 12
200 x 6
220 x 3
135 x 15

skull crushers

45 x 15
95 x 15
115 x 14 not bad

ok kept it short today, working with chains is AWESOME.. they are helping the top half of my bench and speed hugely! god save westside barbell.

You haven't got your chain set up right at all. There shouldn't be a plate hanging off the bottom of the chains.

The whole point is that a lot of the weight is deloaded at the bottom, your setup does not allow for this!

Only used chains a few times, they are good, especially if you are using a bench shirt, but make sure you have your set up correct.

yeah your right thanks for the video, i just checked my set up, and it turns out even when the bars on my chest only about 3 inches of the plate and the chains are on the floor lol! so the weight never really deloads  so basically im just pressing my max 345..  plus the swinging of the chains doesnt help lol.. i need to buy some thicker chains, and set it up properly however for now im quite happy as over the last 2 weeks ive actually gained strength especially on my triceps. i think this has somthing to do with adding in the incline tricep extensions!! randomly im gaining power at the moment ive been stuck in the same place for around 2-3 months and all of a sudden im seeing improvements, im not taking creatine or nos which i usually take so maybe i be gaining even more if i started back on these.. im prity skint at the moment do to my holiday and councel tax, elec and water bills lol..

do you think the way i set the chains up would be ok for defiecit deadlifts? im thinking of doing it this way tomoz? surely the weight would increase as the bar goes up?

Some people have used chains or bands for deadlift, but I think it is almost totally unnecessary.

The best DL'ers in the world tend to just do heavy deads, just make sure you cycle them properly.

I think you would see better gains doing 6x2 (@70%) for speed, really focusing on good tech and speed. If you are fast enough off the floor, you won't have problems locking out.

I've found deep, strict form good mornings very good for deadlifts.

back day tonight, might be coming down with somthing though, stuffy nose except, will see how it play out! looking for 450 off the defiecit, maybe 460..

17 days still megaruff looking forward to it slightly... in a strange kind of a way. Most of my friends are desperate to get there.. dont know how im going to handle all them drinking all day 24/7 im more of a queit beach, chill sun bath couple of drinks a night kind of person ! not a full raver 15 pints sick in gutter person, like my mates lol!

3/8/09 back

deficiet deadlifts 5 inche def

225 x 10
365 + 70 lbs chains x 1
420 + 70 lbs of chains x fail!! nooo the bar hit the safety bar on the power rack on the way up!!
420 + 70 lbs chains x FAIL!! would of got it first time im sure..
450 x 1 pb deficiet deadlift http://www.youtube.com/...amp;feature=channel_page
465 x fail half way up

chins

bw + 25 x 8 **** at these
bw x 10
wide grip x 6 slowww

yates rows

220 x 20
265 x 10
bent over row 220 x 8

mmm not bad im so pissed at the deadlift i missed 420 + 70 lbs chains was mine! until it hit the rack! owell.. 450 went up quite easy certainly had 455.. will go for high deads next week at the gym.

shoulders tomorrow should be interesting, im aiming for the 135 one arm snatch, mite take my camera and get a video, so i can get a form critique!

shoulders 5/8/09

militery press (seated)

200 x 3 very pleased http://www.youtube.com/...amp;feature=channel_page
155 x 12 pb for second set..
220 x fail only just

1 arm dumbell snatchs

120 x 1/fail
1/fail
1/fail wtf?! usually my right arm us stronger

1 arm db push presses

120 x 5/5
         5/5

bb upright rows

135 x 12
115 x 15 ss
45 x 15

not bad got videos to upload of the pressing! good going at the moment.

come to think of it i was abit disapointed with the dumbell snatchs, however ive just realised its actually probably easier with a barbell since it rotats in your hands making it easier to flick the wrists back and lock the weight out, triceps today expecting good things.

weight was 206 pounds this morning which is like 93 kg. i need to up the cardio, i ran 2 miles in 14 minutes and 55 seconds the other day i would like to get that down to at least 14 minutes..

7/8/09 arms

close grip bench press

135 x 12 135x10 225 x 1 285 x 1

320 x 1 hard hmmm was hoping for an easy lift
250 x 9 not too bad
220 x 5 paused

incline skull crushers super set bb curls

45 x 15
95 x 15
135 x 8 pb
overhead skulls
135 x 10
155 x 2

bb curls

45 x 15
95 x 10
135 x 6 super strict
175 x 3 cheat form
155 x 2 decent form

db curls

3 x 10

extensions

3x 8

not bad 325 on close grip is deisapointing though, i defo wouldnt of got 330 which is crap since thats my pb on close grip. however 250 x 9 is good..

8/8/09 legs

squats

135 x 12 135 x 10 225 x 1x1 285 x 1x1

255 x 20 pb nearly fainted on last rep lol!
410 x fail hmmm
355 x 4

front squats

225 x 1
265 x fail WTF!!
start again
225 x 1
265 x 1 easy
285 x 1
290 x 1 pb

ok very strange workout today 255 x 20 on squats is really good however i think they really fuked me over. after that set i felt terrible dizzy and tired... then all of a sudden i composed myself and managed to get things together, i think the main reason for the tiredness was no caffine usually i have a rock star energy drink half an hour before however i forgot today, and i really do think that made a difference, anyway not bad.

9/8/09 chest/ overhead

bench press

135 x 12 135 x 10 225 x 1 265 x 2

280 + 70 lbs of chains x fail arghhhh soooo close
270 x 8 disapointing
245 x 12 arch + bounce
308 x 1 with a 3 second pause on chest
318 x 1 easy
220 x 10 slow smooth

overhead skulls

95 x 10
135 x 7 hmm
95 x 10 deep full range motion + slowwww

cleans

135 x 1
155 x 1 + press
165 x 1 + press
175 x 1 +press
200 x 1 + press
210 x 1 + fail on press trying to dip down and catch the bar.. first time trying the correct technique
200 x 1 good technique very easy
210 x 1 very easy

enjoyed the cleans and jerks i was focusing on the technique of using my hips and dipping down the catch the bar, felt good but hard on slippy grass!

definately had 220 in me, and if i was fresh probs 265, my triceps and shoulders were prity dead from the benching and skulls!

well its back day today, but my hamstrings are really sore from saterdays leg workout probably best to leave it!!

11/9/09 back

deadlifts

225 x 3 + 70 lbs chains
285 x 3 + 70 lbs chains
308 x 3 + 70 lbs chains
355 x 3  + 70 lbs chains
420 x3 + 70 lbs chains
440 x 4 + 70 lbs chains

pull ups

bw x 12
bw + 25 x 7
wide grip pulls x 6

barbell rows

225  x 8 pauses
225 x 10
135 x 15 very slowww

ok  not bad deadlifts were really tough 440 x 4 with chains is ok. 5 would have been very nice though, but im along way off that, all the reps were dead from the floor, not touch and go.. bodyweights around 207 in the morning, its been a constant for like 5 months now!

it shoulders tonight i aim to hit 220 on the saeted militery press, fingers crossed.

shoulders 13/8/09

seated militery

135 x 5 175 x 1 200 x 1

220 x fail! damn was close
205 x 2
210 x 1 narrower grip went up really easily
215 x 1 was a struggle!

bb upright rows

135 x 12
135 x 11

db front raises

45 x 12/12 very strict
45 x 11/11
55 x 5/5

1 arm strict db press

70s x 8/10

ok not too bad 220 x fail was disapointing but its not far off at all.

13/8/09 tris and bis

nothing special here, seems ive hit a platue recently, the only high light was close grip bench which i managed
250 x 9, and overhead skulls 135 x 10.

i had a real lack of motivation, and energy, i just want to get my piss up holiday out of the way so as i can start working hard towards my goals! when i get back major bulk time.

13/8/09 tris and bis

nothing special here, seems ive hit a platue recently, the only high light was close grip bench which i managed
250 x 9, and overhead skulls 135 x 10.

i had a real lack of motivation, and energy, i just want to get my piss up holiday out of the way so as i can start working hard towards my goals! when i get back major bulk time.

15/9/09 legs

squats

400 x 2 with wraps
330 x 7
308 x 4 atg with pause at bottom

front squats

220 x 5
265 x 1
285 x 1
300 x 1 pb with wraps

positive zerchers

365 x 1
400 x 1
430 x 1
475 x 1
495 x fail
495 x 1 good pb

ok felt strong today first time ive ever used wraps and i felt good! 400 lbs felt good on squats could of got another rep probably, i should of got 330 x 8.

front squats were really good 135 kg was tough, popped a few eye blood vessals lol, but im sure ive got 140 kg if i was fresh.

zerchers were great pbs all round.

use KG lol

good journal