A journal I hope to stick with - Page 2

**Firehawk** · 09-Apr-05, 01:55 PM

Declines hit your front delts hard, which in turn will help your Flat bench go up, because the front delts are used alot. I'd do declines as a ftont delt compound exercise...secondary to the flat bench. (Do Declines with Medium Grip)

If you have shoulder problems, don't do a separate shoulder day. For instance:

I was doing this:

Chest/Tri's
Back Bis
Shoulders/Traps
Legs

Problem with that is chest day hits front / side delts (just add 1 side delt exercise and u all set, like upright rows), back day hits rear delts good, and then doing a separate shoulder day is pretty much overtraining IMO. I used to get really stiff shoulders for a few days. Was told to drop the day, now i feel much much better.

My routine went to:

Chest/ Tris/Shoulders

Back/Bi's

Legs

**rangers97** · 11-Apr-05, 06:50 PM

well guess what? I kinda changed the routine yet again. Firehawk will be dissappointed since I won't be lifting really heavy anymore on this cycle, lol, and I really don't know what to call what I am attempting to do now. Basically I plan to use slightly lighter weight than I have been using, and try to complete sets of 10. It is higher volume than before, and I am hoping it will help with some of the joint pain I've been having, maybe strengthen up some of my ligaments for when I return to the heavy lifting in a cycle or 2.

Anyway, without further ado, here is day one of the new workout

monday 4/11
chest/tri
bench press 225x10,8,6,5
incline bench press 185x8,7,6
dips bodyweight+45 x 10, 8, 6
close grip bench press 185 x 6, 5, 4

ok now the goal is to hit 10 reps on all the sets. As it turned out, I used too much weight obviously, so I will keep all these weights until I can do that. If I can do more on the first sets, I will stop at 10 to conserve energy. Today it seemed all the sets went to failure and I actually had to unload the weight on my last set of close grip benches, the first time I have ever had to do that, and Im pretty upset about it!
It was a strange workout, I mean I didn't use that much weight, compared to what I have been using, but by the end I just couldn't move the weight, my arms would just not extend for nothing. I expect some serious DOMS from this tomorrow and wednesday so I am preparing for that.
The good thing is that I experienced really no elbow pain or no shoulder pain either, so unfortunately the lighter weight seems the way to go for now, I have to try to be creative to make it work, and right now I will experiment with cumulative exhaustion to see if I can get some growth during this lighter weight cycle

tomorrow is legs day, can't wait!

**Firehawk** · 11-Apr-05, 07:54 PM

lol I ain't disappointed. A change is good. I'm thinking about doing a set of 10-15 for awhile , that would be my 10-15 rep max of course...just to change it up a bit.

Problem is when people go to high reps they usually do too many reps and overtrain, ie if they were doing say 2 sets of 5, then they go to a 2 or 3 set of 10 regimen, they just doubled or quadroupled their amount of reps. That can beat u up as well.

I'll be interested to see how it works for you. When you done on that cycle, go back to lower reps and maybe you'll see a break in plateaus...

**rangers97** · 15-Apr-05, 09:14 PM

4/15/05

Day 2 of my new full body workout. Day one was wednesday and it was a learning experience as I didn't even make it though the workout, I thought I was going to drop dead, lol. Anyway, learning from the other day and adjusting the routine slightly, I did the new routine today and made it through, but it still kicked my ass! Full body workouts, definitely kick your ass and are not for the faint of heart. You wouldn't think one set for an exercise would be enough, but when you throw every part together, trust me, it adds up. Here is todays workout, all lifts increased from the last time, so that is a good thing!

Leg Press 400x10
stiff leg deadlift 160x10
bench press 235x10
incline bench press 185x10
pullups bodyweight+25 x 7
cable rows 200x10
db shoulder press 65x10
side laterals 25x13
dips bodyweight+50 x 10
db curls 55x8
db shrugs 115x10
calf press (on leg press) 270x10

**rangers97** · 19-Apr-05, 09:02 AM

4/18/05

Third day of full body workouts. Now maybe it was a mistake to just to full body, AND to 10 rep sets at the same time, cause I think I am just not conditioned enough to do it. I am gonna try my best to stick with it, but man, I felt like I was going to throw up halfway through this workout, and it's wierd, because it is only like 12 sets total...I used to do more than that just for chest! But it is definitely different, and definitely a good change of pace...

I am noticing some changes with my body believe it or not, after only 3 days of full body. I don't know if maybe I was overtraining and the one set per exercise is really helping me, but I feel that my body is getting more fuller, I definitely weigh more, I seem to have put on like 5 pounds in the past week, eating the same, only change was the workouts, so maybe they are really working. I am ever so close to the 200 pound mark, now for a guy who was 145 lbs soaking wet at 21 years old to be about 200lbs of mostly muscle at age 30 is pretty freakin cool

I am eating more now, so I guess you could say I am in a small bulk phase, I would guess my bf% is probably around 10%, so it's not too bad, only place where I have a little extra fat is the stomach area, but the rest of me is pretty cut up.

squats 205x10 (went light to focus on real good form)
stiff leg dead lift 165x10 (light for form)
bench press 240x8
incline bench press 190x10
pullups bodyweight + 25 x 8
cable rows (shoulder width, neutral grip) 180x9
db shoulder press 70x10
db side laterals 25x15 ---killer!
db curls 55x9 ---killer too!
dips bodyweight+70 x9
calf press (on leg press machine) 290x10

ok--isolation type exercises for higher reps are a fricken killer! I think I got more winded by the 15 side laterals and 9 db curls than from everything else combined! Man, maybe I should adjust for the 2 isolation exercises with lower reps because it is so hard to do a HEAVY set of 10 db curls. For anyone who thinks otherwise, pick up the 55 lb dbs and try to do a set of 10 and tell me if your lungs and body give up before your biceps do! I'll bet the answer is yes. But like I said I am gonna try to stick with this and see if as my conditioning gets better (which it has to really) the higher reps get easier...stay tuned

**Firehawk** · 19-Apr-05, 10:09 AM

Don't count on the big compound exercises (squat/deadlift) getting easier for 10-15 reps...lol

**rangers97** · 19-Apr-05, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firehawk

Don't count on the big compound exercises (squat/deadlift) getting easier for 10-15 reps...lol

yeah yeah I know, but for some reason the heavy iso ones just kick my ass more, I dunno

**rangers97** · 29-Apr-05, 10:01 PM

ok i am back! with of course, a new routine! What a shocker. I will not even say I hope to stick with it, we'll just see what happens with this one.

monday-lower 1
deadlifts
leg press
calf press
ab work

tuesday-upper horizontal
incline bench press
bb rows
close grip bench press
cable rows
bb curls

thursday-lower 2
squats
stiff leg deads
calf raise
ab work

friday-upper vertical
dips
chinups
db military press
upright rows
neutral grip pulldowns

I've decided to try taking out flat bench press and replace with inclines and close grip...i figure the inclines will help increase the look of my upper chest/shoulder area and the dips will take care of the bulk of my chest. if it works it works, we'll see.. it will be hard to give up flat bench, but I need to get over the whole stigma of it, then I'll be fine.

friday-4/30
weighted dips bodyweight+90 x6,6,5

weighted chins bodyweight +25 x6,5,6

db military press 65x6,6,6

bb upright rows 95x8,8,8

neutral grip pulldowns 180x8,7

i am not going to take any of my sets to failure to see if this will help me deal with cumulative fatigue better. I am stopping usually one rep short of failure, it makes a huge difference then when you go all the way to the end. It seems you have a little more in the tank to continue your workout....

**Firehawk** · 29-Apr-05, 11:05 PM

May not be a bad idea to drop the main flat bench for awhile, especially if you've been stuck awhile.

**rangers97** · 30-Apr-05, 09:26 AM

well, hopefully that will be an added benefit, maybe when I go back to it, I will somehow be stronger on it, but I had to eliminate one of the pressing movements to make the pulling and pushing even in this routine, and ever since last week when I repped 225 on the incline bench, I have a thing for the inclines now, lol. I would love to get my incline press up into the higher 200s, that would be really cool since I have never done that before....sure lots of people can bench press 275, but how many can incline press 275???

**Firehawk** · 30-Apr-05, 11:52 AM

Just make sure you sub in enough work that you will hit all the parts that are hit when flat benching.

If you go up in inclines, you will likely see increases in flat bench. It works in reverse, so i'd assume it would work that way too.

**rangers97** · 30-Apr-05, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firehawk

Just make sure you sub in enough work that you will hit all the parts that are hit when flat benching.

well, I will be doing inclines and close grip benches on the horizontal day, and weighted dips on the vertical day. My goals are pretty much functional strength and size/looks as a secondary. Am I missing out on anything by doing these 3 exercises and not doing the flat?

**Firehawk** · 30-Apr-05, 04:18 PM

OOps nevermind, i re-read your routine...

If ur after strength then go low reps and as heavy as u can.

**rangers97** · 03-May-05, 01:28 PM

monday 5/2

deadlifts (sumo style) 245x6 255x5,5 PR

step ups (with 50lb db in each hand) 6,6,6

calf press (on leg press sled) 290x8,8

ab crunch machine plate#8x6,4

wierd workout....felt great on the deadlifts, pulled the most I have ever done, then after I did the step ups, I noticed a pain in my inner groin area, same area where I severely pulled a muscle there playing hockey last november, so that kinda killed the rest of the workout, had no more motivation as I was worried about the reinjuring of the groin...it was finally starting to feel better, now this happens...very demoralizing...I just dont know if it was the deadlifts, which I haven't done in a while and definitely not at that weight, or the step ups which I have never even done before...could have been either, I dunno. Next leg day is thursday, we'll see if I can perform my squats on that day or if I am back to square one with this stupid leg....what sucks is that I hit a PR on my deadlift, now to be potentially injured and not do it again for a while is very ****ty...

**rangers97** · 03-May-05, 07:33 PM

tuesday 5/3

incline bench press 225x4,4,3 WTF??

bb rows (underhand grip) 205x6,5,5

close grip bench press (pinky about 2 1/2 inches from ring) 205x8 225x6,5

v-bar cable rows 210x7,6,5

bb curls 115x5,5

exhausted by the end so only 2 sets of curls, if I went for 3 I may have puked, lol... I say WTF on the inclines cause last week when I did chest (a different routine than now, but whatever) I did inclines AFTER 3 sets of heavy flat benches and I managed 3 sets of 5,5,4 with 225, so today I STARTED with inclines and went down a couple of reps. Could be cause I was more warmed up for the inclines last time after the flat? Who knows...

I tried a new hand position on the close grips today and I loved it! They felt great, felt it right in the tris and surprisingly in wierd parts of my chest as well, so thats a good thing

tomorrow is an off day YAY!