lol
on a serious note…
I’ve gained a real respect for anyone who has managed to stick to a full-on bulk for five months or longer. I don’t know if it’s the two-a-days basically every training day that are wearing me down, or the constant eating, or the lack of vegetables in my diet (I should have them all the time except for my post-meal, but I don’t always do so), or all of the above. I had the opportunity to do a back thickness session last Saturday as the PM session after training chest in the AM, but my family was going out to a buffet for dinner and rather than rush through the workout, I decided to slow down, skip it and join them.
after reading that, I realized that maybe I’m being a little too hard on myself, after all my parents and grandma won’t live forever, and when the day comes that they finally pass away I highly doubt I’ll regret not having spent more time in the gym. I’ll probably regret not having spent more time with them.
that being said, I should be going to sleep soon so I can get up earlier than 7 or 8 and deadlift/shrug in the AM and row in the PM… and hopefully have more time during the day for stuff that really matters: family, relationships, and friends. and just slow down and smell the roses instead of rushing to eat or train because I didn’t get up early enough.
eggs, oats, a pear and natty pb for bfast.
deadlift/shrugs
5/3/1 deadlift
cycle 1 working max 300
week 2: 210x3, 240x3, 270x3+(6)
GM
105x10^ had to slow down by the end but did not cheat.
95x12, took a mini-breather after rep 9 and banged out 3 more reps.
85x13
bb shrug
265x10^, squeezed the last rep for good measure.
db shrug
115x10^, in a few weeks I’m gonna have to start setting rep records with the db’s, or switch to plate loaded machines.
bb shrug
265x10 x10, grip was giving out at the end.
245x12
225x13
db shrug
115x10 x10
105x13
95x13 5 sec holds. � grip is frieddd.
startrac seated leg curl. � I was having a hard time feeling my hammies work so I switched to this machine.
195x15. � needs more domination.
195x8 x6
180x8
165x10. another week or two at this amount of volume before I start throwing burnouts in. I’m scaredd =x
calf machine shrug
255x15^ dominated, down the stack next week.
255x13 x11
240x14
225x15
burnouts
15g of bcaa’s in my shake for these long sessions seems to be doing the trick. I felt strong throughout.
post-meal was teriyaki chicken, Chinese white chicken, white rice and a scoop of protein in my Gatorade. unfortunately the white chicken is fairly fatty and bony, hence the extra protein. I stripped whatever visible fat was on the chicken.
edit: lolol it took me an hour to eat all the cot damn chicken. it was a frickin chore to eat by the end with how dry it was.
also I was checking my massles in the mirror before I jumped in the shower… HOLY HOT DAMN my upper pecs form a legit 2" shelf from my clavicles when I flex them. when I started bulking I had a little baby shelf up there.
pre-meal for the PM session was a container of Chinese white chicken (skin on for some pieces), 2 cups cooked quinoa with 2 tbsp EVOO and a bowl of sauteed Chinese cabbage.
back width
wide grip pullup
BWx9, failed to dead hang the last rep.
underhand x10
close x9
wide grip lat pulldown
180x10, back cheated last two reps.
wide grip pullup x7 x7
underhand x7 x6
close x7 x6
wide grip lat pulldown
180x9 (cheated last 1) x8 (cheated last 3)
165x13, cheated last 2
150x12, cheated last 2
straight arm pulldown (ropes were taken)
42.5kg x15 x10 x10
37.5x11
32.5x12
burnouts
face pull
47.5kg x10, couldn’t even feel my rear delts working anymore, I think they’re fried. Â no more face pulls on back width day.Â
reverse cable flye
7.5kg x15, there they are!
7.5 x7+7 x8+6 x8+6 x9+6
I was running late for my gf coming over so I slammed a p/c/bcaa shake. when she left I had a plate of spaghetti and a protein shake.
also, my mom called me fat. thanks mom…
Dude, bulking is mentally hard as fuck. Whether you’re naturally skinny, naturally fat, whatever - it sucks being kind of heavy. You can only be so strict and make progress which sucks, unless you’re in the 5% of people who make extraordinary progress pretty quickly. Stick with it man… it’s not like you haven’t been killing it making progress and shit.
[quote]SSC wrote:
Dude, bulking is mentally hard as fuck. Whether you’re naturally skinny, naturally fat, whatever - it sucks being kind of heavy. You can only be so strict and make progress which sucks, unless you’re in the 5% of people who make extraordinary progress pretty quickly. Stick with it man… it’s not like you haven’t been killing it making progress and shit.[/quote]
yea it’s a bit rough because the general public usually doesn’t understand the concept of gaining mass. I’ve shown friends my avi pic and they tell me “why would you want to get bigger, you looked great etc” and when I tell them I’m lacking size in places they think I’m crazy. I’m grateful that my close friends aren’t the negative type (like my mom, lawl) and that none of them have discouraged me. but then you run into everyone else who’s like “you’re eating all the time, that’s too much, you’re big enough, why are you doing this bla bla”.
thankfully there are like-minded nutjobs on this site that understand the process and encourage development.
pre-meal was quinoa, chicken and some Chinese cabbage.
bb ohp
145x8, not bad for the first week at this weight, but I’m really starting to see where my lack of ab training and GPP is hurting me. Â The last rep couldve been stronger.
CGBP
215x10, stalled a tiny bit near lockout of the 10th rep, just enough to make my spotter almost touch the bar. Must dominate next week. Must also stay tighter through the set.
bb ohp
145x6 x5
125x8
105x11
CGBP
195x8 (+1 rep)
175x9 (+1 rep)
front db raise
25x15^, lawl had to use plates, both pairs of db’s were taken. Â Must be careful not to go too high and involve the traps.
25x14 x14
20x14
15x20
Glass raise (no rest)
25x12 x10 x10. Much better feel in the delt when doing one arm at a time and when forearm and bicep are perpendicular to each other. Better MMC with left wtf?
20x11
15x13
pushdownsÂ
120x15^ x10 x8
110x8
100x11
burnouts
cable lateral flye
20x15^ x13 x12+8 partials owwww no rest alternating arms, strict form with hold at top.
face pull
100x10^ x9 x8
90x9
80x10. Â Better MMC when starting the movement with keeping hands supinated.
reverse cable flye
7.5kgx15 x12 x10, better MMC when I keep my thumbs pointing up throughout the move.
7.5kg7 full + 7 short
6+6
6+6
LOOOLOLOL I supersetted some standing rope ab crunches and oblique crunches in between my cable rear flyes, my ab endurance is SHIT, I cramped up on my 2nd set of crunches. Â But at least now I know where I can sneak some ab work in.
post-meal was spaghetti, chicken breastisses and Gatorade.
eggs and a freaking load of quinoa for breakfast.
squat/quads
bb squat
205x10^, ehh good enough considering I spent more time in the hole making sure I got to depth.
front squat (switched back to crossover grip)
115x9, at first I thought it felt weird but then I realized that I felt it a lot more in my quads this week. Â I must be doing it right.
back squat
185x12 (+1 rep)
165x16 (+1 rep) fuuuuuaaa the world spun a bit at the last two reps.
front squat
95x11 x10
standing calf raise
165x10, repeat and dominate next week. (supersetted some ab work here)
165x6 x6
150x7
135x6
startrac leg extensions
135x15, dominate next week with a squeeze.
135x10 x9
120x9, don’t puke don’t puke don’t puke don’t puke
105x11 don’t. puke.
I BURPED THANK GOD.
seated calf raise
100x12 x9 x9
80x7 x6
post-meal was a hamburger (no cheese), fries, Snapple (no HCFS woo) and one of my gf’s chicken fingers.
side note: I went to a small jewelry store to try and sell old Tiffany rings that my ex and I used to wear. the guy wouldn’t even look at them and told me the titanium/sterling silver combo was worth 1/55th the same weight in gold. fuuuuuaaaaaaaaaa
I’ll be going back for a back thickness session as soon as I’m done eating again. figured I’d post what a “freaking load of quinoa” looks like to me: boatload of quinoa | fr0ivian | Flickr
I just went through CB’s “Pull My Finger, Bitch” log and DAMN it’s motivating.
Mind if i ask what are some of your specific goals buddy? BTW looking strong on those pressing movements man.
hmm I should put them on the first page:
short-term (by end of December)
- weigh in at 210 as cleanly as possible
- continue adding at least 10-20 lb a month to every lift (squat likely to increase more due to finally being injury-free and fixing form)
- balance out shoulder development
medium-term (through to next summer)
- hold 210 through march, then cut for 12-16 weeks, re-evaluate physique
- continue adding at least 10-20 lb a month to every lift (I expect this to slow significantly, especially after march), re-evaluate 1RM for big lifts
long-term
- at least 1000 lb total (315 lb bench and squat, 405 lb dead), and 2pps seated ohp
- 190-200 lb at 10-15% bf
- basically be decently strong and look the part, with more emphasis on looks
thanks for the compliment on the pressing. I don’t think it’s anything special though especially my ohp (totally jealous of those who can ohp 1.5 pps or more).
pic of pre-meal above.
back thickness + bis
pendlay row
185x10, less back hitch next time on reps 8-10.
db deadstop row
115x8
pendlay row
165x12
BB row
145x15 (+10 lb +3 reps) my lower back must be getting stronger…
fucking ME smith bench guy tapped me for two spots…
db row
115x8 why is this the same as the deadstop set?? Â I must have cheated more…
105x10
95x12
hammer curls
60x7 x5 x5, was gonna do EZbar curls but my wrist felt funny, then after doing a couple of these curls my right bi felt funny so I decided not to push it.
face pull
100x10x3
90x12
80x15. Â all sets were done with looser form than on shoulder day.
seated cable rowÂ
135x15, much cleaner, must dominate next week.
120x12
105x12
burnouts
reverse cable flye
7.5kgx15x3, looser form.
standing rope curls
52.5kgx11 x10 x8
47.5kgx8
42.5kgx8
burnouts
post-meal was a burger patty, a cup or so of white rice and a p/c shake. idk why but my appetite after PM sessions is typically shitty regardless of what I trained.
so sometimes when I go in for my PM session, this older guy (40’s) is doing his chest workout. nice guy, unremarkable development, wears his belt all the time blabla. he will yell UP at the bottom of whatever chest press he’s doing, will do a few sets of six reps and move on to a different press machine/station. I had the misfortune of him asking me for a spot when I was doing my Pendlay/BB rows. last week he asked me for a spot between sets of deads. this wouldn’t be so bad if he could lift past the third rep… from the fourth rep on, I had to spot him more and more just to keep the bar moving. by the sixth rep I probably took half of what was on the bar (2pps) while the poor guy writhed and struggled under the bar (no homo?). lol I should post this in the Gym Etiquette thread.
eggs, a bit of leftover quinoa, two bananas, an apple and 3-4 tbsp natty pb for breakfast.
chest+medial delts
incline bench
205x8 (-1 rep), probably the first time in a while I’ve failed to progress here. not sure what to blame this on except maybe that I usually hit chest 1st day in the week, and this is the end of the week.
flat bench
225x9 (-1 rep) fuck fuck fuck. last week’s 10th rep looked better than this week’s 9th rep.
incline bench
205xskipped, beating PR’s is not gonna happen today.
185x7 >_< just realized that not only am I doing chest at the end of the week instead of the beginning, I also did tris with shoulders a few days ago…
165x9, back to even with two weeks ago.
flat bench
225xskipped
205x7 (+1 rep)
185x9
Glass raises
25x13 x10 x10
20x13
15x15
cable flyes
80x10 x7 x6 (supersetted some abz)
70x8
60x7
burnouts
cable lateral raise
20x15 x12 x12+10 partials owwwww
30# partials x10 owwwww
50# partials x10 aarrrggghhh
post-meal was hamburger, white rice and Gatorade.
I bumped into a buddy of mine and asked him to spot me on my all-out set of flat BB bench. when I racked it after the 9th rep, he asked me why I didn’t go for 10. when I told him that last week’s 10th rep looked better than today’s 9th rep and that I wasn’t gonna push it because no progress was being made today, he just looked at me weird O.o
no gym until next Friday due to work. however, after five full days off I will be very disappointed if I don’t smash through my bench press numbers.
we went to Maggiano’s last night for a friend’s bday dinner and I gorged myself on a lot of pasta, salt, cheese and meatsss
I weighed myself this morning at 207, yesterday morning was 204
bloatttt
I should go test a 1RM
Ha, do it man! Do some nasty squats or a DL or something.
And no big on the chest stuff my man. Not every sessions can be awesome. If it was wed all be benching 495 for 6-15 and putting up 3000 pound totals, amirite?!
Ha, do it man! Do some nasty squats or a DL or something.
And no big on the chest stuff my man. Not every sessions can be awesome. If it was wed all be benching 495 for 6-15 and putting up 3000 pound totals, amirite?!
ehh yea I was just used to pwning the bar every week. but I’ll pwn it hard Friday. I’m thinking of dinner Thursday at an all you can eat sushi place, pile on the soy sauce and white rice, and do some db clean and presses as part of my warmup or maybe just more strong singles before I hit the work set.
hmm maybe I should just go for bloat all day Thursday while I’m at it.
edit: another patient described me as heavyset today, when his nurse tried to clarify who I was he said “yea that guy, the one who looks like a linebacker.”
[Borat]great success[Borat]?
so I tried for a bloat yesterday, here’s what I ate throughout the work day:
10 eggs (3 whole 7 white)
3-4 cups white rice
1.5 lb smoked salmon with 4-5 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup of dry roasted salted almonds
shaker cup of Gatorade, >40g beef protein, ~4 tbsp EVOO
breakfast today was 3/4 plate of quinoa, 10 eggs (4 whole 6 whites) and a shaker cup of Gatorade.
chest+medial delts
incline bench
205x10, not satisfied with the 10th rep, it stalled for a second about halfway up. Â I might be flaring my elbows out on some reps and touching higher up my chest than I have in the past.
flat bench
225x10, stalled halfway up on the 10th rep again. Â it feels like I might have pulled something in my left pec insertion after inclines but it felt fine here. Â I haven’t progressed in my tricep pressing for a few weeks due to squeezing tri work into other days and I think it’s catching up to me.
incline bench
205x4 x4
185x8 (+1 rep)
165x9, lost count, I think I hit at least 9 reps, same as last week.
flat bench
225x4 x4
205x6, RP, x2
185x9, RP, x2
Glass raises
25x15, need to clean up last two reps. x11 x11 (+2 reps on all-out set, +1 on next 2)
20x15 (+2 reps)
15x17 (+2 reps)
cable flyes
80x12 (+2 reps) x8 (+1 rep) x7 (+1 rep)
70x10 (+2 reps)
60x9 (+2 reps)
burnouts
2 hours in at this point. Â feels like I should cut out cable laterals on this day and save the work for shoulder day.
post-meal was baked salmon, white rice and a p/c shake.
I’m pretty sure I failed at the bloat as I hardly gained any weight overnight (probably didn’t drink enough fluids?). I did improve over the last chest session, so maybe next week I’ll bust through. I definitely tweaked something in my left pec but I felt ok throughout the session. it doesn’t feel like it impacted my ohp or any shoulder movements though which is good. I’ll definitely make a point to progress on my arms day to try and get through that sticking point halfway up my bench press.
breakfast: oats with EVOO (ran out of pb), eggs and a banana.
back thickness
pendlay row
185x10 PR REPS less back hitch on last rep and then 195.
db deadstop row
115x10 PR REPS needs cleaning up on last 2 reps.
pendlay row
165x14 (+2 reps)
BB row
145x16 (+1 rep) wooo bit woozy getting up.
PR REPS for both sets.
db row
115x10 (+2 reps) lol I got called out for resting “too much” =X but I know I couldn’t have gotten the last 2 reps clean otherwise.
105x12 (+2 reps) fuckkk dyingg might puke don’t puke
95x17 (+5 reps) lololol I thought I had to beat 15 reps, must be getting delirious. Â I need to progress after next week, these “lighter sets” are killer. had to Kroc up the last 2 reps.
PR REPS on all sets.
seated cable rowÂ
135x15^ fml, good enough. Â at this point I need to rest more just so I don’t puke.
120x14 (+2 reps) shit…
105x14 (+2 reps)
burnouts
face pull
100x10x4 (+1 set)
90x13 (+1 rep)
80x16 (+1 rep)
reverse cable flye
7.5kgx15x3, supersetted cable side bends.
post-meal was BBQ roast pork, white rice and Gatorade.
that session was BRUTAL. I’m not sure I could’ve managed that kind of intensity if this session was my 2nd of the day. thankfully, I’m off work until next Friday so I can afford to do one session a day until then. hopefully that means I will be setting a lot of PR’s this week.
we stayed at a fancy hotel overnight for our 3rd anniversary, so I didn’t get breakfast until about two hours after waking. but I had:
4 whole eggs, a big banana pancake, French toast, home fries, bacon, Canadian bacon, sausage, and Taylor ham (pork roll to you non-Jerseyans). I walked out of the diner with very, very severe itis.
5/3/1 deadlift
cycle 1 working max 300
week 3: 225x5, 255x3, 285x1+(8) REP PR prob by 2-3 reps. the bar went up FAST. I prob could’ve gotten a few more reps.
wth. let’s get a new 1RM.
315x1
335x1. went up like it was 20 lb lighter.
355x1. Â can handle more.
365x1. overhand grip fail. got the bar 2" off the ground and dropped it. got super dizzy too.
365x1 PR+30 lb BANG alternating grip success!Â
GM
115x10^, slowed down again by the end but all reps were pretty clean. the load is heavy enough at this point that I can clearly feel it in my back, hams and glutes.
105x11 (+1 rep)
95x13 (+1 rep)
bb shrug
275x10^, up to 285 next week.
db shrug
120x10^ PR+10 definitely gonna have to set rep records or switch to a machine after next week.
bb shrug
275x10 x8, grip gave out.
255x9
235x8, grip donezo.
db shrug
120x10 x10
110x11 (+5 lb -2 reps)
100x10 5 sec holds (+5 lb -3 reps)
startrac seated leg curl
195x15^ dominated.
195x10 (+2 reps) x9 (+3 reps)
180x10 (+2 reps)
165x12 (+2 reps)
burnout (1 set) will add a burnout set every week until I feel like my hams hate me enough, or until it negatively impacts my squat, then I’ll back off.
calf machine shrug
270x15, PR +15 lb must dominate more next week.
270x12 (+15 lb -1 rep) x10 (+15 lb -1 rep)
255x13 (+15 lb -1 rep)
240x13 (+15 lb -2 reps)
burnouts
not sure what’s for dinner yet but I’ll get something appropriate from Moe’s, probably a white rice/double chicken/tomatoes rice bowl.