After an arm workout, measured my arms at 16.75 inches pumped, I am pretty happy with that.
In 2009, they were 15.5 flexed but I was skinny fat then.
A more accurate measure compared to now was 14.75 after my first diet in late 2010.
2 inches since late 2010, not tremendous, but also not bad considering I haven’t ever done much dedicated arm work until the last year or so.
New Squat PR’s:
What do you do for your arms? Mine have been stuck for YEARS and nothing seems to help.
Also, what do you do for your back? I dont seem to recall ever seeing any vids.
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
What do you do for your arms? Mine have been stuck for YEARS and nothing seems to help.
[/quote]
Inspired and based off Mountain Dog Training
Triceps:
Lately, it’s been high volume on V-Bar Pressdowns with Fat Grips. I read the open hand position helps recruit triceps more, so that’s why I use the fat grips. I start really light and high reps really squeezing the contraction and pyramid up in weight to about 6 reps before backing off and getting in a few sets of 10.
I move on to some compound movement. I change it alot because I am very chest/delt dominant and I struggle to find compound movements I like for the triceps. A few I use; bench press with chains, board press, floor press, top half OH Press, push press. I go anywhere from 8 to 12 reps typically. Lately, I have enjoyed hitting additional pressdown sets immediately before OH Pressing which lets me feel the triceps more.
Finish with a stretching OH tricep movement, done for higher reps, 10 to 15.
Biceps:
I focus on squeezing, trying not to be overly concerned about weight.
DB Curls for 10 to 12 reps, 3 sets
Preacher Curls to 8 to 10 reps, 4 sets
Band curl, repping out usually 30 to 35, 2 or 3 sets
Sometimes I do regular barbell or DB curls after preacher curls
I also train arms on 1 of my 2 pressing days weekly (sometimes I press 3 times if I get my legs overly sore and skip a leg day). Never to the point of soreness, but I kind of have a rule for myself that I finish the training with a pretty good arm pump.
Generally speaking, on a pressing day, towards the end of the workout I will get in 3 to 4 sets of tricep pressdowns and 5 to 6 sets of curls.
I do at least 1 and often times 2 arm days per week. Then 2 days of pump work during pressing.
So I guess the key to my recent growth is simply increased volume.
My split has been looking like this:
M - Squat Chains
T - Flat Press (Arm Pump)
W - Back & Arms
Th - Squat and/or Deadlift
F - Incline Press & Back (maybe Arm Pump)
S - Back & Arms
I trained for years focusing on basics and my body looked like someone who just trained the basics. I had OK legs and OK torso, but no arms. I guess shorter individuals with different leverages can get away with that, but my long arms need direct work.
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
Also, what do you do for your back? I dont seem to recall ever seeing any vids.
[/quote]
Back has always been a strength for me (IMO).
Probably the best thing I do for back is high volume deadlifts.
I enjoy 10 sets of 5, I have never experienced total back soreness from rows or chinups the way 10 sets of 5 of deadlifts at a challenging weight makes me feel. Sure, I can get my lats pretty sore from chinup and rows, but even if I focus on pulling to the upperback with rows, it won’t get my rhomboids/traps/etc sore. But tons of deadlifts, leaves my lats, erectors, traps, rhomboids all lit up.
When I do Back and Arms, back is kind of an afterthought. I basically do some rows or chinups to justify all the food I eat on an arm day, lol.
I also throw in some back work in pressing days. Face Pulls, Power Cleans and even rows (not all at once, I pick one) between sets of pressing.
[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
I just finished up a 6 week mini-cut - March 4 to April 15
It was very successful.
High weight immediately before the cut:
195
Weekly average before cut:
191.5
Low weight during last week of cut:
182
Weekly average last week:
183.3
Average weight dropped:
8.2 pounds (and a 13 pound difference between my high and low point).
Average weight loss per week:
1.4 pounds
Macros leading up to the mini-cut:
3637, 69, 502, 244 (cal, fat, carbs, protein)
Macros starting off the mini-cut:
2962, 68, 354, 231
Macros as I finish the mini-cut:
2328, 60, 231, 214
Macros as I head back to lean mass gains:
3263, 66, 424, 235
Looking in the mirror this morning weighing 182, obliques were very crisp, lower back and lats detailed and legs pretty defined. Holdouts were lower abs and glutes. For anyone who has dieted before, once you get fairly lean, the changes with each new pound dropped are pretty dramatic. I feel I could probably be stage ready if I lost 5 more pounds, and was 177. I was 170 on stage a year ago.
Training hasn’t always been the greatest this year due to the added responsibility and time constraints of fostering a child. Looking at a potential 7 pound lean mass gain is pleasing, but I honestly think I can do better over the next year. I am hoping to compete next April. We are done fostering in early June which will free up my time a lot.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENT
With my bodytype and fast metabolism, I find it pretty easy to strip weight/fat but much more challenging to add lean mass.
Thus, I find my time should definitely be spent attempting to make more gains. The lesson I learn from this experiment is that I would be better served going a bit harder but shorter. I think I could safely have dropped the calories/carbs a bit more at the start and only cut for 4 weeks (maybe even 3), but still aimed for about the same weight/fat loss (close to 10 pounds).
I will likely employ this strategy after another 3.5 months of lean gains. I am going on vacation in late August, so August 1st (or there abouts) I will try a stricter and shorter mini-cut and again share my results.
If all goes well, I will be a solid mid 190’s by August 1st and then look to cut back to mid 180’s for vacation. After vacation, would be an extended period of lean mass gains.[/quote]
Finishing up a mass phase, gained 7 pounds in just under 4 months. That doesn’t tell the whole story though.
When I switched from cutting to bulking, my metabolism revved up (as it always does) and my weight continued to dip. I bottomed out at 180 7 weeks after I started bulking. So the gains have been in the last two months and are more like 9 pounds. A bit crazy really, I wouldn’t ever endorse gaining 9 pounds in 2 months, but I felt like I was “due” some of it after having my weight go down even as I was constantly increasing calories and carbs.
This is not a linear game, that is for sure.
Now, I am going to do a mini-cut.
I must mention that I am going on vacation in one week so I have no idea what will happen to my diet at that point (so this may prove to be pointless).
High weight immediately before the cut:
193
Weekly average before cut:
189
Macros leading up to the mini-cut:
3637, 69, 502, 244 (cal, fat, carbs, protein)
Macros starting off the mini-cut:
2720, 64, 310, 223
As stated above, I am going stricter than last time to see if that serves me better.
[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
I just finished up a 6 week mini-cut - March 4 to April 15
It was very successful.
High weight immediately before the cut:
195
Weekly average before cut:
191.5
Low weight during last week of cut:
182
Weekly average last week:
183.3
Average weight dropped:
8.2 pounds (and a 13 pound difference between my high and low point).
Average weight loss per week:
1.4 pounds
Macros leading up to the mini-cut:
3637, 69, 502, 244 (cal, fat, carbs, protein)
Macros starting off the mini-cut:
2962, 68, 354, 231
Macros as I finish the mini-cut:
2328, 60, 231, 214
Macros as I head back to lean mass gains:
3263, 66, 424, 235
Looking in the mirror this morning weighing 182, obliques were very crisp, lower back and lats detailed and legs pretty defined. Holdouts were lower abs and glutes. For anyone who has dieted before, once you get fairly lean, the changes with each new pound dropped are pretty dramatic. I feel I could probably be stage ready if I lost 5 more pounds, and was 177. I was 170 on stage a year ago.
Training hasn’t always been the greatest this year due to the added responsibility and time constraints of fostering a child. Looking at a potential 7 pound lean mass gain is pleasing, but I honestly think I can do better over the next year. I am hoping to compete next April. We are done fostering in early June which will free up my time a lot.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENT
With my bodytype and fast metabolism, I find it pretty easy to strip weight/fat but much more challenging to add lean mass.
Thus, I find my time should definitely be spent attempting to make more gains. The lesson I learn from this experiment is that I would be better served going a bit harder but shorter. I think I could safely have dropped the calories/carbs a bit more at the start and only cut for 4 weeks (maybe even 3), but still aimed for about the same weight/fat loss (close to 10 pounds).
I will likely employ this strategy after another 3.5 months of lean gains. I am going on vacation in late August, so August 1st (or there abouts) I will try a stricter and shorter mini-cut and again share my results.
If all goes well, I will be a solid mid 190’s by August 1st and then look to cut back to mid 180’s for vacation. After vacation, would be an extended period of lean mass gains.[/quote]
Finishing up a mass phase, gained 7 pounds in just under 4 months. That doesn’t tell the whole story though.
When I switched from cutting to bulking, my metabolism revved up (as it always does) and my weight continued to dip. I bottomed out at 180 7 weeks after I started bulking. So the gains have been in the last two months and are more like 9 pounds. A bit crazy really, I wouldn’t ever endorse gaining 9 pounds in 2 months, but I felt like I was “due” some of it after having my weight go down even as I was constantly increasing calories and carbs.
This is not a linear game, that is for sure.
Now, I am going to do a mini-cut.
I must mention that I am going on vacation in one week so I have no idea what will happen to my diet at that point (so this may prove to be pointless).
High weight immediately before the cut:
193
Weekly average before cut:
189
Macros leading up to the mini-cut:
3637, 69, 502, 244 (cal, fat, carbs, protein)
Macros starting off the mini-cut:
2720, 64, 310, 223
As stated above, I am going stricter than last time to see if that serves me better.[/quote]
Looks like your “gaining” period went almost exactly as planned looking through your previous posts! Good job on that. Do you plan to continue the minicut after returning from your vacation? Btw, where are the McBrides headed? I’m interested on your thoughts on starting a minicut after a relatively short period gaining where you seem to have kept it very lean…do you feel that you’ve gotten a little softer than you’d like to before you continue gaining, or is the motive for the minicut entirely for vacation? I know I’d definitely be tempted to stay on the Gainz Train with the progress you’ve been making! Thanks for the update Tim, interested to hear about your minicut and thoughts behind it. Enjoy your trip!
[quote]pwolves17 wrote:
[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
I just finished up a 6 week mini-cut - March 4 to April 15
It was very successful.
High weight immediately before the cut:
195
Weekly average before cut:
191.5
Low weight during last week of cut:
182
Weekly average last week:
183.3
Average weight dropped:
8.2 pounds (and a 13 pound difference between my high and low point).
Average weight loss per week:
1.4 pounds
Macros leading up to the mini-cut:
3637, 69, 502, 244 (cal, fat, carbs, protein)
Macros starting off the mini-cut:
2962, 68, 354, 231
Macros as I finish the mini-cut:
2328, 60, 231, 214
Macros as I head back to lean mass gains:
3263, 66, 424, 235
Looking in the mirror this morning weighing 182, obliques were very crisp, lower back and lats detailed and legs pretty defined. Holdouts were lower abs and glutes. For anyone who has dieted before, once you get fairly lean, the changes with each new pound dropped are pretty dramatic. I feel I could probably be stage ready if I lost 5 more pounds, and was 177. I was 170 on stage a year ago.
Training hasn’t always been the greatest this year due to the added responsibility and time constraints of fostering a child. Looking at a potential 7 pound lean mass gain is pleasing, but I honestly think I can do better over the next year. I am hoping to compete next April. We are done fostering in early June which will free up my time a lot.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENT
With my bodytype and fast metabolism, I find it pretty easy to strip weight/fat but much more challenging to add lean mass.
Thus, I find my time should definitely be spent attempting to make more gains. The lesson I learn from this experiment is that I would be better served going a bit harder but shorter. I think I could safely have dropped the calories/carbs a bit more at the start and only cut for 4 weeks (maybe even 3), but still aimed for about the same weight/fat loss (close to 10 pounds).
I will likely employ this strategy after another 3.5 months of lean gains. I am going on vacation in late August, so August 1st (or there abouts) I will try a stricter and shorter mini-cut and again share my results.
If all goes well, I will be a solid mid 190’s by August 1st and then look to cut back to mid 180’s for vacation. After vacation, would be an extended period of lean mass gains.[/quote]
Finishing up a mass phase, gained 7 pounds in just under 4 months. That doesn’t tell the whole story though.
When I switched from cutting to bulking, my metabolism revved up (as it always does) and my weight continued to dip. I bottomed out at 180 7 weeks after I started bulking. So the gains have been in the last two months and are more like 9 pounds. A bit crazy really, I wouldn’t ever endorse gaining 9 pounds in 2 months, but I felt like I was “due” some of it after having my weight go down even as I was constantly increasing calories and carbs.
This is not a linear game, that is for sure.
Now, I am going to do a mini-cut.
I must mention that I am going on vacation in one week so I have no idea what will happen to my diet at that point (so this may prove to be pointless).
High weight immediately before the cut:
193
Weekly average before cut:
189
Macros leading up to the mini-cut:
3637, 69, 502, 244 (cal, fat, carbs, protein)
Macros starting off the mini-cut:
2720, 64, 310, 223
As stated above, I am going stricter than last time to see if that serves me better.[/quote]
Looks like your “gaining” period went almost exactly as planned looking through your previous posts! Good job on that. Do you plan to continue the minicut after returning from your vacation? Btw, where are the McBrides headed? I’m interested on your thoughts on starting a minicut after a relatively short period gaining where you seem to have kept it very lean…do you feel that you’ve gotten a little softer than you’d like to before you continue gaining, or is the motive for the minicut entirely for vacation? I know I’d definitely be tempted to stay on the Gainz Train with the progress you’ve been making! Thanks for the update Tim, interested to hear about your minicut and thoughts behind it. Enjoy your trip!
[/quote]
X2 on all of this.That’s some good gains Tim and you still look lean as hell In your vids.
[quote]pwolves17 wrote:
Looks like your “gaining” period went almost exactly as planned looking through your previous posts! Good job on that. [/quote]
Kind of went as planned. I had hoped to be a bit heavier, but the extended “dip” when I re-entered the mass phase shorted the gains.
[quote]pwolves17 wrote:
Do you plan to continue the minicut after returning from your vacation? Btw, where are the McBrides headed? [/quote]
Yes, and we are heading to the Catskills in NY.
[quote]pwolves17 wrote:
I’m interested on your thoughts on starting a minicut after a relatively short period gaining where you seem to have kept it very lean…do you feel that you’ve gotten a little softer than you’d like to before you continue gaining, or is the motive for the minicut entirely for vacation? [/quote]
Great question.
Several reasons:
I am a planner. I made a plan and I like to stick to it. When I don’t stick to my plans, I usually regret it later. (That said, I am not against making smart adjustments. For example, I have been squatting intensely on Monday, well, I was coming off several midnight shifts so I went with bench press today due to being very tired and will move Squat to tomorrow)
If I would do the April 2013 show, contest diet would start in January. In April when I started the mass phase, I basically had 8.5 months to work with, so I figured I would basically split it into two mass phases with a mini-cut in between to clean things up.
Partially related to vanity, but realistically, it will be in the 60’s in the mountains of New York, so shirt will probably stay on. : )
For some reason, softness tends to “just happen” with me. It’s like a threshold I cross. I was feeling lean and the videos attest to that up until very recently. But yes, I started to feel a tad soft so it made sense to stick to my plan and tighten it up.
[quote]jppage wrote:
X2 on all of this.That’s some good gains Tim and you still look lean as hell In your vids.[/quote]
Thanks jppage!
[quote]pwolves17 wrote:
I know I’d definitely be tempted to stay on the Gainz Train with the progress you’ve been making! [/quote]
The Gains have been sweet!
But if I have learned anything from my last two cuts, it is that you can maintain strenght very well (and gain) as long as you;
All of these are on point with me.
Maybe I can keep the gains coming, today I had a great bench day in spite of being much lower carbs the last 4 days and working 2 midnight shifts. Although, I have to give some credit to caffeine, lol.
I hit 300 paused (after 290 paused), then 267.5 for 5 reps.
I admit my pause needs work, timed it at 0.57 seconds for the rep with 300 (based on 17 frames at 30 frames/second). I’d like to get it with a full second on my chest next time.
Vacation was a blast, here is a video summary:
More updates to come…
[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
3. Partially related to vanity, but realistically, it will be in the 60’s in the mountains of New York, so shirt will probably stay on. : ) [/quote]
Cool video, thanks for posting. I notice you just so happen to find a reason to get that shirt off after all…
Looking good man. Always like your metabolism. I defiantly would of kept gaining but that’s me.
On the bench keep you butt on the bench. Don’t let it shoot up like that. Or maybe I am wrong I am pretty sure the plers say to keep it down.
I just now discovered this thread, Tim. 22 pages…I’ve got a lot of catching up to do and I’ll definitely be following from now on.
[quote]Lonnie123 wrote:
[quote]timmcbride00 wrote:
3. Partially related to vanity, but realistically, it will be in the 60’s in the mountains of New York, so shirt will probably stay on. : ) [/quote]
Cool video, thanks for posting. I notice you just so happen to find a reason to get that shirt off after all…[/quote]
Glad you enjoyed the video.
We were lucky, in Pennsylvania the week prior to vacation, it was a high of upper 60s.
Therefore, we figured we are traveling northwards and going into higher elevations, it wasn’t going to be warm. However, the weather changed and we had mid to upper 70s all week and no rain. It was a perfect vacation!
So yes, the shirt was coming off, I can’t pass up swim holes!
[quote]ryanbCXG wrote:
Looking good man. Always like your metabolism. I defiantly would of kept gaining but that’s me.
[/quote]
Don’t worry, I will get the metabolism revving again. I will probably terminate the mini-cut at the end of this week and go for another long mass phase.
[quote]ryanbCXG wrote:
On the bench keep you butt on the bench. Don’t let it shoot up like that. Or maybe I am wrong I am pretty sure the plers say to keep it down. [/quote]
Not saying my butt has never left the bench because it has, but most of that motion is actually the glute contraction. Ever lay on the floor and contract the glutes and watch how much your hips rise? Almost 1.5 to 2 inches depending on the size of your glutes.
I will throw up a video from the side soon.
BTW, read the above statement as nicely as possible, I am not tring to be argumentative. I do appreciate form critique. : )
[quote]iDrDan wrote:
I just now discovered this thread, Tim. 22 pages…I’ve got a lot of catching up to do and I’ll definitely be following from now on. [/quote]
Glad to have you on board, I look forward to your input.
Plus, there’s been a lot of good discussion in this thread already.
When you have time, you should check out the 2010 mock contest prep thread, CT was fairly active in that. (linked from the first post in this thread)
As promised, here are a few videos:
My thoughts/experiment with coming back from a layoff
In addition to the strength loss from inactivity, it should be noted that I am about 6 to 8 pounds lighter now compared to when I was hitting similar weights/reps pre-vacation. I expect that as I transition back to lean gaining and increase the carbs that my numbers will begin to climb much easier.
I am floating between 182 to 184 where as when I was hitting those numbers before I was 188 to 190.
Butt check with 295x1 and 261x5 with almost identical weight to some previous videos
Butt almost comes off on the 5th rep with 261, but otherwise, good contact is maintained. I think the video illustrates the fair amount of up and down hip motion that occurs from the glute contraction/relaxation during a bench press rep.
Great videos Tim thanks for posting.Glad the vacation was great buddy.
I feel dirty for watching that. I am going to shower now. Yep I was wrong. And I do know how much it can change based on contraction. The previous angle didn’t help. This was all glute angle though. My eyes hurt. Anyways I shouldn’t critique form as mine sucks and I am no plers.
@ JPpage
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
[quote]ryanbCXG wrote:
I feel dirty for watching that. I am going to shower now. Yep I was wrong. And I do know how much it can change based on contraction. The previous angle didn’t help. This was all glute angle though. My eyes hurt. Anyways I shouldn’t critique form as mine sucks and I am no plers. [/quote]
Sorry Ryan, I guess it should have come with a warning, lol.
Critiques are always welcome, but just remember, that disgusting videos may follow. : )
Here is a non-disgusting video, no warning necessary.
Haven’t done levers in ages, front lever felt great (one-legged version that is, I haven’t progressed to two legs). Held the lever for about 10 seconds for 3 sets. Then did a few “rep” sets, not on video. Dips are from a different training day.
Highlights from an arm workout:
Still following your posts. I just can not get over how you chisel down. As for me, when I layoff 2 weeks, squat is down 40 lbs, bench 20 lbs and it will take me 2 months to get it back, assuming I am at the top of my game.
[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
Still following your posts. I just can not get over how you chisel down. As for me, when I layoff 2 weeks, squat is down 40 lbs, bench 20 lbs and it will take me 2 months to get it back, assuming I am at the top of my game.[/quote]
Thanks for following along!
Chiseling down is the easy part for me, getting big takes work. Time for me to get big.
Regarding the lay off and mini cuts and maintaining strength, usually I plan intelligently and maintain strength pretty well with the cut and/or mini cut. However, as you will see in my post below, I didn’t plan so well this time and I ended up dropping strength.
I am going to lower my expectations for a bit and I hope to be on top of my game in a month or two.
Last Mini-Cut: March 4 to April 15
Average weight dropped:
8.2 pounds (and a 13 pound difference between my high and low point).
Average weight loss per week:
1.37 pounds
Macros leading up to the mini-cut:
3637, 69, 502, 244 (cal, fat, carbs, protein)
Macros starting off the mini-cut:
2962, 68, 354, 231
Macros as I finish the mini-cut:
2328, 60, 231, 214
Macros as I head back to lean mass gains:
3263, 66, 424, 235
WHAT I WOULD SAID I WOULD DO DIFFERENT NEXT TIME
With my bodytype and fast metabolism, I find it pretty easy to strip weight/fat but much more challenging to add lean mass.
Thus, I find my time should definitely be spent attempting to make more gains. The lesson I learn from this experiment is that I would be better served going a bit harder but shorter. I think I could safely have dropped the calories/carbs a bit more at the start and only cut for 4 weeks (maybe even 3), but still aimed for about the same weight/fat loss (close to 10 pounds).
This Mini-Cut: August 9 to September 9
Average weight dropped:
6.5 pounds (and a 12 pound difference between my high and low points).
Average weight loss per week (4.4 weeks):
1.47 pounds
Weekly average before cut:
189
Weekly average finishing the cut:
182.5
Macros leading up to the mini-cut:
3637, 69, 502, 244 (cal, fat, carbs, protein)
Macros starting off the mini-cut:
2720, 64, 310, 223
Macros finishing up to the mini-cut:
2733, 97, 236, 227 (more eggs in diet, reduced carbs due to the added fat)
Macros starting off the next bulk phase:
3514, 86, 394, 284
Notes about this mini-cut:
Lost slightly more per week than last cut (1.47 vs 1.37). I was hoping to be slightly more aggressive but vacation played a role in that.
I noted that I started off the cut more aggressive in terms of macros, but didn’t finish as aggressive as the previous one (higher calories and fat).
Diet changed during this process. I began to take in less whey (didn’t bring it on vacation and then decided to make it a permanent change), more eggs, so my balance of carbs and fat has changed.
Starting off next lean mass phase more aggressive; 250 more calories, more fat and more protein while nearly the same amount of carbs. I lost weight last transition to a lean mass phase because my metabolism adjusts so quickly to the increased food.
Notes for future mini-cuts:
I will not do a mini-cut through vacation or after vacation. Strength has been an issue (despite my previous video) recently.
I realize that combining the strength loss of a 9 day layoff from workouts with the lowered carbs and calories of a mini-cut = impaired strength levels.
Any future mini-cuts will be completed before vacations and I will get back to a regular diet immediately after vacation to help my body recover and adjust to working out again. The shock of getting back into workouts and eating lower carb has definitely impacted strength over the past two weeks.
Shorter duration and stricter is definitely the way to go for me (so I can get back to lean mass phases). Next time I run a mini-cut, I may even shoot for just 3 weeks.
Final realization - and I really don’t know if there is a cure for this. But I have spent so long being pretty lean, that I truly have a hard time getting soft. Watching a recent 3DMJ video where Alberto Nunez discussed this issue. It definitely impacts the lean mass phases. It’s not that I will be careless with my lean mass phase, but I recognize that I need to be a little less strict with myself in terms of how soft I get. Of course, recognizing a problem and implementing the solution are two entirely different things.
Very good info and insight Tim, I enjoy your analytical style…very good use of personal experience combined with smart thinking