Bartl's Back!

Training Training Logs
141

So I drive 92 miles to go train with Alwyn Cosgrove, only to realize when I got down there that I was 7 days early and that he was in Rhode Island giving a lecture.

Ya, I’m a dumb ass.

Then I tried to surf today and there were no waves. Then I didn’t feel like going to the gym to train shoulders. So I go to the back yard and realize that I have enough to train my shoulders. So I went total ghetto jail style and did a legit backyard session. Was quite nice.

A1) Shoulder Press - 6-8 reps, 145/145/135/135 lbs
10 seconds rest
A2) DB Hammer Grip Shoulder Press - 10-12, 40/40/32.5/32.5 lbs
10 seconds res
A3) Lateral Raises - 20-25, 10 lbs
150 seconds rest

B1) Upright row - 6-8 reps, 115 lbs
10 seconds res
B2) DB Front Raises - 10-12 reps, 12.5 lbs
10 seconds rest
B3) Barbell Front Raise - 20-25 reps, 20 lbs

So for B2, its supposed to be done on an incline bench but I don’t have one, so I just did normal front raises. It was cool to train outside, in the sun with my shirt off, but I can’t wait to get back to the gym tomorrow though.

142

I forgot to mention…I got accepted into one of the colleges here in town and am going back to school in September to get my AA in Exercise Science and along with it comes a ACSM certification for personal training.

I’m going balls deep!

143

[quote]Bartl wrote:
I forgot to mention…I got accepted into one of the colleges here in town and am going back to school in September to get my AA in Exercise Science and along with it comes a ACSM certification for personal training.

I’m going balls deep![/quote]

Congrats man, that great news! Study hard and earn those A’s.

144

I think figs are like crack. My krytonite for sure.

One thing to consider Chris, I got my B.S. in Exercise Physiology, and quite honestly, you will learn more on this website than in class. I say that because you have true life athletes here, and not typical 300+ lb professors who teach the shit, but are land whales as Shugs would say. I just received a newsletter from my alma mater where one of my old professors who I disagreed with alot, stated how milk was the supreme PWO drink. Fucking milk! Even worse, he said chocolate milk was even better. What I have noticed in the 10 yrs after graduating, is that this typical information they spew out is really meant for the typical gym goer and maybe weekend warrior. Notice I didnt say gym-rat, iron-junkie, or any of the other typical names you might here on this site. But your typical gym visitor is also an out of shape lard ass. So if you pursue this, remember that little will apply to people who want to take their body, physique, or sports performance to the next level.

I learned that I had to give the answers the professor wanted to hear, rather than what I thought and came to find out what was either truer or better.

145

Going back to school! Awesome news!
I’ve been rolling that idea around lately. The 2 locations in my area that offer the trainer certs want between $10k-13k! for the classes, that’s a bit much for me. Good luck with your studies.

146

[quote]MaximusB wrote:
I think figs are like crack. My krytonite for sure.

One thing to consider Chris, I got my B.S. in Exercise Physiology, and quite honestly, you will learn more on this website than in class. I say that because you have true life athletes here, and not typical 300+ lb professors who teach the shit, but are land whales as Shugs would say. I just received a newsletter from my alma mater where one of my old professors who I disagreed with alot, stated how milk was the supreme PWO drink. Fucking milk! Even worse, he said chocolate milk was even better. What I have noticed in the 10 yrs after graduating, is that this typical information they spew out is really meant for the typical gym goer and maybe weekend warrior. Notice I didnt say gym-rat, iron-junkie, or any of the other typical names you might here on this site. But your typical gym visitor is also an out of shape lard ass. So if you pursue this, remember that little will apply to people who want to take their body, physique, or sports performance to the next level.

I learned that I had to give the answers the professor wanted to hear, rather than what I thought and came to find out what was either truer or better. [/quote]

Looks like I better get all “A’s” then, and expect some PM’s from me as well. Thanks for volunteering!

147

Great to hear you going to school for this! I think you’ll make an excellent trainer! This site has inspired me to start making headway in that area, and I’d love to be able to make a living off it, one day.

Good luck, man!

148

[quote]darwin420 wrote:
Great to hear you going to school for this! I think you’ll make an excellent trainer! This site has inspired me to start making headway in that area, and I’d love to be able to make a living off it, one day.

Good luck, man![/quote]

Thanks D. It will be interesting for sure because I am studying for my ACE cert right now, so I can at least work while going to school.

I know most teachers are bozo’s. Hell, we used to joke that college professors, while smart on paper, were the runt of the litter’s out in the real world.

But that was when I was evil. Now I’m just a beacon of pure goodness.

149

I had a poopy day yesterday. Work sucked (I can’t fucking wait to quit and go to school) and I just didn’t feel motivated to go to the gym. I was watching the hockey game and was just in a trance of complacency.

At one point, I was lying in bed (simmer down ladies, but yes I was naked) just waiting for the game to get over chatting with my friend whose coming to visit. Then my buddy Eric jumps online and I start chatting with him. I half jokingly ask him if he wants to go to the gym (it was 10:15 pm) and his reply was “nah, I already went to the gym, then I went and did stadium stairs. No GF. Plenty of time and a race in 3 mo”.

He was talking about our next tri, here in Santa Barbara at the end of August.

See, in this race, EJ (as we call him) and I will be going off in the same age group. He’s not super competitive and does these races because he enjoys them.

I’m super competitive and while we haven’t talked about it and we both know that we aren’t racing against each other, man I want to kick his ass.

160 pounder vs 200 pounder.

I was instantly jazzed and I went to the gym.

At 10:30 at night and had one of the best arm sessions ever.

4 Sets

A1) Close Grip Bench - 6-8 reps, 195 pounds
10
A2) Lying DB Extensions - 10-12 reps, 27.5 pounds
10
A3) Rope Pulldowns - 20-25 reps, 40 pounds
150

B1) Barbell Curl - 6-8 reps, 80 pounds
10
B2) DB Hammer Curl - 10-12 reps, 30 pounds
10
B3) Reverse Grip Barbell Curl - 20-25 reps, 30 pounds
150 seconds

My new philosophy on these sessions are this: load for the low reps and get the high ones. Example, on A1) I loaded for only 6 reps and I pushed myself to get 8. If on a day when I’m feeling uber strong and in that first set 8 is too easy, I load higher. Still keeping in mind my goal is 6 but I will always try and go for that 7th or 8th rep.

By doing this, I feel its really taken my training to a new level. Before I would load for 6 and stop at 6 no matter if it was easy or hard. Now, its different. Its great to be focused on one thing (6 reps) and when you can eclipse it, it makes me feel like I am making some good progress and that I am really making sure to push myself with every rep, every set and every training session.

150

I got my BS in 1998, so I dont know if much of the info has changed. I recall how during our football off-season when we did speed training, I noticed how lean I got without much extra effort. Then the idea of HIIT came about and I wondered if it would be great for fat loss in general.

The profs thought that it wasnt ideal since it pounds the nervous system, joints, and gets its primary fuel source from carbs. But I looked at all the track athletes who ran sprints, and they were mega lean. In the back of my mind, it just made sense to me. Now you have the Tabata study along with some blood work to verify how HIIT can contribute in a good way towards fat loss.

151

Don’t know if you saw this thread, but it goes through a lot of the different certifications, and provides links to learning more.

http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=506992

152

[quote]darwin420 wrote:
Don’t know if you saw this thread, but it goes through a lot of the different certifications, and provides links to learning more.

http://www.T-Nation.com/tmagnum/readTopic.do?id=506992
[/quote]

right on man, thanks

153

I don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but people at who “workout” crack me up. I don’t know whats worse: the idiot doing barbell curls in a squat rack or the moron grunting his ass off, while attempting to squat 405 on a smith machine and not even coming close to parallel. Then, they strut around like they just shit gold.

Anyways, my friend comes in to town tomorrow. Stoked. There are supposed to be waves. We are training with Alwyn Cosgrove on Saturday (and yes, I double checked). He actually emailed me this morning and tried to tell me he was going to take it easy on me. To which I responded with a resounding, no thank you. Proceed to kick my ass.

This is going to be an amazing weekend!

My sesh for today then its food time before the hockey game:

4 sets
A1) Medium Grip Pulldown - 6-8 reps, 185 lbs
10 seconds
A2) Straight Arm Pull Downs - 10-12, 110 lbs (I used a different pulley system this time)
10 seconds
A3) Pullovers - 20-25 reps, 40 lbs
10-12 cable crunches
150 seconds rest

B1) Decline Bench - 6-8 reps, 215 lbs
10 seconds
B2) DB Press - 10-12 reps, 70 lbs
10 seconds
B3) DB Flies - 20-25 reps, 25 lbs
10-12 reverse crunches
150 seconds rest

Load for 6, go for 8. I love that mantra. I think I am going to coin it so when people use it I can get paid for it. I was very charged up today while training and it flew by. Did the whole thing in under and hour.

The pullovers were the only thing today that bothered me. As I try and work on range of motion during the exercise, I found that it was pretty hard on the shoulder to really try and get a big ROM. So, I went to where my range stopped, tried to go a little further before I would pull back over.

Chest felt strong today Nothing really going on with it today.

154

“Load for 6, Lift for 8”

I’ve really been thinking about statement lately because there is more to that statement than what is written.

I wake up every morning and tell myself that phrase:

Load for 6, lift for 8.

To me, its my new mantra…its something to live by. When I train, its what pushes me to limits that nobody else in the gym could possibly take themselves. I literally look at my session and plan out my weights.

I look at the lifts in a singular frame of mind: what will I struggle to get 6 times? When I do the weight, when I get to six, I stop, take a couple deep breaths and go for 8.

Its not about anything more than knowing what you CAN do and what you are WILLING to do. I know when I bench I can do 225 six times. I know I can do it 8 times, thats why when I bench, I don’t fuck around. What will kick my ass six times, what will push me to my physical limits six times…then I push myself to do two more.

Why? Because its a frame of mind that I now chose to live by. If you want to sit around and shoot for six reps, go ahead. If you want to sit around and hope for a 1 hour 40 minute, 25 mile bike ride, then go ahead.

Just know that while you are pussy footing around with a weight you know you can get six times, I’m doing a weight that I might not get six times, but I’m gonna load it up and I’m going for eight reps.

This carries over into your personal life as well. Most people are comfortable with living a six rep life. Not me. Not anymore.

If my PC taught me anything, it taught me to live my life without regrets. To push myself on a daily basis to be better tomorrow than I was today.

To load for six and lift for eight.

I take chances in my life and I don’t really care.

I load for six and lift for eight. I’ve realized that life is too short to sit around and be complacent.

I pissed away 30 years of my life, mostly to drugs and alcohol. I don’t know how many years I got left, but if I can do my next 30 better than I did my first, hopefully I can look back at my life and say just one thing…

I loaded for six and lifted for eight.

155

[quote]Bartl wrote:
“Load for 6, Lift for 8”

I’ve really been thinking about statement lately because there is more to that statement than what is written.

I wake up every morning and tell myself that phrase:

Load for 6, lift for 8.

To me, its my new mantra…its something to live by. When I train, its what pushes me to limits that nobody else in the gym could possibly take themselves. I literally look at my session and plan out my weights.

I look at the lifts in a singular frame of mind: what will I struggle to get 6 times? When I do the weight, when I get to six, I stop, take a couple deep breaths and go for 8.

Its not about anything more than knowing what you CAN do and what you are WILLING to do. I know when I bench I can do 225 six times. I know I can do it 8 times, thats why when I bench, I don’t fuck around. What will kick my ass six times, what will push me to my physical limits six times…then I push myself to do two more.

Why? Because its a frame of mind that I now chose to live by. If you want to sit around and shoot for six reps, go ahead. If you want to sit around and hope for a 1 hour 40 minute, 25 mile bike ride, then go ahead.

Just know that while you are pussy footing around with a weight you know you can get six times, I’m doing a weight that I might not get six times, but I’m gonna load it up and I’m going for eight reps.

This carries over into your personal life as well. Most people are comfortable with living a six rep life. Not me. Not anymore.

If my PC taught me anything, it taught me to live my life without regrets. To push myself on a daily basis to be better tomorrow than I was today.

To load for six and lift for eight.

I take chances in my life and I don’t really care.

I load for six and lift for eight. I’ve realized that life is too short to sit around and be complacent.

I pissed away 30 years of my life, mostly to drugs and alcohol. I don’t know how many years I got left, but if I can do my next 30 better than I did my first, hopefully I can look back at my life and say just one thing…

I loaded for six and lifted for eight.[/quote]

LOVE IT!!! Great way to roll!

To quote Big Black “DO WORK!”

156

[quote]dday wrote:
Bartl wrote:
“Load for 6, Lift for 8”

I’ve really been thinking about statement lately because there is more to that statement than what is written.

I wake up every morning and tell myself that phrase:

Load for 6, lift for 8.

To me, its my new mantra…its something to live by. When I train, its what pushes me to limits that nobody else in the gym could possibly take themselves. I literally look at my session and plan out my weights.

I look at the lifts in a singular frame of mind: what will I struggle to get 6 times? When I do the weight, when I get to six, I stop, take a couple deep breaths and go for 8.

Its not about anything more than knowing what you CAN do and what you are WILLING to do. I know when I bench I can do 225 six times. I know I can do it 8 times, thats why when I bench, I don’t fuck around. What will kick my ass six times, what will push me to my physical limits six times…then I push myself to do two more.

Why? Because its a frame of mind that I now chose to live by. If you want to sit around and shoot for six reps, go ahead. If you want to sit around and hope for a 1 hour 40 minute, 25 mile bike ride, then go ahead.

Just know that while you are pussy footing around with a weight you know you can get six times, I’m doing a weight that I might not get six times, but I’m gonna load it up and I’m going for eight reps.

This carries over into your personal life as well. Most people are comfortable with living a six rep life. Not me. Not anymore.

If my PC taught me anything, it taught me to live my life without regrets. To push myself on a daily basis to be better tomorrow than I was today.

To load for six and lift for eight.

I take chances in my life and I don’t really care.

I load for six and lift for eight. I’ve realized that life is too short to sit around and be complacent.

I pissed away 30 years of my life, mostly to drugs and alcohol. I don’t know how many years I got left, but if I can do my next 30 better than I did my first, hopefully I can look back at my life and say just one thing…

I loaded for six and lifted for eight.

LOVE IT!!! Great way to roll!

To quote Big Black “DO WORK!”
[/quote]

exactly

157

Bartl, great thread and your last post was fuckin’ dead on. Keep cranking. You’re a great motivator for me.

158

[quote]KBurnett wrote:
Bartl, great thread and your last post was fuckin’ dead on. Keep cranking. You’re a great motivator for me.[/quote]

Right on man. I actually re-read what I wrote before I went to the gym today and it got me so fired up, I had the best arm session of my life today.

Details to follow…

159

Hey bartl,

I read your entire physique clinic and my hat’s off to you, you did an awesome job.

One question: by any chance did you know your body fat percentage when you started and then what your % was at the end, when you took that last picture?

Just curious since I’m a month into a similar program and want some goal posts to measure my progress.

160

[quote]anthony51 wrote:
Hey bartl,

I read your entire physique clinic and my hat’s off to you, you did an awesome job.

One question: by any chance did you know your body fat percentage when you started and then what your % was at the end, when you took that last picture?

Just curious since I’m a month into a similar program and want some goal posts to measure my progress.[/quote]

You know something, the one thing I would have done differently in that clinic was take my BF the whole way through. Honestly, I have no idea of where I was or where I am at. Tomorrow I go down to train with Alwyn Cosgrove, so I’m going to see if he can do my BF %.