Khaine's Road To 200... or How To Beat Your Genetics...

[.V.]

You Norwegians actually play proper football? I thought you just played soccer.

[Khaine]

New Year, new journal additions... I'm not really very good at writing these things up online, but I'll give it another go...

Currently, my stats are fairly similar to what they were 2 months or so back, except I'm a little leaner at the same weight... Surprising, I know, considering the christmas break, but I really haven't been eating that much and I've been performing some GPP, bw and gymnastics work...

I've designed this workout myself, using a number of principles from other sources... Really an ME routine, but I'm cycling reps on auxiliary lifts so as to avoid going too heavy outside the big three and frying both fibers and CNS...

On top of that, and another reason I'm trying to manage my volume through rep cycling, I've finally grown sick of my arms and their miniscule circumference and will be blitzing the crap out them wit a P10 schedule, which basically increases the weekly volume of work I place on them, but through added workouts, not exercises, sets, reps or weights... basically, I'll be adding a bi/tri workout each week (- one deloading week), until I reach 10 total workouts in week 9 (AM/PM workouts being utilised)... This is basically planned overreaching, but wit a new twist, in that frequency is the factor being manipulated... As such, I won't worry too much about increasing the weight used in each arm workout, as the frequency and weekly work total should take care of that... It'll be an interesting experiment...

Tuesday 1/2/07: Heavy Deads

Deadlift

I haven't really worked DLs much at all since I PRd at 360 early this summer, so my first goal is to build back up to that level...

1x300
1x310
1x320
1x310
1x300

The 320 was fairly heavy, but not spectacularly so... I'm confident in putting 10lbs on that next week...

A1 Towel Chins
4x6 @ 10lbs (Just holding the plate between my thighs, my hands tire more than my back, but that's coo, I always need bigger and stronger forearms)

A2 Push Presses
4x6 @ 130 (Not a problem at all, I see 150 next week)

B1 Zercher Squats
2x12 @ 130 (Again, not really that challenging)

B2 Calf Raises (on 45s)
2x12 @ 220 (Easy)

P10 Segment

C1 Skullcrushers (Hands together, bar goes behind head)
6x3 @ 75 (Obviously very easy)

C2 EZ-Bar Curls (Hands together)
6x3 @ 75 (Easy all the way)


I'm obviously not going very hard on the auxiliary work, but I'll be increasing that workload every week, as well as hitting at least one PR on the focus lift each week (well, PR in '07)... Dual-factor theory in full effect, whooo...

Bench focus on thursday...

[Khaine]

iight, Bench Day, I'm basing my lifts on a 1RM of 240, cus 270 is out of my reach right now...

Thursday 1/4/07: Heavy Bench

Bench Press

1x220
1x230
1x235
1x230
1x225

Meh... No spotter so I didn't wanna overreach right away... 240 is plausible... I might even hit 250 on a wave in 2 weeks... Maybe...

A1 Front Squats
4x6 @ 150 (Way past parallel, but it wasn't that heavy anyway)

A2 Good Mornings
4x6 @ 150 (Narrow leg positioning; these were pretty tough, my lower back still kinda tight from DLs on Tuesday)

B1 Cable Crossovers
2x12 @ 35

B2 Face Pulls
2x12 @ 65 (Used a rope attachment cus I like the ROM, but with an overhand grip, I'll probably try with an underhand grip next time)

P10 Segment

C1 DB Curls
3x10 @ 35

C2 Overhead DB Extensions
3x10 @ 30


This was decent volume for 50 minutes... I love exercise pairings... Getting ready for heavy Squats on Saturday...

[Khaine]

Saturday 1/6/07: Heavy Squat

Back Squat

1x255
1x265
1x275
1x265
0x255

I considered redoing the last rep, but figured I'd better not push it considering the program... Luckily I had safety pins set up... It's worth noticing that I'm going deeper now than I did a year ago, upper thighs breaking well through parallel and the whole motion is more natural...

A1 Incline DB Presses
4x6 @ 85

A2 DB Rows
4x6 @ 85

B1 Straight-Arm Pulldowns
2x12 @ 60

B2 Cable Side Laterals
2x12 @ 20 (Across the body, straight arm, huge ROM)

P10 Segment

C1 Board Presses
5x5 @ 260 (I figure my 1RM on these is 320-ish)

C2 Hammer Curls
5x5 @ 45 (Surprisingly light)


Monday 1/8/07: Heavy Deads

Deadlift

1x330
1x320
1x310
2x300

I'm starting wit "PRs" this week and dropping the weight wit each set, staying over 90% throughout... Then next week I wanna try a wave... The number of sets kinda dictates the manner in which I progress through them...

A1 Towel Chins
4x6 @ 10 (Stricter form than last time, but no increase in weight)

A2 Push Presses
4x6 @ 150 (My technique must be improving, cus this wasn't very heavy either, the superset got me winded tho)

B1 Zercher Squats
2x12 @ 140 (kinda sagging at this point, so a 10lb increase seemed advisable; I love Zerchers)

B2 Calf Raises
2x12 @ 230 (Maybe I'll make a crazy jump next week, like 30lbs or suttin)

P10 Segment

C1 Cable Curls
7x3 @ 70 (Hands wide, elbows close, no big problems)

C2 Rope Pushdowns
7x3 @ 65


Again, the workouts are fairly brief and the overall volume is decent... I think I had a workload increase on the Monday workout of 800lbs or so, but this is also the workout wit the highest overall volume (P10 not included), due to the lack of isolation movements...

I have a brief arm workout tomorrow and the frequency escalation will officially begin...

[Khaine]

Tuesday 1/9/07: Arms

A1 Reverse Curls
2x25 @ 45

A2 California Presses (Or JM Presses, I'm not entirely sure; slow eccentric Skullcrusher, concentric CGBP)
2x25 @ 65


I feel like a complete turd going in the gym and doing 10 minutes of arms, but whatever... They're a struggling bodypart and the program calls for it... 'Coach said so'...

Played football for 90 minutes... Rainy and slippery and overall a decent workout... I need to eat suttin to make up for it...

[Khaine]

Wednesday 1/10/07: Heavy Bench

Bench Press

1x240
1x235
1x230
1x225

Damn... The 240 was actually not a problem at all... Liftoff was dumb easy and I didn't have to work much with it... Meh... Maybe 250 next week isn't completely ludicrous... We'll see how effective the wave thing is with ME work...

A1 Front Squats
4x6 @ 165

A2 Good Mornings
4x6 @ 150 (No room for increase here really, but at least it was much better than last week; this program should build a lower back on me)

B1 Cable Crossovers
2x12 @ 40

B2 Face Pulls
2x12 @ 65 (Shoulda been 60 last week, just noticed)

P10 Segment

A1 Incline DB Curls
4x10 @ 30

A2 Kickbacks
4x10 @ 25


I'm looking a lot more solid now than I did 2 weeks ago... Clearly a consequence of the steady diet rather than actual growth, but it's still a good thing... And I feel great... Yay carb timing... Hopefully, I'll stay consistent in these departments while getting back to school and adapting to the new job...

[Khaine]

Friday 1/12/07: Heavy Squat

Squats

1x290
1x280
1x270
1x260

Chea... Good depth on all 4...

A1 Incline DB Presses
5x6 @ 85 (I wasn't ready for 90s, so I just added a set; weight up next week)

A2 DB Rows
5x6 @ 85 (Same thing)

B1 Straight-Arm Pulldowns
2x12 @ 65

B2 Cable Lateral Raises
2x15 @ 20

P10 Segment

C1 Preacher Curls
6x5 @ 60 (I can't remember the last time I did these, felt completely unnatural, but at least I extended fully at the bottom instead of cheating like all these kids at the gym)

C2 Overhead BB Extensions
6x5 @ 60 (Never did these before, don't like em much and might switch em for something else next week)


One week left before deloading... I wanna do wave loading for the ME work next week (7 total sets), but I've never attempted it with ME loads before, so I don't really know if it's viable...

Anybody have any experience or advice...?

[Khaine]

Monday 1/15/07: Heavy Deads

Deadlift

1x310
1x320
1x330
1x315
1x325
0x340
1x310

Wave loading doesn't work with ME work... So now I know... I'm fairly certain 340 was plausible today, and the wave loading didn't prime me for it, but rather drained me... It came off the floor easily enough, but I hit a wall a little below the knee... I did move a good deal of total weight tho, so it's not all bad...

A1 Towel Chins
4x6 @ 15 (Christ, my forearms were on fire here)

A2 Push Presses
4x6 @ 160 (Heavy, only got 5 reps on the last one, winded as hell by the time I finished this)

B1 Calf Raises
2x12 @ 250

B2 Zercher Squats
2x12 @ 150 (I felt like a complete spectacle; musta been 12 people watching me through this set)

Perfect 10 Segment

C1 Rope Curls
8x3 @ 70

C2 Overhead Rope Extensions
8x3 @ 65


This was the longest workout yet, due to the number of sets on the ME work and the P10 stuff, ticking in at roughly 75-80 minutes... I get my protein before and carbs during the workout tho, so energy never really became an issue... Missing the 340 still bugs me, but I'll hit it in 2 weeks...

Oh, and I won't be wave loading the bench on wednesday...

[maverick]

Yeah, those towel chins are no joke. Every rep you can feel your hands trying to give up. Way to gut it out and get the work in.

I also know what you're talking about with the audience. Me and my partners have started using kegs, sandbags, rope climbing, lots of oly lifts, towels for making bars thickers, etc... I feel like a circus act sometimes, but when you are focused on the lift, they are pretty easy to shut out.

[Khaine]

Appreciate the kind words... I'm really getting to like the Towel Chins... My pulling strength is probably limiting me more than my grip tho... I'm still a complete wuss at chins and pull-ups...

I'd love to have access to kegs and the likes, and will definitely add them to my repertoire once I have a home gym, but the place I'm at right now doesn't really facilitate that kind of stuff... It's a student gym, filled to the brim with new year's resolutioners and squat rack curlers, so Zerchers are pretty much equivalent to pie throwing...

[Khaine]

Tuesday 1/16/07: P10 Workout

A1 EZ-Bar Curls
2x25 @ 55

A2 Skullcrushers
2x25 @ 55


I don't know exactly how much myofibrillar hypertrophy these 25 rep workouts contribute to, although I'm sure there's some sarcoplasmic growth... At any rate, they're good for active recovery...

[Khaine]

Wednesday 1/17/07: Heavy Bench

Bench Press

1x230
1x240
0x245
1x230
1x235
1x230
1x220

What an odd bench session... The first 230 was heavy as **** and I felt pitiful... Then the 240 was feathery, making me thing 250 might be attainable... Then the 245 was a complete brick... Weird... In the future, I figure I'll just perform ONE ME set before I attempt any PRs...

A1 Front Squats
4x6 @ 180

A2 Good Mornings
4x6 @ 160

B1 Cable Crossovers
2x12 @ 45

B2 Face Pulls
2x12 @ 70

P10 Segment

C1 Partial Chins (Just doing the top portion, from 90 degrees and up, was really a fairly demanding exercise)
5x10 @ 10

C2 Tricep Dips (Parallel grip, body straight)
5x10 @ 15


Sucks that I couldn't hit the 245, but the rest of the workout was decent... Front Squats are feeling real good...


Saturday 1/20/07: P10 Workout

I was supposed to do Heavy Squats friday, but work interfered, so I'll hit that workout on sunday and the last P10 joint today...

A1 Cable Curls (Elbows close, hands wide)
2x25 @ 45

A2 Rope Extensions
2x25 @ 40

[.V.]

Interesting, tough looking workouts.

How are those 25 reppers working for ya? Leaving you with agonizing soreness, or relieving it from the other heavier work?

[Khaine]

The first one left me preposterously sore, but now they seem to take on more of an active recovery role...

They've also helped reaffirm my belief that my triceps are mainly fast twitch... They really do give out faster than my other muscles groups when I pass 15 reps, relative to loading perecentages...

[Khaine]

Sunday 1/21/07: Heavy Squat

Squats

1x290
1x300
1x295
1x290
1x285
1x280
1x280

PR in 07... Wasn't even that heavy... My back bent a tad, but looking up corrected that instantly... Depth is unquestionable and I feel in full control...

A1 Incline DB Presses
4x6 @ 90

A2 DB Rows
4x6 @ 90

B1 Straight-arm Pulldowns
2x15 @ 65

B2 Cable Lateral Raises
2x15 @ 20

P10 Segment

C1 DB Curls
7x5 @ 45

C1 DB Overhead Extensions
7x5 @ 35


90 mins... I really considered dumping out after the B1/B2 set, but a couple bananas reinvigorated me enough to pull through the P10 ish...

First cycle complete... One week of deloading, then another cycle, before I change direction completely and do a cycle of GVT/10x10... As for the deloading week, I'm considering staying heavy, but doing very low volume (i.e. 2x5 @ 80%), so as to keep my nervous system somewhat primed for the next cycle, rather than dumping the weights and confusing the hell out of it...