All While Intermittent Fasting

Training Training Logs
81

Exhaustion has set in.

Squat - Star Complex: 4 circuits
A. Top Squat: 405 x 4-5
B. Front Squats: 195 x 3-4
C. Hang Cleans: 135 x 3
D. Jump Squats: 30 x 8
E. Vertical Jumps: BW x 8

Supplemental Work
A1. Standing OHP (strict): 140x3, 150x3, 160x3, 170x3, 180x3, 170x3, 175x3, 180x3, 170x3
A2. DB Shrugs: 4x8 w/ 100’s
B1. Pushups: 5 x 12-15
B2. Standing Curls: 1x70x8
C. Bentover BB Rows: 3x8 @ 185

Those star complexes really kick my ass. Pushups were done under Waterbury’s recommendations. I’ll admit it does take a bit more out of your chest to do them with that kind of concentration. It was nice to see a guy in the squat rack repping out 495 barefoot w/ very close to white light form.

Tomorrow is a deadlift day of destruction (hopefully). I pretty confident I should be sufficiently recovered as long as I rest and eat enough today.

82

Deadlifting with Powerlifters

A. Deadlifts (conventional and sumo): 135x5, 225x5, 315x3, 365x1, 405xfail, 3x315x1

Okay, so yesterday’s workout devastated my chances of even looking like I have “okay strength” with the powerlifter group. I haven’t failed 405 in 3 years. They all looked at me with that “what you did yesterday was universally stupid” look when I told them how much I squatted. That’s okay though. I rested for 15 minutes and then did a Deadlift star complex that earned nods of approval. They were unimpressed by my top strength (when I told them the max I’d pulled before), but impressed by my work capacity.

Deadlifting Star Complex - 5 Circuits

A. Top Deadlift: 365 x 4-5
B. Romanian Deadlift: 225 x 5
C. Hang Clean: 135 x 3
D. Jump Goodmorning: 135 x 8
E. Broad Jumping: BW x 7-8

I could tell from my deadlifting that my back was still fatigued and in no condition to pull top weights today. Had to bump the Top Deadlift down from 455 to 365. Romanian deadlifts, too, had to be dropped 50-90 lbs. Disappointing, but that workout still left my shirt looking like i just got out of the pool.

I asked the group when they were coming back in again to do this so i could be more prepared to put up better weights (i.e. don’t squat so much the day before). Hopefully it’ll be a couple weeks.

As a side note: I’m not used to being the pussy of the group with whom I’m lifting. It’s a nice kick in the ass.

83

Lats and biceps fatigue day + abs.

A. Modified Thibs’ Lat Pulldowns: 6x8 @ 100, 100, 120, 120, 140, 140
B1. Lat Pulldowns: 3 x 8-9 @ 120 lbs
B2. Straight-arm Pressdowns: 3 x 7-8 @ 60 lbs
C. Preacher Curls (perfect rep): 3 x Max full, max upper, max lower @ 75 lbs
D1. Pinwheel Curls: 1x8 w/ 35’s
D2. Alternating Hammer Curls (strict): 1x8 ea arm w/ 35’s
E. Alternating Hammer Curls (held at midpoint): 2 x 8 ea arm w/ 35’s, 30’s
F. Palof Presses: 3x10 ea side @ 50 lbs
G. Hanging Leg Raises: 3x10
H. Weighted Swissball Crunches: 2 x unknown @ 50 lbs

All of that only took about 50 minutes. Nice.

84

A1. Standing OHP (strict): 3xBARx3, 100x3, 140x3, 150x3, 160x3, 170x3, 180x3, 170x3, 175x3, 180x3, 170x3, 175x3, 180x3, 170x3, 175x3, 180x3, 170x3
A2. DB Shrugs (peak contraction): 4x8 w/ 100’s, 110’s, 110’s, 110’s
B. BB Bench Press: 185x3, 225x3, 240x3, 250x3, 260x3, 250x3, 255x3, 260x3, 250x3, 255x3, 260x3, 250x3, 255x3, 260x3, 250x3
C1. Decline BB Bench: 250x3, 260x3, 270x3, 260x3, 265x3, 270x3, 260x3, 265x3, 270x3, 260x3, 265x3, 270x3, 260x3
C2. Bentover BB Rows: 3x8 @ 185 lbs

The AC was broken in the gym today. I think I lost about a gallon of water…and that’s taking into account how much i tried to replenish with frequent trips to the fountain and my Surge Workout Fuel. But I got through it. And the decline is getting easier as I re-adjust to the form (haven’t really done them in years)

I think I’m just going to veg on the couch with my text book for the rest of the night.

85

Squat Star Complex - 4 circuits
A. Top Squats: 405 x 5
B. Front Squats: 205 x 3-4
C. Power Cleans: 135 x 3
D. DB Jump Squats: 40 x 8
E. Vertical Leap Rebounds: BW x 8

15 minute break

Supplemental Shoulder Work:
A1. Standing OHP (strict): 3xBARx3, 100x3, 140x3, 150x3, 160x3, 170x3, 180x3, 170x3, 175x3, 180x3, 170x3
A2. Machine Shrugs (peak contraction): 4x8 @ 385 lbs

Long days of fire school are already starting to take their toll. I HAVE to eat more.

86

Today was not great.

A1. Standing OHP: 3xBARx3, 100x3, 140x3, 150x3, 160x3, 170x3, 180x3, 170x3, 175x3, 180x3, 170x3, 175x3, 180x3, 170x3, 175x3, 180x3, 170x3
A2. Machine Shrugs: 4x8 @ 385 lbs
B1. BB Bench Press: 185x3, 205x3, 225x3, 245x3, 260x3, 250x3, 255x3, 260x3, 250x3, 255x3, 260x3, 250x3, 255x3, 260x3, 250x3
B2. Face Pulls: 4x6-8 @ 150 lbs
C. Decline BB Bench: 250x3, 260x3, 270x3, 260x3, 265x3, 270x3, 260x3

I’m feeling a bit rundown in the gym. Came home, ate half of a 4 lb chicken, 6 dinner rolls, some roasted broccoli and cauliflower, and some ice cream. Hopefully this will be the equivalent of “take 2 of these and call me in the morning.” Tomorrow is deadlift day. I don’t need to be dragging ass on that day.

87

Saturday, June 18th

Conventional Deadlifts: 3x135x3, 225x3, 275x3

It was at this point my back was starting to hurt already. I bent down to grab a 315 lb loaded bar and realized that to get that off the ground was going to cause an undesirable level of pain. Scrapped the exercise. Moved on to try Rack Pulls at kneecap level. Bar loaded to 315. Same deal. I bent down to grab it and realized that if I pulled this it was going to cause the same amount of pain. The rest of the workout is a result of moping around the gym in disappointment.

A. Machine Chest Flys: some sets of 5 starting at the middle of the stack until it was maxed out
B. Seated Rows (minor pain): Some sets of 8 until I didn’t feel like doing them anymore
C. Hamstring Curls: some sets of 5 until I felt like the exercise was just too embarassing to continue.

Stupid back injury. Did the same thing to myself last year…but more severely. 6 months on the same compounds, I think it’s time to take a break. 2 months of machines should be a nice change of pace before switching back to bb compounds again.

88

Monday, June 20th

End of Compounds. Machine and isolation work begins. I like HP Mass principles too much to abandon, though. Hopefully they work just as well for machines, though in this case I’ll try to wade into the waters of auto-regulation.

A. Seated Machine OHP: 3x90x5, 140x5, 190x5, 210x5, 230x5, 240x5, 250x5, 240x5, 245x5, 250x5, 240x5
B. Seated Iso-lateral Incline Press: 98x5, 148x5, 188x5, 238x5, 258x5, 268x5, 278x5, 288x5, 278x5, 283x5, 288x5, 278x5
C. Chest Supported T-Bar Rows (Peak contraction): 90x8, 3x115x8
D. Machine Shrugs: 3x8 @ 385 lbs

Not sure why the chest supported rows felt so heavy with such little weight. My Bent-over BB rows feel easier with 185 lbs in the same rep range.

Anyway, although machines seem to allow me to use significantly more weight, I think it’ll be better if I just ignore the value of the weight and focus more on loading enough to create sufficient resistance…

The strength curve on the incline press feels significantly differet, as would be expected I suppose. On the BB incline, once the bar is past the sticking point, it’s all down hill as I’ve never had a problem with lockout. When seated upright, however, the lockout portion is the hardest bit. Both my triceps and chest seemed more fatigued by the motion as opposed to my shoulders (usually the norm). I hope the difference in the curve can help contribute to my ongoing push for more strength. I’d hate to get back under the bar in 2 months and see a significant loss.

As of now, I believe I’ll try and break down my week like this:

Monday: Shoulders and Incline, Back (horizontal plane), and Traps
Tuesday: Off
Wednesday: Quadriceps, calves, and maybe biceps and/or forearms
Thursday: Off
Friday: Chest (flat and decline), Triceps, and Back (horizontal plane)
Saturday: Glutes, Hamstrings, and calves (though I’m not sure how to work my glutes with an injured back)
Sunday: Lats and Biceps

Somewhere in that mix, abs will be thrown in…but not until my back recovers. Critiques are welcome, of course.

89

Wednesday, June 22nd

Hack Squats: Ramping sets of 5 up to 365, 325x5, 345x5, 365x5, 325x5
Leg Extensions: Sets of 6 until reaching 200 lbs, 4x6 @ 200 lbs
Calf Raises: Sets of 10 until reaching 350 lbs, 3x10 @ 350 lbs
Machine Preacher Curls: 45x10, 70x10, 90x10, 115x7, 5, 2
Seated Hammer Curls (held at midpoint): 3x10 w/ 25’s
Thick Bar Holds (Fat Gripz): 135 lbs for 4 sets of as long as I could hold it

It feels less satisfying to be on machines for the whole of my workout. But I guess you can make anything challenging if you just add more weight or change the focus to con- or eccentric.

90

Friday, June 24th

A. Iso-Lateral Bench Press Machine: 90x5, 140x5, 180x5, 230x5, 250x5, 270x5, 290x5, 270x5, 280x5, 290x5, 270x5
B. Machine Fly: Ramping sets of 8 to 200 lbs, 3x8 @ 200 lbs
C. Machine Seated Dips: Lots of sets of 8 working to machine’s max of 255 lbs
D. Seated OH Cable Triceps Extensions: 2x10 @ 70
E. Overhead Rope Triceps Extensions: 120x10, 140x8, 140x7
F. Iso-Lateral Low Pull Rows: each arm 53x8, 98x8, 123x8, 143x8, 143x7, 143x7, 53x10 (peak contraction)
G. Seated Rear Delt Extensions: 3x10 @ 70 lbs
H. 1-Arm Raised Pushups on Medicine Ball: 1 set alternating arms until I felt like stopping

Total: 38 sets

Looks like a lot until I remember that pressing exercises alone on HP Mass amount to ~45 sets. Add in the 15, or so, sets of back exercises and that’s getting close to doubling what I’m used to. It’s no wonder I feel a bit dissatisfied with machine work when I’m done.

Each day is systematically making one more area of my body sore on a daily basis, though. My chest and tri’s are a little sore this morning. Even going through 3 waves of Thib’s HP Mass hasn’t left me sore in a while. I guess it’ll take a couple weeks to adapt to the new power curves–after which I shouldn’t be sore with these machine exercises.

Still waiting on my back to recover a bit more before throwing in ab and lower back work. Today is supposed to be hammies and glutes, but I’m probably going to have to scrap the glutes portion until my back recovers. I mean, it’s not nearly as sore as it was last Saturday, but I’ve heard it repeated to me over and over: “The day you feel recovered, wait one more week.”

91

Saturday, June 25th

A. Fasted Treadmill Walking: 40 minutes 5% incline, 3.5 mph
B. Lying Hamstring Curls: 45x8, 90x8, 135x8, 180x8, 225x8, 2x180x8
C. Calf Raises: 360x10, 3x450x10

Such a short day. Limitations suck!

Watched a pack of 14-15 year-old fat kids snickering at the old pudgy guys in the sauna. I couldn’t help but think to myself: “Yeah, they’re fat. Their metabolisms and activity capacity have slowed considerably since they’re in their 70’s. What’re your excuses, fat boys?”

92

Sunday, June 26th

A. Modified Thibs’ Lat Pulldowns: 6x8 @ 120, 140, 150, 160, 160, 160
B1. Lat Pulldowns: 3x10 @ 120, 120, 140
B2. Straight-arm Pressdowns: 3x10 @ 60
C. Preacher Curls: 3 sets of 115 lbs – Max full range, max upper, max lower
D. Hammer Curls (mid-point hold): 35’s x 8, 2x30’s x 8

The wife joined my gym today and went through this particular workout with me. Color me excited since she’s interested in going at least on Sundays with me. She asked about the advertised CrossFit classes and (remembering the sentiment of the forum) I was encouraging as CrossFit “Makes women hot and men weak.”

Good day all around.

93

Monday, June 27th

A1. Seated Machine OHP: 3x50x5, 130x5, 200x5, 220x5, 240x5, 250x5, 270x5, 280x5, 290x5, 280x5, 285x5, 290x5 (40 lbs improvement)
A2. Machine Shrugs (peak contraction): 4x8 @ 385 lbs
B1. Seated Iso-lateral Incline Press: 188x5, 278x5, 298x5, 288x5, 293x5, 298x5, 288x5 (10 lbs improvement)
B2. Iso-Lateral Row Machine (low to high): 180x8, 3x230x8
C. Seated Lateral Raises: 20’s x 10, 25’s x 10, 25’s x 10
D. Machine Rear Delt Flys: 50x10, 75x10, 90x10
E. Upright Row to Shoulder Rotation: 15’s x 10

2 months seems like it’s going to be a long time away from free weights. I hope that the harder I push on the machines, the more it will help overall when returning to barbell compounds. I miss squats and deadlifts. When I return to them, I’ll probably stay with front squats for a while so I’m not putting too much emphasis on my lower back by doing backsquats AND deadlifts in the same week.

94

Wednesday, June 29th

A. Machine V-Squats: 3x54x5, 144x5, 234x5, 254x5, 274x5, 294x5, 254x5, 274x5, 294x5, 254x5
B. Leg Extensions: 150x6, 190x6, 210x6, 230x6, 250x6
C. Single Leg Extension (same machine): 2x80x6 ea leg
D1. Jump Rope: 5x100
D2. Pushups a la Waterbury: 5x10
E. Calf Raises (leg press machine): 478x10, 3x568x10
F. Suspended Parallel Grip Holds (Fat Gripz): 3 x max time
G. Thick Barbell Holds (Fat Gripz): 4 x max time (2 alternating grips, 1 double overhand, 1 double underhand)

I really didn’t feel like working out today. But after spending 10 minutes warming up with jump rope variations, I felt in a much better frame of mind. Ended up doing a lot more today than i thought I would, and I feel so much better for having done it.

I was going to do jump ropes and superset roundhouse kicks on a heavy bag, but the aerobics room was taken…by 3 women doing some odd looking crunches. Classes always trump individual work according to gym rules.

95

Friday, July 1st

A. Iso-Lateral Machine Bench: 3x90x5, 180x5, 230x5, 250x5, 270x5, 290x5, 280x5, 285x5, 290x5, 280x5
B. Seated Machine Dips: Sets of 5 with 255…not sure how many
C. Machine Peck Deck: 4x8 @ 180 lbs
D. Iso-Lateral Rows (high to low): 90x8, 140x8, 180x8, 4x230x8
E. Reverse Flys (rear delt): 3x12 @ 75, 90, 90
F. Overhead Rope Triceps Extensions: 4x10 @ 120, 130, 140, 140

The wife thinks my muscles are “looking prettier these days”…whatever the fuck that means.

96

Saturday, July 2nd

A. Fasted Incline Treadmill Walking: 40 minutes, 7 degrees, 3.2 mph
B. Lying Hamstring Curls: 135x8, 180x8, 4x205x6
C. Calf Raises (Leg Press machine): 450x10, 3x540x10

Short and sweet…like my wife…whom joined me for my workout today.

My back doesn’t feel recovered yet. That’s disappointing.

97

Sunday, July 3rd

A. Thibs’ Lat Pulldowns: 150x8, 180x8, 200x8, 210x8, 220x8, 2x210x8
B. Lat Pull Downs: 3x10 @ 140, 150, 150
C. Straight-arm Pressdowns: 3x10 @ 60, 70, 80
D. Preacher Curls: 3 x max full, max upper, max lower @ ??? lbs
E. Hammer Curls (held at midpoint): 3x8 w/ 35’s, 35’s, 30’s
F. Hanging Leg Raises: 3x10

First time doing the actual video version of Thibs’ Lat pulldowns. It’s a little awkward feeling at first, but after getting through the exercise, I felt a bit more fatigued in the lats than normal. Good stuff.

Lately I can’t seem to get my biceps to engage fully. Normally they’re extremely full as well as exhausted after getting through that portion. These last couple of weeks, however, they just feel underwhelmed. Is it time to change exercises? Or has neural adaptation taken over and I should continue with it to reap some real gains?

98

Monday, July 4th

A1. Machine OHP: 3x90x5, 180x8, 230x5, 250x5, 270x5, 280x5, 270x5, 275x5, 280x5, 270x5
A2. Machine Shrugs (peak contraction): 360x8, 3x450x8
B1. Machine Incline Press: 90x5, 180x5, 230x5, 270x5, 320x5, 330x5, 320x5, 325x5, 330x5, 320x5
B2. Chest Supported Machine Rows (peak contraction): 6x8 @ 90, 135, 135, 155, 155, 155
C. Seated Lateral Raises: 3x10 w/ 25’s
D. Cable Rear Delt Flys: 5x10 @ 30, 40, 50, 50, 50
E. Hanging Leg Raises: 3 x 10

Working out on the 4th…not bad. No people around the weight area, but plenty of bodies by the pool that can be seen from there.

99

Wow B! I havent been to your log yet and you are killin it! Are you still doing the PLP program? I had a client of mine on it and he loved it! He was a hard gainer but it really helped him put on some size…

100

[quote]BlackWidowGirl wrote:
Wow B! I havent been to your log yet and you are killin it! Are you still doing the PLP program? I had a client of mine on it and he loved it! He was a hard gainer but it really helped him put on some size…[/quote]
I tried to do the PLP challenge, but the more I did it, the worse my shoulders were feeling. I eventually had to cut it out all together. It took about 2 weeks for my shoulders to stop feeling so damn sore. I liked the idea, but I just could keep up with it on top of Thibs’ HP mass approach.