Lo/Rez Training

Training Training Logs
81

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[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?[/quote]
Only if I feel good enough lol I really need to work on my mobility in the hips and ankles and if my lower back feels fine(which it is). I would definitely keep on top of mobility work though.

82

Post-workout in both photos. Pre-workout photos show a more dramatic difference, but I’m guessing that’s because of improved muscle tone. I figure the post-workout photos are more accurate.

5/17 140.6 on the left, 6/6 145.4 on the right

83

Sup. You look a little like Daniel Bryan lol.

84

Workout today was…

Dips
BW + 20: 12, 8, 8

SA Pulldowns
70: 12 12 12

Squats
190: 7… and I stopped. I’m noticing I’m not adequately warmed up and stretched and things started feeling… off. I’ll revisit these tonight probably, with a good 20 minutes on an elliptical as a warmup or something (per BlueCollarTr8n’s approach to a warmup)

Curls
70 + 2 collars: 12 12 12
Hook grip seems to be making these better for my forearm.

BTN Press
90 + 1 collar: 1/2…
Yes, 1/2 rep. Apparently my ability to pull the bar overhead is getting worse. Not sure whether I should train it, or just start moving to the rack. I did OHP this for one, since I did get it cleaned after the 2nd try. Elbow was hurting on this though (like it seems to every time at this point in the routine), so maybe this needs a dedicated day or something. That’s why it stopped.

Plans are to do the 20 rep squats tonight w/pullovers, and do BTN presses after. We’ll see how that lines up with plans with the girlfriend.

85

[quote]spar4tee wrote:
Sup. You look a little like Daniel Bryan lol.[/quote]

I had to google to know who that was. Lol. Is it the unkempt beard?

That AJ chick is kinda cute.

86

[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
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. [/quote]

I’m in Indianapolis now, but not from here. Mostly grew up in Ohio.

Born in Kalispell, MT; moved to Richmond, IN; moved to Paris, France; moved to Dayton, OH [elementary school]; moved to Dublin (Columbus), OH [middle school and freshman year]; moved to Strongsville (Cleveland), OH [sophomore through senior years]; moved to Springfield, MO; went to college in Rolla, MO; spent a summer in Huntsville, AL; worked in Springfield, MO for awhile; moved back and worked in Columbus, OH; and now I’m working in Indianapolis after my gf matched here for residency.

All over the place.

Are you in Cinci/Northern KY?

87

Schedule last night didn’t cooperate with the squats and BTN press. I thought it was going to be plans with the girlfriend, but it turned out to be work related that screwed me up. Left the office at 2am and then worked from home off and on all night. Slept for a couple hours in there too.

BTN Press
90# + collars 3x12
– maybe the reason I couldn’t pull these up yesterday was my biceps were dead from the curling. Once I got them up, it wasn’t too bad

I did 7 couple lateral raises with 10s on each arm, but I think I’m lifting too much with my traps. Heavy partials might be the right route for these.

I did a squat in there just to see what was going on. Seems my adductors (or abductors?)… the ones that squeeze your legs together… that seems to have gotten pulled somewhere.

88

Just capturing some of the actually USEFUL information from the “How to ‘bulk’ for naturals” thread.

[quote]BlueCollarTr8n wrote:
It begins with a known lean weight. Assuming a lifter weighs 145lbs in lean condition; the first goal is to add an additional 15-22lbs. and maintain that bodyweight for at least 18 months and no longer than 36. Most lifters require cardio during the surplus periods. During the surplus period the lifter should strive to properly increase their strength in some form of horizontal press, vertical press, squat, row, and pull. Lateral raises, shrugs, curls, extensions, and other exercises should also be included as needed to balance out the development. This may involve several program changes and strength development across a number of rep. ranges.

At the end of the surplus period a deficit period is used to reach the same relative leanness the lifter was at while weighing 145 (this should never take longer than 10-12 weeks). If the goal is continued gains this lean state should be maintained long enough to enjoy the benefits/reward of your hard work; but remember there is a difference between showing and growing. Gradually add 15-20% to the new bodyweight and repeat.

[some lifters may progress enough during the first surplus that they find themselves to be satisfactorily lean condition at the point a deficit would be called for. In this case the 10-15% should be gradually added to the lifters existing weight and the surplus work resumed][/quote]

[quote]BlueCollarTr8n wrote:
I like a 2lbs per week limit; however while leanness is maintained I don’t object to a bit more. [/quote]

I’m not sure where the best starting point is on this.

If we’re talking, starting today-ish, I should get up to 160-167 and hold it. If we’re talking from when I actually started lifting again last month-ish, I should get up to 151-164. 165 sounds good… but I think it might be hard for me to have the patience to maintain that for 18 months without pushing it even higher sooner…

89

I took 4 days off. I was out of town for two of them, and things blew up at work on Monday/Tuesday. Psychologically I was effectively knocked on my ass, and just felt generally weak and unable to even really walk straight. Depression sucks. With the lack of eating and drinking, I also “lost” 2 or 3 pounds over those four days, but I’m pretty sure that was just dehydration.

Yesterday I didn’t have enough time to get a full workout in because of dinner plans, but I did some.

Dips
BW 20: 8, 7
BW 17.5: 8, 8
– I did 4 sets because I’m trying to overcome weight with volume here. I felt kind of weak on these, and I don’t think I’m quite ready for BW 20.
– I upgraded from towels wrapped around the barbells to foam pipe insulation wrapped around the barbell. Still kinda ghetto, but much more comfortable. Less than $1.50 for 6 feet of pipe insulation, and I only needed a few inches… so when this wears out, I can get more.

Straight-Arm Pulldowns
1st set: 70 x 18
2nd set: 80 x 7, 70 x 3, 60 x 5
3rd set: 70 x 10, 60 x 5
– these weight jumps on the cable stack (10 lbs at a time) are annoying and set me back into really weird-looking dropsets. I wanted to make sure I stayed in the 15-18 range though.

In between the pulldowns, I did some work on the recumbent bike. I’ve not actually done a good job at getting my muscles warm before the squats… just a few lighter squats to get things firing, but not actually true muscle warmth. I think that might explain the adductor pain I got the last couple attempts.

HOWEVER, no squats. Not enough time.

Overall, I’m liking the way this routine feels for me, and I’m liking the changes in the mirror.

BW this morning just hit 146.0 Finally crossed another threshold. I think I’m actually stronger and look better than when I’d gotten up to 158 6 months ago, for what that’s worth. When I hit 158 this time, I should look much much better and be significantly stronger I think.

One final note… the squats seem to be paying off. I saw my niece over the weekend, and she wanted me to carry her around on her shoulders at the mall. I probably had her on my shoulders for 30-45 minutes. She’s 7 or 8, and fairly tall for her age. I probably wouldn’t have had the strength or endurance to do that 6 months ago.

90

Been a bad week in general; training, diet, work, psychologically, etc. Lifted today, Saturday, since Monday didn’t work, Wednesday didn’t really work, Friday didn’t really work. Bleh.

Dips
BW + 17.5: 12 12 9
– I did these with my head forward instead of down. My sternum is hurting a lot these days, as well as my upper biceps tendon. The sternum is hurting probably as it should with all the “chest expansion” stuff… I think I’m intentionally causing costochondritis or something. Head forward didn’t seem to hit my chest as well, but also didn’t hurt as much.

Squats
190 for 20, breathing style
– This is becoming a mental thing now more than anything. I can feel my legs can handle it fine, it’s just getting my mind to accept that. My legs are nicely dead. If I squat down to the ground, I can’t even get up without using my arms. Getting up out of seat is tricky.

Pullovers
20 reps w deep breaths

Curls
75 + collars: 12 12 9 … or something like that. Keep at this for 3x12.

Concentration curls
10# x 9
– Just trying to even out my arms a bit. Right arm first, then the left. Good pump at this point.

BTN Press
95 + collars: 9 12 7
– Really don’t understand what happened here numbers wise, but working up to 3x12.

Partial Laterals
20# for 30 reps. I thought about doing more, but maybe next time. Got a good pump.

Did NOT do any back work.

My mid and upper back is surprisingly sore from all of the above anyway. Don’t really understand, but squats seem to make my mid and upper back sore. Maybe I need more dedicated upper back work than the straight arm pulldowns (really? imagine that. /sarcasm)

91

Mid-month update. I think I’ll try doing these every 15 days or so. Last measurements were June 1.

Right upper arm: 12 (was 11.75)
Left upper arm: 12.5 (was 12)
Right forearm: 10.5 (was 10.25)
Left forearm: 10.5 (was 10.25)
Chest: 37 (was 36.5)
Waist: 30 (was 30.25)
Hips (at widest point… i.e. glutes): 35.75 (was 35.25)
Left thigh: 21.5 (was 21.25)
Right thigh: 21.5 (was 21.5)
Left calf: 13.25 (was 13)
Right calf: 13.25 (was 13)
Shoulders around: 44 (was ??)

Bodyweight: 145.0 (was 143.2)

Weight has fluctuated a bit this last week, probably due to hydration and stress. Peaked at 146.0 a few days ago.

92

Monday I decided to swap things up… BTN press first, then dips, then everything else.

BTN Press
95lbs w collars: 12, 11, 10

Dips
BW warmup
BW 17.5 … no

Ring Dips – tried these out at the office gym after seeing they were added since last time I was there. I don’t have the coordination to do these, but I’m thinking about buying rings for home.

I think I screwed up my right biceps tendon (in the shoulder), and my chest is still hurting. This screws a lot of stuff up for me, but I’m going to lay off the dips and the curls completely for a week, and just stick with BTN press and squats. Lame program, but I want this to heal some more.

Tuesday I tried the dips again and curls, and same reaction as above. Just testing to see my limits.

I did 3x12 regular pulldowns at work during a training break. Did a few ring dips for curiosity. Did a few ring pullups. Did a few regular pullups.

When I got home…

Straight-arm Pulldowns
80lbs 12; 80lbs for 10, 70lbs for 8; 80lbs for 5; 70lbs for 13

Low Cable Rows
130 (?) or so on the machine. 3x8-12. Can’t remember exactly what I did.

Squats
200 for… a few.

My back was too weak to hold the bar long enough. I did a few just static holds (i.e., stood there with the bar on my shoulders), trying for a full minute at a time. A few sets of 30-45s.

The original program seems to be breaking down on me. Back before squats seems to limit things. Curls before BTN press is limiting the clean.

I’m rearranging it for now.

Squats and pullovers
Dips
BTN Press
SA pulldowns
Curls

That seems a bit more balanced to me, based on how I seem to fatigue.

93

[quote]LoRez wrote:

[quote]Spidey22 wrote:
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. [/quote]

I’m in Indianapolis now, but not from here. Mostly grew up in Ohio.

Born in Kalispell, MT; moved to Richmond, IN; moved to Paris, France; moved to Dayton, OH [elementary school]; moved to Dublin (Columbus), OH [middle school and freshman year]; moved to Strongsville (Cleveland), OH [sophomore through senior years]; moved to Springfield, MO; went to college in Rolla, MO; spent a summer in Huntsville, AL; worked in Springfield, MO for awhile; moved back and worked in Columbus, OH; and now I’m working in Indianapolis after my gf matched here for residency.

All over the place.

Are you in Cinci/Northern KY?[/quote]

Sorry just saw this. I’m in the Louisville, KY and Southern Indiana area. I’ve been to Indy a few times though for Pacers games, and looking at it for grad school.

94

Wednesday

10 squats, done in chunks… 2, 4, 4… with 200. And then holds of the barbell on my back for 3 sets of 30ish seconds. My legs can handle this fine, my upper back cannot. Annoying. Guess I’m just going to have to keep throwing timed holds at the problem until my back can handle it.

I also bought chains. 5/8" powerlifting chains weigh somewhere between 3.6 and 3.9 pounds per foot; they also cost over $12 a foot if you buy from Fastenal, which seems to be the only game in town around here for anything that size.

So I doubled 3/8" chains which run about 1.5 pounds a foot (or 3, doubled) and used 5/16" chains as my loading chains. Heavy chains are 5.5 feet long, loading chains are 6.5. Still pretty expensive; cost $82 for the heavy chains and something like $22 for the loading chains. Probably another $15 or so for the 6 carabiners, but there’s cheaper options than what I did, and I already had those on hand for other reasons.

Technically, I could add some 1/4" chains to actually match the 5/8" powerlifting weight if I wanted, since they add something like .66lbs per foot. After more research into how the chains are used in PL training, I think I might just get more 3/8" chains down the road and call it good.

Anyway…

Used them for my behind the neck press, which I set up in the rack instead of cleaning.

That was a wholly different experience: 75lbs at the shoulders becomes ~110 at the top. Maybe not quite that much, but pretty close. I feel like it worked the lift much better though. I really liked the feeling.

BTN Press
75 with chains: 3x12.

Partial laterals
20 for 3x30

I also did a couple chain squats with 135 to see how that felt, and that, also, was quite a bit different. It forces you to be explosive rather than just grinding it out.

95

I’m giving up on 200x20 for now. Something’s not right yet.

Squats
200x6, 195x3, 185x11
– I’m not nearly as explosive on these right now as I should be. 185 felt about right, so 190 for 20 next time. 200 late next week maybe?

BTN Press
80 + 30lb chains: 6, 6, 6 (80 at bottom, 110 at top)
– Finished with 20lb partial laterals for 30 reps and no touching at the bottom
– The chains are awesome. First rep of the first set “this feels pretty light… nevermind… oh shit.” I think I’ll stick with these for awhile.

Here’s the JM article on Chains and Bands for Bodybuilding: Bands and Chains for Bodybuilding

[quote]
Bodybuilders, on the other hand, must focus on hypertrophy, and require more reps. I’ve found 6-8 reps to be the best hypertrophy rep range when using bands and chains.

I discovered this quite by accident, after trying banded leg presses with my usual higher reps (10-20). In just three or four weeks, I actually started losing strength.[/quote]

So… 6-8 it will be for now, instead of 8-12. 6 was awfully hard though, I was surprised.

Curls
Dips
– These are on hold for another session or two. Upper biceps tendons by the shoulders are aggravated. Everything else in my shoulder seems fine… BTN presses don’t make anything hurt so it doesn’t seem to be RC pain.

EDIT: did back work later

Straight Arm Pulldowns
80 x 15
80 x 10 + 70 x 8
70 x 12 + 60 x 3

Low Cable Rows
140 x 8
130 x 8

96

480×640 68.8 KB

Setup for chains on the BTN press

97

Is that your home gym?

98

[quote]JoabSonOfZeruiah wrote:

Is that your home gym?[/quote]

Not the EliteFTS gym, no, lol. But yeah, above (rotated).

I saw that video of him doing lateral raises with chains when I was doing my research on chains the other day. I didn’t quite understand that one, since the weight already increases as you go up with lateral raises, but whatever.

99

BTN Press
80 w/chains: 8, 8, 10

Partial Laterals
20# x 35

100

BTN Press
85 w/chains: 6, 6, 7

85 at bottom, 115 at top.

Partial Laterals
20# x 35

–

A few hours later, tested my max with OHP. Got up to 130, couldn’t do 135.

–

A few hours later.

OHP
125x2x3
115x3x3