PowerBuilding Journal Part 1

[Sentinel]

hey everyone :)

my original journal is out here: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=1037801

i ran the texas method for 16 weeks with great results from Jan to May 2007. im 8 Weeks into an upper lower program designed by my mentor Eric3237 from www.bodybuilding.net

the program at the moment is as follows:


Lower 1
*Deads 1X5
*Bulgarians 3x6-8
*Goodmornings 3x6-8
*Overhead Dumbell Side Bends
*Grip Work

Upper 1
*Bench (either maintain or small progression)
*Regular Barbell Rows 2x5-7
*Dumbbell Rows 2x10-12
*Close Grip Bench 2 sets and up
*Face Pulls 2 sets and up...reps on the higher end
*Pulldown Abs or Bar Rollouts

Lower 2
*Low Box Squat 3-4x8-10
*Keystone Deads 3-4x8-10
*Single Leg Leg Press 2x6-8
*GHR's 2 sets and up
*Hanging Leg Raises

Upper 2
*MP 3 sets 5 reps or more up to 5 sets
*Pullups
*Dumbell Bench Press 3 sets and up higher reps
*Shrugs
*Russian Twists

a short recap so everyone knows where im at.

-Aug 05 left shoulder gets dislocated while doing seated dumbbell shoulder presses.
- Dec 05 right shoulder gets disloacted while swimming.
- Aug 06 shoulder dislocations on both shoulders. rehab done for some time and then forgotten.
- Dec 06 end of 14 week DC blast. loss of strength on squats.
- Dec 06 shoulder dislocates again. physiotherapist from bombay (where im from) gives me rehab. help from Dr. Irani plus my mentor Eric gets me back into lifting heavy.
- Jan 07 beginning of the texas method
- Mar 07 strength is as good as it was before injuries - Squat 275x5, Bench 155x5
- Apr 07 realize that conjugate periodization is better for my deadlift so i drop deads and focus on squats and bench. Eric's orders. great results.
- May 07 off the texas method. total has gone from 825 to 945. goal to hit 1000 by 2007 Dec is made.
- May 07 upper lower program designed by Eric is started. goal is to get strong and big as always. focus is on squats and bench while using conjugate periodization for deads.
- Jun 07 focus shifts from maintaining eveyrhting to starting conjugate periodization for squats and new focus is on deads and bench.

thats it. the wrap up of 2007 till now.

i plan on posting a lot more :)

also, just some more info about me.

im an international student (sophmore) from Mumbai, India studying at Trinity University in San Antonio. im majoring (triple major) in Marketing (BSc), Finance (BSc) and Communications (BA).

i come home to Mumbai twice a year - December and Summer (totals 4 months). i have a gf in Mumbai who i adore along with my family (who i am very close to) and my best friends.

umm...what else???

aahhh.....yes, i love to post vids :)

looking forward to meeting everyone. please come by my journal feel free to discuss any and every topic :) oh, and no more pics on wannaBmoy....haha

[Sentinel]

http://www.strengthmill.com/viewprofile/Anuj247/?ref=Anuj247

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
LOWER 1 - WEEK 9


Workout:-



Deadlifts = 1 sets x 5 reps x 235 lbs (105 kgs)

Bulgarian Split Squats = 3 sets x 10 reps x 80 lbs (36 kgs)

Good Mornings = 3 sets x 6 reps x 135 lbs (60 kgs)

Overhead Dumbell Side Bends = 3 sets x 12 reps x 10 lbs (5 kgs)

Grip Work using Hammer Curls = 2 sets x 6 reps x 45 lbs (20 kgs)

Hyperextensions = 1 set x 10 reps x BW


TOTAL POUNDAGE:-



W9 --->>> 6,005 lbs
W8 --->>> 6,195 lbs
W7 --->>> 5,900 lbs
W6 --->>> 5,000lbs
W5 --->>> 8,275 lbs
W4 --->>> 6,455 lbs
W3---->>> 6,900 lbs
W2 --->>> n/a
W1 --->>> 7,575 lbs

Overall Impression:-



boring workout. the AC at my gym had malfunctioned and i had to work out in the tropical heat :( not only that but the gym was way too overcrowded. i couldnt even get a vid of the good mornings i wanted....

Deadlifts: easy

Bulgarian Squats: tough as hell. and the heat made it only worse.

Good Mornings: im not too happy with form. i need to work on this. hopefully next week ill take vids to post up.

Overhead Dumbbell Side Bends: nice

Grip Work: boring.

Diet: good food today

Overall: im just not happy with this workout. maybe i didnt go to the gym in the right mindset or maybe im just a little low because i was just not comfortable working out today. my numbers on the bulgarian squats and the good mornings did go up...but still....deads have a long way to go...

stay safe everyone

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
UPPER 1 - WEEK 8

Workout:-


Flat Bench Press = 3 sets x 3 reps x 185 lbs (85 kgs)

Regular Rows = 2 sets x 5 reps x 185 lbs (85 kgs)

Low Incline Dumbbell Bench Press = 3 sets x 6 reps x 65 lbs (30 kgs)

Chin-ups = 10 + 5 = 15

Facepulls = 2 sets x 10 reps x 70 lbs (35 kgs)

Bar Rollouts = 2 sets x 10 reps

TOTAL POUNDAGE:-

W9 --->>> 8,060 lbs
W8 --->>> 6,315 lbs
W7 --->>> 7,730 lbs
W6 --->>> 6,780 lbs
W5 --->>> 9,580 lbs
W4 --->>> 10,170 lbs
W3 --->>> 9,585 lbs
W2 --->>> n/a
W1 --->>> 7,150 lbs
Overall Impression:-


good workout..no vids though.....ill get some up soon.....

Bench Press: form was spot on :)

Regular Rows: i dunno but i just couldnt add reps...i didnt feel like it....i dunno why...

Low Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: im happy

Chin-ups: felt great!

Diet: ok diet. not too good.

Overall: good workout. saw VACANCY yesterday....shitty film...will go for Harry Potter this weekend....

have a good week y'all! :)

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
LOWER 2 - WEEK 9


Workout:-



Ass to Grass Box Squats = 3 sets x 6 reps x 205 lbs (90 kgs)

Keystone Deadlifts = 3 sets x 10 reps x 190 lbs (85 kgs)

Dumbbell Swings = 3 sets x 12 reps x 70 lbs (30 kgs)

Glute Ham Raises = 2 sets x 10 reps x BW

Standing Ab Pulldowns = 2 sets x 10 reps x 70 lbs (35 kgs)

Hyperextensions = 1 set x 15 reps x BW


TOTAL POUNDAGE:-



W9 --->>> 11,910 lbs
W8 --->>> 11,115 lbs
W7 --->>> 14,500 lbs
W6 --->>> 11,880 lbs
W5 --->>> 6,375 lbs
W4 --->>> n/a
W3 --->>> 15,060 lbs
W2 --->>> n/a
W1 --->>> 14,560 lbs

Overall Impression:-



ok session. i had a severe headache (first time in my life) and i cough and a cold and a sore throat and an upset stomach. needless to say i wasnt anywhere near my 100%. but, i went in anyways and did what was needed.

Ass to Grass Box Squats: i dont think i nailed the form down on this one. not this time anyways. i have a vid....i think form was only ok. i still got a lot to work on but today i wasnt well so i kinda forgot about form :(

Keystone Deadlifts: i want to change these to regular RDLs...they feel more comfy for me...i wonder what E will say...

Dumbbell Swings: i recorded in my video set #2. i did 11 reps by mistake. so for set 3 i did 13. total comes to 36 reps so well...its all good :D

Glute Ham Raises: got a vid here too. probably really shitty form. but hey: i gotto start somewhere, eh?

Diet: ok diet. not as good as yesterday.

Overall: pretty ok workout. im happy i made progress but i wasnt "feeling" it u know.....i just hope im well by tomorrow...plus, i kind of tweaked my back doing something today and the uneaqual compression of my lower back has left my left lower back kinda sore :( i hope it heals by tomorrow.

nonetheless,

hope everyone's week is going good.

thanks for reading

peace

[Sentinel]

the video: http://www.strengthmill.com/viewvideo/872/Lower_2_Week_9/?ref=Anuj247

i made a few comments about each exercise above. please have a look :)

thanks

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
UPPER 2 - WEEK 9


Workout:-



Military Press = 3 sets x 5 reps x 120 lbs (55 kgs)

Pull-ups = 9 + 6 + 5 + 4 = 24

Close Grip Bench Press = 3 sets x 6 reps x 155 lbs (70 kgs)

Overhead Shrugs = 3 sets x 12 reps x 75 lbs (35 kgs)

Russian Twists = 2 sets x 10 reps x 10 lbs (5 kgs)

Decline Sit-ups = 2 sets x 15 reps x BW


TOTAL POUNDAGE:-



W9 --->>> 11,730 lbs
W8 --->>> 11,050 lbs
W7 --->>> 10,655 lbs
W6 --->>> 11,220 lbs
W5 ---->>> 12,210 lbs
W4 --->>> 13,270 lbs
W3 --->>> n/a
W2 --->>> n/a
W1 --->>> 8,847 lbs

Overall Impression:-



i wasnt well today. i almost puked before my workout. i dunno why i actually went but i didnt want to take an off today. anyways, lots to talk about...(got 3 vids today: military press and 2 sets of CGBP)

Military Press: so Eric and Chris both brought it to my notice last week that my military press was really not official because i didnt make the bar touch my clavicle. SO, this time i decided to stick to 120 and make the bar touch my clavicle on every rep. a vid has been provided. im happy because now i know next week ill knock out 120x5x5 and then the week after its 3x5x135 :D

Pull-ups: new PR.....im happy...

Close Grip Bench Press: got a vid for this too. felt awesome.

Overhead Shrugs: my shoulders are very happy

Russian Twists: a breeze...i need to figure out what eric meant by doing these standing with a barbell....ill do some research on this before my next workout...

Decline Sit-ups: boring

Diet: tons of food. all good.

Overall: good workout. im very happy that i was able to do so much even after me being so sick (i also had a fever in the morning)....i also felt very dehydrated today for some reason...well, i made up for that by drinking 3 litres total before sleeping lol....today mornings im feeling fine though - no cough, no cold, no fever. whoo-hoo....

as always, have a GREAT weekend everyone!!! :)

[Sentinel]

ok here is the vid:

Upper 2 Week 9 (http://www.strengthmill.com/viewvideo/877/Upper_2_Week_9/?ref=Anuj247)

some notes:

Military Press 120x5
on rep 3 i lost balance because someone behind me tripped and fell and i lost concentration. luckily, i recovered and i was able to knock out 2 more reps. i didnt take another vid because i was bored. but i wish i had. noentheless, the bar did touch my clavicle (i think :o ).

Close Grip Bench Press Set #1
my head got cut off lol.....

Close Grip Bench Press Set #2
ok now when i got up i got cut off lol...

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
LOWER 1 - WEEK 10


Workout:-



Deadlifts = 1 sets x 5 reps x 275 lbs (125 kgs)

Speed Deadlifts @ 50% of 1RM = 10 sets x 1 rep x 175 lbs (80 kgs)

Bulgarian Split Squats = 2 sets x 6 reps x 65 lbs (32 kgs)

Overhead Dumbell Side Bends = 3 sets x 12 reps x 10 lbs (5 kgs)

Grip Work using Barbell Curls = 1 sets x 6 reps x 65 lbs (30 kgs)

Hyperextensions = 1 set x 10 reps x BW


TOTAL POUNDAGE:-



W10 --->>> 3,905 lbs
W9 --->>> 6,005 lbs
W8 --->>> 6,195 lbs
W7 --->>> 5,900 lbs
W6 --->>> 5,000lbs
W5 --->>> 8,275 lbs
W4 --->>> 6,455 lbs
W3---->>> 6,900 lbs
W2 --->>> n/a
W1 --->>> 7,575 lbs

Overall Impression:-



a new workout for me. i was supposed to do good mornings but i havent been keeping good form on them and ive tweaked my lower back pretty bad thanks to them. i could just reset the weight and start again but i dont think right now in my lifting career i need to worry about them. in due time when i reach a stage where they will play an essential part i will put them back in. for now, they're out.

Deadlifts: it wasnt as easy as i thought at all. however i know my form was pretty good :) im very happy with my form actually. but no, they werent easy. at the time during with i did dc training, i was able to knock out a good 7-8 reps with this weight. i could have easily done atleast 5-6 more today. so i guess my strength has improved. right now, im taking my 1RM to be my old 1RM = 355 lbs.

Speed Deadlifts: i did not run this idea past eric and i came up with it when i was at the gym itself. i think im gonna get clobbered by him for this...however, i did this for a purpose...they same reason why i used to do DE work on the texas method. if Eric gives me the ok, im gonna reduce the weight for this next time.

Bulgarian Squats: i reduced the weight drastically on this. i wasnt really all that tired from the DE work. i reduced it because i wanted to work on form. i also did 2 sets because i didnt see the need to go balls to the wall with this. exactly as eric had asked me to do before. infact, he had warned me that i will not be doing this correctly and it will catch up with me later on. well, he was right again. so well...ive reduced the weight and im working on posture, smooth form, etc..

Overhead Dumbbell Side Bends: nice

Grip Work: boring.

Diet: good food today

Overall: good workout. i saw harry potter 5 yesterday. quite a good movie. a few technical errors but otherwise it was a good movie. as for today's workout....it was good. did not move too much wieght. i just hope Eric isnt pissed about me doing speed deads. if he gives me the ok, im gonna go ahead with these but at a much lighter weight (165 or 155 lbs instead of 175).

stay safe everyone

[Misanthrope]

Nice workout, man. Your deadlifts are climbing. I agree about the good mornings. There's no point in pushing it with them if they're only going to hurt you. I think I may just follow your journal here since I have to keep up with so many at BB.com. This way it will be easier to track your progress.

I don't see anything wrong the idea of doing some speed deadlifts after you work up to your heavy set. Seems like it wouldn't be a bad idea to get some type of volume work in that way after a heavy set.

[Sentinel]

thanks matt :)

actually, Eric said the speed deads was a good idea although i should've done them before my 1x5 set or 6-8 sets of 2 reps.

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
UPPER 1 - WEEK 8

Workout:-


Flat Bench Press = 1 sets x 3 reps x 205 lbs (90 kgs)

Regular Rows = n/a

Low Incline Dumbbell Bench Press = 3 sets x 7 reps x 65 lbs (30 kgs)

Chin-ups = 11 + 5 = 16

Facepulls = 2 sets x 10 reps x 70 lbs (35 kgs)

Bar Rollouts = 2 sets x 10 reps

TOTAL POUNDAGE:-

W10 --->>> 4,940 lbs
W9 --->>> 8,060 lbs
W8 --->>> 6,315 lbs
W7 --->>> 7,730 lbs
W6 --->>> 6,780 lbs
W5 --->>> 9,580 lbs
W4 --->>> 10,170 lbs
W3 --->>> 9,585 lbs
W2 --->>> n/a
W1 --->>> 7,150 lbs
Overall Impression:-


wierd workout...

Bench Press: ok i got a vid of this. a new 3RM attempt. as per Eric's orders. why am i pissed? because the fucking trainer who i instructed over a fucking dozen times NOT to even touch the motherfucking bar unless i was failing kept making it is goddamn point to hold it. he did not help me to push it up and i didnt need his help but his hands kept shooting out when i was past midway and he would hold the bar. fucking asshole. my damn training partner ditched me today so i had to rely on my gf holding the camera and this chut of an instructor spotting me :mad: im gonna try this one more time next week and do it the right way. it is a PR for me but im not counting it legal unless i do it on my own.

Regular Rows: ive tweaked me lower back a bit and i might take the remaining of this week off. tomorrow is in any case an off day so if by thursday im feeling fine ill go to the gym otherwise ill skip this week.

Low Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: im happy

Chin-ups: felt great!

Diet: tons of good food. im very happy.

Overall: in a way i am happy with this workout. i cant belive i knocked out 205 lbs for 3 reps. that is a major achievement for me considering less than 8 months ago i wasnt even gonna be lifting again. however, i am upset because if that damn trainer had kept control over his instincts and NOT put his hand on the bar i could've showed off that my nre 3RM is 205 lol....plus, my lower back is a bit tweaked and im gonna take the remaining of this week provided it doesnt clear up by thursday. for information, the left part of my lower back went through supercompression (unequal on the left side) when i did good mornings last week. deep down inside though, i am very happy that i got 3 reps with 205. i know next week i will be able to pull it off once again.

have a good week y'all! :)

[Sentinel]

Click here for video of Bench Press 205 x 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIPfk0_nw4M)

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
UPPER 2 - WEEK 10


Workout:-



Military Press = 4 sets x 5 reps x 120 lbs (55 kgs)

Pull-ups = 8 + 6 + 5 + 4 = 23

Close Grip Bench Press = 3 sets x 7 reps x 155 lbs (70 kgs)

Overhead Shrugs = 3 sets x 12 reps x 75 lbs (35 kgs)

Russian Twists = 2 sets x 10 reps x 25 lbs (10 kgs)

Decline Sit-ups = 2 sets x 15 reps x BW


TOTAL POUNDAGE:-



W10 --->>> 12,610 lbs
W9 --->>> 11,730 lbs
W8 --->>> 11,050 lbs
W7 --->>> 10,655 lbs
W6 --->>> 11,220 lbs
W5 ---->>> 12,210 lbs
W4 --->>> 13,270 lbs
W3 --->>> n/a
W2 --->>> n/a
W1 --->>> 8,847 lbs

Overall Impression:-



ok i havent been well at all. i have a horrible stomach upset. im under a shitload of antibiotics right now and my diet today was shitty. to top it off i slept in an awkward position and i have a horrible catch on my neck and i cant turn it to the right. it was really bad in the morning but my gf gave me a nice neck massage and im much better right now. it will go by tomorrow most likely. however, i was not feeling 100% at all and i was in no mood to workout. but since i had skipped yesterday's session i decided to go today. the only good news is that my lower back pain has finally gone.

Military Press: added 1 more set. vid has been taken.

Pull-ups: couldnt knock out 9 reps like last time. only got 8. got a vid.

Close Grip Bench Press: got a vid for this too. new PR.

Overhead Shrugs: my shoulders are very happy

Russian Twists: this new variaition done standing with a barbell isnt as easy as i thought it would be. i did it in the right manner using my trunk instead of my arms to push the bar.

Decline Sit-ups: boring

Diet: sad sad diet as most of what i ate today came out 30 minutes late :(

Overall: good workout...however, im just trying to get back to my old healthy method of living lol.....i dont like being sick....and this neck is killing me!!! i saw the gridiron gang last night and it was a great movie. i saw it when it released last year but i enjoyed watching this movie again. i liked it.

as always, have a GREAT weekend everyone!!! :)

[Sentinel]

video link: Click Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdDIfIyUpLk)

[Sentinel]

some interesting stuff incase anyone is interested...

the new york method and the sheiko beginner programs attached...

[Misanthrope]

why am i pissed? because the fucking trainer who i instructed over a fucking dozen times NOT to even touch the motherfucking bar unless i was failing kept making it is goddamn point to hold it. he did not help me to push it up and i didnt need his help but his hands kept shooting out when i was past midway and he would hold the bar. fucking asshole.

I can feel your hate.


Nice job anyway. Sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well.

[Sentinel]

I can feel your hate.


Nice job anyway. Sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well.
thanks man... :)

[r_graz]

Good work in here Andalite. Yeah, having an idiot spot you on bench can really f*ck things up. That's why I just bench in the rack and let the safety bars spot me if need be. Way I see it, if I fail, then my punishment is unloading the bar and re-racking it ;)

You guys have convinced me that I should be looking at a DB exercise for my pressing movement on upper hypertrophy day. I've been doing 15 degree incline BB bench, but I like the idea of low incline DB bench.

Hope you feel better soon.

[Dave76]

Yeah, having an idiot spot you on bench can really f*ck things up.

Learning a proper spotting technique is just a part of overall gym ettiquette which no one seems to know anymore. Trainers can sometimes be the worst spotters. It seems as if they feel that part of their job is in helping their trainees with a lift. That and loudly counting out reps.

[r_graz]

Learning a proper spotting technique is just a part of overall gym ettiquette which no one seems to know anymore. Trainers can sometimes be the worst spotters. It seems as if they feel that part of their job is in helping their trainees with a lift. That and loudly counting out reps.
And trying to get you to do assisted reps beyond the point where they needed to help you. Maybe they're trying to get part of their trap workout in on your dime :)

It's that dumb-ass stuff you see people doing all the time where they keep going beyond the point of obvious failure, with the spotter doing more and more of the work on every rep. I know that some techniques/approaches make some legitimate use of this, but I'm talking about the bozos who are getting help pretty much from the first rep, then when they're done (and the spotter is exhausted) they pop up off the bench, pump their first, and say "Yeah baby, 10 reps!" :rolleyes:

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
LOWER 1 - WEEK 11


Workout:-



Speed Deadlifts = 8 sets x 2 reps x 135 lbs (60 kgs)

Deadlifts = 1 sets x 1 reps x 285 lbs (130 kgs)

Bulgarian Split Squats = n/a

Overhead Dumbell Side Bends = n/a

Grip Work using Barbell Curls = n/a

Hyperextensions = n/a


TOTAL POUNDAGE:-



W11 --->>> 2,445 lbs
W10 --->>> 3,905 lbs
W9 --->>> 6,005 lbs
W8 --->>> 6,195 lbs
W7 --->>> 5,900 lbs
W6 --->>> 5,000lbs
W5 --->>> 8,275 lbs
W4 --->>> 6,455 lbs
W3---->>> 6,900 lbs
W2 --->>> n/a
W1 --->>> 7,575 lbs

Overall Impression:-



horrible horrible workout. several things to discuss.

1.) my stomach is still a bit upset and i am pumped to my eyeballs with antibiotics. today is supposed to be the second last day of the dosage to day after tomorrow im gonna be fine. diet has remained very good however. nonethless inspite of me eating well over 300 grams of protein and over 5 litres of water, ive lost 2 kgs :( and i ate a good pre workout meal too today :( this really really sucks. but no doubt ill get this weight back in a week tops. it doesnt look like ive lost any weight though and my friend who i met after 3 days looked at me today and said "dude...ur looking a lot bigger today" so i dunno what to make of this.

2.) my lower back has NOT healed. after i injured it in week 8 of the texas method way back in february 2007 when i did rounded back ass to grass squats with 295 for a double, it healed after i did the ice/heat/ice/heat/ice/heat/ice/heat treatment in 1-2 weeks. however, 2 weeks ago when i did those shit heavy good mornings (that means a measly 135 lbs) with incorrect form ive got that left lower back pain again and i havent been doing the ice/heat/ice/heat/ice/heat treatment like how i was supposed to. in addition to that i have been doing dumbbell swings with bad form, barbell rows with a weight too heavy for me so their becoming yates rows which i am mostly deadlifting from the ground in addition to the fact that my sleeping posture last night was really really bad. i dunno what it is with my sleeping posture: first the neck problem now i wake up with a sore lower back...damn....this must be a passing phase...

3.) during the speed deads my lower back was fine. but when i pulled the 130 kgs off the floor my left lower back was literally screaming in agony so i immediately stopped. my legs werent even slightly pumped from the lift off. my grip was good too. everything other than my lower back was perfectly fine.

4.) so whats the plan? my lower back only hurts when i do deadlifts. it doesnt hurt when i bench. i have two options: (a) i go to the gym tomorrow for upper 1 and i handle it well. i also do tons of ice/heat treatment tonight which should make me 99% ready for tomorrow. i continue this treatment till thursday. or, (b) i take a week off. now, i dont want to take a week off because this problem isnt as much as im making it sound. yes, it is hurting, but its not excrutiating pain. so i can get away with this but i dont want this to become a pain in my ass later on in life. so if i have to take this week and the next off to let this heal then ill do that. but i doubt it will come to that. needless to say, im gonna be extra cautious with this. and this sucks even more because Eric JUST gave me an excellent plan to push my squats starting this thursday. i guess that plan will probably be postponed a bit. shit.

ill update y'all tomorrow iwht how im feeling.

have a good one everyone :)

[TheDeliverator]

Nice training!

[Sentinel]

this is an injury my friend

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
UPPER 1 - WEEK 11

Workout:-


Flat Bench Press = 4 sets x 2 reps x 185 lbs (85 kgs)

Regular Rows = n/a

Low Incline Dumbbell Bench Press = 3 sets x 7 reps x 65 lbs (30 kgs)

Chin-ups = 10 + 8 + 5 + 4 + 3 = 30

Facepulls = 2 sets x 10 reps x 70 lbs (35 kgs)

Bar Rollouts = 2 sets x 10 reps

TOTAL POUNDAGE:-

W11 --->>> 8,395 lbs
W10 --->>> 4,940 lbs
W9 --->>> 8,060 lbs
W8 --->>> 6,315 lbs
W7 --->>> 7,730 lbs
W6 --->>> 6,780 lbs
W5 --->>> 9,580 lbs
W4 --->>> 10,170 lbs
W3 --->>> 9,585 lbs
W2 --->>> n/a
W1 --->>> 7,150 lbs
Overall Impression:-


ive been doing the ice treatment thingy and my lower back is MUCH better. its still not at all 100% in any way but its much better than yesterday where getting off the chair was a challenge. but today i was pretty conservative on anything and everything both in the gym and out of it. yes, that means no sex today. which sucks.

Bench Press: this wasnt too tough on me. not too easy either but i could have gone a tad bit more for reps. well, 185 for 3x3 is my max and this was 1 rep short overall but i could have done 3x5 or something too. however, i was very very scared that i would fuck up my lower back with a single rep so i did this light and easy and on 2 sets i used zero leg drive (the last two sets) where i focussed solely on upper body strength. lower back was totally fine with this.

Regular Rows: skipped this because of the back problem. i wasnt gonna take a chance. made up for this by doing so many chin-ups sets (5x failure)

Low Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: kept the same weight as last time. my trainers carried the dumbbells across the gym for me hahahha....so all i had to do was lift them up. and put them down lol... this was too easy and i could have lifted more but i wasnt gonna take the chance.

Chin-ups: 5 sets to failure. made up for the lack of any other back work. this wasnt too difficult and ill be adding in weight next week (provided my lower back is ok).

Diet: tons of good food. im very happy.

Overall: ok so here is the plan for now. im icing my back. im gonna do it all through tomorrow and day after till the pain goes. its MUCH better than yesterday so i give it 2 days till it goes. however, since it has gone does not mean that the injury has disappeared (Eric's words and i agree from personal expereince with the shoulder injuries). infact, these injuries have a nasty way to showing their ugly heads from time to time. so...im gonna let this heal. no lower workout for me this week. ill do some very very light intensity cardio this week. friday will be upper 1 but ill see how that goes. if doing standing militaries is gonna screw my shoulder, ill do either DE bench or inclines instead. lets see. but there is no chance im gonna do any squatting this week for sure. by next week i will most probably "feel" 100% but im gonna take the lwoer body days off in terms of weighttraining and do some light intensity cardio. upper's will be relatively light and conservative too. if i feel up to it then the week after i will be back in full swing in terms of working out on my lower body. but that week will be conservative too. the week after will be when i come in with all the heavy iron lol...

saw scary movie 4 for the second time today. not as good as scary movie 3. also so the inside man. good movie. and the untouchables. fantastic movie. as u can all see ive been icing my back and wathcing a lot of movies today :)

anyways, have a good week y'all

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
LOWER 1 - WEEK 12


Workout:-



Speed Deadlifts = n/a

Deadlifts = 2 sets x 8 reps x 185 lbs (85 kgs)

Bulgarian Split Squats = 2 sets x 6 reps x 60 lbs (30 kgs - 14 kgs per hand)

Overhead Dumbbell Side Bends = n/a

Grip Work using Hammerl Curls = 2 sets x 8 reps x 40 lbs (18 kgs)

Hyperextensions = 1 set x 15 reps


TOTAL POUNDAGE:-



W12 --->>> 3,680 lbs
W11 --->>> 2,445 lbs
W10 --->>> 3,905 lbs
W9 --->>> 6,005 lbs
W8 --->>> 6,195 lbs
W7 --->>> 5,900 lbs
W6 --->>> 5,000lbs
W5 --->>> 8,275 lbs
W4 --->>> 6,455 lbs
W3---->>> 6,900 lbs
W2 --->>> n/a
W1 --->>> 7,575 lbs

Overall Impression:-



im back everyone!!! hahahahhaha

Deadlifts: i thought this would be shit easy but it wasnt at all. and i cant explain why either. my diet has been spot on. im back @ 85 kgs (185 lbs) cold early morning temperature so i cant understand why the heck this was so damn tough today. and it wasnt even my lower back which was hurting. my lower back is fine. its just that i wasnt very comfortable. im not too disappointed though. i want to run a theory by eric about this subject.

Bulgarian Squats: easy work here too. this was too easy actually. but i really need to work on my form.

Grip Work: haha...these hammer curls felt awesome. i want my forearms to become shit big and my grip strength is gonna improve a lot i believe.

Diet: this has been really good over the last week. im getting a LOT of meat in. i actually spent some time monitoring myself and my protein powder intake has gone down to zero grams (i dont take whey on my off days) but im eating well over 2 kgs of chicken alone per day. in addition to that i have been eating tons of fruits and a few vegetables. i need to work on getting in some veggies. i hardly eat any vegetables. but my diet has been this good for the last 6 days and i am very happy with this. im also glad my weight has gone back to what it used to be. whoo..what a relief hahaha

Overall: looking forward to tomorrow's training. i bet its gonna be fun ahaha.

have a good one everyone :)

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
UPPER 1 - WEEK 12

Workout:-


Flat Bench Press = 2 sets x 3 reps x 175 lbs (80 kgs)

JS Rows = 3 sets x 6 reps x 145 lbs (65 kgs)

Low Incline Dumbbell Bench Press = 3 sets x 5 reps x 70 lbs (32 kgs)

Weighted Chin-ups = 4 sets x 5 reps x +6 kgs (total = 190 lbs = 90 kgs)

Facepulls = 2 sets x 10 reps x 80 lbs (40 kgs)

Bar Rollouts = n/a

TOTAL POUNDAGE:-

W12 --->>> 8,510 lbs
W11 --->>> 8,395 lbs
W10 --->>> 4,940 lbs
W9 --->>> 8,060 lbs
W8 --->>> 6,315 lbs
W7 --->>> 7,730 lbs
W6 --->>> 6,780 lbs
W5 --->>> 9,580 lbs
W4 --->>> 10,170 lbs
W3 --->>> 9,585 lbs
W2 --->>> n/a
W1 --->>> 7,150 lbs
Overall Impression:-


lower back pain is zero. the funny thing is that the pain has shifted. before it was exactly to the left of my spine. now its on my left side of my body. key words are: of my body. its almost as if its migrated to the left. but its hardly anything. just a tiny strain. but thats very very wierd...

Bench Press: i bombed out. i wanted to do 3x5x175 but i got screwed at rep 3. i dunno how this happened. it should have been ok for 5. then i did the second set and it appreared as if i was pushing myself too hard. so i thought its better for me to just back off this for now. im glad i did.

JS Rows: i felt sooooooo good doing these again haha. regular barbell rows suck compared to this. ive taken the vids of set 1 and 2 which i will post as soon as youtube clears them.

Low Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: new PR for me. it was quite easy actually. i did the first 2 sets with great ease but then i took like a 5 minute break before the last set (my gf needed a spot and then i had to chitchat) and that kinda made me lose my groove a bit.

Chin-ups: these were amazing! i cant believe i knocked out 4x5. haha. this was tough but im so glad i managed to get this done! whoo hoo.

Diet: good food.

Overall: good workout. i hope everyone is having a good week :)

cheers

[Sentinel]

the 2 vids of today:

JS Rows 145 x 6

Click here for set 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9zGuPuHZjA)

Click here for set 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR_U5puGnuE)

[Misanthrope]

Good job today, Sentinel. Nice work with the rows. I used to hate them, but now I enjoy doing them. I think an exercise becomes a lot more enjoyable once you get the technique down and can really feel it working.

Smart move on backing off with bench press. Are you going to reevaluate your approach here, or just try to add more reps next time?

[Sentinel]

Good job today, Sentinel. Nice work with the rows. I used to hate them, but now I enjoy doing them. I think an exercise becomes a lot more enjoyable once you get the technique down and can really feel it working.

yes. im actually waiting for my techinique to be 100% correct. my rows were very bad today. look at the rounding of my back. big no no.


Smart move on backing off with bench press. Are you going to reevaluate your approach here, or just try to add more reps next time?

im actually going to wait for Eric's word on this. if it were up to me id just do the whole thing again next week (in the sense stick with the plan of 3x5x175 which i did on the texas method) and if it doesnt happen again then ill reevaluate my approach.

thanks for checking in matt! :)

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
LOWER 2 - WEEK 12


Workout:-



Low Box Squats = 3 sets x 8 reps x 185 lbs (85 kgs)

Romanian Deadlifts = 3 sets x 6 reps x 165 lbs (75 kgs)

Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts = 2 sets x 10 reps x 60 lbs (30 kgs)

Glute Ham Raises = 2 sets x 8 reps x BW

Standing Ab Pulldowns = 2 sets x 10 reps x 70 lbs (35 kgs)

Hyperextensions = 1 set x 15 reps x BW


TOTAL POUNDAGE:-



W12 --->>> 7,710 lbs
W11 --->>> n/a
W10 --->>> n/a
W9 --->>> 11,910 lbs
W8 --->>> 11,115 lbs
W7 --->>> 14,500 lbs
W6 --->>> 11,880 lbs
W5 --->>> 6,375 lbs
W4 --->>> n/a
W3 --->>> 15,060 lbs
W2 --->>> n/a
W1 --->>> 14,560 lbs

Overall Impression:-



good workout. took vids of 2 sets of low box squats, 2 sets of single leg RDLs and 2 sets of GHRs. the whole damn collection is over 20 MB so its gonna take some time to upload it to youtube...so please be patient

Low Box Squats: they felt tough but i think i did them with good form.

Romanian DeadliftS: felt good.

Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts: ok u guys are going to laugh a lot at these 2 vids. on the first one, i started out with my right leg and it was ok. then i shifted to my left leg and i couldnt balance the first few reps. i got the hang of it eventually. in the second vid, i start off with my left leg, have a few start up problems and then i shift to my right. here too i have some balance issues. damnit, this looked really really goofy. but, i hope to get better at this with time. after doing this exercise my hams and my ass were hurting a LOT.

Glute Ham Raises: my ass was hurting a lot. i dont know how i managed to do these. they werent perfect, but i tried to work on my form. not all the GHRs were good but im sure a few reps were.

Diet: great food. ate tons of food.

Overall: it was a good workout. i liked it.

hope everyone's week is going good.

thanks for reading

peace

[Sentinel]

The Video: Click Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkud1PX7XK0)

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
UPPER 2 - WEEK 12


Workout:-



Military Press = 4 sets x 5 reps x 120 lbs (55 kgs)

Pull-ups = 8 + 6 + 5 + 4 = 23

Close Grip Bench Press = 2 sets x 5 reps x 165 lbs (75 kgs)

Overhead Shrugs = 3 sets x 20 reps x 75 lbs (35 kgs)

Russian Twists = 2 sets x 10 reps x 25 lbs (10 kgs)

Decline Sit-ups = 2 sets x 15 reps x BW


TOTAL POUNDAGE:-



W12 --->>> 12,805 lbs
W11 --->>> n/a
W10 --->>> 12,610 lbs
W9 --->>> 11,730 lbs
W8 --->>> 11,050 lbs
W7 --->>> 10,655 lbs
W6 --->>> 11,220 lbs
W5 ---->>> 12,210 lbs
W4 --->>> 13,270 lbs
W3 --->>> n/a
W2 --->>> n/a
W1 --->>> 8,847 lbs

Overall Impression:-



took two vids today. one was of CGBP and the other was a form check vid of me doing rows with 135 (only 1 light set)....

Military Press: somehow i didnt feel this exercise today. i dunno, i really wanted to do 5x5 with this this week but i decided to change my grip on these and do them exactly how they are laid out in SS and i found this too tough to do a 5th set of. so i stopped at 4. ill try for set #5 next time.

Pull-ups: nothing new

Close Grip Bench Press: new PR

Overhead Shrugs: i did some really high rep shit because i was doing it controlled and not baliistically. so i thought id knock out a few more reps per set...im not going to increase the weight because i dont think it would be beneficial for my shoulders. however, i will reduce reps next week...or i might not...

Russian Twists: nothing new

Decline Sit-ups: boring

Diet: good food.

Overall: pretty ok workout.

as always, have a GREAT weekend everyone!!! :)

[Sentinel]

Video:

Click Here for CGBP 165x5 video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Wz9-kCxlU4)

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
LOWER 1 - WEEK 13


Workout:-



Deadlifts = 1 set x 8 reps x 205 lbs (90 kgs)

Bulgarian Split Squats = 2 sets x 8 reps x 60 lbs (30 kgs - 14 kgs per hand)

Overhead Dumbbell Side Bends = n/a

Grip Work using Hammer Curls = 6 sets x 2 reps x 60 lbs (26 kgs per hand)

Hyperextensions = 1 set x 15 reps


Overall Impression:-



short + sweet workout.

Deadlifts: very very easy. i liked it :)

Bulgarian Squats: felt good.

Grip Work: teh hammerzz curlzz were good hahaha.....

Diet: im happy. lots of food coming in...

Overall: good workout.

have a good one everyone :)

[Sentinel]

Click Here for Upper 1 Week 13 Videos of Deadlifts and Bulgarian Squats (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=957DDG4gOqg)

[Misanthrope]

Looking good. I hate anything over five reps for deadlifts. :)

[Sentinel]

Looking good. I hate anything over five reps for deadlifts. :)
haha...me too...but im recovering from my lower back injury so i have to do 5+ reps.

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
LOWER 2 - WEEK 13


Workout:-



Low Box Squats = 4 sets x 6 reps x 205 lbs (90 kgs)

Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts = 2 sets x 12 reps x 60 lbs (30 kgs)

Romanian Deadlifts = 3 sets x 6 reps x 165 lbs (75 kgs)

Standing Ab Pulldowns = 2 sets x 10 reps x 70 lbs (35 kgs)



Overall Impression:-



very cool workout.

Low Box Squats: i got 2 vids of these. they felt good. i really tried hard to push with my heels..

Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts: got a vid here too...dont laugh at me...the balancing is shit difficult..

Romanian DeadliftS: felt good.

Diet: not too good. im force feeding myself a lot. im a little depressed im going back in less than 12 days....i dont feel like eating. however, i think i forgot to mention this...one of the components of my post workout meal is 4 scoops of whey....its all the whey i eat on workout days only. on off days i dont take any whey. the meat i eat is enough i think.

Overall: it was a good workout. i liked it.

hope everyone's week is going good.

thanks for reading

peace

[Sentinel]

the vid:

Video of Lower 2 Week 13 w/ Low Box Squats + Unilateral RDLs - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting (http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j225/anuj247/?action=view&current=Lower2Week13.flv)

[Misanthrope]

Box squats looked very solid to me. Looks like you should be able to move the weight up with no problem.

The unilateral RDLs were interesting. :)

Sorry to hear you're depressed about leaving India. Just remember it's your home no matter what and ultimately you will come back.

[Sentinel]

Box squats looked very solid to me. Looks like you should be able to move the weight up with no problem.

thanks matt!!! oh, and congrats on becoming a mod. very cool.


The unilateral RDLs were interesting. :)

they're tough.


Sorry to hear you're depressed about leaving India. Just remember it's your home no matter what and ultimately you will come back.

i know.....im just sad to leave my family and gf and friends...but its ok. ill be back in 4 months.

[Sentinel]

was supposed to workout today but i got other stuff to do and i dont have time so no upper 2 this week. actually, i havent done a single upper body session this whole week....damn...thats bad....lol....most people woulda done 2 uppers instead and bitched about not being able to do any lowers hahahha

anyways, i wish everyone a good weekend :)

[Matt]

the vid:

Video of Lower 2 Week 13 w/ Low Box Squats + Unilateral RDLs - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting (http://s81.photobucket.com/albums/j225/anuj247/?action=view&current=Lower2Week13.flv)


You are dropping onto the box too hard.

[Serpens Aeon]

im a little depressed im going back in less than 12 days....i


Heh, how old are you now, or rather, how many times have you had to leave India like this? I've been doing this visit the family over university holidays thing since the end of '03 and the beginning of '04, and I have to tell you, you never get used to it. In fact, I think it gets harder every year.

It's rather funny because most of the people I meet at the university all complain about wanting to go home, and how far away it is and what not, meanwhile it's usually a city or two away, or at the most, a province/state away. I always tend to think "what a bunch of pussies; my goddamn family is thousands of miles and dollars away!" Having a good network of friends back "home" certainly helps, though. Ideally, you've got that together, because I don't, although I do know how much more comfortable that can make the transition.

I'm dreading going back to Canada in the next 20 days or so myself, although it's for my final year of my bachelor's, so that's somewhat of an incentive. Nevertheless, I'm starting to get rather anxious about it in the evenings when I'm alone and fatigued. In fact, last summer, I almost had myself a bit of a panic attack an hour or two before leaving the house.

I suppose I do not have any advice for you. All I can say is that I empathize and understand how awful it can be to be separated from one's family so routinely. Fuck globalization. :p

[Sentinel]

You are dropping onto the box too hard.
thanks. ill keep that in mind.

[Sentinel]

Heh, how old are you now

hi SA

im 19. international freshman studying at trinity university. well, now im a sophomore. haha...

triple major:
marketing (bsc)
finance (bsc)
communications (ba)

i come back to india 2x a year - in winter for 4 weeks and in summer for 14.5 weeks. so in all i spend 4 months a year in mumbai and 8 months in san antonio.


how many times have you had to leave India like this?

this will be the third time


I've been doing this visit the family over university holidays thing since the end of '03 and the beginning of '04, and I have to tell you, you never get used to it. In fact, I think it gets harder every year.

yourt probably right. especially since im leaving not only my family (whom i am very closely attached to) but also my gf and by best friends for the last 10+ years...


It's rather funny because most of the people I meet at the university all complain about wanting to go home, and how far away it is and what not, meanwhile it's usually a city or two away, or at the most, a province/state away. I always tend to think "what a bunch of pussies; my goddamn family is thousands of miles and dollars away!" Having a good network of friends back "home" certainly helps, though. Ideally, you've got that together, because I don't, although I do know how much more comfortable that can make the transition.

oh i agree. 2 things regarding this.

1.) i have to fly halfway across the world on a flight that lasts 36 hours average. lucky for me i get zero jet lag :D

2.) i never experienced any culture shock when i came to america. maybe its because it isnt my first time or because ive been all over the world or because i live in mumbai or maybe all 3.


I'm dreading going back to Canada in the next 20 days or so myself, although it's for my final year of my bachelor's, so that's somewhat of an incentive. Nevertheless, I'm starting to get rather anxious about it in the evenings when I'm alone and fatigued. In fact, last summer, I almost had myself a bit of a panic attack an hour or two before leaving the house.

dude, no shit. im with u on that. i am having panic attacks and shit. well not panic attacks but i dont like to sleep early coz im afraid ill miss out on small things. i sleep these days way past 5 in the morning and i wake up by 11. i cant even imagine how its going to be to walk away from my gf at the airport. or how its going to be when i give my mum a hug which i will give again after 4 freaking months....shit...


I suppose I do not have any advice for you. All I can say is that I empathize and understand how awful it can be to be separated from one's family so routinely. Fuck globalization. :p

not only family and gf....my friends tooo....im not sure how relationships are with other people (everyone is different yet the same all over the world) but me n my friends are like family....in the sense that my mum, my dad, my sis, my gf, my friends (4) are all family to me - more family than my uncles, etc... so leaving everything behind all the time sucks. what i can be greatful for is the fact that i have always been there for important occassions and events which have occured in my gf;s life so far, i have been here in mumbai to celebrate our yearly and half yearly anniversaries, i have been in mumbai for all my friends birthdays (and mine and my gf;s and my dads and and my sis's). so its not all that bad. but it does get tough. and its very depressing. like i know that once i go there and i start talking to my family and gf things are gonna be rough (not so much with my family) for the first 2 weeks and then things will be cool and all these emotions i have right now wont really bother me but i do know that after i come back in december and i leave in jan all these emtions are gonna hit me like a 100 kgs titanium wall.....damnit, life is tough. but i hope the it reaps great rewards in the end.

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
LOWER 1 - WEEK 14


Workout:-



Deadlifts = 1 set x 5 reps x 245 lbs (110 kgs)

Bulgarian Split Squats = 2 sets x 8 reps x 60 lbs (30 kgs - 14 kgs per hand)

Overhead Dumbbell Side Bends = 2 sets x 10 reps x 10 lbs (5 kgs)

Grip Work using Hammer Curls = 3 sets x 4 reps x 60 lbs (26 kgs per hand)

Hyperextensions = 1 set x 15 reps


Overall Impression:-



very short workout.

Deadlifts: felt pretty ok. waiting for youtube to allow the vid...

Bulgarian Squats: felt good.

Grip Work: teh hammerzz curlzz were good hahaha.....next time its gonna be 65 lbs a hand lol

Diet: very sad diet.

Overall: very short workout. i will probably start doing speed deads from next time on. but the next workout will be after 10 days or so since next tuesday night i leave mumbai and fly back to trinity. damn, im really sad about this. i agree 100% with Serpens Aeon that leaving ur family so many times doesnt make it easier each time but way more difficult. so the plan is this week i finish all the workouts (hopefully) and my next workout will be from next thursday or friday onwards. that plan will be put up in a few days.

have a good one everyone :)

[Sentinel]

Deadlifts 245 x 5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peTfGZWF3H8)

[Misanthrope]

I watched your deadlifting video.

First of all, WTF was up with the music? :p

How comfortable are you with pulling right now? I sort of got the impression from watching the video that you aren't entirely comfortable doing deads yet. Do you think you could get down lower on your starting position? I think that might help with the first part of the pull and it would keep your back from being so horizontal.

[Sentinel]

I watched your deadlifting video.

First of all, WTF was up with the music? :p

How comfortable are you with pulling right now? I sort of got the impression from watching the video that you aren't entirely comfortable doing deads yet. Do you think you could get down lower on your starting position? I think that might help with the first part of the pull and it would keep your back from being so horizontal.
what....u dont like Evanasense? :(

lol

ok, serious questions:

1.) am i comfy with deads?

Ans: no not really. i havent done them in a while and this lower back injury has fucked up some things. therefore, Eric has advised to me to take deads as if i am doing them for the first time. sort of like starting with a clean slate.

2.) could i get down lower on the starting position?

Ans: maybe. i have very tight hams and i have been doing a lot of stretching work to get more flexibility. in due time i will be able to go lower. i think i could go a bit lower right now too. ill try that next time. i do love to use more leg drive so i will definitely check that out :)

cheers matt

Andalite (Anuj)

[jwright715]

First Subb'ed journal now that im a member of this site.

[Misanthrope]

what....u dont like Evanasense? :(
No. :)

2.) could i get down lower on the starting position?

Ans: maybe. i have very tight hams and i have been doing a lot of stretching work to get more flexibility. in due time i will be able to go lower. i think i could go a bit lower right now too. ill try that next time. i do love to use more leg drive so i will definitely check that out :)
The biggest challenge for me with deads is clearing my shins. Once I can get the bar to my knees it's usually a sure bet. Leg drive is critical for me at the start of the lift. I found that once I was able to sit a little deeper in my starting position, I was able to yank the bar off the floor a lot quicker. Of course, I always have to make sure my hips don't shoot up too far ahead of my back, but I'm usually pretty good about that.

[Sentinel]

No. :)

The biggest challenge for me with deads is clearing my shins. Once I can get the bar to my knees it's usually a sure bet. Leg drive is critical for me at the start of the lift. I found that once I was able to sit a little deeper in my starting position, I was able to yank the bar off the floor a lot quicker. Of course, I always have to make sure my hips don't shoot up too far ahead of my back, but I'm usually pretty good about that.
sweet. for me, its the lockout right now. because of my lower back injury i am having these god awful problems. but they will get ironed out in a few weeks.

[Sentinel]

First Subb'ed journal now that im a member of this site.
thanks for subscribing mate! :) please post often and feel free to discuss anything u like (no homo hsit though :p )

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
UPPER 1 - WEEK 14

Workout:-


Incline Bench Press = 1 sets x 1 reps x 185 lbs (85 kgs)

Weighted Chin-ups = 4 sets x 5 reps x +8 kgs (total = 205 lbs = 90 kgs)

Flat Dumbbell Bench Press = 4 sets x 6 reps x 65 lbs (30 kgs)

Barbell Rows = 3 sets x 10 reps x 155 lbs (70 kgs)

Facepulls = 2 sets x 10 reps x 80 lbs (40 kgs)

Decline Sit-ups = 2 sets x 8 reps x 25 lbs plus BW


Overall Impression:-


good workout. lol im doing an upper body workout after nearly 10-12 days...lol.....

Incline Bench Press: im tired of doing flat bench presses. ive been doing them for like 12 weeks now. so i decided to max out on inclines just for kicks. finally my flat bench is stronger than me incline. lol. 185 was very easy. i tried to do something with 205 but i got fucked at the bottom. lockout was easy. the bottom part of this is STILL my weakness. but its alright because ive made a few changes (thanks to Eric) which i will be implementing once i get back to the states in 6 days :( damn, thats really depressing...i have such little time left here.

Chin-ups: very cool hahaha

Flat Dumbbell Bench Press: quite smooth. i enjoyed doing these.

Rows: lower back is still sore from yesterday's deadlift workout but this wasnt too difficult. probably a new PR for me but i have no clue...

Diet: good food.

Overall: good workout. damn, i cant believe i have only 6 more days left here in mumbai :( shit. oh well......on a good note, transformers is releasing this friday in mumbai so ill be going to see it on saturday most likely :)

i hope everyone is having a good week :)

cheers

[Heisman]

With the deadlifts was the bar directly against your shins? They looked fairly easy but as Misanthrope said you are kind of horizontal at the start.

[Sentinel]

With the deadlifts was the bar directly against your shins? They looked fairly easy but as Misanthrope said you are kind of horizontal at the start.
yeah the bar was very close to my shins. not really hitting them but very very close.

[Heisman]

yeah the bar was very close to my shins. not really hitting them but very very close.

Does the bar touch you as you pull upward? It'll scrape you up a bit at first and I suggest you where long socks but there is a good chance that it may help your form if the bar literally touches you as you pull upward. Then you can concentrate on pulling back more and that might make it easier for you to be more vertical.

[r_graz]

The biggest challenge for me with deads is clearing my shins. Once I can get the bar to my knees it's usually a sure bet. Leg drive is critical for me at the start of the lift. I found that once I was able to sit a little deeper in my starting position, I was able to yank the bar off the floor a lot quicker. Of course, I always have to make sure my hips don't shoot up too far ahead of my back, but I'm usually pretty good about that.
For me, trying to sit down deep at the start feels way too constricted, and I don't feel like I have enough mechanical advantage to start the pull. Also with the tops of my thighs close to my abdomen, it makes it hard to really inflate and brace the abs. Interesting thing for me was a couple months ago when I did a session with the S&C trainer to learn snatch pulls, he had me starting at a somewhat flatter back angle (closer to horizontal) than I expected. Not parallel to the floor by any means, but not much more than 30 degrees.

I may be wrong about this, but I think the most advantageous starting position depends a *lot* on a person's particular body proportions. And, as Anuj mentioned, PC flexibility. For me it feels as if I drop too low, my back is ready to round right from the start.

FWIW I do drag the bar up my shins the whole way.

[Misanthrope]

I may be wrong about this, but I think the most advantageous starting position depends a *lot* on a person's particular body proportions.
I definitely agree with that. If you caught the deadlifting discussion Serpens Aeon had with Rippetoe in his sub-forum here, Rip mentioned that this topic will be discussed in the new upcoming edition of Starting Strength. I'm interested to see what he has to say on the matter.

[Sentinel]

Does the bar touch you as you pull upward? It'll scrape you up a bit at first and I suggest you where long socks but there is a good chance that it may help your form if the bar literally touches you as you pull upward. Then you can concentrate on pulling back more and that might make it easier for you to be more vertical.

no, the bar doesnt touch me. this is very light weight so i dont expect it to. my max dead should be well over 355 close to 385 actually. but the answer to ur question is that no, the bar doesnt not drag on my shins. if i do this, my lower back rounds.


For me, trying to sit down deep at the start feels way too constricted, and I don't feel like I have enough mechanical advantage to start the pull. Also with the tops of my thighs close to my abdomen, it makes it hard to really inflate and brace the abs. Interesting thing for me was a couple months ago when I did a session with the S&C trainer to learn snatch pulls, he had me starting at a somewhat flatter back angle (closer to horizontal) than I expected. Not parallel to the floor by any means, but not much more than 30 degrees.

I may be wrong about this, but I think the most advantageous starting position depends a *lot* on a person's particular body proportions. And, as Anuj mentioned, PC flexibility. For me it feels as if I drop too low, my back is ready to round right from the start.

FWIW I do drag the bar up my shins the whole way.

hey dude :)

yes, PC flexibility for me is very bad right now. but, the dance teacher is helping me out :D

i do know i dropped my ass too low on 1-2 reps actually. i guess it just takes a little time before u can really perfect this stuff. i want to perfect it because im only 19 and IMO im not that weak for my size or weight or age but i dont want to hit a wall or run into problems later on in life so im giving these small issues quite a bit of thought. hopefully, im not overthinking anything lol.


I definitely agree with that. If you caught the deadlifting discussion Serpens Aeon had with Rippetoe in his sub-forum here, Rip mentioned that this topic will be discussed in the new upcoming edition of Starting Strength. I'm interested to see what he has to say on the matter.

hi matt :)

im interested in reading his new book too :) practical programming was better than SS IMO for me because i knew most of the lifts. but im glad i bought both the books because they did teach me a lot. im just saying PP was more educational for me.

:)

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
LOWER 2 - WEEK 14


Workout:-



Low Box Squats = 1 set x 3 reps x 265 lbs (120 kgs)

Low Box Squats = 1 set x 3 reps x 225 lbs (100 kgs)

Low Box Squats = 2 sets x 5 reps x 205 lbs (90 kgs)

Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts = 2 sets x 12 reps x 60 lbs (30 kgs)

Romanian Deadlifts = 3 sets x 6 reps x 135 lbs (60 kgs)

Standing Ab Pulldowns = 2 sets x 10 reps x 70 lbs (35 kgs)



Overall Impression:-



killer workout.

Low Box Squats: instead of doing 4x6 i thought id try for a new PR on these. 265 is a brand new PR for me. i got it on vid. 265x3 was not to failure. i could have knocked out 2 reps easy. i did some lighter weights for 3 sets total. nothing was even close to failure. im very happy with this workout. 265 was a bit tough but my abs are still sore from monday's decline sit ups with 25 lbs on me....these sore abs really ruined this lift for me because im pretty sure i could have taken atleast 15-20 lbs more for 3 reps....

Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts: much better form than last week.

Romanian DeadliftS: felt good.

Diet: lots of food :)

Overall: it was a good workout. i liked it.

hope everyone's week is going good.

thanks for reading

peace

[Sentinel]

Click Here for Low Box Squats Vids (3 clips) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGXyAu_sVJg)

[Sentinel]

Summer '07 Upper-Lower Split
UPPER 2 - WEEK 14


Workout:-



Military Press = 4 sets x 6 reps x 120 lbs (55 kgs)

Pull-ups = 5x5

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press = 2 sets x 8 reps x 40 lbs (18 kgs)

Overhead Shrugs = 3 sets x 20 reps x 75 lbs (35 kgs)

Russian Twists = 2 sets x 10 reps x 25 lbs (10 kgs)

Decline Sit-ups = 2 sets x 15 reps x BW


Overall Impression:-



last workout for this summer.

Military Press: very great! :)

Pull-ups: this was tough

Seated Dumbbell Military Press: its been a long time since ive come back to this lift. because of my shoulder injuries im taking this slow and steady.

Overhead Shrugs: awesome!

Russian Twists: nothing new

Decline Sit-ups: boring

Diet: good food.

Overall: pretty ok workout. i have to lay out my plan for the next semester for u guys. ill do that in a short while. otherwise, i hope everyone is having a good week and i wish y'all a great weekend! :)

[Misanthrope]

Nice session, Anuj. You've had a pretty good run to end the summer. I'm interested to see what you have planned next.

[Sentinel]

Nice session, Anuj. You've had a pretty good run to end the summer. I'm interested to see what you have planned next.
thanks man!

stay tuned! :)

[Sentinel]

Plan for Fall 2007

this one is once again credited to Eric3237 (http://www.bodybuilding.net/members/eric3237.html)

the plan for this Fall semester is:

1.) get my bench up to repping with 225. im at 205 right now so in 16 weeks i wanna rep 225.

2.) squat deep (i wont call it OLY squatting because of Rippetoe's last post) 315 for 5. right now i am at 295x4.

3.) deadlift somewhere close to 405. i have no idea where i am right now because of my injury.

4.) get a whole lot thicker.

5.) get healthier

the summer program Eric designed for me has worked beautifully. i am no bodybuilder but my physique has improved. more importantly, my strength has increased a LOT. im also much healthier now. all thanks to Eric.

the program for Fall is another upper-lower with a few modifications. most of the program is exactly as my program right now though. just a few minor changes which Eric has made.

instead of workout out 4x a week, i am going to be doing a 9-10 day rotation.

lower 1
off
upper 1
off
lower 2
off
upper 2
off
off / repeat

on some off days i will do very low intensity cardio for long durations (45 minutes to 90 minutes). i will only do this as long as it does not screw my progress or fail to dissipate fatigue.

the program:


Lower 1
Deadlift 1x5
Bulgarian Squats 2-3 sets
GHRs 2-3 sets
Grip Work like Hammer Curls for 2-4 sets
Standing Ab Pull Downs 2-3 sets


- for deadlifts i will either increase reps, increase the weight or do more sets. this will change from workout to workout and i will go mostly by "feel". its not direct planned progression but the general rules are no going to failure and no using shitty form.
- whenever i max out on squats (this will happen 1-3 times this semester) i will replace the deads with squats.
- before doing max outs, i will do walkouts with my projected weight. these walkouts will be done last in this workout after GHRs.

Upper 1
Flat Bench Press 10x3 w/ 60 second rest periods start at 165 and add 5 lbs a session
Chin-ups 3-4 sets of 5-6 reps
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Presses 3x8-12
Rows 4x5-7
Overhead Shrugs 1-2 sets


- Flat bench presses will be for 10x3. rest intervals are only 60-72 seconds. i will start light at 165 and add 5 lbs to the bar every week. my 5x5 max is 180. by week 5 i will be nailing 185 for 10x3. the goal is to get stronger and bigger.
- its time i start doing seated dumbbell presses. im going to start out light and easy with these because of my previous injuries.

Lower 2
Low Box Squats / Squats Ramping up 4x6 style
Single Leg RDLs 2x6-10
RDLs 3x6-10
Reverse Hypers 2-3 sets for therapeutic value
Overhead Plate Side Bends 1-2 sets


- whenever i max out on squats, i will be having a 3-4 weeks "loading" period where i will train balls to the wall for 4x6. otherwise, i will be doing regular low box squats for 3x8.
- the rest of the workout is exactly as it is right now.

Upper 2
Military Press 3-4 sets of 5-7 reps
Pull-ups 4x failure
flat dumbbell pause presses 3x8-12
Cable Rows 1-2 sets of 10-12 reps
Facepulls
Russian Twists


- military press progression will be done via triple or double progression.
- pause presses with dumbbells are to work on bottom part of the bench press.

the immediate plan is that i will be arriving at Trinity on the 22nd (Wednesday) evening. thursday the 23rd i have an 8:30 am class. so, by the time i get settled in and get all my protein plus the text books, etc it will be friday. THEREFORE, my next workout is going to be either on next Friday the 24th of August or Saturday the 25th of August. or maybe the 27th of August: monday. but most probably it will be the 24th.

special thanks to Eric for helping me design this program. actually, saying he helped me design it is a massive understatement. its thanks to him that this program even exists! its all his work with probably 1-2 small minor changes i made upon his permission.so anyways, MAJOR props to Eric :)

i will be posting as usual but the next update will be roughly 7-9 days from now.

cheers and thanks for reading!

[Sentinel]

Fall '07 - Lower 1, Week 15

Overall Impression:


i flew in from mumbai last evening. by the time i moved my stuff from the storage into my room and unpacked all this stuff it was 3:00 am. i had an 8:30 am class today. infact, i had classes from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm with only two one-hour-long gaps in the middle. needless to say, today was a tough day. luckily for me i dont suffer from any jet lag. i slept the entire time on the plane. but my body seems to be a little tired. as for diet: i got all my supps today. i ate quite a lot of food today but on the 29 hour flight while coming here i didnt eat a thing because the food was really bad. and i didnt drink enough water. so im very dehydrated. but, i didnt want to not workout today so i decided to go in and do some relatively light stuff.

Deadlifts = 1 set x 6 reps x 225 lbs, 1 set x 10 reps x 135 lbs


felt pretty easy. the back off set was just for kicks. my target is to hit 315x5 by the end of 6 weeks.

Bar Walkouts = 2 walkouts with 315 lbs


this is a very simple exercise. i load the bar with my projected squat max. then i walk out with the bar and stand for a few seconds. then i go and re-rack the bar. 315 is my prjected squat max at the moment. i dont know if its because of my dehydrated and weak state or the fact that 315 lbs is a lot or both, 315 felt very heavy. im glad Eric has me doing these walkouts.

Bulgarian Squats = 2 sets x 6 reps x 60 lbs


i was tired from the walkouts and the deads, i didnt feel 100% with this exercise.

Glute Ham Raises = 2 sets x 8 reps


ok now i finally have access to a GHR machine!!! whoo-hoo!!! i cant believe i nailed 8 reps on my own with zero cheating. week i am going to take a vid of this.

Grip Work using Hammer Curls = 2 sets x 5 reps x 50 lbs


nothing special to report.

Front Plate Squats = 2 sets x 10 reps x 25 lbs


in this exercise u hold the plate in front of u with ur hands and u squat down with the bar moving in a perpendicular angle with the ground the entire way. it really hits ur abs very hard.

Leaving Thoughts:


might do cardio tomorrow. the goal right now is to shove food down my throat though....

anyways,

cheers :)

[Matt]

Click Here for Low Box Squats Vids (3 clips) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGXyAu_sVJg)

You should try not to "plop" down onto the box, you are gonna hurt yourself doing that if you go heavy. You should be able to stop 1" before touching the box.

This (http://youtube.com/watch?v=zxmgs2WyLkw) is an outstanding box squat. Notice the control he has when he squats, he could stop at any time. That is 605 with 200lbs of chain on the bar...

Just my 2cc....

[Dave76]

Welcome back to Texas!!

I agree with Matt on the box squats. A heavy weight on the back combined with a solid surface under the butt sounds like spinal compression waiting to happen. I'm not any kind of expert on box squats, just doing a little logical thinking. Just be careful, my friend!!

[Sentinel]

You should try not to "plop" down onto the box, you are gonna hurt yourself doing that if you go heavy. You should be able to stop 1" before touching the box.

This (http://youtube.com/watch?v=zxmgs2WyLkw) is an outstanding box squat. Notice the control he has when he squats, he could stop at any time. That is 605 with 200lbs of chain on the bar...

Just my 2cc....

thanks for the input matt :)

but its not possible for me to NOT plop down on the box when im going that low. the box is set 6 inches off the floor. i saw the vid and u cant compare that squat to mine, sir. look at the difference in the two box heights. i am almost going as low as my hamstring flexiblity wll allow me to go. what i do learn from ur video and ur post is that next time i do low box squats (sometime in the next 6-8 weeks) i will be doing them on a higher box. and i do agree with u matt that my plopping may have aggrevated my lower back injury.


Welcome back to Texas!!

I agree with Matt on the box squats. A heavy weight on the back combined with a solid surface under the butt sounds like spinal compression waiting to happen. I'm not any kind of expert on box squats, just doing a little logical thinking. Just be careful, my friend!!

thanks for the welcome dave :)

i agree with matt too. the heavy weight plus my plopping probably increased the chances of me getting injured. but i disagree about the plopping thing. at the depth i was going, trying to stop the weight at ANY height is impossible. even if im sitting abck with no wieght and no bar stoping anywhere in that ROM going to that depth is not possible for me. but i understand from matt's post that next time around i will increase the height of the box. such low box squats arent that good for my hips or my lower back.

thanks for posting guys! :) sorry i took so long to reply.

[Sentinel]

Fall '07 - Upper 1, Week 15

Overall Impression:


i am still not at a 100%. i feel bloated. maybe its the wazy maize ive started having. im trying to figure out my diet all over again. this isnt home where i get to eat 1-2 kgs of chicken a day :( in the last 14 weeks i have not relied on supplements at all. yet, now when im here it seems to be different: i rely on them a whole lot more. im taking in like 3-4 scoops of weightgainer a day. that makes it a little over 800 calories right there. im also having waxy maize 1-2 scoops a day. i had 1 scoops of WMS and 2 scoops of Weightgainer before i hit the gym today. i worked out in the morning. apparently im not so over my jetlag as i thought i was. this is bad news. its never happened to me that im not over jet lag. i sleep the entire time on the flight so i have zero jet lag. something must've gone wrong somewhere. hopefully, ill be over this soon. im also not that strong. i dunno why but im feeling kinda weak. i had 7 litres of water as soon as i landed i was that dehydrated. so it cant be that anymore. maybe my body is getting used to the climate. maybe its because im very tense about studies right now. im not sure what it is but i hope everything works out fine. im giving this till next week to get myself straight. otherwise im gonna have to reduce volume and load on all workout days for a while. i hate this. but this is just a temporary set-back. also, i hate college food. too bad i dont have a car. otherwise id go out and eat almost everyday. the cost would be the same but the quantity would be a whole lot more. and quality would be better too. i might get a car next year though. i also weighed myself. im at 184. its like 1 lbs down from my usual bad day 185....which is sad but its not too bad. probably another temporary set back. also, my lower back is behavng wierd once again :( damnit. i think its because on box squats i plop down too fast. but im not going to be doing box squats for the next 5-6 weeks so no need to worry about that right now. we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Flat Bench Press = 10 sets x 3 reps x 165 lbs


this wasnt as easy as i expected it to be. keeping the 60 seconds to 72 seconds rest interval is tough work. this should have been much easier than it actually was. perhaps its because im still not 100% over the jetlag.

Hammer Grip Chin-ups = 3 sets x 5 reps x bodyweight


getting used to a new grip. i plan on doing 4x6 next time.

Unilateral Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press = 3 sets x 10 reps x 40 lbs


Eric has me doing seated presses once more. feels very good. i think 40 lbs is a fairly decent weight to start with. it felt pretty heavy and set 3 was a fucking killer. im sticking to the weight next time. ill just bump the reps :)

Rows = 4 sets x 5 reps x 135 lbs


after doing so much work these rows were pretty tough to do. i realize why kethnaab put rows last in his WS4BB program. but, i didnt push myself too much and all reps were smooth. i could have handled 145 i think. next time im doing 135 for 4x6 or 4x7. lets see.

Overhead Shrugs = 1 set x 12 reps x 45 lbs


nothing special to report.

Plate Side Bends = 2 sets x 10 reps x 25 lbs


nothing to report here too

Leaving Thoughts:


might do cardio tomorrow. i want to rest up for the next squat session. i intend to do 225 for 4x6. but if im not feeling it by monday and if im still a little down, i plan on doing 4x6 with 185 next week and then 225 the week after. so, if things dont go as i had planned before, and im very tired and drained out, ill be doing
Week 16 = 4x6x185
Week 17 = 4x6x225
Week 18 = 4x6x245
Week 19 = 4x6x255
Week 20 = max out with 315 and try to do 315x5.

lets see how this goes. it all depends on just how temporary this temporary set back is.

cheers and have a good weekend y'all :)

[Sentinel]

i am a pretty active member over at DC's site and i was reading some threads and i came across this one which caught my attention. some of the posts made by the big guys made a lot of sense to someone like me. im trying to increase my weight. my bodyweight from 6th grade to 12th grade was 160 lbs. actually it was 70 kgs which makes it 155 lbs but im guessing i was a little over at the time. in the last 2-3 years ive increased my weight to 185 solid. its not much but im trying my very best to reach 200.

so, back to topic: some of the posts in this thread made a lot of sense to me and showed me how i could improve my diet.


"Just eat copious amounts of food (up to 500-600 grams of protein) and bring your bodyweight up the charts which will allow you leverage and strength gains to allow you use the incredible weights you have to use in the gym to accomplish this. Then after being at that level for density reasons for awhile, you can slowly take it down and I mean slowly and most likely have the most muscle mass gain your genetics allowed in that time frame."

So I am aware that, when gaining weight and gaining new muscle, it is important to hold that weight for awhile for the muscle to (for lack of a better word) fully solidify, am I right?

I am interested in hearing someone talk more about this (I am searching the net, not coming up with the good stuff).

However, I have came across something where D Palumbo states that, when gaining weight, when you have that period where your weight stops going up, it's actually a process where your body is under a process where your gains are becoming "permanant", and then you'll be able to start gaining more again.

a very experienced DC Trainee called Brian replied to this:


I remember reading about Dave Smith (someone who D has been training recently) and wants Dave to get to a certain bodyweight and stay there for a while so that muscle ends up being his.
it seems like people try to gain a lot of weight and then lose a lot of weight right away. I dont want to call it bulking and cutting but I will -- they bulk for 6 months strait and just eat and eat and eat and get their bf up to 20% and then all of a sudden they realize they went out of control and they are fat and need to drop some bf asap. so they start cutting right away and dont really eaze into the diet and go from doing zero cardio and 5+ cheat meals a week and eating as many grams of carbs from whatever sources they want to doing cardio 5x a week and eating 200g of carbs a day. go ahead and say goodbye to all the muscle you thought you had if you are gonna do that.
edit -- found the thread http://intensemuscle.com/showthread.php?p=403324#post403324

the big dogg replied to that


stay at a certain bodyweight mass for 4 plus months? It will be viable usable dense muscle mass that is yours and not a facade lost in the dieting process.....

eat up to a certain bodyweight mass and Boom instantly go into diet mode? Seeya--youll be losing weight at probably a 50/50 to 80/20 fat to muscle mass ratio---kiss that hardearned muscle mass you thought "was yours" goodbye---you didnt punch the density time clock.

a few posts down...


Who the heck said anything about "fatness"?

If you are going into "fatness" your sure as heck arent doing anything Ive recommended correctly.

Im talking about keeping dense muscle mass on you in the dieting process. If someone goes from 200 to 220 fairly quickly and all of a sudden goes into extreme dieting mode right when he gets there....he is going to be losing bodyfat and "that percieved new muscle mass he thought was his" very quickly...and im guesstimating (and only guesstimating) that the NEW weight gain would come off somewhere in a 50/50 to 80/20 ratio (somewhere thereabouts)

Now that same guy goes up to 220lbs and holds it for half a year, trust me that muscle mass is his and unless he is an idiot and diets incorrectly he is going to be keeping that hard earned muscle mass during the prep/diet process....

another big boy:


it's unlikely for someone to keep their newly gained muscle mass while fighting homeostasis in order to keep it while going on a diet-frenzy.

by 'holding onto it', the body will recognize it as something more permanent (increasing with time), meaning it will gradually readjust its point of homeostasis to accommodate the new mass. remember that the human body does not want mass that it 'perceives' as unnecessary, simply because of the increased energy requirement and decreased energy efficiency (unless it is 'needed' move heavy objects or something and all the necessary nutrients are there to support it).

to expand it a little: When is the last time you went on a diet and lost muscle that you gained 2 years ago?

the main post i wanted to refer to which really made a lot of sense to me:


Haven't you guys all observed with your bodies or with others that every time you get to a new level of size (weight) initially you kinda look like shit. Watery and bloated... But over time as your body gets accustomed to that new level the quality seems to improve. Call it maintaining homeostatis if you wish.
All were saying is the longer you're able to stay at that level to 'solidify' those gains the better off you'll be when the dieting commences.
And here's something else that I have personally observed.

When you're dieting and if you come down too quickly the muscle you seem to lose is the last muscle that you put on.

Did I explain that OK?

Hope so....

What I am saying is that those bodyparts that you've been working so hard to bring up...If you don't give them a little time...Let the glue set so to speak before brining it down leannesswise.

ive found from personal experience that this is very true for me. initially when i gain weight i tend to look really fat. but then as i stay at that weight for a while, things begin to look better. i can think of this happening quite a few times but i went from 165 to 185 from last year fall semester to now. mostly atleast. when i did dc training in fall last year i went up to 180 lbs. and i looked very fat. then in spring i did the texas method. i was stuck at 180 lbs throughout the 16 weeks that i ran the program. but i looked much better than i did on dc training. not necessarily because of the training regiment but because i was able to hold that wieght. my arms went from 14 (they were 14 at 180) to 15 easy and i looked much more built. then this summer i added 5 more lbs to my frame in the first 4 weeks and ive been holding this for 10+ weeks now and my physique only seems to be getting better.

im just sharing this info :) i find it very informative and thought provoking because it could also be applied to fat loss if i use it correctly.

[Sentinel]

Fall '07 - Lower 2, Week 16

Overall Impression:


ive been eating a LOT of food. no, a shitlot. i fucking go to sleep at 2:00 am and wake up at 6 so hungry u have no idea......ive been doing this for the last 2 days: eat midnight meal of a chicken sandwhich, sleep at 2, wake up at 6 am hungry, eat another chicken sandwhich plus a weightgainer shake, go to bed till 11, wake up hungry, go get some lunch (chinese), sleep (i was awfully sleepy) wake up around 4, get some food (chicken quesadilla), do some work, eat a heavy dinner at 8. eat another meal at midnight, sleep, repeat cycle. pretty wierd

but whatever...im feeling much better today. i think im almost over my jetlag which is good...

Deep Squats = 4 sets x 5 reps x 225 lbs


shifting from 14 weeks of low box squatting to oly squatting (or "deep" squatting) is pretty difficult. 225 felt very easy on my back but getting the movement right was a tad bit difficult. im still not at my 100% so this wasnt so easy but the good news is that my last set was better than my first :D i think next week im going to try 225 for 4x6 before i increase the weight. im not too disappointed though. i had anticipated these minor set backs. all this plane travel does fuck up ur system sometime. i guess my chance to get fucked was now lol..but, im eating a lot of food and im resting well oustide of the gym so ill be back on my feet soon :) i cant say the weight felt too heavy because it didnt. the weight by itself didnt feel heavy at all. but the motion of doing deep squats felt kinda awkward at first (for example, my knee hurt a bit but then i figured out why - i was pulling my knees together but then i got that sorted out in the warm-ups so it didnt affect the work sets at all) and thats what made the weight so darn heavy. im sure in a short while ill be back to my old way of squatting without any worries.

Unilateral Romanian Deadlifts = 2 sets x 10 reps x 65 lbs


damn, Eric was right...my left leg is a lot weaker. but i think its become stronger because i didnt have to put it down (rest it on the floor) as many times when i did this. its not as strong as my right leg but i can see that its catching up. this is good.

Romanian Deadlifts = 3 sets x 5 reps x 135 lbs


i wanted to take this exercise easy so i didnt push myself too much. it was pretty light and smooth.

Reverse Hyperextensions = 2 sets x 10 reps x 25 lbs


i missed this machine when i was back home lol...(no homo)

Overhead Plate Side Bends = 2 sets x 8 reps x 10 lbs


nothing special to report.

Leaving Thoughts:


ill try and do some cardio tomorrow. im not so worried about my squats because i actually knew something like this would happen. but im sure in like 4-5 weeks ill be back in better action than before on these.

cheers and have a good week y'all :)

[abarlament]

I laughed at the 500g of protein/day recommendation at BR.

[Sentinel]

I laughed at the 500g of protein/day recommendation at BR.
who recommended 500 grams per day? i said i used to eat that much meat that it must amount to that much. i used to eat so much meat because i was a hungry animal :D

[abarlament]

btech... Do you even know what you're quoting or do you quote random people for snippets of writing? ;)

[Sentinel]

btech... Do you even know what you're quoting or do you quote random people for snippets of writing? ;)
oh...that part...i was more interested in MsteveM and SuperD's posts. they're the one's that actually matter....and btech was quoting DC in his post.

[Sentinel]

Fall '07 - Upper 2, Week 16

Overall Impression:


diet has been fucking amazing. im hungry all the time which is really odd. but ive been having a lot of food every 2-3 hours for the last 2 days....sleep is also going good (more than my usual 5-6 hours a night). i did cardio for 45 minutes yesterday on some sort of step-up machine or cross-trainer...my legs were pretty sore yesterday and i thought by doing low intensity cardio perhaps they would become less sore and i was so wrong because my legs are hurting today...damn....its painful to walk to my classes! tomorrow is a complete off day. hopefully my legs will be ok by then.

Barbell Military Press = 3 sets x 7 reps x 115 lbs


felt pretty easy. could've done 1 more set but i decided to save that for next time. militaries arent that easy to progress on and right now the simple "add 5 lbs to the bar every session" principle isnt gonna work for me. so im gonna try triple progression (add reps or sets or weight or 2 of the 3 or all 3) so next week ill be doing 3x7x115...

Pull-ups = 5 sets x 3 reps x BW


i completely bombed on this today. i have no idea why this exercise was so tough for me. maybe because im eating so much food ive gotten heavier lol....but this was really difficult. im hoping this becomes ok by next week or so. if not, ill start doing 3x5 then 4x5 then 5x5...lets see

Paused Flat Dumbbell Bench Press = 3 sets x 12 reps x 50 lbs


pretty tough. next week im going to try 3x10 with 55 or 60 depending on how i feel. actually, scratch that idea. im gonna be doing unilateral presses next week so the weights gonna go down to probably 40 or 45....more on this next week.

Cable Rows = 2 sets x 7 reps x 150 lbs


did this exercise after a year...

Facepulls = 1 sets x 12 reps x 50 lbs


nothing special to report.

Russian Twists = 1 sets x 12 reps x 25 lbs


nothing special to report.

Leaving Thoughts:


good workout IMO. very productive.

cheers and have a good week y'all :)

[Sentinel]

Fall '07 - Upper 1, Week 16

Overall Impression:


Pretty fucked up workout.

Deadlifts = 1 set x 1 rep x 275 lbs


so i warmed up like normal today. and i was all set for 275. so i pick up 275 and my form is perfect all the way but somewhere around midpoint, my lower back starts hurting like a fucking bitch. in the sense it was a sudden unexpected jolt of pain out of nowhere! i was so shocked but i finished my rep with good form and when i put the barbell down, it hurt me again at the same position as it had before. fuck. remember a while ago i had an injury on my lower back? that was near my spine. after that injury went i still had some little pain remaining but that was more to the left of the original pain. well, right now that fucking spot is hurting. well, not right now. ive come back from the gym but if i bend too low it hurts a lot. im gonna rest this for some time and see if it gets better. maybe ill have to lay off deadlifting for a while. its still hurting a bit but not at all as bad as it did when i actually deadlifted. fucking injuries. also, just before the pain hit me on that rep, i felt as if someone had knocked the wind outta my stomach. wierd.

Reverse Hypers = 2 sets x 10 reps x 25 lbs


i did some light sets to hopefully ease the pain. i have no clue if this was good or bad. probably bad. fuck.

Leaving Thoughts:


bad workout. i need to wait and see what happens.

[Matt]

Go see a chiropractor, they can have you fixed up in less than a week (if its a good one and you are not seriously injured). I know this from experience.