Just. Don't. Suck (Part 1)

[littlesleeper]

Thank you for the shared experience Flap, I appreciate it.

@flappinit

you are just bored

This is so very true.

@flappinit

die hard passion

Nope, definitely not. I’m more drawn to it because I feel I’m qualified for their base position (Constable), it is still local, it is still a public/government position with similar pension/benefits as I have now and the salary is actually 80% of what I’m making now with room for growth within the department. This job would get me out of the frickin’ office environment and hopefully solve this boredom!

This is just me venting though, I don’t think I have big enough cojones to leave the job I have.

[Frank_C]

@flappinit

Crossovers before your pushups!

I hate to be the “I can’t” guy, but I can’t do crossovers. My biceps tendon pops out of the groove. Fly’s have to be more of a bench fly; the decline version pops the tendon.

I don’t have trouble hitting my pecs, but push ups aren’t my go-to exercise.

@littlesleeper

This job would get me out of the frickin’ office environment and hopefully solve this boredom!

We all have our prison cell! My office is a patrol car. There’s still a computer. There are days where I wish I had some boring busy work to help me pass the time. I guess a lot of us crave a little of both worlds - to be out and about and to occasionally have some mindless task that does a good job of passing the time.

[Frank_C]

Legs!

2 LAP DYNAMIC WARM UP + 2 LAPS INTERVAL RUNNING

SQUAT (band around knees)
135 x 15 x 3 sets
A little pain near my knee but it wasn’t there on every rep. I had good depth too! I could feel my glutes working (band helped). Unfortunately, I’m weak! I had no power once my quads needed to take over and finish the lift. All three sets were a challenge to finish.

DEADLIFT FROM 45 LB BUMPERS (3")
155 x 5
265 x 5 x 5 sets
Oh, sweet deadlifts, how I’ve missed you.

RDLs
155 x 8 x 3 sets

TABATA RFESS (FML)
BW (duh!) x 13, 12, 11, 10 ea
Did 4 rounds with my left (bad) leg and just matched the reps with my right leg after a bit of a rest. Ow.

STANDING CALF MACHINE 1.5 REPS
150 x 12, 10, 10
Extra half rep added to the bottom half after reading Eric Bach’s article on getting the X physique this morning. I won’t be doing that workout but I liked the 1.5 reps for calves and they didn’t disappoint. That crazy bastard has them for 10x10 in his program.

TABATA SL LEG EXTENSION (why not?)
30 x 11, 12, 12, 12
Same as RFESS. Actually did 13 on the first round with my right leg. I can’t really speed up the movement too much since it’s light so more reps won’t be the goal. I guess I’ll have to add weight when I hit 12 reps on all rounds to progress… And add more rounds.

Today was a good session. I would really like the bulk of my leg training to be squats and deads. I just want to maintain what I have (after I get back what I lost lol). Maintenence would be way cooler if I could do 5x5 on the big lifts and then move on. Heck, I might even do the SGSS progression and just rotate from the 8s phase to the 5s and back…if I could.

My hip felt pretty normal. I had a little aching in there after squats but it felt pretty good on deads and RDLs. I had the stabbing knee pain on RFESS and let extensions but I pushed through it. It’s the only way my quad will come back. I’d like to make today’s session my regular leg session.

Oh, yeah. I almost forgot.

ELLIPTICAL
15 min Interval

[dagill2]

@flappinit

Or you could do Hany Rambod FST-7 style, finish chest day with 7 sets of 12 crossovers, supersetting with max pushups immediately after every set, and squeezing the ever loving shit out of your pecs for the 30 seconds of rest between supersets

I mean, that just sounds awful, honestly.

[flappinit]

It’s not fun, but if you’re into hypertrophy training, it seems to be effective, as his trainees are Olympia victors.

[dchris]

Yea, that sucks.

We are a private company that solely does public projects. I couldn’t work for a public entity. No initiative to work.

[Frank_C]

Thank you, T-Nation! This is the only place I can share this without upsetting my wife.

[mortdk]

Have been busy at work the past two weeks, got a lot of catching up.

@Frank_C you just keep grinding on, your desire to workout and progress is admirably. You find your way to work around every injury and push on. Awesome.

About the job, I would really push to get to another department Community policing is an awesome place to be, you’ll be rewarded by the awesome response from the community.
If you decide to switch to the gym, that will be a great place to be, maybe not as rewarding in terms of making a difference, which I think is what feeds your fire. But your dedication will be well used in both places.

@littlesleeper if you want to work with people, talk to people, solve their problems often the same peeps and the same problems and don’t mind the jerks that will provoke you just because you’re in blue, then being a cop is very rewarding.
Yes you have to do desk jobs as well you have to write reports and stuff but that’s part of the job.
If you can get a couple of ride alongs do it, you’ll see the flipside of the town. But beware, it’s catchy. (Have I told you I love being a cop, 30 years and still chasing bad guys and saving young virgin maidens, I’m the shiny Knight in white armour)

[Frank_C]

4.18.19

Woke at 212.2 lbs.

@mortdk

If you decide to switch to the gym, that will be a great place to be, maybe not as rewarding in terms of making a difference, which I think is what feeds your fire. But your dedication will be well used in both places.

The Y offers a lot of programs for the low income part of the community. I could still have a lot of fun there. My job isn’t rewarding very often.

Check out what happened in Chicago yesterday. 500 juveniles organized a mob and ran the streets committing crimes. I’m sick of dealing with that crap. We can’t physically hurt them (which is what they need) and the charges for juveniles are dropped more often or not.

[OTHSteve]

Okay, that Paul Carter quote reminds me of a line in a youtube video I watched that gave some very tongue-in-cheek gym advice for wannabe powerlifters.

“Make sure to always wear your lifting belt so people know you’re a powerlifter and not a regular fat person.”

[Frank_C]

Back Day

2 LAP DYNAMIC WARM UP
I have crippling soreness in my legs. My calves feel strained. This was all I could manage.

BARBELL ROW
135 x 10 x 2
155 x 8
170 x 6
185 x 4
dropset
200 x 4
185 x 4
170 x 4
155 x 4
135 x 4

LAT PULL DOWN
120 x 10 x 3 sets hold contraction
140 x 10
160 x 8
180 x 6
200 x 4
dropset
220 x 2
200 x 3
180 x 3
140 x 5

CABLE ROW
140 x 10 hold contraction
180 x 5 x 5 sets full stretch and ROM

WENDLER ROWS
95 x 15 + 20 sec stretch x 3 sets

DB HAMMER CURL (350 SET)
30 x 23, 14, 13

REV CABLE FLY REAR DELT EMPHASIS
20 x 20
30 x 15, 12, 10

BARBELL CURL DROPSET
50 x 25
40 x 20
30 x 30

[Frank_C]

4.19.19

Woke at 212.6 lbs. I think that’s up due to poor sleep, a late casein shake, and getting up at 4:40.

Chest & Shoulders

SEATED OHP (NO BACK REST) (SGSS)
45 x 8
65 x 8
85 x 5
100 x 8 x 3 sets

LOW INCLINE DB Press (SGSS)
60 x 8 x 3 sets

INCLINE BENCH 1.5 REPS
115 x 8
115 x 6
105 x 7 x 2 sets

PUSH UPS (w/ black band + normal)
10 + 5
13 + 5
11 + 4
15 regular

AB WHEEL
3 x 12

LAT DB RAISE W/ BAND
15s x 10 + red/10 reg/10 red band
15s x 10 + green/10 reg/10 green band

BAND PRESS DOWN
black x 50, 30, 20 + 20 top half

BAND LAT RAISE
red x 25 + green x 20

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FAVORABLE LIGHTING POST WORKOUT/PRE BREAKFAST PICS

Need to keep pounding my delts and chest! They will grow!

[jackolee]

@Frank_C

POST WORKOUT/PRE BREAKFAST PICS

Are you training fasted?!? I would strongly recommend against this. Your pre and post workout nutrition is one of the most important pieces to the puzzle my friend…

[Frank_C]

Just today. Not usually. I hate mornings so I usually avoid training before work but my schedule is messed up next week so I’m making sure to do all of my workouts this week. I can’t afford to push anything back.

I usually train Thursday or Friday evening after work. I trained last night so I didn’t want to be away from the house/family again tonight. And I’m starting to dislike training during my 30 minute lunch break. These workouts are taking me an hour. Every single one of them is an hour of lifting. I just can’t seem to get around it right now. That’s not really unreasonable but it’s pretty tough to cram an hour of training into 30 minutes.

I’m normally off work Mon, Tues, Wed so I plan my longer sessions for those days. Well, next week I’m off Sunday; work Mon, Tues, and Wed, and then I’m off Friday and Saturday. Not my idea of a good week. I’m probably going to miss training Monday. Sunday would be a good day to do that workout but the gym is closed for Easter. I can train at home without cables (it’s back day) and it just dawned on me that I have access to the City gym. Maybe I’ll go there to take advantage of the cables.

My usual Tuesday and Wednesday workouts will either be short and erratic or I’ll just put them off til Thursday and Friday.

@jackolee

Are you training fasted?!? I would strongly recommend against this. Your pre and post workout nutrition is one of the most important pieces to the puzzle my friend…

Edit to add that I had a great breakfast immediately after my session. I struggle with eating right before a session. I normally need an hour for everything to settle down, otherwise I get nauseous during the session. I’d rather be fasted than battle that.

[OTHSteve]

Your delts and chest need to grow? Sorry, I couldn’t see that past the veins popping on them…

[bigpappafrance]

great training session

[Frank_C]

I’m trying to get them to look like bowling balls like @jackolee and @flipcollar!

[jackolee]

I’d agree that post workoutcnutrition is more important than pre, but I don’t know how you get through the workout without it. I struggle to have a good session if I don’t apready have a couple of meals that day already. I’m also a big fan of some quick digesting carbs (Karolyn) during the workout. I let seems to keep my energy levels more constant.

Since I’m trying to gain some size right now I’ve been making an effort each session to push as hard as possible. I find that what’s possible is very dependent on what I’ve eaten

[Frank_C]

I’ve figured out that I can do upper body fasted. It’s rare that I do it though. This is the first time in a long, long time that I’ve trained at 5am. I tried training legs in a fasted state and that did not work out.

I work with a guy who is much stronger than me, and smaller, who barely eats carbs. He’ll train on a cup of coffee and a couple of eggs. But after his workout he eats carbs and his muscles just soak it up (and swell up). It works for him so I tried it. It does not work for me.

I sipped on some BCAA’s (because fasted training is about the only time they’re useful) during the session my breakfast was a full cup of oatmeal (300 cals worth) with a scoop of vegan protein powder and two hard boiled eggs.

OHP wasn’t great this morning, but everything else felt fine. My preferred time to train is about right now (10:30am). That only works on non-work days though. I have to do one of the following during work days:

1. train before work
2. train after work
3. do less work and squeeze my training into my 30 min lunch break

For now, I guess you could say I’m mixing in a little of all three.

[jackolee]

@Frank_C

vegan protein powder and two hard boiled eggs.

And reason for vegan protein powder or is it still just leftover from the stockpile?