Random Reminder : Quality Reps vs Junk Reps
So I am kind of bummed out right now. I am also a bit confused as to whats going wrong. Besides having a bad sunburn, my pictures dont look much different, between almost 6 weeks. The things I can notice are that my legs are bigger and my arms put on some size.
I would have really liked to have gotten the bodyfat lower and thought I had been (scale, mirror, others opinions) doing so.
The most difficulty I am having is with getting my fat levels low enough to where I should start trying to add mass.
Obviously as the saying goes “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results”
Is adding in the cardio and jump roping enough to start seeing results again? or am I missing something somewhere else? I really do not want to do the v-diet right now, because I feel like for where I am at its too much a “quick fix”. I want to know that I can do this by myself first.
Although tough to see in the pictures I have actually made progress.
My waist (bellybutton area) Before: 38.75" Now: 36.5"
Waist: Before: 38" Now: 36"
Chest (Nipple): Before: 38" Now: 38.75
Biceps: gained about 1/2" each.
Forearms: Same as biceps (1/2")
Quads: Have gained between 3/4" and 1" on each (hard to measure in EXACT same spot)
Neck: Before: 15" Now:15"
This is approx 5 weeks. Measured first 6/3 and measured this morning. 7/6.
I feel like I definitly could have made better progress, but also felt like I was pretty much on track for last month.
Anyway here is a current picture. I am having a lot of problems lately with this computer (its about 5 years old and on its way out) so to get this on here took about 45 minutes. I will try to toss some better shots up when I get more time to mess around with it.
After reading through that last post it sounded a bit like I was complaining.
It was not my intention for it to sound like that. I did progress and I am happy for that. I just know I could have done better and want to hold myself to a higher standard for the next 3 months.
I want to lay down some goals for the next 3 months so that I have a better Idea of what I am shooting for.
One of the bigger guys that has seen me lifting for the last couple of months made a comment last night that I hadn’t thought about. He pretty much has the phsyique I want.
He came over said he had been seeing me put the time in and was wondering what my goals were. I didn’t really have a good answer other than I wanted to be stronger, leaner, bigger and healthier.
He laughed and said we all do. He also said that I would drive myself crazy without any benchmarks, and that I should lay down what I want for the next few months.
He said something along the lines of “its a hell of lot easier to get lost if you dont have map”.
7/7/08
Nutrition:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup egg beaters, 1 whole egg, 2 slices turkey bacon
Snack: Peanut butter shake
Lunch: Chicken Breast, Sweet peas (no salt added)
Snack: Peanut Butter shake
Workout: Surge
Dinner: Homemade turkey burger, fresh asparagus.
Before Bed: Scoop of Metabolic Drive in 8oz skim milk.
Lifts:
Squats: 1: 95lbs 2: 115bs 3: 135lbs 4-6 190lbs THIS COMPLETELY SUCKED WITH A SUNBURNED BACK
Rows: 1: 45lbs 2: 65lbs 3: 70lbs 4-6: 75lbs (I tried the T-bar today and Liked how it felt. I may replace the pendlay rows for a while with this)
Military Press(behind the neck): 1: 45 2: 50lbs 3: 55lbs 4-6: 65lbs (changed this up a bit too and went behind the neck
Crunch: 3 sets holding 20lbs. and 3 sets of leg lifts
Jump rope for 10 minutes. (I want to note that this is not 10 minutes straight)
I am actually a lot worse at jumping rope than I thought. I get going for a good minute or so and then screw up and have to start over. I also don’t have the aerobic ability to jump rope for 10 minutes straight.
Something that a dude showed me at the gym today was “box squats” I had seen him doing them before but never tried them. You basically do a squat down to a box that is at parallel level, pause for a second and complete the rep.
These are actually pretty awesome and I liked how they felt. He said it would help build the strength at the lower level of the squat and thats where I am the weakest.
If anyone has heard of these or tried them before I would like your opinion.
Please disregard the above post about box squats and the whole “if anyone has ever heard of them…” I am going to start searching before I post a “new idea” that has been around longer than I have been alive.
Box Squats are well known. They work, you can look them up on this site.
7/8/08
Nutrition:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup egg beaters, 1 whole egg, 2 slices turkey bacon
Snack: Peanut butter shake
Lunch: Chicken Breast, Sweet peas (no salt added) Leftovers from yesterday)
Snack: Peanut Butter shake
Workout: Surge
Dinner: 2 marinated chicken breasts, mixed viggies (steamers bag)
Before Bed: Scoop of Metabolic Drive in 8oz carb countdown milk.
forgot to include that in yesterdays workout I did 60 pushups. (6x10)
Lifts: (not including warmups)
Lateral Raises: 3x10: 15lbs
Barbell curls: 3x 10 60lbs
Triceps push-ups 3x10
Reverse curls: 3x10 45lbs
Went for the hour long run/walk on the same outdoor path. Made sure that I pushed myself harder to run a bit longer and a bit further each time before walking. I am usuing benchmarks like trees, signs and other stuff to mark distances of how long I am running before each walking. I can already tell that my body is adapting. The first 3 or 4 times I did this I would get a cramp in my lower abdomen and my throat would hurt. This is slowly going away.
My knees, surprisingly, are feeling awesome. Maybe the fish oil? I was having trouble with them in the beginning of all this.
I skipped the jump roping today because quite honestly my calfs felt like they were going to explode.
I am also getting a pair of running shoes this weekend because skateboarding shoes don’t cut it.
I also want to note that I have been noticing on days that I run, I am really hungry by the time I am ready to go to sleep. In turn, when I wake up I feel like I am starving and want to eat a gigantic breakfast. I would guess this is because of the extra work since this was not happening until I added the running and jump roping.
7/9/08
Nutrition:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup egg beaters, 1 whole egg, 2 slices turkey bacon, Green tea
Snack: Peanut butter shake
Lunch: Chicken breast, salad, peanut butter sandwhich on whole wheat toast. Diet pepsi (felt crazy hungry at lunch time and didnt have much other stuff to choose from.)
Snack: Peanut Butter shake
Workout: Surge
Dinner: 2 Chicken breasts, corn, chunk on monteray jack cheese. 2 glasses of crystal light pink lemonde. (Again I felt like I was starving for some reason)
Before Bed: Scoop of Metabolic Drive in 8 oz carb countdown milk
Lifts:
Squats: 1: 95lbs 2: 115bs 3: 135lbs 4-6 195lbs (back to 195!!! previously this was the heaviest I have ever had on my back. I probably wasn’t ready yet though. My form sucked on the last set and I knew I wasn’t going all the way down. I am eager to break this PR though. I want to hit that 200lb mark ASAP.)
Deads: 1: 135lbs 2: 165lbs 3: 185lbs 4: 210lbs (I pushed for 215 but wasn’t up to it today, and dropped back down to 210 for my last 2 sets.)
(Skipped bench because I now do it every monday and friday no matter where I am at in the cycle)
Abs: 3 sets crunches till failure. 3x15 of leg lifts. (for some reaosn I just felt like busting ass on the abs today)
Jump rope for 10 minutes. I was so damn tired doing these today I question if they were worth it. I hope I get a solid nights rest tonight!!
I am really starting to be hungry all the time. I feel like I am starving and If I ignore the craving and eat strictly what I have outlined in my diet, I start to get a headache.
I have no idea if this is just a coincidence or not but it started when I added in the extra running and jump roping. It also seems like I am most hungry at the end of the day.
I have been looking around for a new program to try out. I LOVE! the way “Starting Strength” works but I am starting to get tired of it. I have also added and changed enough of it where I feel like I’m kinda doing my own thing.
If anyone could recommend something similar I would appreciate it. The key thing I like so much about it is the progression. I have a goal everytime I step in the weight room because I know I should be fighting to add that 5lbs.
Is it a terrible idea to do the same program but 3x8 instead?
Most other beginner programs I see dont use the same style of progression.
Are you eating every 3 hours? The headache example you gave makes me think of nicotine withdrawal.
I eat pretty much exactly how I post it. It’s very easy for me to eat every couple of hours because I bring a lunch box that sits on my desk with my food for the day.
I eat every meal 2.5 to 3 hours apart.
I dont smoke and never have so it can’t have anything to do with smoking (or any tabacco products)
Lately it has just been that by the time I need to eat I’m super hungry and I don’t feel full like I used to.
I have been doing more reading on here than usual, and I’m starting to think it may be time to up the calories (as long as the are clean) and start doing a clean bulk now.
I’ve taken a lot more pictures and have noticed a lot more changes than I am giving myself credit for. The fat isn’t real low (still have the handles) but I’m not so sure trying to drop more fat is the right answer. I dont have much muscle yet underneath, and I dont think I am adding much at this point.
My lifts are not going up like they were initially, and when I was eating more. With the extra cardio and general conditioning you have had me doing, I feel like if I start slowly adding in more protein and bigger servings of vegetables the fat just might take care of itself.
If anything, adding the extra muscle may give me enough shape that the fat I have wont look as bad.
I am not eating nearly as much crap as I used to be. If I was craving pizza, hamburgers and fries I would feel differntly about bulking.
I am open to all opinions and as always appreciate the help. Is it time to turn things around?
Thanks Kinein.
Feeling full is a sign your body can’t hold anymore not that you have nutritionally fed your body enough to stay anabolic keeping metabolism churning til the next feed.
Seems like your metabolism is improving by the sounds of it. Your body seems to be feigning for certain food substances ( I was using nicotine withdrawal as a analogy ). Breaking my addiction to rice, noodles and pasta took months a long time ago. Fast food only took a few weeks, with 1 or two relapses.
How about you do this for two weeks to shock your system and then you can go back to your current meal plan regardless of the results.
Slice out all carbs cept for breakfast and Post Workout. That includes sports drinks and fruits.
Along with this no more peanut butter sandwiches or peanut shakes. Take the shake up to 35-40 grams… the low calorie version instead.
No cheese, no milk. Well I’m partial to corn but this is only for two weeks.
More protein and vegetables yes, across the board.
25-30 minute cardiotensive post weight work.
Jump-rope for 10 minutes then interval training on elliptical machine, or row machine.
1 minute at YOUR strong pace - Where you can still talk, but it isn’t close to walking. *** try running and saying your abc’s when it takes effort then thats not strong pacing, its a rough gauge but it works for the most part.
30 seconds near maximum speed. YOUR maximum speed 85%-90%
Repeat this for 20 minutes.
What could be helpful as a addon is a 5 minute warmup at a pace that you don’t bother thinking about, reverse ellipticals and what not.
Along with a 5 minute cooldown after you are done.
Cooldowns optional but bear in mind it helps with recovery.
7/8/08
Nutrition:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup egg beaters, 1 whole egg, 2 slices turkey bacon
Snack: Peanut butter shake
Lunch: Tuna on whole wheat toast
Snack: Peanut Butter shake
Workout: Surge
Dinner: McDonalds Salad (I was on the road tonight and it was between Mc D’s or pizza)
Before Bed: Scoop of Metabolic Drive in 8oz carb countdown
**** I did not read your post until the day was over, hence the normal amount of carbs****
Lifts: (not including warmups)
Lateral Raises: 3x10: 15lbs
Barbell curls: 3x 10 60lbs
Triceps push-ups 3x12
Reverse curls: 3x10 50lbs
I like the idea presented about the low/no carbs. To be honest I think all I really need is another 2 or 3 weeks and the rest of the gut will be gone ( as you can see in the pic its mostly just the handles left). I (in my opinion) am seeing huge results from all the added cardio work. I need to measure to make sure but the mirror is being much nicer lately.
I don’t know if I will add in that much more cardio than what I am already doing. Maybe some cool down type stuff after the 3 main days, but not much more. My legs are not used to this much work and its a bit more than I can handle at this point. Over time as they get stronger, I’ll ad in more.
I am already getting much more efficent with the running, and continue to push myself each time I go out. To amp things up a bit, I did my jump roping in between sets today. I jump rope for the time I normally rest. I only plan to do this on accessory work days.
From the looks of the diet, I’m going to be eating a lot of chicken. I am having trouble putting together a diet that has sufficent calories.
For the two weeks should I suck it up and just eat chicken, eggs, Metabolic Drive, fish oil and veggies? Maybe checking ou some of tose atkins type recipes would be a good idea for two weeks?
Getting back to what I posted yesterday about the clean bulking after this 2 week period. I think that the reason for the slight difference in visual change even though I shed pounds and inches, is due to the lack of muscle underneath.
Sorry for the long winded post!!
I am real close to the where I want to be SHORT TERM. It’s getting exciting for me and I look forward to each workout. I looked at some older pictures that I haven’t posted on here and the differnce is significant.(I have older pictures that look ALOT worse than the one I posted in my first thread) There is no doubt in my mind… I WILL DO THIS
So the bonfire continues to grow. Your chest will start to shape up nicely when you can start hitting strength sets 4-6 ( this is not an exact science for me) @ 225. Later on I recommend you work at being able to do multiple sets of 225 for 8-12 for 2-3 sets. Not including warmup sets (pyramid warmups)
Remember when you lower the bar imagine a spring coiling and when you push, exhale and imagine a detonation, or liftoff for a space shuttle. Meaning a surge in sudden controlled movement led by your chest. If you want to drive your chest crazy you can stop short of lockout. Or do half reps. Focusing on only from the chest halfway up and back down to touch your chest.
Note : Bouncing the bar off your chest is a strength/power move and can lead to injury. Not recommended for physique development in any circumstance ~
Vary your grips on the bar also. When doing incline dbs make the free-adjustable bench lower then 40 degrees. 25-35% or just switch it up randomly between different degrees under 40.
Another thing to note is for you to see increased gains in chest at a faster rate, a spotter helping you when you get 1-3 controlled forced reps would give you gains up the wazoo.
Occasionally doing 1-3 negatives at the end of your main chest routine is also very helpful. All you do in negatives is try to impede the bar from snapping your collarbone or ribs; more eloquently you want to flex your pecs throughout the whole procedure, you don’t relax. Your spotter must be strong, if you do not see anyone that strong then do what I do. Get 2-3 smaller bone flexers to assist.
*** then again you want constant tension, if your muscle isn’t straining from start to finish then your either slacking or using the REST-PAUSE technique. Though I don’t think you’d be able to capitalize on that method yet. You’d be better off going a real strength routine like the westside method or O. volume training – see christian thibaudeau’s book in the store section of this site.
Book Ramble
Arnold Encyclopedia is very nice, so are the very massive Weider books. I like CT’s book The Black Book of Training Secrets.
The BFL book is good for beginners and sets guidelines and lets the next person to pick it up and run with it ~ apply themselves with their own self-driven willpower. I think you wouldn’t mind adding this to your shelf.
Video Ramble :
Any online vids with Charlie Glass or Milos Sarcev are very insightful, though grasping the full meaning requires you fully understanding the context so its something you will want to review time in and time out. Til you have your epiphany.
You can catch some of these vids on the older fitshows. An online broadcasting show.
I don’t want to confuse you so I try to give you little notes and let you explore the concepts and ideas and work with them. You reading a book and understanding it are two different things. Applying that knowledge would be empowering.
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RE Most recent post : Thanks I have a much more better idea of your cardiovascular ability. Just remember the rough draft outline of it is in your thread. You can revisit it later.
Well if you do the 2 week thing, just rely on shake chicken and tuna… Don’t stress about the calories too much. Just make sure you eat constantly and stick with it. Hehe I am more or less telling you to step out of your perception and try something different temporarily and see what happens. But your time is valuable and its your choice if you want to stress. Though stress releases cortisol which has some correlation to bodyfat. hehe.
You must continue to open your mind when it comes to exercise info. If you don’t then you can’t appreciate different statements or be able to put them in the right context. This is just a mental exercise and I’m not advocating you go research cross-fit and dive headfirst into that philosophy or technique. Though with your goals, I don’t think crossfit is for you.
Hence the randomness when it comes to people arguing for things said by various coaches. I prefer to stay out of those except when someone makes an outright “he doesn’t know jack shit comment”.
Tip : make sure to have emergency rations. At work store some Whey isolate just in case! Boil half a dozen eggs every 2-3 days and save that as snack food; 1 boiled egg along with a handful of broccoli makes a good between your 6-8 meals snack.
Tip : Learn to drink water all the time or have it at hand whenever possible, if your going to be stationary for an hour or longer, have some water to drink.
If you feel thirsty, you are ALREADY dehydrated and you have failed staying hydrated at all times. Chugging water is an artform getting 1-3 gallons a day is not as easy as it seems if you aren’t used to this. This may be redundant but I don’t have your exact daily life at hand so I will hammer at this til the sun rises again! Dehydration leads to decreased brain function. Everytime you feel thirsty you have already lost some of your available brain potential for the time being.
Rule of thumb : If you have a glass of water before your meal and then one after your meal. You should be fine… Though I also believe 2 ice cold glasses of water upon waking, and before bed are also necessary to stay hydrated as much as possible. 12 glasses of water with an average of 6 meals. More if you eat 7-8. 2 upon waking and 2 upon sleeping. That is plenty. Not counting water in shakes.
7/13/08
I went out with a bang. I decided that since I will be dedicated to very low/no carbs other than veggies, that I was going to eat a cheat meal on the way out.
I didn’t realize you could get food withdrawl like you could from drugs or smoking. I ate a whole medium pizza and 20oz of diet coke friday night, and felt like I had a hangover all of Saturday.
The only thing that I changed was that I ate that pizza(I had not had a cheat meal in almost 3 weeks.) So that is why I am guessing I felt like crap the next day.
Anyway Saturday and today the diet looked like this.
Nutrition:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup egg beaters, 1 whole egg, 3 slices turkey bacon
Snack: 2 scoops Metabolic Drive in 16 oz of carb countdown milk (8oz of carb countdown has 90 cal, 5g fat, 3g carb, 8g pro), 2 Flameout caps
Lunch: 2 chicken breasts extra large serving of mixed veggies (brocc, carrots, greenbeans,cauliflower)
Snack: 2 scoops Metabolic Drive in 16 oz of carb countdown milk, Flameout, handful of cashews and beef jerky.
Workout: Surge
Dinner: 2 turkey burgers, 2 Flameout caps. Large salad or veggies again.
I am boiling up a bunch of eggs tonight to throw in throughout the day for extra cals and protien.
I am going to try something similar to this for the next 2 weeks. Like you said I am not going to worry about Calories or macros. If you see some major hole in the above diet PLEASE point it out. I am worried that I may not be getting enough fats in there.
I have a new mini goal of learning 3 new things each week that will directly apply to my goal. This week they were:
-why external rotations will help with a weak bench press, and what they can do to hep prevent shoulder injuries.
-what the roll of carbohydrates play in the diet.
-why post workout cardio can help with recovery.
My workout today was actually pretty kickass although I haven’t really eaten any carbs in the past 2 days. The only thing I noticed was there was almost no “pump” in the muscles I was working.
Lifting:
Squats: 1: 115lbs 2: 135bs 3: 155lbs 4-6 195lbs (These felt great and I will be squating with 200 next workout WITHOUT A DOUBT). Any correlation between this and the massive amount of extra leg work?? I would guess yes! but can’t tell for sure.
Bench: 1: 95lbs 2: 115lbs 3: 135lbs 4-6: 155lbs (these were hard, but I wanted to retest my abilities. It looks like bench has improved slightly (followed by 6x 10 pushups with 1 min rests.
Deadlift: 1: 135lbs 2: 165lbs 3: 185lbs 4: 215lbs
Random Ab work: 3x12 sit-ups, 3x12 lying leg raise.
3X10 external rotations.
20 min incline tread walking.
Breakfast: 1/2 cup egg beaters, 1 whole egg, 3 slices turkey bacon
Snack: 2 Scoops Metabolic Drive, 2 Flameout
Lunch: 2 Chicken Breasts, Massive amounts of green veggies with olive oil. 1 Flameout
Snack: Peanut Butter shake (I love this too much to drop it)
Workout: Surge
Dinner: 2 marinated chicken breasts, green beans(steamers bag) 2 Flameout.
Before Bed: Scoop of Metabolic Drive in 8oz carb countdown milk. (this is too delicious to switch to water, I don’t care if it has extra carbs), boiled egg.
Lifts: (not including warmups)
Lateral Raises: 3x12: 15lbs
Barbell curls: 3x 12 60lbs
Single Arm Extensions: 25 lbs for 3x8
Reverse curls: 3x12 50lbs
Went for an hour long run/walk and have noticed a massive increase in my ability. At first I could only run for 50%, I’m more like 80% now, and find myself finishing my typcial route too early. I am actually really starting to like this. Would it be a bad idea to add in “mini runs” On days that I squat? I don’t want to over-do it, but dont know where the limit is yet.
As far as diet. The fat is coming off again, and quicker with the added cardio so I am not going to sweat the carbs like we had discussed. I am too worried that by trying something “drastic” I’ll sacrifice too much muscle for no good reason. What I am doing is already working anyway. My energy levels have DRASTICALLY increased since I have started running regularly.
I have no idea what my bodyfat is but I am planning on posting pictures at the end of next week to see what the general thoughts are about me adding the calories and starting the bulk.
I can not tell you how PUMPED I am to start adding the mass. I figure from where I will be starting from to where I want to go will need a good long “bulking phase”. I want to bulk continuously (but smartly) until I get to my ideal size without stopping.
On a side note:
I have been developing (or just noticed) a “clicking” in my right should when doing lateral raises. There is no pain, but it just doesnt sound right. I do a full warm-up before I do them and it still doesn’t help.
Is this something I should worry about? Ideas to fix or help correct the problem?
Tommorow is also time for another PR. I will NO DOUBT be squatting with 200lbs. (weak for most on here but its kickass for me) and I’m pumped about this as well.
Perhaps its time you looked @ this or made a note of it.
http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=818555
Anyways I recommend rotator work for 10-15 minutes before chest, back, and shoulders.
7/15/08
Nutrition:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup egg beaters, 1 whole egg, 3 slices turkey bacon.
Snack: Peanut Butter shake, 2 Flameout
Lunch: Large Chicken Salad.
Snack: Peanut butter shake, 2 Flameout
Workout: Surge
Dinner: Homemade turkey meatballs, lightly topped with cheese and sauce, 3 cups broccoli (went kinda nuts with the broccoli tonight)
I watched a video of Tom Platz doing reps (20 or something) with 500lbs for squats and got super pumped before my workout.
Lifting:
Squats: 1: 115lbs 2: 135bs 3: 155lbs 4-6 200lbs (PR!) Then threw in a set of 135lbs x 20. I feel like I can hit 205 next workout, so I’m going for it. I also liked doing the high rep squats at the end. It seems like that extra little bit that I need. I am going to keep them (and progress) unless I notice this is asking too much of my legs with all the added running, jump roping, riding)
Wide Grip Bent Rows: 1: 55lbs 2: 65lbs 3: 75lbs 4-6: 100lbs Changing grips had a larger impact on the weight used than I had expected. I think I need to put more effort in my back workouts.
Behind the neck press: 1: 45lbs 2: 50lbs 3: 55lbs 4-6 70lbs. (Did a about 10 minutes of external rotations, light shoulder work and stretching before going at it, and this felt MUCH better.) I clearly can not work shoulder without an adequate warm-up anymore.
Random Ab work: 3x12 sit-ups, 3x12 lying leg raise.
20 minutes stationary bike after workout.
Nothing wrong with doing a set of high reps at a lighter weight. One term used to describe that is called flushing. (pumping some blood into the muscle) Quite common and widely accepted as useful and helpful.
It is also a way to stimulate your muscle fibers and implement speed/speed related explosiveness during the concentric phase and slowed control during eccentric. This is a lot more complex then it seems but its something that comes with time and physical awareness. Which I think you are steadily developing.
When you work the back make sure that at the static contract you can feel your back muscles contract. Also you should be able to focus and hold it at the static contraction for a strong second. Though generally in working sets its more of a 1/2 second but you should be able to hold for a full 1 second, if I were to ask you to demonstrate it to me in person.
If you find you cannot hold the weight for that 1 second then your doing a bit of cheating; your first set or two shouldn’t start with cheating.
*** Some more serious bodybuilders believe that this leads to less development then if you could fully control the movement from stretch to contraction to the momentary pause between the eccentric and concentric. There is some truth to this as cheating isn’t necessarily as much about going for max stimulation through absolute control - but the other method which is to go heavier and try to force size gains. For more shape and definition the first is more important. For safety it is also more important, and to nurture and develop the connection to your back ~
– I prefer to implement cheating towards the end of a rowing session and only to assist in contraction at low rep, heavy (this is after I’ve set a tone to how I approach the lift - contraction & muscle stimulation ). Not to make myself feel better that I moved weight.
There is a time and place for everything, and with back it is very helpful to get that feel of stretching your back and then contracting it. So when you do get to your next set that will be the first thing you focus on doing. Cheating optional! hehe.
Though with the weight you are moving right now I recommend that you continue to work more on progress in reps and weight. (for back)
Keep it up!
Since your back #'s are rather low still I’ll toss in that doing a form/technique set (not considered anything but mental) is good, with no weight just practicing the whole movement for a few super concentrated reps, then trying it with no weight (barbell) learn the barbell row and my personal favorite the supinated barbell row.
I actually like to do this from time to time to check my form and also to keep working on the mental connection to the muscle I’m working on.
When do you do pullups?
7/16/08
Breakfast: 1/2 cup egg beaters, 1 whole egg, 3 slices turkey bacon
Snack: Peanut butter shake, 2 Flameout
Lunch: 2 Chicken Breasts, Mixed vegetables steamer bag.
Snack: Peanut Butter shake, 2 Flameout
Workout: Surge
Dinner: 2 turkey burgers on whole wheat toast, homecooked french fries (baked, not fried, so actually it was closer to a baked potato).
Before Bed: 2 Scoops of Metabolic Drive in 16 oz carb countdown milk. 2 Flameout.
Lifts: (not including warmups)
Lots of warm-ups for shoulders and rotators.
Lateral Raises: 3x12: 15lbs
Barbell curls: 3x12 60lbs
Tricep push-ups: 5x10 bodyweight (I like these much better than any kind of tricep movement so I’m gonna stick with these for a while and keep adding sets and then weight to my back)
Reverse curls: 3x12 55lbs
Hour long run directly (almost lost my Surge). I had that “overuse” sensation (no pain) in my knees again like I did when I first started rippetoes. I really pushed myself this run, to jog as much as possible with very little walking.
I overate at dinner tonight for my current diet goal. The food I ate wasn’t garbage quality, but for my goal to lose the last few inches of fat it wasn’t great. I was just hungry as hell after the run. I’ll consider it a partial cheat. I could of gone without the potato and bread but what the hell.
As for my back: I need to basically do EVERYTHING your suggesting. I noticed yesterday that I am treating my back like many guys treat abs or calfs (a few sets at the end). I am not concentrating hard or pushing myself much at all with my back (besides deadlifts). I am going to move it to the FIRST thing I do during my workout and really start to put in the effort.
When do I do pull-ups? Not as much as I should…
I had my first “OH SHIT” event while training today and it kinda freaked me out.
My Right shoulder popped while doing overhead presses and now its sore and click/pops evey time I do a rotation even without weight.
It will click/pop everytime if i lift my arms out to my side with the elbow bent 90 degrees in an “L” shape and do a rotation upward. I want to be clear that there is no pain, but its clearly a warning to smarten up and fix whatever I am doing.
I am not sure how to proceed now.
I don’t want to push through it like a hard ass and screw myself up, but I am at a point where I am making forward progress and dont want to stop. I read the article posted by Kinein above, but I’m not sure where to go with it?
Should I do whats outlined in that article only and lay off all other shoulder excersises for now?
Either way I am going to give my body a rest until Sunday. 3 full days off.
If anyone else actually reads this please offer your thoughts and comments. I would really appreciate it.
Thank you!