Who I am Hates Who I've been

[DoubleTapJak]

Brethren,

I've decided to start this log having just passed the one year mark of lifting. I call it lifting because I haven't been training with any explicit goal in mind. This is the end of that. I've learned a lot about myself in the last year, my genetics, what I'm capable of, where my passion, and what my dedication is. My brother in iron, Theonidus, has been a huge influence on encouraging strength and power. I wasted months on poor diet and not pushing myself to go heavier when I could have. No more. When I started I was chubby and about 160lbs ~18% BFP. I'm currently in the third week of a cut running through the end of the year, coming down from 179 to hopefully around 170, to get rid of the fat I've put on this year and start 2014 with a lean slate. Next year will mark of the start of my transformation to an Animal, in every sense of the word. I'm tired of pretty boys worrying too much about losing their six pack, never getting any real work done.

Current stats:
Height: 5'6" (doubt this will ever change)
Weight: 174lbs
Age: 21

1RM:
Deadlift: 375lbs
Bench Press: 225lbs
Squat: 315lbs
OHP: 135lbs

I'm making this journal to keep myself accountable. It's open to advice and criticism, I still have a metric shit ton to learn about training. Hopefully it can inspire other short fucks to get big. If you can't tower over someone, make them walk around you.

[Theonidus]

Awwwwwwwwwwwww yiss.

[DoubleTapJak]

Took my semester-ending final last night in 3 minutes and treated myself to a chest day to celebrate. My lifting sessions are normally shorter and a little lighter than normal to leave enough energy for a good cardio burn during this God forsaken cut.

Warmup w/foam roller, stretches, pushups.

Bench Press:
1 x 6 (135)
2 x 5 (185)
1 x 1 (225) Just to see if I still can. Trying to not lose too much strength whilst cutting.
1 x 3 (155)

Incline Dumbbell Press:
1 x 8 (55)
1 x 5 (65)
1 x 3 (70)
2 x 5 (55)

Wide Grip Hammer Machine:
2 x 10 (70)
1 x 5 (90)
Cut that one short because my right shoulder was grinding. Going to have to keep weight lighter till I find a better form on it.

Lateral Cables:
3 x 10 (20)

10 Chinups
30 Pushups

Cardio:
20 Minutes - Cybex Arc Trainer Lvl 7 Intervals
This is the only cardio machine I've found I enjoy so far. Keeps the heart rate north of 185 and I normally burn about 300 calories in twenty minutes.

[G Diesel]

One of the greatest of powers we have as human beings is the ability to wake up each day and change our lives, minds and bodies through effort and determination.

Much respect on your journey bro.

Peace, G

[Dman]

Brethren,

I've decided to start this log having just passed the one year mark of lifting. I call it lifting because I haven't been training with any explicit goal in mind. This is the end of that. I've learned a lot about myself in the last year, my genetics, what I'm capable of, where my passion, and what my dedication is. My brother in iron, Theonidus, has been a huge influence on encouraging strength and power. I wasted months on poor diet and not pushing myself to go heavier when I could have. No more. When I started I was chubby and about 160lbs ~18% BFP. I'm currently in the third week of a cut running through the end of the year, coming down from 179 to hopefully around 170, to get rid of the fat I've put on this year and start 2014 with a lean slate. Next year will mark of the start of my transformation to an Animal, in every sense of the word. I'm tired of pretty boys worrying too much about losing their six pack, never getting any real work done.

Current stats:
Height: 5'6" (doubt this will ever change)
Weight: 174lbs
Age: 21

1RM:
Deadlift: 375lbs
Bench Press: 225lbs
Squat: 315lbs
OHP: 135lbs

I'm making this journal to keep myself accountable. It's open to advice and criticism, I still have a metric shit ton to learn about training. Hopefully it can inspire other short fucks to get big. If you can't tower over someone, make them walk around you.


Sick it's good to progress and get Strong(er) along the way as well, I'm also amongst the short Fu$# Legion out there lol(trust me height is a set thing..dang genetics), all power to you there brotha!!

[DoubleTapJak]

One of the greatest of powers we have as human beings is the ability to wake up each day and change our lives, minds and bodies through effort and determination.

Much respect on your journey bro.

Peace, G

G, you're a huge role model and I appreciate the support. Means a lot that you'd check in, thanks bro.


Sick it's good to progress and get Strong(er) along the way as well, I'm also amongst the short Fu$# Legion out there lol(trust me height is a set thing..dang genetics), all power to you there brotha!!

Screw genetics! I'm gonna do a half hour of weighted moon boot hangs a day until I hit 6'. That's science right there no matter what anyone says. http://i.imgur.com/hrm1M.gif

[DoubleTapJak]

Had a pretty decent, albeit rushed, back day yesterday.

Deadlifts:
I went pretty slow with these, really focusing on form. That's going to be crucial next year as I build up strength. I'm going to complain a lot about my gym in this journal, starting right meow. There's not a single personal trainer there worth shit so form checks are going to be tough. I may upload some videos for advice from my brethren on the road to Swollalla to give advice on. Going to try alternating weeks with standard and sumo deadlifts for mobility and hitting all the accessories for a strong base.
2 x 5 (135)
2 x 5 (185)
2 x 3 (225)
1 x 3 (315)

Seated Cable Rows w/ Moon grip bar:
2 x 15 (100)
2 x 15 (120)
1 x 10 (140)

Lat Pulldowns:
3 x 15 (140)

T-Bar Rows:
1 x 10 (185)
2 x 5 (225)

Behind the Neck Pullups:
~20 spread across 3 sets

No cardio last night. Yesterday I started a cycle of Animal Cuts, first time ever using the product. I'm actually pretty disappointed in the energy provided by it. Normally when it's been a full day I'll slam a scoop of Rage XL if I need a boost or feel like I'm dragging. Supposedly you don't need a preworkout if you take Cuts about a half hour before a workout but I didn't notice any boost from it and felt dead pretty quick into the workout. Meditate on this, I will. Diet-wise this week has been a bitch with finals and crazy schedules. I didn't have a free night to cook anything other than throwing some chicken in the oven so I wound up eating out more than I'd like. Hopefully I haven't set myself back too far with that.

[JulianO]

Great workouts man.. keep up the awesome work
I'll follow your journey
check it out my journey if you want
http://forum.animalpak.com/showthread.php?41797-JulianO-s-training-log-Powerlifting

[Theonidus]

I'm going to complain a lot about my gym in this journal, starting right meow. There's not a single personal trainer there worth shit so form checks are going to be tough.

Sir, you can't take that drink into the gym.
Or your gym back with your wraps, straps, chalk, or bands so that you can be strong and safe.
Oh, yeah. And you can't take your arms. You're much too strong for the other gym bros to feel comfortable while they work out near you.

[DoubleTapJak]

Great workouts man.. keep up the awesome work
I'll follow your journey
check it out my journey if you want
http://forum.animalpak.com/showthread.php?41797-JulianO-s-training-log-Powerlifting

Appreciate it! I welcome any and all bros to accompany me on my journey. Subbed to yours.


Sir, you can't take that drink into the gym.
Or your gym back with your wraps, straps, chalk, or bands so that you can be strong and safe.
Oh, yeah. And you can't take your arms. You're much too strong for the other gym bros to feel comfortable while they work out near you.

"You're intimidating the other guys working out." "Who?" "That freshman using the smith machine backwards."

[Dman]

G, you're a huge role model and I appreciate the support. Means a lot that you'd check in, thanks bro.



Screw genetics! I'm gonna do a half hour of weighted moon boot hangs a day until I hit 6'. That's science right there no matter what anyone says. http://i.imgur.com/hrm1M.gif

hahaha Yes Screw genetics, I'll keep pushin on gettin Strong(er) Kicking ass in life and in the wight room despite what anyone says genetics included I know you will too, brotha i'm down with the sickness cheers to those that break those barriers!!!

[DoubleTapJak]

Damn that was a good workout. I neglected my shoulders for so long the DCFS called and threatened to take them away from me. The last few months I've been doing high reps and lots of hypertrophy work to get them up to speed. To address my waning energy problem from last night I didn't take the red pill in my Cuts pack before dinner, and instead took my regular preworkout Rage XL.

Bodyweight Chinups:
5 x 10

Overhead Press:
2 x 5 (bar)
7 x 5 (95)

Single Arm and Alternating Linear Jammers:
65lbs till exhaustion with varying grips.

Forward Barbell Shrugs:
1 x 15 (135)
2 x 15 (185)

Side Lateral Raises:
Went slow with these, focusing on flexing as hard as possible, putting in stops at different angles for 2-5 seconds.
3 x 20 (10)

Ab Work & Cardio:

Kneeling Rope & Cable Crunches:
1 x 15 (60)
1 x 15 (70)
1 x 20 (77.5)

Oblique Cable Pulldowns:
3 x 20 (45)

Got about 10 minutes of Interval Sprints in before the gym closed. Now that the semester be done it closes at 9pm. Gonna have to plan better for that. Weighed myself and am still at 176lbs, so didn't gain any but didn't lose any this week. I'll have to make up for it next week. God I hate cardio, but I left feeling good after the weak day yesterday.

[DoubleTapJak]

HIIT Training today. Pretty simple, about a half hour of various arm exercises comprised of different curls, skull crushers, cable work, and dips. Followed it with 15 minutes on the Arc Trainer and then 10 minutes on the punching bag.

[DoubleTapJak]

I'm not happy. I don't like this cut. I planned on being hungry more often and not feeling as full but the lack of carbs is taking its toll. Feeling this tired isn't something I'm used to and I don't enjoy it. Tonight I tested my squats and have lost 10lbs off my 1RM. I haven't been pushing leg days as hard the last month to save my legs for cardio, and I'm sure that's the cause. My commitment to the cut is wavering and I feel torn between the two lifestyles in front of me. For now I'm gonna push on with a slightly more moderate diet to hopefully get my energy and stamina back up.

Tonight's lifts:
Warmup - stretches, foam roller, bodyweight squats

Squat:
1 x 10 (bar)
1 x 6 (135)
1 x 5 (185)
1 x 3 (225)
1 x 1 (295)
1 x 1 (315 - failed)
1 x 1 (305)
1 x 8 (135)

Forward Lunges:
3 x 25 (70lbs)

Cardio:
Rowing Machine 15 minutes

If anyone has a suggestion for cardio I'd love to hear it. I'm having a really hard time doing much more than 15-20 minutes because I lose interest so quickly.

[DoubleTapJak]

Last night I ate an entire pizza in a fit of rebellion.

[DoubleTapJak]

I was feeling somewhat guilty yesterday after my cheesy goodness cheat day, but I think it was exactly what I needed. Walked into the Temple last night with a newfound resolve to finish this cut strong. I think it's basically curiosity at this point to see if I can and what kind of results I can get. I pray Brodin sees fit to allow me to keep as much strength as possible, and am upping my protein per day to try and compensate. For the rest of this cycle I'll be switching to a more classic split rather than my patented "Punch One Muscle Group in the Face Until it Dies" routine. Splitting the work should give me enough energy at the end of lifting to hit some serious cardio.

This is Holley: http://www.wired.com/playbook/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/140694432.jpg
She's 5'8" and an Olympic Powerlifter, last year she made waves and did surprisingly well in the Olympic Trials. However, Holley placed 10th at London.

This is Lulu: http://www.allthingsgym.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Lulu-Zhou-187kg-Clean-Jerk-World-Record-Total-London-2012.jpg.
Lulu is an inch taller than Holley, 40lbs lighter, and doesn't look like she's hired people to shovel sheet cake into her mouth for her. Oh yeah, she also placed 1st in 2012, setting a world record in the process.

Everyone has their personal definition of fitness, but I believe I can find a balance of strength and overall health that I'm happy with. While eating big, pulling more, and being a beast comes far easier to me than eating a salad and that bullshit called cardio, finding a healthy medium will last me a lot longer. If it takes me a few weeks or months longer to hit a new PR on a compound lift, so be it. The ladies above are both incredibly impressive; Lulu just goes to show that bigger is not always better.

Last night's training:
Stretch/roller/pushups

Dumbell Chasers: read about these in P Diesel's post from a few months ago and absolutely love them. Great way to start and get a shitton of blood flow going.
2 x 10 (30)
1 x 12 (35)
1 x 5 (40)

Narrow Grip Cable Pulls:
1 x 12 (100)
2 x 15 (140)
1 x 12 (150)

EZ Grip Preacher Curls:
3 x 5 (50) slowly

Wide Grip Pullups:
1 x 15

Standing Reverse Curls:
1 x 12 (55)
1 x 6 (65)
1 x 12 (45)

Dual Pulley Lat Pulldowns:
3 x 10 (60)

Dumbell Rows: (went all out on these)
1 x 12 (40)
1 x 15 (50)
1 x 15 (60)

Cardio:
Only got 15 minutes in since the gym closes early over break. Went ham though.

[Nix0r]

Looking good in here. I know you're all the way down in Bumblefuck, but assuming the weather doesn't become a total asshole, you should try and hit up an ABC with us Chicago guys. Teddy usually goes, and he's in an even worse Bumblefuck.

[DoubleTapJak]

Looking good in here. I know you're all the way down in Bumblefuck, but assuming the weather doesn't become a total asshole, you should try and hit up an ABC with us Chicago guys. Teddy usually goes, and he's in an even worse Bumblefuck.

The whole Midwest is Bumblefuck. Thanks for the invite, it'd be great to get around more Animals. I know I could take a train up there and it's cheaper than driving, but I'd have to figure out some sort of rides. Hit me up on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Von.Knippert

Also, any advice for how to find STL brethren? I posted in the STL thread but there's not much activity on it.

J.

[Nix0r]

STL appears to be a barren wasteland; outside of Chicago, I can't really think of any other chapters in the remote area that have any kind of activity.

[DoubleTapJak]

STL appears to be a barren wasteland; outside of Chicago, I can't really think of any other chapters in the remote area that have any kind of activity.

Hmm. Maybe it's time to start one. I'm sure other followers of the path exist around here. Just gotta find them and a gym that doesn't suck.

[Theonidus]

The St. Louis area chapter (as well as the KC chapter) died in 2009 or so, I believe.
It doesn't help that a majority of the gyms in the STL area are now "fitness clubs" and the like. Making the drive to Jakked, Quads South, and Madtown is always worth it.

[DoubleTapJak]

Making the drive to Jakked, Quads South, and Madtown is always worth it.

For weekend fun that would be awesome. 4 hour drive daily ain't really an option though.

[DoubleTapJak]

Had a decent conditioning day Thursday, but most of last week I felt like I was fighting off a cold so I didn't push it too hard in an attempt to not be sick for Christmas. Only one week of the official cut planned, but I may push it a few more weeks into January just to get it a little farther. I'm learning that I'm a lot happier when I eat carbs, so for the sake of sanity I'm starting to phase those back in, but not in huge abundances.

Friday was chest day, I didn't use my journal and have had a lot of scotch since then so here's my rough estimation:
Warmup: Stretch/Foam Roller/Jog/Pushups
Floor press (I've started using these to help train the pushoff from my chest):
2 x 10 (85)
1 x 7 (135)
1 x 5 (185)

Incline Dumbbell Press:
Pyramid work x 10 (45/55/65/55/45)

Cable Work (High/Mid/Low)

Chinups x30


Saturday. Motha. Fuckin. Saturday.
My fellow swoledier Theonidus and I journeyed to the hallowed halls of Eagles Gym in STL. Now I finally know what a real gym is like. Little hole in the wall run by the same guy for 35 years with crumbling walls and rain dripping from the ceiling. It was Teddy's leg day so I got some good hypertrophy in and punished myself for losing that PR.

Squat:
Bar x 10
1 x 8 (135)
1 x 8 (225)
1 x 7? More than I expected to get (275)
1 x 4 (225)
Bar x 10

Speed Deadlift: Hadn't done these before but I'll need to train a lot more explosive to do well once I start Das Cube
2 x 6 (135)
1 x 5 (185) Still hadn't really gotten it yet until now
1 x 1 (225)

Got to play with Atlas Stones at this point, Teddy and I had never tried them before. I got maybe 3 decent lifts to a chest height with the 150lb stone. In a fearsome display of power Teddy nailed the 260lb stone whilst ripping all the skin off his forearms.

Reverse Hyper Machine:
1 x 10 (empty)
2 x 10 (45)

Had a great workout, even though we had to work around the throbbing erections we were sporting. If I move out of Edwardsville anytime soon, it'll hopefully be closer to one of the Eagles locations or similarly run businesses. Took yesterday and today off cuz family reasons, should be able to fit in one tomorrow before more holiday cheer.

Merry Christmas ya filthy Animals.

[JulianO]

Merry X'mas buddy

[DoubleTapJak]

I like routines. As people who like routines tend to, I hate when my routine is fucked with. At work I have my scheduled feeding times, then I go home and train. Weekends I sleep and eat, and lift. Holidays suck because all that goes out the window. Last few days have been toughest on my water intake, because I don't always have my water bottle with me and it's apparently weird to go to the bathroom two or three times an hour. That being said, I still got two decent workouts in, and had a great time with family/friends. Can't complain too much. I'm also having to go to the YMCA this week while my school gym is closed. Less equipment makes accessory work more difficult but I can still get the big stuff.

Tuesday: Shoulders
Warmup: stretching/jogging/pushups/pullups
OHP: hit this hard to wake up and get the muscles filled with blood, then inverse pyramid down
Bar x 12
2 x 10 (90)
2 x 12 (70)
1 x 10 (60)
Bar x 8

V Pushups x 30
These guys are killer, the form can be adjusted to hit accessories or isolate the shoulder, as well as wide or close if your shoulder grinds like mine does.

Bent Dumbbell Raise:
1 x 15 (25)
1 x 10 (30)
1 x 12 (35)
1 x 8 (40)
1 x 10 (45) bad form on the last few but wanted to push harder

Dumbbell Shrugs:
2 x till exhaustion (55)



Wednesday: Cardio
Insanity - Power and Resistance. Did this at home since the gym was closed, actually enjoyed it a good bit. I did the two full months of Insanity when I first started working out to get a start on fitness. Forgot how fast 45 minutes could go when the exercises are constantly changing.

Chest tonight. Year's almost up therefore almost done with the cut. I'm debating between starting next year with Smolov Jr for Chest or The Cube. Gonna do both, but I kind of want to catch my chest up to my squat and deadlift. Love to get some feedback if anyone's got it.

[DoubleTapJak]

I felt like I haven't done that many reps in a while so I went a little lighter tonight.

Warmup:
Stretching/Baby DB's/Pushups x 20

Bench Press:
Bar x 10
1 x 10 (90)
1 x 15 (135) definitely need more hypertrophy work on this
1 x 8 (185) had to fight the last three super hard
1 x 10 (135)
Bar x 10

Skullcrushers:
1 arm DB w/25 x 15
2 arm DB:
2 x 12 (55)

Dumbbell Flys (40lbs) superset w/DB Press (55lbs)
x14/x10/x8

Tricep Pulldowns:
1 x 15 (60)
1 x 12 (65)
1 x 10 (70)

Cable Work:
Lateral Presses (35) to exhaustion x 3

Dips x 10


Great workout, definitely feel it today. Felt weak on the bench press though so I'm going to try to hit it again maybe Sunday or Monday for a little extra conditioning.

[DoubleTapJak]

Woke up Saturday with a raw throat and a headache, went to the gym anyway and about halfway through felt like everything drained out of me. Pushed a little farther and wound up almost falling off the lat pulldown machine, so I decided I should go home. Looks like the cold I was trying to fight off rallied and hit hard. I was out of commission yesterday, gonna try to get through it tonight and see how I feel.

Saturday: Bicep and Back - lots of high reps today, really tried to push to get two or three more when I was exhausted
Standing BB Curl: the Y had shitty magnet clipons for their free weights, I *think* they totaled 5lbs. Not sure.
1 x 15 (55/60/65)
1 x 8 (70)
1 x 6 (75)

Narrow Grip Cable Rows:
~12-15 (100/115/125/145)

Dumbbell Preacher Curls:
Honestly can't remember. I need to write this shit down or update sooner. I vaguely remember a 35 involved at some point.

Bent Barbell Rows: haven't done these much due to unsure form. Starting to experiment more with heavier weights and program my muscles now.
3 x 15 (90)

Chasers:
1 x 10 (30)
1 x 8 (25)
1 x 6 (35)

Lat Pulldown (wide):
Got about two sets before I accidentally the bar and half fell off the bench. That's when Jimmy went home. Also: reason number 17 working out at the YMCA sucked - there was a kid's pizza party downstairs. Very hard to lift with cheesy goodness 20 feet below me.

Sunday:
Did a round of Shaun T's Focus T25 cardio with the girlfriend. Kept my heart rate decent and didn't feel horrible afterwards. I'm very excited she's started working out again, she quit when she graduated and stopped playing tennis at her college. Can't wait to see where that goes, maybe someday the weight room.

[Theonidus]

Can't wait to see where that goes, maybe someday the weight room.

Spoiler alert: it won't.

[DoubleTapJak]

Start of the new year, gentlemen. That means I'm done with cutting and dialing back up the diet. I'm aiming for around 3500 calories a day to start out with, and see if that's enough or I need more. My goal is (like most) lean muscle mass with minimal fat to stay healthy. I'm starting The Cube Method on Sunday. Tonight I shall dial in my 1RM on Deadlifts, then finish the calculations.

Takeaway from the cut: My final weight is 174lbs, so lost a little more than five pounds. Not bad, not as much as I was expecting, but this was a great learning experience. Next time around, someday far away, I'll have more realistic expectations and know what kind of dedication I'll need to get enough cardio and diet in. My aesthetics got a little better, a few people have mentioned a difference, but it's not night and day. Of course it was only a 7 week cut so it's not like I'm going to drop 5% body fat in that time. Also, starting a cut the week before finals and running through the holidays is a terrible idea.

Monday night I had a great Trap session. Practiced a couple different olympic lifts and some farmers walks, face pulls, etc. I'll work these in throughout the rest of the week when I'm not on the set Cube days.

[DoubleTapJak]

Managed to put 25lbs on my deadlift since the last time I maxed out, even with cutting. No idea how that happened. Felt awesome though, clean, didn't hurt, very happy. I tried a belt for the first time ever and felt like it didn't affect my form negatively and helped give a little support.

Warmup/stretching/etc

Deadlift:
Bar x 10
2 x 6 (135)
1 x 5 (185)
1 x 3 (225)
1 x 1 (275)
1 x 1 (315)
1 x 1 (365)
1 x failed (375)

Hamstring Curls:
1 x 15 (25)
1 x 15 (30)
2 x 8 (35)

Bent Over Barbell Rows:
1 x 15 (90)
1 x 15 (110)
1 x 12 (75)

Lat Pulldowns:
3 sets to failure (120/140/160)

Went home completely wiped out and very happy. Looking forward to the Chicago ABC next month!

[Swolepez]

Hopefully it can inspire other short fucks to get big. If you can't tower over someone, make them walk around you.

I like this ^^^ ... Being that I'm 5'7 myself

[Swolepez]

Nice Deadlift PR by the way! Exact same PR as mine

[DoubleTapJak]

I like this ^^^ ... Being that I'm 5'7 myself
Glad I'm not the only one. Being short is rarely useful and never fun. What body type are you? I'm curious to see what other vertically challenged lifters are like. I'm a textbook endomorph so I was always short and thick/chubby/stocky as a kid. Putting on muscle or fat has always been easy. Keeping lean is the hard part.

Nice Deadlift PR by the way! Exact same PR as mine
Thanks, brother. It felt fucking awesome. Nothing feels better than getting Strong(er) and seeing the results. I'll follow your journey and look forward to the progress.

[Swolepez]

Glad I'm not the only one. Being short is rarely useful and never fun. What body type are you? I'm curious to see what other vertically challenged lifters are like. I'm a textbook endomorph so I was always short and thick/chubby/stocky as a kid. Putting on muscle or fat has always been easy. Keeping lean is the hard part.
Endomorph as well, was chubby as a kid. I put muscle on decently but I feel like fat comes on easy and stays lol. I'm currently trying to cut....it's a pain the ass


Thanks, brother. It felt fucking awesome. Nothing feels better than getting Strong(er) and seeing the results. I'll follow your journey and look forward to the progress.

Thanks bro, I will definitely stay tuned in here as well.

[DoubleTapJak]

I'm currently trying to cut....it's a pain the ass


If you look back through the last few weeks of my journey you'll meet someone in a cut and very unhappy about it. Learned a lot though, I'll be better prepared for the next one after this long cut.

[Swolepez]

If you look back through the last few weeks of my journey you'll meet someone in a cut and very unhappy about it. Learned a lot though, I'll be better prepared for the next one after this long cut.

Yeah I saw it brother. Im gonna give my cut another 2 wks or so and then evaluate and see if my diet is on point or if I need to add some carbs back in like you did.......

[DoubleTapJak]

Yeah I saw it brother. Im gonna give my cut another 2 wks or so and then evaluate and see if my diet is on point or if I need to add some carbs back in like you did.......

I felt the energy difference instantly. Even a handful of carbs made my training sessions last longer and get more work done. Would up burning more calories in the long run.

[DoubleTapJak]

So my digestive system hasn't quite gotten used to massive amount of food and dairy it's been having to process the last few days. On top of that, due to starting a new job and waiting for paychecks to start I hadn't taken Pak in about a month so those are shooting their way through me at record speed. In short: I failed to pepper my angus. I know this, too, shall pass. I just hope it's soon, I'm running out of baby wipes.

Did some conditioning work last night, high rep squats and weighted lunges as well as hamstring and calf work. I was showing a friend some of the ropes and took the opportunity to rest up, kick cold, and prep for starting the Cube.

Tonight I was going to do more light work but felt great and an managed to throw ten more pounds on my OHP for a total of 145. I failed the first attempt and wasn't sure, then a Planet Fitness commercial came on the radio and gave me the rage I needed to hoist the weight. Then did some upper back and bicep work with her.

[DoubleTapJak]

Had a miserable weekend stuck inside thanks to the snow. Between my chinup bar and the trusty Insanity DVD's I still managed to get some bodyweight and conditioning done. Last night was the first night of Brandon Lilly's and IT. FUCKING. ROCKED. I work so much harder when I've got a program and I know what I'm going to do walking into the gym, rather than making it up as I go. I'm thrilled to see what kind of progress I'll make with this program.

Chest Day:

Warmup:
Stretch/Foam Roll/Pushups

Floor Press:
Bar x many
1 x 5 (90)
1 x 5 (135)
5 x 2 (180)

Bench Press:
2 x 15 (135)

Lat Pulldown:
3 x 12 (100/120/140)

Tricep Pushdown: (don't have bands so I substituted with cables)
4 x 25 (rope/angled bar grip/straight bar)

DB Shrugs: learning to reset my grip to get better strength out of it - these were tough on the hands
3 x 15 (55/60/65)

Military Press:
3 x 12 (90/80/75)

[Theonidus]

AWWWWWWWWWWWW YISS. Mutha. Fuckin'. Floor. Presses.

And I think the main reason why Lilly suggests band pressdowns is because at his gym there isn't a cable machine.
Someone else can correct me, but I don't think at your level getting in the work via rope/handle cable pushdowns versus bands there will be much of a difference.

[DoubleTapJak]

AWWWWWWWWWWWW YISS. Mutha. Fuckin'. Floor. Presses.


I've never done Floor and Bench in the same night before. By the second set of Bench I was dead.

[Theonidus]

Whenever we can catch a session together we'll have to program something in more akin to DAS CUBE rather than me dicking around with a vague goal in mind.
Or whenever we're not dealing with that sniveling little girl you live with.

[DoubleTapJak]

Been a weird week schedule-wise. Got my three main lift days and a bodybuilding day in though, so not terrible. Having to get 35-4000 from healthy sources is tougher than I thought it would be, trying to not give in to slamming McGangBangs to get the calories. After this month I'll see how much fat versus actual muscle I've gained and will adjust from there.

Friday: Back
1" Deficit Deads:
2 x 5 (135)
1 x 3 (185)
1 x 1 (225)
1 x 8 (260)

4" Block Pull:
2 x 3 (295)

Oly Squat: didn't actually do these tonight, tweaked my knee somehow during the day and couldn't put my weight on it without pain so I held off for a day.

Glute Hamstring Raise:
4 x 10 (body/25/25/45)

Back Raises:
x 50
--------------------------------------------
Saturday: Squats. Lotsa squats.

Squat (explosive): knee was feeling better so I went full on these but a little light on the accessory work
Bar x 12
1 x 5 (135)
1 x 3 (185)
8 x 3 (190)

Supposed to do Top Squats here, don't have the bar. Will have to find something to sub for them.

Olympic Squat: Since I don't squat with any equipment or gear my regular back squats are actually closer to Oly squats. So for these I brought grip and footing closer together and went as deep and slow as possible.
5 x 5 (185/205/205/225/245)

Leg Press: found out the plate for a Hammer Strength leg press weighs 118lbs. So that's neat.
4 x 15 (90/180/270/360)

Reverse Hyper:
3 x 12 (25)

KB Swings: by now I was dead on my feet, these finished me faster than two Asians in a oil bath. I really like Asians.
3 x 15 (35)

[Swolepez]

Nice work ^^^......what's your bulking diet currently looking like?

[DoubleTapJak]

Nice work ^^^......what's your bulking diet currently looking like?

Thanks, brother. I'm currently aiming for 3500 calories a day, sometimes going over to around 37-4000 depending on my final meal. I have to have variation with my meals otherwise they're just going to sit in the fridge so I'll try to give some examples.

Meal 1:
Weekdays I wake up early for work and don't have time to cook so this winds up being something like chicken and pasta or leftovers, unless I've made a breakfast casserole, in which case I'll have a chunk of that.
Casserole:
18 eggs, 1.5lbs thick cut bacon, hash browns, milk, and as much cheese as you delight. I'll bake that for around 45 minutes and eat plain or with salsa and it'll last about a week before getting rubbery. I estimate ~1000 calories per generous serving.
Sometimes I'll supplement with a protein bar if I don't think I hit enough.

Meal 2:
Something that had a mother and complex carbs. My default is baked chicken breast with rice or pasta. I'll mix some eggs in with rice and add some oil to it. Usually something else like a couple Greek Yogurts as well for another easy 420 calories. ~800-1000

Meal 3:
Torrent shake or scrounged free food from work. You'll see I don't like meal replacement shakes because they fill me up and I don't get many calories from them. Maybe someday I'll make real gainer shakes but don't have the inclination to as of now. I like torrent for midday because it has slow acting Waxy Maize so it'll be in my system for a while.

Meal 4:
Couple of PB&J's, heavy on the PB.

Meal 5:
Post workout shake and some more meat.

Takeaway:
This is an ideal day and I don't think I've had one of those yet. I'm using the MyFitnessPal calorie counter app for now until I get used to what this range of calories feels like and I feel safe estimating. Sometimes I'll find myself falling behind due to work or schedule or laziness and will catch up by slamming a bag of Taco Bell or Qdoba. Also Chinese Food. Mhm.

The body can't process much more than 20g of protein in an hour so you'll never see me aiming for 100g protein meals, there's no point. It's far better to get continuous sources throughout the day and then a good source with casein protein before bed (eggs are excellent for this) so you can continually be producing maximum muscle mass. If you've never read it, Zyzz's Bible had some great sources for meal timing and macro timing in it. On a good day I'll get anywhere upwards of 200g in a day.


-J

[Swolepez]

Thanks, brother. I'm currently aiming for 3500 calories a day, sometimes going over to around 37-4000 depending on my final meal. I have to have variation with my meals otherwise they're just going to sit in the fridge so I'll try to give some examples.

Meal 1:
Weekdays I wake up early for work and don't have time to cook so this winds up being something like chicken and pasta or leftovers, unless I've made a breakfast casserole, in which case I'll have a chunk of that.
Casserole:
18 eggs, 1.5lbs thick cut bacon, hash browns, milk, and as much cheese as you delight. I'll bake that for around 45 minutes and eat plain or with salsa and it'll last about a week before getting rubbery. I estimate ~1000 calories per generous serving.
Sometimes I'll supplement with a protein bar if I don't think I hit enough.

Meal 2:
Something that had a mother and complex carbs. My default is baked chicken breast with rice or pasta. I'll mix some eggs in with rice and add some oil to it. Usually something else like a couple Greek Yogurts as well for another easy 420 calories. ~800-1000

Meal 3:
Torrent shake or scrounged free food from work. You'll see I don't like meal replacement shakes because they fill me up and I don't get many calories from them. Maybe someday I'll make real gainer shakes but don't have the inclination to as of now. I like torrent for midday because it has slow acting Waxy Maize so it'll be in my system for a while.

Meal 4:
Couple of PB&J's, heavy on the PB.

Meal 5:
Post workout shake and some more meat.

Takeaway:
This is an ideal day and I don't think I've had one of those yet. I'm using the MyFitnessPal calorie counter app for now until I get used to what this range of calories feels like and I feel safe estimating. Sometimes I'll find myself falling behind due to work or schedule or laziness and will catch up by slamming a bag of Taco Bell or Qdoba. Also Chinese Food. Mhm.

The body can't process much more than 20g of protein in an hour so you'll never see me aiming for 100g protein meals, there's no point. It's far better to get continuous sources throughout the day and then a good source with casein protein before bed (eggs are excellent for this) so you can continually be producing maximum muscle mass. If you've never read it, Zyzz's Bible had some great sources for meal timing and macro timing in it. On a good day I'll get anywhere upwards of 200g in a day.


-J

Awesome bro, looks like a great bulk...yeah Bc of my height I've always been afraid to go north of 3500-3700 cals. So i wanted to get some tips. But after my cut I will slowly go up to 3500 and hopefully get up to 4000 eventually.

My schedule is kinda the opposite of yours, basically all my shifts are in the evening so I cook everything in the morning.

[DoubleTapJak]

Awesome bro, looks like a great bulk...yeah Bc of my height I've always been afraid to go north of 3500-3700 cals. So i wanted to get some tips. But after my cut I will slowly go up to 3500 and hopefully get up to 4000 eventually.

My schedule is kinda the opposite of yours, basically all my shifts are in the evening so I cook everything in the morning.
Right now I'm far more concerned with gaining mass than staying lean so if I'm eating too much and put on some fat I'll just reverse diet down after a month or two. For now I'm weighing myself nearly every day and taking pictures to compare fat percentage as I go. So far I haven't noticed a bad imbalance. Lost a little vascularity but didn't have much to begin with so not a big deal there. I'll keep you updated.

[Swolepez]

Right now I'm far more concerned with gaining mass than staying lean so if I'm eating too much and put on some fat I'll just reverse diet down after a month or two. For now I'm weighing myself nearly every day and taking pictures to compare fat percentage as I go. So far I haven't noticed a bad imbalance. Lost a little vascularity but didn't have much to begin with so not a big deal there. I'll keep you updated.

Sounds good bro, looking forward to seeing your progress.

[DoubleTapJak]

Holy hell was the gym packed last night. I work out at my school's gym and yesterday was the start of the semester so there were about 200 extras milling around, taking up space, talking about how this semester will be different. I wound up not warming up enough and ignored it out of frustration and suffering for it on my first lift.

DAS CUBE called for Reps today, and holy hell did I give it. Today my arms and chest start shaking when I try to bring them together in front of me.

Incline Bench:
bar x 10
1 x 5 (135)
1 x 8 (160) wound up failing on my fifth, I believe since I wasn't warmed up enough, and having to take a break for ~30 seconds before finishing

Incline DB:
1 x 20 (55)
2 x 10 (45)

Tricep Rope Pulldowns:
3 x 12 (65)

Cable Flyes(Flies?):
3 x 15 (25)

EZ Grip Lateral Chest Crushers: these wiped me out. Supposed to be band pulldowns x 100 but I don't have any, so I decided to go heavy and hard with these instead with a few small breaks.
4 x 25 (45)

Saved Military Press for tomorrow which will be my "Bodybuilding day", focusing on upper back and shoulders. I haven't had chest DOMS like this in a long time which just shows me I got too comfortable with my chest workouts. DOMS is a bitch but I love it because it tells me I did real work the night before.

[TheVegetarianStrongman]

Brethren,

I've decided to start this log having just passed the one year mark of lifting. I call it lifting because I haven't been training with any explicit goal in mind. This is the end of that. I've learned a lot about myself in the last year, my genetics, what I'm capable of, where my passion, and what my dedication is. My brother in iron, Theonidus, has been a huge influence on encouraging strength and power. I wasted months on poor diet and not pushing myself to go heavier when I could have. No more. When I started I was chubby and about 160lbs ~18% BFP. I'm currently in the third week of a cut running through the end of the year, coming down from 179 to hopefully around 170, to get rid of the fat I've put on this year and start 2014 with a lean slate. Next year will mark of the start of my transformation to an Animal, in every sense of the word. I'm tired of pretty boys worrying too much about losing their six pack, never getting any real work done.

Current stats:
Height: 5'6" (doubt this will ever change)
Weight: 174lbs
Age: 21

1RM:
Deadlift: 375lbs
Bench Press: 225lbs
Squat: 315lbs
OHP: 135lbs

I'm making this journal to keep myself accountable. It's open to advice and criticism, I still have a metric shit ton to learn about training. Hopefully it can inspire other short fucks to get big. If you can't tower over someone, make them walk around you.

I run a fundraising organization 50' Closer to A Cure ( www.facebook.com/50feetcloser ), and one of my strongest athletes is 5'6" brother! He recently set a world record circus dumbbell press of 210lb at 168lb bodyweight, he reps out the car deadlift with any midsize car, has a 300lb log clean and press and a 365lb axle push press from the rack.

In other words, you're in good company with your height and frame man, just stay focused and keep at it!!

[DoubleTapJak]

I run a fundraising organization 50' Closer to A Cure ( www.facebook.com/50feetcloser ), and one of my strongest athletes is 5'6" brother! He recently set a world record circus dumbbell press of 210lb at 168lb bodyweight, he reps out the car deadlift with any midsize car, has a 300lb log clean and press and a 365lb axle push press from the rack.

In other words, you're in good company with your height and frame man, just stay focused and keep at it!!

That's some powerful motivation, brother. I appreciate the words and can't stop reading the stories on your facebook page. Looks like I've got more goals to work towards!

[DoubleTapJak]

My company's annual summit is today and a good number of employees from our Japanese partner are here. All these Japanese businesswomen in skirts... http://weknowgifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/that-booty-had-me-like-gif.gif

[Nix0r]

My company's annual summit is today and a good number of employees from our Japanese partner are here. All these Japanese businesswomen in skirts... http://weknowgifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/that-booty-had-me-like-gif.gif


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHyMivF0Dg4

[DoubleTapJak]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHyMivF0Dg4

http://weknowgifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/let-me-wipe-your-seat-off-for-you.gif

Deadlift Day - Explosive Training:

Warmup:
Roller/Stretching

Deads: My back has been pretty tight all week, not sure if it was just not used to the two days of deads/squats in a row or sleeping funny or what. To take a bit of the pressure off I used a belt today, didn't notice any negative stress.
2 x 5 (135)
1 x 5 (185)
8 x 3 (220)

4" Block Pull Snatch Grip:
3 x 12 (185)

Barbell Shrugs:
3 x 12 (135/185/205)

Back Raises:
50

Lat Pulldown:
2 x 12 (120)

Had to give up on the Lat Pulldowns halfway through. All the bar work I'm doing with the Cube and not being allowed to use chalk in my gym is hell on my hands. After they started bleeding I decided it wasn't worth two more sets if it was going to effect my lifts for the next week. I hate the idea of using Bitch Mittens but it may be my best choice. There's stubborn then there's stupid. Meditate on this, I will.

J

[DoubleTapJak]

Friday: Trap City, Bitch

Went hard on the upper back this day and still feel it today. Did a lot of hypertrophy building on my shrugs from Thursday.

Chinups:
x30

Clean and Press:
2 x 5 (95)
1 x 3 (135)
1 x 10 (95)

Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown:
2 x 10 (100)
1 x 5 (120)

Trap Bar Shrugs:
2 x 20 (135)
2 x 20 (225)
2 x 20 (275)

Bent BB Rows:
3 x 135 (10)

[Theonidus]

Are you running DAS CUBE? How did you set it up?

[DoubleTapJak]

Squat: overall these felt very easy and I don't have much soreness from it. Could have went heavier but honestly the break for once on legs felt great.
bar x many
2 x 5 (135)
1 x 5 (185)
4 x 2 (250)
1 x 4 (250)

Good Mornings:
3 x 8 (80/100/120)

Leg Press:
3 x 20 (400/300/350)

Weighted Reverse Hyper Extensions: never done these with a 45 pounder before. Actually moved a garbage can in front of me for the third set because I was sure I was going to hurl. Didn't though. The gym workers get so pissy about that.
3 x 12 (45)

Leg Curls: seems like no matter how much I stretch and warm up with these my right knee still tweaks each time I go any more than ~70 degrees, like going too far back on a skullcrusher
2 x 50 (20)

Something sad happened at the gym that night. As I was giving thanks to Brodin in the squat rack, two qt3.14's walked up to the deadlift station behind me and started trying to clean the 35lb plates off it the last guy had left. They were having trouble so my roommate helped them out and wound up putting 25's on the bar for them. Normally I don't white knight but always get excited to see women doing compound lifts. Uplifted, I went back to squatting. I know I shouldn't have had my hopes up, but I couldn't help feeling slightly depressed when after five or six minutes of playing on their phones, they each did one set of clean and jerks-ish and left the weight room leaving the bar loaded. Le sigh. Maybe one day.

[DoubleTapJak]

Are you running DAS CUBE? How did you set it up?

I am, about to start the third week. Way it's been falling:
Monday - Chest Day
Tuesday - Rest Day
Wednesday - Deadlift
Thursday - Bodybuilding (Upper back/biceps)
Friday - Rest Day
Saturday - Leg Day
Sunday - Rest Day

Sometimes there's another bodybuilding day, I'm gonna have to replan my schedule now that school's in session again.

Plan Spreadsheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8qG-Vwq5ov5T054S0pQVlFfbUU/edit?usp=sharing

[DoubleTapJak]

Didn't realize my campus was closed for MKL day and the gym was on shortened hours so I wound up cutting out the ab work and rushing everything else. God I want a real gym.

Long warm up while I was waiting for the power rack to be open

Floor Press: banged these out with short rest periods in between ~15-30 seconds
Bar x many
1 x 5 (135) slow
10 x 3 (135)

Incline DB Press: I always feel like my DB work is lagging, gonna start hitting some hypertrophy on them during my bodybuilding days
3 x 15 (55/50/45)

Rope Grip Tricep Pushdown:
2 x 50 (50/40)

Standing DB OHP: again felt very weak
3 x 10 (45/40/40)

Cable Fly:
3 x 15

As far as the bulk goes, it's a little slower than I expected but I'm not going to dial up calories anymore right now. I don't think a body my size will do anything useful with any more at this stage. Instead I'll be upping my fat intake a little more and try to get another 30-50g of Protein to ensure what I am building is muscle and not just fat. Up to 190lbs which is by far the heaviest I've ever been and it looks and feels good. No worries so far.

[Swolepez]

Your gym is probably still better than mine, mine closes at 9:30 pm at the latest....it has no hammer strength machines and just 1 squat rack lol

[DoubleTapJak]

Your gym is probably still better than mine, mine closes at 9:30 pm at the latest....it has no hammer strength machines and just 1 squat rack lol

Shit sucks bro. We have one squat rack and two smith machines for the truly desperate. Plenty of machines and a handful of benches. My main problem always there is the atmosphere and the attitude of the employees. One of them was actually so rude after I strained my neck and was asking for some ice I decked him. Not a great night. Then there's the no drinks, no chalk, no strength mentality. Oh and our music playlist is some combination of oldies, country, and lady gaga.

[Theonidus]

Oh and our music playlist is some combination of oldies, country, and lady gaga.

...or some mentally handicapped kid playing Justin Timberlake off of his speakerphone.

[DoubleTapJak]

...or some mentally handicapped kid playing Justin Timberlake off of his speakerphone.

Dude had to be full blown retard. Then again they were wrestlers and I've never met one of those with a triple-digit IQ.

[DoubleTapJak]

Went swimming yesterday, maybe not the best idea the day after chest. Holy crap were my delts/triceps dead afterwards. Swam for about a half hour ~10-12 laps then sat in the sauna for a while. Decent conditioning workout while still having a lot of fun.

[DoubleTapJak]

Wednesday Training: went with a few of my teammates from work to the "fitness center" in our building and was greated by thirty machines, a few dumbbells, an ez curl bar, and a broken smith machine. Won't be going back there but I managed to give the others the best advice I had. "Find a barbell, and get under it." Disappointingly, we only had about 40 minutes to work with but that made it a nice change because I didn't take my usual rest periods. The lack of downtime gave me a chance to get a decent sweat going.

Warmup:
Stretch/DB swings/Pushups

OHP:
2 x 15 (90)
1 x 10 (110)
1 x 5 (120)

Smith Machine Shrugs:
2 x 15 (2 plates)
2 x 15 (4 plates)

Farmer's Walks:
60/65/70 each one lap around the room

Lat Pulldowns:
4 x 12 (110/120/135/150)

Bent DB Row:
2 x 20 (55)

----------------------------------------------------------
Thursday: since school started I'm finding myself on campus with a 2.5 hour gap around 3pm and started doing my workouts then. I'm really loving having all my energy still and not having to count on preworkout to get pumped.

Squat:
2 x 8 (135)
1 x 5 (185)
1 x 8 (190)

Wide Stance GM:
3 x 8 (90/110/120)

BB Lunges:
3 x 15 (80/90/100)

Oly Squats: Goal was to not rack the bar until I hit 50 reps. Came so fucking close but had to stop at 40 to throw up then finish the last ten. Definitely the hardest thing I've ever tried lifting. Next time I try this I'll do it with less food in me.
1 x 40 (135) (ten second barf break)
1 x 10 (135)

Ab Work

Everything hurts today, can't wait to see what the DOMS is like tomorrow.

[Theonidus]

The lack of downtime gave me a chance to get a decent sweat going.

I don't know what this means.

[DoubleTapJak]

I don't know what this means.

Devan can tell you all about ways to keep your heart rate up

[DoubleTapJak]

Sunday training - Heavy

4" Block Pulls:
Warmup x 135
2 x 5 (185)
1 x 5 (225)
5 x 2 (295)

Snatch Grip Deads:
2 x 8 (240)

DB Rows:
3 x 10 (125/135)

DB Shrugs:
a lot

Planks:
2 minute holds x 3

I think I'm gonna cut back some calories, looks like I'm gaining too much fat. I've been steadily gaining 3lbs per week and I wasn't really skinny to begin with. So, more protein, less calories. No reason to use getting strong as an excuse to be fat.

[DoubleTapJak]

Sometimes you need a little time off to realize how much you love it when you're on. Last week I fucked up my right side lat trying to OHP too much behind the neck and have been taking it easy since then trying to let that heal. It was feeling good yesterday so I went in blowing out my eardrums with Eminem and set a PR. All the tricep and back training I've been doing has really solidified my bench and heavier weight feels much more stable.

Warmup:
Stretching/Foam Rolling/Pushups/Foam Rolling

Bench Press:
Bar x many
2 x 8 (135)
3 x 3 (195) Close Grip
1 x 3 (225) NEW PR. Felt great and wanted to try more weight but didn't have a spotter. I'll play with big boy weights next time Theo comes down or I find someone I trust to not kill me.
1 x 10 (135)

Felt great to do so much volume on the bench. I really enjoy it and will probably devote more days a week to it after I'm done with this Cube rotation.

EZ Curl Bar Skullcrushers: (I like these because I don't feel like my elbow is about to snap)
3 x 15

Wide Press Hammer Strength:
1 x 12 (70)
1 x 10 (90)
1 x 8 (90)

Tricep Pushdowns:
3 x till failure (55/60/50)

DB Flys:
2 x 15 (35)
1 x 10 (45)

Cable work

[Nix0r]

Prepare to set a new PR on Saturday.

[Theonidus]

Prepare to set a new PR on Saturday.

Dis Saturday is gon' be good.

[DoubleTapJak]

Prepare to set a new PR on Saturday.


Dis Saturday is gon' be good.

http://www.teen.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/tumblr_mcqgmd4L4I1ruwe4a1.gif

[DoubleTapJak]

Had a great time in Chicago and got to meet Nix0r finally and consumate... I mean lift together. Didn't really keep track of what we were doing during Sexy Arm Day so just take his numbers and subtract 3-5 years of training.

Close Grip Bench:
many x bar
10 x 135
5 x 135
3 x 185
2 x 225
2 x 275
1 x 295
1 x 315
Add Very Loose Slingshot
3 x 315 x 2

Close Grip 2Board:
3 x 245
3 x 275
4 x 295

And then a bunch of pretty arm stuff. Curls/Dips/etc.

After a month of bulking for the first time I've, as with my first cut, learned a lot about myself and how my body reacts. I definitely started out with too much of a surplus and gained more fat than I'm comfortable with. Whether it's because I was chubby my whole life growing up or nothing but one pair of jeans of sweatpants fit me, I'm not comfortable with it. I'll dial back for a few weeks and then go on a slower, more drawn out and healthy bulk. Glutes for sloots will continue to grow. Over these weeks I'm going to do some interval training as well as focusing on chest and back growth. If this weekend showed me anything it's that I've got a lot of back work to improve liftoff on my bench. Hopefully this break from heavy dead and squats will let my still-fucked lat heal up the rest of the way. Some guys are comfortable with 30%+ body fat, some guys can't imagine life without a six pack. I'm somewhere in the middle and still dialing it in.

[IronMaiden]

Been creepin' on you for a long minute and finally got up the she-balls to respond. I like how you write.

Hope your lat heals up nicely, injuries are a PITA for anybody. And I hear you about bulking...as a young female with a nasty history of eating disorders (gymnastics, huzzah) every extra carb is a struggle. Isn't it stupid how a lot of us revert to our awkward flaily teenage years as full grown freaking adults. But hey, it's a process.

Keep strong, dude.

Also, sidenote: Relient K reference? Yes?

[DoubleTapJak]

Been creepin' on you for a long minute and finally got up the she-balls to respond. I like how you write.

Hope your lat heals up nicely, injuries are a PITA for anybody. And I hear you about bulking...as a young female with a nasty history of eating disorders (gymnastics, huzzah) every extra carb is a struggle. Isn't it stupid how a lot of us revert to our awkward flaily teenage years as full grown freaking adults. But hey, it's a process.

Keep strong, dude.

Also, sidenote: Relient K reference? Yes?

Thanks, sister. You're absolutely right. It took me a long to realize my personal image was completely screwed and I basically had to go around to people that love and trust me to get an idea of what I actually looked like. There's a certain resolute truth in lifting, because numbers speak for themselves. 1 pound is 1 pound. Be it 225 on a bench or putting 20 on a deadlift. That's the only real way to track progress since even bfp is so inconsistent. Sometimes all I want to do is get fat and lift heavy as balls, othertimes I want to regress to a bro split and curl 5 times a week to be pretty. I have to remind myself who I'm doing this for and at the end of the day I need to be comfortable with what I am. Several years I got lost in a shitty relationship and after it was all over I become obsessed with "(er)". Becoming smarter, stronger, leaner, confidenter, grammerer, whatever I could make better about myself. That's why that song (nailed the Relient K reference) has been stuck in my head for years. I firmly believe that it's a privilege to have the power to change our lives on a daily basis and working out is just one way we can. This is turning into a rant so I'll leave it with you've got a new follower and one of my favorite quotes:

“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” ― Socrates

[DoubleTapJak]

Tried out some interval training last night with a friend who's looking to cut some fat off too. She did sports things all through middle school and high school so was able to help me clean up my patented Flail-Like-I'm-On-Fire technique. Wound up feeling wiped out afterwards and didn't hate one minute of it. Such a better alternative to steady state cardio, it's fun and takes a lot less time.

Warm up:
Stretch/Foam Roller
Walk/Jog for five minutes

Sprints - 15 minutes
Rowing machine 2000m ~10min

Smolov Jr:
Warm up w/bar x many
2 x 5 (135)
6 x 6 (160) not too tired from Saturday's chest session but definitely felt in my wrists. Ordered some wraps today to prevent breaking myself over the next few weeks while I do hundreds of bench reps.

Felt good. Felt sexy. Time to enjoy my training for a while before I get discouraged.

[Kowboy]

Brethren,

I've decided to start this log having just passed the one year mark of lifting. I call it lifting because I haven't been training with any explicit goal in mind. This is the end of that. I've learned a lot about myself in the last year, my genetics, what I'm capable of, where my passion, and what my dedication is. My brother in iron, Theonidus, has been a huge influence on encouraging strength and power. I wasted months on poor diet and not pushing myself to go heavier when I could have. No more. When I started I was chubby and about 160lbs ~18% BFP. I'm currently in the third week of a cut running through the end of the year, coming down from 179 to hopefully around 170, to get rid of the fat I've put on this year and start 2014 with a lean slate. Next year will mark of the start of my transformation to an Animal, in every sense of the word. I'm tired of pretty boys worrying too much about losing their six pack, never getting any real work done.

Current stats:
Height: 5'6" (doubt this will ever change)
Weight: 174lbs
Age: 21

1RM:
Deadlift: 375lbs
Bench Press: 225lbs
Squat: 315lbs
OHP: 135lbs

I'm making this journal to keep myself accountable. It's open to advice and criticism, I still have a metric shit ton to learn about training. Hopefully it can inspire other short fucks to get big. If you can't tower over someone, make them walk around you.

Just found your journey, I am now subbed and tuned in.

[Swolepez]

Thanks, sister. You're absolutely right. It took me a long to realize my personal image was completely screwed and I basically had to go around to people that love and trust me to get an idea of what I actually looked like. There's a certain resolute truth in lifting, because numbers speak for themselves. 1 pound is 1 pound. Be it 225 on a bench or putting 20 on a deadlift. That's the only real way to track progress since even bfp is so inconsistent. Sometimes all I want to do is get fat and lift heavy as balls, othertimes I want to regress to a bro split and curl 5 times a week to be pretty. I have to remind myself who I'm doing this for and at the end of the day I need to be comfortable with what I am. Several years I got lost in a shitty relationship and after it was all over I become obsessed with "(er)". Becoming smarter, stronger, leaner, confidenter, grammerer, whatever I could make better about myself. That's why that song (nailed the Relient K reference) has been stuck in my head for years. I firmly believe that it's a privilege to have the power to change our lives on a daily basis and working out is just one way we can. This is turning into a rant so I'll leave it with you've got a new follower and one of my favorite quotes:

“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” ― Socrates


Good post! Yeah just 2 1/2 yrs ago I was anorexic battling body image and my whole family were worried about me....it was all about getting fast results and not being patient...wanting the easy fast way. It's crazy to see how strong the mind can be. I couldn't see that I was anorexic and was mad when people asked if I was but in my mind everything was fine. Sometimes my mind still wants to go back to that way Bc my cut is currently going a little slower than I want. But I enjoy the journey now more than I use too. It's not about where you start or even how you finish. It's about the struggles and the Journey in between that makes us who we are.

[Nix0r]

Number stealing son of a bitch!

[DoubleTapJak]

Just found your journey, I am now subbed and tuned in.

Am I gonna meet you at THE ARNOLD?


Good post! Yeah just 2 1/2 yrs ago I was anorexic battling body image and my whole family were worried about me....it was all about getting fast results and not being patient...wanting the easy fast way. It's crazy to see how strong the mind can be. I couldn't see that I was anorexic and was mad when people asked if I was but in my mind everything was fine. Sometimes my mind still wants to go back to that way Bc my cut is currently going a little slower than I want. But I enjoy the journey now more than I use too. It's not about where you start or even how you finish. It's about the struggles and the Journey in between that makes us who we are.

I'm finding that eating less is actually a lot easier after eating so much on the bulk than before. I can eat slower and enjoy my food more, while hitting a safer number of calories in the day while still having energy to hit my lifts.


Number stealing son of a bitch!

You can't prove that.

-------------------------------------------
2/4 Workout: Back and Shoulders

Walked into the gym planning to hit shoulders and upper back but really wanted to know if my numbers had gone up after 6 weeks of The Cube. One of the downsides of the program is you don't get a progress check on your maxes until Week 10. Went hard and put 10lbs on my previous deadlift max. Shit was so cash.

Deadlift:
2 x 5 (135)
1 x 5 (225)
1 x 1 (275)
1 x 1 (315)
1 x 1 (365) - previous PR
1 x 1 (375 failed) - didn't straighten legs, bad lockout, first attempt - http://i.imgur.com/QkHQ6DN.jpg
1 x 1 (375) - completed with better form and a solid lockout. I'm going to buy some straps before pulling this weight more often. I'm training my grip with Farmer's Walks but it's still not strong enough on its own.

Bent BB Rows: went light since my lat is still healing
2 x 12 (115)
1 x 10 (105)

Farmer's Walks:
Around basketball court x2 (55)

Shrugs:
2 x 15 (165)

Ab Work

-----------------------------

Going to try out some more intervals tonight

[Nix0r]

You can't prove that.


I can prove whatever I want with my two best friends: hearsay and know-how.

[DoubleTapJak]

Another fun night of Smolov Jr. Never done this kind of week-long volume before and it's fawkin brutal.

Warmup:
Foam roller/Stretching/Pushups

Bench Press: wanted to warm up more but there was a legit line waiting for the benches
bar x many
1 x 5 (135)
5 x 5 (175) - supposed to have two more sets at this weight but wrists were failing
2 x 5 (155)

Face Pulls:
5 x 20 (20/25/30/25/20)

Lat Pulldowns: stayed light but Lat is feeling much better
2 x 12 (135)
2 x 12 (125)

Seated Cable Rows superset w/tricep pulldowns:
lots

Intervals:
Kettlebells (60 sec on/30 sec rest)
Rope ab pulls/Medicine ball crunches (30 on/15 off)
Massive spasm in my lower left ab finished these off. Gonna be a long road to cardiovascular health. Really wish I had a sled or a prowler to train on.

[Kowboy]

I will be at the Arnold, I am the sexy one that Theo and Nix try to leg hump all the time.

[Theonidus]

I will be at the Arnold, I am the sexy one that Theo and Nix try to leg hump all the time.

"Try to leg hump"
http://i.imgur.com/ukIjCJV.gif

[DoubleTapJak]

I think one of the reasons I bounce around so much is because of how much free time I have at work. I see a cool new program online and get excited to try it. In that manner, I've been reading up on Intermittent Fasting and am curious if anyone has any real experience with it. One of the biggest things that stuck out to me was that at the end of the explanation the author (Martin Berkhan) doesn't try to sell you anything. No special vitamin stack or meal plan guide. Pretty much all his website has for sale is his book and some recommended readings. Sooooooooooooooooo, is the whole thing fool's gold? Helpful, hurtful, neither?

[Kowboy]

Well take this from someone who has hopped from program to program, I had the most gains in the beginning when I did 531 for a year or so. I then started bouncing around and got just a little stronger. Now I am doing crossfit and 100% dedicated to it and it is going well. In regards to diets...that is a tough one. For me I hired a guy that did the IIFYM style of diets and learned how to eat properly. I lost 55lbs in 12 weeks and ended up at 225 (6'5"). I tried paleo, backloading, carbnite, fasting all that crap. I just needed to focus and learn how to eat.

[DoubleTapJak]

Well take this from someone who has hopped from program to program, I had the most gains in the beginning when I did 531 for a year or so. I then started bouncing around and got just a little stronger. Now I am doing crossfit and 100% dedicated to it and it is going well. In regards to diets...that is a tough one. For me I hired a guy that did the IIFYM style of diets and learned how to eat properly. I lost 55lbs in 12 weeks and ended up at 225 (6'5"). I tried paleo, backloading, carbnite, fasting all that crap. I just needed to focus and learn how to eat.

Took me about a year to really force myself to start cooking for myself and how to prepare healthy proportions. I'm currently doing an informal IIFYM style, getting as much protein as I can throughout the day with healthy carbs and fats. Tried paleo last year and was tired all the time. Turns out your body works a lot better with carbs. Right now I'm looking to capitalize on getting the most possible out of my diet. I ran 5/3/1 for a couple months last year and it felt great. I had moved on to the Cube though since Theo liked it so much and 5/3/1 was kind of boring. Props to you for being proud of your Crossfit program, it doesn't see much love on this board.

[Kowboy]

CrossFit doesn't get much love but anyone that is following me has to admit that I am doing pretty damn good on it. The reason it gets so much hate is because of the soccer mom style and normal people that do just WODs. It gets them in shape and they look good naked and that is all they want. Not me, I want to train to be in the regionals, I want to be a badass and strong as fuck. So we train for it, we are now doing Mon/Weds/Fri 0600 workouts that is based on Madcow 5x5 and then metcon and oly work every night (mon - sat). I enjoyed powerlifting and strongman and got 2nd in the strongman show I did. My lifts were decent in powerlifting but I weighed 295lbs. I will be stronger and a better athlete at 225 then I was at 295.

My macros on the diet were 200g carbs, 250g protein, 40-50g fat (I am 6'5" and started at 272). We cut the carbs pretty hard for me to try and win the contest.

[DoubleTapJak]

CrossFit doesn't get much love but anyone that is following me has to admit that I am doing pretty damn good on it. The reason it gets so much hate is because of the soccer mom style and normal people that do just WODs.

That there is too true. My main issue is with how many poor instructors there are out there. Someone who doesn't know how to teach leading a group of 30 middle aged adults, who "lifted in high school" or just want to get in shape, in complicated compound movements that take months or years to program correctly with emphasis on speed and reps vs. form. The program tends to encourage this behavior so it takes a very good instructor to look out for their clients. Other than that, some of them are sick workouts that I could not do at my current stats. As I train, I'm trying to become more rounded and healthier from it. There's a good chance someday my routines will include a crossfit-style conditioning day.

[Kowboy]

I just look at it from a 50 foot view, there are also terrible trainers in commercial gyms and all over. I think CrossFit just because really popular fast and with that comes all of the haters. Pound for Pound those are some of the strongest dudes around in my opinion. Watching Rich Froning overhead squat 315 x 3 at 185lbs is insane, not many can do that.

[Swolepez]

I just look at it from a 50 foot view, there are also terrible trainers in commercial gyms and all over. I think CrossFit just because really popular fast and with that comes all of the haters. Pound for Pound those are some of the strongest dudes around in my opinion. Watching Rich Froning overhead squat 315 x 3 at 185lbs is insane, not many can do that.

I also think it has to do with a lot of misunderstanding or lack of knowledge on the certain "sport ". For ex) people who don't understand bodybuilding say bodybuilders are: obsessed, selfish, only think about themselves, only care about looks, are stupid and are meat heads while people who don't understand powerlifting think power lifters: train without form as long as the weight is up or are all fat and eat like slobs and then people who don't understand crossfit think they: use sucky form and are in for a injury. I mean a lot of the accusations came from people who don't even know enough about the sport to judge it. Personally, I prefer bodybuilding but I respect power lifters and cross fitters Bc they are doing what they love and trying their best at it .

[DoubleTapJak]

I also think it has to do with a lot of misunderstanding or lack of knowledge on the certain "sport ". For ex) people who don't understand bodybuilding say bodybuilders are: obsessed, selfish, only think about themselves, only care about looks, are stupid and are meat heads while people who don't understand powerlifting think power lifters: train without form as long as the weight is up or are all fat and eat like slobs and then people who don't understand crossfit think they: use sucky form and are in for a injury. I mean a lot of the accusations came from people who don't even know enough about the sport to judge it. Personally, I prefer bodybuilding but I respect power lifters and cross fitters Bc they are doing what they love and trying their best at it .

I look at it from the other side. There are morons in every sport, hobby, or profession. I love to laugh at stupid chucklefucks. I'll laugh at a crossfitter falling off a medicine ball while trying to squat same as I'd laugh at a kid black out and take a header into a weight rack after holding his breath pulling too much. Crossfitters just seem to video tape more retarded shit.

[DoubleTapJak]

Yesterday should've been a rest day but I was stuck on campus with three hours between classes so I went anyway. Mainly addressed the imbalance my arms have been feeling in the triceps from all the benching.

Warmup:
Lots of stretching, light dumbbells

Bicep work: went slow on all of these, focused as much as possible on isolating and activating the right muscles to get the most out of it
Standing BB Curls:
1 x 8 (50)
1 x 10 (55)
1 x 12 (60)
1 x 12 (65) (EZ Curl bar)

Hammer Curls:
4 x 12 (30/35/30/25)

Concentration Curls:
3 x 10 (25)

Standing Reverse Curls:
2 x 8 (45)

Neutral grip Pullups:
x lots

Intervals:
Jump rope and punching bag, followed by ab work. I should find more kettlebell interval plans. Those are fun and different from what I'm used to. So far I'm liking the intervals a lot, hell of a lot more than steady state cardio, and am continuing to try to find new exercises that I'm not good at to switch it up. The more inefficient I am at an exercise, the more fat will be burned.

Can't wait to try out my new ANIMAL WRIST WRAPS tonight for the third boobie workout of the week!

[Theonidus]

...same as I'd laugh at a kid black out and take a header into a weight rack after holding his breath pulling too much. Crossfitters just seem to video tape more retarded shit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8RcDb_wZfQ

[Swolepez]

Yesterday should've been a rest day but I was stuck on campus with three hours between classes so I went anyway. Mainly addressed the imbalance my arms have been feeling in the triceps from all the benching.

Warmup:
Lots of stretching, light dumbbells

Bicep work: went slow on all of these, focused as much as possible on isolating and activating the right muscles to get the most out of it
Standing BB Curls:
1 x 8 (50)
1 x 10 (55)
1 x 12 (60)
1 x 12 (65) (EZ Curl bar)

Hammer Curls:
4 x 12 (30/35/30/25)

Concentration Curls:
3 x 10 (25)

Standing Reverse Curls:
2 x 8 (45)

Neutral grip Pullups:
x lots

Intervals:
Jump rope and punching bag, followed by ab work. I should find more kettlebell interval plans. Those are fun and different from what I'm used to. So far I'm liking the intervals a lot, hell of a lot more than steady state cardio, and am continuing to try to find new exercises that I'm not good at to switch it up. The more inefficient I am at an exercise, the more fat will be burned.

Can't wait to try out my new ANIMAL WRIST WRAPS tonight for the third boobie workout of the week!

How did the wrist wraps hold up?

[DoubleTapJak]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8RcDb_wZfQ

This video is why we need the internet.


How did the wrist wraps hold up?

F'n A, Cotton. I mean, they're not life changing but my wrists and forearms didn't feel nearly as strained. I'm still fooling around with tightness/positioning/etc but they're definitely going to make this overtraining bearable.

-----------------------------------------
2/8/14 3rd Smolov Jr Session

Warmup:
Someone's got a bad habit of walking away with the foam roller so I stretched and did some calisthenics

Bench Press:
bar x many
1 x 6 (90)
1 x 4 (135)
8 x 4 (185) on my last rep I was fighting it up and yelling at it, as I do, and some kid came up and put his hands on the bar. I was in the zone with music on full and he started to lift it and I roared "I've got it" at him enough to make him let go and back away apologizing. I said sorry after finishing but I think he was permanently traumatized. Said he'd never try to help someone again. Mah bad.

Reverse Close Grip Lat Pulldowns:
2 x 12 (135)

T Bar Rows: went slow and focused on isolation
3 x 15 (90/135/185)

Plate Shrugs:
lots x 4

Intervals:
Squat Pyramid
10! x 145 (30sec rest)

KB Swings (35lb)

Smolov 4 tonight. Should be hell.

[Swolepez]

This kid came up and put his hands on the bar. I was in the zone with music on full and he started to lift it and I roared "I've got it" at him enough to make him let go and back away apologizing. I said sorry after finishing but I think he was permanently traumatized. Said he'd never try to help someone again. Mah

You probably just ruined his life. He doesn't know what to do in this world anymore :P. Jk bro!
That would've been kinda funny to see, lol.

[DoubleTapJak]

You probably just ruined his life. He doesn't know what to do in this world anymore :P. Jk bro!
That would've been kinda funny to see, lol.

I know he's trying to help but it's bad gym etiquette to take the weight without me asking. Taking a man's lift from him is basically surgically removing his gainz with a rusty fish hook.

I'll update my log tomorrow. I'm fucking exhausted and have lifted 6 days in a row. I really need a rest day.

[DoubleTapJak]

Went shopping with the girlfriend yesterday and borderline did cardio... it was terrifying.

---------------------------
2/8 Smolov 4

LOTS of stretching and warming up. If I don't keep this up I'm setting up for failure with this volume.

Bench Press:
bar x many
1 x 7 (135) - slow
10 x 3 (195) took a long time to get all these, 3-4 minute rests in between most

Low Cable Rows:
4 x 15 (100/120/130/140)

Lat Pulldowns:
2 x 12 (130)

Military Press:
a bunch with weight

I was pretty wiped out at this point so I went home before hurting myself. Forearms are still tired and my chest... pops sometimes? That's probably fine. I'll see how I feel when I leave work tonight, may take a second rest day.

[Nix0r]

One thing to get to help stretch / loosen up would be either a baseball or lacrosse ball, and roll that sucker around your upper body.

[DoubleTapJak]

I've heard a lot of good things about lacrosse balls. Theo, any suggestions on where to get them/which one?

[Theonidus]

I've heard a lot of good things about lacrosse balls. Theo, any suggestions on where to get them/which one?

Dick's.
And the structural integrity of the lax ball doesn't change with which model you get (highschool, college, pro, women's, etc.) just the size and color.
You really can't go wrong.
Swiggity swooty.

[DoubleTapJak]

Dick's.
And the structural integrity of the lax ball doesn't change with which model you get (highschool, college, pro, women's, etc.) just the size and color.
You really can't go wrong.
Swiggity swooty.

Then I'm getting a Women's Tie-die ball.

[DoubleTapJak]

2/10 Boobie day - Smolov 5

Today felt much more natural than last week. Already I feel a lot better about my form and am really starting to find the groove. I guess it makes sense since I've done a month's worth of bench sessions in a week, can't help but get better at it. I also feel the pecs activating more and my shoulders and delts less, which is what I've been trying to accomplish for months now. Wrists felt strong, grip felt strong, so I went ahead and went again without taking a second rest day like I had been considering.

Warmup:
Stretching/Foam rolling/light OHP work

Bench Press:
1 x many (bar)
1 x 6 (135)
6 x 6 (165) +5lbs on last monday's session. Such is the way of Smolov Jr.

DB OHP:
4 x 12 (35/40/45/40)

Chinups:
30ish

DB Rows:
3 x 15 (45/55)

Inclined Curls:
till exhaustion

Intervals:
One hand KB swings w/catch (60 sec on/30 sec off) - these fuckers start off super easy and make you want to go prancing through a field, then you get to the 6th set when your lungs are collapsing and your back is about to give out. Loving this so much more than cardio.

[DoubleTapJak]

No workout yesterday, donated blood instead. I was pretty hungry last night and had been craving a burger and felt like it was a Treatchoself kinda night. What follows is the recipe for the best burger I've ever had:

Wendy's Son of a Baconator (two patties, double bacon)
Wendy's Chicken Sandwich (ditch the bun and slap everything else on there)
Wendy's Chili
Mac and Cheese
1 Fried egg
BBQ Sauce

Next time I need to find a pretzel bun to tie it off.

Smolov 6 tonight, gonna hit it hard with lots of accessory work afterwards.

[DoubleTapJak]

KILLED IT LAST NIGHT! GOD THAT FELT GOOD. Normally I don't feel serious DOMS till the second day after a workout, but I'm tight and sore all over today and love it. Nothing invigorates like a much missed pump.

Smolov 6:
Warmup:
stretch/foam rolling (tight as hell after the kettlebell intervals)

Bench Press:
bar x many
1 x 6 (135) slow
7 x 5 (175) no problem with any of these, felt like I could've gone up another 5lbs without too much issue

Trap Bar Shrugs: weights are assuming the bar weighs 45lbs, honestly not sure
1 x 15 (135)
2 x 15 (225)
1 x 20 (155)

Face Pulls: dialing in how much weight I can pull on this while keeping form
5 x 15 (30/42.5/50/35/30)

Plate Shrugs:
2 x 25

Lat Pulldowns:
2 x till failure

Forehead Crushers: annihilated my triceps
3 x 15 (65)

Chinups:
30

Neutral Grip Pullups:
15ish

I should've thrown in another chest exercise since I left feeling like I still had some in the pec tank. Probably was good I didn't exhaust those since Friday and Saturday are back to back Smolov days. It is a true fact that every once in a while, eating whatever the hell you feel like and as much as possible can radically improve your lifts and mood. I couldn't get enough last night and left only because I had to do homework.

-----------------------------------------
On a personal note: yesterday my girlfriend was at the gym and saw an old couple on treadmills yogging next to each other. She asked me if we could be like that when we're 80 but in the squat rack. I count this as a HUGE personal win because, while she's worked out her whole life for sports, she never really lifted or enjoyed it when she had to. The last few months I've been helping her transition into real training sessions several times a week and she's finally breaking through her barriers and fears. I firmly believe that, whatever your passions, they'll be a hell of a lot better if your partner enjoys them with you. Right now our schedules don't allow us to train together more than maybe once a week, but hopefully in the future that'll change and we can be THAT couple. I've seen a lot of relationships fall apart specifically because one of the two doesn't care at all about fitness and I'm thrilled that's not the case here.

[Swolepez]

KILLED IT LAST NIGHT! GOD THAT FELT GOOD. Normally I don't feel serious DOMS till the second day after a workout, but I'm tight and sore all over today and love it. Nothing invigorates like a much missed pump.

Smolov 6:
Warmup:
stretch/foam rolling (tight as hell after the kettlebell intervals)

Bench Press:
bar x many
1 x 6 (135) slow
7 x 5 (175) no problem with any of these, felt like I could've gone up another 5lbs without too much issue

Trap Bar Shrugs: weights are assuming the bar weighs 45lbs, honestly not sure
1 x 15 (135)
2 x 15 (225)
1 x 20 (155)

Face Pulls: dialing in how much weight I can pull on this while keeping form
5 x 15 (30/42.5/50/35/30)

Plate Shrugs:
2 x 25

Lat Pulldowns:
2 x till failure

Forehead Crushers: annihilated my triceps
3 x 15 (65)

Chinups:
30

Neutral Grip Pullups:
15ish

I should've thrown in another chest exercise since I left feeling like I still had some in the pec tank. Probably was good I didn't exhaust those since Friday and Saturday are back to back Smolov days. It is a true fact that every once in a while, eating whatever the hell you feel like and as much as possible can radically improve your lifts and mood. I couldn't get enough last night and left only because I had to do homework.

-----------------------------------------
On a personal note: yesterday my girlfriend was at the gym and saw an old couple on treadmills yogging next to each other. She asked me if we could be like that when we're 80 but in the squat rack. I count this as a HUGE personal win because, while she's worked out her whole life for sports, she never really lifted or enjoyed it when she had to. The last few months I've been helping her transition into real training sessions several times a week and she's finally breaking through her barriers and fears. I firmly believe that, whatever your passions, they'll be a hell of a lot better if your partner enjoys them with you. Right now our schedules don't allow us to train together more than maybe once a week, but hopefully in the future that'll change and we can be THAT couple. I've seen a lot of relationships fall apart specifically because one of the two doesn't care at all about fitness and I'm thrilled that's not the case here.

She likes to squat?! Put a ring on her bro ;)

[DoubleTapJak]

She likes to squat?! Put a ring on her bro ;)

Fully plan on it!

[Swolepez]

Fully plan on it!

Awesome! Yeah my wife likes to lift and eventually wants to compete in physique so that makes my life easier Bc she understands the commitment.

[DoubleTapJak]

Awesome! Yeah my wife likes to lift and eventually wants to compete in physique so that makes my life easier Bc she understands the commitment.

The couple that lifts together stays together, or so they say. I'm just jazzed she's sticking with it and starting to bring it up in conversation often, telling me about her lifts. I was worried for a spell when she graduated college because her only reason for working out and being healthy was tennis.

[DoubleTapJak]

1) noticing a lack of symmetry between my traps, the right side has always been bigger but it's becoming more noticeable. Need to make sure I'm not favoring the right when using both and isolate the left for one or two additional sets each time I work traps.
2) chest is getting bigger and arms overall are as well, but I feel like my biceps are losing mass due to the jumble of programs I've been doing over the last few months with no direct work. A few curls for gurls per week and I should be happy with them again.
3) why can't I dislike Pitbull? I want to hate him so much but he's so damn catchy. And he wears suits all the time, one of my life goals.
4) very happy with my lat growth. It'll be a long time before I have wings due to my small shoulders and barrel chest, but they're coming along.
5) going to dial back my bench press volume after Smolov, focus on more dumbbell work and incline presses to even out chest growth.
6) some day I want to be able to do a muscle up. Moreover, I really need to make weighted chins/pulls a weekly thing. They hit so much.

Thinking over what I'm wanting/lacking, I believe a more rounded mix of power and hypertrophy for a long time will benefit me the most. The CUBE was great for strength training but I was getting bored, same as 5/3/1 and it was difficult to plan hypertrophy days around them. If I keep focusing so much on one specific strength goal than I lose sight of important accessories that supplement the core lifts. From the research I've done so far, I'm leaning towards a PHAT program or possibly Westside. I need to read more about Westside though. Smolov 7 tonight since the ladyfriend is working. Happy Valentine's Day, Animals.

[DoubleTapJak]

Hit a sexy PR today, even without any serious squat training the last couple weeks. Looks like the cube got my legs back! http://instagram.com/p/kcyR6cFb0z/

[DoubleTapJak]

Been a busy two days! Hit a double today and killed it last night!

2/14/14 Smolov 7
Warm up blah blah

Bench Press:
bar x a bunch
1 x 7 (135)
1 x 4 (185) sloooow
8 x 4 (190)

Close Grip Cable Rows:
4 x 12

Lat Pulldowns:
2 x 15

Face Pulls:
4 x 15

Chinups:
x30

Romanian Deadlifts:
I did these

--------------------------------------------
2/15/14

AM Session: Spent a lot of time in here but didn't do as much work as normal. Did set a PR for squats though. Was showing the Lady some arm/back exercises for her to expand her lifting sessions. Also checked her squat form and it's gotten much better in just a few weeks. Ass to grass all day. Very sexy.

BB Curls:
4 x 14 (50/60/70/60)

Reverse Preacher Curls:
3 x 10 (45/50/45)

Cable Rows:
2 x 10 (light)

Squats:
2 x 5 (bar)
1 x 8 (135)
1 x 5 (225)
1 x 3 (275)
1 x 1 (315)
1 x 1 (335) PR!!!!

Felt like I could've done more on the squat, probably without the deadlifts last night or less warmup sets. Didn't start out planning for a PR but couldn't resist trying. Afterwards we did some rowing cardio and sprints.

PM Workout: Smolov 8
Warm up

Bench Press:
1 x 12 (65)
1 x 5 (135)
1 x 3 (185)
10 x 3 (200)

Overhead Press:
3 x 8 (65/90/110)

Cambered Bar Shrugs: felt weird with my grip reversed behind me but liked the variation
3 x 8 (90)

Tricep Pressdowns:
4 x 8 (heavy)

Plate Shrugs:
15 reps/10sec holds x 4

Cable Crossovers
3 x 10

Cooled down with some cycling. Wonderfully productive day, all in all. I imagine soon enough I'll be at a point in life where I won't be able to devote as much time to training so I'm trying to make the most of it while I still can.

[Swolepez]

I imagine soon enough I'll be at a point in life where I won't be able to devote as much time to training so I'm trying to make the most of it while I still can.

that's when you wake up at 5AM like me and make time ;)

[DoubleTapJak]

that's when you wake up at 5AM like me and make time ;)

Mikey, we've talked about this. That is never happening.

[Swolepez]

Mikey, we've talked about this. That is never happening.

just wait....you too will be an early riser one of these days lol

[DoubleTapJak]

Had a great weekend but my eating and sleep was totally fucked. Woke up today with a headache and in a bad mood, aggravated by a fuck of a roommate and a weird conversation. Looked forward to my training all day and wound up straining my right delt in a bad way and an asthma attack. On a good note, I bought a quart of McTarnahan's Blue Lotion a few weeks back and currently can't feel my right shoulder. If you don't have any, get it. It'll change your life. http://www.flexcart.com/members/elitefts/default.asp?m=PD&cid=114&pid=492

Smolov 9:
Bench Press:
170 6x6

Accessory work and asthma attack.

[DoubleTapJak]

Felt a lot better yesterday. I think the tropical temperature of 55 helped a lot. Went for a run with a friend around town, ~3 miles, and remembered every reason I quit cross country along the way but I suppose everyone should keep the ability to run some amount of distance. Either way I loved being outside and feel PUMPED for tonight.

[DoubleTapJak]

Been a busy last few days between school, projects, and work. Managed to find time to finish off the last two Smolov Jr workouts with authority, so I'm happy and plan to push a PR this Saturday at the National ABC. Words can't describe how excited I am. I'll get to updating regularly again this week.

[DoubleTapJak]

Helped my dad move last night, a lot of furniture and books (former pastor) so we'll just call it overall strength training night.

Personal note: haven't seen my brother or his wife in about 5 months and when I walked up they both remarked about how much bigger I've gotten. I'm nothing compared to a lot of guys on here but it made me feel good, and was glad I was able to help as much as I did. They'd been working all day and it felt good to come in as the cavalry and carry stuff off the truck that took both my brother and father to get onto the truck. That's the point of all this, right? To be a better man. What use are you if you can't even pick up a cabinet once in a while?

[DoubleTapJak]

2/25 Training - Back/forearms

Strict Chinups:
x30 (10/10/5/5)

DB Shrugs:
2 x 12 (65)
2 x 8 w/holds (55)

Wrist Roll-ups: not sure what else to call these but it's a piece of PVC with a cable to a free hanging weight that you roll up and down. Whomever invented it needs to go back to the 16th Century torture chamber from whence he came.
x3 10lbs (up/down)

DB Farmer's Walks:
x2 (65lbs)

Face Pulls: went a little lighter and held strict form
3 x 12 (42.5)

Forward DB Raises:
2 x 12 (25)
2 x 8 w/holds (20)

Hammer Strength Shrugs:
4 x 10 (185)

Reverse Curls:
2 x 12 (65)

Conditioning: Tabata method KB Swings (20 sec on/10 sec off)
Lately I've been doing this on a stationary bike and can barely last 8 or 9 cycles. The idea is to put everything you have into the 20 seconds then rest completely on the 10. First time I did these last week I went home and passed out for an hour. Definitely going to keep switching up my intervals with this. Leaving for Joliet to meet up with Phil800101 then the rest of the Midwest crew to roadtrip to THE ARNOLD!!! Litruhlly the most exciting thing I've ever done.

[DoubleTapJak]

Had an incredible weekend at the Arnold Sports Expo and working the CAGE. As expected, the Animal athletes and supporters are some of the best people I've ever met in my life. Saturday at the National ABC I got to train with Jay Nera and some with Brandon Lilly, absorbing as much as possible. If nothing else, that ABC alone is a reason to go.

Threw together an album of the better pictures I took >>> http://imgur.com/a/7iMe8

[Swolepez]

Had an incredible weekend at the Arnold Sports Expo and working the CAGE. As expected, the Animal athletes and supporters are some of the best people I've ever met in my life. Saturday at the National ABC I got to train with Jay Nera and some with Brandon Lilly, absorbing as much as possible. If nothing else, that ABC alone is a reason to go.

Threw together an album of the better pictures I took >>> http://imgur.com/a/7iMe8

Awesome bro! Sounds like you had a hell of a time! Nice album..the Ox iconic shirt looks bad ass. How much did you spend? What's something new you would say you learned from Jay or Brandon in terms or exercise or life in general?

[DoubleTapJak]

Awesome bro! Sounds like you had a hell of a time! Nice album..the Ox iconic shirt looks bad ass. How much did you spend? What's something new you would say you learned from Jay or Brandon in terms or exercise or life in general?

Whole weekend - roughly $275. Hotel, gas, and food were the most expensive.
Animal Swag - $55 for the hat and the Malanichev yellow iconic. The rest of the shirts I got free, as well as shakers etc.

Brandon was incredible motivation just walking around, let alone how hard he was still training. He said they'd told him ten weeks before he would walk, he was up in three day and training in nine. Talk about no excuses. It's hard to spit out bullshit about being too tired to train after seeing that. He gave some tips on bracing for a seated military press and between him and Jay I hit a PR there of 155lbs x 3 reps.

Jay has a super simplistic approach to training since his home gym is limited on machines, but he taught me a ton about locking the right muscles to keep them from dominating a movement. IE locking your traps in a shrug before side lateral raises, as well as a number of mobility movements and activating the weaker muscles for maximum effectiveness. Plus he amazed me at how well spoken he was, and really just had a great time working out. Salt of the earth kinda guy. He encouraged us to send him videos of our training from time to time so he can help out more.

All the guys were incredible. In the entire weekend I only met one or two of the athletes that rubbed me the wrong way, but that could've been from jetlag, stress, who knows what. Hell, Ant stood there and talked to me for about twenty minutes the first time I met him about his past and where he started as a shorter guy. G-Six, Khai, both Diesels, Ox, Higa, Jay, Jeremy, J-Dawg, and a ton of others were just awesome to get to know and hang out with rather than some guy I've just seen on youtube videos. The kind of guys who remember your name the next time you see them. Really mind blowing when they could all be self-centered prima donnas who don't give a shit about anyone else.

[Dman]

Had an incredible weekend at the Arnold Sports Expo and working the CAGE. As expected, the Animal athletes and supporters are some of the best people I've ever met in my life. Saturday at the National ABC I got to train with Jay Nera and some with Brandon Lilly, absorbing as much as possible. If nothing else, that ABC alone is a reason to go.

Threw together an album of the better pictures I took >>> http://imgur.com/a/7iMe8

Dude.....Looks like you had an incredible time out there wish I could have been there and met you in person but next year for sure!! I'm really diggin all those great pics you took you got to meet some amazing people, and training wise Brandon Lilly and Jay Nera whew my man thats some knowledge you soaked up from them I bett!!

[Phil800101]

Subbed.

[twoheadedboy]

Subbed, even though you lead me astray at Max & Erma's.

PS - I'm the Redditor.

[DoubleTapJak]

Subbed, even though you lead me astray at Max & Erma's.

PS - I'm the Redditor.

Lmao. I love you? That thread was pretty cool though, right?

I AM GOING TO LIFT TONIGHT UNTIL I VOMIT OUT MY BUTT. Seriously, I got a head cold somewhere over the weekend and have been laying low to get over it but I can't deal with the pent up sexual tens... I mean motivation from the weekend.

[twoheadedboy]

Lmao. I love you? That thread was pretty cool though, right?

I AM GOING TO LIFT TONIGHT UNTIL I VOMIT OUT MY BUTT. Seriously, I got a head cold somewhere over the weekend and have been laying low to get over it but I can't deal with the pent up sexual tens... I mean motivation from the weekend.

Definitely was. Seems like you're not the only one to arrive back from Columbus with the plague judging from other posts, but I've remained unscathed thus far...

[DoubleTapJak]

Definitely was. Seems like you're not the only one to arrive back from Columbus with the plague judging from other posts, but I've remained unscathed thus far...

I was very out of commission the last two days. Hoping that it's coming to an end but just to be safe I'll leave out the conditioning the next few days.

[Phil800101]

I'm under the weather, but I blame the fact that I'm allergic to bullshit and I've been back at work for the past two days.

It happens a lot after the weekend...lost of people in tight spaces + lack of sleep + poor nutrition = disaster. 2008 was the worst, seriously everybody I talked to got a really nasty cold in Columbus and we were all messed up for at least a week.

[DoubleTapJak]

I'm under the weather, but I blame the fact that I'm allergic to bullshit and I've been back at work for the past two days.

It happens a lot after the weekend...lost of people in tight spaces + lack of sleep + poor nutrition = disaster. 2008 was the worst, seriously everybody I talked to got a really nasty cold in Columbus and we were all messed up for at least a week.

Poor nutrition?!? I had nothing but preworkout samples, protein bars, egg whites, and about 7lbs of various cooked meats for 4 days straight. I don't see how there could've been any negative consequences from that.

[Theonidus]

Poor nutrition?!? I had nothing but preworkout samples, protein bars, egg whites, and about 7lbs of various cooked meats for 4 days straight. I don't see how there could've been any negative consequences from that.

And the 7 pounds of cooked meats was in one sitting.

[DoubleTapJak]

3/5 Training

Damn it felt good to do a whole workout instead of Smolov training again. Went in to set a new bench PR and nailed it, can't describe how happy I am. I think getting past two plates was as much a mental block as it was physical, and I think I could've put 5lbs more on it but decided to go for 10 more twice and failed. Definitely a learning experience getting to know what I have in me and what I don't. 235lbs is pretty low for a lot of the guys on here, but I'm thinking back to 18 months ago when I couldn't hit 95lbs for reps. I'll never go back to that again.

No warmup stretching or exercises (Talking to the Ant last weekend he explained he never does since it's going to tear the same muscles you're tearing when you perform the exercise. Just warm up with the movement you're going to do)

Bench Press:
bar x many
1 x 8 (95)
1 x 5 (135)
1 x 2 (185)
1 x 1 (205)
1 x 1 (225)
1 x 1 (235) - PR BABY
2 x 1 (245) - failed both attempts off the chest. Will be training explosively for the next long while since it's my weakest point. Triceps are strong enough once I get it half up, but chest and back aren't at the bottom.

Bent BB Rows:
3 x 5 (95/135/115)

Chinups: these will be weighted next week
2 x 10

Dips: also weighted for power day next week
2 x 10

Seated DB Shoulder Press:
3 x 10 (40/45/45)

Strict Cambered Bar Curls:
3 x 8 (65)

Skull Crushers:
2 x 10 (55)
1 x 6 (55)

My total is now at 935 --- 65lbs to go till the 1000 Club. Three or four months of hard work and I'll be there. I'll also be joining Theonidus in Carb Backloading for sexy summertime and to get the rest my stubborn fat that's not helping anything to go away. It's not like I have a 12-1300 total to worry about weakening. My only excuse right now is lack of dedication to a good diet.

[Nix0r]

3/5 Training

I'll also be joining Theonidus in Carb Backloading for sexy summertime and to get the rest my stubborn fat that's not helping anything to go away. It's not like I have a 12-1300 total to worry about weakening. My only excuse right now is lack of dedication to a good diet.

...who is joining me with the backloading.

[DoubleTapJak]

...who is joining me with the backloading.

Shut up. You're sexy enough already.

[Nix0r]

shut up. You're sexy enough already.

can't stop won't stop

[Kowboy]

Nice meeting ya at the Arnold man

[smoothballer]

...who is joining me with the backloading.

Seriously debating getting back on backloading. My only problem with it is that I want to backload on say Saturday and I don't usually train on Saturday

[DoubleTapJak]

Nice meeting ya at the Arnold man

Absolutely. Pleasure getting to watch you train, too.


Seriously debating getting back on backloading. My only problem with it is that I want to backload on say Saturday and I don't usually train on Saturday

From what I've been reading then you just eat more regular meals just try to limit the carbs to < 30

[smoothballer]

From what I've been reading then you just eat more regular meals just try to limit the carbs to < 30

Yeah I know. I just meant that I prefer if I was going to get a good backloading type meal with say a few adult beverages, I like to do that on Saturdays

[Theonidus]

yeah i know. I just meant that i prefer if i was going to get a good backloading type meal with say a few adult beverages, i like to do that on saturdays

super sexy upper saturday!

[Kowboy]

Just don't hold my ugly ass deadlift against me lol I was exhausted but wanted it.

[DoubleTapJak]

Yeah I know. I just meant that I prefer if I was going to get a good backloading type meal with say a few adult beverages, I like to do that on Saturdays

Easy solution: drink on weeknights

[smoothballer]

Easy solution: drink on weeknights

Or train, eat big, and drink every day...problem solved

[Nix0r]

Or train, eat big, and drink every day...problem solved

Stop stealing the Nix Method.

[smoothballer]

Stop stealing the Nix Method.

I'll do what I damn well want to do...

[Theonidus]

Stop stealing the Nix Method.

When is the eBook out?

[Nix0r]

I'll do what I damn well want to do...

ಠ_ಠ


When is the eBook out?

I'm gonna start a gofundme so I can get the materials necessary to put one out.

[smoothballer]

ಠ_ಠ



I'm gonna start a gofundme so I can get the materials necessary to put one out.

All that gofundme money will end up going to the beer or supplement fund

[DoubleTapJak]

Just don't hold my ugly ass deadlift against me lol I was exhausted but wanted it.

Still more than I can pull on a good day

[DoubleTapJak]

All that gofundme money will end up going to the beer or supplement fund

Ever heard of a sober writer? Exactly.

[DoubleTapJak]

3/6 Lower body - Really shouldn't have worked out in the first place feeling as crappy as I did but I wanted an excuse to eat carbs.

Warmup strech/blah/blah

Back Squat - CAT:
bar x many
2 x 10 (135)
ss w/barfing
2 x 8 (185)
1 x 3 (225)
1 x 5 (275)
ss w/barfing

Hack Squats: need to get the form right on these so I'm not slamming it into my glutes
2 x 10 (225)

Leg Extensions:
2 x 10 (25/35)

Double Overhand Romanian Deads:
3 x 5 (135/185/255)

Calf Raises:
2 x 15 (135/225)

Was about to throw up for a third time so I went ahead and left. Really liking Nitro though, noticeable difference in muscle recovery. Taking my dad for a hoist tonight.. should be interesting.

[smoothballer]

3/6 Lower body - Really shouldn't have worked out in the first place feeling as crappy as I did but I wanted an excuse to eat carbs.

All about the carbs

[Theonidus]

What part of your squats were CAT?

[Swolepez]

Really liking Nitro though, noticeable difference in muscle recovery.

Glad to hear Nitro is working for you......it's a very underrated product.

[Nix0r]

What part of your squats were CAT?

This.

[DoubleTapJak]

What part of your squats were CAT?

Up through the second 225 set I was getting used to accelerating all the way through the motion. Very new to me since I've been neglecting any sort of explosive training and have started to notice it on all my lifts. When I have time to research CAT more I'll be able to set a full plan with it integrated.

[DoubleTapJak]

3/7 Training - Back/shoulder

Warmup - foam roller/stretches

Deadlift: alternated traditional and sumo stance
2 x 10 (135)
2 x 7 (225)
1 x 5 (275)
2 x 3 (315) - Not sure what's changed but 315 is normally where I start struggling in the past but I banged these out no problem. I think grip strength has really improved and that's helping a lot.

One Handed Dead's: again much easier thanks to grip
1 x 3 (145) right arm
1 x 3 (145) left arm

BB Shrugs:
3 x 15

Lat Pulldowns:
3 x 12

Rack Chins: couldn't find anything to support my feet so I didn't get much out of these
3 x 15

Seated DB Press:
3 x 12

Cable Flies:
2 x 20

Saturday: Biceps and Upper Back
Nothing really fancy here. Biceps I pushed to exhaustion, always focusing on the mind-muscle connection. Talking with Razor about what he's seen switching from powerlifting to bbing, that's the biggest difference he felt. Lighter weight, focusing on using the right muscles for the movement rather than moving the most weight. Definitely a different mindset, but I like it and I want to get the most out of these hypertrophy days that I can.

Strongman Sunday: Now this was awesome. When I put up the pics from Arnold on Reddit I put out a call to anyone in the STL area interested in training together and was contacted by someone who trains at The Lab downtown with a few others. Turns out they're led by former Strongmen who combined have one most of the competitions in STL. I learned a ton and will definitely try to make as many of these Sunday sessions as I can. A lot of these will be estimations on numbers since I'm not sure how much all the equipmunk weighed.

Log Press:
3 x 5 (90)
2 x 3 (145)
1 x 3 (165) finally got the form of the jump just before the press, then the weight got a lot easier

Farmer's Carries: because my grip wasn't fucked enough from the one handed deadlifts
100ft w/135 per hand (50ft/turn/50ft)
50ft w/ 185

Yoke Carries: stability is such a bitch on these. The hard part isn't moving forward, it's keeping the weight up and down rather than left to right.
100ft w/4 plates (no clue how much the frame weighed)
50ft w/5 plates

Truck Pulls: however much an F150 weighs plus one strongman driving.
~200ft very slight incline (had some help pushing towards the end)

Some notes from this: I've always heard strongman is all about form but holy shit it is all about form. I understand why powerlifters and strongmen cross over so much because I lot of it really strengthens each other. Main difference is they keep their feet a lot closer than typical plifting. The phrase I learned yesterday "Power runs in lines" kept coming true, especially on the log press and carries where stability was so important. From what they said, I'm naturally gifted towards presses being barrel chested with short arms, but my arms will make anything off the ground tougher. Also bodyweight is huge for strongman, most noticeably for me on the truck pull. Getting that started and keeping momentum up the hill was much tougher for me than the bigger guys there. I loved every second of it, can't wait for more. Definitely won't be training grip for a week or so though. My fingers can barely type today.

[Theonidus]

I want in on the strongman thang the next time I come through STL.

[DoubleTapJak]

I want in on the strongman thang the next time I come through STL.

They're there every Sunday. The leader of the group, Jeff, has donated a lot to the gym so he's got pull with the owner. He's going to see how cheap he can get me a partial membership just for those. He let me in free yesterday but can't do that forever. As far as gyms go, the Lab is the nicest I've ever seen. Walking in it has three wings, the left is a crossfit box off limits during non class times, straight ahead is the strongman room with more equipment than I've seen before, and the right is standard machines and free weights. Really great setup.

[DoubleTapJak]

Since theo did it I guess I'll post some pics of the strongman equipment from the Lab this Sunday: http://imgur.com/a/d2tjh

[Swolepez]

Looks like a sick gym. I know you were trying to show the strongman equipment but what really caught my eye were the old school dumbbells.

[Theonidus]

Looks like a sick gym. I know you were trying to show the strongman equipment but what really caught my eye were the old school dumbbells.

The old school dumbbells are possibly the best.
As much as I like the newer models it takes just one show-off chucklefuck to drop the dumbbell and make the Allen-wrenched bits get loose and then you're using a rickety DB that you hope doesn't fall apart whilst mid lift.

[DoubleTapJak]

Looks like a sick gym. I know you were trying to show the strongman equipment but what really caught my eye were the old school dumbbells.


The old school dumbbells are possibly the best.
As much as I like the newer models it takes just one show-off chucklefuck to drop the dumbbell and make the Allen-wrenched bits get loose and then you're using a rickety DB that you hope doesn't fall apart whilst mid lift.

I'm lucky that I've never had to deal with those except once when I went to the Y in town. Couldn't stand them. I was terrified of them slipping off and smashing into my face during inclined press.

[DoubleTapJak]

Warm up

Bent Over Rows:
Bar x many
1 x 8 (95)
3 x 5 (135)

Weighted Pullups:
1 x 10 (10lbs)
1 x 6 (25) - these were tough. Then I wound up straining something pretty hard towards my elbow that severely weakened that arm. I got some Rock Tape on it and it's not too bad today, hope it heals quickly.

Rack Chins:
2 x 12

DB Bench Press:
3 x 5 (60/65/70)

Weighted Dips:
1 x 5 - felt like I was doing more harm than good to the bad arm so I called it there.

Cardio: Light Tennis ~60 minutes

Gonna have to watch those weighted pullups.

[Nix0r]

Uh oh... someone's on that Layne Norton shit.

[DoubleTapJak]

Uh oh... someone's on that Layne Norton shit.

I like the split, will probably supplement a few of the rest days out of boredom with my own. His program is a little light on back and arm work, plus I want to keep growing my traps with shrugs on shrugs on shrugs. Tired of having flat shoulders.

[Nix0r]

I like the split, will probably supplement a few of the rest days out of boredom with my own. His program is a little light on back and arm work, plus I want to keep growing my traps with shrugs on shrugs on shrugs. Tired of having flat shoulders.

Deadlift.

[Theonidus]

Deadlift.

But deadlifting is really bad for your back. You should avoid deadlifting as it's a "power movement".
Ask any of the fitness attendants and they'll give you healthy alternatives to the deadlift.

[DoubleTapJak]

But deadlifting is really bad for your back. You should avoid deadlifting as it's a "power movement".
Ask any of the fitness attendants and they'll give you healthy alternatives to the deadlift.

Same reason I don't squat. It's just too bad for your joints. The guys at the gym showed me some great Smith Machine leg presses to do instead.

[Swolepez]

Same reason I don't squat. It's just too bad for your joints. The guys at the gym showed me some great Smith Machine leg presses to do instead.

What's a squat??

[Swolepez]

The old school dumbbells are possibly the best.
As much as I like the newer models it takes just one show-off chucklefuck to drop the dumbbell and make the Allen-wrenched bits get loose and then you're using a rickety DB that you hope doesn't fall apart whilst mid lift.

I work at a YMCA so unfortunately they don't make a lot of money like other commercial gyms. So we have no hammer strength machines and rubber plates and dumbbells. And of course we still have those people who throw the weights down after a set.

[DoubleTapJak]

What's a squat??

You can look it up on youtube if you want. I'm way too nervous to try it though, man. Even if you do it without hurting yourself you're just going to get way too bulked up.

[DoubleTapJak]

Something one of the guys said to me on Sunday about overtraining and trying more weight than you're ready for. Well, this week I definitely should've taken it easier after training so hard Sunday on movements I've never done before and it came back to bite me. The arm pain I had a few days ago came back during pulls yesterday then I fucked it up so bad that my eyes started watering and I was done for the day. Going to force myself to take a week off like I've putting off for a month now before I do permanent damage, and I've got a can of Flex arriving tomorrow to hopefully help with the strain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3/14/2014 Legs Power Day

Warmup stretching and foam rolling

Back Squat:
bar x many
2 x 10 (135) - explosive
1 x 5 (225) - explosive
3 x 5 (315) never done that much volume before with 3 plates. The last ones definitely weren't perfect form but I wanted that time under the bar

Hack Squats:
3 x 4 (185) cannot find the form on these - I know I'm using my lats and back rather than legs. I'm going to need some coaching or replace with something else

Leg Extensions:
3 x 10

Leg Press:
2 x 10 (4 plates)

Hamstring Curl:
3 x 8

Standing Calf Raise:
1 x 15 (135)
Here's where it went wrong. Setting the bar on my traps it slipped back and my arms took the weight (225). Felt an explosion in my left arm that felt like it ran from the shoulder through the tricep and elbow to the wrist. No clue what's strained but it hurt like a motherfucker. Finished the second set early because resting on the traps hurt too much. Today it's not much better.

[Theonidus]

http://i.imgur.com/TP5R99m.jpg

[DoubleTapJak]

Day 4 of not lifting... starting to lose my identity.

[Nix0r]

Who I am hates... who am I?

[DoubleTapJak]

Day 5: My calluses are disappearing.

[DoubleTapJak]

Day 6: Come up with a new program that'll really target my lacking areas

Monday: Short head of Biceps Brachii
Tuesday: Long and Lateral Heads of Triceps Brachii
Wednesday: Brachialis
Thursday: Anconeus and Brachioradialis
Friday: Medial Head of Tricep and Long Head of Bicep
Sat: rest
Sun: rest

[Theonidus]

ಠ_ಠ

[JBaron]

Lol gotta get those massive guns, man.

[DoubleTapJak]

Lol gotta get those massive guns, man.

I mean, when it comes to functional strength, they're by far the most important. Think about how many times a day you use your biceps. Exactly.

[Theonidus]

I mean, when it comes to functional strength, they're by far the most important. Think about how many times a day you use your biceps. Exactly.

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

See? Pure bicep power to start flipping tables.

[DoubleTapJak]

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

See? Pure bicep power to start flipping tables.

This is all I've been missing. The secret to giant biceps has been found http://www.amazon.com/Ader-TE-800-Fitness-Arm-Blaster/dp/B00146LUG2/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1395358735&sr=1-1

[Swolepez]

I honestly wouldn't mind buying that arm blaster

[DoubleTapJak]

I honestly wouldn't mind buying that arm blaster

I mean, I'm sure it works, but I can't see spending money on it. Maybe if biceps were an actual weak point for me or they needed to catch up. I'm bored in class so I looked them up and apparently they were really popular in the 80's. If I ever feel like I need to isolate bi's harder I'll just use a preacher bench or stand against a wall and get a pretty great pump that way.

[Swolepez]

I mean, I'm sure it works, but I can't see spending money on it. Maybe if biceps were an actual weak point for me or they needed to catch up. I'm bored in class so I looked them up and apparently they were really popular in the 80's. If I ever feel like I need to isolate bi's harder I'll just use a preacher bench or stand against a wall and get a pretty great pump that way.

I know Arnold used it some....I think it mainly helps to keep proper form and not cheat, but yeah could always save the money and just lean on a wall

[DoubleTapJak]

Can't think of anymore puns. Guess I'm all trapped out.

One of my ongoing goals is to get a yoke big enough that collared shirts don't work anymore. They just don't. I'll be adding isolated trap exercises to my PHAT program at least twice a week until this is accomplished.

3/20/14 - first day Back (okay seriously done)
Warmup with foam rolling and stretching

Deadlift: picked up some wrist straps this week, will be using those to spend more time under heavy weight
2 x 8 (135)
2 x 5 (225)
1 x 7 (275) sumo style
2 x 5 (315) Oly/sumo

Snatch Grip Dead:
3 x 5 (225)

Bent over BB rows: explosive
3 x 10 (135)

Cable Low Rows:
4 x ~10

BB Shrugs:
5 x a lot (225) - really hard not ripping the nuts and bolt off as fatigue sets in and you start to lean back

Went for a walk outside after that for about 30 min with a friend.

[Swolepez]

What straps did you get??

[DoubleTapJak]

What straps did you get??

Local ones from a company called Supplement Superstore. They're blowing up the STL area as a not-shitty version of GNC. They sell a lot of 1st Phorm, Animal, Gold's, etc at the same prices I can get online. They're pretty basic, a bit of rubber padding, high quality material. I'm liking them so far and from what I can tell there's not much to differ from straps to straps. They're all pretty similar.

[Swolepez]

Local ones from a company called Supplement Superstore. They're blowing up the STL area as a not-shitty version of GNC. They sell a lot of 1st Phorm, Animal, Gold's, etc at the same prices I can get online. They're pretty basic, a bit of rubber padding, high quality material. I'm liking them so far and from what I can tell there's not much to differ from straps to straps. They're all pretty similar.


That's sweet bro. I only have a GNC so I have to order online to get good prices.

Sometimes straps are the same but honestly you will notice a difference from regular straps and heavy duty straps. Right now I use the Animal Pro Style Straps. Not just Bc their Animal, but Bc it's some heavy duty material for real.
http://www.supplementcentral.com/Animal-PRO-Lifting-Straps-1-pair

I also have a pair of Axle Deadlift straps by Spud Inc.
https://www.jackalsgym.com/store.aspx?prod_id=SPUD-ASTRAP


The two best straps I've ever had, even better than those Versa Gripps.

[DoubleTapJak]

That's sweet bro. I only have a GNC so I have to order online to get good prices.

Sometimes straps are the same but honestly you will notice a difference from regular straps and heavy duty straps. Right now I use the Animal Pro Style Straps. Not just Bc their Animal, but Bc it's some heavy duty material for real.
http://www.supplementcentral.com/Animal-PRO-Lifting-Straps-1-pair

I also have a pair of Axle Deadlift straps by Spud Inc.
https://www.jackalsgym.com/store.aspx?prod_id=SPUD-ASTRAP


The two best straps I've ever had, even better than those Versa Gripps.

I like those axle ones. Look very sturdy. Tell you the truth I'm disappointed in my Animal wrist wraps, they started falling apart after my first session with them. I heard the Pro Style Straps are better but I liked getting the chance to try out the Supplement Superstore ones before buying them.

[Theonidus]

I like those axle ones. Look very sturdy. Tell you the truth I'm disappointed in my Animal wrist wraps, they started falling apart after my first session with them. I heard the Pro Style Straps are better but I liked getting the chance to try out the Supplement Superstore ones before buying them.

The original Animal straps (the ones that came free in cans of Flex for a short time) fell apart if you looked at them wrong.
The "Pro Style Straps" are the ones I've been using for a little over a year now and they're pretty damn perfect.
Spud makes some of the best straps/wraps/belts/harnesses/sex swings in the market, though, and will give you the best value for the dollar.

[Dman]

Looks like I've been missing out on alot of training up here. Looks good I'm liken the Strongman sunday training thats Badass!!

[DoubleTapJak]

Looks like I've been missing out on alot of training up here. Looks good I'm liken the Strongman sunday training thats Badass!!

Thanks brother. Hopefully when I move closer to the city I'll be able to make it every week.

~~~~~~~~~~~~Weekend Training~~~~~~~~~~~~
3/21 Chest and Shoulders

Floor Presses:
bar by many
2 x 12 (135)
2 x 8 (185)
1 x 6 (185)
1 x 15 (135) really felt this in the deltoids the next day

Tricep Pressdowns:
4 x 15

Incline DB Press: (rotate to neutral at the top and squeeze)
3 x 12 (65)

Standing OHP: side note - these are a terrible idea after deadlift day
2 x 10 (95)
2 x 3 (135)
singles of 145 no idea how many

SSL's:
many

Face Pulls:
4 x 12

Lat Pulldowns:
2 x 10

~|Sexy Arms 'n' Abs Sunday|~

Broke out the Fat Gripz and used them on just about everything today. I can definitely feel it already, those bastards are amazing for grip and forearm training. Not posting numbers because I didn't really keep track, just tried to keep each set above 10.

DB Curls (seated)

EZ Grip Curls (standing)

Tricep Pressdowns (rope grip)

Reverse Grip Curls

Hammer Curls

Farmer's Walks (60lbs DB's):
three walks w/FG
one standard

Skullcrushers

BB Curls

Ab Work w/ kettlebell snatches


Finally got my hands on an old tractor tire! Turns out the free section of Craigslist can pay off sometimes. Picked up a 10lb sledgehammer at Lowe's as well so between those two I should be hitting some great conditioning a few times a week. Can't wait to start tomorrow with it.

[DoubleTapJak]

work it ᕙ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ᕗ harder
make it (ง •̀_•́)ง better
do it ᕦ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ᕤ faster
raise ur ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ﾉ donger

[Theonidus]

work it ᕙ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ᕗ harder
make it (ง •̀_•́)ง better
do it ᕦ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ᕤ faster
raise ur ヽ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ﾉ donger

http://i.imgur.com/wGm0TaK.jpg

[DoubleTapJak]

http://i.imgur.com/wGm0TaK.jpg

http://imgur.com/NBuCaNX

[DoubleTapJak]

I deal with stress in a very useless way. I used to think it didn't affect me at all. Moving almost two dozen times in my childhood, parents divorcing, family alienating my siblings and I, I'm not sure when but somewhere along the line I developed a defense mechanism of acting like a jackass. I've gotten a lot better about it, since high school and realizing I needed to grow up, but sometimes it still pops back up. It's like.. Acne you get almost completely cleared up then you get a breakout. Not sure a good way to fix it other than to ask others to point it out and try to think before I talk.

Anyone who knows me knows sometimes I take a joke too far. Then I realize I'm the only one laughing. No one's perfect, but this one of my flaws I need to keep working on. Last couple weeks - couple months really, have been tough at work and in school. I'll update my log tomorrow but just wanted to write this down so I can hold myself accountable to it in the future.

[Swolepez]

I deal with stress in a very useless way. I used to think it didn't affect me at all. Moving almost two dozen times in my childhood, parents divorcing, family alienating my siblings and I, I'm not sure when but somewhere along the line I developed a defense mechanism of acting like a jackass. I've gotten a lot better about it, since high school and realizing I needed to grow up, but sometimes it still pops back up. It's like.. Acne you get almost completely cleared up then you get a breakout. Not sure a good way to fix it other than to ask others to point it out and try to think before I talk.

Anyone who knows me knows sometimes I take a joke too far. Then I realize I'm the only one laughing. No one's perfect, but this one of my flaws I need to keep working on. Last couple weeks - couple months really, have been tough at work and in school. I'll update my log tomorrow but just wanted to write this down so I can hold myself accountable to it in the future.

Don't sweat it bro, everyone has their faults... The first and hardest step is recognizing it, which you've already accomplished.

[Theonidus]

I deal with stress in a very useless way. I used to think it didn't affect me at all. Moving almost two dozen times in my childhood, parents divorcing, family alienating my siblings and I, I'm not sure when but somewhere along the line I developed a defense mechanism of acting like a jackass. I've gotten a lot better about it, since high school and realizing I needed to grow up, but sometimes it still pops back up. It's like.. Acne you get almost completely cleared up then you get a breakout. Not sure a good way to fix it other than to ask others to point it out and try to think before I talk.

Anyone who knows me knows sometimes I take a joke too far. Then I realize I'm the only one laughing. No one's perfect, but this one of my flaws I need to keep working on. Last couple weeks - couple months really, have been tough at work and in school. I'll update my log tomorrow but just wanted to write this down so I can hold myself accountable to it in the future.

Thank you for saying this, little buddy.
I'm not sure I can be around every time when the next girl wants to slap you for shitting on her hopes and dreams.

[DoubleTapJak]

Don't sweat it bro, everyone has their faults... The first and hardest step is recognizing it, which you've already accomplished.

Thanks, brother. The whole point of this lifestyle is to be better. I can't do that and ignore the inside at the same time.


Thank you for saying this, little buddy.
I'm not sure I can be around every time when the next girl wants to slap you for shitting on her hopes and dreams.

It's a blessing and a curse. I can easily find ways of describing how meaningless someone I don't like is to me like that girl which is great at times, but it has accidentally blown back and alienated others I do care about.

~/\~3/25~/\~ Chest Power Day
First heavy training day I've had in a while that I really felt on my game and injury free for, which was a wonderful change.

T-Bar Rows:
Warm up x bar
1 x 10 (1 plate)
2 x 8 (2 plate)
1 x 6 (3 plate)

Weighted Chin-Up:
2 x 10 (10lb) since these are where my arm got fucked two weeks ago I'll be keeping the additional weight light for a few weeks

Rack Chins: one rack point higher than normal
2 x 10

Flat DB Presses:
warmup x 35lbs
2 x 5 (65)
1 x 5 (75) highest I've gone on these in a while

Weighted Dips:
3 x 12

Seated DB Shoulder Press:
3 x 5 (35)

WYTL1's x 3

Left and gulped down some taco bell before class then got to the room to find out class was cancelled. So I went home and took the new tire for a spin. Gonna be tough to log but my first time recorded flipping from one end of my parking lot to the other is 1:23:07. Promptly threw up all my taco bell in an asthma induced barf attack. Did a few laps of flips superset with Sledge Hits. Roommate grabbed a video of the final set of hammers:

http://youtu.be/iC9dWWepoW4

[DoubleTapJak]

Didn't have much time for this workout, unfortunately. I was in a rush to get home and see the lady before she leaves for a week.

Back Squat: really didn't have my head in it for these and it became really obvious past 275
bar x many
2 x 10 (135) explosive
2 x 5 (225) explosive
2 x 3 (275)
2 x 3 till failure (315)

Leg Curls:
3 x till exhaustion

Leg Extensions:
3 x till exhaustion

Seated Calf Raises:
till exhaustion

My question today is should I skip my scheduled rest day to catch up on my program or have it offset until next week. I'm still very sore from chest day but I'll be wandering around campus bored anyway so I'll probably wind up at the gym.

[DoubleTapJak]

3/28/14
Leaving the description of each exercise in these to show how they fit into the PHAT program:

• Pulling Power Exercise speed work: Bent over or Pendlay rows

6 sets of 3 reps with 65-70% of normal 3-5 rep max

• Hypertrophy pulling movement: Rack chins

3 sets of 8-12 reps

• Hypertrophy pulling movement: Seated cable row

3 sets of 8-12 reps

• Hypertrophy pulling movement: Dumbbell rows or shrugs bracing upper body against an incline

bench

2 sets of 12-15 reps

• Hypertrophy pulling movement: Close grip pulldowns

2 sets of 15-20 reps

• Hypertrophy shoulder movement: Seated dumbbell presses

3 sets of 8-12 reps

• Hypertrophy shoulder movement: Upright rows

2 sets of 12-15 reps

• Hypertrophy shoulder movement: Side lateral raises with dumbbells or cables

3 sets of 12-20 reps

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3/29/14
• Lower Body Power Exercise speed work: Squats

6 sets of 3 reps with 65-70% of normal 3-5 rep max

• Hypertrophy pressing movement: Hack squats

3 sets of 8-12 reps

• Hypertrophy pressing movement: Leg presses

2 sets of 12-15 reps

• Hypertrophy extension movement: Leg extensions

3 sets of 15-20 reps

• Hypertrophy pulling movement: Romanian deadlifts

3 sets of 8-12 reps

• Hypertrophy curling movement: Lying leg curls

2 sets of 12-15 reps

• Hypertrophy curling movement: Seated leg curls

2 sets of 15-20 reps

• Hypertrophy calf movement: Donkey calf raises

4 sets of 10-15 reps

• Hypertrophy calf movement: Seated calf raises

3 sets of 15-20 reps

~~~~~~~~~~~~STRONGMAN SUNDAY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
God I love these sessions. Hopefully when my life slows down I'll be able to make more of them. Unfortunately they don't really fit well with my training schedule, most of the guys that train there quit heavy iron work 2-3 days beforehand meanwhile I'm hitting hypertrophy days up until Sunday. If it means my numbers are a little lower, so be it. I'm still getting the work and form training in. As last time, the weights will be estimates since I don't know the weight of the equipment.

Fat Bar Clean and Presses:
3 x 5 (135/145/165)

Fat Bar Floor Presses: it's interesting to see the separation between powerlifting and strongman training here. When it comes to pressing I'm even with or higher than most of the guys that have been doing SM training for years, simply because it's not nearly as important for them. Most of their pressing movements are to train triceps to help with overhead work.
3 x 10 (195)
1 x idk how many everything went red (235)

Yolk Carries:
3 x 50 yards (250/360/420)

Prowler Pushes:
2 x a parking lot (4 plates/6 plates)

Atlas Stones:
Hit the 150lb stone easily compared to last time I tried at Eagle Gym, then fought the 230(?) times, failing all three to get it over the bar. Came damn close the last time.

Keg Throws: no clue how much they weighed.

PICTURES! @cjfranke is the photographer of the group... also yolk carried 800lbs yesterday like most people walk normally. Great guy, great pictures.
http://instagram.com/p/mLWxIUrrUM
http://instagram.com/p/mLf6S9LrVv

[DoubleTapJak]

Arms were pretty much the only thing that didn't hurt yesterday so I had an ~hour long pump session

Warmup/stretching

Preacher Curls:
21's (55lb)

Standing DB Curl ss/Hammer curls:
35/30/25lbs

Tricep Pressdown:
3 x 15 (50/60/55)

Diamond Pushups:
50

Reverse Curls:
2 x 15

Fat Bar Curls: grip was exhausted from Sunday Strongman
2 x 10 (45/65)

Ab work: Hollow rockers/Medicine Ball Crunches/Kettlebell swings

[DoubleTapJak]

!Titty Tuesday!

Bent Over Rows:
3 x 5 (165)

Strict Chinups: not sure if it's due to getting leaner or putting on mass or both but I actually saw some wings spread out on these. Felt... sexy.
3 x 10

Rack Chins:
2 x 12

Flat DB Bench Press: will try to break 80 next week since these were so easy
1 x a lot (35)
3 x 5 (60/70/75)

Dips:
3 x 10

Standing OHP:
3 x 10 (90/110/135 with a hop)

Skullcrusher/Pulldown/CGBP circuit: went fast and light no breaks

Huggin' Machine:
2 x 15

[Theonidus]

Huggin' Machine:
2 x 15

http://physicalculturist.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/comic_hugging.jpg

[Swolepez]

Strict Chinups: not sure if it's due to getting leaner or putting on mass or both but I actually saw some wings spread out on these.

It's Bc you drank a Red Bull....

[DoubleTapJak]

http://physicalculturist.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/comic_hugging.jpg

I'm glad you knew exactly what I was talking about.


It's Bc you drank a Red Bull....

Whatever the reason, I'm liking them. I remember as a littl(er) kid I always thought Bruce Lee's wingspan was incredible.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~>HEAVY ASS PULLS<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All I wanted to do yesterday was deadlift. Hit a PR, went for another and failed but now I know what 4 plates feels like. At the Arnold I chatted with Ant about what he does for a warmup before a big lift. He doesn't do any stretches or exercises other than whatever he's going to max. "Why stretch and tear a muscle you're about to need to use?" Gave it a shot last night, felt pretty good.

Deadlift:
Bar x many
2 x 10 (135) x 1 (sumo)
1 x 6 (225) x 1 (sumo)
2 x 3 (285)
2 x 1 (315)
1 x 1 (365)
1 x 1 (380) - PR felt great, barely fought at all
3 x 1 (405) - failed all three. Best attempt was the first, but my left hand grip failed and I dropped that side a few inches off the floor. Lats were exhausted, grip was pretty much non existent from strongman training, and I haven't taken a day off in a while. If I'd screwed my grip in tighter it might have had a better result. Still, as easy as 380 was, I fully believe I'll have 405 later in the summer after a few rest days. Video of the first attempt below.

www.instagram.com/p/mTwk1blb3g

Afterwards I played around with Overhead Squats. Never tried them before but if strongman is going to progress I really need better core strength for stabilization. If you haven't attempted them before, try it just with the bar, you'll see quickly how different it is.

[IronMaiden]

Oh God, oh God, I have so many things to say right now. Prepare for word-vomit.

1. I'M GONNA BE SO GOOD AT HUGGIN'. I blew that up and taped it to the wall behind my desk at work a week or two ago. I have been teased mercilessly. So worth it.
2. You said "Heavy Ass Pulls" and somehow I transferred the pause in my head and they became "Heavy Ass-Pulls." The resulting mental image is glorious.
3. Dude, your link is broken. I was really looking forward to watching the ass-pull.
4. What exactly did you do to warm up then? I'd never thought about it that way. My interest is piqued.
5. Freaking Congrats on the PR. There really isn't a better feeling out there.

[DoubleTapJak]

Oh God, oh God, I have so many things to say right now. Prepare for word-vomit.

1. I'M GONNA BE SO GOOD AT HUGGIN'. I blew that up and taped it to the wall behind my desk at work a week or two ago. I have been teased mercilessly. So worth it.
2. You said "Heavy Ass Pulls" and somehow I transferred the pause in my head and they became "Heavy Ass-Pulls." The resulting mental image is glorious.
3. Dude, your link is broken. I was really looking forward to watching the ass-pull.
4. What exactly did you do to warm up then? I'd never thought about it that way. My interest is piqued.
5. Freaking Congrats on the PR. There really isn't a better feeling out there.

Lmao, to all the above.

1. It's a proven fact I am good at hugging now. I attribute it all to cable flies and huggin machines.
2. Heavy Ass-Pulls are illegal in 42 states
3. Try the link again. I think it should work now.
4. I warmed up with lighter versions of the lift I was going to attempt. In this case deadlifts, but with the bar and light weight I extended the ROM slightly more than I normally would to warm up the rotators and joints a bit.
5. Freaking thanks. I can't get 4 plates out of my head now, though. I won't be satisfied till I hit that clean.

[IronMaiden]

Four big boy plates is a literal fuckload heavier than 3 45s, a 35, a 5, and a 2.5. Unfortunate, but true.

Well I'm rooting for you, in the way only a stranger on the internet can.

[DoubleTapJak]

Four big boy plates is a literal fuckload heavier than 3 45s, a 35, a 5, and a 2.5. Unfortunate, but true.

Well I'm rooting for you, in the way only a stranger on the internet can.

I'll get there. Have you seen what the kids are doing over the internet nowadays? You can do a lot with strangers... ʘ_ʘ

[Theonidus]

2. You said "Heavy Ass Pulls" and somehow I transferred the pause in my head and they became "Heavy Ass-Pulls." The resulting mental image is glorious.

This guy. He must also be from the interwebs.
https://xkcd.com/37/

[DoubleTapJak]

Friday: fuckaround day

Clean and Press ss/OHP: the more I do it, the more I love picking something up off the floor and putting it over my head. It just makes sense, idk.

Lots of volume - worked up to 155 for reps

Bent Over Rows:
3 x 5 (135)

Chinups:
2 x 10

Lat Pulldown ss/tricep pressdown:
3 x 15

DB Shrugs:
3 x 10 (65/80/100) never tried 100lb DB's before for this. Hit 10 but I banged them out so fast I'm not even sure my traps were involved.

Farmer's Carries w/Fat Gripz:
55lbs

Forearm Fruit Rollups:
10lbs

Ab Work
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Saturday - Legs~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Didn't have much time
Squats:
bar x many x2
1 x 10 (135)
1 x 30 (135)
2 x 5 (225)

Lunges:
80lbs on back

Leg Extensions:
2 x 12

Leg Curls:
2 x 12

HIIT Bike 10 minutes

~~~~~~Sunday Gunday~~~~~~~

Nothing really exciting. Lots of different curls with and without fat gripz, CGBP and Dips. Finished up with Ab work.

Found out I'm getting a SlingShot for my birthday next Monday. So excited.

[DoubleTapJak]

I always seem to be the most productive when I have something I need to do. Fun fact: I haven't done my taxes, so last night I was in the gym for almost 3 hours.

Bent Over Rows:
3 x 5 (155)

Weighted Chins:
3 x 8 (25)

Rack Chins:
2 x 12

BB Bench Press: had a really hard time finding the groove, I'm going to modify PHAT to include this once a week so I don't regress
2 x 10 (135)
2 x 5 (185)
2 x 1 (205)
1 x 3 (185)

Weighted Dips:
3 x 10 (25)

Seated DB Shoulder Press:
3 x 12

Cable Flies:
5 x 10

Tricep Pressdown:
3 x 15

Pullups:
many

HIIT Training on bike till vomit.

Punching bag till exhaustion.

[DoubleTapJak]

4/8/14

CAT Squats:
2 x 10 (135)
1 x 5 (225)
2 x 5 (275)

Heavy for Reps:
1 x 5 (315)

Front Squats: I really need someone to teach me form on this, Youtube vids aren't doing it. I think the problem is setting the shelf right. I wind up resting it on my shoulders which can't handle heavy weight.
3 x 5

Pause Squats:
3 x 10 (275/275/225)

Leg Extensions:
3 x 15

Leg Curls:
3 x 15

Seated Calf Raises:
5 x 15

Standing Calf Raises:
3 x 10

As critical as squats are, mine still suck. I've been fucking with the same weight for months now. I've been concentrating on form the last while, now I need to start adding weight again. Hence the 315 for reps. I need that to be as easy as 275 is.

[Theonidus]

You keep saying "CAT". I don't think you know what that means yet.

[DoubleTapJak]

You keep saying "CAT". I don't think you know what that means yet.

Compensatory Acceleration Training. I continue to accelerate through the entire movement to the top. I haven't based an entire workout around it but I've been trying to get several sets in each week to develop explosiveness, typically with 50-80% of my max. It's not a carbon copy of how Sam Byrd sets up his training but I believe it's still CAT.

[DoubleTapJak]

4/10 Back and Shoulders Hypertrophy Work
Pendlay rows
6 x 3

Rack chins
3 x 12

Seated cable row
3 x 15

Dumbbell Rows against Bench:
2 x 12

DB Shrugs:
2 x 30

Close grip pulldowns
3 x 10

Seated dumbbell presses
3 x 12

Upright rows
2 x 15

Side lateral raises
3 x 20

[DoubleTapJak]

4/11 Deadlift - Didn't have much time, like every friday, so busted out some volume work then ran out

Sumo Deads:
2 x 10 (135)
1 x 10 (185)

Conventional Deads:
2 x 15 (225)
1 x 7 (285)
2 x 8 (305)

GHR:
2 x 12

Leg Curls ss/leg extensions:
3 x 15 each

Leg Presses:
Worked up to pushing around 800. Lots of reps.

Super Sexy Sunday today. TURN DOWN FOR WHAT

[DoubleTapJak]

Took my new slingshot for a walk today. Absolutely loved hitting reps on my previous max and then working up to more weight than I could have imagined.

Bench Press:
bar x many
2 x 8 (135)
1 x 5 (185)
add slinger
1 x 8 (185)
1 x 5 (225)
1 x 3 (245)
1 x 1 (265)
1 x 1 (275) boom!

Incline DB Press:
3 x 12 (55)

Hammer Strength Wide Press:
3 x 12

Cable Flies:
3 x 15

Cambered Bar Preacher Curls w/Fat Gripz:
3 x 12

DB Concentration Curls w/FG:
3 x 12 (25) drop set (20) x 10

Laying Tricep Extensions:
3 x 12

Tricep Pressdowns:
3 x 12

Reverse Curls w/FG:
3 x 15

Farmer's Carries w/FG:
50lbs

Plate Shrugs till exhaustion.

HIIT Tabata on stationary bike

...I really need to do my taxes so they're not hanging over my head on my birthday tomorrow.

[Dman]

I'm liken the intensity up in here lots of killer training being done bro! Sorry been kinda absent in checkin in with ya. I gotta take some notes for when I get back to hittn it hard I can incorporate some of the lifts you do in here plus some of the Strongman stuff too!!

[DoubleTapJak]

I'm liken the intensity up in here lots of killer training being done bro! Sorry been kinda absent in checkin in with ya. I gotta take some notes for when I get back to hittn it hard I can incorporate some of the lifts you do in here plus some of the Strongman stuff too!!

That means a lot, brother. If you're curious I'm currently running the PHAT template that I modify to make a little more powerlifting friendly. It doesn't include bench press and very little deadlift work, so I add both those in during the week. I love the volume, and I train about 6 days a week anyway so I'm always sore in a good way. Theonidus is coming down from his hole this weekend and we're probably going to get into some strongman trouble at Eagle Gym in STL.

[Dman]

That means a lot, brother. If you're curious I'm currently running the PHAT template that I modify to make a little more powerlifting friendly. It doesn't include bench press and very little deadlift work, so I add both those in during the week. I love the volume, and I train about 6 days a week anyway so I'm always sore in a good way. Theonidus is coming down from his hole this weekend and we're probably going to get into some strongman trouble at Eagle Gym in STL.

Yeah I was actually wondering what program you were runnin I've never heard of that before lolz but it seems like it is some top notch hard training!! Nice thats sick man there is like no-one in Colorado who is on the Forums anymore its kinda a drag I would love to get together and do some Strongman training or just training in genereal lol!!

[DoubleTapJak]

Yeah I was actually wondering what program you were runnin I've never heard of that before lolz but it seems like it is some top notch hard training!! Nice thats sick man there is like no-one in Colorado who is on the Forums anymore its kinda a drag I would love to get together and do some Strongman training or just training in genereal lol!!

St Louis animals all apparently dropped off before my time. Im
I'm very thankful for the Chicago guys and the strongman troupe I found. As far as programs go-strict powerlifting is too boring for me and I don't see any strength gains from bodybuilding. Maybe one day I'll design my own powerbuilding program that encompasses the best of both. I guess I'm using myself as a guinea pig. I just feel like there's no need to be fat regardless of your end goals. A lot of guys sacrifice their overall health just to get strong a little faster, or body fat just isn't an issue to them. I know the best of both worlds is possible at my level.

Don't worry, you'll be lifting again soon. You're still doing serious work in the meantime. Mad props.

[Dman]

St Louis animals all apparently dropped off before my time. Im
I'm very thankful for the Chicago guys and the strongman troupe I found. As far as programs go-strict powerlifting is too boring for me and I don't see any strength gains from bodybuilding. Maybe one day I'll design my own powerbuilding program that encompasses the best of both. I guess I'm using myself as a guinea pig. I just feel like there's no need to be fat regardless of your end goals. A lot of guys sacrifice their overall health just to get strong a little faster, or body fat just isn't an issue to them. I know the best of both worlds is possible at my level.

Don't worry, you'll be lifting again soon. You're still doing serious work in the meantime. Mad props.

Yeah I feel like im in that same boat here I joined up and seemed like no Colorado Animals in the house anymore. Funny thing Ive had alot of time to think through training in the time and I feel the same about most powerlifting programs I was doing 5/3/1 and still probably am goin to run it but I need to get strong and a variety of good ol' heavy lifts to do,i've been really digging the whole strongman thing lately and yeah bodybuilding kinda doesn't offer enough strength for the table lolz. Thats a good point there gotta keep in mind health along the way too many people get carried away with one night gains and forget it's a marathon not a sprint hahah!
Thank you for the words of Strength there bro it helps carry me through!! Heck yeah can't wait till I can train heavy again, just being patient is my big issue lol

[IronMaiden]

...I really need to do my taxes so they're not hanging over my head on my birthday tomorrow.

"When it comes to taxes, there are two types of people. There are those that get it done early, also known as psychopaths, and then the rest of us." –Jimmy Kimmel

Also, massively jealous of your slingshot. I don't have the balls for that thing.

[DoubleTapJak]

Yeah I feel like im in that same boat here I joined up and seemed like no Colorado Animals in the house anymore. Funny thing Ive had alot of time to think through training in the time and I feel the same about most powerlifting programs I was doing 5/3/1 and still probably am goin to run it but I need to get strong and a variety of good ol' heavy lifts to do,i've been really digging the whole strongman thing lately and yeah bodybuilding kinda doesn't offer enough strength for the table lolz. Thats a good point there gotta keep in mind health along the way too many people get carried away with one night gains and forget it's a marathon not a sprint hahah!
Thank you for the words of Strength there bro it helps carry me through!! Heck yeah can't wait till I can train heavy again, just being patient is my big issue lol

Strongman is by far the most fun I've ever had lifting up heavy stuff. I can't wait to incorporate it heavier into my program. I can't wait to see how hard you hit it once you can lift heavy again. Nothing's gonna get in your way.


"When it comes to taxes, there are two types of people. There are those that get it done early, also known as psychopaths, and then the rest of us." –Jimmy Kimmel

Also, massively jealous of your slingshot. I don't have the balls for that thing.

I actually have more balls after using the slingshot. I haven't counted them all yet cuz counting is really hard, but it looks like a lot. I'll try to put up a video with it maybe next week. BTW your squat looked great!

[Theonidus]

Also, massively jealous of your slingshot. I don't have the balls for that thing.


I actually have more balls after using the slingshot. I haven't counted them all yet cuz counting is really hard, but it looks like a lot. I'll try to put up a video with it maybe next week. BTW your squat looked great!

As a result of the slingshot my testicles now hang like a bunch of grapes. I am overloaded with testicles.

[IronMaiden]

As a result of the slingshot my testicles now hang like a bunch of grapes. I am overloaded with testicles.

That sounds like it would make squats a real challenge. And running. And finding a girlfriend. I mean, unless she's into that kind of thing.

[Theonidus]

That sounds like it would make squats a real challenge. And running. And finding a girlfriend. I mean, unless she's into that kind of thing.

lol "finding a girlfriend"
http://i.imgur.com/s28PsRv.gif

[DoubleTapJak]

lol "finding a girlfriend"
http://i.imgur.com/s28PsRv.gif

Couldn't decide which one fit better.
http://i.imgur.com/ldtpOON.gif
http://i.imgur.com/tPzTdA4.gif

[DoubleTapJak]

Started out as my schedule chest day but I wasn't recovered at all from the slingshot session and exhausted from no sleep the night before. Still, got some work done.

Warmup/lots of foam rolling

Bent Over DB Rows:
3 x 5 (155)

Weighted Chinups:
3 x 15ish

Pullups:
2 x 10

Face Pulls:
3 x 15

DB Bench Press:
3 x 5 (65/75/75)

Dips: gave out almost instantly

Cardio:
High Intensity Rowing

Abs:
Rollouts

Feeling much more rested for leg day today.

[DoubleTapJak]

Somewhere along the line I forgot how to squat. So, a few weeks ago I bought a new car (yay). Ever since then my knees have been giving me real trouble. I'm still trying to adjust the seat to where it's comfortable for my legs but with how much I commute the weird pressure on my thighs and knees is starting to cause some major pain. As much as this sucks, last night I had one of those clarifying moments during my squat allowing me to realize that I sit too far forward on a squat and take the weight on my knees. Last night I dialed down the weight and focused on pushing my ass as far back as possible. Felt much better with the weight in the muscle instead, and my knees actually felt better. Probably wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for the pre-existing knee pain.

Therefore: I'm going to be keeping the weight emasculatingly low while I fix my form and start going up in a linear progression while working on mobility. Last night with the new form I couldn't even hit a full 5x5 w/275lbs. Time to relearn, hopefully I'll be able to start actually adding weight to my squat rather than feel like it's slipping worse every week.

Squats:
warmup x bar
2 x 10 (135)
2 x 5 (225)
3 x 5 (275)
2 x 5 (225)

[JBaron]

It takes balls to drop the weight and hammer your form. Kudos, man. I'm sure that squat will shoot up in no time.

[DoubleTapJak]

It takes balls to drop the weight and hammer your form. Kudos, man. I'm sure that squat will shoot up in no time.

Thanks, John. The other part I really need to work on is my recovery. I've been dropping that ball pretty bad. I *need* to get 8 hours a night and I haven't been between school, gf, or even xbox. Sleeping and protein intake have both been down and I'm sure it's affecting my gains, especially with how much volume I'm doing. I keep focusing on my time in the gym and don't consider the other 22 hours in a day.

[JBaron]

Thanks, John. The other part I really need to work on is my recovery. I've been dropping that ball pretty bad. I *need* to get 8 hours a night and I haven't been between school, gf, or even xbox. Sleeping and protein intake have both been down and I'm sure it's affecting my gains, especially with how much volume I'm doing. I keep focusing on my time in the gym and don't consider the other 22 hours in a day.

Dude I feel ya so much. Life gets really busy sometimes.

[DoubleTapJak]

What a great weekend. Got some powerlifting, some strongman, and some hypertrophy.

Friday: Sexy Chest Day with Theonidus at Eagle Gym
http://imgur.com/a/etLYR

Wasn't keeping track of numbers, just went by feel:

Machine Pullovers

Bench Press

Chinups

Seated DB Shoulder Press

Rack Chins

Tireflips with a giant-ass tire
http://youtu.be/6nu5PvdV0JM
http://youtu.be/xMGiKnokSfM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday Strongman at The Lab

Log Press:
Worked up to one olympic blue plate (20kg?) no idea how much the log weighs

Spent most of the day pullin the truck. I got two full crawls up the hill (50~yds) plus some sprint work. Took most of the sole off my shoes and nearly passed out.
http://instagram.com/p/m_zfSRlb_h/

Frame Carries: my new favorite trap/grip exercise
Two fifty yard runs with the frame (350lbs), then added 200, then another 100. Only managed to pick and hold the last one before everything failed.
Here's one of Joanne, an insane crossfit coach/strongwoman/powerlifter, with the frame: http://instagram.com/p/m-5ZL5LrRY

Fucked around with some olympic lifts after that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunday Back Day

Warmup

Deadlift:
Bar x many
2 x 10 (135)

Snatch Grip on elevated platform:
2 x 8 (135)
2 x 5 (185)
1 x 4 (225)

Deadlift:
Working sets with 315

Front Squats:
Yes

Back Squats:
Also Yes

Good Mornings:
2 x 15 (100lbs)

GHR:
3 x 12

Cable Curls:
Pyramid x 15 (15-30-10)
Drop Sets x 15 (35/25 25/15 15/10)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now for the shitty part: I have one pack of Stak left, and when that goes tonight I'll be kicking into CarbNite mode, trying to get sexy for summer. My plan is to continue the same lifting schedule but have a day of cardio in between each lifting day. I have no excuse for weighing 180 when guys taller than me that weigh 10lbs less can pull so much more than I can. Time to fix that. I'll be eating a lot of red meat, cheese, poultry, eggs, and greens during the week, then loading up on carbs once a week. I've been lax in previous diets and had matching results, so if that happens again I know I'll have only myself to blame.

[DoubleTapJak]

Didn't feel any side effects from being carbless for this one but I'm used to lifting on no carbs with the backloading I've been doing the last few months. Today and tomorrow will likely be different.

Bench Press: forgot my wrist wraps so didn't go too heavy with the slingshot
bar x many
2 x 8 (135)
2 x 5 (185)
add SlingShot
2 x 5 (185)
2 x 5 (225)

L Sit Chinups w/Fat Gripz:
5 x 10 (bodyweight)

Bent Over Rows:
5 x 5 (165)

Overhead Press: adding in a leg drive to help train my form for the log press
Bar x many
2 x 5 (95)
1 x 5 (115)
1 x 4 (135)

Hammer Strength Incline Press:
2 x 15

Forward Lateral Shoulder Raise: I don't have a reason but I never do these. Felt great for my shoulders though so I'll try to work more in.
2 x 15

HIIT Training tonight with some ab work. Should be boring.

[DoubleTapJak]

Still not feeling any serious fatigue or loss of strength from the low carb diet. This is just making me more worried about how bad it will be when it does hit.

Warmup/stretching (10 min)
Sprints - 15 seconds on, 1 minute off (10min)
Crosstrainer (15min)

Farmer's Walks:
50yds x 3 (80lbs)

[DoubleTapJak]

Deadlift: hit another PR, working on taking longer for my warmup to be more rested for the pr attempt
bar x many
2 x 5 (135)
2 x 3 (225)
1 x 1 (315)
1 x 1 (355)
1 x 1 (390) PR http://instagram.com/p/nNmDITFb3g/
1 x fail (400) got it off the floor both attempts, but I went sumo the first time and killed my energy. Probably would've had it if I'd done conventional the first time. I get a much better liftoff with sumo but am still more comfortable with conventional, so I either need to trust conventional for PR's or keep working with sumo's until they can compare. Or both. Either way, I will have 400 before summer is over.

Chinups

Rows

Lat Pulldowns

/sesh

[DoubleTapJak]

4/26 Circuit and Legs

Went back to my old stomping grounds at Nautilus Gym in Alton, IL, basically the first place I ever saw real weight lifting. Pretty cool to go back and see the changes to the gym. Went with my friend's girlfriend who's big into barbell complexes and has used them to train her martial arts for years. It was pure hell for a half hour, but my body doesn't feel wasted like after real hard cardio for a while.

Circuit:
ran each for a minute with a half minute rest, 3 times through
Leonidus Presses
Deadlift
Ab Rollouts
Clean and Presses
Jump Rope

Worked with some squats after, didn't go past 225 since it was hurting my knees so bad. I'm considering wraps or knee sleeves to help take the pressure off, otherwise I'll have to take a few weeks off before this becomes a real problem. If anyone has experience/recommendations for a good tool, I'd love to hear it.

[JBaron]

Knee sleeves are one of the best investments I've made. Rehbands are probably the best, but they're super expensive, and the good ones (blue ones) aren't being manufactured anymore so I think their price has risen. Since I'm broke and cheap, I got Tommy Kono knee sleeves. A pair costs about the same as one Rehband sleeve and they work fine for my purposes. They keep my knees really warm and the compression is great in my opinion.

[Theonidus]

Knee sleeves are one of the best investments I've made. Rehbands are probably the best, but they're super expensive, and the good ones (blue ones) aren't being manufactured anymore so I think their price has risen. Since I'm broke and cheap, I got Tommy Kono knee sleeves. A pair costs about the same as one Rehband sleeve and they work fine for my purposes. They keep my knees really warm and the compression is great in my opinion.

Knee sleeves are definitely one of the few pieces of equipment in my bag that have paid for themselves over and over again.
I had to do some pretty hard searching to find any original Rehband sleeves and ended up finding some warehouse that was selling them directly out of the warehouse. I may invest to elbow sleeves at some point, too.

[DoubleTapJak]

Knee sleeves are one of the best investments I've made. Rehbands are probably the best, but they're super expensive, and the good ones (blue ones) aren't being manufactured anymore so I think their price has risen. Since I'm broke and cheap, I got Tommy Kono knee sleeves. A pair costs about the same as one Rehband sleeve and they work fine for my purposes. They keep my knees really warm and the compression is great in my opinion.


Knee sleeves are definitely one of the few pieces of equipment in my bag that have paid for themselves over and over again.
I had to do some pretty hard searching to find any original Rehband sleeves and ended up finding some warehouse that was selling them directly out of the warehouse. I may invest to elbow sleeves at some point, too.

Thanks guys. I've always heard Rehband was the best but I don't really feel like dropping 80 bucks on them right now. I know one of the strongman guys sells them privately so I'll see how much those are, otherwise I'll go for something like the Tommy Kono sleeves. Saturday my friend had cobain wrap in her bag so I used that and just that compression alone helped a ton.

[DoubleTapJak]

Warmup - lots of foam rolling after sleeping on a friend's floor all weekend

Chinups:
3 x 10

DB Bench Press:
4 x 5 (60/60/70/80)

Chinups:
10

Overhead Press:
2 x 5 (95)
2 x 5 (115)
3 x 1 (135)
1 x 5 (95)

Chinups:
10

Flies:
3 x 10 (30)

Tricep Pressdown:
3 x 15

Farmers Carries w/ Trap Bar and slight shrug - length of a basketball court
1 (1 plate)
2 (2 plates)
2 (3 plates)
1 (2 plates)
No clue how much the bar weighs, definitely more than 45lbs but less than 100. So I figure three plates comes out to around 350lbs.

Lost three pounds according to the scale. Good for a first week but if it keeps dropping that fast I'll have to put in some more carbs to help minimize the strength loss.

[DoubleTapJak]

Compression sleeves came in last night. Went with the Tommy Kono's and they fit great, work great, and my chucks were litrully soaked with sweat by the time I got done with squats. They make me reconsider my leg hair.

Deadlift warmup:
2 x 10 (135)
2 x 5 (225)

Back Squat: felt so good to not have any knee pain with these
bar x many
1 x 8 (135)
2 x 5 (225)
3 x 5 (275)
1 x 3 (315)
1 x 12 (225)

Front Squat:
2 x 8 (95)
1 x 5 (135)

Overhead Squat:
2 x 10 (65)
1 x 8 (95)
1 x 5 (115)

Leg Extensions:
2 x 15

Leg Curls:
2 x 15

Calf Raises:
they happened

[DoubleTapJak]

Broke out the fat gripz to get fat gripz. Used them on everything I could think of and eventually had three people lined up behind me to try them out. Made a few new friends, maybe there is hope for my school's gym.

Chinup:
3 x 10

Bent Over Rows:
3 x 5

Chinup:
3 x 10

Cable Curls:
5 x 15

Concentration Curls:
2 x 10

Preacher Curls:
2 x 15

Pullups:
2 x till failure

Fruit Rollups:
yes

Cable Rows:
3 x 12

Pretty sore today, definitely need a rest day before deads tomorrow. Not sure what training will look like next week with finals yet.