I agree with you!
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Fantastic quad and chest day today. Zerchers were feeling easy but I didn’t have a pad this time so it was hurting my forearms pretty bad. The quad pump got painful by the time I hit leg press. Everything for Chest just felt like absolute money. I was feeling strong today. Progressed the weight on the Barbell and Dumbbell Presses and it was all feeling just amazing. Back and hams tomorrow and I’m certainly looking forward to it!
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Back and hams was feeling good today. Woke up with a bad migraine this morning while I was training my first client of the day. I powered through and took a nap after. I felt quite a bit better but I’ve still had a bit of that “migraine hangover” where I’m dealing with some head fog. Didn’t keep me from having a great workout though and I’m really happy I got it in!
My lats and hams have felt super pumped all day since. I was actually feeling way stronger than I was expecting. Chin ups were money, I was way stronger on T-Bars than the last time I hit them. Last time, 2 35 pound plates felt brutal but it was no problem today. I was really able to focus on my form and even hold it for a squeeze at the top for a second. I’m hyped for a Halloween Shoulders and Arms day. Hoping for a spooky pump.
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Post Halloween Shoulder and Arm day! Hit this one hard and got a crazy nice arm pump. This session is as basic and core as it gets for me, but your staple sessions are staple for a reason. Excited to hit some quads and Chest before the Steelers game tomorrow!
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Had a fantastic weekend! Steelers dominated yesterday so I’m hyped! Both of my lifts were fantastic! Was feeling really strong both days! I think my sleep Has been a little better lately and I’ve been eating just a little more so the recovery between sessions and performance within the sessions is continuing to improve! It’s arm day tomorrow and I just watched some old Lee Priest arm training footage so I’m hyped and ready to go!
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Experimented with doing more arm exercises. I had been doing 2 bicep and 2 Tricep exercises for 8 sets each and today I did 4 exercises of each for 6 sets each. I really really liked it. The pump was just crazy. I went to the dollar store about 15-20 minutes after my workout and the Clark and a few old ladies were just in awe of how big my arms and chest were and I asked me what I do to get that way. Definitely a cool feeling. Also did a double scoop of My hydrolyzed whey Post workout with a double scoop of creatine. Love it!!
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You are a machine.
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Definitely working on becoming one!
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Chest and quads today. Absolutely nailed it too. Smith Machine was taken right after I finished my squats and would be tied up for the rest of the time I was in the gym, so pivoted to incline dumbbell press and then flat bench. I really lit myself up on inclines, so my bench was definitely down just a bit, which is okay. I’m not really concerned with the weight I’m using, but I did have to make a drop halfway through. If I go in this order again (kind of Mountain Dog style), I’ll definitely adjust my bench numbers a bit more accordingly next time. It felt good though, The connection with the chest was incredible. Cable declines were money like always.
Not much to say about quads because the main thing that sticks out is The Brutality, Pump and burning in the quads, particularly after every set of leg press. The squats really got everything warmed up, pumped and firing and by the time I get to Leg Press and Leg Extension, the quad pump is so severe that I’m just in agony! It’s definitely been working though. My legs have been progressing really nicely since my Show in June.
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This was a really outstanding Back day. I was just So laser-focused. I wore out the workout in the car but ended up doing the exercises in a little different order, I’ll call out the things that I feel like made a really positive difference. I opened the session with straight arm Pulldowns before my chin-ups this time. This gave me a phenomenal pump and mind muscle connection with the lats right out of the gate. I can’t take full credit for this, as I’ve seen Robin Strand use this strategy on his YouTube channel. The chest supported Cable high rows were feeling amazing after the chin-ups. I connect super well with these. I just realized I could do one arm at a time on the Technogym Pulldown, and this was amazing. One lat holds a contracted isometric at the bottom while the other arm works, then switch. Another idea that I lifted from Robin Strand. Then finishing with the chest supported dumbbell rows, I was already so locked in and pumped in my lats that these felt extra awesome. Hamstrings was awesome as always, working my way back up in weight on the RDLs. Going slowly to try keep all of the form improvements and bottom end isometric that I’ve been using at these lower weights.
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The volume is just mind-blowing. Do you notice any difference in how your joints feel or how you move? The appeal to me was always that maybe you feel and move better doing something like what you’re doing.
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My joints are feeling the best they probably ever have! It’s been fantastic, my elbows, Back, knees, shoulders all feel great. My muscles are sore as heck all the time but my joints have been feeling awesome. The longevity side of this type of training was definitely a huge appeal to me
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That’s the dream: sore muscles and happy joints!
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Do you just pick a number of exercises for the day and get after each until you can’t hit the reps anymore? How do you know you’re “done” and what weights to select (I know these are crazy light for you in the early sets)? Do you keep rest breaks static or are those long enough to keep hitting the reps (looks like 6-8 sets per)?
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Number of exercises is generally determined in the parking lot right before the lift. I’ve kind of settled into an amount I like for each body part. Generally 4-5 for chest, 4-5 for back, 3 for quads, 2 for hams, I was doing 2 for biceps and 2 for triceps but I just played with 4 and loved it, 1 for abs, 1 for calves. I am usually shooting for 6-8 sets per exercise. I think generally picking around your 20 rep max will get you where you want to be. Generally I have one main movement for chest, quads and Back that will be done for 8 sets and the rest will be done for 6. For hamstrings I usually do 2 exercises for 8 sets. Usually a hamstring curl and an RDL or two different Ham curls.
Usually the last couple Of sets are excruciatingly hard. I don’t Hit failure every time, but I’m usually very very close to it by the final set. I really focus on trying to really use perfect form and connect with the muscles to the maximum degree which is especially easy to do on those early sets which basically double as warm up sets. I try to never alter my form to artificially extend any set. If I fail, I fail. All reps are done continuously. I don’t pause at the top to rest or breathe, aiming for continuous tension. Inhales on the eccentric, exhale on the concentric.
Rest times between sets are 30 seconds for all Upper Body movements. And will be 30 seconds to a minute for lower body. I try to shoot for 30 seconds just because of the challenge but some days, that quad pump is so intense and painful that I need the full minute. Serge himself suggested a Minute for lower Body.
I try to add weight when I feel like I can, but I don’t force it and sometimes I have to be real with myself and pull back the weight, whether because I’m failing too soon or I’m just cheating the form a little bit.
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That was awesome. Sorry for the 600 questions, but I appreciate the write up! There used to be a poster on here named Bauber that all his workouts were something like 5 x 20, and he was gigantic and strong. It’s fun to see different things play out.
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I live for this stuff man! I love discussing it so feel free to ask away!
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Had some great sessions the last two days. Just got some great pumps and helped ease the pain of the terrible Steelers Sunday Night Football loss. Chest and quads are definitely feeling nice and sore today! Looking forward to a sick back and hamstring pump!
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Back and hams was indeed a very sick session. My lats were just pumped unbelievably after those high rows. I think that’s about the best my lats have ever felt. Just ridiculous! My hamstrings also had just shot the Best pump I can ever remember. That leg curl combo just had me right today. The mind Muscle connection felt on point during and the pump I felt immediately after was just nuts.
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Out of hearts. Good job!
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