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ronnie
01-23-09, 4:08 pm
well, here it is. i finally found out where and how to post my journey!

i started lifting when i was around 13 or 14. i found some weights in the basement and had no idea what to do with them. my father told me that lifting weights builds muscle, didnt go into much depth of how or why, just that it builds muscle. i started lifting, just doin curls in the basement every night listening to The Offspring as it was my favourite band at the time, throwin that 40lbs bar bell around without full range of motion or any idea of what was good or bad, it was amazing i didnt hurt my back or tear something.

now its about 10 years later. i have been on and off since that early start. in the past i have had to stop due to injury several times, i also gave up here n there for months on end just because of lack of interest.

WELL FUCK THAT. its time to get serious and stay steady. its time for me to put my foot down(along with the bottle), pick up some heavy iron and give-er-shit! start eatin more food in the day then most people would consider possible and most of all, not give up.




im currently training at Hard Knox Fitness Centre in Cambridge Ontario. in the past i have trained in my old highschool gym and the local YMCA, filled with run about yuppies workin nothin but their chest and biceps who havnt done a full rep in years, brag about how much creatine they take in and what thier plans are for the weekend.

hard knox is where i will stay. most members are their to get down to buisness, lift heavy, share tips and motivate eachother. its got that hard core image that most lifters want their gyms to have. its got heavy dumbells, lots of plates, lots of old timless equipment, a basement with old cement and rock walls, low ceeling, motivational posters of Arnold and Iron Mike thown about from one wall to another. the kind of place that makes you want to lift more and more and never leave. to bad i have been there once today already... i want to go back now. oh well, tommorow is legs, time to turn a new leaf and get serious. the start of my journey!

C.Coronato
01-23-09, 4:23 pm
Good to have you brotha. The gym certainly does sound bad ass.

Hollow
01-23-09, 8:05 pm
It's great to see you've got a journey up and going ronnie! I'm subbed for the ride and hopefully I'll catch up with you at the gym some time.

Looking forward to the next ABC session and hopefully you can make it.

ronnie
01-24-09, 11:55 am
ill be there.

ronnie
01-26-09, 11:46 pm
well, today was the first day of week 2. im training my entire body in this format, each day for different body part.

mon-chest
tues-back
wed-tri
thurs-bi
fri-shoulders
sat-legs

i may do both bi and tri on thursday the odd time to get wed off.

i start each part with a warm up of very high reps and very little weight then it goes like this...
i choose a power exercise for the particular body part and...set1-12 reps warm up, set2-10 reps warm up, set3-8 warm up, set 4-6 warm up, set 5-4 warm up, set 6-2 gettin heavy, set 7,8,9 are one rep with number 8 being my max lift and 9 is assisted with more weight, then back to around 7 reps till failure for 3 sets.

i choose another exercise (just to add more pump) to blast the muscle from a different angle and max out with a spotter for about 5 sets around 6-12 reps for any given set #.


normally the way i lifted i would choose 3 exercises per bp and go from high weight and lowe rep then to med and med then to low weight and high rep for my final exercise and that worked well, decent is the best i would call it. however as today was the start of my 2nd week i did not feel strong at all. this was only day 1 so it could be a premature judgement of the program but it seems to have left me much more tired than normal. my diet has been somethin like this, on a good day, somtimes not so good:

9 am-30g whey protein, 4 eggs, lots of oatmeal,
11 am-can of tuna, and either ww bread to make sandwhich or with oatmeal
1 or 2 pm-whey, more carbs
3 ish-isolate, creatine, GYM
4 pm-isolate, creatine
5 pm, start to eat 1kg chicken, rice or pasta
7 pm, keep eatin that chicken and rice
9 pm, chicken is gone, whatever i can get, maby more oatmeal and cottage cheese
11 pm, whatever i can get, whey, bed time. hopefully.

so yes, as i said, im was not feeling as energetic or as strong in the gym today, but it could be to early to judge. hopefully my central nervous system is just tired (as suggested as a previous problem i have had by STIFF, aka John for those who know him) and will be more ready and rested and addapted for the start of week 3 to show me real gains.

C.Coronato
01-27-09, 10:51 am
Looking good brotha.

Thats a serious diet you got going on there. How many grams of protein do you think your around?

ronnie
01-27-09, 12:22 pm
Looking good brotha.

Thats a serious diet you got going on there. How many grams of protein do you think your around?

i have no idea, a whole chicken should contain around 200-300g according to the nutritional value chart attatched to it. a can of tuna has about 30g, then i take alot of whey and whey isolate. i guess in the 400g range on a good day. on not so good days about 200g.

ronnie
01-29-09, 8:57 pm
well, half way through week 2. arms are feelin stronger, todays max barbell curl was around 145lbs. (provided the little bar weighs 25 which im told it does) and a max tricep pushdown where the rack reads 245. thats much better than last week. back felt better than week one also. gonna kill shoulders tommorow then legs saturday. time to eat.

Hollow
01-29-09, 9:57 pm
Hey, are you the guy who forgets to put the weights away!?!? LMAO...just kidding!

Good to see your numbers are coming up and that your back is feeling better. No more injuries for a while!

C.Coronato
01-30-09, 9:45 am
i have no idea, a whole chicken should contain around 200-300g according to the nutritional value chart attatched to it. a can of tuna has about 30g, then i take alot of whey and whey isolate. i guess in the 400g range on a good day. on not so good days about 200g.

Nice i should look into carrying around a whole bird with me. Makes things easy.


well, half way through week 2. arms are feelin stronger, todays max barbell curl was around 145lbs. (provided the little bar weighs 25 which im told it does) and a max tricep pushdown where the rack reads 245. thats much better than last week. back felt better than week one also. gonna kill shoulders tommorow then legs saturday. time to eat.


and DAMN 245 pushdown and 145 strait curl? Very nice man.

ronnie
01-30-09, 4:12 pm
well, ya, today was shoulders, i was gettin kinda distracted by the angry ranting and raving, cussing and swearing from my training partner and it was hard to stay focused the whole time as i found most of it absolutly helarious. (you have to know the guy, he is a fucking lunatic and just about anything can set him off)
we switched to a seated behind the neck press today, max lift was at 185. i wont be attempting behind the neck presses again for a while as they hurt my shoulders in a not so good way. back to dumbells and machine next week.

todays best quote from brandon, (my training partner) at the top of his lungs in blind rage after the 4th set. "ID RATHER SUCKS JESUS`S #$%@ THAN DO FUCKIN SHOULDERS!!!" apparently the only thing he hates more than a shoulder press is training legs. tommorow should be a good one!

Hollow
01-31-09, 12:24 pm
Did you do the shoulder presses on the bench or the power rack? I do mine in the power rack because the bench has you reaching to far back in my mind.

ronnie
01-31-09, 8:07 pm
Did you do the shoulder presses on the bench or the power rack? I do mine in the power rack because the bench has you reaching to far back in my mind.

the power rack. that bench is suicide if your alone.

today was legs. todays max squat was 345. followed by hack squats. fuck. time for more food.

ronnie
02-02-09, 12:59 pm
well, today is the start of week 3. im goin to start chest with the flat bench again as to judge how well this new work out is working for me. so far, arms, back, and legs have shown benifit. if i cant push more weight on the flat bench today then the past 2 weeks i think i will throw in some medial and anterior delt work (middle and front shoulders) and not work my shoulders on friday. the reason behind this is to see if my shoulders are being over worked as they get a mild-good workout with chest then a concentrated work out on friday. 2x a week could be to much, mabey once really hard will do better. oh well, ill find out in a couple of hours.

im also goin to start taking stack today. my personal favourite. mmmmmm, pills.

Hollow
02-02-09, 1:09 pm
Throwing in some of the delt work is a good idea to help things along.

ronnie
02-02-09, 1:12 pm
Throwing in some of the delt work is a good idea to help things along.

my concern is too much delt work. is working them as a secondary muscle on monday and then as a primary on friday to much? is it better to work my chest and kill shoulders on monday and leave them both alone till the next week or work them seperate? that will be my experiment if things have not increased today.

Hollow
02-02-09, 1:38 pm
Hopefully we will meet up at the gym tonight and we can go over it a bit better.

Everyone is different on what works for them, you may have to experiment a bit to see what works best for you on this program. Are you doing any shoulder pressing after chest? If so you could drop it however I would still leave the delt laterals in as they will help with other shoulder work and chest work.

Nightshift
02-02-09, 1:42 pm
If you want to hit delts twice a week, do rear delts with back and then do Front and side delts on they're own day. Sine the shoulder are a faily small BP, you don't want to over tax them too much.

Workouts are looking really strong!!

C.Coronato
02-02-09, 1:44 pm
workouts looking awesome.

Personally I love the stretch of Behind the Neck Presses, but I NEVER go heavy on this one. You end up straining and its hard to stay under control, IMO, I stay at around 135 for 15 reps. I take a slightly wider grip than shoulder width and bring it to the middle of the back of my head. I like it. But i understand the feeling you are getting ..

ronnie
02-02-09, 9:12 pm
If you want to hit delts twice a week, do rear delts with back and then do Front and side delts on they're own day. Sine the shoulder are a faily small BP, you don't want to over tax them too much.

Workouts are looking really strong!!

i dont have a plan so much as to hit them any specific number of times per week, i just want them to grow and get stronger. right now im doin chest on monday, then shoulders on friday.

my primary exercise for shoulders is always a press of some sort, either barbell, machine or dumbell, then i do some side or rear raises to hit the other parts of the shoulder.

what im unsure of is,.. working the anterior delt seperate from my chest day, and really hammering on it. or do some press exercise with my chest workout and leave the anterior delt alone for the rest of the week. i dont know what will help me gain fastest.

ronnie
02-02-09, 9:13 pm
workouts looking awesome.

Personally I love the stretch of Behind the Neck Presses, but I NEVER go heavy on this one. You end up straining and its hard to stay under control, IMO, I stay at around 135 for 15 reps. I take a slightly wider grip than shoulder width and bring it to the middle of the back of my head. I like it. But i understand the feeling you are getting ..

i try to go heavy with each exercise i do. my only issue with the behind the neck press is that i get a pinch feeling right in the middle of my shoulder when i do this by the end of my sets. i try not to do the behind the neck press for more than 2 weeks back to back.

ronnie
02-02-09, 9:24 pm
well, todays max bench was 285lbs. thats a personal best! a brief history of my bench...

up till the middle of december i would do a quick warm up and then lift my max of 275 for 3 reps with a spotter helpin number 2 and 3, then work down in weight. (approx dec 17 i put a small tear in my brachioradialus and fucked somethin else up in my elbow) i stayed out of the gym till middle or start of jan. i started training heavy again but working lightly warming up to a max effort lift slowley. i think this method is working much better than the old one as in 2 full weeks of this my max benches have been 255, 265 and today 285.

this is while training shoulders 4 days after my chest day and primarly working the anterior delt. i think i will keep training like this till i notice any other parts gaining much quicker than my shoulders and chest in which case i would have to believe that i am over doin the anterior delt. my fix for this will be to work anterior delt with chest and do a posterior delt work out with back and not do a workout for shoulders specifically since i would be over training them.

Hollow
02-02-09, 9:26 pm
Congrats ronnie!!! Great work...by the way...where were you today!?!?

ronnie
02-02-09, 9:31 pm
Congrats ronnie!!! Great work...by the way...where were you today!?!?

we didnt get in till a bit later than expected. i was trying for 5 ish but it ended up being around 6 30 due to the slow digestion of lasagna. sorry dude. whats your normal time? ill see if i can swing by for it with my partner.

Hollow
02-02-09, 9:36 pm
we didnt get in till a bit later than expected. i was trying for 5 ish but it ended up being around 6 30 due to the slow digestion of lasagna. sorry dude. whats your normal time? ill see if i can swing by for it with my partner.

I got to the gym a bit earlier today. Normally I get there between 5:15 - 5:30 pm. Lasagna before a workout...you're a brave man ronnie...lol!

ronnie
02-02-09, 9:41 pm
I got to the gym a bit earlier today. Normally I get there between 5:15 - 5:30 pm. Lasagna before a workout...you're a brave man ronnie...lol!

lasagna:pasta, cottage cheese, beef, cheese, tomatoe sauce, mabey some beans if you like... i think its a good meal for growth dont you? gonna have me some more right now actually!

Hollow
02-02-09, 9:43 pm
lasagna:pasta, cottage cheese, beef, cheese, tomatoe sauce, mabey some beans if you like... i think its a good meal for growth dont you? gonna have me some more right now actually!

All great foods for growth ronnie. You've got to eat big to power through the heavy sessions.

ronnie
02-03-09, 9:41 am
thats right! ive got sponge bob wrist bands! today will be a great work out for sure!

Hollow
02-03-09, 9:42 am
thats right! ive got sponge bob wrist bands! today will be a great work out for sure!

WTH!?!? Where'd you get them?

ronnie
02-03-09, 9:50 am
WTH!?!? Where'd you get them?

lens mill store in hespler! they will be hard to fit over a hand any larger then my own, which arent that big. apparently they make these things for kids!?

Hollow
02-03-09, 10:00 am
D’oh…figures! I’ll have to get a pair for my boy.

C.Coronato
02-03-09, 10:09 am
well, todays max bench was 285lbs. thats a personal best! a brief history of my bench...

up till the middle of december i would do a quick warm up and then lift my max of 275 for 3 reps with a spotter helpin number 2 and 3, then work down in weight. (approx dec 17 i put a small tear in my brachioradialus and fucked somethin else up in my elbow) i stayed out of the gym till middle or start of jan. i started training heavy again but working lightly warming up to a max effort lift slowley. i think this method is working much better than the old one as in 2 full weeks of this my max benches have been 255, 265 and today 285.

this is while training shoulders 4 days after my chest day and primarly working the anterior delt. i think i will keep training like this till i notice any other parts gaining much quicker than my shoulders and chest in which case i would have to believe that i am over doin the anterior delt. my fix for this will be to work anterior delt with chest and do a posterior delt work out with back and not do a workout for shoulders specifically since i would be over training them.


Lookin good on those maxes. Keep it up brotha.

ronnie
02-03-09, 11:35 pm
well, its tuesday night, did back today. back felt strong, that makes me happy, didnt have time to do work for the forearms though. soon as i got home i downed a tuna sandwhich followed by another about an hour after that. now im sittin here eatin pork chops with broccilie and cheese, a large serving of rice and a big mushroom on top of it. is that how you spell broccilie? i have no fuckin clue, and i dont care to check.

do pork chops have any good protein in em? i dont think i have ever heard anyone say that pork chops are their post w.o. meal of choice. any advice/info would be good. fuckin re-heated stiff, dull pork chops!

hammys and buns still sore as all fuck from saturdays squats! im gettin kinda worried now. haha!

ronnie
02-05-09, 2:23 pm
today was arms, we swithed it up from ez bar curls to dumbells, started in the same format as always, got heavy for one rep with 70lbs then attempted 75, that was with the spotter guiding the weight up and just doin the negative. 50s felt light for our sets of 10 and 12 after that. that was nice! finished with the bent bar for cable curls.

triceps worked with the same forma, start light, get heavier, then max out. i stayed with the bent bar for tricep pushdown bein our heavy exercise since i am still limited to what tricep exercises i can do from my mid december brainfart idiot injury. finished with some wild overhead pull forwards rope crap. dont know the name of that one, but it gave a mean stretch!

all and all, worked hard, felt stronger than last time i used dumbells! time for some chili, toast and eggs! mmmm, farts.

Hollow
02-05-09, 2:57 pm
Sounds like you are making some good progress ronnie!

C.Coronato
02-05-09, 3:43 pm
today was arms, we swithed it up from ez bar curls to dumbells, started in the same format as always, got heavy for one rep with 70lbs then attempted 75, that was with the spotter guiding the weight up and just doin the negative. 50s felt light for our sets of 10 and 12 after that. that was nice! finished with the bent bar for cable curls.

triceps worked with the same forma, start light, get heavier, then max out. i stayed with the bent bar for tricep pushdown bein our heavy exercise since i am still limited to what tricep exercises i can do from my mid december brainfart idiot injury. finished with some wild overhead pull forwards rope crap. dont know the name of that one, but it gave a mean stretch!

all and all, worked hard, felt stronger than last time i used dumbells! time for some chili, toast and eggs! mmmm, farts.


Damn nice on them 70s! and damn i miss those after workout meals already. I havent been in a full week and im missing it. Keep it up ronnie!

ronnie
02-09-09, 7:12 pm
well, saturday was legs, i started with some deadlifts, only went as high as 395 for a max of 3 reps. i wasnt happy with that one bit. moved to the leg press after that for a few unmotivated sets that made me more misserable. slipped up and ate pizza and beer that night. fuck. fuck. fuck.

today was chest!!! wahoo! switched it up to the incline bench today and suprised myself with a max lift of 265 for 1! i havnt done the incline in quite a while so my expectations were low. after finished up with the incline bp went to the flat bench for db press, 100x6, 80x9 80x9 then one set of pec deck for ?x15. got home, ate a half chicken, banana, big glass milk. 2 hours later, 2 eggs, one chicken legg, whey shake, big bowl oatmeal with peanut butter. nap, time for more food. feel free to trash talk me about pizza and beer after saturdays dead lifts and legs.

LittleMan55
02-11-09, 1:08 pm
Looks good in here... I will tag along for the ride.

ronnie
02-11-09, 1:17 pm
Looks good in here... I will tag along for the ride.

good to have ya brother!

yesterday was back, i started with a cable row rather than the wide grip pull down to change shizz up. i also used teh cables rather than db because i wanted to hit a one rep max and our heaviest db is 120. anyways... maxed out where the stack reads 210lbs(not actual weight thanks to the pully set up), sweating hard, alternating left hand to right. went down to the 160-180 range for a couple sets ending in failure between 6-10 reps, that really got a good pump goin, and solid tight feeling through the core trying to keep my shoulders square to the machine. on to the wide grip pull down for some higher rep sets, lats were feelin pretty sore at this point then ended in some shrugs. i tend to go light on the shrugs and use a full range of motion. it seems so common that any clown will throw on 400+lbs and do a big old half inch lift a few times and call it a set.

LittleMan55
02-11-09, 1:22 pm
Nice back work... LMAO at the comment on the clowns doing half inch shruggs. Nothing we can do about it but laugh and do it the correct way. Makes them wonder why we have huge traps shrugging less weight than they do.

Hollow
02-11-09, 6:52 pm
Looks like you had a pretty damn good workout ronnie! By the way, what are you trying to say about the way I do shrugs!?!? LMAO!

ronnie
02-12-09, 1:16 pm
oh hollow1, keep doin whatever kinda shrugs or lack there of that you want. haha! i wasnt refering to you but i bet you have seen a few of these guys im talkin about.

today is arms, im goin in alone since my partner is out purchasing a new death machine today (90 mustang with multiple modifications). i dont think ill go super heavy, mabey some higher rep and what not. well, thats what im sayin now, it could totally change when i get there. anyways, time to get at er!

ronnie
02-12-09, 3:09 pm
started off with a super set of bis and tris on the cable machine for something different today,

cable curl, tri ext superset:
12,
10,
8,
6,
(now starting working sets)
4,
2,
2,
1,
2,
8,
8. at his point the curl was puttin a shootin pain from my right wrist to the middle of my upper arm (may have something to do with decembers injury) so i went to another 2 exercises before finishing my last planned set.

seated hammer curl and laying arm db extension superset.
8,
9, lighter weight
9, lighter weight again.

arms are feelin pumped, started to make my sleeves look tight when i curl my bicep! i like that!

Hollow
02-13-09, 4:32 pm
Hey ronnie I did shrugs last night! I loaded up the bar with 700 lbs and proceeded to move it a whole 1/2 inch...lol...just kidding. A good weight that still allowed a full range of motion...works best for me.

ronnie
02-13-09, 4:32 pm
shoulder day, ouch!

since we did primarly incline bench bress four chest on monday, and will again this comming monday, we did some side DB raises rather then some sort of press to be sure we dont work the anterior delt to hard.

same format as most days, but didnt get to a one rep max, 12,10,8,6,4,3,3,3,7,7, also included some db shrugs in there to to get the traps goin. next to the seated machine press for a few quick sets around 10 reps a piece. it hurt to take my shirt off and even to raise my hands above my head for the next hour. got home, ate about 1.5lbs steak with some corn and buns to dip in the cows blood and a large glass of milk. this isnt a good way for me to eat on friday afternoon since i will be even hungrier than normal by dinner time as i have once again stretched my stomach. fuckin right.

C.Coronato
02-13-09, 4:39 pm
Damn nice brother. I like your approach to your sessions. Very impressive. I always tend to watch the guys who have a different approach to things. I usually fall into the 3 or 4 sets of things. But I think I will try something different today.

PopeJohnPwn
02-14-09, 5:17 am
Your workouts are definitely interesting, bro...ten sets of side laterals? Crazy, man, crazy. Keep up the good work.

ronnie
02-14-09, 8:39 pm
was legs today... my leg workout was the first thing i thought about thismorning. that may be why i was left feeling restless and uncomfortable all day up till i went to the gym.

went back to squats today, 12,10,8,6,4,2,2,1,1,6and8. my one rep max was 365 today. im happy with that, not as much as some guys but im making improvements.

after squats i went for some hack squats, 10reps, then on the second set, about half way up on rep #8 i had a sudden massive pain shoot from the back of my head to my left eyeball. that sucked, was the end of hack squats.

rested up till the pain calmed a little, then went back to the squat rack for some "bounces". well, i call em bounces, i start with just single plates, and perform the lower couple inches of the squat motion, up and down, when it starts to cramp i complete a half rep of a full one or 2 and the go back to the bottom of the motion. did this for 2 sets, one at 135 then another at 225.

i left feeling like i hadnt given it my best, but my head told me different, and now im tired as hell. might be an early night, and a boring one at that for my girlfriend, considering its valentines day... or not, well see what these legs can do;)

ronnie
02-14-09, 8:43 pm
Damn nice brother. I like your approach to your sessions. Very impressive. I always tend to watch the guys who have a different approach to things. I usually fall into the 3 or 4 sets of things. But I think I will try something different today.

be aware, my only working sets really start at about the 6th or 7th set. up till that is a warm up with the weight slowely increasing till my sets of 1 rep, which are a max lift, then all sets after that are till failure.

i do a bout 14 sets, but only half are with max intensity. apparently dorian yates only performed one or two max effort lifts per body part in each workout. i may try that in a few months to come.

ronnie
02-16-09, 9:49 pm
chest today, same as last week with minor changes...
today max on the incline bench was yet again 265, i did a rep with 275 but that was with assistance from the spotter. after this we went to flat bench for some db press, 2 sets of 10 then what you would call a drop set i guess...after one weight went to failure my partner immediatly handed me another set of dumbells.


80lbs for 8reps,
50lbs for a few,
35lbs for a few more,
then 20lbs dumbells till failure, which came at about rep 5!!!! haahhaha! gettin stuck with a 20lbs dumbell gave a huge pump in the chest, and made me laugh my ass off.

after this did one set of the peck deck just for the hell of it. range of motion was very limited after the drop set.

overall a good workout i suppose. 20lbs, yup. 20lbs.

ronnie
02-17-09, 3:13 pm
back day...
chest is sore as fuck from yesterdays drop set. im a little dissapointed that i didnt get the rep of 275 still.

back went very well, started with the wide grip pull downs this time, i didnt work down to a single rep set, just went heavy for about 3 or 4 sets of 2-3 reps at the end with alot of weight, moved to the seated row after this, that felt weird! the seated row has been my favourite back exercise for years, i have not done it in about 3 months however and after doin the wide grips and the attempting this it felt a bit strange. strange cause i havnt done it in a while and also because my lats hade such a pump it was hard to bring my elbows out behind me at all as my arms rubbed so much! FELT GREAT! wow, i have never felt limited by my size before! well, it was probaly mostly the pump, but hey, i liked it!

C.Coronato
02-17-09, 3:48 pm
NIce back day brother. Gotta love wide lat prevention haha

ronnie
02-21-09, 5:05 pm
started with the dreaded dead lifts today, just a few quick sets, 15,12,8,4,2,8. maxed out at 405. im still not to proud of my dl but hey, thats 20lbs more than last week.

next was to the leg press, 3 sets of 7-9 reps, then superset leg ext. and seated hamstring curl, 8,8,15 of each.

i have to start stretching soon, i am having alot of trouble trying to bring my feet close enough to put socks on latley, there is alot of contact between my leg and gut... mabey im just fat?

onto dinner now, just ate 2chicken legs, 2 wings, one breast, now alot of noodles and 2 chocolate chip cookies and milk! yummy!

ronnie
02-23-09, 5:58 pm
came back to the flat bench rather than incline today. went the same format as usual but pushed harder than last time goin 20lbs over the max lift(obviously spotter assisted) and then higher reps after the max lifts...
went like this 12,10,8,6,4,2,1,1,1,1,1,12,12,7.
max lift was 285, thats the same as 3 weeks ago being the last time i did a flat bench so i wasnt dissapointed. we decided to up the weight and perform 2 more 1 rep sets with 295 and 305lbs also just to put a bit more tear in the pec. after this came incline dumbell press, 12,12,8. at 70,80 and 100. i tell ya, that was a one of the best chest workouts i have had in a while! chest was hurting bad after the flat bench alone never mind that incline db press. that set of 8 with the 100s didnt come easy, alot of yelling, alot of pain. cant wait till next monday.

LittleMan55
02-24-09, 9:44 am
Nice chest work Ronnie... Its always nice to come back to something after some time off and have no decrease in strength.

C.Coronato
02-24-09, 9:58 am
Nice ronnie. Loving the volume and getting out of the "norm" of 3 x 10s .

ronnie
02-26-09, 4:58 pm
back to the easybar(which isnt so easy. wtf?) for bicep curls and tricep pushdowns. easy bar curls went pretty good. i wasnt all into it till about the 5th set, put about 150lbs on that curved bastard for a set of 2 to finish. then onto the big arch thingey with pulleys on each side for some curls (does anyone know the name of that thing?) just preformed the curls by using the upper pulleys and standing between pulled my hands in to my head doin a double bicep pose. felt that exercise for sure! massive tightnes in the lower bicep after a few sets of that!!! then did some triceps. super set working down to lower reps with more weight back and forth from curved bar to the rope. after about 5 sets of these got rid of the rope and just went nuts with the curved bar for pushdowns. arms are hurtin now. i think i did a good job today.

ronnie
02-28-09, 8:54 pm
well, finished up this week with legs as usual. ill be glad to start next week as this one wasnt the best week i have had in the gym. chest and arms were the only good workouts i had, back was very unmotivated, shoulders were a drag, and i just wasnt able to give 100% with legs. anyways, used the same ol` format worked down from 12 to 1 and maxed out with 365on squats today, i could have pushed a little more perhaps but there was no one in there to spot me. (of course ill blame it on someone else! haha!)moved from here to the leg press and put in a few heavy sets.

i guess ill have to make up for what i wasnt doing this week in next weeks workouts. i have to make myself do it. if i dont the person im hurting is me. i like me, i think. ill kick my ass next week! rest tommorow then give-r-shit!

ronnie
03-02-09, 5:41 pm
well, its been about 2 months of hard work now, there are a few people that i need to give thanks to, john and chris aka stiff and hollow1. well, thanks guys. thanks to stiff for motivation and nutritional advice, and thanks to hollow1 for telling me about the routine i am using right now.

so, like i said in my previous post, last week wasnt the best... today was a great start for this week of destruction and creation. blasted the chest hard today, put up 295 for a one rep max, suspected i could do about 300 or perhaps 305 however i added another 20 to make it a nice 315 for 2 one rep sets. thanks stiff for making me work so hard with those lifts! after this dropped it down to 185 for 2 sets of 11 then 225 for a set of 7(failure). from here to the incline bench for some db press, 3 sets @75,80 and 100.

got home, ate 1 cup rice, 1 and a half chicken breasts, big glass of milk, then 1.5 hours later, 4 egg whites, peanut butter and jam on multi grain toast with a big ol glass of milk. dinner will be some pork and potatoes. later tonight, some more eggs, cottage cheese and some oatmeal.

this has all come with hard work and big eating and is a pretty bid deal to me since this is some of the heaviest weights i have ever lifted. my goal has been a bench of 315 for years. for many years. now it seems like this is in reach and will be comming very soon! thanks again guys!

Hollow
03-03-09, 12:19 pm
That is absolutely great news to hear you are having so much success on the program ronnie! You'll be smashing that 315 marker before you know it and knocking on the door for 350! Eat big my friend.

ronnie
03-03-09, 2:19 pm
That is absolutely great news to hear you are having so much success on the program ronnie! You'll be smashing that 315 marker before you know it and knocking on the door for 350! Eat big my friend.

i sure hope your right! as for eating, i usually do a pretty good job of that, im sitting here with 2 tuna fish sandwhiches beside me right now. mmm, mmmm.

ronnie
03-03-09, 2:23 pm
did the wide grip pull downs today, ive been doin that for a while so next week ill be sure to start with some machine rows again(one of my best exercises, put my training partner back in his place! haha!). used the same ol` format, 12,10,8 blah blah down to my max lift which is 245, so i performed that for 2 sets at 4 reps (spotter assisted after the 1st rep) after this went to the laydown row machine, 2 sets with far grip, 1 with narrow grip and finished with some shrugs.

absolutly exausted now. dying to go for a nap. this week is comming along much better than last.

ronnie
03-05-09, 2:29 pm
started with the ez bar for some curls, then moved to the pully arch jigger and put one hand on each high pully pulling in doing the double biceps pose. basically, same as last week.

for triceps we started with kickbacks, then db skull crushers, then behind the neck extensions with db.

ez bar curls: 10,8,6, you get it, down to 1 with 155 on it for a max lift, then back to 115 for a few sets till failure+2 (around 8 each time). the double bicep pose with the cable hurts like hell! 3 sets till failure, start curling just either L or R arm, work it for 8 reps, then the next arm, rest 10 seconds, then both at the same time till failure. repeated 4 sets.
-BICEPS ARE PUMPED!-

havnt done kick backs in a while, worked down from 12, ended up squirming with the 45s then had my partner guide my arm for 3 reps with 50s. could not have done it properly at all without the assistance. did another set with that, then immediatly grabbed a 25 to push with that till failure. next came some db skull crushers, about 5 sets of that, then behind the neck extensions. for 2 sets.... arms hurt... arms hurt alot. time for fooooood!

ronnie
03-05-09, 2:34 pm
cant wait till tommorow, all 3 of workouts this week have been pretty good. much better than last week. gotta keep focused and storm the gym tommorow, blast through shoulders. rest up and hammer legs HARD on saturday to make this week a complete success. i hope it all goes well.

ronnie
03-06-09, 3:54 pm
maxed out the rack on our shoulder press today, hit it for 4 reps. went back down in weight to do 2 sets of 10 then one more a bit heavier for 7. after this did 3 super sets of seated side db raises and then seated rear delt db raises. great pump, shoulders felt really tight for the next hour. actually, they still do. legs tommorow. gonna hit the press probably.

C.Coronato
03-06-09, 4:11 pm
Nice shoulder day ronnie. Hows the burn?

Hollow
03-06-09, 4:54 pm
Solid shoulder session ronnie! Have fun killing legs tomorrow.

ronnie
03-06-09, 5:02 pm
Nice shoulder day ronnie. Hows the burn?

not to much of a burn yet, its only been 4 hours, but they dont feel to co-operative when i try to move!

ronnie
03-06-09, 5:05 pm
Solid shoulder session ronnie! Have fun killing legs tomorrow.

oh, its never fun... i wake up every saturday morning and feel discomfort knowing that it is leg day.

i think im gonna have to stay away from squats this week, the middle of my back still feels sore from last week. ill do some leg press followed hack squats, mabey some ext. and curls too.

ronnie
03-07-09, 5:05 pm
finished the week with legs... this week was much better than last, put in max effort every day, really stepped it up from last weeks slack BS.

went to the leg press for primary exercise today, started with a couple sets of warm up with some light weights, then got a little more serious... as each set got heavier and heavier, more difficult than the last there was more yelling, more sweating, more anger in every rep... 450x12, 540x12, 630x10, 710x6, 810x5, 855x4, 630x8, 540x14. 855 is a personal best for leg press! i am very happy with this!

got to the hack squats for the second exercise, 270x10, 320x8, 320x8, also more weight than i normally use, still happy.

3 litttle sets of seated calv raises, cause my calves SUCK! i really should do them more, i just hate it. 20x55, 15x70, 12x95.

just got home, ate 1.5 chicken breasts, lots of noodles, gonna spen the rest of the day eating and watchin UFC!

ronnie
03-09-09, 5:30 pm
incline bench press today, ended with a spotter assisted 285 for one rep, then to a flat bench placed between to low pullys for cable flys, 3 sets of 10, then 2 sets of 8 incline cable flys. havnt done cable work for chest since my december injury, this gave a bit of pain in the right elbow. next weeks incline will be followed with something else. overall, a decent workout. cant wait for tommorow.

ronnie
03-12-09, 11:24 pm
yesterday was back, piss poor workout, went much later in the day than normal and with a full stomach. not even goin to tell you the details...

today was arms though! was a good one too. since looking back through my journey i realized that my arm strength really isnt gaining to much at all, so we switched it up.

Biceps:BB curls, 4 sets of 21s, totallying 12 sets u suppose, weights were 75lbs, 85lbs, the 95 for the last 2 21s. next to the high pullys for the double bicep pose/curl. 4 sets, 50,60,70,50. worked with each set being higher reps than normal, hoping that low rep max intesity was the error.

Triceps:laying skull crushers with BB, 3 sets of 21s, 75, then last 2 21s with 95. after this to the high pully for one arm tricep extensions, palms forwards. 4 sets, 8-10 reps, then 4 sets of rope tricep pushdowns, 10 reps each.

over all HUGE pump! arms are sore, i like it. i havnt done a single set of 21s in years, today finished with 7 sets of 21s alltogether, think ill do it more often, great workout and it starts to become competitive to which is a plus.

ronnie
03-14-09, 12:03 am
machine press again, after warm up lifted the rack (210) for 3 sets all around 5 reps, down to 160 for 12, 10, then 180 for 6. after this super set of lean forward db raises and chin pulls from the high pully with rope for the anterior delt. 4 sets of each. was a good workout too. felt strong.

just got home, its been my latest workout yet. got home at 11:00, 1 scoop isolate, 1 chicken breast, noodles, 1 banana. waiting to digest that then goin to throw down a shake made up of 2 cups milk, 2 scoops isolate, 1.5 cups cottage cheese, 2 big spoonfulls peanut butter.

ronnie
03-17-09, 1:54 am
incline today. not happy, maxed out at 265. hated it, worked hard through it all even though i was dissapointed and left with a huge pump.

Hollow
03-18-09, 8:15 am
Great work ronnie! Even if you were disappointed in the Incline press, you dug in deep and kept going. It was good seeing you at the gym again. You’ve definitely packed on quality size since I last saw you.

ronnie
03-18-09, 7:54 pm
thanks hollow! i think ive put on about 10 lbs since last time we saw eachother. this past week i have been slacking on the diet. not eating enough. i think that coupled with my poor diet on sunday and monday before my chest workout is to blame for my lack of performance.

ronnie
03-21-09, 8:28 pm
havnt been keepin my posts up in here for a while, sorry to anyone who wanted to see them.

anyways, was legs today, went in without much intesity, not a good way to start. the past week ive been worried that my strength has been decreasing since i havnt been eating as much latley, gonna have to change that come monday, as monday is the start of my work out week. so ya, legs today, squats, squats squats, got 365 done for 2 which was my max 3 weeks ago, the last time i did squats, attempted 385 but the spotter had to give me a hand there, did one more set after warming up and maxing out at 275 for 8 then hit the leg press for a couple quick sets. i fucked up, should have gone there with big intentions. time to turn a new leaf. get on the stack come monday and eat everything i can.

ronnie
03-24-09, 1:14 am
well, was chest today, got side tracked early on today, all i got to eat before goin to the gym was a quick breakfast, 2pkg oatmeal with 2tbl spn peanut butter some brown sugar, isolate shake, then a very latet lunch, oatmeal again, 4 eggs, 1cup yogurt, some gronoal bars... so i shouldn`t have expected much come gym time at 6pm.

regardless i wasnt happy today, my max bench was 275x2. that is 20lbs lower than 3 weeks ago, being my strongest... i blame myself for lack of effort in the food dept this past few weeks. guys, im sure most of you already know, stick to your diet, even if its not strict, just big much like my own, stick to it. fuck.

started off flat bench 135x12 3 sets
225x6 3 sets
275x3 3 sets
315 assisted 2 reps
225x5 1 set
185x15 x10 2 sets
2 drop sets, both: 195x8,145x8ish,95x5

worked real hard, my arms felt like they got more tired then my chest during the workout, strange.

eating harder tonight, got home at 830, ate 2chicken breasts, 1 cup rice. 1130, 1 cup rice, 1 chicken breast, 1200-1230 1 big ass shake.(1.5 cups milk, 1cups cottage cheese, 1/2 cup yogurt, 3 big tbl spns peanut butter, 2 scoops whey isolate.)

training is what shapes you, eating is what makes you. and dont stop once you get ahead. you need to keep doing it, eat as hard as you train everyday. best advice i can give anyone who plans to grow.

Hollow
03-24-09, 7:45 am
Sounds like you’ve learned a very valuable lesson ronnie. Keep eating big. You’ll be hitting your max and looking beyond it before you know it.

LittleMan55
03-24-09, 8:30 am
Atleast you now know where to start in trying to fix the problem. Keep eating and eat big bro!

ronnie
03-24-09, 10:42 am
Sounds like you’ve learned a very valuable lesson ronnie. Keep eating big. You’ll be hitting your max and looking beyond it before you know it.


Atleast you now know where to start in trying to fix the problem. Keep eating and eat big bro!

thanks for the encouragement guys, gonna sit down for breakfast with some eggs, tuna, whole wheat bread, shake, if not milk. yogurt.

ronnie
03-24-09, 8:18 pm
went to one arm cable rows this week, worked really fuckin hard, from 12reps down,10,8,6,4,4,4,3 (each set of 4 was with increasing weight) then back up to 10,10 and finally 6. tried something else i have never done before either... using the high pulley standind with shoulders in line with it, pulled with one arm on the cable down behind my back, arm straight. its hard to describe, but it felt good. shrugs, some lower leg work. left feeling all fucked up. i think thats a sign of good work, time for steak and eggs! wahoo!

ronnie
03-25-09, 2:25 pm
sore as fuck from monday and tuesday, hurts to touch the chest in any location, lots of pain deep in the lats, traps pinching... breakfast was 4 eggs, 8oz steak, 2 slices bread. gotta keep the tummy full.

ronnie
03-26-09, 9:44 pm
we did 21s a few weeks ago, did about 4 sets of em, they felt pretty damn good, so today we figured fuck 21s, why not 50s? 5 sets back to back of 10? better than 3 sets of 7 right?

barbell preacher curl, fixed weight 5 sets of 10 back to back to back...
concentration curls, 3 sets 12reps fixed weight
high pully bicep curl pose thinger, 4 sets, increased weight each set, last set was a drop set.

laying tricep extensions, oh ya, 50s again! fuckin right. increased weight for 2 sets after 50s for 7 reps.
standing cable ext. with rope and over head ext. back and forth, 4 sets, fixed weight
one arm cable ext, alternated rope to single handle, 4 sets

got home, ate 4 eggs, 2 slice toast, 8oz steak, big ol glass of milk... gonna wait a bit for some tuna, oatmeal, then mabey some cottage cheese later on.

wow, what a workout! my arms are in PAIN!, lower bicep hurts the most, forearms are pinching... gonna stay with the high rep idea for a while, if i dont see the weights moving up soon ill loose my mind.

ronnie
03-28-09, 2:34 am
tried the DB press today rather than a military or machine which has been so common latley. quick warm up and then...
50x12
60x9
70x6
80x6
85x3, kinda 3.5!
80x6
50x5(arnold press)

then superset side db raises then seated rear delt raises,
40 and 25 for 10
35 and 20 for 10
35 and 20 for 8

85lbs DB is the best i have done, ever. goin to try to make it up to the 100s some time soon!

was good to see you in there hollow, seems that you have also put on some size since i saw you last. sorry about venting my ATS anger, i got to get that out sometimes!

ronnie
03-29-09, 1:18 am
like every saturday, i start to feel a little sick and anxiety kicks in around 2pm... knowing that ill be doing squats at 6pm. i dont know why this happens, its not all that bad. mabey its just cause doing legs is a huge muscle group.

so to the point, it went like this,

squats,
empty barx15
135x12
225x10
275x8
315x6
365x3
385x1
275x8

hack squats,
270x7
270x9

end.

i got 385 up today without a spotter! last week it took some help from my partner to do it, also i put up 365 for 3 which is also good news, as before this i could only do it twice! im very happy with this, still putting in the effort to eat big, i have to.
since getting home at 830, ive eatin nearly a whole chicken, 3 servings of rice, now slamming back a shake with about 70g protein made up of cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, whey isolate and peanut butter.

Hollow
03-30-09, 7:59 am
Congrats on hitting 385 on squats and also hitting three reps at 365! Great work. No problem, we all need to vent every once in a while. Thanks for the spot on the DB presses on Friday night, I appreciated that.

ronnie
03-30-09, 9:35 am
any time you need a spot im willing.

Chin
03-30-09, 12:21 pm
Ha I really wish you would have told me, you started a journey... But I am subbed either way now so its all good...

Chin

ronnie
03-31-09, 12:59 am
much better than last week, i think the fix was food. could have also been the workout last week, the drop set felt great! so i tried it again this week.

flat bench
135x12
155x10
185x8
205x6
225x4
245x2
275x1 (didnt feel to hard, so we jumped weight huge)
315x2(was too much! spotter assisted both reps)
335x2, negatives
315x2 negatives
drop set...
225-185-135-95

incline db press
80x8, 3sets

got home, isolate, ate a small potion of rice, a chicken leg with some breast meat. shortly after that, a can of tuna, slice of bannana bread and a big ol shake(if you read much previous you know the ingredients, lots of protein.)

looking forward to next monday, see if 300 can go up without a spotter.

ronnie
03-31-09, 10:00 pm
single db rows,
50x12
60x10
70x8
80x6
100x6
120x6
120x7
120x8(sloppy 7th and 8th rep)

wide grip chin-ups
3 sets 9 reps

wide grip pull downs
170x15
170x12.

my workout consisted of higher reps than normal, im more tired then normally also. i will wait to see how sore i am and how next weeks workout goes to decide if i like the higher rep idea.

may head in tommorow for some hyper extensions, calf and ab work.

ronnie
04-02-09, 5:38 pm
went to the gym yesterday, did some calf work, abs and some hyper-extensions. got to spend some time giving a newer lifter some tips and advice. its great when other people want to learn. i hope to see him in the forum soon.

ronnie
04-02-09, 10:25 pm
preacher curls.
75x15
75x15
95x12
105x7
115x4

standing wall db curls(pressing elbows against wall)
35x10
35x9
35x8 25x6 (drop set)
35x8 25x6 drop set

standing cable bicep pose

50x14
50x12

tricep pushdowns with rope
100x20

tri pd with bar
150x15
170x14
190x10
200x8

tri pd with rope
150x10

seated over head db ext
35x12
35x9
20x12

went higher reps again, good pump overall. trying to be more strict with bicep work, i think that is part of the reason i have not seen much gain in this area. other then that im hoping that the randomness of todays tri work will shock them in some way. time to eat!

ronnie
04-03-09, 7:11 pm
behind the neck presses
85x12
105x10
125x8
135x6
155x5
185x5 working sets begin
205x5 negatives
135x13
135x10 found that pain in my shoulder again on the last rep.

side db raises
25x14
25x12

rear db raises
25x11

rope pulls
100x15
100x15

good burn and pump started during side db raises. finished strong, feeling good. thanks to Stiff for the lift of with the behind the neck presses.

took down 5g mono, 25g isolate immediatly after. got home, 5 eggs, one big old peanut butter and jam sammy (approx 4-5tbl sp peanut butter) and big glass of milk.

ronnie
04-04-09, 8:02 pm
i switched shit up this week, wanted to try something out of my norm of squats.

single leg leg press
90x15
180x15
270x12 working sets begin.
360x4
360x6
360x8
180x17

wow! its amazing how difficult it is to do this exercise! took some getting used to. it felt like i was having a hard time finding a groove where i could push myself with this new movement. sounds strange but give it a shot some time. its weird.

next i went to the the leg extension and leg curl.

leg ext. (drop set)
190x12
140x10
90x15

leg curl (drop set)
180x14
130x12
80x15 (im kinda guessing at the rep #s, i know my last set of each drop was the biggest)

repeated the leg ext. and curl drop sets once more. and HOLY SHIT! what a work out! the drop sets gave one of the best pumps i ever remember having doin a leg workout! after my final set of curls i took one shaky step away from the machine and fell. i crawled a bit but got back to my feet. fell again in the hallway on the way to the change room! i liked this one! good thing no one else was there to see me, just those security cameras!

ronnie
04-05-09, 12:22 am
ever ask your girlfriend to put protein bars and shakes in her purse before goin to the movies?

ronnie
04-06-09, 9:58 pm
was rather unmotivated today, think it was cause we went in later than normal. stuck to flat bench.

flat bench press
135x12
155x10
175x8
205x6
225x4
245x2
275x1
295x1
315x3 negatives
315x3 negatives
225x10
275x5

2 drop sets
195,145,95 each by around 8-10.

after this screwed around on the peck deck trying to gain a little more pump. got home, ate some steak, 3 whole eggs, now sippin on a big ass shake till bed time.

ronnie
04-08-09, 10:54 am
wide grip pull downs
150x12
170x10
180x8
200x6
215x4
230x3
245x2
260x5(spotter assisted)
200x10
200x8

ronnie rows (my own variation of rows which is known to some at the gym as "ronnie rows")
215x10, quickly jump to 245x8 and then to 260x8. first 2 weights are not lifted to failure.

it was fun to watch my training partner suffer on the legg press while stiff yelled and screamed at him yesterday also, i bet he is sore as hell today.

Hollow
04-08-09, 11:15 am
I knew while I was sitting at home I could hear someone off in the distance yelling...I knew it! Your workout partner will be paying the price today...lol.

You’ll have to show me the “ronnie rows” next time we run into each other.

ronnie
04-08-09, 11:44 am
I knew while I was sitting at home I could hear someone off in the distance yelling...I knew it! Your workout partner will be paying the price today...lol.

You’ll have to show me the “ronnie rows” next time we run into each other.

haha! its a good thing we dont go in till 7 or 8 now, if we were there during buisness hours im sure we would have gotten complaints from the neighbours.

Hollow
04-08-09, 11:49 am
haha! its a good thing we dont go in till 7 or 8 now, if we were there during buisness hours im sure we would have gotten complaints from the neighbours.

LMAO...no doubt. That would be priceless to see the faces of people who are passing by the gym though.

ronnie
04-13-09, 10:49 pm
did legs at the ABC on saturday.

squats,
135x15
225x12
315x6
405x0 didnt work
395x1

box squats
225x3
225x6

on leg leg press, alternated left and right
180x?
270x?
270x?

next i made a super set of leg ext. drop sets with leg curl drop sets
leg ext.
200x10
150x8
100x12

leg curl
180x10
140x10
100x18

did this twice, rep #s were lower.

seated calv raises,
45x20
70x15
80x12
90x10
90x10

i left the gym with feeling pretty good, this was the most work i put into my legs ever. i normally dont do this many sets. got home, ate, ate more. later that night i could not sit in any way with comfort. serious pain. not all good pain either. sunday i discovered that my right leg is swollen above my knee. i dont know what it is, but it hurts, alot. i dont think ill be doin legs again for a while. shitty deal. it may have been from box squats or the one leg leg press.

ronnie
04-14-09, 10:35 am
forgot to put in my chest workout yesterday.
flat bench press
135x12
155x10
185x8
205x6
225x4
245x2
275x1
295x1
attempted 305, spotter assisted.
325x2 (negatives, gotta get the body use to heavy shit!)
225x10
225x7
245x6

incline db press
70x12
80x10
100x6

not bad considering the lack of diet during the day leading up to this. i think 305 will be possible in the next few weeks to come.

Hollow
04-14-09, 12:29 pm
You definitely gave your legs a beating ronnie! How's the leg doing today?

ronnie
04-14-09, 12:56 pm
You definitely gave your legs a beating ronnie! How's the leg doing today?

feelin better than yesterday, still sore. i may do some light leg work on saturday.

C.Coronato
04-16-09, 12:02 pm
Looking good and strong brother. Keep it up!

ronnie
04-17-09, 12:53 pm
warmed up with some lat pull downs, some light rows then got into it.

seated rows
160x12
180x10
200x8
215x6
245x5
260x8 working sets
260x6 ws

standing row with straight bar on cable ( i cant do a normal standing row properly right now due to lack of grip strength)
215x20
245x15

high pully single grip pull downs
50x12
50x12

shrugs
225x?
same

then held 225 for as long as i could to help increase grip strength.

ronnie
04-17-09, 12:58 pm
goin to be doing arms with less weight and higher reps then the past month or so. huge weight and low reps didnt do shit.

standing barbell curl
75x15
75x15
115x7
115x8ws
135x6ws
75x10x3 (handed the weight back and forth between my partner and myself for 10 reps each, 3 times)

db hammer curl
40x10
40x10

skull crushers
75x15
75x15
95x12
115x8ws
95x14ws
95x12ws

single grip tri pushdowns avec cable
50x?
50x?
50x? all higher reps

Hollow
04-17-09, 1:02 pm
“pushdowns avec cable”...nice touch.

Workouts are looking great ronnie. The buddy curls on the BB Curls must have felt great! How’s the leg doing?

ronnie
04-17-09, 1:06 pm
“pushdowns avec cable”...nice touch.

Workouts are looking great ronnie. The buddy curls on the BB Curls must have felt great! How’s the leg doing?

leg is healing nicely! pain is almost gone. i may go heavy again tommorow.

Hollow
04-17-09, 1:09 pm
leg is healing nicely! pain is almost gone. i may go heavy again tommorow.

Good to hear.

ronnie
04-17-09, 10:29 pm
behind the neck bb press
95x12
115x10
135x7
155x5
185x3! ws
205x2 spotter assisted

seated side raises
35x10

side raise ss with rear raises
35x10, 25x10

rear raises 25x10

high pully face pulls
130x20

185x3 is a new pr for myself! 3 times! hoping that 205 will come soon. im dreaming of 225, that will look very impressive!

Hollow
04-18-09, 11:45 am
Congrats on hitting a PR! 205 is right around the corner.

ronnie
04-18-09, 9:24 pm
well, i went in to do my legs today without very high expectations. the pain in my right knee had just stopped yesterday from my previous leg workout and i had a booming headache. figured i wont go to heavy... well i dont know myself as well as i thought i did.

squats
135x12
225x10
315x5
405x2! new pr!
315x7 down as low as my body allows. trying to put more strength in the bottom of my movement.

box squats
225x7
22x6

squats (just working the bottom few inches of the movement)
135xalot?

leg ext drop set
200x12
150x10
100x10

leg curl drop set
180x14
130x12
80x15

once i put up 315 on the squat and my knee didnt hurt i just felt like it was a good day to push it. glad i did. got home, ate 2 small chicken breasts, rice, milk. 1.5hours later, another breast, more rice, milk. watch UFC then head home for a huge shake.

ronnie
04-20-09, 11:02 pm
good old monday chest workout, one of the workouts that i use to judge my progress.

flat bench
135x12
155x10
...
...
...
225x3
275x1
295x1 ws (went up with relative ease, im expecting 315 sometime soon, very soon)
315, got it about 1/4 the way, darn!
335x2 negatives
225x10
225x8ws
245x6ws

incline db
80x14
100x7

cable cross overs
attempted 80lbs but felt pain in my elbow, time to stop.

promptly took down creatine and isolate, got home, 1 can tuna, 4 eggs and now sippin on a big, big shake (approx 150-170g protein) before bed.

i think ive been pushing my chest to hard, next week im goin to stay away from straining to hard after using a shocking technique(which has regularly been negatives, probably not so shocking anymore)

Hollow
04-21-09, 7:25 am
315 will be yours before you know it. Good call on easing up on the negatives.

ronnie
04-21-09, 9:53 pm
my lower back is VERY tired from saturdays leg workout. i dont know why but my back gets tired very easily sometimes. i was worried about it while walking the dog today.

wide grip pull downs
150x12
160x10
170x8
190x6
215x4
230x3
245x3
260x5ws
260x7ws
200x10
215x14ws

lay down row machine
stackx10
stackx10 different grip

shrugs
225x25
225x20

held on to weight till my fingers peeled off.
held 45lbs plates and squeezed till very uncomfortable x 2

didnt bring my iso/mono beverage with me, nuts! got home, got said iso in my gut, 1 tuna sandwhich, big glass chocolate milk. wait a bit, more isolate and cottage cheese with peanut butter before bed.

ronnie
04-27-09, 10:58 pm
so i stopped training on wednesday to give my back a break, it was very tired and sore. i think i may need to start stretching my lower back and puttin in some ab work here n there to get this sorted out

flat bench, blah blah same as last week up till 295...
295x1 fairly easy
315x shit not quit. moved it about 4 or 5 inches. soooo close
335x3 negatives
235x12!
235x12! never done that before.

incline db press
80x8 (different bench than normal, felt weird)
100x6

incline flys
30x12
30x12

even though i did less working sets than normal i felt a great pump and warm sensation in the chest. i think the light incline flys is what did it. next week i may go with an even lesser workload, see how i feel.

got home, ate 4 eggs, started the bbq, took down about 3/4lb steak, some rice, gonna wait a bit and chow down on some cottage cheese and peanut butter with a protein shake before bed.

ronnie
04-27-09, 11:03 pm
looking back on my post w/o diet the last week seems ive been slacking i get home around 9pm, drink some isolate then took down one meat product followed by some cottage cheese and whey before bed. i think more food is required. ill try to add 4 eggs with whichever choice of meat i make and possibly snack on that meat twice and still take the cottage cheese and peanut butter before bed.

Hollow
04-28-09, 7:20 am
235 X 12 twice!!! Outstanding work ronnie! Decreasing the workload you say...sometimes less is more. Great chest workout!

ronnie
04-29-09, 1:04 am
seated rows
100x15 2 sets warming up
140x10
160x10
180x8
200x6
230x5
260x9 ws
260x7 ws
200x10
200x10

wide grip pull downs
215x10
200x10

spent some time trying to stretch my lower back. last weeks leg workout hurt me in not so good ways. my lower back was very tired and sore from sunday till friday last week. i think i also stretched something in my lower legs kinda in my calve and also in my ankle, think that was from goin down with 315 as low as my body possibly allows. shit.

got home immediatly took isolate, some chocolate milk then ate about a half chicken breast, 6oz steak, went to a friends sat down n ate a can of tuna and some cottage cheese. its funny how people look at you when they just dont understand.

BeastCook
04-29-09, 1:08 am
seated rows
100x15 2 sets warming up
140x10
160x10
180x8
200x6
230x5
260x9 ws
260x7 ws
200x10
200x10

wide grip pull downs
215x10
200x10

spent some time trying to stretch my lower back. last weeks leg workout hurt me in not so good ways. my lower back was very tired and sore from sunday till friday last week. i think i also stretched something in my lower legs kinda in my calve and also in my ankle, think that was from goin down with 315 as low as my body possibly allows. shit.

got home immediatly took isolate, some chocolate milk then ate about a half chicken breast, 6oz steak, went to a friends sat down n ate a can of tuna and some cottage cheese. its funny how people look at you when they just dont understand.

nice man, 260x9!! freakin monster man!

ronnie
04-29-09, 1:38 am
nice man, 260x9!! freakin monster man!

thanks brother! i think my back is more advanced than the rest of my body.

i may put up some pics soon.

ronnie
04-30-09, 10:59 am
since starting this program ive noticed most gains in my back and legs. recently shoulders have made improvements since taking the odd shoulder day off here n there. i may try to make my chest workouts go a little more like my back and do some ws with higher reps for a change. arms have made probably the least amount of growth, first off i found out part of the problem was probably that i was training with too heavy a weight and too little reps, since switching to higher reps i have seen some increase but perhaps such a huge arm day (12-15 sets for bi, and just as many for tri) is to much to properly recover from. starting next monday it could be time to persue these changes. (just keeping notes)

ronnie
05-03-09, 6:51 pm
didnt bother goin to the gym on thursday so i doubled up on friday for shoulders and arms together. took it easy compared to most days

seated db curls
25x12
30x12
35x10
40x10
50x10
50x10

laying tricep db extensions
30x12
35x10
40x7
35x10
35x10

standing cable curls (one hand) ss with standing one hand tri pushdowns
fixed weight
12/12
10/10
10/10

for some reason i was getting the best pump i have ever had! my shoulders were almost cramping.

seated db raises, side.
30x12
30x12
rear raises
20x12
20x12
sides ss with rear
30x10side, 20x10rear
same as above

ronnie
05-03-09, 7:06 pm
went in for some legs today, and it was great!
2 weeks ago i set a new pr on the squat rack, then i started lifting alot of weight going as low as my body can possibly move. i think that was a mistake, after that day my lower back was exhausted and i have had pain through my ankles and calves. i took last week off of the legs but made up for it today.

leg press
started warming up slowly...
360x12
540x10
720x7
810x5 now i felt good and new there would be some heavy weights moved!
855x5 the most i have ever lifted! possibly for the most reps today also!
900x5 new PR!
945x3 newer PR!!!
630x12?
450x22

left the gym with some pride today... and some very stiff legs.
its to bad i came home only to be able to eat what i can put in a blender thanks to an infection in the back of my mouth. would have loved to eat a whole chicken after that, shucks.

Hollow
05-04-09, 4:32 pm
A huge congrats on the PR's ronnie! Hope the infection clears up for you.

...and thanks for not leaving all the plates on the machine...pheeeew!

ronnie
05-04-09, 5:40 pm
if stiff wasnt there i would have... haha, just kiddin.

ronnie
05-04-09, 10:26 pm
when i was just about 15 years old i saw a few guys in the gym that could bench 2 plates a side, it stuck in my head. that looked heavy, i even remember thinkin that i would never look as big as the guy who did it for reps of 3. no way, i would be happy if i EVER got to that point.

a few years later i saw a guy in the highschool gym bench 315 lbs, 3 plates. that looked very impressive. (was a janitor, not a student) later on in life i saw a few other guys benching that much too. they all looked real big, i thought to myself, "wow, 3 plates is big boy weights..." i wanted to bench 315. that was it, i think that did it.

everyone wants to achieve a big bench. especially if you see so many people do it while your at an influential age.

today was chest...
flat bench
135x12
135x12
155x10
185x8
goin down in reps, up in weight...
till 275x1
295x1(felt lighter then other weeks!)
at this point my training partner brandon looks at me and sez "you got it today buddy!"
315x1 DID IT! it went up lookin like i had another 20 to go with it!
325x3 all spotter assisted. either way, im very excited about 315
235x13
245x7

incline db press
80x14
80x9 went reaaallll slow, squezzin hard at the top, stretchin far at the bottom.

todays workout made my week! im one happy dude right now.

ronnie
05-04-09, 10:42 pm
Still Pumped!!! Yeah!

ronnie
05-05-09, 10:24 pm
wide grip pull downs
warm up...
215x5
245x5
260x5ws
260x7ws

one arm cable rows
150x11 each
150x12 each

1 set shrugs at 225 then held weight hoping to improve grip strength
held it once more without shrugs

1 set hyper extensions, stretch lower back.

Hollow
05-06-09, 10:36 am
Outstanding work ronnie! A huge congrats on nailing 315!!!

ronnie
05-06-09, 12:05 pm
Outstanding work ronnie! A huge congrats on nailing 315!!!

i owe you a big thanks hollow, if i hadnt talked to you i probably wouldnt be training the way i am. thanks alot.

Hollow
05-06-09, 12:47 pm
i owe you a big thanks hollow, if i hadnt talked to you i probably wouldnt be training the way i am. thanks alot.

I am just glad I was able to help out. Once again a huge congrats to you ronnie, keep up the great work!

ronnie
05-08-09, 2:39 am
olympic bar bar bell curls
95x10
95x10
115x8
135x6
115x8

tri push downs
200x12
215x10
230x8
245x7
230x8
200x12

one arm cable curl
60x10
60x10
70x8

over head rope extensions
140x10
140x10
140x10

one arm rope push downs
?x?
?x?

good day.

ronnie
05-08-09, 8:41 pm
behind the neck press
135x10
155x8
175x5
185x4
205x2 spotter assisted both, nuts.

arnold presses
45x7
30x10

posterior delt raises
20x20
30x12, 20x12 immediatly after

quick one, time to eat.

ronnie
05-09-09, 6:22 pm
well, goin in today i was scared to try another max attempt and find out i cant do what i did last week due to my diet so i switched it up a bit.

single leg, leg press
90x12
180x10
270x7
360x5 ws begin
410x3
360x5
180x15

leg extensions drop set
200x10
150x9
100x9

leg curl drop set
200x14
150x14
100x12

seated calf raise
80x12
90x10
90x10
90x10

some small ab work.

next week ill switch back to some squats again, back feels rested.

ronnie
05-11-09, 5:22 pm
was able to do my chest work with STIFF today, always nice.
bench press
135x10
135x10
135x10
225x5
225x5
275x3
295x3! pretty darn good for me
325x1! stiff had hands on the bar but claims to have given no assistance, possibly new PR!
335x1 didnt work so good, lol.
225x12

weighted dips
BW+45x6
BW+45x6

pec deck
?x10
stack x10

some ab work, stretch.

going to eat ALOT this week to make up for last, and for this coming wednesday, 1 wisdom tooth coming out.

ronnie
05-12-09, 10:00 pm
wide grip pull downs
100x10
100x10
100x10
200x5
200x5
200x5
260x8
260x8 both assisted by spotter
200x10

seated row
200x10
260x7

shrugs
225x20 then held on till peel. over hand grip
225x10 same but underhand
225x1 held the contraction at the top, then held till hands peel

hung under hand grip with body weight for 30 sec.

one lat pull down
70x10 each side just to add some pump.

stretch.

ronnie
05-15-09, 12:12 am
bb curl (bent bar)
75x10
75x10
95x10
115x10
135x7
115x10

75x10, 75x10, etc... back to back for 5 sets, i go you go format

hammer curls
35x15, 30x5 drop set, sad, i know.

tri pushdowns
150x10
150x10
200x10
230x10
260x8
230x10

200x10, 170x6, 130x6, 90x10 drop set.

one hand cable push downs
70x10
60x8, focusing on best contraction
60x8, focusing on best contration

Hollow
05-15-09, 7:44 am
Great arm workout ronnie especially throwing in those “I Go You Go’s!”

Northman
05-15-09, 8:22 am
I did not help with your bench press PR. If anything I was resting my hands on the bar a bit.

ronnie
05-15-09, 11:38 am
I did not help with your bench press PR. If anything I was resting my hands on the bar a bit.

well, if you say so...

wahoo! new bench PR!

ronnie
05-17-09, 11:53 am
seated behind the neck press
95x10
95x10
135x7
135x5
185x3
205x3
225x3 PR!
135x14

arnold press
45x10

seated lateral raise
35x10
35x10

seated rear raise
30x8
20x15

chin pulls avec rope
?x15

immediatly grabbed 2 10lbs plates for seated rear raises, 12 reps.

what a pump! it hurt to drive home! however, now i have some not so good pain in the left shoulder, probably from the 225 behind neck press. nuts.

Northman
05-17-09, 11:55 am
I can't believe you used the word "avec"!

ronnie
05-17-09, 5:40 pm
I can't believe you used the word "avec"!

one of my hidden talents is french...

ronnie
05-17-09, 9:15 pm
squats, yay.
135x10
135x10
225x10
315x5
365x3
405x2
425x1 PR! pushed so much it hurt my beard.
315x8

calf raises
80x15
80x15

ham curl
180x12

leg ext
200x10

cut it short but i got the serious buisness done, girlfriend waiting at home.

BeastCook
05-17-09, 9:16 pm
squats, yay.
135x10
135x10
225x10
315x5
365x3
405x2
425x1 PR! pushed so much it hurt my beard.
315x8

calf raises
80x15
80x15

ham curl
180x12

leg ext
200x10

cut it short but i got the serious buisness done, girlfriend waiting at home.

man squatting over 400 is insane........

ronnie
05-17-09, 9:18 pm
man squatting over 400 is insane........

over 400 is recently new to me and hard work no doubt. im striving for three digit number that starts with a 5...

Northman
05-17-09, 10:12 pm
I was there when he did it. I was worried that he'd do some serious damage and need a beard transplant!

All joking aside, it was great seeing you smash that PR Ron!

ronnie
05-18-09, 1:31 pm
I was there when he did it. I was worried that he'd do some serious damage and need a beard transplant!

All joking aside, it was great seeing you smash that PR Ron!

well, the beard was able to hang in there thank god. thanks for the support stiff.
it really, really hurts to walk today. really.

Hollow
05-19-09, 8:46 am
Glad to hear you had problems walking afterwards ronnie...it’s well deserved! Huge congrats on hitting a PR not only on the Shoulder Press but also on the Squats!

On a side note...I am glad to hear the beard survived the whole ordeal.

ronnie
05-19-09, 9:31 am
Glad to hear you had problems walking afterwards ronnie...it’s well deserved! Huge congrats on hitting a PR not only on the Shoulder Press but also on the Squats!

On a side note...I am glad to hear the beard survived the whole ordeal.

its nice too see that you enjoy my pain hollow, thanks. lol! and thanks for the support. beard is well.

ronnie
05-19-09, 9:01 pm
flat bench

warm up...
225x4
275x2
295x1
315x1
335x1 spotter assisted
235x14!

incline db press
100x10
80x15

incline flys (focusing on negatives and big stretch)
40x15

pec deck
stack(100?)x12

got home, ate. made a vid of todays training to put on youtube! gonna eat more.

Northman
05-19-09, 9:27 pm
I look forward to the vid!

ronnie
05-19-09, 9:33 pm
here it is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpp9sxsA_P0&feature=channel_page

Northman
05-19-09, 9:34 pm
here it is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpp9sxsA_P0&feature=channel_page

Woohoo!

Hollow
05-20-09, 8:44 am
here it is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpp9sxsA_P0&feature=channel_page

Outstanding! Thanks for posting the video.

ronnie
05-25-09, 5:57 pm
well, mabey someone noticed that i hadnt made a post since last week, mabey not. either way, last weeks back workout wasnt worth posting and i decided it was a good time to get some time away from the gym for a while. i didnt bother to go to the gym from thursday last week up till today. didnt use any supplements, didnt stick to any diet plans, i actually drank, and didnt sleep much at all. returning to normal life i feel i have givin myself a little more passion for the gym and growth having taken some brief time off.

bench press
135x10
135x10
225x5
225x5
225x5
315x1
attempted 325, no go.
365x3 negatives
225x10
225x9

incline flys
50x10
50x10 concentrating on the negative motion and a big stretch.

standing high pully cable flys
?x10
?x10 trying to make the strongest, tightest contraction possible.

Hollow
05-26-09, 9:13 am
It’s always good to take a little time away from the gym. Not only does it refresh our bodies but it also helps to refresh our minds by taking a break.

ronnie
05-26-09, 10:35 am
sure does, the gym was the first thing i thought of thismornin when i got up.

Hollow
05-26-09, 10:55 am
sure does, the gym was the first thing i thought of thismornin when i got up.

You’re a sick man ronnie...just kidding!

ronnie
05-26-09, 9:25 pm
seated cable rows, one hand
80x10
100x10
120x7
140x5 ws
150x4 ws
160x2 ws (spotted myself for a single assisted rep)
100x10

wide grip pull down
200x12
200x12 sloppy

shrugs
225x12
225x12
225x12

need to keep the shrugs more consistant, there is no reason i should be this low.

ronnie
05-29-09, 1:46 am
ez bar curls
75x10
75x10
75x10
115x10
125x9
135x5 (not good)
115x8

concentration curls
35x10
35x10
35x10

tri push downs
100x20
150x10
200x10
230x10
245x10
200x20 drop set begin
170x10
140x8
90x10 ds end

tri push down ss with rope push downs
150x12/100x10
150x12/100x10

biceps really didnt want to co-operate today. shit. good tri work regardless.

Chin
05-29-09, 2:54 am
lol and you are telling me my volume is high... look at those push downs. That's like 100LBS+ more than I do...

Chin

ronnie
05-30-09, 5:04 pm
lol and you are telling me my volume is high... look at those push downs. That's like 100LBS+ more than I do...

Chin

bah, thats just cause of the cable set up on our pullys, actually lifting a little more than half the weight of the posted stack weight.

ronnie
05-30-09, 5:11 pm
didnt go to the gym last night for shoulders so i did em in the basement at home today, no heavy weights to lift so it was a bit different than normal, which probably isnt a bad thing.

turn on the metallica, get seated in a nice chair and hope it does not break, huff n puff, grab those dumbells... and in a nice gentle voice, ask my girlfriend to spot me, haha.

warm up with some laterals and light arnolds...

arnold presses
45x10
45x10
45x10
45x8 arnold stlye, then just the press motion for 5 more, spotter assisted.

seated laterals
45x8
45x9

seated rear raises
25x12
25x15

short one, good burn, great pump. shoulders always seem to get decent pumps.

promptly took in some isolate, 4 raw eggs, 2 slices peanut butter toast with milk, now heading to the grocery store for some nice steaks...

tommorow will be legs, im nervous to try a squat of 425 again. last week i cut it short, i should have stuck around to do some ext and curls to add pump. shit. gotta remember to make he most of it each time im in the gym. lazy asshole.

ronnie
06-01-09, 6:10 pm
today i changed up my working sets just a bit. need to find some way to over come my sticking point at 325. i want around 350 bad.

135x10
135x10
135x10
225x5
225x5
315x4! spotter assisted only #4. gave er shit on this set, i didnt expect to lift 315x3 at all.
325x2 spotter assisted. lost my steam on the last set
225x9
225x9

incline db press
90x10
90x9

high pully cable flys
50x10
50x10 focusing on a strong contraction.

even though i didnt reach 325 today i belive the reason that behind that was simply my previous lift. 315x3. that weight was my max lift about a month ago.

Northman
06-01-09, 7:32 pm
Very good Ronnie! 315x3 is no joke.

Hollow
06-02-09, 7:33 am
Very good Ronnie! 315x3 is no joke.

X2! Outstanding work Ronnie!

BEASTOFRAGE
06-02-09, 12:59 pm
good work bro!
TB

ronnie
06-02-09, 4:01 pm
Very good Ronnie! 315x3 is no joke.
thans buddy, im working my way up there.


X2! Outstanding work Ronnie!
thanks hollow, im working my ass off.


good work bro!
TB
thanks beast, i work hard and intend to make small improvement in my strength each week.

ronnie
06-02-09, 6:49 pm
good workout today. im a happy dude.

wide grip pull downs
100x10
100x10
150x10
170x7
200x5
230x5
260x8 spotter assisted last 2
260x8 spotter assisted last 3
215x10
215x10

lay down row machine
stack x10
stack x10

shrugs
225x15
225x15
225x15

started to do calfs, then realized i am planning to do legs tommorow.
felt very strong in the gym today, didnt get an awesome pump or burn, but it felt good. i like it.

eat, eat, eat.

ronnie
06-03-09, 6:48 pm
well, if you slack you get burned.

sometimes skipping out on a workout can help you, you become better rested and rejuvinated. you can return stronger then when you left. however, for the most part this only applys to missing a single workout once in a blue moon. not skipping out for weeks on end.

squats
135x10
225x10
315x5
405x1
425x1 spotter assisted
315x8
315x8

leg ext drop sets
200x9
150x9
100x10
-repeated for another drop set.

leg curl drop set
180x12
140x14
100x20
-repeated for another set

im glad i was still able to move 405 but 425 didnt work. need to be more consistant with legs.

Northman
06-03-09, 8:00 pm
Hey, I could use a good "leg's day" training partner.

ronnie
06-03-09, 9:27 pm
Hey, I could use a good "leg's day" training partner.

every wednesday? whats your leg schedule?

Northman
06-05-09, 10:37 am
every wednesday? whats your leg schedule?

I'm on a 6 day split, so that changes.

ronnie
06-06-09, 1:30 pm
started off with some seated DB press
40x15
50x10
60x8
70x6
80x4
85x4
90x4 PR!
95x3 PR, again!
80x6

side raises
35x12
35x12

rear raises
20x15
20x15

chin pulls
110x15
110x15

got to meet Frank McGrath today at the ABC! that was pretty cool, hes a great guy, full of knowledge and experience. i learned a few things from him, if you got questions hes got answers. overall i had a great time, new PR, twice! and met a Pro, cant wait till next ABC.

ronnie
06-08-09, 5:54 pm
flat bench

135x10
135x10
135x10
225x5
225x5
315x1
335x1 spotter assisted, fack! fack, fack!
225x15

incline db press drop set
100x9
dropped to 50x10

incline db flys then alternated to db press half way through set
60x7 as flys, 5 reps as press

standing high cable flys
80x10
80x15

cant seem to bust this 335, its killing me. i pushed 315 for 3 last week, but adding another 20lbs wont work? thats only like 6 or 7% more weight! is it in my head?! mabey. or mabey it has something to do with shoulder workout on saturday... either way, im gonna get there soon.

Hollow
06-08-09, 10:04 pm
Impressive shoulder workout Ronnie and congrats on the PR!

If I may be so bold in pointing out one of the factors that may be hindering your progress, (since you and I run a similar chest program) hitting flat bench week after week will stall you out. I found this out early in the program myself. Rotating from flat one week to inclines (whether it is DB's or BB's) the next week may help. Just my two cents.

ronnie
06-09-09, 12:49 am
hmm, thanks for the tip, i do plan to change some stuff up soon. i enjoyed sticking to the flat bench as a primary cause it has brought me so much success, in flat bench! lol!

this is a quick list of what i ate today, anyone reading this feel free to comment or critique.
slept in, got up around 10:30, nice!
11:15, 2 bowls oatmeal cereal, ice cream sandwich! i know thats no good, dont bother...
2:30, tuna fish sandwich, (1 can tuna)
3:30 isolate and mono pre workout
4:45 isolate and mono post workout
5:30 1.5 large chicken breasts, 2 cups rice, some green beans, big glass milk, ice cream!
7:30 half chicken breast, 1 can tuna
12:00 1.5 cups cottage cheese, 4tbls peanut butter, isolate and slow digesting whey with milk.
Bed, if i wake up ill have the other half of my before bed iso and why shake.

i think i took down a total of around 250-300g protein, not sure on the carbs. could probably use more carbs especially pre workout...

i may have fucked up early in the day and didnt eat enough food, regardless, any help from anyone would be great! thanks.

ronnie
06-09-09, 1:00 am
a motivational piece i came across...



Way down this road, in a gym far away, a young man was once heard to say, "I've repped high and I've repped low, No matter what I do my legs won't grow."

He tried leg extensions, leg curls, and leg presses, too. Trying to cheat these sissy workouts he'd do. From the corner of the gym where the big men train, Through a cloud of chalk and the midst of pain.

Where the big iron rides high and threatens lives, Where the noise is made with big forty fives. A deep voice bellowed as he wrapped his knees, A very big man with legs like trees.

Laughing as he snatched another plate from the stack, Chalking his hands and monstrous back, Said "Boy stop lying and don't say you've forgotten, Trouble with you is you ain't been SQUATTIN"

ronnie
06-09-09, 11:53 am
today will be back, and tommorow legs...

in anticipation of today i am tryng to step up my diet, this is how it looks so far

9:00 isolate and milk whey in milk
10:15 big shake, 1.5cups milk, half cup cottage cheese, half cup peanut butter, 3 eggs, 1 scoop isolate, drank half of it.
11:30 spaghetti with meat sauce, big plate approx 1/4 of beef. (made 2lbs of ground beef into meat sauce today, yum!)
1/2:00 another meal, probably spaghetti again
3:00 should be gym time, before and after gym take isolate and mono hyd.
rest of the evening im planning on taking down the remaining spaghetti and ground beef.
10/11:00 cottage cheese.

is this looking good? no plans to stay lean, just worried about bulking right now.

Hollow
06-09-09, 11:57 am
What no ice cream sandwich!?!?

For an added bonus...add cottage cheese to your sauce...mmm good!

ronnie
06-09-09, 12:01 pm
What no ice cream sandwich!?!?

For an added bonus...add cottage cheese to your sauce...mmm good!

add cottage cheese during cooking or after? what do you think about my diet the past 2 days, where do i need improvement?

Hollow
06-09-09, 12:48 pm
add cottage cheese during cooking or after? what do you think about my diet the past 2 days, where do i need improvement?

Add the cottage cheese while cooking. My wife has been adding it too many of her sauces and it tastes really good!

ronnie
06-09-09, 5:01 pm
single hand cable rows
80x10
100x8
120x6
140x4
160x3

cable rows (2 hands)
230x10
245x10

wide grip pull downs
215x10
215x10

shrugs
225x15
225x15
225x15

sittin down with a big plate of spaghetti, approx 1/2lbs ground beef.

ronnie
06-10-09, 6:50 pm
squats
135x10
225x10
315x5
405x2
405x2
315x9

hack squats
180x15
270x9
320x6

leg ext
200x10
200x10

leg curl
200x10
200x10

got home, sittin down with 1lbs of ground beef with some spaghetti, a couple glasses of milk... feeeed those muscles.

ronnie
06-12-09, 12:38 am
started off with some straight bar curls
95x10
115x10
135x7
135x6
95x15

got ready to super some db curls with tri pushdowns...

tri pushdowns
100x10
150x10
200x10
230x10 first working set, onto some db curls...

THEN THE DAMN SECURITY ALARM GOES OFF! there is no way i could stick around for that noise.

end.

Chin
06-12-09, 1:08 am
Man up ronnie... thats why you bring ear phones and an IPOD haha... I've worked out in alarms and pitch black before...

Chin

ronnie
06-12-09, 1:47 am
Man up ronnie... thats why you bring ear phones and an IPOD haha... I've worked out in alarms and pitch black before...

Chin

no ear phones, and that shit hurts, seriously. the alarm at hard knox makes you dizzy and sick.

Hollow
06-12-09, 5:50 pm
What time was that at? I got to the gym early yesterday in the hopes of catching up with you but the gym was completely empty. Glad I got in there early then.

ronnie
06-15-09, 10:03 am
What time was that at? I got to the gym early yesterday in the hopes of catching up with you but the gym was completely empty. Glad I got in there early then.

that was at around 8/9pm. i bet the neighbours loved it.

Hollow
06-15-09, 10:11 am
that was at around 8/9pm. i bet the neighbours loved it.

Glad I missed out on that, lol.

ronnie
06-15-09, 6:33 pm
bench press

135x10
135x10
225x5
225x5
315x3 spotter assisted last rep
295x2

incline flys
50x10 very slow negative
50x12

high cable flys
100x10
100x10

flat bench
135x10
135x10 full speed up, slow negative

cable flys
50x10
70x6

eat, eat, eat... 1lbs ground beef, pasta, couple glasses of milk.
eat more later.

Northman
06-15-09, 10:00 pm
Nice work Ronnie! I'm very impressed with how strong you have gotten recently. Eat beef, it does the body good.

Hollow
06-15-09, 10:05 pm
Nice work Ronnie! I'm very impressed with how strong you have gotten recently. Eat beef, it does the body good.

X2!!! I still say it has something to do with the beard!

ronnie
06-16-09, 12:53 am
Nice work Ronnie! I'm very impressed with how strong you have gotten recently. Eat beef, it does the body good.
well thanks stiff! thanks for 2 reasons, one being the complement, and the second being all the help you have provided.


X2!!! I still say it has something to do with the beard!
haha, mabey it does... (dont tell everyone my secret!)

ronnie
06-16-09, 12:57 am
went back to the gym a few hours after i returned home from the gym. calv work is needed. bad.

seated calv raises
70x10
90x10
90x10
90x10

single calv press in the leg press
90x12 controlled and very slow
90x20 fast

standing calv raises
200x15
200x15

crunches
3 sets of 20 reps, hahha! sad.

Chin
06-16-09, 2:05 am
You should try Hollow's 100 calf rep workout haha... it hurts...

Chin

Hollow
06-16-09, 7:42 am
You should try Hollow's 100 calf rep workout haha... it hurts...

Chin

Lol...I almost forgot about them!

Hollow
06-16-09, 4:43 pm
Hey Ronnie, I just noticed in your sig...is that from the show "Trailer Park Boys"? LMAO!!!

ronnie
06-16-09, 11:18 pm
Hey Ronnie, I just noticed in your sig...is that from the show "Trailer Park Boys"? LMAO!!!
sure is! that show has been a large part of my life for years!

ronnie
06-16-09, 11:20 pm
wide grip pull downs
100x10
150x10
200x7
230x5
260x11 spotter assisted 2. PR!
260x9 spotter assisted 2.
200x15

one hand cable rows
100x15
150x12

got home and started the grip strength gigger ma-bobs.
150x8, 3 sets per hand.

ronnie
06-18-09, 8:40 pm
i didnt expect much goin in for arms today, was a hard day at work and i didnt have much too eat, never mind the lack of sleep latley. however, it was better than i thought it would be.

alt. db curls
30x15
50x9
60x8
60x9

concentration curls
40x10
40x12, 20x7 drop set

one hand cable curls
50x12
60x10

tri push downs
100x20
150x15
200x10
230x10
260x9

tri over head cable kinda thing
120x15
150x12

rope push downs
130x10
130x9
100x10

Hollow
06-18-09, 9:04 pm
I don't know Ronnie, you had a few factors going against you coming into this workout yet you pulled out a pretty damn impressive arm session.

ronnie
06-18-09, 9:33 pm
I don't know Ronnie, you had a few factors going against you coming into this workout yet you pulled out a pretty damn impressive arm session.

wait! there is one more! probably the biggest factor of all!

i trimmed my beard down! alot!

Hollow
06-18-09, 9:36 pm
wait! there is one more! probably the biggest factor of all!

i trimmed my beard down! alot!

No freaking way!!! Man, I hope this isn't like the Mighty Samson when he cut off his hair! I'll be keeping a close eye on your numbers on the big movements.

ronnie
06-18-09, 10:14 pm
No freaking way!!! Man, I hope this isn't like the Mighty Samson when he cut off his hair! I'll be keeping a close eye on your numbers on the big movements.

this comming week they may be down a little, the reason being that i am working again, and work aint easy. but who knows, there are a couple factors that could hinder my strength right now, the lack of beard may the biggest one! we will find out soon!

Hollow
06-18-09, 10:20 pm
this comming week they may be down a little, the reason being that i am working again, and work aint easy. but who knows, there are a couple factors that could hinder my strength right now, the lack of beard may the biggest one! we will find out soon!

On a positive note, it's good to hear you're working again. Even if your numbers dip a bit, once you get back into the groove with work those numbers will jump again.

ronnie
06-20-09, 3:17 am
well, worked my ass off today, didnt eat much, payed the price at the gym.

behind the neck press
135x10
135x10
185x5 and it was hard! this was a sign that i was in trouble!
195x2
205x2 not a happy camper.
135x14

arnold presses
40x? mixed it up, did some full reps, then alot of just the elbow together stuff, then more presses
40x?

posterior delt lateral raises
25x16
25x20, rested alot between reps at the end to make it to 20
30x10

chin pulls
130x17
100x15, moved slower and held it.

not my usual self in the gym. poor diet, hard work day and lack of beard sure fucked me up. you were right hollow1.

ronnie
06-22-09, 9:01 pm
incline DB press

50x10
50x10
70x10
100x7
120x4
100x7

pec deck
?x8
half that x15

flat db press (drop set)
70x10
50x6
35x10


being back to work my strength is down to 85-75% of where it should be/was last week. FUCKING SHIT! anyone got any tips as to how i can get my strength back where it should be? will i eventually get used to the routine? wtf?

today at work i took down approx 80g protein from beef (half pound), 200g carbs from spagahetti, 3L of water, 1 bannana, got home nap, wake up, mono and hydro, work out.

Chin
06-23-09, 1:30 am
Two things... No lower pec moves? and you shaved? Who am I gonna call grizzly adams now?

Chin

Hollow
06-23-09, 7:19 am
I wouldn’t be overly concerned at this point Ronnie as this is your first week back to work and now your body is being taxed more. I would suggest that maybe you increase you calorie intake throughout the day if you can to help compensate the added calories that are now being spent due to your physical job. Your numbers will be back up there before you know it. Just throwing my two cents out there.

Hollow
06-23-09, 7:21 am
Two things... No lower pec moves? and you shaved? Who am I gonna call grizzly adams now?

Chin

Right now I am letting my beard grow out till Ronnie grows his back out. I hope it doesn’t take too long as the wife isn’t too crazy about the added facial hair.

ronnie
06-23-09, 4:21 pm
Right now I am letting my beard grow out till Ronnie grows his back out. I hope it doesn’t take too long as the wife isn’t too crazy about the added facial hair.

ill grow it back some, but im goin to keep it tame till winter.
i hope your right about it just taking time to get back into things.

ronnie
06-24-09, 9:51 pm
got down to it today, hard. not the most weight i have ever lifted or the biggest workout but it was intense. 30 degrees outside, same temp in the gym, amon amarth over the stereo.

squats
135x10
225x10
315x10
315x9
315x10 quck pauses between the last few reps. head spinning, throat sore from heavy breathing, dripping sweat, alot of sweat. AND LOVING ALLLL OF IT!

hack squats
270x9
270x11 i dont know how i found it in myself to pump out those 2 more reps...

been drinking alot of gatorade at work to help with the fact that i sweat out 5lbs each day, feeling better than last week. hope a lay off comes soon so i can get back to my old self.

got home at 9:00pm, immediatly ate 2 chicken legs, 1 breast, 1 bowl of oatmeal cereal, goin to shower now, then take down some cottage cheese and peanut butter and be in bed by 10:30. not looking forward to tommorow.

Hollow
06-29-09, 8:11 am
Just checking in to see how things have been going. Hopefully some of the diet tips from the forvm have helped regain some of the loss grounds you were experiencing.

ronnie
06-29-09, 9:29 pm
incline db press
50x15
70x10
100x5
120x7 last 3 spotter assisted
100x5

the 120x7 took it all outta me.

pec deck
stack x9
5 plates less x12
and half that x9 for a drop set

cable flys
90x10 concentrating on negatives
60x23! ouch!

Hollow
06-30-09, 11:26 am
Damn Ronnie, repping out the 120’s!!! In between sets I was staring at them and thinking to myself one these days they’ll be mine. Great workout, pouring everything into the first movement and then hitting up the pec deck followed by the cable work must have left one hell of pump in your chest.

ronnie
07-02-09, 9:11 am
Damn Ronnie, repping out the 120’s!!! In between sets I was staring at them and thinking to myself one these days they’ll be mine. Great workout, pouring everything into the first movement and then hitting up the pec deck followed by the cable work must have left one hell of pump in your chest.

im sure you could jump on those 120s right now hollow, the hardest part is getting them into lifting position. did leave a decent pump. cant wait till next week.

ronnie
07-02-09, 9:17 am
skipped out on back last week, mistake.

wide grip pull downs
100x15
150x10
200x5
230x5
260x7 last rep was barely a full rep...
200x12

wierd bar cable chin ups
200x7
150x9 concentrating on negatives

shrugs
225x15
225x15 and held bar for 20sec
225x25 over/under grip
225x25 opposite over/under

seated calf raises
45x20
70x15
80x15
90x12
90x12

got home
grip strength bendy jiggers
150lbs gripper x 18
150x15

ronnie
07-02-09, 9:09 pm
tri push downs
100x15
150x10
200x10
230x7
260x9 spotter assisted last 2
260x9 same
215x15

rope push downs
140x10

single hand tri push downs
70x8
60x9

db curls
30x20
50x10
60x7
70x7 hammer style, sloppy.

concentration curls
40x10
40x8
40x8

still waiting on the arrival of the wendler 5/3/1 book to start new program.

ive got more desire and i feel a need to grow. i want it now more than i think i ever have. i just need to make myself do it. ive got to clear my plate and set my priorities. turn a new leaf.

Hollow
07-02-09, 11:07 pm
I really like hearing this Ronnie, really looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

ronnie
07-03-09, 1:01 am
I really like hearing this Ronnie, really looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

LARGE! thats what im hoping for. got a few things on my mind right now, just need to get down to buisness, speeking of which i think i hear some cottage cheese with peanut butter calling my name...

Northman
07-03-09, 4:53 am
LARGE! thats what im hoping for. got a few things on my mind right now, just need to get down to buisness, speeking of which i think i hear some cottage cheese with peanut butter calling my name...

You are mistaken. It was calling my name.

ronnie
07-03-09, 11:25 am
You are mistaken. It was calling my name.

stiff you dont look like cottage cheese and peanut butter, common, your not that fat! jk!

Hollow
07-03-09, 5:10 pm
stiff you dont look like cottage cheese and peanut butter, common, your not that fat! jk!

I don't know, the last time I saw him he was looking a bit chunky...lol...I kid!

ronnie
07-03-09, 5:27 pm
seated db press

30x15
50x10
70x9
90x6 almost got in a 7!
60x9, burn out from the 90s!

side raises, leaning forward just a bit to isolate the medial head as best as possible
15x15
25x10
35x7
35x7

chin pulls
100x12
120x9

incline bar raises
bar x 10

Northman
07-03-09, 8:23 pm
stiff you dont look like cottage cheese and peanut butter, common, your not that fat! jk!


I don't know, the last time I saw him he was looking a bit chunky...lol...I kid!

Hey, you don't get to 260 by eating egg whites and broccoli all day.

Hollow
07-03-09, 8:30 pm
Hey, you don't get to 260 by eating egg whites and broccoli all day.

Mmmm...maybe I should rethink my diet then!?!?

I know we've spoken about this in the past Stiff regarding Nordica Cottage Cheese but a heads up to you Ronnie if you can handle it, Food Basics has it on for $2 bucks a tub (500g). Right now both Price Choppers and Food Basics have some sweet sales on right now.

ronnie
07-04-09, 12:52 am
Mmmm...maybe I should rethink my diet then!?!?

I know we've spoken about this in the past Stiff regarding Nordica Cottage Cheese but a heads up to you Ronnie if you can handle it, Food Basics has it on for $2 bucks a tub (500g). Right now both Price Choppers and Food Basics have some sweet sales on right now.

hey thanks! ill be all out tommorow morning.

ronnie
07-06-09, 11:39 pm
squated today, wasnt sure if i wanted to hit 10s again, thought mabey ill go for 7s this week and lower numbers each week after. didnt happen.

135x10
225x10
315x5
365x3 wanted to punish myself work to 1 and 2 reps
405x1 went pretty quick, thought it would be a good time to set a new PR
435x none. fuck. really put me down.
315x1... not feelin it today. i held my composer but really wasnt to happy. have alot on my mind lately. packed up and left.

Hollow
07-07-09, 8:25 am
Still a solid effort Ronnie! You made that 405 look easy.

Northman
07-08-09, 12:41 pm
It sounds like you needed someone there motivating you through that last leg workout.

Hollow
07-14-09, 11:56 am
Just dropping by to see how things are going? Hope all is well.

ronnie
07-14-09, 4:13 pm
Just dropping by to see how things are going? Hope all is well.

just stopping in aswell... lol. things are ok. my work in the gym will be sporatic and not worth posting for a while. comming back in august.

Hollow
07-15-09, 8:23 am
Good to hear things are okay and I’m sure we’ll probably bump into each other at the gym. Take care and hopefully we’ll see your “other” car at the gym.

ronnie
07-20-09, 10:38 am
just got the Ecopy of the 531 wendler book. august will be the start of my new journey, probably titled "ronnie's 5,3,1"

"ronnie's 5,3,1" will be a new start for me and will hopefully show some great gains.

the reason i have not been updating my journey this past few weeks is because i have been tied up with other things outside the gym and my training has been slipping big time. my strength is down, not alot but it is down in every department right now. this will continue till august as this week i will be leaving for a 3 day camping/rock concert with some friends. total waste of health for sure. takes about 2 full days to sober up after this crap.

in the past half year i have been working on drinking less and less, some of the biggest guys i know dont drink at all so... you see what im getting at. this month (july) is what i am hopping will be the last time i drink till next august. im hoping the 531 cobined with better diet will show some serious results and take me to my goals.

so i guess i could tally up my gains i have made in this journey just for record.

before:
bench-265
military press-185
seated db press-80s for reps
squat-365?
dead-405
wide grip pull downs-260

after: (during my peak strength, 1 and a half months ago)
bench-325
military press-225x3
seated db press-95x3
squat-425
dead-405? i did not train deads at all, however i believe that with the increase in squats i may have potentially helped my deads
wide grip pull downs-260x8

i am hoping to blow all these numbers away, very soon.

im planning to get close to all the goals listed in my sig line by next summer.

Hollow
07-20-09, 10:45 am
Really looking forward to seeing your new journey when it’s up and running. I’ll be definitely keeping my eyes peeled for it. Just as a side note, it may be helpful to post a link in this journey to make it easier to find when it is up and running...you know, for us older guys.

You definitely made huge gains on your lifts over the past few months in the gym.

Have a safe and great time at your camping/concert.

ronnie
07-20-09, 1:10 pm
Really looking forward to seeing your new journey when it’s up and running. I’ll be definitely keeping my eyes peeled for it. Just as a side note, it may be helpful to post a link in this journey to make it easier to find when it is up and running...you know, for us older guys.

You definitely made huge gains on your lifts over the past few months in the gym.

Have a safe and great time at your camping/concert.

link to the new journey "ronnie's 531"
http://forum.animalpak.com/showthread.php?p=762775#post762775
just for you hollow1!

Hollow
07-20-09, 1:13 pm
Lol...I appreciate that!!!

ronnie
09-22-10, 12:51 am
this being my first journey came to and end over a year ago when i decided to start my 2nd journey, ronnie's 531. now that i am no longer training 531 i thought i should post somewhere else so i dont confuse anyone or give them the wrong impression of what 531 is all about.

so time for a new thread! making a 3rd journey seems kinda silly, so rather than making a 3rd i will just return to this one, being simply, ronnie`s journey!

this time around im going to attempt training a ME, DE, upper, lower body routine (westside).

current stats: for anyone wondering,

25yo
5'8, i think, if not im close
230lbs
approx 25%bodyfat

goals:
strength
(loosing weight and getting fit are not current concerns but will be later)
power
strength
and power.

short term strength goals:
bench 405
squat 550
deadlift 600
(all lifts raw)

that is approx 50lbs in every lift from where i am now.

ronnie
09-22-10, 8:30 pm
squats
during warm up 225 felt heavy, this really sucked and put me in a shitty mood, hate those days when everything feels heavy and slow
worked up to 495x2, did better the i thought i would.

leg press
5 sets of 5, working up in weight each set till about 700 something

good mornings
225x5 for 2 sets
275x5 for another

abs and stretch.

food.

ronnie
09-25-10, 6:40 pm
bench press
worked up to 315 for a very fast rep, then hit 345 for 2.

incline DB press
80x10
90x5
100x5
120x5

DB rows
100x10 each
100x10
120x5 grip sucks

DB curls with fat gripz (wow!)
35x12
40x10
30x12

food yum.

Northman
09-25-10, 11:46 pm
NICE

ronnie
09-26-10, 1:31 am
NICE

does not feel so nice, been having pain in the right shoulder for a month now, starting to heal.

Northman
09-26-10, 11:04 pm
does not feel so nice, been having pain in the right shoulder for a month now, starting to heal.

Suck it up princess. We train around our injuries, remember?

ronnie
09-27-10, 7:57 pm
Suck it up princess. We train around our injuries, remember?


bench press
worked up to 315 for a very fast rep, then hit 345 for 2.

incline DB press
80x10
90x5
100x5
120x5

DB rows
100x10 each
100x10
120x5 grip sucks

DB curls with fat gripz (wow!)
35x12
40x10
30x12

food yum.

i am, princess.

ronnie
09-29-10, 7:41 pm
squats
135x5
x5
x5
225x4
315x4
405x2
455x2
515x1 PR
315x5
365x5
405x5

deads standing on one plate
315x2
315x2
405x2
405x2

incline sit ups
4 sets of 15

standing abs with high pully
whatever weight x12
same x12

stretch.

first post training meal, 1lbs ground beef in spaghetti, 1L milk.
second meal, same.