[quote]phlegms wrote:
Killing it as always, this log always gives me some nice and high numbers to shoot for!
I definitely feel you on the longing for Uni. right now, I’ve been working a crap job 50 hours a week all summer and have never wanted to get back to Uni. so much. The anticipation is starting to hurt… [/quote]
What year you going back into? 50 hours a week? Damn. I’ve probably logged <1 hour p/day on average earning money this summer. That’s one aspect of life I’ve far from nailed yet… Ironically I’ve not done much either this summer because I’ve not had the money to. (a week in Turkey at the start of the holidays was the end of my finances)
t-minus 1 week till student finance though! praise the lord, my life will be back on track.
[quote]jake_j_m wrote:
I still think I’m switching to pull-downs for awhile though… something like once I can rep the stack I’ll go back to pull-ups! ha… no idea if I’ll be using straps on those but I will experiment and see how it feels… [/quote]
For whatever it’s worth, have ya ever thought about doing your lat thickness work first and your width exercises second? I’m seeing your pull-ups were first in your routine. I’ve always had decent success with doing thickness stuff first, as usually it seems like those are going to be the heavier “money” moves. I can definitely understand if lat width is a priority for you, though.
Also, just spitballing here (because why not, lol,) if you’re doing pull-downs you may want to keep pull-ups in there as well, they are sort of working different areas, especially depending on your grip width. I guess if I’m going for nothing but lat width, doing 2-3 sets of pulldowns with a narrow grip and then beasting out anywhere from 1-3 sets of assisted(or not) pull-ups to really focus on the lats.
Anyway, just some ideas to tinker with. Keep putting in work bro.
[quote]phlegms wrote:
Killing it as always, this log always gives me some nice and high numbers to shoot for!
I definitely feel you on the longing for Uni. right now, I’ve been working a crap job 50 hours a week all summer and have never wanted to get back to Uni. so much. The anticipation is starting to hurt… [/quote]
What year you going back into? 50 hours a week? Damn. I’ve probably logged <1 hour p/day on average earning money this summer. That’s one aspect of life I’ve far from nailed yet… Ironically I’ve not done much either this summer because I’ve not had the money to. (a week in Turkey at the start of the holidays was the end of my finances)
t-minus 1 week till student finance though! praise the lord, my life will be back on track.[/quote]
I’m starting third year this year (out of 4). On the working thing, I always try to get a horrible job for the summer I hate so it gives me extra motivation to do well in Uni for the rest of the year!
@SSC: Regarding the lat width and thickness stuff it’s just the way I see a lot of programmes set up in bodybuilders… either way is probably fine though and I’m likely to switch round the sequencing if I want to change my focus a little. I’m not really sure what my priority is out of width or thickness so I’m just trying to go broke on both for now lol!
Part of me wants to do both pull-ups and pull-downs but I do have a tendancy to try and “do every good exercise in one routine” which can sometimes count against me… I was thinking of just allowing myself some (hopefully) easy progression via wide-grip lat pulldowns followed by V-handle lat pulldowns on the heaviest sets. As I’ve never done them as a priority movement I’m hoping I can bring up my strength on them to match my rowing… then when I go back to pull-ups or add them in I should be able to progress again very quickly with my new-found lat strength.
@Phlegms: Sounds like a good idea man… I wish I’d have worked “properly” this summer as my financial situation would be a lot better now. Still, I’m going to really give it my all as this is my final year unless I stop on for a masters…
@gregron: who knows, I’m glad you delete it though- means I still <3 you
Ok so I posted a huge essay & it decided to delete all my training logging as well as that so here goes again… minus the essay. (perhaps its trying to tell me something?)
Quads & Calves (KG/LB)
Front Squat
80/176 x 8 - 90/198 x 6 - 100/220 x 3 - 110/242 x 1 easy PR (could have gone higher)… I have AT LEAST 120/264 in me on a good day for sure…
Leg Press
200/440 x 8 - 210/462 x 6 - 220/484 x 4
Post-fatigue Squat
100/220 x 8 - 110/242 x 6 - 120/264 x 3
Leg Extension (setting no.)
4 x 12 - 5 x 5~
DC-Style Sissy Squat Stretch x some
Weighted Calf Raise w/5 sec neg. & 3 sec hold (setting no.)
8 x 8 - 9 x 8 - 10 x 8 - 11 x 6 PR - 12 x 5 PR (overall volume PR)
Leg Press Calf raise
170/374 x 12 - 180/396 x 12 - 190/418 x 7 (probably volume pr)
DC-Style Weighed Calf Stretch - setting 16 x some
My legs had nothing in them today. No reps felt easy and the working weights are short of what they should be on the leg press and fatigued backs… glycogen/fried cns/whatever/mmc… don’t know what the problem was but I’m strongly considering switching around shoulder day & quad day so I have an extra day between back and legs.
Solid front squats buddy. I definetely think you should switch around the days so you get more time inbetween back and leg day. Both in regards to overlapping muscle groups and CNS “freshness” so to speak.
@phlegms: Honestly my increases should be pretty consistant from here on out with them… might seem I’m a way off at the moment based on that session but providing I come in fresh I’m hoping to get in the 120/264 for reps region pretty quickly… once I manage 130/284 for a triple I’ll be giving the 3 plates a shot.
@whatever2k: I will give it a try this next week coming… sure shoulders would be two days after chest… but right now I only do one pressing variation on shoulder day and I don’t think slightly fatigued tri’s will have a major impact… looking forward to being able to hit the leg days harder!
DB Military (couple notches inclined) (not counting tough rep to get weight up)
25/55s x 12 - 27/60s x 12 (set #2 PR) - 32/70 x 6 match pr (overall volume PR for exercise)
DB Seated Laterals (fairly loose form as focus is kept on side delt by having feet up)
14.5/32s x 10 - 17/37s x 7 PR
DB Front Raise (standing, decent form, arms kept close to hammer-grip position)
14.5/32 x 10 - 18.5/41 x 6 PR
Lateral Machine (setting no.)(this thing is AMAZING, however my uni gym one is terrible…)
4 x 12 - 5 x 12 (set #2 PR) - 6 x 7 PR
Reverse Pec Dec (squeezing rear delts)
20/44 x 12 - 30/66 x 12 - 40/88 x 8 PR
Incline Bench R. Delt Raise
17.5s x 12, 13, 8 (easily overall volume/rep PR, I’ve finally grasped the feel of these)
Deadstop BB Shrug
110/242 x 10 (set #1 PR) - 120/262 x 10 - 130/286 x 7 PR
DB Shrug w/3 second hold
70s x 10 - 80s x 10 - 90s x 7.5 PR - no hold - 114s x 11
@pbclax1: If my progress in everything including them doesn’t speed up considerably from 1 weeks time onward then there’s something seriously wrong… I’ll be living 5 minutes walk from my campus gym which has great equipment and a decent atmosphere… it’s on for real then!
ARM DAY (KG/LB)
Dips (upright for tris)
BW x 8 - 10/22 x 8 - 20/44 x called it here today, they felt terrible
DB Preacher Curls
14.6/32s x 8 - 15.6/34s x 8 - 17.6/39s x 4
CGBP
70/154 x 8 - 78/172 x 8 - 85/187 x 3
DB Alt. Curl
17.6/39s x 10 - 18.6/41s x 4
DB Hammer Curl
18.6/41s x 10 - 19.6/43s x 8 PR
DB Skullcrusgers
15.6/34s x 12 - 16.6/37s x 10 - 17.6/39s x 5
DC Triceps Stretch - 15.6/34s x 50 seconds “pr”
Cheat BB Curls
50/110 x 6
DC-Bicep Stretch x 90 seconds
Fairly crap session… midday next friday I get to move back to uni for lots of MDD diet and high-quality-daily-gym-times. Pretty tired of training at my home gym more often then a commercial gym at this point. Next holiday I’m investing in a membership and training in home gym VERY sparingly… eg. when good gym is closed.
EDIT: Personal note… doing back squats after front squats and leg press = STUPID RIDICLIOUS DOMS beyond anything I’ve experienced. Absolutely specifically in my quads though… so I’m confident this sort of setup is what I’m after for a quad-focused day…
^ Happy with PRs considering it was a home session. Staying up to try and watch the Olympia meant gym was closed too early for me… hope ya’ll enjoy the video… I put effort in getting decent shots for once. Anyone want to chime in with thoughts or on GM form… go ahead.
Hamstrings/spinal erectors/lower back (KG/LB)
Lying Leg Curl (pre-fatigues)
25/55 x 8 - 30/66 x 8 - 35/77 x 2/3… w/e
Deadlift
150/330 x 6 - 165/363 x 6 - 185/407 x 5 PR
SLDL (j-rod style)
120/264 x 10 - 135/297 x 10 - 150/330 x 7 PR
GMs
80/176 x 12 - 90/198 x 10 - 100/220 x 5
Lying Leg Curl (slower eccentrics)
20 x 12 - 30 x some drop 20 x some
Since I found the time to be bored I made this for you guys… I reckon visable progress in lat width, trap size, delts/arms from behind and for the first time my arms are big enough so that a most muscular isn’t super embarrasing… my conditioning might actually be slightly better too, not sure (being as it still kind of sucks). The good thing is this is with me running at like 80-90%… once I’m back to uni the diet is 100% and the training is 100%… big things to come…
@phlegms: Thanks a lot man, appreciated. I checked my posing video just now and I have to say even in that short time frame I believe improvements have been made, especially width/trap wise.
@pbclax1: I appreciate the kind words! Makes me a little more sure the progress isn’t all in my head
Re the front squat… your more strength orientated so perhaps you should have the upper hand in speeding towards it but we will see as my training was/is like 80-90% awesome and my diet like 60% awesome compared to how its going to be from friday onwards.
