View Full Version : The Bear Is Back
Had a log on here before but i rarely updated, and if i did, i had no idea what i wanted to do. My biggest struggle is sticking to something and that killed most of my progress. I have continued lifting and progressively have become more consistent again, which is fantastic. I'm still working my big boy job and my hours have gotten much better, which has made lifting everyday much easier. I also have lost a good amount of weight but have kept a lot of muscle. This log is for me to see my progress and to better myself. Follow along if you want, as I continue to grow and bust my balls in the process.
Stats:
Weight - 239 lbs
(Am hoping to be back in the 220's but if i lean out and stay heavy i won't mind.)
Really trying to bring up my weak bodyparts: Legs/Calves, Abs, and Arms.
I have been told my arms arent a weak point, but who doesnt want cannons?
My Legs are very small due to not working them for a long period of time due to an injury back from football (also from me just being a pussy and not pushing them).
All together i guess im just trying to get the body I can be proud of. Ill be trying to lift 5-6 days a week depending on work and other life commitments outside of the gym.
So its time i stop pussy footing around and start kicking my own ass into shape.
Today is international chest day so here we go.
Since November, I've completely stopped starting my workouts with Flat Barbell Press due to some saggy tits and always starting with that movement. I have a large chest but there is little to none in the definition department. Also when i made the switch to a powerlifting split i stopped doing inclines which had a big affect on my strength and look. So im still toying with the reps and sets trying to figure out what is best for me. I have gone as heavy as 195 x 8, which doesn't seem heavy but from only being able to do 135 x 10 im happy with it. Trying to really get the weight up there and getting a good stretch/contraction in the muscle.
1) Incline Barbell Press
bar x 10, 95 x 10, 135 x 10, 4 sets x 12, 9, 10, 9 (Double drop set on the last set of 155 x 8, 135 x 8)
2) Dumbell Flat Bench Press
70lbs each hand x 10, 9, 10, 9
3) Dumbell Flat Bench Fly
40lbs each hand x 3 sets of 12
4) Cable Crossovers
27.5 lbs each hand x 15, 15, 15 (Drop set on last set to failure 22.5 x 15)
5) Decline Sit up Supersetted with Decline Oblique Crunch
2 sets of 10 reps for all (Abs started cramping up hard so i ended it after the second set)
Really working on upping my training capacity so ill slowly add a movement/sets/ or reps each work out.
If anyone is reading this, what is the best way to set up my rep schemes: Straight sets of same weight or pyramiding? Just looking to get the most out of my workouts.
Today was the first time probably since i started lifting that i ate well and had plenty of protein.
Todays Meals
7am- 2 scoops ON whey
930am- 3 scoops ON whey
12pm- 20 oz Lemon Lime Gatorade, 2 servings of Tyson Panko Chicken Breast and 1 cup Blue Ribbon Brown Rice
230pm- 1 pouch of Starkist Chunky Light Tuna
445pm- 2 scoops NO Xplode
,630pm- 2 servings of Tyson Panko Chicken Breast, 1 medium size Sweet Potato and 3 scoops ON Whey
Through out the day i drank a gallon and a half of water. I started carrying around a gallon jug of water at work. Sipping on it all day and refilling when needed
Arms/ Calves
Preacher Curl Machine- 45lb plate x 15, 70lbs x 12, 90lbs x 12, 11, 10, 10, 9 dropset 70 x 8, 45 x 12
Really like starting with these. I get a great stretch and an even better contraction then any other bicep exercise.
Ez Curl Attachment Wide Grip Pushdown- 50 x 12, 65 x 12, 80 x 12, 12, 12, 10, 10 dropset 65 x 12, 50 x 10
Saw Branch Warren doing this exercise on IG and just wanted to try it out. Really like the feeling.
EZ Bar Curls- 60 x 12, 70 x 12, 12, 10
DB Seated Overhead Extension- 70 x 12, 12, 12
Incline DB Curl-20lbs x 20, 14, 11
Just started adding these. The burn is unreal from this.
Incline Overhead BB extensions- 60lbs x 3 x 12
Bodyweight Calf Raises- 100 rep
The gym was overly packed today so i worked around it and just did my best to get a good session in. Wanted to do more calf movements but the machines were all taken and there was a 20 minute wait for each. So ill just hit them extra hard Next time i get around to them. Tomorrow is going to be a rest day due to work and class at night.
Im also excited because i just ordered Animal Rage XL and Juiced Aminos! Never used an amino supplement so im excited to see how theyll help!
TheBear
01-23-16, 11:38 am
Found out that my night class is two days back to back so now my two possibly dedicated off days will be Wednesday and Thursday. After the two day lay off I was dying to hit the gym. I hit back which is my favorite part to train, always has been.
Assisted Pull ups w/ 25lbs- 10,6,5
I usually do pull ups as a warm up. Really squeezed at the top and ouch did that hurt.
Wide Grip Lat Pulldown- 160x12, 185x10,190x10,195x10,200x10,205x12 drop set 185x6, 145x8
I love starting with pull downs. I always started with rows and finally made the switch a few weeks ago. I can already see it's making a difference
T Bar Rows- 50lbs x 12, 75x 12,, 100x12, 125x10 drop set 100x8, 75 x 8
First time doing these in 4 years. Used a bicycle looking handle. Really squeezed at the top of the reps and holy shit I felt it!
Seated Cable Row- 140x15, 160x 12, 180x12, 200x10
Haven't done these in years also was suprised my strength was there. Felt really good
Close grip Lat Pulldowns- 100x15,140x15, 160x12, 180x 10 drop set 160x 5, 140 x 7
Deadlift 135 x 10, 225 x 6, 315 x 2
My lower back started to really hurt after the first rep of 315. I felt like such a puss but I'd rather end it there then be back rehabbing my discs.
All in all I had a great workout. I had to log it in today because my internees been down but I can tell you I am sore! And I fucking love it . In a little bit I'm off to smash shoulders and really get those bad boys growing to match my wide back! On the that Superman status !
Shoulders/ Traps
Started the day off with taking Juiced Aminos and Rage XL! I got the grape flavors, figured they would blend well. I have to say it's the best tasting shops I've had.
Seated Smith Machine Press -Bar x20, 25lbs/side x 15, 50lbs/side x 10, 60lbs/side x 8, 55lbs/side x 8, 75/side x 6, drop sets 55/side x 6, 50lbs/side x 5, 25/side x 8
These felt super heavy. I can tell my pressing strength has taken a dive. Need to bring this up and fast
Seated hammer strength press- no weights x 20, 25ps (per side)x 15, 45ps x 12, 80lbs ps x 10, 90lbs ps x 10, 115 ps x 6 drop sets 90 x 7, 70x 8, 45 x 10
DB Seated Side Raises- 15x12,20x12,25x12,30x12 drop sets 25x8, 20x10, 15x12
Really felt the contraction in these which felt great
Rear felt machine fly supersetted w/ DB rear felt fly-115x15/15lbsx20,120x15/15lbsx18,125x15/15lbsx15, 130x fail (23)
Machine side raises- 2 sets to failure (60lbs x 25, 70x 18
BB Shrugs-135lbs x 12, 185x 12, 225 x 12, 275 x 10 drop sets 225 x 8, 135 x 15
That was it for today tomorrow's legs and I'm pretty excited
Legs are no where up to par with upper body going to just start from scratch weight wise and work up
Squats-Bar x 20, 95 x 15, 135 x 10, 145 x 10, 155 x 10, 165 x 8 Drop set 135 x 8, 45 x 10
Ouch, it felt good to squat again with little pain in my back. Quads were on fire after each set felt good. Made sure these squats were slow deep squats each set.
Leg Press-3ppsx15, 365 x 12, 405 x 12 dropset 315 x 10, 225 x 8, 135 x 12
Lying Leg Curls-80 x 30, 95 x 15, 110 x 10, 125 x 6 dropset 110 x 6, 95 x 5
THat was it for today. Got called into work mid dropset. Chest tomorrow
Monday
Chest
Incline Barbell Press
Bar x 20, 135 x 12, 165 x 10, 175 x 10, 185 x 9, 195 x 6, 165 x 7, 135 x 5
Incline Dumbell Press
60 x 12, 70 x 10, 9, 10, 9
Dips
BW x 12, 12, 12
Pec Deck 125 x 15, 130 x 15, 135 x 12, 140 x 10
Cable Crossover
32.5 x 10, 10, 5 (Got real dizzy and felt like i was going to blackout so i just stopped there)
Tuesday
Arms
Preacher curl
25 x 15, 45 x 12, 70 x 12, 90 x 12, 115 x 8, 100 x 8 drop set 90 x 6, 70 x 6
Rope Pushdown
52.5 x 12, 57.5 x 12, 65 x 12, 72.5 x 10, 77.5 x 8 dropset 65 x 10, 57.5 x 8, 52.5 x 10
Single arm db preacher
40 x 12, 40 x 8, 40 x 7
Close Grip Bench
135 x 15, 175 x 10, 185 x 10
BB Curl
70 x fail (15)
Reverse wide Grip pushdown superset with overhand wide grip pushdown
52.5 x 12, 57.5 x 12, 65 x 12 dropset 52.5 x 10, 35 x 20
Friday
Shoulders
DB Seated Press
40 x 12, 50 x 12, 60 x 10, 70 x 10, 80 x 5
Hammer Strengh Shoulder Press
70lbs per side (PS) x 12, 95 ps x 10, 120 ps x 8, 140 x 5 dropset 120 x 4, 95 x 6
DB Side Raises
20 x 12, 25 x 12, 30 x 12, 35 x 10 dropset 20 x 12
Face Pulls 70 x 12, 75 x 12, 55 x 15
Havent been able to log. Shitty internet. But this weeks been pretty good so far. Doing DB Presses w/ 80s felt amazing. I have never even come close to that wait ever before. DB Press goes up by my seated barbell press has gone down substantially not sure why though. Tomorrow is back day and im super pumped for it.
My favorite day: BACK DAY!
Pull Ups: Assisted w/ 25lbs x 12, BWx 6 (Deep stretch and dead hang to warm up)
Wide Grip Pulldowns: 190 x 12, 195 x 12, 200 x 12, 205 x 10, 210 x 10 dropset 180 x 6 (The last two sets my grip was majorly affecting me)
Reverse Grip Bent Over Row: Bar x 20, 95 x 15, 145 x 12, 195 x 10 dropset 145 x 10 (Used 25s and went up a plate each side)
Hammer Strength High Row: 45s ps x 12, 70 ps x 12, 95 ps 12, 120 ps x 10 dropset 95 ps x 10, 70 ps x 10, 70 ps x 10
Close Grip Pulldowns: 165 x 10, 145 x 2 x 10
Seated Calf Raises: 50 x 12 superset w/ 12 BW raises, 80 x 12/12 BW raises, 100 x 12/ 12 BW raises 110 x 12/25 bw raises
That was it for today. My back looked the widest it ever has. My waist is starting to look smalled due to the increased size of my lats which is awesome.
Tomorrow is hopefully chest going to try to get to the gym tomorrow.
Ive had to revamp my split because certain days the gym is too packed to get a workout in. So it looks like this right now
Friday: Shoulders/ Abs
Saturday: Back/ Calves
Sunday: Chest/ Abs
Monday: Legs/ Calves
Tuesday: Arms/ Cardio
Well this weekend didnt go as planned. I got very sick and couldnt train sunday or monday. Then there was a family emergency and well that put a lot of stress on the whole family and made eating my meals alot harder so it was a lot of take out. Luckily for now, everything is back to normal. Today i went to the gym to hit chest for a fun session, I definitely needed it.
Incline DB Press
50 x 12, 60 x 12, 70 x 10, 75 x 10, 80 x 10, 85 x 10
Machine Incline Press
(The gym i went to today didnt have an incline machine press so i had to use a normal chest press but lay down a bit so i would feel the stretch in the upper pecs.)
70 x 12, 80 x 10, 90 x 8 drop set 70 x 8, 60 x 8
Cable Cross over
7 x 12 @ 25lbs
That was it. Short and sweet. Today i focused on nailing down a meal plan i would follow and set good macros.
This past week has really put a lot into perspective for me. Tuesday the doctors told me I almost lost my Dad, but he's finally home and back moving around. He's one tough son of a bitch and I know that's where i get it from. As many times as shit has knocked him down hes laughed it off and said its just his luck. But each time he comes back and does the best he can. Ive realized that, thats exactly how i need to start acting. No matter what happens, i will bounce back, i will be better than before, and i will overcome. I know that sounds corny or whatever but its really opened my eyes. Training is going to be even more intense and even more strict.
Wide Grip Pull Ups:
BW x 10 (Slow 2 second negative each rep), x 6, x 6
Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns:
140 x 10, 195 x 10, 200 x 10, 205 x 10, 210 x 10, 215 x 10 dropset 180 x 8
Bent Over Barbell Row:
Bar x 10, 95 x 8, 145 x 8, 195 x 10 (Felt amazingly strong on these), 225 x 7 dropset 145 x 10
(I havent gone over 195 for rows in almost a year due to my lower back. I was ecstatic about these. Lower back didnt even hurt afterwards)
Hammer Strength High Row:
50lbs/ps x 12, 75 x 12, 100 x 12, 125 x 12, 150 x 10 dropset 100 x 12, 75 x 12, 50 x 12
Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown
120 x 12, 140 x 12, 160 x 12 dropset 140 x 15
Stiff Arm Pulldowns
35 x 12, 42.5 x 12, 42.5 x 15
Seated Calf Raises
50lbs x 3 x 15 (4 second hold at top, 4 second Negative)
That was it for today. Really pumped up the back. Doing more pulldowns and wide grip work have really given my physique a wider look, and i was already pretty wide to begin with. Im loving this back routine and im just going to keep going heavier and heavier until i can only do 8 reps on the main lifts, then drop the weight and work back up to 12s.
Tomorrow ill be hitting some shoulders w/ one of my old routines that made my shoulders massive. 2 pressing movements 2 side delt movements 2 rear delts and 1 trap exercise.
If anyone is reading this, does working the lower lats more help w/ the V taper or should i just focus on upper lats and let the rowing movements work them?
Seated Military Press
bar x 12, 65 x 10, 95 x 10, 135 x 8, 140 x 8, 145 x 6 dropset 115 x 6, 95 x 8
DB Seated Press
60 x 8, 12, 11
DB Side Raises
20lbs x 15, 15, 12, 11
Rear Delt Machine Fly
125 x 25, 22, 18
Short today. Shoulders just werent there today.
Work has been killing me lately. Lot of overtime so literally zero time for the gym. Luckily thats over with so I can get back at it.
Wide Grip Lat Pulldowns
120 x 20, 160 x 10, 185 x 4 x 10 dropset 160 x 8, 140 x 8
Hammer Strength High Row
70lbs x 20, 95 x 20, 120 x 20, 145 x 15 dropset 120 x 8, 95 x 10
Underhand Grip Machine Pulldowns
135 x 15, 150 x 2 x 12
Chest Supported Low Row
150 x 12, 170 x 2 x 10
That was it for today my left arm for some reason has been killing me when i do pulldowns. I havent worked arms in awhile so maybe its from that.
My girlfriend came in from school so yesterday we lifted and today we did chest. Thats always fun working out together. We really push each other. She pushes me more on the cardio aspect and i push her in lifting.
Incline Bench Press
Bar x 20, 135 x 12, 175 x 11, 8, 5 dropset 155 x 5, 135 x 7
Incline Hammer Strength Press
70 ps x 10, 95 ps x 10, 120 x 6 dropset 95 x 6, 70 x 5, 45 x 8
I love this machine. I get the best contractions and pumps. I did this machine 2 weeks ago to start my workout and i worked up to 3 plates per side for 8. I may have to throw this into the mix to start.
Pec Deck Fly
115 x 15, 130 x 12, 145 x 12 dropset 130 x 10, 115 x 12
TRX Strap BW Flies
1 x Fail (12)
Holy shit were these brutal
We then went to a local forest preserve where there are these stairs. There's about 100 steps and each step is a different size so going up and and down is brutal. I did about 4 laps and thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest. Damn do i need to start doing cardio. After that i just walked a path back and forth for 6 laps to cool down.
Preacher Curl
25lbs x 20, 50lbs x 15, 75lbs x 12, 100 x 10, 110 x 8 dropset x 75lbs x 8, 50lbs x 6, 25lbs x 10
Rope Pushdowns
42.5 x 20, 50 x 15, 57.5 x 15, 65 x 12 dropset 50 x 12, 42.5 x 8, 35 x 6
BB Curl
70 x 12, 60 x 15, 50 x 20, 40 x 12, 30 x 8
Crushers
55 x 15, 75 x 15, 85 x 12, 95 x 6
Single Arm Machine Curl
50 x 12, 35 x 10, 30 x 12
Overhead DB Extensions
50 x 15, 55 x 15, 60 x 12
Sit Ups
3 x 10
Seated BB Military Press
Bar x 15, 75 x 12, 95 x 12, 115 x 10, 135 x 8 dropset 95 x 12, 75 x 8, Bar x 15, Bar x 20, 30 second rest, Bar x 20, 30 second rest, Wide Grip Bar x 20, Close Grip Bar x 20, Behind the Neck Bar x 15
DB Side Raises
20lbs x 3 x 12 Superset w/ mini band pull aparts 20 reps high, 20 reps chest level,
That was it for today. Trained at home.