Never Strong Enough.............

Training Logs
1

Okay so my inner muse is amused at the moment. I’ve weight trained off and on for a little over a decade now. I’ve always wanted to be big and strong, but I was never big, strong or lean enough. I am never satisfied. I started as a little shrimp gaining for football. My initial influence was my uncle; he challenged me to do something with some dumbbells my family had laying around the house. I really haven’t stopped since. I have gone through periods of complete and utter lack of motivation; conversely I have also gone though some periods of intense and overwhelming motivation. I am just a guy who loves to lift the iron.

Over the past couple of years I have picked up the constant desire for improvement and drive and consequently have become stronger than I’ve ever been. But every time I try to diet down and get leaner something always happens. Either I get sick, injured, or I just spin my wheels and lose a lot of the hard earned strength that I gained and end up no leaner than I began. I really don’t have the desire to get really lean, I just want to get in the 15% range (currently 25-30ish). Don’t know if that makes much sense, i just want to know that i train hard and look like it too.

Goals would be to continue to rehab the injuries that seem to befall me at every turn. I seem to constantly tweak or pull something. Currently my neck and trap area is still really tight and uncomfortable. My right glute hamstring area is pulled or something and has been for a couple of months now. Just trying to baby it somewhat and still hit it hard. I want to continue to get stronger. I also want to lean up some. I look in the mirror and the person on the outside doesn’t reflect the person I know to be on the inside.

Simple as that, I just want to periodize my training to continue to get stronger, bigger (in the right places) and get a little leaner. I train 4-6 times a week utilizing various bodypart splits. This usually depends on my schedule. Some weeks I go 3 days because I�¢??m so busy with school, work (2 jobs), and all the other details that go along with that.

My weaknesses that I am trying to work on: Body composition, propensity to get injured, grip and hand strength, shoulder, neck, scapular strength. Cardiovascular conditioning (I try to combat this by using low rest periods and get stuff done quickly). I’ll throw nutrition in there as well. That is pretty much what it comes down to.

Any questions, just ask away. I will answer them.

So here commences my first T-Nation log: Never enough…

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. ~AnaÃ??Ã?¯s Nin, Diary, 1969

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[quote]Heracles_rocks wrote:
I look in the mirror and the person on the outside doesn’t reflect the person I know to be on the inside.
[/quote]
I completely understand where you’re coming from here, herc. I’m the same way. You know and feel what you are on the inside, but you don’t see it. It’s hard, but it’s just a process that takes time, years, decades, a lifetime.

I’ll be following along, always interested in what some of the guys (and girls) I see around are up to. Keep on this log man, it’ll suck you in! Pics/vids/links/anything, put that shit in here.

What kinds of numbers you hitting for some of the big lifts?

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[quote]inkaddict wrote:

[quote]Heracles_rocks wrote:
I look in the mirror and the person on the outside doesn’t reflect the person I know to be on the inside.
[/quote]
I completely understand where you’re coming from here, herc. I’m the same way. You know and feel what you are on the inside, but you don’t see it. It’s hard, but it’s just a process that takes time, years, decades, a lifetime.

I’ll be following along, always interested in what some of the guys (and girls) I see around are up to. Keep on this log man, it’ll suck you in! Pics/vids/links/anything, put that shit in here.

What kinds of numbers you hitting for some of the big lifts?[/quote]

My lifts vary, i can squat in the mid 400’s, bench in the low to mid 300’s, and deadlift over 500. I’ll put up some not too recent videos. I am stronger on everything except shoulders and legs. Still have injury issues with those areas.

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Deadlift 515

5

Attempt at a 475 squat that was probably a little high.

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315 bench for a double

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About a month ago I became enthralled with the Training Log section…it’s good to see you in here dude! I hope the break is treating you well! How are those shoes working out for you?

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[quote]Ty Carlson wrote:
About a month ago I became enthralled with the Training Log section…it’s good to see you in here dude! I hope the break is treating you well! How are those shoes working out for you?[/quote]

I also like to come over here when i have time, there is some impressive lifting going on here.

Shoes are pretty cool, i am still getting used to them though. Are you in missoula for the break or no? If you are we should get a lift in.

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Nah, I’m up in Whitefish until the 20th or 21st probably. We’ll be sure to lift after I get back…I bought various short bands from EliteFTS and one of Mark Bell’s “Sling Shots” over the break so I’ll have to let you try the stuff out…at least the Sling Shot, its a load of fun.

I got a large, here’s the way to check out what size you should use…If you’re a few inches over the suggested size, it can apparently be dangerous. Hell of a lot of fun though, kind of like a bench shirt.
http://www.howmuchyabench.net/buy-the-sling-shot.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage-ask.tpl&product_id=17&category_id=6

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“i just want to know that i train hard and look like it too.”

Hey HR…good to “see you.”

This is something I am struggling with too.
May this be the year that you shine through!

that wasn’t meant to rhyme, hehe

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Just curious, do you foam roll or get massages at all?

Whats the first step towards improving body comp? short/long term goals?

(am I asking enough questions?) :slight_smile:

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[quote]mom-in-MD wrote:
Just curious, do you foam roll or get massages at all?

Whats the first step towards improving body comp? short/long term goals?

(am I asking enough questions?) :)[/quote]

Mim thanks for stopping by. I should get deep tissue massages, that would probably alleviate alot of the problems that i get. As for foam rolling, i foam roll at the start and end of every workout at the rec center time permitting. I should purchase one for at home.

As for the body comp, i am going to slowly bump up cardio to 3 days a week. Meamwhile i am going to keep calories and carbs at baseline maintenance levels. Then i will start to carb cycle and get more lower days in throughout the week. The more i read, it seems i am one of those types that will need to go to really low carb levels to get leaner. Personal experience seems to suggest that i would need to go to really low calorie levels as well for that to happen.

Goals are to get visibly leaner, and to find an approach that works for me. I know i need to make that more concrete, but that is truly what i want to accomplish. A concrete longterm goal i want to accomplish is to deadlift 600.

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[quote]Ty Carlson wrote:
Nah, I’m up in Whitefish until the 20th or 21st probably. We’ll be sure to lift after I get back…I bought various short bands from EliteFTS and one of Mark Bell’s “Sling Shots” over the break so I’ll have to let you try the stuff out…at least the Sling Shot, its a load of fun.

I got a large, here’s the way to check out what size you should use…If you’re a few inches over the suggested size, it can apparently be dangerous. Hell of a lot of fun though, kind of like a bench shirt.
http://www.howmuchyabench.net/buy-the-sling-shot.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage-ask.tpl&product_id=17&category_id=6[/quote]

I looked at the sizes, i might be too big. But that would be alot of fun to try that out though. How much of a difference does it make for you?

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[quote]Heracles_rocks wrote:

[quote]Ty Carlson wrote:
Nah, I’m up in Whitefish until the 20th or 21st probably. We’ll be sure to lift after I get back…I bought various short bands from EliteFTS and one of Mark Bell’s “Sling Shots” over the break so I’ll have to let you try the stuff out…at least the Sling Shot, its a load of fun.

I got a large, here’s the way to check out what size you should use…If you’re a few inches over the suggested size, it can apparently be dangerous. Hell of a lot of fun though, kind of like a bench shirt.
http://www.howmuchyabench.net/buy-the-sling-shot.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage-ask.tpl&product_id=17&category_id=6[/quote]

I looked at the sizes, i might be too big. But that would be alot of fun to try that out though. How much of a difference does it make for you?[/quote]

I hit a triple with 315 a few weeks ago with the sling shot, and hit a single with 305 last night raw.

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Arm training: Low rest periods throughout, 30-60 seconds on the first 2 exercises and pretty much back to back from there on out.

Close grip bp:13515,13515,22510,2256 These are really uncomfortable on my shoulders so i don’t do these very often for this reason.

Barbell curls:6510,8510,1255,1253

Superset of seated french press:5015,7012,9012,11012

And db curls:3015,4010,508,605(form was a bit sloppy on this set though)

Superset of preacher cable curls:4015,5012,609,705

And overhead rope extensions:8520,11515,14512,17512

Done, pumped and feeling like a beast the task was accomplished and the sun is shinning brightly. Everything went pretty good except that the darn neck and trap area on my left side is really tight.

One of my favorite motivational videos.

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Great to see you on here HR, badass video also! Looking forward to seeing you get super lean over the following months!!

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I didn’t train monday or tuesday because i was/am getting used to a mornings. I am putting in a full days worth of participation/observation and etc at a local high school as part of school stuff. It’s for PE and i like to participate with the kids in the activities and doing those for 2-4 hours can be tiring. Blah blah whine whine. No more excuses i should be in the gym the remainder of the week but volume will be down and i will see how i feel as far as intensity. Today was pretty good though.

Back and chest training:

Deads:1555,1555,2655,3155,315*5 For speed.

Db rows:8010,13010,180*15(pr)

Incline db press:6010,8010,1003,1205(tied pr)

Dips:bw10,bw 455,bw 902,bw20

done, although as i said didn’t feel like workin these past few days, today i felt pretty good. My neck issue isn’t an issue today so that is a good feeling.

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As others have said, its nice to see you logging it man. Best of luck with your goals and that crazy schedule of yours, I have a feeling you will tear shit up and not need luck though. Stay strong, and I’ll be following.

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Sorry i didn’t respond earlier,

Chi-town, i’m gunnin for it, i’ll try to post more videos and hopefully you haven’t seen them all yet.

Dove, thanks for stoppin by man. Hopefully nothing goes wrong like all the other times.

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Are you studying to be a PE teacher?