Also, this weeks average daily calories were 3120, ~120 more than last week. Average weight in the morning was 88,1 kg, 0,8kg more than last week. When I don’t pay attention to my nutrition I tend to undereat on a lot of days, so it’s no wonder I gain weight when I focus on eating roughly the same amount of calories every day. Will dial it back down to about 2900-3000 next week so I don’t put the weight on too fast.
Trained legs today:
A: Lying Leg Curl: 30x8; 40x8; 45x8; 50x8
B: Squats: Bar x12; 40x5; 60x5; 80x5; 100x5
120x5
120x5
120x5
C: Leg Press: 100x10; 140x10
170x10
180x10
180x10; x7; x6 (~10 second rest/pause)
D: Romanian Deadlifts: 60x8; three sets of 12 with 80kg
E1: Smith Machine Calf Raises: 35x12; 35x12
E2: Seated Calf Raises: 20x18; 20x16
Hanging Leg Raises: 15x; 12x; 12x
Directly followed by some regular ol’ crunches, 15x.
I hope those dumbells I ordered weeks ago arrive soon. I like the sessions fine but think I’ll profit from one extra pump workout at home per week and bodypart to offset the low frequency of the current setup.
Today was shoulders and arms.
A1) 1-arm Arnold Press: 18x8; 20x8; 22x8; 24x8
A2) Hammer Curls: 10x8; 14x8; 16x8; 28x8
B1) Barbell OHP: 40x5; 50x5; 57,5x5; 57,5x5
B2) Close-grip Pull Ups: 3x10
C1) Latteral Raises: 12x16; 12x15; 12x16 (Partials on the last set)
C2) DB Rear Latterals: 16x18; 16x16; 16x16
D1) JM-Press 3 sets of 10 with 40kg (Was asked about my strange “bench press”-form by some guy…)
D2) Preacher Curls: 15x10; 15x8; 15x8
Then did 50 reps each of band pushdowns and curls with the band.
Friday’s training:
A1: 1-arm straight-arm Pulldown: 22,5x10; 25x10; 27,5x10; 30x10
A2: Machine Chest Press: 30x10; 40x10; 45x10; 50x10
B1) Incline BB Press: Bar x10; 40x5; 60x5; 80x5; 85x5; 90x4
B2) Smith Machine Bent-Over Rows: 20x10; 30x10; 40x10; 50x10; 55x10; 55x10
→ Incline Barbell Press didn’t feel good. Also, this was the first time I rowed in the smith machine, that was okay.
C) Deadlift: 60x5; 80x5; 100x5; 120x5; 140x5
D1) Incline DB Press: 22x10; 28x10; 34x10; 34x9 & 24x4
D2) Lat Pulldown Machine: 50x12; 80x12; 100x12; 100x12, 4, 3 (~10 sec rest/pause)
E1) Chest Flye Machine: 50x12; 55x12 → Slow concentric & ~1 second squeeze at the top.
E2) Face Pull: 60x15; 65x15
F) Back Raises: 2 sets of 17
Followed by drunken debauchery later that day, a very good friend celebrated his 30th birthday.
Legs today. Gym was super crowded, so had to improvise a bit.
A: Lying Leg Curls: 30x8; 40x8; 45x8; 50x8
B: Squats: Bar x12; 40x5; 60x5; 80x5; 100x5
120x5
125x5
130x5
C: Bulg. Split Squats holding a Kettlebell
BW x12
12kg x12
16 x12
24 x12, immediatly followed by BW x12.
→ Leg Press was occupied, so did this instead. When I was finished, there was no chance to do RDLs, but the Leg Press was free by this time.
C: Leg Press: Three Sets of 15 with a 4-5 second negative.
→ The very slow negatives really kicked my ass. Will have to use them more from now on.
D: Hanging Leg Raises: 15x; 12x; 12x; 12x (last set with bent knees)
E: Seated Calf Raises: 2x20 with 20kg, 2-second stretch & contraction.
F: Pulldown Abs: 50kg x60
Legs were quite shakey by the end.
Shoulders and arms today.
A1: 1-arm Arnold Press: 18, 20, 22 and 24kg for sets of 8.
A2: Hammer Curls: 14, 16, 18, and 20kg for sets of 8.
B1: Barbell OHP: 40x5; 50x5; 60x5; 60x5; 55x5
B2: 4 sets of ten close-grip Pullups.
→ I’m around back at my old level of strength in overhead pressing as I was before my 4-month hiatus from putting anything heavy overhead.
C1: Rear delt work on the reverse flye machine or whatever it’s called: 2 sets of 12, 1 set of 15, last few reps were partials.
C2: DB Latteral Raises: 2 sets of 12 with 10kg. One set of 16, last few reps partials.
First set of both of these was done with slow negatives.
D1: Tate Press: 14x12; 16x12; 18x9
D2: Preacher Curl: 15x12; 15x7; 15x7
→ Benches were all in use so had to find a substitute for the JM Press. My left elbow didn’t really like these though.
55 reps of Band Pushdowns
50 reps of curls with the band
→ Massive pump.
After about three weeks of bodybuilding-type training I think my arms have already profited from some more direct work.
Today: Chest and Back.
A1: 1-arm straight-arm Pulldown: 25x8; 27,5x8; 30x8; 32,5x8
A2: Chest Press Machine: 35x8; 45x8; 50x8; 55x8
B1: Bench Press: Bar x12; 40x5; 60x5; 80x5
100x5
90x6
90x6
B2: BB Row: 40x8; 60x8; 80x8; 3x8 at 90kg
C: Deadlifts: 60x6; 80x5; 100x5; 120x5; 140x5; 150x5
→ Grip is the limiting factor, will look to do this workout at my PL Club in the future whenever possible so I can use halfway decent bars.
D1: Incline DB Press: 22x10; 30x10; 34x10;
Dropset: 34x10; 28x3; 20x4
D2: “High Row” Machine: 70x12; 90x12; 100x12
Rest/pause set: 100x12; 4; 4 (10 seconds rest)
E: Flye Machine: 40x15; 45x12; 45x15
→ Slow negatives and a 1-second forceful contraction. Last few reps of the last set were partials.
F: Face Pulls: Two sets 65kg x20
G: Some lower back machine: Two sets of 12
Sunday: Legs
A) Seated Leg Curls: 45x8; 50x8; 55x8; 60x8; 65x8
B) Squats: Bar x12; 40x5; 60x5, 80x5; 100x5
120x5
130x5
120x5
120x5
C) Leg Press (4 second eccentric): 100x12; 140x12
160x12
160x12
160x12; 4; 4 → 10 second rest/pause set
D) Romanian Deadlifts: 3x10 with 80kg
E1) Smith Machine Calf Raises: 40x12; 40x15
E2) Seated Calf Raises: 2x20 with 20kg
F) Hanging Leg Raises: 15; 12; 12
Weight is up to a weekly average in the morning of 88,4 kg (average weekly increase so far of 0,366 kg or 0,8 lbs). I’m seeing improvements in the mirror as well, particularly in my chest, which has always been a weak point. I’ll try to keep the weight gain slow and steady until the end of febuary and plan to gain another 1-1,5 kg until then, then reassess.
Monday: Shoulders and arms
A1) 1-arm DB Press: 18x10, 20x10, 22x10, 24x10
A2) Hammer Curls: 14x10; 16x10; 18x10; 20x10
B1) Barbell OHP: 40x5, 50x5, three sets of 60kg x5
B2) Close-grip Pullups: 12x; 10x; 10x; 10x
C1) Reverse Flye Machine: 35x15; 35x15; 35x16
C2) DB Latteral Raises: 3x15 with 10kg DBs, focus on constant tension, not letting the arms get completely vertical.
D) JM Press (had to do them on the incline bench): 3x12 with 40kg
E1) Cable curls: 50x12; 55x12; 55x12
E2) Overhead Cable Extensions: 35x10; 35x10
F1) Band pushdowns: 65x; 40x
F2) Band curls: 55x; 25x
F3) Band Pull-Aparts: 47x
→ No rest on these.
Thursday: Chest & Back
A1: 1-arm straight Pulldown: 25x8, 27,5x8, 30x8, 32,5x10
→ Find it hard to say how much these are really doing for me, but they’re the best in terms of mmc for my Lats.
A2: Machine Chest Press: 35x8, 40x8, 50x8, 55x8
→ I don’t use the same machine here every week, but they’re so similar I don’t really bother writing down which one it is.
B1: Barbell Row: 40x10, 60x10, 80x10
Four sets of 10 with 90kg.
B2: Floor Press: 40x5, 60x5, 80x5
100x5
95x5
95x5
C: Deadlift: 60x5, 100x5, 140x5, 160x3
→ Little short on time so I used bigger jumps than usual.
D1: Incline DB Press: 24x10, 30x10
34x12
34x9
34x8
D2: 70x12, 100x12, 100x12, 100x12, 100x12 (+ 5 reps r/p)
→ Very little rest on this superset.
E1: Flye Machine: Three sets of 45x12 with slow negatives and a 1 second peak contraction.
E2: DB Shrugs: Two sets of 30x12, holding the contraction at the top for a two-count.
Saturday: Legs and Abs
A: Lying Leg Curls: 35x8, 40x8, 45x8, 50x8, 55x8
B: High Bar Squats: Bar x12, 40x6, 60x6, 80x6, 100x6
Four sets of 120kg x6
C: Leg Press: 100x12, 140x12
Three sets of 180x12 plus an additional 8 forced reps (pushing the knees with my hands) after the last set.
D: RDLs: Three sets of 12 with just 60kg. Strangely, my lower back was more fatigued from the high bar squats than it is after my usual competition squat.
E: Hanging Leg Raises: 16x, 14x, 14x
F1: Seated Calf Raises: Two sets of 20x20
F2: Standing Calf Raises: Two sets of 40x15.
Don’t think I’ll ever really get used to the feeling of a massive calf pump.
G: Good ol’ Crunches: 43x
Average morning weight for this week was 89 kg, so far the development was as follows:
Week 0: 87,3
Week 1: 88,1
Week 2: 88
Week 3: 88,4
Week 4: 89
Plus, I actually look leaner in the mirror. So far, the plan seems to be working.
Monday: Shoulders and Arms
A1: 1-arm DB Press: 20x8, 22x8, 24x8, 26x8
A2: Hammer Curls: 16x8, 18x8, 20x8, 22x8
B1: Barbell OHP: 40x5, 50x5, 60x5, 62,5x5, 60x5
B2: Close Grip Pullups: 12x, 10x, 10x, 10x
C1: DB Latteral Raises: 12x18, 12x15, 12x12 +9x8
C2: DB Bent-over Latterals: 18x20 (?), 18x15, 16x15 + 12 x some
→ Last set respectively was a dropset.
D1: Preacher Curls: 15x12, 15x9, 15x9 + 1 (tried a rest/pause set, but doesn’t seem very sensible on these after already going to failure)
D2: Overhead DB Extensions: 24x11, 24x12, 24x12
E1: Band Pushdowns: 80x, 80x
E2: Band Curls: 55x, 50x
Wednesday: Chest & Back
Was very tired. Trained at the PL club today, came in late because of work so had to train alone and didn’t have quite as much time as I’d liked because it was the wresters’ time to use the hall at 19:30, so all rest periods were kinda rushed.
A1 & 2: 1-arm straight-arm Pulldowns and DB Twist Press: 4x8 ramping up in weight.
→ Did Twist Press for the first time, felt uncomfortable so didn’t really push to a very heavy weight.
B1: Bench: Bar x12, 40x5, 60x5, 80x5
100x5
102,5x5
100x5
B2: Seated Cable Row: 7 sets of 10, ramping up in weight. About three I’d consider working sets.
C: Deadlifts: 60x6, 100x5, 140x5, 150x5, 160x5
D1: Incline DB Press: 22,5x10, 30x10, 30x12, 30x11 + 22,5x5 (last set dropset)
D2: Lat Pulldown (neutral grip): 49x12, 63x12, 70x12, 77x12, 77x12
E1: low-to-high cable flyes: 2x15
E2: Face Pulls: 2x20
F: Push Ups: 29 reps
Thursday: Extra Workout Shoulders & Biceps
The adjustable dumbells finally arrived (only took them six weeks or so), so I’ll be doing some short pump workouts at home to offset the otherwise somewhat low frequency.
4x12-15 of Latteral Raises, Bent-over Latteral Raises, Hammer Curls with a light weight.
Friday: Legs & Abs
A) Lying Leg Curls: 40x10, 45x10, 50x10, 55x10
B) High Bar Squats: Bar x12, 40x5, 60x5, 80x5, 100x5
120x5
125x5
125x5
125x5
C) Split Squats (rear foot elevated): BW x12, 20kg x12, 24x12, 24x12 BW x15
Doesn’t sound like a lot, but my whole lower body was certainly feeling it. Single leg work kicks my ass and high bar squats seem to but more of a strain on my lower back than low-bar.
D1) Seated calf raises: 2x20 with 20kg
D2) Standing Calf Raises: 2x15 with 40kg
→ I think my calves have actually gotten bigger since I started doing these five weeks ago.
E) Hanging Leg Raises 17x, 15x, 15x
On my way out of the gym I realized I forgot to do RDLs. Oh well…
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Saturday: Shoulders and Arms
A1) Arnold Press: 20x8, 22x8, 24x8, 24x8
A2) Hammer Curls: 16x8, 18x8, 20x8, 22x8
B1) Push Press: 40x5, 50x5
65x5
65x5
65x5
65x5
B2) Weighted Pull Ups (neutral grip): BW x6, six sets of 15kg x 6
C1) Latteral Raises: 12x20, 12x16, 12x15;8;8
C2) Bent-over Latterals: 18x18, 18x16, 18x16;9;9
→ Last sets were rest/pause sets. Shoulders were pretty much on fire.
D1) JM Press: three sets of 40kg x12
D2) Preacher Curls: 27x12, 27x10, 27x11 + three forced reps with help from GF.
E1) Dips: BW x 22; 17
E2) Band curls: 40 reps
F) Decline Curls 15x, 12x, 10x
Figured since Abs are going to be an important factor for the T-Ransformation challenge I’ll work them more frequently for the next few weeks and see where it takes me.
Overall, I sometimes have a little voice in my head telling me to go back to a program written by a professional, but I’m really happy with the progress I’m seeing in the mirror that I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing for a while longer.
Good choice man! Cos if its working than why change it?
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Average morning weight this week was 89,2 kg, up 200g from last week.
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This past week was pretty stressfull. Worked late every day and didn’t get as much sleep as I would’ve liked.
Wednesday: Back and Chest
Trained late in the evening after a bit of a frustrating day at work. Felt weak and tired and did only about half the usual volume.
Thursday: Extra workout at home.
Did a couple of sets of slight incline DB Presses and Band Pull-Aparts to make up for wednesday.
Friday: Legs and Abs
Finally made it through the week and felt a lot better than wednesday’s session. Did not train calves because the left one started cramping badly after a few reps. Good and productive session all in all.
Saturday (today): Shoulders and Arms (and a little abs)
Had a good workout. Overhead pressing strength wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped but I still got a lot of quality volume in.
I’ve got monday and tuesday off from work which is super nice. Will use those days to prepare some stuff for the rest of the week so I’ve got more time in the evenings and can go to bed a bit earlier.
Average morning weight this week: 89,4kg. Up another 200g.
This week’s training:
Trained back and chest on tuesday, felt good, up to 3x5 at 100kg on floor press , did an extra workout for legs and abs (bulg. split squats and ab whell roll-outs) and another one on wednesday for shoulders (latteral raises and band pull-aparts). Nothing on thursday and then trained legs and abs today (friday). Overall volume is still creeping up slightly bit by bit. I think adding in these very short extra workouts at home was a good idea. Depending on how often I can make it to the gym I either do these as low-intensity feeder workouts to increase recovery or hit it a bit harder.