Lo/Rez Training

Training Training Logs
61

Ok, the forums ate my last post. Trying again.

–

Lift-wise, here’s where I am. Not too happy about it, but it’s where I am.

Dips:
5lbs on belt, feet on support behind me: 12, 12
no belt, no support: 9
– I suck at these. I’m having to do them supported right now, and my stabilizers are still trying to strengthen just so I’m more stable. However, I expect this to shoot up pretty quickly over the next few weeks.

Straight-arm Pulldowns on apartment gym machine:
60lbs: 15, 15, 9
– This is my best substitution for machine pullovers. McCallum’s description was pullovers with a leg extension machine, just upside down, so these pulldowns are similar from a loading standpoint.

Breathing Squats:
135lbs: 18
– These are done with 3 deep breaths in the chest between each rep, and seem to be much harder to do that way than just going straight through them.
– I actually stopped because my left midback was getting sore. My hands and arms are still going numb on these, so I’m working on shoulder mobility. It could be a mobility issue (i.e, circulation or nerve pinching), it could just be the increased breathing (I was getting light-headed when I started doing these a week or so ago). I figure that will work itself out too.

Light Pullovers:
20lb dumbbell: 20

Barbell Curls:
75lbs for 4
– Yes, 4. My right forearm was getting shooting pains, and I could feel it getting worse each rep. Hoping a couple recovery days will fix this.

Behind-the-neck Press:
80lbs: 15, 14, 11
– These were supposed to be to 12, but also to failure. McCallum says to work to failure, then jerk it off the back of your neck and down when done.
– The last set I was seeing stars, but still fully conscious. It was kind of neat.

Overall I feel weak and small. Sounds like I made excuses for “I didn’t do this because it hurt”. But I like the routine.

I’m also using his “get big drink” to up the calories and protein. Whole milk + powdered milk + malt powder + peanut butter + banana + chocolate ice cream + corn syrup. Not the healthiest thing in the world, but tastes all right. I’m not going to get anal about nutrition yet; just lots of calories and lots of protein in addition to regular meals of not-crap-food.

62

FWIW, the actual Get Big Drink recipe I’m using.

1/2 gallon whole milk
2 cups nonfat powdered milk
1/2 pint (1 cup) chocolate ice cream
2 whole eggs
1 smallish banana
4 tbsp peanut butter
4 tbsp malt powder
6 tbsp corn syrup

Blend, drink a cup of it every hour or so. Drink the whole thing in a day, more or less as necessary.

Take a lactase pill if you drink too much at one time, since powdered milk is very high in lactose. I could do a gallon of milk a day just fine, but this was rough for me when I drank most of it at once.

It’s “supposed to” have “a day’s supply of Hoffman’s Quick Gain Weight” powder in it. I guess I could throw in whey too, but I haven’t bought any yet and I’m in no rush. Someone else on the web said “6 scoops of protein powder”, but meh.

Just had caloriecount add up the values.
2505 calories
116g protein
92g fat
309g carbs

Yeah, doesn’t sound so great. Maybe it needs that protein powder after all. Anyway, gets the calories up, which is something I need right now anyway.

63

I posted in my log. Very bad day for my shittiest lifts (even when I prioritize it over deadlifts! ). My best with that stance is 285 for a easy triple that had a three second pause. (1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 mississippi, ect) A single with 295 was hard today is a hint on how bad of a day it was…

64

[quote]DSSG wrote:
I posted in my log. Very bad day for my shittiest lifts (even when I prioritize it over deadlifts! ). My best with that stance is 285 for a easy triple that had a three second pause. (1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, 3 mississippi, ect) A single with 295 was hard today is a hint on how bad of a day it was…[/quote]

How do I get to your log?.. it says “hub set to private”.

65

Lol “A skinny guy’s log” it is on the first page, and I am the most recent poster.

66

[quote]Chris C said:
It’s just that this…

sounds a but like running before you can walk, to some extent. If you break out “fancy” techniques like two a days and funky exercise variations, you run the risk of having slow progress when you “downgrade” to more simple training methods. Just something to keep in mind for down the road. [/quote]

I just found this again…

And imagine that, I went back to something less “fancy”.

67

Dips
bodyweight (finally!) 12 13 12

  • Got a decent pump in the pecs and triceps.

Straight-Arm Pulldowns
70x10/60x5, 70/60/50, 60/50

  • Apparently starting heavy in the beginning completely fried my lats (plus the triceps were dead from finally being able to do a genuine 3x12 of bodyweight dips). I was surprised that I could barely even use 60lbs for the third set. Not sure whether to use a longer break or what. Either way, going to keep pushing the first set to 70x15, and then keep doing it until I can do that 3x15 with 70.

Breathing Squats
145x20

  • Midback was a touch sore after the pulldowns, but stable. My lungs seem to have adapted to the heavy breathing so I just threw on another 10 lbs. This was actually pretty “light”, so I should be able to work back up to my previous 200x20 pretty quickly now.

Pullovers
30x20

  • switched from a regular DB to my olympic DB handles; I have a better grip on these ones since I’m not holding by the bell but rather by the bar that protrudes from each side. Got a good stretch either way, and 30 doesn’t seem to be too much for these even after the squats. We’ll see when the squats get heavy.

Curls
70x12 70x10 65x12

  • right forearm was still acting up. It was good in the beginning but got progressively worse. Maybe the bone is affected by the stress, or maybe something else. Right elbow started acting up too, so I decided to start taking 1tbsp of fish oil a day as of today (~6g). In the end, pumped, my right arm is still 1/2" smaller than my left. Not sure whether to continue this route or start fixing the balance. I’ll give it a few weeks first I think.

BTN Press
85x11 85x9 80x3 80x12

  • finally starting to hit some heavy (for me) weight. These feel pretty good for me, and I’m no longer feeling any stress from a rotational standpoint, so my mobility seems definitely improved.

Everything was a bit more intense this workout. I think some of that was due to better mental drive. My right forearm and elbow have me a bit concerned.

Supplement-wise, I started taking 1-2 tbsp of wheat germ oil daily as of the past several days. Also today, started taking 1tbsp of fish oil because of the elbow joint pain and probable inflammation.

68

I hope you get back, and beyond where you were very quickly.

69

City BBQ says 1lb of meat is roughly enough food for 4 people. That made me laugh.

Girlfriend and I split their Deluxe City Sampler; 1/2 rack ribs, 1/4 chicken, brisket, pulled pork, texas toast, cornbread and two sides. We ate all but two ribs and a bit of chicken.

If I did my math right, that was right around 2400 calories for me alone. Great dinner.

~4665 calories for the day, 265g protein. I think that’s a new record.

Not the healthiest of options, but the scale is moving the right direction again.

70

Well, I missed updating two training sessions on here.

I went out of town last weekend so I lifted Monday and Thursday instead of Monday and Wednesday. I then lifted again on Monday this week after the drive back from Nashville.

Basically…

3x12 dips with bw 5, then bw 10
sa pulldowns with 70,60,50… 2nd workout with explosive 3x15 at 60
20 rep squats with 155, then 165
pullovers
curls – a few reps here and there, but mostly having trouble with 75lbs due to my right forearm; I haven’t quite figured out what to do
btn press; working my way to 3x12 with 85. I keep getting closer, but I’m not there yet

On Monday, my right elbow basically sent shooting pain down my arm so I pushed the BTN presses from Monday to Tuesday; I got the work in though and no pain on Tuesday.

71

I asked CT about my program in his subforum, and didn’t get much other than “this is basically 180 degrees from what I do these days”. However, after a followup question about 20 rep squats, and the role of systematically overloading the whole body, I learned he himself never did a program like McCallums’. Which surprised me a bit.

I also spent some time reading through both the I Bodybuilder and Reactive Pump programs trying to get an idea of their approaches.

I picked up a few things I should incorporate:

  • explosively lift the weights… I’d been moving them, but not explosively; I forgot about explosiveness’ role in recruitment patterns
  • pump-based training is important, and I should probably start doing some pump-work at the end of the sessions (beyond what’s already happening)
  • chains are interesting, and might be worth using with the dips/overhead press
  • I should probably be doing more activation work to make sure I’m stimulating more muscle

Because of this, I dropped my straight-arm pulldown weight so I could do everything explosively. I also did a bit of activation work for the squats, btn press, and sa pulldowns.

72

Yesterday did…

bw 10 dips: 12, 9, 8 (assisted with my legs to get 3x12)
sa pulldowns: 70x12 60x3, 70x10 60x5, 60x15
3 squats @ 175, didn’t trust my back, plus gf was wanting to go to dinner

Today…

175lb squats x 20 – racked the bar after first squat, and again after 15, but finished them all. This was rough.
30lb pullovers x 20
Curls 75lbx12, 70x12, 70x12
BTN Press 85lb 3x12 – finally got this. managed to nail myself on the back of the head lowering a rep in the last set but finished it fine

73

I’m jelly of your leg strength, even though leg strength is my biggest weakness hopefully my development doesn’t portray that lol.

74

[quote]JoabSonOfZeruiah wrote:
I’m jelly of your leg strength, even though leg strength is my biggest weakness hopefully my development doesn’t portray that lol.[/quote]

You know, I saw some video of some crossfit girl doing 175 for 20 reps, and that kind of kicked me into gear.

Plus, then, in the Keys to Progress book, McCallum says “you should work to well over 300lbs in the [20 rep] squats” in a few places, and in others that you need to work up to 2x bodyweight in the squats for them to really have benefit.

Which seems pretty insane to me right now.

75

Well, after reading through the kinds of stuff being tracked in the BSL forums, I figured I’d be a bit more specific.

So, today, June 1st, I took my measurements. Tape is pulled just enough that there’s no slack, but not tight. Arm measurements are measured flexed. Everything else is relaxed. Chest is unexpanded. Nothing is pumped.

Right upper arm: 11.75
Left upper arm: 12
Right forearm: 10.25
Left forearm: 10.25
Chest: 36.5
Waist: 30.25
Hips (at widest point… i.e. glutes): 35.25
Left thigh: 21.25
Right thigh: 21.5
Left calf: 13
Right calf: 13

Bodyweight: 143.2

(I weighed 136ish 3 weeks ago. Still super scrawny, but I’m up 7 lbs.)

76

Yesterday.

Dips BW + 10 for 3x12 (did every rep)

Today.

SA Pulldowns 70x15, 70x15, 70x13 60x5
Squats 185: 9 reps, short break, 11 reps for 20 total – somewhere in there I decided to wear a fleece jacket instead of a towel wrapped around the bar, stupid logic to stop mid-set to do that, but good old brain being overwhelmed; I also seem to have pulled something near my groin area on my left leg; next session is also going to be 185, but for a full 20 reps
Curls 70 + collars: 12, 12, 11 – right forearm still hurts; I’m finding a hook grip helps reduce the pain a bit; I’m going to just slowly push the poundage. Collars were a new addition this time. I’ll add another set of collars next time, then move to 75 collarless
BTN Press 90: 2 reps. I got severely lightheaded, put the weight down, and almost fell over; my right elbow is also bothering me again. I’ll give these another go later today

I’m also probably very dehydrated. I haven’t eaten anything but coffee today. Possibly why the workout performance suffered.

77

Dips
BW + 15 for 3x12
– finally these are feeling pretty solid; they were a little unstable before but now I’m going up and down without much lateral movement

Squats
185: 7 reps, short break, 3 reps, short break, 5, short break, 5
– I gave up on the jacket and the towel thing, and decided I better get back to doing these without any padding. My traps just aren’t ready for it… so I think I might give 185 another try, or maybe just up it to 190 next time. As far as my legs and hips and everything, these are starting to feel pretty solid too. Once I get to the point where the bar is directly on my back and that feels good, I think I’ll be able to move up in these fairly quickly.

BTN Press
90lbs: 3x12
– easier than expected although I hit failure on the last rep and did a jerk. I’m getting better at the “pull” to get the bar up there.

I skipped stuff today, and there were REALLY LONG breaks between exercises. I just sort of fit these in throughout the day rather than just as a single session. Might do curls and pulldowns tomorrow, might not.

I tried a couple “snatch grip high pulls” per the CT article today. I really seem to have no idea how to do these, but that’s fine. I was just curious.

Also my current strength goals:
McCallum says…
you need to be doing 20 rep squats with at least 2xBW for them to really be effective. I’m at… 1.27xBW right now.
you need to be doing the BTN press with at least 80%BW for them to really be effective. I’m at… 62%BW right now.

Once I get around to hitting those goals, I’ll start considering maybe changing this routine. In the meanwhile, I’m going to stick with it.

And food wise, I’m getting more protein in. Learned to cook a few new dishes; I’ll get recipes up here soonish.

78

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]JoabSonOfZeruiah wrote:
I’m jelly of your leg strength, even though leg strength is my biggest weakness hopefully my development doesn’t portray that lol.[/quote]

You know, I saw some video of some crossfit girl doing 175 for 20 reps, and that kind of kicked me into gear.

Plus, then, in the Keys to Progress book, McCallum says “you should work to well over 300lbs in the [20 rep] squats” in a few places, and in others that you need to work up to 2x bodyweight in the squats for them to really have benefit.

Which seems pretty insane to me right now.[/quote]
Oh well, ill stick to my body building style workouts and hopefully come by progressive overload some how whether by leg press or if I’m feeling good enough squats.

79

[quote]JoabSonOfZeruiah wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]JoabSonOfZeruiah wrote:
I’m jelly of your leg strength, even though leg strength is my biggest weakness hopefully my development doesn’t portray that lol.[/quote]

You know, I saw some video of some crossfit girl doing 175 for 20 reps, and that kind of kicked me into gear.

Plus, then, in the Keys to Progress book, McCallum says “you should work to well over 300lbs in the [20 rep] squats” in a few places, and in others that you need to work up to 2x bodyweight in the squats for them to really have benefit.

Which seems pretty insane to me right now.[/quote]
Oh well, ill stick to my body building style workouts and hopefully come by progressive overload some how whether by leg press or if I’m feeling good enough squats.[/quote]

Are there no squats in your current bodybuilding style workout?

80

Looks good man. I like the idea of high-rep Squats. I’m someone who has legs that grow easy though, so right now I’m not even Squatting. But last winter I think I hit 1.5xBW for 17, Oly Style (a good deal below parallel). Taught me how to mentally push through a tough set.

Keep up with the good work and make sure to stay consistent man.

EDIT: Also curious, if you don’t mind me asking, where in Indiana are you from? I’ve lived my whole life in KY and go to school there, but during summer and winter I live with my family in Southern Indiana.