Haha, that’s the exact reason I started doing it!
Good news man, a solid step in the right direction!
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That’s good news big J…
You’ll be back on the streets any day 
Thanks, guys! I won’t be back too soon, Mort. My next appointment wit Doc is seven weeks from today. That’ll be at the 11 week mark so it looks like I’ll be missing the two month recovery window (Doc originally said two to three months). Other than the misery of some of the light duty assignments there’s no reason to rush. Four weeks won’t make much of a difference in the overall year but pushing it and having a setback definitely will.
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1.19.18 Day 31 of Recovery
Woke at 218.4 lbs thanks to some extra food last night.
Yesterday’s Nutrition
3456 calories, 418g carbs, 89g fat, 242g protein.
BDWP 2 W4 D5 (before work!)
RECUMBENT ELLIPTICAL
15 min L5
INCLINE BENCH (R/P)
135 x 10
155 x 6
175 x 4 (saving some energy for the final set)
185 x 7-1-1-1-1-1-1-1 (matched last week’s performance)
MACHINE LATERAL RAISES (mTor)
40 x 10
50 x 10
65 x 13 + 20 sec iso hold/stretch
These are much better than using DB’s
LEG EXTENSION (R LEG ONLY) (mTor)
50 x 10 and then an idiot stole my machine while I tried to superset with lateral raises.
60 x 10
75 x 15 Painful reps testing my mental toughness. My leg actually felt hot after this.
CABLE PRESS DOWN (myo)
130 x 12
140 x 10
150 x 15-3-3-3-2
This morning’s session wasn’t terrible. I also mixed in sets of my rehab exercises during all of my rest (and still didn’t get them all done). Compared to my last couple of days this was actually a good session. I feel like I’m not giving it my all on the loaded stretches but I’m also finding it damn near impossible to stretch. I’m not sure if an iso hold performed in a position that’s close to a stretch is accomplishing the same thing. I’m pretty sure the loaded stretches aren’t done completely passively (where you just relax and hold on) but I don’t feel like I’m stretching anything. For example, on the leg extensions I just moved the weight stack up about an inch and held it there. It was very painful and I actually had to break it up into three sets to get my 20 seconds. I’m not sure if I need to find a new exercise for loaded stretching or if I just need to scrap this method and replace it with the rest/pause, myo reps, or drop sets.
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I’m in! Hope you recover quickly from this surgery;)
For the transformation challenge I think you should focus a lot on the shoulder. I have a similar built than yours and I think the shoulder will do all the difference. You have a massive chest that eclipse all your shoulder in my opinion.
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Thanks! I will take that into consideration. Right now I’m pushing everything with machines and it’s a nice change of pace. The isolation work is great. It’s probably not going to help my big three much (at least not right away) but if I can get some bigger muscles then hopefully someday I can use those to move some more weight.
I’d like to take a quick poll from the handful of you that visit my log. I’m going to add some 5/3/1 type stuff for my next round of training. The Best Damn program has me doing a heavy exercise with rest/pause or cluster sets at the start of the workout. I’m going to just insert 5/3/1 sets and reps for that but I want to do a rest/pause set on the final set. So on the 5’s day I’ll max out, rest 20 seconds, and repeat until I double the reps. So if I hit 9 reps then I have to do 9 more reps rest/pause style. It could be 9-3-3-2-1 or 9-5-4 or whatever.
Anyway, the poll portion is what lifts to do… I can bench and do seated OHP now but I’m considering sticking to the machines. A huge plus of using the machines or Hammer Strength plate loaded stuff is that I can fail and not die. All sets start from the “bottom” position. That makes rest/pause a bit tougher but again, I can push myself without a spotter and not die when I fail.
So, which approach should I take? This really only applies to bench and OHP.
- Use machines
- Use free weights
0 voters
And as a Wendler fanatic, I would do a pr lift on top weight on 5’s week 85%
Rest and drop to FSL 65% then do the rest pause here and do only like: 15-9-4 or so.
That’s a classic wendler approach. It works as a charm.
But anyways if you choose the rest pause on the top set, i would still use free weights.
I didn’t vote as my thoughts are totally conditional haha.
I think if you decide to go free weight, do 5/3/1. If you like the machines, I’d stick with the protocol from CT’s program.
My thought there being if you’re using machines or plate loaded apparatus, working off percentages may be more trouble than it’s worth. The ideas are pretty close (warm up, warm up harder, all-out set) so really depends on your preference I suppose.
If it were me, I friggin hate seated OHP with a BB so I’d opt for DB’s or machine/hammer strength using the CT method.
Thanks for the insight!
The percentages thing makes sense on machines. I plan to use both approaches like the workout I shared last week. It’s 5/3/1 for the main lifts and CT’s Best Damn program for assistance. Like you said, they’re very similar—two working sets/warm-up sets, and then go all out. I’m just trying to decide if I should try it on the Hammer Strength machines or use the barbell. I think I can push myself better on the machines because I can fail without consequences. This morning I might’ve been able to grind out 2 reps after my set of 7 on incline, but I lift alone and couldn’t risk it. I had to settle for 7 sets of 1. I had the same issue last week.
It’s also nice not wasting energy on balancing/stabilizing the weight. The more I use the machines, the more I like them. I know that the stabilizing stuff is good for you but it’s been a nice change.
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1.20.18 Day 32 of Recovery
Woke at 215.6 lbs!
Yesterday’s Nutrition
3475 calories, 302g carbs, 105g fat, 236g protein. My macros were pretty spot on and I added 6 ounces of rum spread out over three drinks after dinner.
Today will be my last day of Best Damn 2.0. Tomorrow will start my Best Damn 5/3/1 Rise of the Machines workout.
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BDWP 2 W4 D4
AIRDYNE
15 minutes cruising
SMITH MACHINE SL DEADLIFT
25 (bar) x 10
115 x 6
165 x 6
185 x 6
205 x 6
This is a good leg exercise but it’s nothing like a deadlift. I just can’t go heavy enough to make it feel like a back exercise. I’ll probably just do SL RDLs instead.
CABLE ROW (R/P)
150 x 10
170 x 6
190 x 6
210 x 7-3-2-2
STRAIGHT ARM PRESS DOWN (myo)
60 x 12
80 x 12
110 x 10
150 x 10-3-3-3-2
SMITH SA SHRUG
115 x 10 + 10 sec stretch
SMITH SHRUG
115 x 10/10 sec stretch/10/10 sec stretch/10/10 sec stretch
115 x 10/10 sec stretch/10/10 sec stretch/10/30 sec stretch
REVERSE CABLE CURL (myo)
90 x 10
100 x 10
110 x 12-3-2
My right arm wasn’t firing on all cylinders on this.
I did rehab stuff throughout the day and between sets. This workout was a little slower than I’d like but it got done.
3 Likes
Nice workout name
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1.21.18 Day 33 of Recovery
Woke at 218.4 lbs.
Yesterday’s Nutrition
I tracked until dinner and then gave up. Veggies with some ranch dip before dinner, homemade chili, and cinnamon rolls for dessert. I had about 1000 calories left before dinner. I’m sure I overate but I don’t care.
Best Damn 5/3/1 Rise of the Machines Week 1 Day 1
AIRDYNE
15 minutes while watching/reading CT’s blog at ThibArmy.
SMITH SINGLE LEG SQUAT (5/3/1 R/P)
25 (bar) x 5
25 x 5
65 x 5
75 x 8-3-3-3
I screwed this up. I was supposed to do 60, 65, and 75. I thought my first set was 65 and just decided to move on to the final set.
INCLINE BENCH (MYO)
135 x 10
135 x 10
150 x 13-2-2
Hmmm. I was supposed be doing sets of 3 until I could only do 2 but I failed to get one set of 3. I guess the goal of reaching failure was achieved.
HAMMER BENCH (mTor)
90 x 10
90 x 10
90 x 8 + a very painful 20 sec hold
LATERAL DB RAISE (mTor)
10 x 10
10 x 10
15 x 11
No PT today because I’m worn out and want/need a rest. This is actually my 10th day in a row of lifting and doing PT. I’ve been getting behind in the week by missing Thursday’s workouts. Today is actually my Monday workout. I will take Thursday off but I wanted to get ahead this week instead of playing catch up. It’s also hard to pass up the opportunity to work out at work. I’m only at the City building on weekends so I might as well take advantage of the weight room.
I think I’ll be increasing my calories a bit more at this point to stop the weight loss. My leg is being used more and more so it should stop shrinking. I put in four solid weeks of CT’s Best Damn Workout for Naturals so I’d like to think I’m doing what I need to do to stimulate some muscle growth. I just need to make sure I’m living in a caloric surplus. There was a time that I was eating 3600 calories and hanging around 220-223 lbs. I’ll probably work my way back up to that amount but I’m taking it slow so I don’t look like a blow fish.
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1.22.18 Day 34 of Recovery
Woke at 218.6 lbs.
Yesterday’s Nutrition
3790 calories, 463g carbs, 110g fat, 222g protein.
My new caloric goal is 3250 calories. I overate yesterday and woke up hungry AF this morning. My plans have changed for the week. My son has pneumonia so we won’t be going anywhere today. I’ll be skipping PT again (third time in 10 days) and won’t be taking the kids to the gym (obviously). I have my stuff in the basement but it’s all free weights and it’ll be tough to get a good pulling workout with one leg. I’d rather just wait until I can go to the Y.
Just change the order of the workout no? You can surely do a good push day with your equipment.
I’m lifting 6 days a week. I did a good push workout yesterday and I’m due for another one tomorrow. It wouldn’t kill me but it wouldn’t benefit me much.
Dr said I can allow my boy to be around other kids Wednesday so I’m stuck at home all day tomorrow too. I’ll probably just go to the gym when my wife gets home tonight. I’ll probably need a little alone time anyway.
Ah yes I haven’t checked the date of the other workout:P
For the inclined bench, are you able to touch your chest “easily”? I have a hard time with my long arm, in regular benchpress I shorten the room when I arch my back. But with inclined I’m not able to do it and when I go too heavy my shoulder always hurt.
On incline I use all pecs and have zero arch or leg drive. I seem to let my elbows go wider than my bench. I don’t have any trouble touching my upper chest and it doesn’t bother my shoulder. If I go more narrow and move the bar like bench then it hurts my shoulder. I think I have a bit of biceps tendinitis.
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ok i will try to widen my grip, I have a pretty narrow grip on standard benchpress. Thanks for the tip!