Nice setup bro!!
1 Like
Whoa! Iāve never actually heard of this concept before. I have heard of the āBreakdown-Recovery Trapā (from my favorite podcast, Mind Pump) ā whereby you break down a muscle, then re-enter the gym before itās fully recovered, thereby never allowing your body to adapt. This is similar, but I like the way you explained it (and your terminology is clever, too). I think Iām probably in purgatory, brother!
Ughhh. I hate how right I know you are. Iām obviously addicted to working out (pretty good problem to have, TBH, so Iām not mad about it), so Iām trying my own version first: one week with only upper-body volume (no leg workouts). Every broās dream! My split this week will look like this:
Monday (today): Chest (international chest day, of course)
Tuesday: Lats
Wednesday: Biceps & triceps
Thursday: Shoulders
Friday: Chest
Saturday: Back & biceps
Less shoulders in there because I just did 'em Saturday. Any modification recommendations? This approach will probably not be enough to allow my legs to recover fully, but I thought Iād give it a shot before abandoning lifting altogether for a weekā¦which sounds agonizing! Lol.
As much as Iām resisting, this is such a good rule. I havenāt taken 7 days off altogether since the end of April. What do you usually notice during/after that week off, when you say your body thanks you? Do you do any GPP, walking, or any type of movement during that week? Or just the girly shit? Lmao.
I have come very close to this happening in my home gym (well, not with 245 because youāre stronger than me, but close to it). I almost killed myself a few weeks ago. Sometimes the workout gets so intense when youāre lifting alone that you almost die!
This is really helpful to know. I appreciate it, brother! Came this close to buying a plate-loaded machine at Walmart this weekend but opted to think about it some more. Might want a stack/cable.
Your home gym is gorgeous! I love the quote on the platform as well. Iām debating adding mirrors to my space ā in a sense, I like that not having them takes the focus off aesthetics, but they can also be very useful for a form check.
1 Like
Iād still try and find one you could pump out a couple reps in. It might not be a big deal to you.
Thanks man! Iām the other room I have a rowing machine, spin bike, elliptical, TRX straps, and battle ropes. I donāt ever use that though.
I love the mirrors! Couldnāt imagine not having them.
I would recommend a full recovery week with no lifting.
I usually try to not do any conscious exercising during that week. Keep the diet in check but just go to work, come home and try to chill. Thatās it. When I say my body thanks me, I mean that the next Monday when I hit the weights again, I feel like superman. I feel like my body is chomping at the bit and I can lift ten times more (exaggeration of course)ā¦ Itās like the batteries have been fully recharged so to speak.
All right, all right, you win 
Iām going to take this week off legs, as I outlined above, and then take next week as my full week off lifting ā for two reasons:
- I already have a lot of work scheduled for next week, so it will work well with my schedule (and I can distract myself!).
- I hit a major career milestone recently and my wife is making sure we celebrate it. She also wanted to make sure itās something Iād really enjoy ā so this weekend weāre making a day trip to New Haven to lift at the Montanari Brothers Powerhouse Gym and then go out to eat at an awesome restaurant in the area. I looked around at legendary gyms within driving distance, and this one looks incredible! Lots of history there.
I was planning on hitting back/bis during our visit, as they have a lot of very cool-looking back machines (old school) and itād be fun to do a pump type workout. Thoughts/any recommendations?
That sounds awesome man!
And no brother, no win or lose for me in any sense for this. Iām just offering an opinion. You know your body better than anyone else so always take others opinions with a grain of salt.
Iāve never spent much time in commercial gyms so I couldnāt really recommend any specific old school machines to get jacked up on. I do remember though a few times I went that they had an inclined bench that you lay on your stomach, where you reach down and grab the handles on the pivoting bar below the padded bench that is loaded with plates and do a back row with it. Not sure what they called it but it was pretty intense for going heavy on rows.
This is similar to what Iām referring toā¦
1 Like
The supported t-bar rows are awesome. They take the cheating out of a traditional bent row and gives more focus to the upper back. Because they are supported they are a hell of a lot easier on the lower back also.
An old school gym that I used to go to had a seated pullover machine that was pretty cool. You sit in it put you elbow on some pads above your head and pull over in front of you. It was similar to a dumbbell pullover except you were seated rather than lying and because you were pulling from the elbows seemed easier to focus on the lats.
Looked similar to this but was old school and was a chain system rather than cable.
2 Likes
I love that setup! I actually do a version of this seated pullover with the odyssey 5. I connect a tricep rope to the lat pull down pulley and sit facing out and adjust the back of the machine to where Iām just ahead of the pulley. Itās a great alternative to DB pullovers!
You have to practice a little to get the proper form and keep the elbows bent a little but itās great once you get it down.
2 Likes
@rise80 They have one of those seated pullover machines there! (Iām excited so Iāve been watching videos of people working out in the gym, and have gotten a feel for their equipment.) I was thinking I would hit that up for a killer lat pump. Looks like an awesome machine.
So when you DB pullovers, you feel them in your lats? With a single DB? I actually just did them today, but as a chest exercise. I can really feel the concentration/blood-pooling in my lower chest.
I absolutely love the look of that chest-supported T-Bar row. Iāve seen videos of people doing those and have played around with similar machines in the past. Iād love to have one of those in my home space someday! Man, nerding out about machines is great.
With a dumbbell i feel the chest more especially if I extend and get a stretch then flex at the top imagining Im squezing my pecs together. I still feel the lats just not as much.
Closest thing to a pullover for lats is that pullover machine and straight arm pulldowns for me. I dont know if it is just being upright versus laying down that makes the difference.
1 Like
I had an InBody scan this morning:
Couple things:
- Clearly the BF is off. Thereās no way 3% is an accurate measurement. No idea what happened there, but I didnāt have to pay for it (the owner of the gym where I was working out generously offered to do it), so I didnāt make a fuss. False result notwithstanding, I think this indicates Iām pretty lean at the moment.
- Apparently I am left-side dominant. Iām right-handed, so Iām not sure why this is the case. But Iām thinking the practical takeaway is that I should start with the right side on isometric movements.
- My BMR (2136) looks really low. Iāve been maintaining around 2400, and even that seemed low to me considering my size (6ā2", 185).
- The guy who did this scan said my upper-body mass is excellent and lower-body is pretty strong (albeit lagging) as well. Granted, that is compared to the general population, which we all know is a terrible baseline.
Any thoughts? This is my first InBody, so Iād love feedback/insight!
Only scan Iāve had done is a DEXA at a doctors. What exactly was this thing you had done?
I had a DEXA a few years ago. That one had me pegged at 19% but I was quite a bit huskier back then. This one was the InBody ā itās the one that has you stand on it and hold the handles. From what I understand, water-dunking/DEXA are most expensive and InBody is next most costly.
Might try calling around. I only pay $50 for DEXA scans.
Edit: itās at a womanās imaging center that specializes in breast cancer. Might search for womanās centers like that and see if they offer it.
I dont have a scan that says so, but I am left handed and have always thought size wise I am right side dominant.
My pre T was 50. Doctor ran the blood tests two weeks later because she thought the lab screwed up. It was 51 on the second test.
Iāve been having some issues with pinning. The delts were a perfect site for a while, but lately the injections have been pretty painful (maybe Iām leaner?) and Iāve had a few instances of bleeding. Plus I donāt want to accumulate scar tissue in one area.
Thatās all to say Iām thinking of working in a new injection site. Any recommendations? Iād prefer one that doesnāt require aspirating. The idea of adding that step kind of bugs me out for some reason.
I aspirate on ALL sitesā¦very cheap insurance becauseā¦yes, no matter what ANYBODY tells youā¦You take a chance of IV injection every time you go into ANY muscle with a needleā¦ANYWHERE. JMO as there plenty of guys who have never aspirated anywhere and have been lucky thus farā¦
For IM, I alternate 6 different sites clockwiseā¦
Left Delt - > Left Thigh ā Right thigh ā Right Delt ā Right Glute ā Left Gluteā¦then start over. Each site only gets hit every two weeks with my 3 X per week injection schedule.
My wife does my injections so itās easier, but I can and have done all of them except Glutes.
If you donāt have the option of having the wife do the Glutes, and canāt reach them yourself, you could always choose three different sites on each thigh, and 2 or so on each delt to have plenty of options.
I do glutes, delts, and quads. I aspirate everything except for glutes because I catch a mean lat cramp if I hold that position for too long.
On quads I have to go really slow because I always seem to hit a nerve. I also bleed on almost every injection.