I wanna be on the juice 
*older, wiser member comes in “wait at least 4 more years”
I know I know
Just remember Chobbs, when you get on your on for life, thats why people tell you to wait. I will say this, for me I was 34 in good shape, and owned a gym when I first did gear (test,tren) and the gains came so much easier, that I lost the drive to lift hard n heavy. I was able to use leg press, and hammer strength, and look as good or better than when I was natty and killing myself with 531 type stuff. when I went on house arrest 2yrs ago, I went of the gear, and lost all drive.
For the first time in my life I had no drive to lift. I do blame this on gear, I didn’t feel like training, and fell into depression, didn’t do anything for a year. Right now 6mths back and natty, it’s alot of work, buit I’m proud of it. When I see people right now, and they tell me how huge I look, that I must be back on the gear. This makes my day, I don’t care if they believe me or not.
So for me it’s this, I have nothing against the gear, I’ve done it both ways, but there’s a pride to earning it. I know I’ve aready said all this, but when your on gear, and people ask you if you are. You either lie, and say no, or joke it off, and say “why wouldn’t I be, the other ways alot of work” You’ll have to make the desision yourself Chobbs, I can only tell you how it affected me personaly. I’m a proud guy, and it just didn’t work with my personality. Goodluck !
[quote]AnytimeJake wrote:
Just remember Chobbs, when you get on your on for life, thats why people tell you to wait. I will say this, for me I was 34 in good shape, and owned a gym when I first did gear (test,tren) and the gains came so much easier, that I lost the drive to lift hard n heavy. I was able to use leg press, and hammer strength, and look as good or better than when I was natty and killing myself with 531 type stuff. when I went on house arrest 2yrs ago, I went of the gear, and lost all drive. For the first time in my life I had no drive to lift. I do blame this on gear, I didn’t feel like training, and fell into depression, didn’t do anything for a year. Right now 6mths back and natty, it’s alot of work, buit I’m proud of it. When I see people right now, and they tell me how huge I look, that I must be back on the gear. This makes my day, I don’t care if they believe me or not. So for me it’s this, I have nothing against the gear, I’ve done it both ways, but there’s a pride to earning it. I know I’ve aready said all this, but when your on gear, and people ask you if you are. You either lie, and say no, or joke it off, and say “why wouldn’t I be, the other ways alot of work” You’ll have to make the desision yourself Chobbs, I can only tell you how it affected me personaly. I’m a proud guy, and it just didn’t work with my personality. Goodluck ![/quote]
Thanks for the advice, I’m nowhere ready but just trying to get as many peoples stories as possible and getting a base knowledge of everything.
Sat Oct 20th
Woke up sore and tired becomming a trend. They tell me this jobs going to last till end of Dec, Plus iron workers union just won back the contract for maintnace for Automotive plants in On. So after 5yrs of hardly any work (sporatic) We’re backl full swing It’s been alot of years since I was a full time Iron worker or full time work of any kind.
I fell in 99 was off for 7yrs on worker’s compensation, getting surgeries and such, then opened my Gym, and ran that up until a year ago last April, when I got put on house arrest for attempted arson, and I’m still waiting for that trial. I can’t step foot in my own gym until the trial is over, because it’s next door to the building I suposedly tried to burn down.
I’ve handed my training buisness to one of my students, and my wife runs my gym. Point is I might as well go back to work. The gym pays my morgage, and we live comfortable, but you can never have to much money, and I’m not getting any younger, might as well pay off my union dues, and put some money in my retirement fund.
So today is an off day, letting my body recoup, but I wanted to see where my Deadlift was at, I went out warmed up and pulled 405x8 thats all the weight I have here right now. When I started my comeback in April I did 405x2 so I’ve added 6 reps to my deadlift in 5mths. I guess thats about right. I’m having some more plates brought over from the gym this week. I’m not going to be deadlifting alot while I’m running Smolov. Tomorow morning I’m going to push two workouts togeather while I’m off, so my clean’s and military workout shouldn’t be to bad. We shall aee Latter !
Decided to do a workout after all, What ever ! I did some heavy deads early this morning, 5sets around 8ish, then layed around all day, so at 4 I was ready for a full workout. Comming back after a long layoff, I feel like a Newb, I can’t stand having a day off. Plus I might as well take advantage of working out on the weekends with no work. I did this
Squats and curls
275x5x5----incline DB curls 30x5x15
Cleans-------TRX fallouts, and french press (I slide a broom handle through TRX handles) Cleans are from the hang
135x5-----mex10
145x5-----mex10
165x5x5
145x10—mex26, killed it on both, still had energy so I did this
latterals------kirk rows (tried to keep the stress on front head during latterals)
30sx20------185x5x5sec pause
30sx20------185x5x5sec pause
30sx20------185x5x5sec pause (dropped to 135, on wide grip upright rows)
30sx20------135x15
30sx20------135x15
Good workout had fun, I only had Squats and Cleans writen down. The rest just happened, when I was on my last set of cleans, I took my shirt off, and my traps and shoulders looked ridiculous, so i threw in the latterals and rows to chase the pump a bit. Probably stupid since I’m training military tomorow, but whatever, I’m having fun, and growing like a weed right now. I feel like a newb, and I’m getting newb gains, just I’m starting out at 250, with a 300/400/500 base 
I’m having alot of fun, and building a ton of muscle naturaly. I’m dieing to post my 3mth update pics, but I still have a month to go. I wouldn’t recomend everyone taking so much time off, but it seems to be working for me. Latter
Mon Oct 22, was going to do my military workout yesterday, but my shoulders were to sore from Sat workout where I ended with a bunch of shoulder type shit. Anyway got off at lunch today, so it all worked out well. here it is
squats, and curls
135x10-----65x20 (spyder curl)
225x5------65x20
295x4------65x20
295x4-----65x20
295x4------65x20
295x4------65x20
295x11 I know it’s smolov, and I’m suposed to be doing low rep, but I felt like blowing my load, ended up pulling my right ham string
75’ incline (military)----DB row
135x10--------90x12
185x5---------90x12
225x5---------90x12
205x9---------90x12
195x12-------90x12 Thats it, all I had, didn’t even do my DB seated clean and Press
Decent workout, usually I start off slow, and by the end of my workout I’m in a frenzy, but today i started wound up, and didn’t pace myself. I wanted to quit after second set of DB rows, but didn’t. I’m using a beer cooler for these Db rows, old school hand and knee on the cooler, back level with a good stretch at the bottom, and then pull the DB up against my pec for a one count.
I forgot how awesomw these were, really pump my upper back. 90s are the heaviest DBs I have at home, so I’m making these as slow and as hard as possible. I’ll take a few weeks and work up to 5x20. Then switch back to pull ups like normal, just really liken these right now, and the cooler is sitten out because thats what i use to Smolov Squat down to. Whatever Latter
Cleans, i thought I’d take a minute and explain how I do cleans, my way not the proper way ! I was watching a vid series on FTS how to do proper cleans, I’m always afraid that if I learn how to do a proper clean I won’t be able to go back to my way of doing them. The way I do cleans (wrong way) is about building hip drive, and packing muscle on my upper back. Here’s what I do
I start by deadlifting the bar to a standing position. I then push my butt back with my back arched till the bar is at my knees. This is the same starting position for KB swings.I then explode my hips forwrd as I shrug and pull the bar upward. I keep the bar tight to my body till it reaches my nipples, at which point I swing the bar out and around to land on my shoulder’s. At the end of the movement I’m standing fully erect, I do not dip down to get under the bar at all. I make the bar travel up to my shoulder’s, rather than dropping down to get my shoulder’s under the bar.
These really aren’t cleans at all, they probably have more in common with a KB swing or a high pull. What I do know is these pack loads of muscle on my upper back, and traps. My goal right now is to be able to do sets of 5x225 with these. I imagine that if I spent time mastering real power cleans, I’d be able to set my goals higher than 225, but I’d get less back development, and explosive hip drive carry over. I’ll try to get some vids for further explanation.
These aren’t really cleans, but I don’t know what else to call them in my log, I’ll start calling them muscle cleans. It’s kind of what they are, all muscle and no technique. Latter
Wed Oct 24
Squat and curls
Smolov squat----DB incline curls
135x10------30x15
225x5-------30x15
315x6x3
Deadlift-------front lateral raise
225x5-------30x20
315x5------30x20
365x6x3
Thats it, dosen’t look like much on paper, but it was a good workout, time to eat Latter
Still lovin the log man. Keep workin.
Found this over at Bas`s barbell, good blog by an old time weightlifter-coach, thought it was funny
Thoughts
This is a tongue in cheek column to illustrate the absurdity of what the industry of lifting weights has become…its NOT about training athletes but about training bodybuilders and power lifters…at least it made me laugh. And it will make Justin Keane laugh, , Jamie Lewis, Paul Carter, And Beau and maybe Rip and My girls and Stephen…and of course Marty
Ah, you missed a rep.
Man, you chose to follow some program that somebody wrote who never trained a soul in is life. You wanted to compete, but you chickened out because your singlet showed your lack of testicles. Then your form sucked. Your spotter helped you and told you it was all you, all you. Its all you man! Your butt flew up, your squats were nose bleed high. Your assistance work isn’t getting you massive because you are using 30 pounds on your dumbell bench presses.
You wanted to listen to Darkthrone, but you couldn’t, because you girlfriend likes Eminem. She rules you and she is stronger than you are.
You have no heart to push through a rep because everyone has always told you that you were a tough Guy, and that you should not overtrain. HAHA! Overtrain. Coward. Yes, you are a coward, you look like a garden gnome, but your training partners all tell you that you look good! That elliptical is killing it! Pilates! Dumbell rollouts! go to it big guy! it! Your NO2 is killing it!Pre workout shake makes all the difference! NO RED MEAT!!! What are you, a neanderthal?
Kazmaier was soft! Be a supple leopard/lion/jaguar/fire ant! C’mon man, nobody knows a damn thing but you and your tiny little friends! They wrap their knees at at 275 with their red adidas shoes that came out of somewhere someplace. Barefeet? Arnold was soft! Draper too! Damn I am glad that those days are gone! Franco deadlifting 750! Soft ass! He needed to prehabrehab/frehab/slestack before he attempted that! Robby Robinson saying that they ate redmeat 4-5 times a day?/ LIAR! A liar because he LIES!..He said that they just trained and didnt count grams of anything! Why say that? Because he doesn’t want to give out secrets that may make you strong and huge! He is in his 60’s and looks good, must be the lies that keep him going.
Maybe you should bench less because that’s what Kirk did. Maybe you should bench more because that’s what Sheiko says. Hell, Sheiko benched all the time. Kirk didn’t because he was built like a brontosauras and had more heart than anyone else alive. He could have benched once a month and made gains because he GOT IT FREAKING DONE. Failure was never an option. And he got it done because it meant more to him than anything else in the world.
Whine , cry and make excuses. That is fine. But you’ll never be really strong, And oh my gosh! you may get hurt. Everybody does.Everybody gets hurt when they push the envelope. You should ache, have tendinitis, have trouble sleeping. No, not with little weights, with BIG weights. You will wreck your joints, tear your quads, you biceps, and hell, just pick something, it is coming.
So just put all your excuses in a huge basket by your crib and pick one each day. Use it and whimper and stay weak. Great job. You have joined the "Blameevryonebutyourself crowd that this society is so famous for!
Posted by James Steel
Thurs oct 25, I have the day off so I decided to do a bench day, without the smolov squats, because i squated and deadlifted alot yesterday. I’ll go back to smolov with a squat, and cleans workout either tomorrow or Sat, depending on work schedual. It was a nice change just going out and benching without the squatting first, it kind of felt weird, I’v kinds grown used to all the squatting before my regular workout, who would have thought. One thing I did forget was that I did alot of DB front raises yesterday, and on my first warm up set of 135 bench today, my font delts wee cranky, and then I remembered yesterday, Oh well I pushed through, front delts need the extra work anyway.
Bench-------face pull (TRX pull hanles to my shoulders, and keep elbows pointed at the sky)
135x10------mex10
225x5-------mex10
250x5-------mex10
315x1-------mex10 (531 week, might have got a tripple if I had a spoter, solid rep thouigh)
295x3------mex10
275x5-------mex20-switched to Rev bench (3inch pipe through TRX handles-pull to chest)
250x10------mex20
225x10-----mex20 - BBB sets suposed to be 205, decided 225 for rev ladder
225x9-------mex20
225x8-------mex20- rear delts, traps, and forearmes are cramping up
225x7-------10sx30- switched to side latterals, used 10s + band under my feet up to hands
225x6-------10sx20 + 20 droped band after 20, and did 20 more with straight weight
Thats it thats all, little bench workout without the smolov. It’s nice to know 300 is a lock. My initial goals comming back was 300 / 400/ 500 to establish a base to work from. Right now I’m certain about my bench, and my squat because of smolov, after this upcomming deload I’ll work on getting my dead back to 500 by Jan 1. Then the hard part trying to move all three lifts forward by 100lbs lol, seems funny now, I didn’t think the weights would get so heavy so fast, but thats what I get for not working my squat, and dead hard for over 10yrs Oh well going from 3-4-5 up to 4-5-6 is the line that seperates the men from the boys. I’ve done it once I can do it again, just forgot how hard it was Latter
Solid bench session
Thanks Chobbs, that 250x10 on the way back down, thats the money maker, the last 3 reps were grinders. love to be able to get 315x10–mabey by this time next year. never satisfied should be a lifting slogan. latter
Todays the first day adding in my extra ground beef, seems like alot. A PLing friend was over earlier this week, going over my log, trying to figure out why I’m stalling so soon. He looked at my log, then his first question was what I was eating. Told me I wasn’t getting enough red meat, so the plan is to add a pound of ground beef + 4 cups of rice a day, without removing anything else from my diet. This sounded good, and I went and bought 10lbs of ground beef last night, but I cooked it up and added it to the rice this morning, and it looks like a ton of food.
I don’t have a diet, but I have a list of things I have to eat every day, it goes like this -
1 dozen eggs
1 bag of frozen mixed veggies
2 peanut butter and bannana sandwiches
2 litters of milk—3 on training days
2 big bowls of bran flakes
cook for dinner, either -whole roast-whole ham-whole bird, one of these 5 times a week
4 apples-4 oranges- or whole pinapple
whatever potatoes or rice o pasta comes with dinner
I’ve been doing fine with this, but now I have a huge bowl of ground beef, and rice to fit in. The first week is going to be tough, but it’s like working out, you have to force your self at first then it becomes habbit. I just cook it unseasoned than I can add what I eat to make it taste good, spice sauce whatever.
Today I threw in a pack of Old Elpaso powdered cheese sauce, so it came out like KD, easy on the pallet. I’m from the old school, if you want to get big and stron you have to eat. All these kids now days trying to get strong on rabbit food LOL telling me how I’m eating wrong, while they’re bench has been stuck at 225 for 3yrs Haha, if you want to lift elite, you have to eat elite.
Stuart McRoberts says the best strength gains come when your between 15-20% BF He also says if you don’t diet down atleast once a year to see your abs you can’t call yourself a weight lifter, I follow these guide lines. The pics I posted are the fatest I’ve ever been (year house arrest/layoff) generaly I can see my abs year round. Well the top two anyway, LOL Latter
I wanted to erase this rant, it wasnt strength related, just the pair of idiots the other day stired up some old emotions, and I needed an outlet. Ive been trying to keep this log strength related, and not dive into my past or current legal problems to much.
I give back and work with troubled youth as much as posible through NA and talks I do, but somtimes there`s a certain segment that rubs me the wrong way. Latter
Now that I wrote that, gotta go get the dishes done before my wife gets home, and give me shit. it’s all a bad dream
yeah, had to rant yesterday after a pair of idiots showed up at my house, glad I had this form to dump some anger, before I killed someone.
I was in my house with my daughter after school, when I see a car pull in my drive way, little hyundia with a loud exhaust two kids getting out, I went out side to see what thsy wanted. Eveything I hate both of them 20yr 170lbs dressed like black guys covered in jewlery and tats, wanting to join my gym. I said the gyms on the other side of town, Brandon’s there (manager) go join up. I get this well we know who you are, nudge nudge wink wink, we want to make a deal directly with you.
We want you to train us in this 531 system we heard about, we want to pay for the year and pay for you to train us, we brought you a pound of weed ! i`m looking at these morons, I say you have the pound of weed with you, and you thought what your just going to hand it to me in my drive way. I f$%KIN LOST IT !
Im on house arrest Im on 24 hour survelance in this stupid little town for shit these pair of morons wouldnt even understand. I said get the F%$k off my property, if you want to join the gym go join, its 44$ a month for everyone, pair of smucks get. They start stammerin and studdering, appoligizing.
These are the guys I hate trying to look tough while theyre scared of theyre own shadows. Where did these pair of idiots here about 531 are you kidding me. Anyway that was my rant yesterday, and I guess again today. Im glad for Jim 531 has reached this level, but its almost to much, when video game playing smuck drug dealers are hereing about and wanting to do 531 because it sounds cool. I just don`t know Latter
Oct 27 Sat, i think my watch has the date off by a day i think it’s really the 26th but that would throw out all my dates, I’ll start fresh next workout. Anywat todays workout my last week of Smolov, and my third week of 531, i’m going to go hard this week then take a week off, well deserved. All my Smolov pondages are 30lbs heavier this week than the first week. Today was easy with 275, but it means my last workout comming up will be 6x3x350 instead of 6x3x315. i don’t know if I started to light or if i really gained that much strength in 3 weeks. if I did 30lbs in 3 weeks is awesome. can’t decide if I’m going to run Smolov again after my deload or not, I’ll see how I feel. Todays workout
Squats, and curls (old school concentration curls) can’t spell Anyway
135x10-----30x15
225x5------30x15
275x5x6 fast reps, kinda easy, did 30x15 between all sets
Cleans-------TRX fallouts, and frenchpress (These are muscle cleans, catch the bar standing0
135x5------mex15
155x5-----mex15
205x1-----mex15
185x3-----mex15
165x5-----mex15
165x5-----mex15
155x5-----mex15
155x5-----mex15
145x10—mex15
145x9----mex15
145x8-----mex15
145x7-----mex15
145x6-----mex15
Thats it thats all, 13 sets of muscle cleans, plus my favorite ab, n tricep killer, life is good. Anyone havein trouble gaining upper back and trap thickness, this workout once a week for 6mths seems to take care of that. I mean my traps have grown enough that my wife noticed, and made a comment, anyone thats been married for a while knows how odd this is. I could dye my hair green, and she wouldn’t notice, thats part of being married, so for her to ask whats going on with my neck muscles, why are they starting to bulge out of your shirt collars, haha thats a huge compliment, means they’re noticable. Latter
Somthing else I stole from Jim Steel at Bas’s Barbell, thought it was worth sharing, peace offering after my rant the other day latter
Let us keep it simple when writing a program- Arnold’s Encyclopedia is great for pics and explanations
Main Lifts- 2x a week, sometimes 3, sometimes 1x(advanced)
Squat, bench, deadlift
press, clean(sometimes), dips, chins, Rows
3-7 sets, 2-8 reps
Assistance- 2-5 sets, 6-15 reps- pick one to 3 after the main lift
Leg Curls
RDL
Db Bench press, incline
Flyes(be careful of the stretch)
Laterals
Cubans
Shrugs
Curls
Triceps extensions(or pushdowns)
Don’t go to failure on the main lifts, just make progress. On the assistance, go to failure on the the set of the exercise. No forced reps except once in awhile.
FORM, form, form…nobody touches the bar on the main lifts and your butt stays down and you squat deep!
Easy to do, get it done.
Mon Oct 28 Smolov squats and military workout
Squats and curls
135x10
225x5
295x5x5
Military-----pullups (seat set at 75’ incline for what it’s worth)
135x10-----mex5
185x5------mex5
205x5-----mex5
250x2------mex5 PR for me here
225x3------mex5
205x5-----mex5
185x5-----mex5 (I switched to DBs because I wanted to Tbar row, only have one bar)
DB military------Tbar row (pretty upright on rows, I use a 4ft tow strap around the bar)
90sx10--------1PLTx20
90sx9---------2PLTx15
90sx8--------3PLTx10
90sx7--------4PLTx10 ( loose form on these )
90sx6-------3PLTx17 (going for broke, on the way back down)
90sx5--------2PLTx25
65x20--------1PLTx 30 did these slow with a pause, cramped up my back and neck
On the squats, fast reps, bar bouncing off shoulders at the top, love this. Today was the first day since starting smolov that I was sore comming in, but I did add 30lbs to my initial startingh weight this week. Comming back from a long layoff, and doing smolov for the first time I started a light set up on the program initialy using 350 as my 1RM, and I’m going to finish the program this week with 350x6x3, so pretty happy with that, I’m going to take a week deload / layoff and come back with a bigger 1RM and run anothe cycler. For me it seems natural to squat every time I’m in the gym then do rest of my workout, I don’t get much of a chance to deadlift but I think it will come along for the ride. Smolov and 531 seem like bread and butter to me. They’re both 3week programs, and just seem to fit, here’s where i’m at
Day1 Smolov squat—military 531
Day 2 Smolov squat—cleans 531
Day3 Smolov squat—bench 531
day 4 Smolov squat —Deads 531 just required reps, going easy on deads
One day on / One day off
Now that i’ve tried it, I’m not going to have a problem using it with clients, to bring up a lagging lift. Certainly looking forward to deload week though, ands I usually don’t. Latter