Ya man I’m all for volume training and such but it doesn’t really make much scence in you situation. At this point, if you decide not to gain much more weight you will just have to try to get stronger using what you have. Judging by your past avi’s your already lean. If i were you i would run 5/3/1 and do your normal conditioning. It seems almost perfect in your situation.
Thanks guys!
Yer that makes sense. Although Ive been doing 5/3/1 style of training for years now. I really need to break it up… more mental than physical. Im really enjoying the pump and challenge of GVT. And Im not spending more than 40 minutes in the gym, which is great. I might run it for another 3-4 weeks and then change things up to a more suitable program. I know what I am trying to do does not make much sense… but that what makes the challenge even more “special”.
Im going to have a-look at some of the deFrancos trianing programs… those will probably suit me better than GVT.
In other news, my patella tendon is still a little tender. The pain is about 2.5/10, and doesnt really stop me from doing anything, but its just there if you know what I mean. Doesnt feel like its getting worse, but Im going to up the fish oil, do more foam rolling and keep up with the tilted eccentric squats.
Coming up later today… photos and weigh in!
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PHOTO and WEIGH IN
A new edition to “the cage” is the bi-monthly photo shoot and weigh in. Although my goals are not aesthetic, I think this will give me some motivation on keeping on the right track with eating and training.
date: Sunday, 18th November 2012.
weight: 93.5kg
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Wow! You are lean. You look great.
[quote]theBird wrote:
Im going to have a-look at some of the deFrancos trianing programs… those will probably suit me better than GVT.
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Yeah, west side for skinny bastards is essentially a template for a beginner’s/athlete’s version of the conjugate method or ‘westside’. It’s very rough maxing out if you aren’t used to training heavy most of the time, and you can get injured if you don’t know when to call it quits. I would recommend it, sticking to maxing mostly at 5 reps for your max effort work, and after 6 or so weeks start to also max at three. Changing exercises is a must after a three week cycle, but two and one week cycles can also be done for max effort work. Changing supplemental/accessory work every 3-6 weeks (or at the very least changing it slightly and using a different rep range) or so is also a good thing to consider.
[quote]strangemeadow wrote:
Wow! You are lean. You look great.[/quote]
Yeah man you look awesome at the moment. Kinda inspired me to get leaner, too. I hear you about the GVT and the change of scene, but I’d definitely prefer the deFranco’s stuff.
I’m thinking of giving it a whirl myself at some point, so it’ll be interesting to see what you think of it.
[quote]Jaice wrote:
[quote]strangemeadow wrote:
Wow! You are lean. You look great.[/quote]
Yeah man you look awesome at the moment. Kinda inspired me to get leaner, too. I hear you about the GVT and the change of scene, but I’d definitely prefer the deFranco’s stuff.
I’m thinking of giving it a whirl myself at some point, so it’ll be interesting to see what you think of it.[/quote]
Thanks guys. It means alot to me.
[quote]DSSG wrote:
Yeah, west side for skinny bastards is essentially a template for a beginner’s/athlete’s version of the conjugate method or ‘westside’.
[/quote]
I have printed out some information on “westside” and will be doing some reading over the next few nights. Although saying that, Im a stubborn bird, and Im still keen to give GVT a run for atleast 4-5 weeks. Its not going to kill me, right?
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Monday, 19th November 2012.
TRAINING
AM
Shoulders and biceps
Shoulder warm up, including broomsticks, rotator cuff work and some single arm floor presses.
10 sets of;
8 reps of bodyweight dips, 10 reps of incline hammer curls using 12.5kg dBs.
90 seconds rest b/w each superset.
3 sets of;
10 reps of standing lateral raises using 7.5kg dBs, 10 sets of rear delt raises using 4kg.
60 seconds rest b/ each superset.
notes: Last 2 sets of dips I struggled and could only push out 7 reps. Hammer curls was relative “easy”. Lateral raises was tough, and my rear delt raises was only just satisfactory. Next week, will increase the reps of the dips to 9 for the first 5 sets, increase weight for curls to 15kg, and keep accessory the same.
In other news I have ordered some more whey powder, and some bcca’s, ZMA and Z-12. I don’t plan to use Z-12 every night, but maybe once a week when I start to struggle with sleep, which usually happens to me once a week. I think its from over-tiredeness. Ive never used bccas before, but plan to use them before my bike rides.
Im also cleaning up my diet a bit. Usually for post workout Ill have a whey shake and some coco-pops. Im going to replace the coco-pops with some oats, cinnamon and apple/blueberries. Ill allow myself coco pops once a week though, probably after one of the bike sessions.
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Tuesday, 20th November 2012.
TRAINING
AM
Group bike ride
Woke up this morning feeling good. Today was the day I was going to keep up with the group. I rode 5km to the starting point. Legs felt fresh, and I felt right on the bike, like a perfect fitting glove.
We started the ride… PSSSSSSSSSSSTT! Flat tyre. And I had only done 50m of the 40km ride. Terribly disappointed. Just another setback… but I have to turn this negative into a positive. Today is now a rest/recovery day. This afternoon I will fix my bike and do some foam rolling and mobility work.
“It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.”
-Anonymous.
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Keep at it man! You seriously look great. I know a lot of people used to give you shit on here but you probably look 10x better then them.
[quote]jtownlax wrote:
Keep at it man! You seriously look great. I know a lot of people used to give you shit on here but you probably look 10x better then them.[/quote]
Thanks bro. Yours and others continuing support really makes a difference.
Thanks again.
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Wednesday, 21st November 2012.
TRAINING
legs
AM
Agile 8, foam rolling and some glute activating drills.
10 sets of;
10 reps of front squats with 40kg, 10 reps of lying hamstring curls with 25kg.
90 seconds rest b/w each superset.
3 sets of:
12 sets of calf raises with 40kg on the machine, 12 reps of swiss ball roll-outs.
60 seconds rest b/w each superset.
notes: I love front squats. I know its light weight, but it gave me a decent workout… in the last 2 sets I struggled with the last 2 reps. Feels really natural, and I have come up with my own cues; “elbows up, hinge at the hips, contract glutes to get out of the hole, push knees out, and remember elbows up mofo!!”.
Next week Ill increase the front squats by 5kg, increase the ham curls by 10kg. Going to keep accessory work the same, although I want to progress to proper ab rollouts.
injury update: Right knee isnt sore, but is feeling a little tender. I found that sitting on my legs with my lower legs folder under me really stretches my quads and my frontal ankle area. Is helping, although I really have to be more diligent with my knee rehab and do some eccentric single leg squats and one leg deadlifts EVERY evening before dinner.
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Thursday, 22nd November 2012.
TRAINING
AM
bike ride with group
Was a very windy morning. First part of the ride was going with the wind. We got up to some ridiculous speeds(50km/h+). The fast guys at the front took advantage of the wind and really pushed hard. After 10km the girl in the group got dropped, and then after another 10km I got dropped aswell. I didnt have the power in the legs to keep up. I then turned around and rode home by myself against the 35km/h winds. Atleast I out-rode the female.
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[quote]theBird wrote:
Wednesday, 21st November 2012.
TRAINING
legs
AM
Agile 8, foam rolling and some glute activating drills.
10 sets of;
10 reps of front squats with 40kg, 10 reps of lying hamstring curls with 25kg.
90 seconds rest b/w each superset.
3 sets of:
12 sets of calf raises with 40kg on the machine, 12 reps of swiss ball roll-outs.
60 seconds rest b/w each superset.
notes: I love front squats. I know its light weight, but it gave me a decent workout… in the last 2 sets I struggled with the last 2 reps. Feels really natural, and I have come up with my own cues; “elbows up, hinge at the hips, contract glutes to get out of the hole, push knees out, and remember elbows up mofo!!”.
Next week Ill increase the front squats by 5kg, increase the ham curls by 10kg. Going to keep accessory work the same, although I want to progress to proper ab rollouts.
injury update: Right knee isnt sore, but is feeling a little tender. I found that sitting on my legs with my lower legs folder under me really stretches my quads and my frontal ankle area. Is helping, although I really have to be more diligent with my knee rehab and do some eccentric single leg squats and one leg deadlifts EVERY evening before dinner.
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10x10 on squats is the way to go! I used to do that all the time. You really learn how to squat and make excellent progress.
Keep it up!
[quote]strangemeadow wrote:
10x10 on squats is the way to go! I used to do that all the time. You really learn how to squat and make excellent progress.
Keep it up![/quote]
Thanks mate. Even though it is lightweight, I feel the higher reps helps me with my form and with the right muscle activation. I still need some work on my form though. I will post a video next week of my front squats for you to analyze. Im still enjoying the high rep stuff, but I will be soon looking into a more suitable program…
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Friday, 23rd November 2012.
TRAINING
AM
Chest & back
Agile 8, and shoulder mobility work.
10 sets of:
10 reps of dB bench press using 22.5kg, 6 reps of pull-ups (only managed 5 reps with the pull-ups on the last 5 sets)
90 seconds rest b/w each superset.
3 sets of:
10 reps of dB rows using 25kg, 10 reps of incline dB flyes using 15kg dBs.
60 seconds rest b/w each superset.
Knee rehab:
2 rounds of:
10 reps of single leg eccentric squats, 10 reps of 10kg single leg deadlifts, 10 reps of eccentric leg extension, and some quad stretching.
notes: Really struggling with the pull-ups, and not really progressing on these. Maybe I should change to chin-ups or maybe even lat pull-downs?? Suggestions anyone??
Next week, should be good to increase the eight for dB bench, and will keep accessory lifts the same, but will go for 12 reps.
In other news: last night I tried Z-12 for the first time. Not sure how effective it was, as I was pretty tired anyway and I fell asleep easlly. Im not going to use Z-12 every night, but keep it for days when I feel over-tired or having troubles with sleeping etc. This morning I felt like I had a decent sleep. Tonight I am going to try ZMA.
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The hardcore people would say chin ups are not the same as pull ups. I say who give a shit as long as your ROM is full. Also try them neutral grip if your gym has a place to do that (palms in). Variation will help.
Keep it up.
[quote]strangemeadow wrote:
The hardcore people would say chin ups are not the same as pull ups. I say who give a shit as long as your ROM is full. Also try them neutral grip if your gym has a place to do that (palms in). Variation will help.
Keep it up.[/quote]
Im thinking maybe alternating between pull-upps and chin-ups… and maybe that way I will be able to get more reps in.
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