I have the weekend off of training, so I decided to throw in a session for legs and I’m glad that I did!
Legs.
Dynamic Warm-Up
Standing Leg Curls:
40x10x2 (warm-up)
80x15x1 Each leg
95x12x1
100x8x1
90x10…80x10…90x (20 partials).
Stiff-Legged Dead w/ 25lb plates:
145x10x1
195x10x2 (Flex glutes & hams hard at the top)
Leg Press:
1 plate per side X10x1
2x10x1 Each set was done with 3 second negatives on the reps, “exploding” up.
3x10x1
4x10x1
5x10x1
6x10x1
6.5x10x1
7x10x1 + 12 partials
Quad Fascia Stretch: 1 minute each quad.
Semi-Hack Squat:
(Like a calf press machine, but for squats) Not the best substitute for true machine hack squats.
1 plate per side x10x1
2x10x1
3x10x2
2.5x10 (ALL the way down & no lockout)…1.5x15 (constant tension & no lockout)
Quad Fascia Stretch: 1 minute each quads, done twice.
Great workout, I was completely soaked. Volume was lower, but intensity was damn high. Got some sushi postworkout. I’m about to foam roll and take a warm bath with some self-leg massaging.
Meadows Rows:
110x8x1
100x12x1
125x6x1
75x15x1, These varied rep ranges felt awesome since I’m “accustomed” to straight and/or ramping sets.
Wide-Neutral Grip Cable Rows to Chest: (leaning forward)
100x15x3
These absolutely killed my lower trap/rhomboid area.
Wide Grip Pulldowns to Top of Head:
200x8x1
180x12x1
170x12x1
Made sure to get a good stretch on each rep before pulling again. Tried to remove any body language.
Superset:
Stretchers: 120x12x3
Lying w/Bench Pullovers: 55x12x3
Incredible “width pump” with these.
Low Lat Smith Row:
(Smith machine row with wide-ish underhand grip, pulling to hips) 20lb smith bar weight
90x8x4
70x8x4 Rest of only about 30 seconds b/w sets for both weights
These may the best overall back exercise that I have stumbled upon. I can feel them EVERYWHERE on my back.
Pull-Up Hang Stretch:
BW+45lbs for 45 seconds X2
Lat Pulling Stretch:
45s X2 each side
BB Shrug:
225x20x3 (10 w/ pinkies on rings, 10 w/ pinkies on smooth)
135x50x1 (25 w/ pinkies on rings, 25 w/ pinkies on smooth)
Awesome workout!
A good bit of volume, but I’m handling the volume well. I drank my postworkout shake and came home for a 2 hour nap. Then immediately ate another meal, and I’m not writing this.
I worked both days this weekend and I was glad to see that I had plenty of energy today. I work at a canoeing outpost, I’m outside in the sun for most of the day (8 hour work day) and I frequently pick up canoes and kayaks and move them around, so needless to say; it’s a very physical job.
Of all my body parts, my back needs to come up the ‘least.’ Yet everything needs to be bigger, so I’m training everything really hard right now, especially arms and legs.
2A) 15 degree incline DB Press:
75x8x1
65x12x1
80x8x1
55x15x1
2B) Pec Minor Dips:
BWx15x3
Decline Press: (Not heavy, trying to focus only on the chest)
155x12x1
175x8x2
115x25x1
Leaning Laterals:
35x12x1
35x8…15x10
Laying Laterals:
10x15x2
6A) Pec-Dec: 160x10x3
6B) Reverse Pec-Dec: 115x25x2
Good workout, I had to shift and change some exercises because people were using the things that I needed, but it’s fine. I noticed that I was a lot more short tempered during my workout though, they were breaking my concentration! I’ve been extremely focused in the gym the last few days.
I’ve been at ~4200 calories this week. Roughly (100-120g Fat, 350-380g Carbs, 350-375g Protein)
I’ll be weighing myself today after my workout.
Holy cow, this was a rough one…
If you haven’t read my log yet, or read into the past, I try to emulate John Meadows Mountain Dog Training.
Calves:
Standing calves on smith machine;
255x8x3
Stretch between sets
Seated calves;
3plates x8…2x8
3x8…2x8
3x8…2x8
2x8…1x8 for 2 sets.
Stretch between all sets.
A) seated hamstring curls;
130x15
145x12
160x10
175x8
145x10,130x10…115x25(partials)
B) leg extensions; ( first time with these in at least 1, maybe 2 years) damn, they suck if you don’t do them for a long time haha
145x15x2, 1 second contraction at top
130x10x2 +15 partials
C) DB stiff legs;
80x15x3, kept toes off of the ground and pushed that ass wayyy back.
D) Leg Press;
1 plate per side x 10x1
2x8
3x8
4x8
5x8
6x8
7x8
8x8x2
7x8…6x12…5x12…4x15…3x25…2x15(really slow reps)
Immediately to quad fascia stretch for 45 seconds.
E) hip flex extension on leg extension; (I saw Victor Martinez do these, gave them a shot to what they’re like, pretty cool feel.)
50x15x2
60x15x1
Fascia quad stretch for 45 seconds again.
Great workout, legs will be toasted tomorrow (like they are now)!
I’m going to Dollywood tomorrow, so I’ll be walking around all day. Oh joy! And it’s a 2.5 hour drive each way, so they hips will be loving me tomorrow.
I’ll foam roll in a bit and then take a hot bath to massage my legs followed by a brief, frigid shower. I did that protocol last leg day and I felt sore the next day, but not really as much as I would have been. I downed 1200 calories in the span of an hour and a half for recovery as well. ( 420 periWO, 750 postWO). I have a 6lb tub of gnc pro performance amplified mass xxx that a friend gave me because he couldn’t handle the flavor (pansy!!) I would never buy gnc products with my money though, but I won’t let a product like that go to waste lol.
Time to finish up, lower body is beginning to cramp when slightly flexed and walking. Foam rolling fun (FRF)!!
I got my Fat Gripz (FG) in yesterday, so I was definitely excited to try them out today; I was not disappointed.
A) DB Hammer Curls w/ Fat Gripz:
35x16x2
I have relatively small hands, so I my hands couldn’t even fit around the FG on the DBs. Definitely a good feel with the FG!
B) Pinwheel Curls:
70x16x1
70x14x1
C1) Reverse Grip Pushdowns:
47.5x12x3
C2) Rope Pushdowns:
47.5x12x3
D1) BB Curl w/ FG and 3 second descent:
75x8x3
D2) BB Skullcrushers w/ FG:
75x8x3
I didn’t like these (skulls) all that much with the FG, but I noticved today that these (even w/o the FG) irritate my elbows.
E1) BB Curl w/ 3 second descent:
60x8x3
E2) DB (Hammer) Curl w/ FG:
25x8x3
E3) Rope Hammer/Drag Curl:
47.5x8x3
Stretched a bit more. My forearms were completely pumped up the entire workout b/c of the FG. I really liked them and I could feel my biceps a lot better. I usually have a much better mind-muscle connection with my triceps compared to my biceps, but today felt nearly even. Triceps were still ahead though. I measured my arms about 45 minutes post workouts (most of the pump was gone, only a little still there) and they were about 16.5 inches. maybe a hair above. I then proceeded to slam a spikey ball into my arms for 5 minutes on each arm.
I’ll probably foam roll a bit more on my legs today, they’re pretty sore yet. I don’t even want to know how they’d feel if I had rolled & hot bath massaged with a contrast shower yesterday. Hams are hurting more than quads, since it is harder for my to roll/massage them.
Weight gain APPEARS to be coming along nicely. I don’t want to weigh myself and worry about the numbers much. I like to let the mirror tell the story of what’s happening. I’ll also likely drop my calories back to 3500-3750 next week (Strength-focused week) since I’ve been around 4200 this week. That seems to be a bit high for me right now haha. Although I’ve only added a weight gainer shake postWO (750 cals) to this week compared to last week. I’ll lay off of the weight gainer next week and stick to my oats/rice/chicken/nuts/veggies/some beef/pork. I really don’t mind eating the same things over, unlike most people whom whine to me about eating the same things. I like the repetitiousness of my meals. They’re easy to track and prepare. Spices are fun to experiment with as well.
-HFSW-
Front Squat: 245x4x3 (4 reps, 3 sets, EZPZ)
Eye Level Standing Pin Press: 165x4x1, 175x4x2 (suprisingly easy)
Trap Bar Deadlift: 315x4x3 (again, super easy)
-Back-
Deadlifts:
405x1x1
445x3x2
(this wasn’t as easy as I planned, but I only planned 425-435) I couldn’t do the trap bar deads earlier because someone was using it, so I began w/ FS.
Reverse Grip Pulldowns:
14x12x1
16x12x2 (Probably ~200-215lbs) it easily lifted me up out of the seat.
Reverse Grip Smith Machine Row to Hip:
105x15x1
125x15x1
145x15x1
105x15x1
These feel amazing all over my back.
DB Shrugs:
50x12x1
75x12x1
This workout began great, but puttered out pretty fast. I was at a different gym so the environment was different and I trained at 4pm instead of my usual 11am. Just a different feel to the place. I didn’t like it as much as I thought that I would. I’ll probably go back to my other gym but keep the 4pm.
Picture from today’s second set of 445. I thought that it was cool, so I took the pic from the video. I’ll post the videos when/if I get them up on YouTube.
2nd set of 445, I must not have been set correctly. There is no reason that the first rep should have been so slow. I was thinking “damn, this is slow” which probably didn’t help me out.
-HFSW-
Trap Bar Deadlift: 315x4x3
Standing Eye Level Pin Press: 175x4x3
Front Squat: 255x4x3
All went great, FS may have been a bit heavy, but it is doable for the remaining 2 days.
-Chest-
Bench Press:
225x3x1 (Easy, I knew I would do well after this set)
245x3x1
255x3x2
255x4x1…(30 seconds)…225x5x1
Could have gotten 255 for 6 or 7 fresh and with the added confidence of a spotter (I didn’t ask for a spot today).
I think my ‘nearest’ PR on bench is 265x6 or 8. So I’m not TOO far away from that.
I was surprised that my bench was pretty good today. My strength seems to be improving pretty well!
We’ll see how it goes with 3x3 Squats tomorrow.
Incline DB Press: (Get a great stretch at the bottom)
65x12x1
75x12x1
85x12x2
Squats w/ Belt:
345x3x3 (My back was hurting a good bit from the lying leg curls…) Reps weren’t too hard.
225x8x3
245x6x3
225x6x1
I planned a bit more volume, but my low back was too pumped/hurting to go on safely =/
My back may have been hurting some because I was putting a lot more focus of my wuads by pushing knees/body forward. I usually do squats for strength and put the weight onto my posterior chain. This was a good bit different.
Low Foot Placement Leg Press:
4pps x15x2
Leg Press Calf Raise:
3pps for 50 reps in 3 sets. Slow(er) reps with a good stretch.
2pps x15
Stretch calves and quads. Calves are begging to look not terrible.
-HFSW-
Standing Eye Level Pin Press: 155x4x3
Front Squat: 245x4x3
No trap bar DL because I didn’t want to give up the squat rack (there’s only one =/ )
-Shoulders-
Push Press: (not jerks. One dip, then push. No double dip lol)
165x3x1
195x3x1
210x3x1
225x3x2 PR
Big PR. I was surprised how “easy” the first rep of 225 was. Went up like cake. This seems about right, I guess, since my latest standing press PR is 195.
Seated DB Press: (deep stretch, bells on shoulders low)
50x12x2
Delt Triad:
15x12x3
Delt triad is seated: laterals, front raises, press 12 reps of each is one set.
Rear Row-to-Raise:
45x12…25x15
45x12…25x15
Seated DB Shrugs:
85x15x2
DB Shrug S/S Cable Upright Row:
75x12-15 S/S 11x15 for 2 rounds
DB Front Raise S/S Rear Lateral:
40x16…40x16 for 2 rounds
A pretty big volume day, I didn’t plan that much, but I felt better as the workout went on, so I did more. My shoulders are rarely sore, so I hope I can feel it tomorrow. Though that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a productive workout. I finished in about an hour. I was flying through, while getting plenty of rest b/w sets and exercises.
Mass Phase Week 3 Day 5: End of week 3.
Calves and Arms.
Calves
Smith Machine Calf Raise:
4pps…2pps: (8…8) 3 sets
Machine Donkey Calf Raise:
3pps x12x3
1pps x50
Arms
Hammer Curls:
45x16
Pin Wheel Curls:
75x16…55x12…30x12
V-Bar Pushdown S/S DB Extension:
"8"x12…65x12
"8"x15…50x12
"8"x12…50x12
BB Curl w/ Fat Gripz & 3-second negatives:
85x8x4
Cable Curl W/ Arm Blaster (Retro!):
"10"x10x3, slow negatives w/ held contraction
Neutral Grip Pushdown:
"13"x12x3
One-Arm Triceps Extension:
30x10
25x12
DB Curl w/ Fat Gripz:
25x18x2 (Simultaneous reps)
A bit more stretching.
I’m liking the environment of the gym now. They guys are bigger here than at the college gym and I’ve “realized” that I have to gain overall mass to gain a lot of muscle. It’s finally set in and I’m not afraid to lose my abs, though I haven’t yet. I’m up to 192lbs this evening. That’s 15lbs in 3 weeks. A good bit of fat, but not as much as I would have thought for 15lbs.
Overall, I’m very happy with how my weight gain is going. My original plan was to get to 200lbs in 12 weeks, but since I’m nearly there already, I’m going to say 210-215 at the end of 12 weeks. No need to stop when I can keep going.
I need to order some more protein so I can have more shakes throughout the day without worrying about running out before my 12 week period ends. I’m also going to bit large quantities of Creatine, Leucine, Glutamine, BCAA’s and maybe some waxy maize. The carb source I have for my workouts now it potato and rice starches and it seems to be going great. I don’t feel bloated from it and it tastes awesome. lol. I do feel bloated from the carbs that I eat, but it nearly all goes away in the morning. I’m thinking about dropping my carbs a smidgen (about 50g/day) to lighten the fat gain a tad.
I’ll be at this gym for 1 more week, then I’ll be moving to Atlanta for 10 weeks to do summer undergraduate research at Georgia Tech. The gym that I’ve been at this week was my first gym (6 years ago) but I haven’t gone regularly in at least 2 years. There are a few guys there that are doing great for some motivation in the gym. One guy is ~245lbs at 5’11"-6’ right now and he is 9 weeks from a show. I think he’ll come in about 220-225lbs. He’s looking great. I’m not sure if he has done a show before though. Another guy is about my weight and an inch or so shorter. He is a wrestling coach at the middle/high schools in town and he wrestled in college. They were having a fun “posedown” today and just giving each other a hard time. The guy about my size (whom I’ve known since 7/8th grade) told me that I could jump into their posedown to hold my own when I wanted. haha. I may have to take him up on that offer whil I still have abs & obliques!
I’m feeling great and I can’t wait for summer in Atlanta. This’ll be my first time away from home for an extended period of time (I still live with my parents) so everything will be a new experience and I will finally be able to buy exactly what I need to Grow! Though I will have to pay for it, however I will have plenty of income while at GaTech.
Mass Phase Week 3 Day 6 (Extra)
Forearms & Conditioning.
I’ll usually do forearms before or after arms, but I did calves before my arms yesterday and I was ready to leave after, so I moved forearms to this morning.
BB Wrist Curl: (bar rolled to finger tips and squeeze all the way up each rep)
45x20x1
55x20x1
65x20x3 S/S CoC #1 Gripper for 3 reps on each hand.
Used my spikey ball for soft tissue work b/w sets.
& Stretched.
DB Hold W/ Fat Gripz:
50x15-20 seconds for 3 sets. These were a lot harder than I thought they’d be…
BB Hold:
135x5s
225x15s
315x5sx5 (my grip was a lot more fired than I thought…)
225x52x12 (only time to switch grip b/w ‘sets’)
More stretching and soft tissue work.
Conditioning…
I’ve been at the gym that houses my Prowler, so I was able to play with him! I can’t use it at home because the terrain is hilly/curvy and there are no flat/straight areas, at all. So my Prowler is at this gym and I let them use it whenever. I’m not sure how often it is used though lol.
Here’s what I did…
20yd Parallel Bar Sprint (140lbs)
20yd Low Bar Sprint (140lbs)
Crunches to failure (max contraction the entire range) only got about 10-15 each set.
This was done for 5 rounds, ~5-15 seconds rest b/w rounds.
EDIT: It’s a variation of CT’s ab shredder circuit/workout.
Nothing huge, just to get my heart pumping and some total body work.
I got a compliment on my “fly” shows today in the gym! Oh yeah. haha.
Ryno.
Wow. Today was an incredible workout.
My goal was to hit 500lbs on deads today, something that I’ve only done once before when I did deads all the time.
Dynamic Warm-Up for about 10 minutes.
A) Deadlift:
405x3x1 (Pretty easy, but not certain about getting 500)
455x1x1 (Damn fast! I saw a few stars)
505x3x1 PR.
I went up for one rep, and it was “easy” so I went for two more. I may have been able to get 4 if I wanted to die. lol
Videos will be posted in next post./ They’re uploading to YouTube now.
B) Meadows Rows (single arm, of course):
115x8x1
115x12x1
140x7x1
115x15x1
C) T-Bar Rows:
(I went heavy, but I didn’t look like a lot of people that just hump the weight, I actually felt my back working on these)
4 plates X8x1
5 plates x8x1
6 plates x8…4px10…3px15 (I always like to do a strip set on my last set of these, if I do them)
D1) Heavy LAt Pulldowns to top of head (full extension/stretch):
"16"x10
"18"x10
"18"x8…"14"x8
D2) Stretchers:
"10"x12
"11"x12
"10"x10
E) Cable Row: (High cable setting while I’m on the ground) Focusing on mid-back/low traps/rhomboids
"15"x15x3 (Way too light, but it was the stack) The low row here was too short to do this with.
A good bit more stretching and left. Took about 1.5 hours (the lat stretches took about 15 minutes =/ )
Came home to cook a 12 oz. steak, 300g potatoes and 2 cups of 2% milk!
Eating in another 30 minutes.
I dont seem to be gaining any excessive fat, so I’m keeping my food intake clean and high.
So far today, (5 meals & peri-w/o) I’m at 3850 cals, 353g carbs, 366g protein, 108.5g fat.
Just about all from chicken, eggs, rice/lentils/cowpeas, milk, and that steak. About 2 gallons of water.
Bodyweight at 193lbs!
I don’t plan to workout tomorrow (would be chest/shoulders) because I’m helping a friend move, but I may be able to get in a bit later. I may have also found a partner (for this week)!! I work with him, and went to high school with him. I don’t mean to be a douche/cocky, but I doubt anyone I know (other than 2 or 3 people) could keep up with my pace/intensity in the gym. I’m like a madman right now, I’ll admit that. lol
9am
250grams chicken (breast & thigh)
1c jasmine rice (any rice works, I like the taste of jasmine though)
100g salad (no dressing, I didn’t have any good dressings, but I only use half a serving, if I do use any)
12pm
230g chicken
1c rice
2 rice cakes (I like them, so I eat them)
1/2c greek yogurt
3pm
200g chicken
1c rice
2 rice cakes
1c 2% milk
Workout @ 4:30pm
2 scoops whey protein during workout
1 scoop carb drink (has 50g of rice/potato starches)
Post workout meal @ 6:15-30pm
12oz steak (only because it was on sale @ Wal-Mart)
300g potatoes
1/2tbsp butter
1tbsp greek yogurt (used as sour cream)
That’s all so far, but I will have another chicken/rice meal soon, and then a protein (40-50g casein) shake before I go to sleep.
D) Wide Grip Military Press: (ring finger on outer ring)
95x10x1
115x10x1
125x10x1
125x8x1
115x8x1
E) Slanted Lateral Raises:
35x12x2
F) Delt Triad:
15x12x1
G) Six Ways:
15x9x1
Pretty good workout. Began great, but someone was in the only smith machine where I planned to do declines, so I subbed for BB Incline instead. Then my shoulders went great! I think that they’re really starting to get some width. I love the wide presses for width, and they don’t hurt my shoulders =). I was going to do some rear delt work, but they’re sore from yesterday’s back/trap work so I just didn’t bother with them today. haha
Today is a low day on my carb cycling, I plan to hit about 200g compared to yesterday’s 385g!
Legsssss!! Probably my favorite day, or tied with arms. The two body parts that I really want to bring up.
This was an awesome workout.
Began with my dynamic warm-up, about 8 minutes.
A) Standing Leg Curl: (done in a modified way on the lying leg curl machine)
50x10x5 each leg.
B) Smith Machine Stiff Leg Deadlift (15lb smith bar): Working only to bottom 3/4 of the movement, no lockout.
85x15x1
155x15x1
205x15x1
205x12…155x7
C1) Leg Extension w/ 1 second contraction:
150x15x2
170x10…90x15 partials
150x10…110x15 patials
C2) Hip Flexor “Extension” on Leg Extension:
70x12x3
I’ve done these once before and I felt really sore on my outer/upper quads, an area that really helps my legs have more girth and overall size.
D) Smith Machine Front Squats (15lb smith bar):
(feet about shoulder width and 1-2 inches ahead of bar so shins were perp. at bottom of movement)
195x8x1
245x8x2
195x12…105x15
155x15…105x8 (1.5 reps)
These were killer. I tried to take somewhat shorter breaks. Less than90 seconds.
E) Lever Leg Press:
5pps x10x1
5p x10…4.5x10…4x10…3.5x10…3x10…2x15 (taking a 45 from one side = -0.5 pps)
Fascia Quad Stretch for 1 minute.
A bit of calves on the donkey calve raise.
My calves seem to be coming along great! I think that they’re up at least an inch from the beginning of this mass phase. I’ve been doing sled work for calves and arms in the mornings (about 20 minutes total) to get some extra work in. I didn’t do that today to conserve energy for this workout.
Arms tomorrow! I’m going to try to recruit a partner for tomorrow’s arm session through facebook, but I highly doubt I’ll get any takers. The majority of my friends are not into “fitness/training” sadly. Just makes me look that much better, I guess. haha. Their loss.
Today is a high carb day. I’m not sure if it was yesterday’s low carb day or just my body being awesome, but I appear much leaner today, but with more size postworkout (about 2 hours post).
