MonStar's Journal: Dedication

[atherjen]

curling 60's?? wow! NICE!! : and I dont know how you got so many plates on the supported rows! way to go!

gosh you really have dropped some water! drink up (and not anymore sillywater either)!

[MonStar]

Jen- Thanks so much for the support, appreciate it. Yeah I have really noticed that somehow my alternating DB curl strength shot up---I am not sure how/why. My BB curl strength is still pretty much the same, but I am realizing how heavy I can go on DB curls. Supported rows are just a GREAT all around back exercise. Them combined with unsupported t-bar rows and I am all set for my back workouts!

Chest day!

Doing some thinking about my arm work lately and I am honestly thinking that at this point I might have been overtraining my arms for a long, long time. After my chest work and my back work my biceps and triceps are so damn worn out---they seem nearly fully stimulated. Doing set after set at that point I think is just useless. I am going to keep my direct arm work minimal and focus on my chest/back/leg compound work and see what kind of gains I see. Not doing any compound direct shoulder work, as usual, I don't see a need for it.

Did this workout at home in my basement because by the time I got out of work the gym was closed. A later workout, around 9:00 tonight, but still a damn intense workout.

Dips:

BW x 10
+45 x 10
+70 x 10
+90 x 10!
+115 x 7.5!
+45 x 15

NICE. No complaints here today at all. Really intense sets, hit 2 new PR's so I am definitely happy. I can't believe how many reps I got with +115, not too shabby at all. Next time I train in my basement I am going to shoot for 3 plates on dips, see if I can get 5-6. Burned out with a single plate for 15.

Pec-Deck Flyes:

150 x 10
180 x 10
Stack x 10

Dropset-
195 x 8
165 x 8
135 x 8

Alternating DB Front Raises:

Dropset-
40's x 8/8
30's x 8/8
20's x 8/8

Ouch. Front delts were beaten, very bad. I figured I might as well throw in some front delt work here in chest day because my front delts always take such a beating with my chest exercises, etc.

1-Arm DB Extensions:

30 x 12/12
40 x 7/7

Dropset-
40 x 5/5
30 x 5/5
20 x 5/5

BLA. Sets of DB French presses were nothing special. My triceps were toasted from the dips, they didn't have much left in them at all at this point. Felt like I was kinda' wasting my time.

Diet- Eh, not so good lately. Some sh*t happened last night that I don't want to get into. Last night I ate some Chinese food, rice and chicken with some vegetables---I can't imagine how loaded with calories and sodium that was. And then this morning for breakfast I ate 2 chicken sandwiches from Burger King without mayo, lol. Not the greatest choice I know, but I was pressed for time, etc. Then after that I had an apple, a turkey & cheese sandwich at work, an EAS "Storm" bar I think it was called, along with a EAS Myoplex Lite bar. Then had some fruit and small sh*t before my workout. So my diet has been OKAY to say the least.

Sleep- 5 + 1 hours last night, f*ck me.

[atherjen]

sorry to hear you didnt have a good night hun. Hope that everythings ok!
dont worry too much about those lil slip ups on diet. they were minor really.
just dont step on the scale after all that sodium!

good point on the arm's issue. I agree that alot of times people really overtrain those parts. its best to listen to your own body and see what works for it.
nice freakin weighted dips too!! I reallyy need to attempt those next week!
looks like workouts are all going great! :

[MonStar]

Jen- Yeah everything is fine---I am just doing too much stupid stuff like going out all the time, etc. I am not positive that I am overtraining my arms, I just have a really good feeling for some reason. I am thinking about just doing a chest/shoulder/back session and then figuring something in for legs, etc. I really need to start focusing on my shoulders more---they aren't looking as good as they used to. Thanks again Jen.

---Want to note that this journal entry is from yesterday, March 30th, DF was down so I couldn't post it.

Deadlifts today!

Damn, one of the worst workouts I have ever had in my life. Not in terms of intensity and focus, or even strength---but I seriously injured myself today in the gym. Right now I can barely sit up straight, I don’t have any idea what the f*ck I have done to my back. Drinking Long Island’s the night before deadlifts, along with poor sleep and diet, is just the stupidest thing I think you could possibly do. I felt like f*cking hell. Shouldn’t have been so stupid. This is my godd*mn f*cking fault. I am pushing my body way too much. It’s one thing if my sleep is good, my diet is solid, etc. Not when I am missing meals, completely dehydrated, etc.

Conventional Deadlifts:

135 x 8
225 x 6
315 x 4
405 x 1
495 x 1
585 x F*CK
505 x 3!

OUCH. Okay, used a belt for all these sets here today. Which I think helped, but it took the stress off my spinal erectors and put it higher, right about midback area. Worked up to 6 plates on each side. Smoked 6 plates honestly right off the ground, but I could not lockout with it! All I had to do was stick out my chest and shrug back my shoulders and for some reason I couldn’t do it. The weight was completely up, damnit. Oh well. Not bad considering sleep last night sucked, water intake was AWFUL, diet was even worse, etc. Then I hit a nice PR with 505. Well this triple with 505 is what seriously injured my back. The first 2 reps I felt a pain in my midback, right above my lower back, and then the 3rd rep after locking it out and I got a VERY sharp pain right in the center of my back. I didn’t think much of it so I walked over to get a drink from the water fountain and bent down and almost fell completely on the ground. I couldn’t even stand back up properly. Was going to leave but I decided to hit some quads real quick..

Leg Extensions:

Stack x 10
Stack x 10
Stack x 10

Dropset-
Stack x 10
210 x 8
170 x 8

Nice sets of leg extensions here today, really hit my quads hard. Lactic acid buildup was very very intense. I was so damn drained it was ridiculous. I had absolutely nothing left at all walking out of the gym---I could barely stand up straight, I was f*cking exhausted, and now I have to go to work.

I am going to be doing some serious thinking about my training. I think that deadlifts are going to be cut out completely, my leg training I am not even sure about anymore. I just can’t risk worsening this injury. I mean at this point it’s far too soon to say much about how severe it is, etc. But I’ll know by the end of tonight and tomorrow how bad it actually is.

Diet- SUCKED. Yesterday I didn’t train, and all day I ate sh*tty. Ate some breaded chicken at Chili’s, a few mozzarella sticks, and a grilled chicken pita. Then I ate some peanut butter, and a chicken wrap and an apple, and a few Long Island’s---that was it. Today I ate a chicken wrap and an apple along with a Balance Gold bar before the gym. Water intake was absolutely awful. Need to get my sh*t together, and get out of this godd*mn rut. But hey, at least I am not binging!

Sleep- 6 + 1 hours. Pathetic sleep. I can’t sleep after drinking alcohol at all, I wake up again and again and I have the strangest dreams in the world.

Today at the gym I weighed 217 lbs. Dehydrated. Felt depleted, and extremely flabby. Damnit.

[S. Fever]

but I seriously injured myself today in the gym.

If you can, get some ice on that back. 15 minutes on, 15 off. Tomorrow use heat instead. And take days off. Don't worry about bench and upper body, but give the posterior a solid week of rest. Don't sweat it, you'll patch up just fine.

[MonStar]

S. Fever- Thanks for the quick response. Honestly, somehow or another, today it doesn't feel bad at all. I am not sure if it was just a minor strain, or what. I mean I am not going to jump back into heavy deadlifting obviously, but we'll see what happens. Thanks again man.

Shoulders!

Pretty decent workout today since I didn't get enough sleep and didn't eat enough yesterday, or before I trained today.

Seated DB Presses:

50's x 10
60's x 10
70's x 10
80's x 3.5
50's x 11

Eh, whatever. My strength here has always been pathetic, I am not sure why. Hit the 80's for a triple which isn't THAT bad I guess. Want to get up to the 90's or even the 100's in the next few months. It's my shoulders that are just weak because I can throw around the 120's on flat DB presses, so I know it's not my triceps that are holding me back.

Nautilus Lateral Raises:

160 x 10
180 x 10

Dropset-
170 x 8
140 x 8
110 x 6

OUCH. That's about all I have to say. Shoulders were in toasted.

Upright Rows:

95 x 10
115 x 10
135 x 8
155 x 6!
95 x 16

Nice sets here today, no complaints. I really feel strong in this exercise so I can definitely see myself handling 185 for some reps in no time at all.

Diet- Eh, yesterday I could have eaten a lot more, whatever. Ate a turkey and cheese sandwich last night, some baked chicken and potatoes, and then a 1/2 peanut butter sandwich, that was about it. Today I just had orange juice before the gym. Oh well.

Sleep- 6 hours.

[atherjen]

someone needs some "Mike Time" and rest hun!

my goodness!! I hope your ok from those deads!!!! take care of it and ease back into the deads! gosh thats alot of weight!! BE CAREFUL.. and take it easy on the back for a lil while!

[Arith]

Mike, maybe you need to take a bit of a break and just chill. It doesnt hurt to take a few days off and let your body catch up, youve been hitting it realy hard. Sounds like your bodys telling you to give it some rest. Glad to hear your not binging anymore, just take care of yourself and relax for a few days, youll feel much better when you come back. Any when i say relax i mean relax Maybe stay in for a few nights and just chill....

[stencil]

I agree with Arith. I take a little time off every 7-8 weeks in order to rest, especially for my back from Deads.

[Iain]

Can I add my agreement with the others here?

Take some time off, get some sleep and some good food and give your back some time to recover. Good luck.

[S. Fever]

What pros are you going to be trying? My old supplement hookup in Sacramento has dabbled in just about all of them, he could offer some advice if you're interested.

[MonStar]

Jen- I should rest, you're absolutely right. For some reason though I cannot take time off the gym. In the friggin' 8 years that I have been training I never took time off, ever, to be honest. That sounds crazy and all but for some reason that's the truth. I mean maybe a week when my binging got really out of control---but never more than that. And that was far from intentional. I have honestly been beating my body for years now. Come to think of it I think a lot of the size I do have is from binging. Intense training and thousands and thousands of calories, lol.

Arith- I think that's what I need too, especially since I have a cold and a cough. But I doubt it's going to happen.

stencil- The deads I am going to take a big break from, no questions asked. But heavy leg training, I can't stop! I am far too obsessed with stacking out the leg press with plates, etc.

Iain- The sleep is going to improve, and the alcohol is going to be cut to a minimum. Diet also needs some work. Thanks for chiming in.

SF- I am going to be doing an S1+ cycle for 2 weeks. If you go to 1Fast400.com and look at the best sellers you can read about it, and the reviews. Almost all extremely positive feedback. I am going to keep my results posted. Going to follow it up with some 6-OXO or Nolva. We'll see.

---Also, to those of you who missed my thread in the supplement forum, I am starting my first PH cycle next week. Prohormones are definitely something that I have never tried before, so I am not really sure what to expect. Going to be taking S1+ for 2 weeks. It's a topical spray of 1-test and andro. After the 2 week cycle I am going to most likely take 6-OXO or Nolva to restore my natural test levels. I will keep all my results and side effects and thoughts about it posted here in my journal of course.

Arms!

Want to add today that I absolutely feel like f*cking sh*t in terms of my health... I have a pretty bad cold and cough that I think I am pretty much right in the middle of today. Upping my ester-C to try and fight it off but who knows how well that will work. Tylenol Cold has become my best friend, along with a few other herbs. The tanning and heavy training is really not the best idea right now, but I just can't help myself.

Skullcrushers:

75 x 10
95 x 10
125 x 4.5
105 x 10
85 x 16

Standing BB Curls:

75 x 10
95 x 10
115 x 10!
135 x 4
85 x 15

I am not even sure honestly if 115 for 10 on BB curls is a PR or not. All I know is that it was DAMN intense, and it was to failure. So that's enough to be a PR in my book. Skullcrusher strength was lagging today. I have never done strict skulls to the top of my head before really, always to my upper chest---so this is going to take some getting used to. I'll be hitting 125 for 10 in no time though, I am sure of it.

1-Arm DB Extensions:

30 x 10/10
35 x 10/10
40 x 10/10

Bla, not too much to say here. Triceps were shot from the skulls. Whatever.

Incline DB Hammer Curls:

30's x 10
35's x 10
40's x 8

BTB Wrist Curls:

95 x 10
115 x 10

Nothing too spectacular here. My arms were f*cking gone though. Exhausted completely. Forearms were pumped as f*ck, vascular as hell, looking absolutely awesome. I am tempted to shave them for summer, lol, don't ask me why, I'm into lookin' purdy at the beach. Guess I'm a fag.

Noticed a new vein in my biceps, NICE.

Diet- Eh, not so good yesterday. High in calories, and not good calories. Went to King of Prussia to go shopping and really didn't eat that well. Let's see after my workout I had 2 Balance Gold bars I think, then ate a whey protein smoothie from the mall (which was DAAYUUMM good!), then I went out to the "Cheesecake Factory" which was just awesome. There I had tex-mex egg rolls, sweet and sour chicken and rice, dinner rolls, and of course I split a slice of Godiva cheesecake with the girl I was with. DAMNIT, lol. Then I came home and I was still hungry, had some kind of athentic bread we had with butter, a fruit popsicle, and a few bites of ice-cream and I called it a night. This was my cheat day for the next week.

Sleep- 8.5 hours. Damn right.

Today at the gym I weighed 218 lbs. Not bad.

[S. Fever]

Interesting combination in that S1+ stuff. I'll be interested to see what it can do.

[atherjen]

prohormones? silly sillyman!
keep us updated on it though..

I didnt mean take time off the gym-meant more sleep-less partying!

new vien?? that means your getting leaner!!
awesome curls too! :

hope you get feeling better soon too hun! lotsa sleep and vitamins and good food!

[MonStar]

SF- Yeah so will I man, trust me. I just ordered 2 bottles of the S1+ and then 2 bottles of 6-OXO for getting my natural test levels back up after the cycle. We'll see what happens. I am expecting some good gains. As long as I keep my sleep, and diet especially in line. Can't be going out drinking all night, etc.

Jen- Yeah PH's, had to give them a shot. Especially since they're going to be banned relatively soon from what I have read. Yeah I know what you mean Jen, more sleep, that's so important. Yeah I do think that I am gradually getting leaner. Must be the usnic acid, who knows. That's been steady at 500 mg. per day. Yeah I am sick right now with a pretty bad cold and cough, so I am taking around 10g or so of ester-C per day, lol.

Legs!

Decent leg workout I guess. Considering that I am VERY sick. I am right in the worst part of a cold/cough/flu thing that has been a real pain in my a*s. It started off as a cold and just got worse and worse. I was going to go tanning today but that's the last thing that I need. I have read about how tanning can weaken your immune system, etc. Anyway---didn't do any direct lower back work today. Whatever. My lower back needs rest.

Leg Presses:

16 Plates x 10
18 Plates x 10
20 Plates x 8
22 Plates x 5!

Not too bad at all here today, nice new PR, especially since I am feeling lousy. Didn't do my usual burnout set after my heaviest set, I was exhausted.

Nautilus Leg Extensions SS w/ Nautilus Lying Leg Curls:

Stack x 10 SS w/ 160 x 10
Stack x 10 SS w/ 160 x 10
Stack x 10 SS w/ 160 x 10

---SS w/ just means supersetted with, to those of you who don't know.

Intense supersets here today. Did a set of leg ext. with the stack immediately followed by a set of lying leg curls with 160. Basically just to save time, to be honest.

Nautilus Crunches:

160 x 10
180 x 10
200 x 10

Eh, whatever. Not much to say here.

Diet- Yesterday honestly not too bad. Last night I had some chicken and rice, whole-wheat natty peanut butter sandwich and skim milk, some low-carb choclate milk (high protein), and a Balance Gold bar. Not much so far today at all though.

Sleep- 8 hours.