Osterm38's Beast Building Log

Training Logs
101

Week 2, Day 3 (7/28/08):

A1. Close grip preacher curls:
75x7, 85x5, 95x3
80x7, 90x5, 100x3

A2. Close grip Bench:
175x7, 195x5, 205x3
180x7, 200x5, 210x3

B1. Incline DB hammer curls:
35x10,10
40x8,8
45x6

B2. Ez bar tricep extension:
80x10,10
90x7, 85x8
90x5

C1. wide grip straight bar curls (elbows in) + top partials:
60x12, 70x9,8

C2. cable rope pushdowns +low double contraction:
57.5x7, 52.5x8, 47.5x7

Abs

***So the beginning of today’s workout felt real good. A1 was nice and controlled eccentric and concentrically. Close grip bench was easy in the beginning, but last two sets I had to sort of bounce the last rep of each for fear of stalling without a spotter (I do a rest pause most of the time, but not for more than half a second, it is noticeable though). Again, I sort of lose form with the heavier hammer curls. For some reason the tricep extension were rough and I used a bar I could load rather than the predetermined ez bars, so maybe the weight wasn’t as accurate, or my tri’s were failing by this point.

I suck at partials, and I keep going to heavy on the first set, so the last two I can’t finish the number of reps required. I’ll have to shape up and get rid of my ego soon. Forgot to stretch, whatever. Need a better ab routine, or maybe I should do it in the beginning. Tomorrow should kill my shoulders again, can’t wait!

102

Week 2, Day 4 (7/29/08):

A1. Push Press:
135x7, 145x5, 155x3,
140x7, 155x5, 165x3

A2. Power shrugs:
245x7, 265x5, 285x5 (forgot to do only 3),
275x7, 295x5, 315x3

B1. hammer grip DB press:
40x10,10
45x8,8
50x6

B2. Upright Rows:
80x10,10
90x8,8
100x6

C1. Cable lat raises (one arm at a time) + top partials to failure:
20x10,10,10 +barely any

C2. Reverse fly machine + double contraction:
50x12,12,12

***Push press was grueling, but I noticed that I am able to push myself through recently and get the last rep or two even if it is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I don’t if it because I started taking BCAA’s again on Friday (3 times a day at 5 pills a pop, they’re running out fast) or because I rule. Probably #2. I hate my forearms, because this happened last week about this time…they hurt because of preacher curls, and during preacher curls. So this affects anything I touch, like even the plates.

But I didn’t let it bother me, even though I definitely felt it in the upright rows (you know the feeling when you rest the weight down, but you have to wait 3 seconds before you remove your clamped hands). I’m liking the pump action from the phase III workouts.

After phase III I need to work on grip, calfs, maybe biceps and forearms, and possible try rippetoe to up my squat, then coan phillipi to up my deadlift. All this while passing phd qualifying exams in october, along with entertaining a girlfriend, eating every 3 hours, and hopefully sleeping…something might have to be sacrificed, or I need to get more efficient at everything.

PS. - Today some lady in my office building said my arm(s) look jacked. Haha. Maybe compared to before…oh and my girlfriend said I have bigorexia, never big enough, that’s right!

103

Looking good. You can defintly do more on power shurgs I think especially since you did 285 for 5 reps.

Im working on setting up my own routine for after this. Im aiming more towards leaning out. You just need to become more efficient at everything lol Mr. bigorexia.

104

[quote]mavis13 wrote:
Looking good. You can defintly do more on power shurgs I think especially since you did 285 for 5 reps.

Im working on setting up my own routine for after this. Im aiming more towards leaning out. You just need to become more efficient at everything lol Mr. bigorexia. [/quote]

I can probably handle shrugging more weight, but my whole upper body feels it when the weight drops those few inches. The first time (last week) I did them I must have slipped up on my form because my lower back was hurting. Today I’m fine, so I’ll up the weight next time…

105

Week 3, Day 1 (7/31/08):

A1. Front Squats:
165x7, 180x5, 195x3
170x7, 185x4, 195x3

A2. Romanian Deadlift:
255x7, 270x5, 285x3
260x7, 275x5, 285x3

B1. Platform snatch-grip deadlift:
165x10,10
175x8,7

B2. Walking DB Lunges, long step:
30’s x 10,10
35’s x 8, 6

C1. Leg Press + top partials:
315 x 10,10 +5-10?

C2. Lying Leg Curls + double contraction on last half of movement:
75x12,12

***The intensity was great, but it still felt like the session was going too long. I cut it short a set in B and one in C unfortunately.

Yes I know I sort of gave up, but my legs were pretty much done for, and I hate platform deadlifts, or moreso the snatch grip (since my grip is lacking, or because the bar has no grip on the last 8 inches of the olympic bars).

I don’t think I’ll be deloading on week 4, only because I need this high volume training (plus I’m going on a week long vacation to the Dominican Republic the day after phase III is supposed to end, all inclusive, I need to eat a lot and make it worth it).

So my legs are a major weak point. This is in part due to the fact that I hated training them when I simply went to the gym over the past few years. Now that I think I’m training more seriously, my lack of strength also comes from long legs and small knees (I notice that they are starting to feel the heavier weights I’ve been dealing with).

I’m not complaining, just recognizing. I really like doing deads and squats now that I can do them with semi-good form. I really want to try Rippetoe and see if I can’t improve my 235x3 back squat (my bench is the same!),

and my deadlift is ok relative to my bench, but could be much better since my posterior chain seems much stronger than my quads along with long arms (SLDL is almost as high as my reg DL), so if I up my squat (FS especially) then I think it could dramatically increase.

So since I’m still new to the whole weigh-lifting world (beyond �??just going to the gym�?? people), I only know of Coan-Phillipi, and I think I’ll try this as well.

Other than this, I need to stick with something along the lines of 4 days a week, 2 ME, 2 DE, each with an upper lower body split since I really could use more overall strength (and speed since all I do is study and eat and sleep).

I’ll stop typing now…oh and the beach rules, not only due to hot bikinis, but my board shorts have menage a trois’s all over them, so parents get all offended (not really, but they should). Enough.

106

Week 3, Day 2 (8/2/08)

A1. Low-incline DB press (30-45 degrees):
70x7, 75x5, 80x3
75x7, 80x5, 85x2

A2. Close neutral-grip weighted pullups:
35x7, 45x5, 55x3
40x7, 50x5, 60x3

B1. Wide-grip bench press:
165x10,10
175x7,6,5

B2. 1-arm DB rows:
75x10,10
80x8,8
85x6

C1. Peck Deck + end and beginning partials to failure:
110x10,10,10 +whatever

C2. pulldowns + double contractions (hand just on bent part of bar):
100x12,12,11

***I think the incline on the first exercise was about one or two notches higher than usual (about 45 degrees). This might explain the fact that at first I couldn’t get the 85’s up, I reset them on my legs, then struggled to blast out two reps. Last week I thought I would be up to the 90’s, maybe with a spotter. I also had to join a new gym for a month since I’m about 2 hours away from school living with my gf and her parents (15 minutes from the beach!).

Pullups felt good (rest pause, arms fully extended at rest each time), arms looked bigger than I thought in the mirror, haha. Wide grip bench seems harder than it should be because my hands are barely another hand length further down the bar. I guess the DB incline has it’s effects though, and since I went heavier overall maybe that’s why I couldn’t get what I did last week for B1.

1-arm rows can be increased next week. I felt like my back was a little above parallel and I was lifting it more towards my abs rather than chest, making it easier, and probably doing it properly finally.

Peck deck is really the reverse of the reverse fly machine, so arms are extended rather than bent at ninety degrees with the elbows resting on pads.

Pulldowns felt easy, until the last rep of each set, so I think I can increase.

Tonight is my gf’s birthday party with friends, and most of them don’t drink, so hopefully I’ll restrain myself. It always f’s up my sleeping pattern (but so does any type of liquid, because I always wake up halfway through the night, which I guess is good if I had a small protein shake and some BCAA’s ready, but whatever).

107

Week 3, Day 3 (8/4/08):

A1. Close-grip Preacher Curls:
80x7, 90x5, 100x3
80x7, 90x4, 100x2

A2. Close-grip Bench:
185x7, 200x5, 210x3
185x7, 200x4, 210x3

B1. Incline DB Hammer Curls:
35x10,10
40x8,8
45x6

B2. Flat EZ-bar Tricep Extensions:
75x10,10
85x7,7
90x5

C1. Wide-grip elbows-in straight bar preacher curls +top partials:
60x10,9,8

C2. Cable Rope Pressdowns +double contractions:
100x12,11,10

***So everything was pretty heavy today and I had some random guy spot me on the last set of close-grip bench. He lifted off, which I realize helps a lot. I didn’t have lift-offs for any other bench session, and I think it helps more so for close grip (since my arms are fairly long).

Hammer curls were way easy in the beginning, and that give me hope with my biceps, since they used to be smaller than my forearms.

For some reason I think the rope pressdown’s weight labels were either wrong this time or at my school’s gym, since I did 100lb as easily as 47.5lbs at school. I assume it was in KG up at school, which is weird. Had a good pump going…

One more week left, then I have about 3 days until vacation. I think I might test my maxes in that allotted time.

108

Week 3, Day 4 (8/6/08):

A1. Push Press:
135x7, 145x5, 160x3
140x7, 155x4, 165x3

A2. Power Shrugs:
275x7, 295x5, 315x3
295x7, 315x5, 330x3

B1. Hammer Grip DB Press:
40x10,10
45x8,8
50x6

B2. Upright Rows:
80x10,10
90x8,8
100x6

C1. 1-arm Cable Lat Raises + top partials:
20x10,10,10

C2. Reverse Flyes + no double contraction this time:
25x12,12,12

109

So I started week 4 of Thib’s last phase of beast building today. I won’t list the workouts since I’ve decided to deload by halving (roughly) each exercise pair. I’m doing:

A1/A2: ?x7, ?x5, ?x3
(only one time around)

B1/B2: ?x10, ?x8, ?x6
(rather than ?x10,10, ?x8,8, ?x6)

C1/C2: ?x10-12 + partials x2
(rather than x3)

After I’m finished this week by next Wednesday, I’ll test my maxes Thursday and Friday. I’ll also take measurements. Then that will be it for this log o’ mine.

I’m also getting a massage next Wednesday, sweet.

110

Looking at how your deloading and they way I did and yours looks better and I wish I did it the way you are.

They maxes are awesome it really show on how much youve increased. Im suprised I got what I did for squats being as before this I hadnt worked legs for almost a couple years. Bench I was happy too.

So what is your next program? Are you goin to keep a log?

I need to get in and trade for a massage too.

111

[quote]mavis13 wrote:
Looking at how your deloading and they way I did and yours looks better and I wish I did it the way you are.

They maxes are awesome it really show on how much youve increased. Im suprised I got what I did for squats being as before this I hadnt worked legs for almost a couple years. Bench I was happy too.

So what is your next program? Are you goin to keep a log?

I need to get in and trade for a massage too.[/quote]

I think I need to follow another program or two to get my strength up, before I design my own. I want to try to bring my squat up (so Rippetoe maybe), and then my deadlift (so Coan Phillipi). After that I don’t know. I think I may bring up my calves and biceps a little during Rippetoe or C/P. I know I really just need to get overall strength, and I think the week-long vacation I have coming up next week will rest me for the next few months of proper training.

What about yourself, I know you said you read Thib’s book and are going to be cutting possibly, so what program have you chosen/designed, and what your food intake looks like. I guess you’ll be starting a new log soon (as will I)…

112

Thats cool I havent really heard much about the rippetoe program but Ill follow along with your next log. If I like it maybee Ill do that sometime. When you get to arms check out this program http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=459874

Ive done it once and holy crap its good and when he says it hurts he isnt lying but it works good.

As for me Im goin to be cutting. Yeah I read Thibs book lots of good info. So Ill be doin each body part twice a week. Each body part will get a high rep 60% 1rm sets once a week and a moderate reps at 85% 1rm. For high reps Ill be goin for 15-22reps and mod Ill go for 4-6reps. For cardio Ill be doing 400meter sprints and old school hammer swinging and sandbag carries.

For diet Ill be intaking about 1400kcal on off days and 1700kcal on lifting days. My maintance calories is 2550kcals.