What I've Picked Up Along The Way

Training
81

good god my delts are fried…

I would seriously advise anyone who has difficulty performing raises (especially laterals) in a very controlled fashion I.E. controlled concentric and VERY controlled eccentric, to invest time into the lateral raise machine, assuming your gym has one.

i strongly believe that raises > presses in terms of delt development, and maximal hypertropy can only be achieved if they are performed in a very controlled fashion

I used to not care much for the machine at all, because i used it in exactly the way it was intended to be used… (a big mistake).

I have now found that by altering by body position, and hand placement, i have been able to achieve the most insane isoation/contraction i have ever achieved in my lateral delts…

I liken the contraction i got in my laterals to the feeling/contraction you get in your triceps when you perform a tricep rope extension… yeah, it was THAT good

82

i agree with a lot of the diet stuff you suggested, but I cant help not questioning your opinion on fruit. I don’t see how eating one or 2 pieces of fruit a day could be considered detrimental to ones health or even physique goals. Granted fructose is something that shouldn’t be over done, and should be avoided on contest diet, but other than that fruit is just fine. If you do some googling on the macro and micro nutrient break down of most fruits they’re pretty solid if treated as a carb source and not a a free food like veggies.

83

[quote]gato10 wrote:
i agree with a lot of the diet stuff you suggested, but I cant help not questioning your opinion on fruit. I don’t see how eating one or 2 pieces of fruit a day could be considered detrimental to ones health or even physique goals. Granted fructose is something that shouldn’t be over done, and should be avoided on contest diet, but other than that fruit is just fine. If you do some googling on the macro and micro nutrient break down of most fruits they’re pretty solid if treated as a carb source and not a a free food like veggies. [/quote]
I agree, but I doubt he has a problem with an apple or 100g blueberries or something in the morning. That’s one thing I KNOW has never been a detriment to my physique goals (of course, I am not talking about a pre-contest prep or anything like that).

84

fruit is fine, just keep it in moderation

85

So what does a carbless post-workout meal look like? Something like 8 oz chicken, broccoli w/ 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 cup almonds?

86

[quote]PB Andy wrote:
So what does a carbless post-workout meal look like? Something like 8 oz chicken, broccoli w/ 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 cup almonds?[/quote]
the quantity of your foods is also important to take into account… as it will directly relate to your size and level of development (overreating will make you fat, most people, even those who train… overreating) for example, a few friends of mine literally eat a pound of cooked chicken, even though they are tall, skinny, and natural… a waste of time, money, and digestive energy/stress. The fat ones use the fact that they just worked out to overreat as well… different metabolisms i suppose.

the food choices should be relatively obvious, your food choices look fine yes.

87

Sounds good thx m8

88

[quote]Mr. Walkway wrote:

Im sorry that my post offended you, his question revolved around being “on the road”, not -

“having a meal with a client or supervisor, or working a schedule that is highly unpredictable (e.g. having to stay an extra 8 hours than planned).”

had he asked a question like about those things, i would have given a fitting answer…

Im not sure why you and he have conjured up these hypothetical answers that i’ve never actually given (E.G. “packing every single meal” and “packing meals to be had with clients and supervisors”)… I never said these things…

i also never said that my “13 week cut with PED’s permits me to be a prick/jerk/whatever”

please respond accordingly to the words i am actually writing, I am confident you will be far less offended this way.

For what it’s worth, i prefaced my response with “i dont mean to come off as a prick”…

one last thing…responses like yours will draw nothing but cynicism from myself, and any other person with their head screwed on straight…

i would take that final part into consideration, as it will assist you in interpersonal relations in your day-to-day life.[/quote]

Lol, I appreciate the life advice, man. I suspect that you knew you were being a jerk to the guy, hence the throwaway “don’t mean to come across as…”. Your post didn’t offend me–I was just surprised that you were a jerk to someone who was asking legitimate questions of you because you generally seem like a pretty reasonable guy. Apologies for the ad hominem point, though.

Anyway, apologies for the slight derail of the thread. I’ll ask a substantive question to bring this post back to the topic:

"
-Tricep rope extension with FISTS FACING EACH OTHER (hits the triceps in a unique way, excellent contraction) light lockout "

Are there any internet vids of this you could recommend? I tried doing this today because it sounded like an interesting tweak to the rope extension, but my elbows were flaring out with the fists facing each other, and I ended up not feeling it in my triceps as much as I would have liked. Figured that I might be doing it wrong.

89

[quote]The3Commandments wrote:

[quote]Mr. Walkway wrote:

Im sorry that my post offended you, his question revolved around being “on the road”, not -

“having a meal with a client or supervisor, or working a schedule that is highly unpredictable (e.g. having to stay an extra 8 hours than planned).”

had he asked a question like about those things, i would have given a fitting answer…

Im not sure why you and he have conjured up these hypothetical answers that i’ve never actually given (E.G. “packing every single meal” and “packing meals to be had with clients and supervisors”)… I never said these things…

i also never said that my “13 week cut with PED’s permits me to be a prick/jerk/whatever”

please respond accordingly to the words i am actually writing, I am confident you will be far less offended this way.

For what it’s worth, i prefaced my response with “i dont mean to come off as a prick”…

one last thing…responses like yours will draw nothing but cynicism from myself, and any other person with their head screwed on straight…

i would take that final part into consideration, as it will assist you in interpersonal relations in your day-to-day life.[/quote]

Lol, I appreciate the life advice, man. I suspect that you knew you were being a jerk to the guy, hence the throwaway “don’t mean to come across as…”. Your post didn’t offend me–I was just surprised that you were a jerk to someone who was asking legitimate questions of you because you generally seem like a pretty reasonable guy. Apologies for the ad hominem point, though.

Anyway, apologies for the slight derail of the thread. I’ll ask a substantive question to bring this post back to the topic:

"
-Tricep rope extension with FISTS FACING EACH OTHER (hits the triceps in a unique way, excellent contraction) light lockout "

Are there any internet vids of this you could recommend? I tried doing this today because it sounded like an interesting tweak to the rope extension, but my elbows were flaring out with the fists facing each other, and I ended up not feeling it in my triceps as much as I would have liked. Figured that I might be doing it wrong.[/quote]

ive always had a problem with people trying to defend their lack of restraint by “putting it on a shelf that is above their reach”… so to speak… for instance, how many times have u heard a fat woman say, “i just can’t stop eating chocolate”…?

or, “i just cant control what i eat”… it’s this denial of reality and removal of personal accountability that drives me absolutely nuts.

so when i get the slightest hint of that, it literally drives me into the red lol. it’s my greatest “pet peeve” i suppose you could say… if that “pet” was on tren :wink:

as for the tricep extensions, i begin the movement with my knuckles touching each other (or coming really close to touching), and then flare them out as i approach the bottom, with a hard, but not super hard lockout (spare the elbows)

I generally keep my head on one side of the rope, and lean forward, as it were, to prevent any body english. I make sure to come all the way up, and let my triceps stretch (because your body will prefer to use a muscle that is being stretched)

i use body english as i go to failure like you see at about 1:15-2:35 in this video, FANTASTIC technique… (it’s funny how John Meadows is such an intense guy in his training, but so gentle with others).

90

had a very solid chest/back “pump” workout today

in addition to the pump/feel purpose of the workout, i use this session to explore new angles and new movements… i learned a few things today.

I began with DB floor press of course, and supersetted the final sets with DB fly/press (to failure) on the ground. I felt the new fly press incredibly well, and they gave me a great stretch with absolutely no shoulder strain/involvement at all. (of course, i do the DC DB stretch at the end of every chest session, so the flies were not necessarily for the stretch). Ill definitely be keeping this movement.

finished off with gironda-style dips in the dip machine (to failure, with drop sets), and finished off with the DC stretch.

then i moved on to back, where this workout calls for more emphasis on targetting and stretching the lats as opposed to erectors/heavy lifting (leg day is tommorrow)

i began with the cable row, put two handles on it (far better than the t-bar attachment for contraction/stretch)and rowed in a very controlled fashion really focusing on the stretch/contraction on EACH rep.

I then did 1 arm low rows on the same machine, but standing, instead of sitting. This was a new movement that i tried and found that it essentially was identical to the suitcase row that John Meadows does, as is seen in this video

which is done to target the very lowest of the lat fibers. However, doing it standing straight up (i also braced myself against a pole) removed the element of gravity from the movement… in other words, i was able to focus completely on the rowing motion, instead of having to split my focus between rowing, and keeping my torso upright.

I REALLY felt this in the lower fibers of my lats, so im keeping it as well.

after reading the “f*ck DB rows” thread, i realized that i dont actually do any sort of DB rowing movement… as i too have always had a difficult time feeling them. ive always used 1-arm barbell rows A la JM, with the Meadows handle

Soooooo, i decided to do one-arm cable rows on the cable rowing machine (my gym has 2, so i didnt feel bad about absolutely hogging this one). I began the row with a pronated grip, and moved to neutral as the row progressed and slightly supinated as it finished, then back to neutral/pronated etc for the stretch. I also leaned forward a bit on the stretching portion to increase the stretch in my lat…

this was another FANTASTIC movement which i felt far more than i ever have with any dumbbell row… and again, it removes the element of gravity from the lift (that you would feel with DB rows), which allows for a far greater degree of focus to be placed on the movement. it’s also a great movement to avoid “ego” lifting… as it is very easy to avoid rotating your torso to complete the rows even as the weight increases… it’s also easier to perform drop sets than with DB rows, as it’s just a simple switch on the weigh stack, much easier cleanup too :wink:

ok enough about those (great movement)

needless to say, ill be keeping them as well. (i supersetted these with pulldowns on my personal neutral grip handle, held each pulldown for 2 seconds at the bottom)

I then decided to try a shrug variation that i have never tried before… seated DB shrug. These actually felt way better than any other shrug ive ever done. I did them with a slight lean forward, pronated grip for 3 second hold at the top while keeping my spine neutral, and chin tucked.

Sadly, my grip gave out quickly even with straps, as my forearms were tragically pumped by this point. So i think im going to have to get creative with my straps, and the caribeaners that i got from elitefts to try to fashion a sort of “hook strap” so that i literally cannot let go… or just perform this movement earlier in the session…

I supersetted these with wider grip rack pulls (about 4-5 inches above my knees), performing the pulls with my scapula completely retracted, and my traps flexed throughout the entire movement. Sadly, this also caused my biceps to be somewhat flexed, but since i do double-overhand grip, and kept the weight under 300lbs, i wasnt worried about a tear.

very intense trap pump… the best ive had.

anyways, that was today. legs tommorrow (ham curls to back squats to RDLs)

91

What stretch do you do for your rear delts?

92

[quote]Matias A. wrote:
What stretch do you do for your rear delts?
[/quote]

the standard reach the target arm across my body, grab behind elbow with other arm and pull stretch…

93

What are JM and/or Shelby’s views on general health supps such as zinc, magnesium, fish oil etc?

Have they given you a list of any these think are important and why? also, any mention on dosages?

Thanks

94

[quote]yolo84 wrote:
What are JM and/or Shelby’s views on general health supps such as zinc, magnesium, fish oil etc?

Have they given you a list of any these think are important and why? also, any mention on dosages?

Thanks[/quote]

1 multivitamin, and 600mg of NAC, 4g fish oil, 2600mg primrose oil, per day

i know JM is really into antioxidants like R-ALA and ALA, also curcumin for anti-inflammation.

It’s really important for steroid users, and natty people too i suppose, to avoid inflammation because of how damaging it can be to the heart and other organs…

that being said, it is important to not overdo things

i also take:

5000iu vitamin D
spirulina
superfood
humaic/fulvic acid mix
curcumin
nutritional yeast (I put some on every meal… i think it tastes good but everyone else seems to hate it)

95

It’s mostly about volume and TUT for growth. Just get your sets in, fatigue the muscle, and don’t worry too much about shit. Get around 1.5 grams of protein per lb and enough carbs and fat to supply energy for your day, if your fats are higher your carbs are lower and vice versa. If you need to gain weight up your carbs/fats if you need to lose weight, drop them.

96

[quote]myself1992 wrote:
It’s mostly about volume and TUT for growth. Just get your sets in, fatigue the muscle, and don’t worry too much about shit. Get around 1.5 grams of protein per lb and enough carbs and fat to supply energy for your day, if your fats are higher your carbs are lower and vice versa. If you need to gain weight up your carbs/fats if you need to lose weight, drop them.[/quote]

i think that’s a bit of an oversimplication, but you do make a good point in “not overcomplicating things” (i know it may seem like i just contradicted myself, but… i didnt). I feel all too often that people overcomplicate things/have training ADD etc…

It is important to find what works best for you (everyone is built differently, with different levers, etc.), but at the same time, remember the basics and the anatomy of the muscle and therefore it’s structural function.

97

GENERAL ADVICE:

-DO YOUR FOAM ROLLING!

-DO YOUR STRETCHES!

i know these may sound very basic… but im willing to bet that they are VERY often overlooked, or at least performed half-heartedly. I aim to stretch and foam roll for at least 30 minutes a day (15 minutes at night, 15 minutes directly after training)

I feel like a whole new man after each session, i have no tightness, no aches/pains etc…

I also encourage everyone who is reading to research stretching movements.

I just picked up the “pigeon pose” stretch for glutes as is seen at the 2:00 mark in this vid

absolutely incredible stretch! my glutes were very tight (as i previously did not have an effective method of stretching them).

anyways, just a random thought for the day… loosen up, and avoid injury.

the time you aren’t spending recovery is the time you could be spending training! :wink:

98

[quote]Mr. Walkway wrote:

[quote]myself1992 wrote:
It’s mostly about volume and TUT for growth. Just get your sets in, fatigue the muscle, and don’t worry too much about shit. Get around 1.5 grams of protein per lb and enough carbs and fat to supply energy for your day, if your fats are higher your carbs are lower and vice versa. If you need to gain weight up your carbs/fats if you need to lose weight, drop them.[/quote]

i think that’s a bit of an oversimplication, but you do make a good point in “not overcomplicating things” (i know it may seem like i just contradicted myself, but… i didnt). I feel all too often that people overcomplicate things/have training ADD etc…

It is important to find what works best for you (everyone is built differently, with different levers, etc.), but at the same time, remember the basics and the anatomy of the muscle and therefore it’s structural function.
[/quote]
Of course it’s an over simplification, but if you make sure you’ve got the basics down and doing that year round then your progress is going to be great. I just think too many people make the mistake of training like a powerlifter/strength athlete or whatever when their goal is hypertrophy

99

Fantastic thread, visit it twice a day to check any updates :smiley:

I train very similarly, I incorporate many of Meadows’ techniques, and I’ve seen nothing but amazing results, esp in my back, shoulders and legs.

I love training Back, Legs and Shoulders. But I hate training Chest and Arms.

For chest I do Incline DB, and today I did Decline DB Press for the first time. I think I am gonna remove Flys from my routine. Any fly or crossover movement hurts my shoulders.

My bicep training has been going great, just added Incline Hammer Curls, and it hammered my brachialis (no pun intended)

As for the triceps, I do straight bar pushdowns as ropes hurt my shoulders. I’ve been sequencing my triceps lifts as suggested by the great John Meadows. But the thing is when I move on to do any long head movement, my triceps give out too early (one set in) and I do Incline ez bar skull crushers.

While I do follow the ‘‘weight>form’’ philosophy, I don’t wanna be using 5# per side. Today I used 10+2.5. I really want to bring them up, sooooo frustrated right now. I don’t do any dipping or cgb’ing.

Please help man :slight_smile: would really appreciate it

100

Some good info you’re putting out there, Mr. Walkway.
One thing, though, especially since you’re concerned with injury prevention: in case of injuries without debilitating inflammation/swelling, I’d recommend against taking anti-inflammatories (including fish-oil and CLA), seeing how inflammation is a crucial part of wound healing and inhibiting inflammation in this case is a sure-fire way to also inhibit the healing response. Needless to say, this isn’t some recent breakthrough in science, but sound and fundamental medicinal knowledge that somehow hasn’t found its way into rehab medicine, where RICE is still the preferred M. O. for most injuries.

Ever since I started applying heat and heat-inducing ointments on injury sites whose inflammation did not hinder my movements, did not take NSAIDs and also temporarily (about 10-14 days) stopped my fish-oil and CLA supplementation, I’ve been healing faster.