a_welch503 WORKOUT JOURNAL

[.V.]

09-26-2005

Shoulders
Mil Press................110x2x5, 1x4
Upright Row..................125x3x5
Shrug....................260x2x5, 1x6
Bent Over Lateral Raise.....10x3x6

Diet - still not able to eat enough. I did manage some eggs and a small steak this morning. The thought of eating this afternoon was making me want to puke. I baked some chicken wings and covered them in buffalo wing sauce - that allowed me to get past the nasty taste in my mouth and get them down. I don't know what I'll have tonight, but I'm pretty sure to get a 3rd meal in will be a force feeding. This cold is really doing a number on my chest.

Cardio - too early yet. I'll go for a bike ride if weather permits. If not, I'll do the cardioglide.

Comments
Everything felt very heavy today. I guess it's from the lack of food. This is my 4th day without an appetite. Eating 3 forced meals just doesn't fuel the body as well as 8 feedings does.

I tried something different today. I've been doing the DB Mil Press after the BB Mil Press for extra delt work. My delts are pitiful. I thought the MP was the best delt building lift. I suppose that does work the sides of the delts. The upright row gets them too. Benching does work the anterior delts some too. I think the rear delts are the weakness (I could be wrong though). So I tried bent over lateral raises today. I could only get 10lb dumbells with this. Grabbed some 20's to start with and just couldn't do them. Mostly though, I felt it in the bottom of the traps - between the shoulder blades. Felt it in the triceps too. Didn't feel much in the rear delts. Maybe it will improve when I learn the movement better - maybe I need to go back to DB MP. I don't know, I'm going to give the BO LR a shot for a while though.

While browsing the AST site, looking for the right way to do the bent over side lateral raise - I discovered that I had been doing the dumbell shoulder press wrong. I may just go back to those next week - doing them right and see how the rear delts grow. Ohh decisions, decisions...

While I was there, I stumbled across THIS. Now why didn't somebody explain that to me a couple of years ago - then I wouldn't have had to come up with my own ketogenic atkins like plan - with lots of fiber, veggies, and somewhat less fat. I could have been saved a lot of time and got some results a whole lot quicker. I still have my chicken and fish. But I also have my beef and pork - without the guilt - because I choose the leanest cuts I can find. Eating the round steak instead of the t-bone. Eating tenderloin instead of bacon. Besides round steak and shoulder steak really gives the jaw a great workout.

[Xhale]

While I was there, I stumbled across THIS. Now why didn't somebody explain that to me a couple of years ago - then I wouldn't have had to come up with my own ketogenic atkins like plan - with lots of fiber, veggies, and somewhat less fat. I could have been saved a lot of time and got some results a whole lot quicker. I still have my chicken and fish. But I also have my beef and pork - without the guilt - because I choose the leanest cuts I can find. Eating the round steak instead of the t-bone. Eating tenderloin instead of bacon. Besides round steak and shoulder steak really gives the jaw a great workout.

There's a reason why most athletes don't tend to follow the Atkins diet.
Carbs=Energy=A better workout.

I don't know if the Atkins diet is good for stationary people but people who live a very active life need their carbs (from good foodsources).

And take it easy for a while, that cold might develop into something more serious if you don't take a break for a few days and drink some tea and generally lie around all day getting the wife to do all the work.

Keep up the good work and your chest isnt all that puny. Remeber bodybuilders might look good rubbed in coconut oil but they're not all that functionally strong.

[.V.]

Originally Posted by Xhale

There's a reason why most athletes don't tend to follow the Atkins diet.
Carbs=Energy=A better workout.

That's why I read all the available materials I could find, dug out my old endocrinology textbooks, spoke to a few physicians, and came up with my own plan.

All that work could have been avoided if I had thoroughly read the AST site first and found something very similar to what I came up with. At that time, I had no clue about the AST site, bodybuilding, powerlifting, any of that. I didn't even know that this site existed.

Oh well, live and learn. I'm likely not the first to re-do all the reading and work that someone else already has done and come up with similar ideas. Probably won't be the last either.

[luke.w]

Originally Posted by a_welch503

09-26-2005

I tried something different today. I've been doing the DB Mil Press after the BB Mil Press for extra delt work. My delts are pitiful. I thought the MP was the best delt building lift. I suppose that does work the sides of the delts.

I'd say you need to work on getting stronger at this lift, and your form might be like everyone else's, I've yet to see someone who dosen't compete in the overhead lift do these correctly, what most people do is keep the bar way in front of their body when it's overhead, this is more like a very high incline press more than an overhead shoulder lift, focus on putting your head through the bar as soon as the bar gets above your head,(head all the way through) the bar is now in perfect line with your body, thus being able to press "MORE" weight in this form, will add more mass to your shoulders and really will hit the sides better, as when the bar is too far in front it hits the front delt more than the "entire" shoulder causing you to use "less" weight!!!

[rangers97]

Originally Posted by a_welch503

09-26-2005

Shoulders
Mil Press................110x2x5, 1x4
Upright Row..................125x3x5
Shrug....................260x2x5, 1x6
Bent Over Lateral Raise.....10x3x6


Comments

I tried something different today. I've been doing the DB Mil Press after the BB Mil Press for extra delt work. My delts are pitiful. I thought the MP was the best delt building lift. I suppose that does work the sides of the delts. The upright row gets them too. Benching does work the anterior delts some too. I think the rear delts are the weakness (I could be wrong though). So I tried bent over lateral raises today. I could only get 10lb dumbells with this. Grabbed some 20's to start with and just couldn't do them. Mostly though, I felt it in the bottom of the traps - between the shoulder blades. Felt it in the triceps too. Didn't feel much in the rear delts. Maybe it will improve when I learn the movement better - maybe I need to go back to DB MP. I don't know, I'm going to give the BO LR a shot for a while though.

.

I would try to do db shoulder presses, either seated or standing, upright rows, and some form of rear delt work. I like the rear lateral raise, but I also like the lat pulldown to the chin exercise, the one Firehawk always talks about...you lean back as far as you can and pull the bar to your chin--really hits the rear delts.

I find the db presses to be much better for the entire shoulder than the barbell press...to me the db press definitely hits more side delt than the bar, as you always have the weight centered over your head. Luke is right, with the barbell, you tend to push it too far out in front of you--with dbs, you can lower them right next to your ears so they are always in a center line to your body, and that's why I believe they hit the side delts more.

upright rows are good as long as you don't experience any pain from them and keep your grip a little bit wider--I hear a slightly narrower than shoulder width grip is best for the side delts and also dont pull the bar any higher than your chin to focus on your shoulders more.

Just keep at them all, and your shoulders will get there :

[.V.]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll watch the form on these. I know with DB work the form is straight up and down, I just wasn't turning my palms toward my head at the bottom and forward on the way up. With the BB work, I'll double check and make sure I'm not taking it too far forward. I don't think I am, but it's worth making sure. I know when I did it behind the neck I didn't but lately ???.

Now the face pulls - that's an interesting thought. So are the seated rear delt raises. So much to learn, so much to try.

*******************************

Doesn't matter today anyhow. Another unplanned off day. Kept trying to get out into the gym and kept getting called back into work. One of those days.

[.V.]

That's it, I'm finished.

No more for me.

Last week, I could only get 260x3x4 on Deadlift. This week, I could only get 1x4. I'm afraid of deadlifting now after getting hurt. Had a coughing fit right in the middle of my wimpy workout. This cold has turned into bronchitis. It's just time off, more time off, missed workout after missed workout.

Why bother.

Sorry for the rant, but I'm really irritated over all of this - no matter how hard I work, how much effort I put out, I'm just getting weaker.

You'll be back, read your lips.

Rest and get well.

[maverick]

Take some real time off. If I remember correctly, on your last break you stayed pretty active. You're injured, sick, and losing strength, time for some real downtime. I know this is impossible, but try not to let it get to you... stress increases cortisol and who needs that?!

[gcs118]

You'll get back to where you were and even further. Hell I'm making slow progress on my DL and SQ and I had to take 6-7 weeks off from them. You won't be out of it for that long.

[Klinger]

I went through the same thing about a month ago. After feeling sorry for myself for a few days, I got back at it and didn't pay any attention to the weight, just the act of lifting itself. The numbers game will mess with your head.

Good luck recuperating. Don't quit.

[.V.]

Thanks guys, it isn't the numbers - I've already cut them way back. I'm no longer chasing bigger numbers - they'll come when they come. I guess just not really taking off during my time off, the 4 months of working so hard on bulking along with 2 months of working just as hard while cutting - 10 weeks of trying to add some powerlifting to my workouts too has finally just caught up with me. Just the day after my last pitiful workout my friend the ER doc who is a pretty damn good bodybuilder himself looked at me and said, "you look overtrained".

I'm worn out, the MS is messing with me - causing lots of painful neurological symptoms, weakness that is noticable to me - no one else can see it but I feel it. My legs feel like they weigh 600lb each - they are fully functional and I can lift pretty heavy loads in the real world. Just today I lifted a woman who was in excess of 200 lbs - dead weight - from the floor to a stretcher with no problem (using sloppy non-weightlifter real world form), but 260 in the gym was really telling on my low back last time - with perfect form. I'm still sick this cold has settled into my lungs and I think I've got a touch of bronchitis, laryngitis - I haven't been able to speak for almost a week - just croak. I haven't even really been able to eat much in the last 10-12 days.

I'm missing lifting already but I WILL NOT go back until I'm completely healed and ready to do it right without overtraining or getting an injury. If I lose all the muscle I've gained (what little there was) then so be it.

I actually was thinking about hitting the gym in the morning, but if I'm still tired and coughing I won't do it.

Thanks for your support - I was quite frustrated the other day and it's time for a real break so I'm taking one - no log tossing or dragging on this break - just resting and healing and trying to eat.

[gcs118]

I don't remember what supps you take Andy, but is your diet/nutrition in order? Maybe you changed something in your cut and it's making you feel a lot more run down. Taking multi-vitamins/minerals?

[.V.]

Just creatine with workouts. And protein for meal suppliments. I can't actually eat 8 whole food meals today. The problem lately is I just can't eat.

[Gearloose]

Originally Posted by a_welch503

Just creatine with workouts. And protein for meal suppliments. I can't actually eat 8 whole food meals today. The problem lately is I just can't eat.

You should definitely add a good multivitamin to your daily supplements. Any decent generic brand will do. This is especially important when your diet is restricted as it is during a cutting phase, or when you are too sick to eat normally. Even during times of normal eating, it is good cheap insurance.