[quote]cavalier wrote:
“we’re all different”, you get frustrated.
Hmm, actually feeling good leaving gym. Might actually sleep well tonight.
Made it to interview on time. He was impressed with me and will look for openings.
[/quote]
Yeah they say we are all different but then THEY don’t apply it their programming.
Feeling good is good. Fingers crossed for the jobs.
Cav, You,ve got a lot of knowledge. What sort of workouts are you planning to do next? Good luck with the job thing…what do you teach? creative writing? 
[quote]corrmhona wrote:
I do think at the end of the day people need at least good genetics to be world champion, but I think no matter what you’ve got, you can get stronger. I think that is depends a lot on finding your way though. Maybe you have a weird genetic mix and some of the programs that don’t work for most people might work for you like GVT? Keep working and you’ll keep making gains, but it would be nice to see you gain faster.[/quote]
That’s what keeping me going, the hope that things can get better.
[quote] Yeah they say we are all different but then THEY don’t apply it their programming.
Feeling good is good. Fingers crossed for the jobs. [/quote]
If we’re different . . . why don’t they have different training? Oops, too logical.
Think I’ll take it easy for a while, last workout good one. Will see if I can stimulate body without tearing it to pieces.
Haha . . . no, computer stuff. Web design, game, motion graphics . . . real geek stuff.
Still haven’t made up my mind how to proceed from here. Still pre-occupied with job hunt. Will try some things in gym and see if anything gets some progress.
They have a dip/chin assist machine. Been a while since I worked on chins or dips. See if I can build any strength. Superset:
-130 x 8
oh god, that was tough, can’t believe it. That was warmup?? Better go even lighter.
dip -150 x 15
chin -150 x 14
ah, better. I can handle this.
-140 x 12
doing OK, taking good slow controlled reps.
dip -130 x 10 chin -130 x 8
hmm, strange, no problem . . . guess I just needed warming up
dip -120 x 8 chin -120 x 6
whee, starting to feel good
dip -110 x 5
surprising how weak I am. Will see if this builds up some arm strength.
What’s this, a rear delt machine? Why not.
50 x 12
70 x 7
Let’s see, what ab machines do they have? This looks promising:
70 x 15 too easy
90 x 10 still kinda easy
100 x 5 ooh, tough
Grip machine. Cuz I’m tired of thin forearms:
45 x 20
70 x 20
90 x 13
90 x 12
Not worn out, just good workout. Will eat and see what happens.
Hmm, this gym may be tougher than I thought. Saw a guy doing stiff leg deads with 400 lbs. And he’s not the biggest guy . . .
nice workout Cav. Strong abdominal work. i,m not too sure about the grip machine tho.lol. sounds like you had fun! there,s a concept for you…
Can’t go wrong with dips and chins! Good to see you finding your own path.
Report:
That evening after workout, body felt like it was being torn to pieces. Ate, took vitamins, slept well.
Next day, felt better. Still felt sore in places. DOMS in chest & back.
Next day, good, but still a little DOMS. Definitely need a few more days to recover before doing upper body again. Lower body tomorrow.
How on earth can anyone possibly train 3x week and not tear themselves to shreds is beyond me. Unless my body is REALLY frail. Jeezus, assisted dips & chins, not even the real thing, and I feel like someone did some “enhanced interrogation techniques” on me.
DOMS for the win!! good job Cav…
You still have your finger nails tho? I am with you Cav,in that if i train with the effort I think I need, training a couple more times per body part is not an option within a week.
Goat, I can live with DOMS. It’s sprains and crap that bother me.
Confusion, yes, I still have fingernails. And hair, of all things. Wish I could take credit for that.
Warmup on elliptical. Man, I miss sled pulling.
Deadlift concentrate on stimulating growth, not max effort
45 x 10
95 x 10
135 x 10 all easy, feels good
185 x 6 urkk, what happened?
185 x 5
185 x 5
something’s wrong, that should have gone OK, but really stressed at it. Maybe I should have made it 150 or 160 lbs instead, go for reps.
Lots of calf machines. Long time since I tried this one:
Donkey calf
140 x 20
180 x 18
180 x 15
hmm, started getting tough - feels good
Leg curl, same machine as last week
50 x 12
70 x 8
70 x 5 WTF?? I’m WEAKER than last week???
55 x 8
Go home. I’m humiliated.
Just wondering aloud, for you and me, wonder if its your tendons and ligaments taking longer to strengthen,since they take longer than actual muscles?? I don’t have a clue really, I’m still trying to figure my body out. Also as you know stress does weaken the body, not necessarily that your muscles have lost strength.
I’ve always wanted to try sled pulling.
I want to try sled pulling as well. Since got so much snow I should upgrade that to a sleigh and pull that! Call me the road warrior reindeer.
Techno, I sure got my share of sprains with those guys at Ludus Magnus. One reason I’m dialing back the intensity.
Crushed, go ahead and try it. But when you’re speed dialing 911 and gasping “someone’s pumping oxygen out of the street”, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
School has a Hospitality Services major. One hour a week, they open up a restaurant and serve lunch. This week was their Thanksgiving bash. (We’re closed over holidays, so they have to be early.) Featuring a buffet of:
shrimp bisque
salad
rice pilaf
jambalaya
smashed taters
herb stuffing
roast cod
roast turkey
roast beef
Complaint: tiny portions. I went through 3 plates and still barely full. But tasty. Wasn’t going to hit desert, but the lady next to me raved about the peanut butter/chocolate pie. Wow, am I glad I tried it.
Dynamite session in gym today:
Assisted dip
150 x 15
140 x 12
120 x 12
110 x 10
100 x 8
Supersetted with assisted chin:
150 x 15
140 x 12
120 x 10
110 x 8
100 x 6
Standing OH press
45 x 12
55 x 10
65 x 8
75 x 5
75 x 5
very aggresive on this one. maybe test levels are surging.
DB lat raise
5 x 15
10 x 8
10 x 8
Ab machine
70 x 20
90 x 12
110 x 6
110 x 6
very happy.
[quote]cavalier wrote:
very aggresive on this one. maybe test levels are surging.
[/quote]
I think it was the peanut butter pie
[quote]cavalier wrote:
Techno, I sure got my share of sprains with those guys at Ludus Magnus. One reason I’m dialing back the intensity.
very happy.
[/quote]
Yeah I think you made the right choice, besides it was just costing you money. I listened to my coach and some others about training through something I won’t mention, instead of listening to my body. The final oly session I had my body was telling me not to workout, but I sucked it up. Now even though this was bound to happen to my back/ribs eventually due to other weaknesses and issues, I still wonder.
Anyway enough of that, glad to read the word ‘happy’ from your workouts.
Well, it was just simple facts. My strength barely budged during the year I was there. Strangely, they didn’t seem to notice. That’s something I’ve noticed about trainers. I tell them my goals, they train me, I don’t get closer to them . . . but they don’t seem to care. They still think they’re great trainers.
Folks on another web site tell me I should go back to Bill Starr’s 5x5. I’ve done a variant of 5x5 before, but it was pretty brutal . . . going to failure on almost every set. Have studied Bill’s original program, it’s gentler than what I’ve done. To that end, today’s workout was testing what would be good starting weights for me:
Squat
45 x 8
75 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 5
145 x 5
it happened again, I started shifting weight to right foot. I think that damn scoliosis is mucking up my balance, concentrate on tightening left side, it works.
Any more weight and I’d start compromising form, so 145 it is.
Deadlift
95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5
185 x 5
was hoping to get into the 200’s, but I was slowing down at this point. Seemed a weight to work me, but not wear me out.
left early to avoid traffic (didn’t work, though). Eat.
Cav-
I think 5x5 will be good. Just be conservative picking starting weights and let the momentum of success build your lifts.
Yeah watch what you do when you have scoliosis, after awhile other parts just get out of whack too from it.
Oh yeah and happy T day! And to the rest of the US.
Goat - definitely my policy now to be conservative, tired of beating my body to death, hoping to coax some gains.
Techno - have seen doctors about it, not much they can do, I just keep training.
Onward in testing strength levels for 5x5:
Squat - will follow Starr’s mid week program, do 4x5
65 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 5
95 x 5 went down to make sure I don’t overdo it, 95 felt like a feather
One thing I didn’t care about Ludus Magnus, they kept griping about my squat form - but it does seem to have improved a lot.
realized only supposed to deadlift once a week, fine, will substitute.
Incline bench
30 x 5 - they have a rack of premade bars here
45 x 5
65 x 5
75 x 5
80 x 5
Bar row is supposed to be next, but guy was using the “lift station” - couple of rubber mats alongside a squat station. OK, will do seated rows.
70 x 5
90 x 5
100 x 5
110 x 5
Off to Golden Corral’s all you can eat Thanksgiving buffet. The fools. Salad, clam chowder, turkey leg, ham, BBQ chicken, french fries, rice pilaf, ice cream w hot fudge & nuts - pretty sure they took a loss.
Happy turkey day to everyone.