The other thing to note from today: that smith press and lateral raise superset is brilliant.
14/09/19
Hill sprints: 6 medium distance with 60s rest
Forgot to post this yesterday.
17/09/19
RDL:
10x20
8x60
6x80
4x100
6x110 (PR)
Giant set with RDL warmups
Ab wheel: 2x5
Kettlebell swings: 2x8x24
Crunches: 2x6
Walking lunges: 3x22xBW
Superset
KB suitcase carry: 3x2x24
KB goblet squat: 3x5x24
KB swing: 20x24
Felt a bit off today so toned it down slightly. I’ve never done RDLs with 110kg so anything would be a PR. If I pushed to failure I’m pretty sure I could have gotten at least 8 reps but there was some discomfort in my SI joint growing each rep and the risk/reward ratio wasn’t enough to push anymore.
18/09/19
Superset
Lateral raises: 5x15x3s
Seated smith behind neck OHP:
10xbar
10x+10
18x+20 (PR)
11x+20
Drop set:
10x+20, 13x+10, 11xbar
15 lateral raises
10 partials
Hammer strength chest press:
2x8x30
15x30
10s rest
10 partials x30
Pec deck: 20x21, 12x35, 12x28
Tricep pull downs: 2x20, 1 big dropset
Sled push/pull: 3x2/2x30 (60s rest)
Good high intensity session. Shoulder and chest pumps were huge and now they are toast.
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19/09/19
Lat pull-down: 10x32, 3x15x41, 10x46
Dumbbell row:
2x8x16 (strict, pause at top)
20x24
15x20
Superset
Concentration curls: 15, 12, 10x6
Rear delt swings: 2x20x3s, 15x3s
Superset
Face pulls: 2x15
Hammer curls: 2x10x8s
23/09/19
Pec deck: 20x21, 10x28, 10x35, 10x28
Dumbbell row:
10x14, 10x16 (strict with pause at top)
15, 12x20
Bench press:
2x8x20
10x40
3x10x50 (2 mins rest)
Lat pull-down: 3x10x41
Superset
Dumbbell high incline bench: 3x10x14s
Rear delt dumbbell row: 3x12x6s
Giant set
Top 1/3 lateral raise: 15, 12x3s
Bottom 1/3 lateral raise: 2x12x6s
Hammer curls: 12, 15x6s
Tricep pull-downs: 2x25
Some ramblings and things I want to note down
I think I’m ready for a deload week and fatigue is starting to catch up to me. A few things I’ve noticed over the last week:
- I’ve been very tired even with 9hrs sleep several nights.
- A few weeks ago I’d feel ready to workout again after a few hours but yesterday I felt bad enough that I went and took a nap.
- I’m starting to get quite a few aches and minor pains - notably in my forearms, biceps, chest and back.
Conveniently, next week is when I had planned to deload anyway so I just have two more workouts to get through. This is the 5th week I have been training like this with the deload in the 6th. I think in future I will plan to deload every 5th week.
This is the first time in a while that I’ve felt like I might need a deload week.
The good news is I think I’ve successfully recomped a bit. With losing weight at the beginning of summer I didn’t want to go straight back into gaining weight so I’ve tried to stay the same. Pretty much everything has increased strength wise in the gym so I’m hoping I’ve built some muscle. It’s hard for me to tell if I look different but I think my upper body may have gotten bigger. Below is a chart with my weight for the last month.
One thing I am still trying to decide is when to start increasing calories. I had planned to do it the week after my deload when I start training hard again but I am considering doing it now.
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24/09/19
Giant set: 4 rounds
Ab wheel: x5
Kettlebell swings: 8x24
Crunches: x4
Kettlebell suitcase carry: 1 length x24 (only 3 rounds)
RDL:
10x20
10x60
10x80
8x110 (PR)
Leg extensions:
2x12x+10
20s hold at top, 5 10s negatives, 8 partials
Hack squat machine: 3x8x40
Farmers walk:
2x+20
2x+30
4x+20 (no drops)
Tough but good workout. Last week got 6x110 RDL and 8 was the goal for today. Got pretty nervous about this topset beforehand because 80kg felt heavy and I wanted to beat last week. Most of the reps were grinders but I figure that sort of effort will make me grow. I keep meaning to film them, partially to see if they look as hard as I feel like they are, but I also keep forgetting.
Last set of leg extensions was good too and made my quads hurt. Had intended to go heavy on farmers but wasn’t feeling it so did a long set with lighter weight. I expected to go further but without drops and with the handles swinging around from the turns it was really pulling on my traps. Could have got one more length pushing to failure but destroying my traps wasn’t the goal.
One thing I’m debating is whether to stick with barbell RDLs or use the smith machine. Using the smith machine will probably allow me to focus more on my hams and glutes and cause less overall fatigue. However, I like having an exercise once a week where I can go all out and mentally push myself. An idea I just thought of typing this would be to alternate each week - probably something like 3x10 smith machine then a barbell set to failure the next. Probably will go with this.
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Depends a bit on the goal, how lean are you?
I’ve read more than once you need to be at around or under 10% bodyfat, if you really want to build muscles.
That’s pretty darn lean.
If you’re not starving yourself, and you’re getting stronger, well then keep at it.
You could go 2 weeks increasing calories by about 3-500 a day, then take 2 weeks of maintaining.
I’m really bad at building muscles, but very good at gaining fat… So I’ve decided to just try and stay where I’m at.
@mortdk I’m definitely not under 10% body fat, probably more like 20%, maybe more. I’ve read that 10% is a great point to build muscle too but I’m not going to diet down that lean just to bulk up - plenty of people have gotten big with higher body fat.
Saying that, where I am now probably means that if I’m not careful I’ll get quite a bit fatter once I start eating in a surplus. My aim though, is to try and increase my calories just enough that I gain a tiny bit of weight and do it slowly. And hopefully most of the weight I gain is mostly muscle.
I don’t track my calories and I probably should - in fact I’m going to start tomorrow. Week days will be easy because I make my own food but weekends I am usually with my girlfriend and often go out for food.
Kind of like you suggested I might eat a bit more this week, I did today. Then next week when I deload I will back off a little bit because I won’t be training as hard.
Actually I just read what you wrote again and this stood out to me:
You’re right. I’m in a sweet spot right now, no need to change anything really.
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26/09/19
Giant set: 3x10x3s
Lateral raises
Rear delt swings
Front raises
Smith seated behind neck OHP:
10xbar
12x+10
18x+20
8x+30 (PR)
Drop set:
9x+30 (Rep PR over previous set)
9.5x+20
15x+20
Chest supported rows:
10x5, 10, 15
Drop set:
15x15
11x10
14x5
Hammer strength chest press:
30x20
25x20
3xRP: 16-6-6x40
NG lat pull-down:
2x10x36
3xRP: 19-10-8x46 (19 is a PR)
Superset
Top 1/2 laterals: 10, 18x3s
Bottom 1/2 laterals: 10, drop set: 20x6s-20x3s
Superset
Tricep push downs: 25, 35x18
Hammer curls: 20, 30x6s
Hell of a workout. Lots of intensity - aside from the first giant set and chest supported rows I hit failure on every exercise. The overhead press dropset, chest press RP set and lat pull-down RP set were particularly hard. It is the first time I’ve properly done rest pause sets, hitting concentric failure on every set. I don’t know if I have done Hammer chest presses with 40kg before so technically a PR but feels a bit silly saying it when it’s a weight I could have used but never bothered.
Next week is a deload which is why I was so keen to really push this workout.
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01/10/19
Bench press:
2x10x20
10x40
10x50
5x60
3x70
1x75
1x80
Seated overhead dumbbell press: 2x8x10s
Incline dumbbell bench: 2x15x10s
Decline dumbbell bench: 2x20x10s
Tricep pull-downs: dropset: 20x10-50x5
This week is sort of a deload but I’ll be maxing out on bench on Friday or Saturday. My friends I used to go to the gym at university with are visiting and want to see who can bench the most. Kind of stupid but it’ll be fun and I don’t want to lose.
I figure keeping volume low on bench means it’ll kind of be like a deload anyway. The dumbbell stuff after bench today was really really easy too.
EDIT:
Forgot to add 3x10 on the crunch machine and a set of rear delt flyes and lateral raises.
2 Likes
02/10/19
Rear delt rows: 3x10x10s
Cable row: 2x15x20, 15x30
Leg press: 2x25x50
Back extensions: 3x12xBW
Lat pull-down: 3x8x35
Superset
Reverse curls: 20, 15x6s
Hammer curls: 10, 5x6s
Assault bike:
1.5 miles, 5 mins 38s
8x10s on/20s off - 30 calories
I hate deloads, they’re so boring and I feel stupid doing exercises and not really struggling on them. Saying that this is the best time to have an easy week because I’m coming down with a nasty cold. I intended to do push yesterday, pull today, legs tomorrow and then go with my friends to bench press on Friday but combined pull and legs today to give myself a day or rest.
On a positive note, I’m back at university now and what was a pretty rubbish gym before has had a huge upgrade and is now very good and pretty well equipped. There’s also a lot of people there who mess around and are just generally annoying so I’m motivated to push hard and make it look like I belong there.
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05/10/19
Benched with my friends today and worked up to a 1RM. I got 85kg but failed 90kg. After did an easy 3x10 dumbbell bench and curls.
2 Likes
07/10/19
Dumbbell chest supported incline rows:
10, 12, 15, 20x8s
Dumbbell rows: 2x10x20, 21x20
Dumbbell pullovers: 2x12x10, 15x10
Assisted chins: 12, 15, 7x40
Dumbbell incline curls: 3x10x6s
Hammer curls: 2x20x6s
Decent pull session. Chest supported and dumbbell rows were good and high intensity but I’m not sure about the pull overs. Set 1 was good but I felt sets 2 and 3 in my triceps a bit. I’ll watch some YouTube videos or something and try again - I got them from John Meadows and he really seems to like them.
Chins I’m not sure about either. Set 1 I used an overhand grip but it was very narrow so felt like a reverse curl. Set 2 was neutral grip but pretty wide, like where I would normally go for overhand. Set 3 I tried to use the wider overhand handles but I think a combination of how wide they were and my back and arms being shot from set 2 made them really hard. Debating trying banded chins here instead.
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08/10/19
Giant set
Top half laterals: 15, 10, 15x4s
Bottom half laterals: 10, 8x8s, dropset: 10-10x8s
Rear delt swings: 3x6x4s
Smith behind neck press:
10x20
10x30
10x40
14x40
Hammer strength incline press: 2x15x20
Bench press: 2x10x55, 9+1x57.5 (spotter assisted 10th rep)
Assisted dips: 6x40, 10, 13x50
Tricep rope pull downs: 12x12.5, 20x7.5
Overhead Tricep extensions: 15, 20x10
Overhead press and bench I’ll be pushing for improved numbers each week.
09/10/19
Leg curl: 3x20x30
Smith machine RDL:
2x10x60
7x80 (kept hitting uprights)
12x80
Smith squats: 2x10x20, 12x40
Crunch machine: 2x10x20, dropset: 10x20-10x10
Ab wheel: 3x6
Assault bike:
2 mins legs only
8x10s on/20s off - 35.5 calories
Kept the intensity down a little bit mainly to ease myself in so I can walk around properly the next couple of days.
My conditioning compared to last time I was at university is miles better than it was.
I’m walking 2-4 miles each day and it’s very hilly plus I pretty much always have a heavy bag. In the past there was a few hills that used to have me struggling but this year they’re a breeze.
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10/10/19
Superset
Dumbbell chest supported incline rows: 10, 12x8s, dropset: 18x8s-15x4s
Upper back flyes: 3x10x3s
Dumbbell rows:
10x15
10x20
10x22.5
Dropset: 24x22.5-8x17.5 (PR) (last week: 21x20)
Assisted NG chins: 10, 8, 11x40
Dumbbell incline curls: 10, 2x8x8s
Hammer curls: 12, 15x8s
For each big muscle group I have an exercise I want to focus on and push in terms of weight and reps. For back it’s dumbbell rows, chest it’s bench press, shoulders it’s smith behind neck press, quads it’s smith squat and hamstrings/glutes it’s RDL. If these go up I’m going to assume I’m getting stronger. With the other exercises I’m more bothered about getting a good MMC and how they feel.