Budda's weight gain log...

Training Training Logs
81

Calves, upper body…

Flat bench press, each set super-setted with 3 chins

bar x10
40 kg x10 chins x5
60 kg x8 chins x5
70 kg x3 chins x3
80 kg x3 chins x3
90 kg x3 chins x3
90 kg x3 chins x3
90 kg x3 chins x3
90 kg x6 (new PR) chins x3

Calves (going for the pump max reps minimum rest) x20 x20 x10 x15 17, could barley stand on my toes by the end of the workout

Dips (these were HARD, my triceps were tired) I wanted 50 dips and 50 chins by the end of the workout, like in 5/3/1, which I got :slight_smile:
dips x5 chins x3
dips x10 chins x3
dips x5 chins x3
dips x8 chins x3
dips x8 chins x3
dips x6 chins x3
dips x5 chins x3
dips x8 chins x3

Too tired for band work for the triceps or biceps curls, I need overall upper body mass and I feel dips and chins work my upper body very thoroughly. I do plan on adding a basic arms day though to help add muscle to this particular lagging area.

82

[quote]buddaboy wrote:
Calves, upper body…

Flat bench press, each set super-setted with 3 chins

bar x10
40 kg x10 chins x5
60 kg x8 chins x5
70 kg x3 chins x3
80 kg x3 chins x3
90 kg x3 chins x3
90 kg x3 chins x3
90 kg x3 chins x3
90 kg x6 (new PR) chins x3

Calves (going for the pump max reps minimum rest) x20 x20 x10 x15 17, could barley stand on my toes by the end of the workout

Dips (these were HARD, my triceps were tired) I wanted 50 dips and 50 chins by the end of the workout, like in 5/3/1, which I got :slight_smile:
dips x5 chins x3
dips x10 chins x3
dips x5 chins x3
dips x8 chins x3
dips x8 chins x3
dips x6 chins x3
dips x5 chins x3
dips x8 chins x3

Too tired for band work for the triceps or biceps curls, I need overall upper body mass and I feel dips and chins work my upper body very thoroughly. I do plan on adding a basic arms day though to help add muscle to this particular lagging area.
[/quote]

Nicely done sir !!! That last set of Bench looks like 243 pounds…six reps. I can probably put that up a couple times, like 2-3 MAYBE…but don’t know if I could push it up 3 times !!!

Good job. I am reading ALL your posts…quick as I can, and commenting too… Keep it up !!!

83

[quote]buddaboy wrote:
TX: You prolly know much more about nutrition than me so I thought I’d share-what you do works so stick with it! The quality of supermarket milk in the UK is risible, I wouldn’t even want to know what is really in it, the condition the animal lives in, what it’s fed etc…

As I said, feel free to post all your updates here or throw those progress pictures up! I want veins in my shoulders like you!

[/quote]

What does the word “risible” mean? I assume not good. :slight_smile:

I will gladly send you some big veins, in exchange for some big MUSKELS DUDE !!!

84

PS Yesterday morning I did Squats and Shoulder presses…doing abreviated workouts…like 40 min tops…due to kids being out of school and IN LAW’s staying at our house all week.

Pray for me !!! :slight_smile:

This morning, my pre shake was Cows milk, 2 scoops protein, and 2 heaping table spoons Cocao…along with 4 small Hershey bars. Also, 2 Kre Alkylin Creatine pills. You should pick up some Baking Cocao in the baking section at store. It is hard to mix in, but it dialates your veins a little…great for pump in combo with Creatine.

Post shake, cows milk, 1 scoop (26 g) protein, 40 g Carbo Gain (NOW Foods)

Workout was heavy, but very limited. Didn’t do any compounds, just Calves and Pull Downs, and Cable Rows.

Calves, put the machine on 160, and did 5 sets of 40.

Pulldowns don’t remember what the machine was…but 1 x 12 at 180, 1 x 10 at 200, and 2 x 8 at 220 (pounds)

Then two sets of 10 Rows with 200 lbs. (approx 90 kg)

Last week I got the 105 Dumbells up on flat bench. Tomorrow I aim to put up the 110’s…

But I will need to get lucky and have someone their that is good to spot. If one of the

guys I usually see is there, I will be moving the 110’s…for SHO Dude !!!

Then I am going to move over to the bar and try and give you some numbers on what I am doing on that.

I think you are ahead of me…pretty sure.

85

[quote]txhawkeyes wrote:

[quote]buddaboy wrote:
TX: You prolly know much more about nutrition than me so I thought I’d share-what you do works so stick with it! The quality of supermarket milk in the UK is risible, I wouldn’t even want to know what is really in it, the condition the animal lives in, what it’s fed etc…

As I said, feel free to post all your updates here or throw those progress pictures up! I want veins in my shoulders like you!

[/quote]

What does the word “risible” mean? I assume not good. :slight_smile:

I will gladly send you some big veins, in exchange for some big MUSKELS DUDE !!!

[/quote]

Risible: provoking laughter; i.e. a joke!

Re your leg workout, the only thing I would comment on is that the only thing smith machines are good for are melting down and turning into plates. I would lose them and do front squats, Bulgarian split squats, anything but use the smith machine. Just a couple of sets of smith squats sends me to the chiropractors office…

Re the lifts remember I do HRT blast and cruise and I’ve been doing more blasting than cruising lately so thats helping me. I intend to do a good 3-6 months on 250mg a week of test decanote starting about Feb; I’ve just started a 20ml bottle of decatest 500, I’m doing 2 shots a week, each shot/ml is 300mg test/200mg deca.

So when I settle into a cruise I’ll know exactly where my strength is. I couldn’t train like this naturally of course, and probably not on just a HRT dose, although we’ll find out in the new year. Deca really seems to agree with me (this is only the second time I’ve used it) and I can feel the difference already with it accelerating my recovery, although the extra food is helping so its probably a combination. If I keep eating like this when I’m on my HRT dose I’ll know for sure where I am.

86

5 x 40 on calves? Holy fuck!

Can you walk yet?

87

[quote]buddaboy wrote:
5 x 40 on calves? Holy fuck!

Can you walk yet?[/quote]

I don’t have very big calves…and have trained them for all 30 months…finally 6 months ago I looked at the staircase at the gym, and thought…hmmm…grab a plate and start doing calf raises on each stair till get to the top. Started with one per step, now up to 10 per step holding a 45 plate.

That is the main gym, but the more hardcore site doesn’t have stairs. So I used the machine today… But it’s wierd…I have to do 200 + raises to get them to hurt at all, much less be sore the next day.

Dave Palumbo showed a workout he does where he does killer weight, and like 4 sets of 10, split up between two machines. Must be my length and height, cause I have to work em hard for a while until I can get them to respond. I have held a 45 and done 400 raises before, in sets of 50. I was sore the next day…but…still trying to figure it out.

Question… I think it is the outside part of the calf muscle… yeah the outside is not developing. You know how good calves look like an upside down “V”? I have the inside part going well, but the outside does not extend down at all. Any ideas?

PS…you have asked before, I am on T therapy…I do 100 a week. I would imagine my levels are probably about 350 on a scale of 250-800 now…will have it checked again in 3-4 months. When I started, my levels at age 46 a year ago were 143 on that scale of 250-800. Pitifully low. Now I think I have it stabilized pretty well. Living on an even keel…

88

Hey, you mentioned NO SMITH for Squats…what should I follow…well…here’s what I do for Squats, tell me what to put in place of SMITH Squats.

1 x 12 Goblet squat holding a 50 lb Dumbell in my hands in front.
1 x 10 same, holding a 40 lb Dumbell in each hand.
2 x 10 same, holding a 70 lb Dumbell in each hand.

Then I go over to SMITH to do a couple sets of heavy…like 10 reps.
This week it was 70 on both ends…total of 140…plus a little for bar.

With SQUATS, should I be doing low reps, high reps? Don’t know that much
about em…but ONLY able to go way down to ground when I do Goblet Squats.
Can’t get down there with the SMITH machine…

open to your guidance.

89

TX: Re calves: My calves aren’t great, but I find high reps with a lighter weight seem to get things moving. I train at home now so I only do standing calf raises, if I visit my commercial gym then I hammer away at seated too. i try and do as much volume as possible and usually super set calves in where I can during rest periods for other exercises.

SQUATZ: My legs didn’t grow much, or even start to grow really (even when I could DL 400LB naturally and back squat 220LB x5 to parallel, I just got a bigger butt) until I started to belt squat (so my legs could work without my back being irritated or giving out first, and front squatting. I also found no need to squat below parallel either.

I doubt you have a belt squat set up available to you (though a one off purchase from Iron mind for a hip belt and olympic loading pin would be a worthwhile investment IMO) so I would recommend multiple sets of low reps on the front squat, plus weighted Bulgarian split squats, then pump the fuck out of your legs with higher rep goblet squats or KB front squats, all down to parallel but no further or higher. At 6 foot squatting to parallel provided us with enough range of motion to travel through, and there is a risk of back rounding at the bottom as well, which is undesirable. Working the legs and hips hard like that in an upright position (front squat position) seemed to be exactly what I needed to stimulate the thigh into growth. Keep working these, multiple sets of low reps, help promote strength gains, increase volume without impeding recovery too badly therefore allowing size gains to follow as a natural consequence…

If I could only keep one leg exercise for the rest of my life I would keep the belt squat, then the front squat. Louie Simmons is a fan of the belt squat too :wink:

The Smith machine has never done anything for me.

One more thing: forget the weights for now, I’ll bet dollars for doughnuts that you’ll see more gains from lighter front squats in good form than shitty smith squats. Front squats also work the abs nicely :wink:

Give this a try if you like, I’m looking forwards to hearing what you think.

BB

90

No workout today. Woke up quite stiff so stretched my back out first thing.

0730 RSE drink

0815: Blender bomb for breakfast, same as yesterdays. As soon as my stomach has settled I’ll drink my RSE drink for the caffeine.

At college all day today, I feel like shit I think I’ve caught the flu or something, anyway…

1330: 2 clementines, banana, 2 red bull (I still feel fucked) tracker bar (nutty one) Tesco chicken pasta pot

1350: twin snack size snicker

1700: Coronation chicken sandwich and a large sausage roll

2100 banana

2105 small bag of peanut M&M’s

2200: 2 mcdonalds chessburgers

2230: protein shake with fiber

91

[quote]buddaboy wrote:
Calves, upper body…

Flat bench press, each set super-setted with 3 chins

bar x10
40 kg x10 chins x5
60 kg x8 chins x5
70 kg x3 chins x3
80 kg x3 chins x3
90 kg x3 chins x3
90 kg x3 chins x3
90 kg x3 chins x3
90 kg x6 (new PR) chins x3

Calves (going for the pump max reps minimum rest) x20 x20 x10 x15 17, could barley stand on my toes by the end of the workout

Dips (these were HARD, my triceps were tired) I wanted 50 dips and 50 chins by the end of the workout, like in 5/3/1, which I got :slight_smile:
dips x5 chins x3
dips x10 chins x3
dips x5 chins x3
dips x8 chins x3
dips x8 chins x3
dips x6 chins x3
dips x5 chins x3
dips x8 chins x3

Too tired for band work for the triceps or biceps curls, I need overall upper body mass and I feel dips and chins work my upper body very thoroughly. I do plan on adding a basic arms day though to help add muscle to this particular lagging area.
[/quote]

Solid looking session bb - how do you find he dips on your shoulders. I’ve always found my clavicles are quite sore after, which is a shame cause I enjoy them as an exercise.

Btw your calorie count for yesterday must have been through the roof! good work…

I posted a sample arm workout on my log when you get a minute.

92

Thanks Dre. I couldn’t eat enough yesterday! I found whilst performing the dips I was more worried about my elbows, my triceps were already tired and so was my core, so I was wobbling a bit.

I’ll check your thread out now…

93

Hey mate,

Thanks a lot for all the info, a lot of it makes perfect sense and i do a few things already, for instance doing the most important exercise first and not going below parallel on squats, i also like to keep the reps low on dead’s.

As for direct arm training, what ive been doing recently and have seen good gains (probably the only good gains ive had for any body part in a while is this)

Bi’s - start off with barbell curls, working in the 6-10 rep range. 3-4 sets. I like to do a very slight front raise motion at the beginning taking the weight away from your body and changing the leverages. You use a little more anterior delt but i find you also recruit the bicep better.

Then move onto 3 sets of hammer curls or incline curls, dependant on what i feel like on the day. Just a preference thing but on most unilateral curls i do 8 reps. 4 reps on one side then the same on the other, and then finish off with another 4 reps on each. Just feels right and helps build up a bit of a pump, rest a few seconds and then really go for the last 4 reps.

I always finish bi’s with concentration curls, again with db’s. I find these really help take the muscle to absolute fatigue and again you get a great pump. These i do 8-10 reps on, sometimes a burnout on the last going up to 12-14 whatever i can manage. And thats it for bi’s. i dont rest any longer than 90 seconds, usually keep it to about 60 seconds.

DRE’S ARM WORKOUT:

Tri’s - always start with cable, usually straight bar, usually higher reps to warm up, around 12. 3-4 sets.

Once i feel well warmed up i move onto skull crushers, 3 sets. with an ez bar, although straight bar works just as well. With these i tend to extend a little behind my head as opposed to straight up, i find this recuits more of the long head and just feels better all in all. Usually again reps around 10-12. I dont like low reps for tri’s as i always feel it in my elbows.

Finally i finish off with some sort of overhead extension. Ive been doing this thing where you set a bench at about 60 degress, lie back against it, not sitting but half standing with your back pressed against it, get a dumbell in each hand, try and keep the elbows tucked, hold the db’s directly overhead, and lower until you feel a good stretch in tri, then extend up without fully locking out.

I usually do around 8 reps on these, i find you get a serious burn and tbh i cant think of any other tri exercise where i feel such a full feeling, what i mean by that is all the heads being worked equally.

And thats it for tri’s. Works out at 10 sets for each. I’ve been doing this set up for about 12 weeks and really enjoy it. Not to mention ive seen good gains with this approach.

94

[quote]buddaboy wrote:
Hey mate,

Thanks a lot for all the info, a lot of it makes perfect sense and i do a few things already, for instance doing the most important exercise first and not going below parallel on squats, i also like to keep the reps low on dead’s.

As for direct arm training, what ive been doing recently and have seen good gains (probably the only good gains ive had for any body part in a while is this)

Bi’s - start off with barbell curls, working in the 6-10 rep range. 3-4 sets. I like to do a very slight front raise motion at the beginning taking the weight away from your body and changing the leverages. You use a little more anterior delt but i find you also recruit the bicep better.

Then move onto 3 sets of hammer curls or incline curls, dependant on what i feel like on the day. Just a preference thing but on most unilateral curls i do 8 reps. 4 reps on one side then the same on the other, and then finish off with another 4 reps on each. Just feels right and helps build up a bit of a pump, rest a few seconds and then really go for the last 4 reps.

I always finish bi’s with concentration curls, again with db’s. I find these really help take the muscle to absolute fatigue and again you get a great pump. These i do 8-10 reps on, sometimes a burnout on the last going up to 12-14 whatever i can manage. And thats it for bi’s. i dont rest any longer than 90 seconds, usually keep it to about 60 seconds.

DRE’S ARM WORKOUT:

Tri’s - always start with cable, usually straight bar, usually higher reps to warm up, around 12. 3-4 sets.

Once i feel well warmed up i move onto skull crushers, 3 sets. with an ez bar, although straight bar works just as well. With these i tend to extend a little behind my head as opposed to straight up, i find this recuits more of the long head and just feels better all in all. Usually again reps around 10-12. I dont like low reps for tri’s as i always feel it in my elbows.

Finally i finish off with some sort of overhead extension. Ive been doing this thing where you set a bench at about 60 degress, lie back against it, not sitting but half standing with your back pressed against it, get a dumbell in each hand, try and keep the elbows tucked, hold the db’s directly overhead, and lower until you feel a good stretch in tri, then extend up without fully locking out.

I usually do around 8 reps on these, i find you get a serious burn and tbh i cant think of any other tri exercise where i feel such a full feeling, what i mean by that is all the heads being worked equally.

And thats it for tri’s. Works out at 10 sets for each. I’ve been doing this set up for about 12 weeks and really enjoy it. Not to mention ive seen good gains with this approach.
[/quote]

lol i feel famous…

95

Some how I fucked the format up…

96

[quote]buddaboy wrote:
TX: Re calves: My calves aren’t great, but I find high reps with a lighter weight seem to get things moving. I train at home now so I only do standing calf raises, if I visit my commercial gym then I hammer away at seated too. i try and do as much volume as possible and usually super set calves in where I can during rest periods for other exercises.

SQUATZ: My legs didn’t grow much, or even start to grow really (even when I could DL 400LB naturally and back squat 220LB x5 to parallel, I just got a bigger butt) until I started to belt squat (so my legs could work without my back being irritated or giving out first, and front squatting. I also found no need to squat below parallel either.

I doubt you have a belt squat set up available to you (though a one off purchase from Iron mind for a hip belt and olympic loading pin would be a worthwhile investment IMO) so I would recommend multiple sets of low reps on the front squat, plus weighted Bulgarian split squats, then pump the fuck out of your legs with higher rep goblet squats or KB front squats, all down to parallel but no further or higher. At 6 foot squatting to parallel provided us with enough range of motion to travel through, and there is a risk of back rounding at the bottom as well, which is undesirable. Working the legs and hips hard like that in an upright position (front squat position) seemed to be exactly what I needed to stimulate the thigh into growth. Keep working these, multiple sets of low reps, help promote strength gains, increase volume without impeding recovery too badly therefore allowing size gains to follow as a natural consequence…

If I could only keep one leg exercise for the rest of my life I would keep the belt squat, then the front squat. Louie Simmons is a fan of the belt squat too :wink:

The Smith machine has never done anything for me.

One more thing: forget the weights for now, I’ll bet dollars for doughnuts that you’ll see more gains from lighter front squats in good form than shitty smith squats. Front squats also work the abs nicely :wink:

Give this a try if you like, I’m looking forwards to hearing what you think.

BB[/quote]

I got ya. Your belt squat seems to work kinda similar to a Goblet squat, or what I am doing that resembles a Goblet, but holding the Dumbells to my side. I get it…good effect, as opposed to lining up in a SMITH. Makes sense. AND, I can do more if I do a belt, goblet, or dumbell squat…seems like I have free-er movement, and it feels much more natty.

And you would probably agree…the thing is to START and just do em. I have noticed my balance is much better, as I do them every week now. Then I can go heavier, and keep from
rolling forward on the balls of my feet, or falling backwards.

Good points…I’ll stick with what you say. It works !

97

[quote]dre1986 wrote:

[quote]buddaboy wrote:
Hey mate,

Thanks a lot for all the info, a lot of it makes perfect sense and i do a few things already, for instance doing the most important exercise first and not going below parallel on squats, i also like to keep the reps low on dead’s.

As for direct arm training, what ive been doing recently and have seen good gains (probably the only good gains ive had for any body part in a while is this)

Bi’s - start off with barbell curls, working in the 6-10 rep range. 3-4 sets. I like to do a very slight front raise motion at the beginning taking the weight away from your body and changing the leverages. You use a little more anterior delt but i find you also recruit the bicep better.

Then move onto 3 sets of hammer curls or incline curls, dependant on what i feel like on the day. Just a preference thing but on most unilateral curls i do 8 reps. 4 reps on one side then the same on the other, and then finish off with another 4 reps on each. Just feels right and helps build up a bit of a pump, rest a few seconds and then really go for the last 4 reps.

I always finish bi’s with concentration curls, again with db’s. I find these really help take the muscle to absolute fatigue and again you get a great pump. These i do 8-10 reps on, sometimes a burnout on the last going up to 12-14 whatever i can manage. And thats it for bi’s. i dont rest any longer than 90 seconds, usually keep it to about 60 seconds.

DRE’S ARM WORKOUT:

Tri’s - always start with cable, usually straight bar, usually higher reps to warm up, around 12. 3-4 sets.

Once i feel well warmed up i move onto skull crushers, 3 sets. with an ez bar, although straight bar works just as well. With these i tend to extend a little behind my head as opposed to straight up, i find this recuits more of the long head and just feels better all in all. Usually again reps around 10-12. I dont like low reps for tri’s as i always feel it in my elbows.

Finally i finish off with some sort of overhead extension. Ive been doing this thing where you set a bench at about 60 degress, lie back against it, not sitting but half standing with your back pressed against it, get a dumbell in each hand, try and keep the elbows tucked, hold the db’s directly overhead, and lower until you feel a good stretch in tri, then extend up without fully locking out.

I usually do around 8 reps on these, i find you get a serious burn and tbh i cant think of any other tri exercise where i feel such a full feeling, what i mean by that is all the heads being worked equally.

And thats it for tri’s. Works out at 10 sets for each. I’ve been doing this set up for about 12 weeks and really enjoy it. Not to mention ive seen good gains with this approach.
[/quote]

lol i feel famous…[/quote]

I like this. I am doing the same excercises…a little different on the rep counts and weight…but pretty close. Today I finished out with the single rope dealy thingamajigger,
that looks just like the black rope that you do pull downs with… I stand to side of cable, and pull down on single rope with one arm, and then extend down and out to side. Same as when you do both arms on the cable tri push down extensions…but when you go to one arm, and do it with robot like form, it really kills it. In a good way. But good stuff…I am using this stuff on Tri’s.

98

I did Bench and Triceps today. Only about 40 minutes, but really heavy for a skinny guy !!! :slight_smile:

Started with the 90 lb Dumbells, and did two sets of flat bench with em…12 reps each set.

Then I moved over to the SMITH. (Wanted to go really heavy with Dumbells, but no one was in the gym to get those damn things off my chest when I laid back!!! :slight_smile:

With the SMITH, I pulled the bench out, and put down a soft mat. Laid down with back on mat, and did Flat Bench with SMITH while laying on floor. Why? The SMITH only lets the weight go down so far…which keeps my elbows from going back beyond 90 degrees…where they get weak and it hurts em. One rep my one hand actually slipped off, and the bar dropped…but, it only drops to about 12 inches off ground. Whew.

Weight? I had 2 - 45’s and a 35 on each side…that’s 125 a side.
I did 6 sets of 6 with this. It was pretty heavy for me. On the last
set, I pulled off the 35 after and did another 15, and lightened it again
for another 15.

Then I worked the heck outta my Tris. Finished with Dips. They hurt. Love Cocoa in my pre shake…
it makes em explode !

99

Hey BUDDA, I suppose I don’t really wish you a Happy Thanksgiving…huh !!! LOL!

You guys stayed there, and we got together with the Indians and they taught us how to
trap Turkeys…

Oh well, you didn’t miss much. :slight_smile: That Mayflower ship sucked, and everyone was puking all the
way over on the ride anyway!!!

Have a great week, I am off tomorrow. But by
Friday mid day I will want to go workout some part …maybe crush legs with ext and curls…

100

Hey, Here’s a Squat I haven’t used, but I used to love…

You stand and come forward to get under a Barbell, just like a front squat, but you position
the barbell so it sits in the inside of your elbows…whatever area that is called, then you curl
your arms up and your fists then kinda point to the ceiling. You squat just like a front squat,
but the Barbell sits in the insides of your arms in side the elbows.

Also, beings I have skinny arms, I grab two of those cushion wraps and put one on each side
that will end up sitting in my arm, to make it comfy.

Anyone know what its called ?

It would be a nice compliment to the others, cause you have to have balance built up to do em.