Josh Niemi..."The Journey"

[triplewhammy]

oEHVsRzdCHo

STATS
Age: 25
Height: 5'9
Weight: 185
Bodyfat: ~11%

TRAINING
1: Legs (Light)
2: Chest/Triceps
3: Back/Biceps
4: Off
5: Legs (Heavy)
6: Shoulders/Arms
7:Cardio

DIET
~3000 calories per day, 5-6 meals, 200g protein
Diet will be MUCH improved from previous offseasons.

SUPPLEMENTS
Performance:
ThermoLife Pump-BOL

Support:
Multivitamin
Fish Oil
Protein Powder
AN Osteobolin-C

Keeping the supplements pretty basic for right now and NO STIMULANTS for this first month!



I just finished competing in the 2010 OCB Midwest States but there is a lot of work left to do. Join me on this journey and let's achieve our goals together! If I can help you in some way, let me know. NOW IS THE TIME, LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN!


Josh

[tagun]

Wow so in for this. I always look forward to seeing bodybuilding vids, especially from naturals who know what they're talking about.

[triplewhammy]

Wow so in for this. I always look forward to seeing bodybuilding vids, especially from naturals who know what they're talking about.

Glad you are here! This is all about natural bodybuilding! It is all about the journey together, so if you have any questions or whatnot, chime in and let's achieve our goals!


Josh

[triplewhammy]

Just finished up a solid Chest/Triceps workout. Glad the holidays are over now though since it is tough to really have scheduled meals and workouts. I make do, but I definitely prefer structure. Today I hit Flat DB Press 100s x8 and Incline DB Press 100s x6. Strength still isn't quite where it was at the peak of my previous offseason but it's definitely climbing QUICKLY. I'd like to get back up to 100s on Incline DB Press for 8 and ultimately 10 or more.

[patricksushi]

That is a sick video bro, very inspirational :)

[tagun]

Glad you are here! This is all about natural bodybuilding! It is all about the journey together, so if you have any questions or whatnot, chime in and let's achieve our goals!


Josh

Sure man, thanks! :)

[_jim_]

Nice vid man! Good to see you have a log here in the prep section.

[triplewhammy]

That is a sick video bro, very inspirational :)


Nice vid man! Good to see you have a log here in the prep section.

Just getting started fellas! Join me on this journey and let's ALL achieve our goals! Looking forward to some good insight from many of you as well.



Josh

[KimJong-il]

In for the ride!

[UHCougar05]

In for the ride!x2 Definitely can't wait to see where Josh takes us. :D

[triplewhammy]

Today was a rest day since I worked out the past 4 days in a row so I had some time to think about what some goals are that I want to achieve. For those that haven't heard of the "SMART" goal system I encourage you to do some searching and check it out. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.

Too many people set vague goals like "get in better shape" or "be healthier" but in order to gauge your progress and get a relevant plan in order you need to know precisely what you are trying to achieve. So, my goals right now are:

1. Squat 315x15
2. T-Bar Row 6 plates x15
3. Bench 225x15
4. Arms up to 18''
5. Stay under 15% bodyfat

Keep in mind that these goals can be flexible and SHOULD change or update as you achieve them and/or your priorities change, it's just mainly to get something down as a starting point. As far as my goals specifically, I want to hit 15 reps for the major compound lifts I'm doing. The reason is that I prefer to "master" the weight before going heavier. I think this assures that my form is good, I have control of the weight, and my joints and tendons can adapt and strengthen along with my muscles.

So there you have it. Now what are YOUR goals?



Josh

[triplewhammy]

So not only have I been off stimulants for about 5 days, but I picked up a cold, got no sleep last night, and today was my first day back at work after the holiday break. Needless to say I was tired. But I forced myself into the gym for back and biceps. I have to say, it definitely "feels" different lifting without being stimmed-out. To my surprise, I had EXCELLENT strength (especially all things considered) hitting T-Bar Rows 5 plates for 15 reps and 6 plates for 10 reps (last 2 had a hint of momentum). Wanted to see where I stood in relation to my goal and I was very pleased with where things are at the moment. Worked up to 95lbs x10 for straight bar curls as well, and the pumps were outrageous. It was kind of nice to feel completely normal in the gym yet retain my strength. Definitely getting some help from Pump-BOL as the anti-fatigue effects are probably the most noticeable.

This workout was definitely by sheer willpower. Gotta find a way to make it happen.

[triplewhammy]

The cold is still hitting me pretty hard today. I really wanted to skip the gym but I know my competition is not sick, and they are working out. And so I trained.

Thankfully it was a lower weight, high-rep leg day. Not sure I could muster the willpower if it was a heavy leg day. So I hit 8 sets of leg press, 8 sets of seated leg curl, and 5 sets of standing calf raises. Every set was 15 reps. Legs were pumped beyond belief. Really had a great workout and was glad I made it into the gym afterwards.

I had some extra amino acids so I dosed 6 scoops throughout the day to hopefully help with recovery since I'm sure my body's taking a big hit. One interesting thing the past few days is that I have had a terrible time sleeping as well. I think I've come to the conclusion that my body is still getting used to a steady energy level throughout the day. Looking back, I actually think that my body adapted and "expected" the crash each night that I would experience after taking stims and relied on that to help fall asleep. May sound crazy, who knows. I figure in a week or so I'll be sorted out, but it was just strange since that is the last problem I'd imagine having. I don't remember this really from the last time I took a month off of stims (probably around 8-9 months ago).


Josh

[triplewhammy]

i6AItraZvlI

[CalebR]

sweet dude, im in!

[AustrianOakJr]

Nice vids man. Is the video making a hobby of yours?.....they are really professional looking. Keep up the good work and I hope your off season is strong.

[Peter LeDrew]

Today was a rest day since I worked out the past 4 days in a row so I had some time to think about what some goals are that I want to achieve. For those that haven't heard of the "SMART" goal system I encourage you to do some searching and check it out. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.

Too many people set vague goals like "get in better shape" or "be healthier" but in order to gauge your progress and get a relevant plan in order you need to know precisely what you are trying to achieve. So, my goals right now are:

1. Squat 315x15
2. T-Bar Row 6 plates x15
3. Bench 225x15
4. Arms up to 18''
5. Stay under 15% bodyfat

Keep in mind that these goals can be flexible and SHOULD change or update as you achieve them and/or your priorities change, it's just mainly to get something down as a starting point. As far as my goals specifically, I want to hit 15 reps for the major compound lifts I'm doing. The reason is that I prefer to "master" the weight before going heavier. I think this assures that my form is good, I have control of the weight, and my joints and tendons can adapt and strengthen along with my muscles.

So there you have it. Now what are YOUR goals?



Josh

Subbed as much as I can follow. Sounds like you got a good plan here. btw, what was the blue tub powder in your first vid?

Good luck.

[athiktos]

Superb job of making me look like a tool in the vid...hahaha. Nice job, though. What better place to start posting on the boards than right here? I'm in.

[triplewhammy]

sweet dude, im in!

Yes! Glad you are here!


Nice vids man. Is the video making a hobby of yours?.....they are really professional looking. Keep up the good work and I hope your off season is strong.

I've been doing videos for years now. At this point, I am more limited by equipment than experience or vision. With another camera (and cameraman), lapelle and boom mics, and a better computer (faster processor, more RAM, etc) I would be cranking out some really high-quality videos.

Glad you are here and look forward to your insight and experience along the way as well!


Subbed as much as I can follow. Sounds like you got a good plan here. btw, what was the blue tub powder in your first vid?

Good luck.

DY Tempro protein, got it on sale when it was B2G1 here on bb.com :D


Superb job of making me look like a tool in the vid...hahaha. Nice job, though. What better place to start posting on the boards than right here? I'm in.

Brad you are a tool though! J/K :D ...bout time you show up! Member since 2008? Psshhh...

Stick around and chip in!



Josh

[athiktos]

Brad you are a tool though! J/K :D ...bout time you show up! Member since 2008? Psshhh...

Stick around and chip in!


Josh

Great, throw a friend under the bus. But I'll stick around...I'm popping the popcorn right now. :)

[triplewhammy]

Great, throw a friend under the bus. But I'll stick around...I'm popping the popcorn right now. :)

Save some for me and it better be low-fat. :cool:

[triplewhammy]

Well instead of lifting or doing cardio I decided to take a rest day. The past two days were great but I was feeling a bit overtired and burned out today. The cold was hitting me pretty hard today with a throbbing head and burning eyes. Feeling a bit better now and hopefully after a good night's rest I'll be back on track.

So here is a better breakdown of my split...

Legs (Heavy): Squats, Lying Leg Curls, Leg Press or Lunges
Chest/Triceps/Calves: Bench or Flat DB Press, Incline DB Press, Straight Bar Pressdowns, Machine Skull Crushers, 1 Arm Pressdowns, Seated Calf Press
Back/Lats/Biceps: T-Bar Rows, Lat Pulldowns, Straight Bar Curls, DB Rows, Hammer Strength Rows, Machine 1-Arm Curls
Shoulders/Calves/Biceps (or Triceps): Hammer Strength Shoulder Press, Lateral Cable Raises, Front Delt Cable Raises, Standing Calf Raises, Seated Calf Raises, DB Curls (Cambered Pressdowns), Preacher Curls (1-Arm Pressdowns), Rear Delt Fly
Legs(Light): Leg Press, Seated Leg Curls, Lunges

Rep ranges vary but typically are 8-10 with the exception of Light Leg day which is all 15 reps. All bodyparts are supersetted which is the only way I can get in the type of volume that I like to do. Typically, for a given exercise I will do anywhere from 3-6 sets.



Josh

[triplewhammy]

Well what a way to begin this journey...still tired from the lack of stimulants and the cold just adds a lovely final touch! Definitely makes it hard to be motivated to hit the gym but I got in again today for chest/triceps. Woke up this morning at 184.4 which is very crazy for me since I never lose weight or have a hard time eating but this cold has really killed my appetite. A single packet of oatmeal and a protein shake has me feeling stuffed...ridiculous!

Anyway, I managed to get 225x10 for bench and after several other sets for chest and triceps I went to incline DB bench and got the 70sx8, 85sx8, and 100s for 5. Wasn't a great run but in light of the fact that it was towards the end of my workout it was ok. Really looking forward to feeling 100% though. Pump-BOL has been filling the void at least and giving me fantastic pumps and stamina. At this point I'll take anything I can get!

[Peter LeDrew]

Well what a way to begin this journey...still tired from the lack of stimulants and the cold just adds a lovely final touch! Definitely makes it hard to be motivated to hit the gym but I got in again today for chest/triceps. Woke up this morning at 184.4 which is very crazy for me since I never lose weight or have a hard time eating but this cold has really killed my appetite. A single packet of oatmeal and a protein shake has me feeling stuffed...ridiculous!

Anyway, I managed to get 225x10 for bench and after several other sets for chest and triceps I went to incline DB bench and got the 70sx8, 85sx8, and 100s for 5. Wasn't a great run but in light of the fact that it was towards the end of my workout it was ok. Really looking forward to feeling 100% though. Pump-BOL has been filling the void at least and giving me fantastic pumps and stamina. At this point I'll take anything I can get!

Get better man. Get lots of good food rich in phytochemicals... I drink liters upon liters of tea... esp. green and white organic varieties... Vit.D3 4-6000iu at this time... immune boosting mushrooms, elderberry, astragulus, echinachea purp. standardized are some things that come to mind.

[triplewhammy]

Get better man. Get lots of good food rich in phytochemicals... I drink liters upon liters of tea... esp. green and white organic varieties... Vit.D3 4-6000iu at this time... immune boosting mushrooms, elderberry, astragulus, echinachea purp. standardized are some things that come to mind.

That's good advice. How much caffeine is in the tea?

I've never taken a separate Vit D supplement but I hear a lot of people do. I probably should as well, especially since of course it's winter but also I'm not tanning right now...

[Joe D]

In :D Got a few of questions, when you say stim free, does this include coffee? And how is p-bol on the stomache? And how do the pumps compare to c-bol? Good luck!

[triplewhammy]

In :D Got a few of questions, when you say stim free, does this include coffee? And how is p-bol on the stomache? And how do the pumps compare to c-bol? Good luck!

Glad you're here! When I say stim-free I mean STIM-FREE, I don't kid around! Not even a can of Coke Zero for me :( Technically, there could be some caffeine in the chocolate protein powder I use, but other than that, nothing. I'm usually an all-or-nothing type of person so when I know I need a break, I give my body a true break. It certainly is a strange feeling to go to bed with as much (or as little depending on how you view it) energy as when you wake up, lift, go to work, etc. If you have used stimulants for quite a while though, I sincerely encourage you to give it a try. You will re-learn how to generate your own intensity for working out, refresh your adrenal glands, and then if/when you begin stimulants again you will feel unstoppable. I personally take a break for 1 month/yr.

Pump-BOL is just fine on my stomach. I will note that I tackle pretty much any supplement pretty well. The exception would be some products that have yohimbe dosed too high (I've thrown up post-workout from some of them...). I typically recommend at LEAST a gallon of water per day if you are using this product (especially at 2 scoops/day) so that is something else to consider. A lot of people I know can't tolerate as much water as I can pre/intra/post workout which is when you especially need it, so that is another consideration for your stomach. Overall though there is nothing in Pump-BOL that should be suspect for GI distress.

As far as strictly the pumps are concerned, Pump-BOL definitely wins. Arginine Nitrate, Beta-Alanine Nitrate, and Glycerol compounds will swell you up very nicely. I feel that C-BOL assists with my strength better being that it is a creatine product. The solution for me today was to try 6 caps C-BOL 45 min preworkout and 1 scoop Pump-BOL pre/intra workout. GOOD STUFF! :D Definitely don't dose either product higher than that simultaneously though, if you choose to go that route.


Josh

[triplewhammy]

Well I'm feeling a bit better today and in part that was due to finally getting a good night's rest. I put down about 9.5 hrs of sleep last night which then translated into a 2 hour shoulder/bicep/calf workout today! Worked my way up to 4 plates per side on the hammer strength shoulder press but only got 7 reps. Also worked up to 50lb DB curls and got that for 8 which was solid and tied for most reps at that weight. So, all in all it really was a fantastic workout and I was able to put in the high volume that I really like to do. I took 6 caps C-BOL 45 min preworkout and then 1 scoop Pump-BOL along with amino acids pre/intra workout. That combination gave me a RIDICULOUS pump and kept the stamina I needed for such a long workout. Not much else to say other than I was surprised how well this workout went in light of doing chest yesterday and how taxed my shoulders felt just going into the gym.

Time to eat!

[Joe D]

Just got to see the vid's, great stuff. I got a question for ya. See them dea lift bars on the wall? Do you use them? And how would you compare using them with doing deadlifts with a tradional barbell? thanks

[triplewhammy]

Just got to see the vid's, great stuff. I got a question for ya. See them dea lift bars on the wall? Do you use them? And how would you compare using them with doing deadlifts with a tradional barbell? thanks

Haven't done trap or hex bar deadlifts in years. My experience with them is that they don't hit my back QUITE as well as traditional straight bar deads, seem to recruit my legs more. Having said that, they are still a phenomenal compound lift if you're interested.

[triplewhammy]

Well I took another rest day today since I worked out the past two. Normally I'd push through a 3rd workout but in light of this cold being a pain still I decided to sit this one out. Tomorrow will be heavy legs and I want to capitalize on it and make it a great workout rather than just a decent one. So far this weekend has been very good recovery, hopefully tonight finishes it out with a strong 8-9 hours of sleep.

Also, for those that didn't see my contest prep from this past year, you can check it out here if you're interested: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=125910253

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/4726/p1070716.jpg


Josh

[triplewhammy]

So my gym was so packed that I had to park in what was the equivalent of a mini snow bank. Walking in though, it was obvious that I would have no problems training legs. Parking lot's full, squat rack's empty -- gotta love it!

The workout went something like this...

Squats:
135x10
185x10
225x8
315x7

Machine Squat Press:
360x8
450x8
540x8
540x9

3 sets of Lying Leg Curls


Wasn't a very long workout since I'm used to higher volume but still put in some solid work. After my final 315 squat, my upper left leg felt a bit tender from overtensing. I wasn't worried and still managed to finish up the workout though. Already it is back to feeling almost 100%. I would have loved to get more reps at 315 since I skipped the typical 285 set that I do beforehand but in light of the cold I'm still trying to get over, lack of any stimulants, and a full work day I suppose I'll take it. Perhaps those are just excuses though.

Truth be told anyway, a little over 3 years ago I could barely get in and out of a vehicle without my knee hurting (much less even think about squatting 135).

So when it comes down to it, I consider every rep a blessing.


Josh

[Prototyp3]

So my gym was so packed that I had to park in what was the equivalent of a mini snow bank. Walking in though, it was obvious that I would have no problems training legs. Parking lot's full, squat rack's empty -- gotta love it!

This has been the scene at my gym every day since New Years. Full parking lot, not a bench to be found, but damn sure the power rack is wide open. And if it's not.. well you know, just those guys who like to do curls everywhere..

Nice leg workout by the way.

[Joe D]

Are you having any caffeine withdrawal's?

[triplewhammy]

This has been the scene at my gym every day since New Years. Full parking lot, not a bench to be found, but damn sure the power rack is wide open. And if it's not.. well you know, just those guys who like to do curls everywhere..

Nice leg workout by the way.

No doubt, especially on Mondays!


Are you having any caffeine withdrawal's?

Eh not really any physical withdrawal symptoms. I almost never get headaches at any time, caffeine or not. The toughest part is mentally getting "amped up" for a workout. Once I'm warmed up and into my working sets I hit my groove fine and feel charged up to lift, but getting to the gym is the toughest part especially when you're yawning on your way in. The cold certainly has made it worse, but I'm feeling better so things should only be improving now.

[UHCougar05]

Everyone wants to bench and no one wants to squat. It's a shame really...

[drew419]

subbed. the videos are great. love the "short shorts" title. haha.

that's cool that you found a stimulant free pre-workout mix. i am looking for an arginine free one. which i think is impossible. arginine gives me crazy headaches :(

[triplewhammy]

Absolutely KILLED IT in the gym today for back/biceps. Again wasn't quite in the mood to work out necessarily but once I got rolling, it shaped up to be a solid 2 hour session.

T-Bar Rows:
1 plate x12
2 plates x12
3 plates x12
4 plates x10
5 plates x10
6 plates x12

Lat Pulldown:
80x10
100x10
120x10
140x10
160x10
180x10
200x10

1-Arm DB Rows:
80x10
100x10

Straight Bar BB Curls:
35x12
55x10
75x10
90x10
95x10

1-Arm Hammer Rows:
115x10
135x10
155x10
90x20

1-Arm Machine Curls:
95x10
110x10
95x10
80x15

Basically, the pump was disgusting! Pump-BOL was flowing freely through my body doing whatever it pleased, just ridiculous! I'm currently rocking 1 scoop 30 minutes preworkout and another scoop intraworkout... all washed down with copious amounts of H2O of course. Had a couple guys tell me they couldn't believe I was 185, thought I was around 200. Funny thing is, I'm actually heavier than I want to be right now. Planning a nice quick 2 month cutting cycle soon...

On an unrelated note, my wife (who had the cold that I have) has now transitioned to the flu. Should be just interesting to see if I get it. Won't that be just dandy... :mad: :D



Josh

[triplewhammy]

Everyone wants to bench and no one wants to squat. It's a shame really...

Tell me about it, joke's on them! :D


subbed. the videos are great. love the "short shorts" title. haha.

that's cool that you found a stimulant free pre-workout mix. i am looking for an arginine free one. which i think is impossible. arginine gives me crazy headaches :(

Glad you're in for the journey!

As far as stim-free preworkouts, another great option is Ultima. I haven't tried the latest version but if it's anything like V2, it's intense focus. As far as a pump-type product, they most likely will all give you headaches so definitely be careful with those like Pump-BOL or C-BOL which contain nitrates. They are incredible for vasodilation but can exacerbate headaches for sure.

Like I said before, it's weird but I hardly EVER get headaches. I'm talkin' like less than 10 per year. If I get one it's because I've really come down with something harsh. I'm definitely thankful for it though, because I'm lovin' the nitrates :D

[Prototyp3]

Everyone wants to bench and no one wants to squat. It's a shame really...

Monday is National Bench Day; did you not get the memo?

Damn man, strong as hell on the T-Bar rows for your weight :O. Have you ever tried high rep DB rows (12+)? I heard about them when researching 5/3/1, Wendler calls them Kroc Rows I think.

[triplewhammy]

Monday is National Bench Day; did you not get the memo?

Damn man, strong as hell on the T-Bar rows for your weight :O. Have you ever tried high rep DB rows (12+)? I heard about them when researching 5/3/1, Wendler calls them Kroc Rows I think.

Mondays will be ridiculous from now until Spring Break, that's for sure.

My back has always been one of my top muscle groups. Within 3 years of lifting, I worked my way up to a 505 deadlift (with straps). I have a video of it that I should include in one of these episodes... Anyway, unfortunately I also thought I was unbreakable and didn't need a belt for 405x8. So, after injuring my lower back I really haven't done deads, but I can now squat which I used to not be able to do. All this to say that I have really come to enjoy the T-Bar Row as a good foundational lift.

I like to finish a lot of my workouts with some higher rep stuff, but have never done DB Rows in that fashion. By the end of my back workout I am usually at the hammer strength row machine (an incredible machine btw) so that is where I'd rep out.

[chuckles_345]

Subbed! Can't believe I haven't seen this before. I'll be following. I hear you on injuries. I have been battling an SI joint issue for the past 3 weeks or so.

Chuckles

[triplewhammy]

Subbed! Can't believe I haven't seen this before. I'll be following. I hear you on injuries. I have been battling an SI joint issue for the past 3 weeks or so.

Chuckles

Excellent! Yes one of my many injuries was diagnosed as an SI joint issue as well. My lower back is really achey after squats but like I said I am blessed just to be able to do them at all. So, basically through proper warmup, stretching, and basic pain management I make it work. Still not planning on doing deadlifts anytime soon though. Every time I consider it, I think of all the great progress I'm making and whether or not it's worth the risk just for one exercise.

T-Bar Rows for now, at least until I get 6 plates x 15! :D

[Peter LeDrew]

Eh not really any physical withdrawal symptoms. I almost never get headaches at any time, caffeine or not. The toughest part is mentally getting "amped up" for a workout. Once I'm warmed up and into my working sets I hit my groove fine and feel charged up to lift, but getting to the gym is the toughest part especially when you're yawning on your way in. The cold certainly has made it worse, but I'm feeling better so things should only be improving now.


Sounds just like me.




As far as stim-free preworkouts, another great option is Ultima. I haven't tried the latest version but if it's anything like V2, it's intense focus. As far as a pump-type product, they most likely will all give you headaches so definitely be careful with those like Pump-BOL or C-BOL which contain nitrates. They are incredible for vasodilation but can exacerbate headaches for sure.

Like I said before, it's weird but I hardly EVER get headaches. I'm talkin' like less than 10 per year. If I get one it's because I've really come down with something harsh. I'm definitely thankful for it though, because I'm lovin' the nitrates :D


Appreciate the Ultima shout out and hope more try out the improved V3 version. I love Ultima-Bol and hope we hear more people try it out. I have a full tub of Pump Bol and a V3 Ultima so I am looking forward to that amazing combo again sometime soon.

Keep training hard and using great products... the gains will come.

[triplewhammy]

Sounds just like me.






Appreciate the Ultima shout out and hope more try out the improved V3 version. I love Ultima-Bol and hope we hear more people try it out. I have a full tub of Pump Bol and a V3 Ultima so I am looking forward to that amazing combo again sometime soon.

Keep training hard and using great products... the gains will come.

No doubt. Ultima is a great product and Omega is a great company thus it is easy to support you guys. :) I will get around to trying V3 one of these days...can't even begin to imagine Ultima-BOL! :eek:

[triplewhammy]

Had another rest day yesterday, looks like the 2 ON, 1 OFF pattern is what I've developed. I'd definitely like to get back up to 3 ON, 1 OFF, 2 ON, 1 OFF but for now I'm getting done what I can.

As far as my wife is concerned, turns out that after inspecting her throat and doing a little googling of the images yesterday, we decided she has strep throat. The doctor confirmed our suspicions today :D .....REALLY hoping I don't catch it...

Anyway, today I hit CHEST/TRICEPS/CALVES and had a sweet workout. I filled up a jug with 64 oz of fluid and 2 scoops Pump-BOL. Drank about half of it on the way to the gym (30 min preworkout), then filled it back up and added some BCAAs for intraworkout. I don't remember every set but it went something like this:

Bench:
135x12
185x10
225x12 (almost got 13th rep...)

Straight Bar Pressdowns:
70x15
90x15
110x15
120x15
130x15
140x15

Incline DB Press:
75sx8
100sx8

After that, I don't quite remember the sets but I hit Machine Skull Crushers, Machine Incline Press, 1-Arm Cable Pressdowns, and 6-8 sets of calf exercises. Cut it a bit short to get back to taking care of my family but overall I'm very happy with the workout. Post-workout I had 3 scoops of whey protein and 5 pieces of lemon candy. My post-workout meal is always protein powder followed by a random carb. In many cases, I'm simply eating things we have around the house that haven't been eaten LOL!

Weight today was 187.4 and arms yesterday measured 17''. Bodyfat is estimated around 11-12%. So, I really think I've picked excellent goals for where I'm at right now.

1. Squat 315x15 Currently 315x7
2. T-Bar Row 6 plates x15 Currently 6 plates x 12
3. Bench 225x15 Currently 225x12
4. Arms up to 18'' Currently 17''
5. Stay under 15% bodyfat Currently 11-12%

Gotta keep pushin!

[KimJong-il]

Take Ebol to support your immune system. Not kidding when I say this, but Im running Ebol right now primarily due to the Ecdysterone and Turkosterone stimulating immunogenesis. I love all the other benefits too of course, lol

"Immunomodulating and antistress activity of ecdysterone and turkesterone under immobilization-induced stress conditions in mice"
http://www.springerlink.com/content/h7875j315341j073/

[triplewhammy]

Didn't have a ton of time for my high volume leg workout today so I figured I'd keep it simple.

10 SET LEG PRESS. 10 SETS SEATED LEG CURLS. 15. REPS. EACH. SET.

WOW! Talk about RIDICULOUS, the pump was downright nasty and my legs were throbbing in pain. Nothing else to say other than walking will be a serious challenge tomorrow, holy cow!

[triplewhammy]

Take Ebol to support your immune system. Not kidding when I say this, but Im running Ebol right now primarily due to the Ecdysterone and Turkosterone stimulating immunogenesis. I love all the other benefits too of course, lol

"Immunomodulating and antistress activity of ecdysterone and turkesterone under immobilization-induced stress conditions in mice"
http://www.springerlink.com/content/h7875j315341j073/

Interesting find. At this point though, I already have my supplement plans for the next several months. Here is roughly what I'm planning...

1. Continue stim-free through January.

2. February and March will be a mini 8-week cutting cycle using T-BOL and perhaps introducing caffeine again as I see fit.

3. April will be the beginning of a very clean bulk using E-BOL and a TON of protein.

4. Beginning of May I will be in Cancun still hitting the weights and rocking E-BOL but eating a filthy amount of the all-inclusive food at the resort. :D :D :D

[pu12en12g]

IN for this !!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[Joe D]

Good job so far. I have a question for ya. What are your views on circuit tranining. I usually employ doggcrapp training, but wanted to switch it up for a change. And i'm sure the nitrates in pump-bol will help me out. It's rough.

[Prototyp3]

Hey man, just wanted to say thanks for all the explanations you give in this thread, getting a lot of new ideas for my own training and how to properly incorporate it.

[triplewhammy]

IN for this !!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

YES! Glad you're here, definitely contribute your vast knowledge as you see fit! :)


Good job so far. I have a question for ya. What are your views on circuit tranining. I usually employ doggcrapp training, but wanted to switch it up for a change. And i'm sure the nitrates in pump-bol will help me out. It's rough.

Circuit Training can probably be beneficial short-term but I don't think it would be wise to use it long-term if muscle growth is your primary goal. I see it as a great way to mix things up for a period of time and certainly can be useful to burn calories and spur on fat loss but I can't imagine it would allow you to move heavy enough weight to elicit the growth you might be looking for. No doubt though that the nitrates would have you PUMPED if you did this type of training!


Hey man, just wanted to say thanks for all the explanations you give in this thread, getting a lot of new ideas for my own training and how to properly incorporate it.

Glad you're here! Stick around, more to come! We are in this together...



Josh

[Joe D]

I plan on doing It for 4 weeks then return to doggcrapp. Fat loss Is why I wanted to try It out.

[triplewhammy]

Well today was Shoulders and Triceps. Really was just a mediocre workout for a lot of reasons. I was busy today and didn't eat as often or as much as I should have and I also had a lot on my mind going in to the gym today. Towards the end of the workout I pumped out some high rep sets which helped me leave on a positive note, but nothing oustanding.

On that note, I just want to add that if any of you guys ever want/need to talk about anything (bodybuilding or otherwise), feel free to hit me on PM or email at triplewhammy@yahoo.com

The Journey is more than just training and nutrition!


Josh

[triplewhammy]

I plan on doing It for 4 weeks then return to doggcrapp. Fat loss Is why I wanted to try It out.

If that's the case then give it a shot! I personally would probably only run it for a couple weeks but hey if nothing else it should give your joints a good break from heavier weights.

[lhockey]

hey just breezed through this, plan on reading more details later but extremely impressive dedication and workouts! even more impressed by your stim break, that takes major willpower B-)

just wondering what was wrong with your knee and how you recovered from the problem?

[triplewhammy]

hey just breezed through this, plan on reading more details later but extremely impressive dedication and workouts! even more impressed by your stim break, that takes major willpower B-)

just wondering what was wrong with your knee and how you recovered from the problem?

Glad you're in! I think I am finally to the point where I feel good throughout the day and have energy for my workouts. I still don't feel "energized" to work out but once I get going it's no problem. I also like knowing that once I add the stims back, I should get an instant 1-2 rep boost on most of my lifts.

As far as my knee goes, I was trying to show off years ago with my girlfriend (now wife :D) by doing one-legged squats with her on my back LOL. Very unstable and I must have tweaked my left knee just right to where it gave me considerable pain for somewhere around 2-3 years. The first 6 months I couldn't really do anything major with my legs, after that I could only do leg press. Squats were too unstable and my knee couldn't tolerate it for whatever reason (never had anything officially diagnosed). As you can see, I am currently squatting 315 (upwards of 10 reps last offseason) and also have a 1RM of 405 from last year.

Time, patience, proper warming up, glucosamine, fish oil, and cissus are collectively what I credit my recovery to. If you or anyone else is experiencing an injury, I encourage you to stay positive and if you take these types of steps you CAN experience recovery. You don't have to call it quits!



Josh

[triplewhammy]

e6pPfRGTX8c

[lhockey]

thanks for the complete response, again incredible inspirational! i'm having an issue with a SLAP tear in my right shoulder now and i'm trying to rehab it without resorting to surgery (doc thinks i'll want surgery within 2 years). anyway i'm in for your journey, keep up the great work and well done on the videos.

[triplewhammy]

thanks for the complete response, again incredible inspirational! i'm having an issue with a SLAP tear in my right shoulder now and i'm trying to rehab it without resorting to surgery (doc thinks i'll want surgery within 2 years). anyway i'm in for your journey, keep up the great work and well done on the videos.

Definitely utilize the tips I gave you and stay positive! Glad you are in, you are a PART of The Journey now!


Josh

[triplewhammy]

Today was Back/Lats/Biceps and I actually wasn't too tired heading into the gym today -- only yawned once LOL!

Anyway, I will get straight to the point -- RIPPED IT on T-Bar Rows 6 plates for 15!!! First goal achieved! Definitely didn't expect it yet but I read over last week's results and saw that I needed at least 12 reps so I definitely was focused.

Perhaps it was the fact that I'm getting over the cold. Maybe it is that I'm more efficient without caffeine now. Or it could be all the Chinese food and chili I ate yesterday as I watched Da Bears kick some butt... :D I really don't know but I felt very strong for each set I did leading up to it. Once I was up to the 12th rep I was feeling the fatigue set in but I closed my eyes and pounded out 3 more. I would say those final three were not flawless form, but they certainly weren't sloppy either. I will probably keep pushing for 15 for a few more weeks to really "lock in" the strength and then it's time to set a new goal! 7 plates, anyone?! LOL!

I took 3 C-BOL in the morning and then 1 scoop Pump-BOL 30 min preworkout with another scoop intraworkout....LOVING this combo. My arms were pumped so much it was actually painful. They are still tight right now. Well needless to say I'm feelin' pretty good! Tomorrow I will be busy with some things and take an off day as I prepare for a heavy leg session the following day. My lower back has been a little achey but that is irrelevant at this point!

In light of these recent strength increases, I am considering bulking through February to capitalize on this. If so, I will probably add in E-BOL to enhance my recovery and I imagine things will start to get plain SILLY! I will decide by the end of the week.



Josh

[pu12en12g]

....Once I was up to the 12th rep I was feeling the fatigue set in but I closed my eyes and pounded out 3 more.

Hell yea ! Gotta love it

[myo15801]

Hey Josh. I like the videos man. Youre really putting in the work. Nice job at the OCB midwest states. That seems like an insane show!

[triplewhammy]

Hell yea ! Gotta love it

Man I know, it's crazy! Always just gotta push through it...


Hey Josh. I like the videos man. Youre really putting in the work. Nice job at the OCB midwest states. That seems like an insane show!

Thanks, putting in work is what we do around here...so stick around! The Midwest States is off the hook for real, but I wouldn't have it any other way. No way do I want to place well in a show only because the competition is lacking...

[Joe D]

I was wondering, do you see yourself holding more liquids because of the lack of the diuretic effect of caffeine?

[triplewhammy]

I was wondering, do you see yourself holding more liquids because of the lack of the diuretic effect of caffeine?

Hmm good question...I don't really think so. I keep the liquids flowing through me quite a bit year-round at over a gallon of water per day, especially with creatine and glycerol products, and it seems like the body self-regulates and adapts pretty quickly with or without the caffeine. I would say carbs definitely have a much bigger and noticeable impact on holding water, as I believe I gained around 7-8 pounds overnight from carbing up for my last show.

I think people are generally kidding themselves when they say they have a bloated look from "holding too much water." Sure it's possible, but 9 times out of 10 they just have more fat they need to lose.

[pu12en12g]

More vids !! More vids ! n/h :eek:

[triplewhammy]

More vids !! More vids ! n/h :eek:

LOL! Working on Part 2 of my interview with JackedFuture...should be pretty good! :D

[triplewhammy]

Heavy leg day today...I was pretty tired going into the gym today and the tweak in my neck and twitch in my left eye confirmed that I need more sleep. I've had a dull ache in my lower right back for the past week (since the last heavy leg day) but I knew I had to get it done regardless. So I started out squatting 135x10 and for whatever reason I decided to stick with the 10 rep scheme, even though it's a bit higher volume than I probably should be doing on this day. I guess once I decide on a rep range I don't let myself say no?

Anyway, squats looked like this:

135x10
185x10
225x10
285x10
315x8

Pretty happy with those results for sure. I was planning on moving on to leg press but some guy was on it for over 15 minutes. So while waiting I worked lying leg press for 4 sets and because it was still taken I ended up doing leg extensions. Not all that excited since I wanted to do more but maybe it was a good thing since I probably overtax myself typically. Either way I was glad I got in some higher rep squats.

Just as I was finishing up my session, the guy gets done on the leg press. I wasn't going to start it at that point and instead wanted to hit up one final set of lying leg curls. Well by that point some guy was sitting on the leg curl machine chatting with his buddy. To top it off, another dude was curling in the squat rack so I couldn't have gone back to those even if I wanted to. Just another day at the gym...LOL!

Post-workout was a protein shake and those old-fashioned lemon candies from Cracker Barrel. Like I said, my post-workout carbs are whatever I can get my hands on around the house. Sure beat the two single-serving bags of barbeque baked lays I ate with my chocolate shake yesterday though!

[triplewhammy]

Nothing much to say today other than the fact that I RIPPED IT UP for Chest/Triceps. Worked up to benching 225x14 which is a tie for my all-time highest and just ONE rep away from my goal! :eek: Definitely nuked my energy levels so I only got 6 for incline DB press with the 100s, no worries though -- I'll make that trade any day!

Threw down a ton of sets for triceps as well, working the entire stack for 15 straight bar pressdowns. Also, pounded my calves for about 6 sets. I should probably hit my calves even more, but that is what it is for now. Typically they get hit another day in the week as well so I do what I can.

Finished the evening with a chocolate protein shake and another bag of bbq baked lays. Disgusting? Yes! But ya gotta do whatcha gotta do...

Lastly, I made the decision a couple of days ago to continue the bulk for another month. I also started taking E-BOL so I'm REALLY looking forward to some major growth and recovery. The plan is to add in caffeine at the start of February (just a bit) and rely on E-BOL to allow me to train like an absolute maniac. I'm hoping it gets ridiculous in the gym, which based on how I'm doing now, I know will happen. With how close I'm getting to some of my goals I just couldn't resist pushing the envelope. Sounds like a plan to me!


Josh

[ASU_soph3]

In for this one man. Videos are very well done!

Keep pushing that heavy weight!

[Joe D]

What are your views on cheat meals and how often do you have them?

[triplewhammy]

In for this one man. Videos are very well done!

Keep pushing that heavy weight!

Glad you're here!


What are your views on cheat meals and how often do you have them?

Interesting question and I'm not sure I have definitively made up my mind one way or another, but here's what I can tell you... first off, I typically think more in terms of cheat "days" rather than meals. For example, if you can fit a bowl of icecream into your daily macros then have you really cheated? More than anything you have simply made a poor food choice but other than that it fits into your calories, etc. Now, if you ate that bowl of icecream and you still had several meals to get in and you ended up going over then yes it's obvious you cheated.

So, within THAT context I will say that I did not have a single cheat day for my last contest prep. Basically, there was never a time when I consumed more calories than I burned. For example, when I went to Cedar Point I ended up eating some crappy food (a beef burrito, for example) but alongside that I also walked for 12 hours straight (maybe cut that time in half if you account for the pauses when standing in line :D). I personally don't think a refeed is useful for my personal metabolism and body type, although it definitely works for some. Other times when I have dieted and used refeed or cheat days I really just felt like it was putting fat back on and NOT stimulating my metabolism. Not to mention the mental "boost" for me really just felt like a mental lapse.

Now, during the offseason we have a different story. I am probably not the best person to ask because like I mentioned in the Intro video, my offseason meals need a lot of work. Don't get me wrong, 3-4 out of my 5 meals per day are pretty flawless (oatmeal, protein shakes, fruit, nuts, etc) but when it comes to what my wife makes for dinner or we go out to eat or whatever, I don't mind if it's not a typical bodybuilding meal. That is really where the balance and practical side of making bodybuilding fit into your life (and not the other way around) comes into play. It's tough for me to know what would constitute a cheat "meal" if I am hitting my weekly weight gain target. As a general rule, I don't drink regular pop, eat desserts, chips, etc so my cheat meals would more consist of things like chinese food, pizza, burgers, etc. In general I just need to track my calories better but of course it's very tough when you eat a cheat meal.

I would love to hear everyone else's thoughts regarding this, as like I said when it comes to contest prep I have a definite opinion but outside of that I don't have a firm rule one way or another. I will say that I don't think chicken and brown rice for every meal year-round is healthy, physically or mentally. :cool:



Josh

[Joe D]

I eat clean for the whole week. But I'll have one meal a week where I'll eat whatever I want(i.e burger fries, dessert)

[kfairhurst]

e6pPfRGTX8c

Wow man, just watched the video and you sound extremely like me. In particular lots of the same reasons for starting lifting, highschool angst :sigh: lol

Nice interview, didn't notice you were on there too!

How tall are you?

[lhockey]

nice response on the cheat meals, i think it depends 100% on the person and that everyone is completely different in their own best way to incorporate or avoid cheat meals... i like to eat whatever i want as long as i hit protein/calorie goals, but i'm also skinny as hell so maybe that'll change in the future :p

damn your workouts are really taking off! looks like your body has fully adapted to not having caffeine and your lifts are loving it. lol at the idiots screwing around while you tried to train legs, that always happens at my gym in the afternoon (which is when i typically train :mad:). hope your lower back feels better!

[triplewhammy]

I eat clean for the whole week. But I'll have one meal a week where I'll eat whatever I want(i.e burger fries, dessert)

Sounds like a solid plan. Basically, at the end of each week if you hit your target goals there really isn't much else to say! Hard to argue that someone is cheating too much/little if things are working out exactly as they want. For my last contest I lost 40 pounds in 20 weeks which is exactly at the upper range of what I wanted my weekly average to be.


Wow man, just watched the video and you sound extremely like me. In particular lots of the same reasons for starting lifting, highschool angst :sigh: lol

Nice interview, didn't notice you were on there too!

How tall are you?

Lots in common! Yes I was driven by that for a very long time. It's not what motivates me now, but it definitely played a factor for many years.


nice response on the cheat meals, i think it depends 100% on the person and that everyone is completely different in their own best way to incorporate or avoid cheat meals... i like to eat whatever i want as long as i hit protein/calorie goals, but i'm also skinny as hell so maybe that'll change in the future :p

damn your workouts are really taking off! looks like your body has fully adapted to not having caffeine and your lifts are loving it. lol at the idiots screwing around while you tried to train legs, that always happens at my gym in the afternoon (which is when i typically train :mad:). hope your lower back feels better!

Yes it definitely depends on the person. Hopefully my approach is a good starting suggestion for some, but it really takes individual tweaking.

Workouts are starting to pick up for sure! It must be a combination of getting over the cold plus getting used to the lack of stimulants because this week I hit some fantastic numbers. 10 more days until I start back up with the stimulants! I contemplated staying off of them longer but I really want to push my body now that I'm using E-BOL for recovery and growth and the stims really help me train like a maniac which is what I'm going for this next month. I HIGHLY recommend a 1 month break every year for everyone though.

Lower back is feeling pretty good again....not that the pain changed my lifts though! :D I just look past it and focus on the iron...

[triplewhammy]

7CLISqZRAjU

[chuckles_345]

Cheat meals:

Offseason:
In the offseason, I try to hit my macros everyday. Being ectomorphic, I generally eat 525g carbs/day at the peak of my offseason when I am weighing in the 190-195lb range. More or less, I need to track my food during this period so that I actually eat enough. In fact, I remember a couple yrs ago I went out of town for a week on vacation, didn't track my food, ate whenever I was hungry (and generally not the greatest food sources) and lost something like 4lbs. I really don't have many cravings in the offseason, but generally once every month or 2 I have a day where I eat a cheat meal that takes me over my daily macros. A lot of times it is something like pasta, ice cream, or a giant steak. However, as I mentioned I only do this once every month or 2. Otherwise, when I go out to eat, I'm the pain in the ass who orders everything specifically so that I get it the way I want and fit it into my macros.

Contest Prep:
During contest prep, I typically have a refeed day 2x per wk. This is not an invitation to eat whatever the hell I feel like, rather it is just a day where my carbohydrates are higher. Being an ecto, this works very well for me. I DO NOT and HAVE NOT ever cheated during ANY contest prep. I don't have the genetics to be big or be good at this sport and I can't let someone beat me because I couldn't stick to my diet. I use Layne Norton for my contest preps, follow his plan to a T and have defeated a lot of people on stage who clearly have better structure, size, and genetics than I do, just by getting leaner and out-posing them.


In the end, I think it is very individual to the person and your goals. I think that you can read books about metabolism and bodybuilding to give you a good starting point, but when it comes down to it, you need to experiment and see what works for you. I know guys who eat pure crap and gain muscle in the offseason and I know others who can't have more than 300g carbs per day in the offseason or they get fat and bloated. You just need to find what works for you.



Chuckles

[triplewhammy]

Cheat meals:

Offseason:
In the offseason, I try to hit my macros everyday. Being ectomorphic, I generally eat 525g carbs/day at the peak of my offseason when I am weighing in the 190-195lb range. More or less, I need to track my food during this period so that I actually eat enough. In fact, I remember a couple yrs ago I went out of town for a week on vacation, didn't track my food, ate whenever I was hungry (and generally not the greatest food sources) and lost something like 4lbs. I really don't have many cravings in the offseason, but generally once every month or 2 I have a day where I eat a cheat meal that takes me over my daily macros. A lot of times it is something like pasta, ice cream, or a giant steak. However, as I mentioned I only do this once every month or 2. Otherwise, when I go out to eat, I'm the pain in the ass who orders everything specifically so that I get it the way I want and fit it into my macros.

Contest Prep:
During contest prep, I typically have a refeed day 2x per wk. This is not an invitation to eat whatever the hell I feel like, rather it is just a day where my carbohydrates are higher. Being an ecto, this works very well for me. I DO NOT and HAVE NOT ever cheated during ANY contest prep. I don't have the genetics to be big or be good at this sport and I can't let someone beat me because I couldn't stick to my diet. I use Layne Norton for my contest preps, follow his plan to a T and have defeated a lot of people on stage who clearly have better structure, size, and genetics than I do, just by getting leaner and out-posing them.


In the end, I think it is very individual to the person and your goals. I think that you can read books about metabolism and bodybuilding to give you a good starting point, but when it comes down to it, you need to experiment and see what works for you. I know guys who eat pure crap and gain muscle in the offseason and I know others who can't have more than 300g carbs per day in the offseason or they get fat and bloated. You just need to find what works for you.



Chuckles

Interesting perspective Pete. I have always wondered what type of bodytype I am. If you look at my high school picture (or my wrist/ankle diameter) you would be positive that I am an ectomorph. Yet I can gain weight ridiculously easy. So I have "defaulted" to thinking I am a mesomorph.

Anyway, I have definitely noticed that you track everything pretty meticulously which is admirable. I get that granular in my approach during contest prep but no way could I do that year round. Like I said in Episode 1 though, I certainly need to be more intentional with my meals during the offseason. Yeah yeah, I know...THERE IS NO OFFSEASON, right? :D

One thing that I will never change when I can help it is my preworkout meal....protein shake + oatmeal (sometimes fruit as well). Oatmeal has been that "super food" that almost always guarantees I get a good workout in. I encourage everyone to find out what carb that is for them. For some it is brown rice, sweet potato, fiber bread, etc.

Curious to hear others' approaches as well.

[triplewhammy]

Shoulders/Biceps/Calves today. Worked my up with 7 sets of HS Shoulder Press to a final 8th set of 4 plates per side for 8. DB Curls were 20x10, 25x10, 30x8, 35x8, 40x8, 45x8, 50x8, 55x8 which is the highest ever for those. After those two exercises, I went on a rampage with lateral cable raises, lateral DB raises, E-Z bar preacher curls, 1-arm preacher curls, rear delt flys, and rotator cuff exercises. 6-8 sets of standing calf and seated calf exercises were sprinkled throughout the workout as well. SOLID 2 hours in the gym!

Preworkout I took C-BOL and intraworkout I took Pump-BOL and the pump I experienced during this was absolutely disgusting. I had to make a phone call afterwards and needless to say it was not easy bringing the phone up to my ear. Post-workout was 3.5 scoops protein and bowl of Peanut Butter Crunch cereal.

Yesterday was a rest day so I spent some time playing blocks and giving my son a bath. Tomorrow will also be a rest day as I watch Da Bears whoop on the Packers.

In other news, I have now picked up a second cold. My wife first had a cold, then got strep throat, then got her 2nd cold which she has now passed on to me. RIDICULOUS! :mad: Ah well... :)

Looking back over the week, I made some incredible gains each and every workout. Getting closer to hitting my goals, which is all I'm looking for. Hopefully you guys push yourselves and are seeing progress, even if it's just an extra rep here and there like me.


Josh

[kfairhurst]

Shoulders/Biceps/Calves today. Worked my up with 7 sets of HS Shoulder Press to a final 8th set of 4 plates per side for 8. DB Curls were 20x10, 25x10, 30x8, 35x8, 40x8, 45x8, 50x8, 55x8 which is the highest ever for those. After those two exercises, I went on a rampage with lateral cable raises, lateral DB raises, E-Z bar preacher curls, 1-arm preacher curls, rear delt flys, and rotator cuff exercises. 6-8 sets of standing calf and seated calf exercises were sprinkled throughout the workout as well. SOLID 2 hours in the gym!

Preworkout I took C-BOL and intraworkout I took Pump-BOL and the pump I experienced during this was absolutely disgusting. I had to make a phone call afterwards and needless to say it was not easy bringing the phone up to my ear. Post-workout was 3.5 scoops protein and bowl of Peanut Butter Crunch cereal.

Yesterday was a rest day so I spent some time playing blocks and giving my son a bath. Tomorrow will also be a rest day as I watch Da Bears whoop on the Packers.

In other news, I have now picked up a second cold. My wife first had a cold, then got strep throat, then got her 2nd cold which she has now passed on to me. RIDICULOUS! :mad: Ah well... :)

Looking back over the week, I made some incredible gains each and every workout. Getting closer to hitting my goals, which is all I'm looking for. Hopefully you guys push yourselves and are seeing progress, even if it's just an extra rep here and there like me.


Josh

Thats weak you have a cold man, I'm just getting over one myself. Today was the first time back to the gym in about 5 days and I used P-Bol for the first time. Mother of god! http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=131112823

[triplewhammy]

Thats weak you have a cold man, I'm just getting over one myself. Today was the first time back to the gym in about 5 days and I used P-Bol for the first time. Mother of god! http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=131112823

I know, tell me about it! Second cold in a month, JUST as I was getting over the other one and starting to kill the weights. Ah, whatever. Won't change my plans! :cool:

Glad you are enjoying P-BOL, really good stuff and PERFECT for when I go stim-free (may also need to try it with a bit of stims too..). How come you were out of the gym for 5 days? Just takin a break?

[Sean15782]

Just wanted to give you props on your series, it is really well-made and entertaining! The workouts are looking great as well! Looking forward to following as you continue the journey!

[triplewhammy]

Just wanted to give you props on your series, it is really well-made and entertaining! The workouts are looking great as well! Looking forward to following as you continue the journey!

Glad you're here. Any advice or insight you have would be appreciated! We're in this thing together!

Josh

[pirateofitaly]

In on this, your level of dedication and humor are inspiring, good luck!

[UHCougar05]

Shoulders/Biceps/Calves today. Worked my up with 7 sets of HS Shoulder Press to a final 8th set of 4 plates per side for 8. DB Curls were 20x10, 25x10, 30x8, 35x8, 40x8, 45x8, 50x8, 55x8 which is the highest ever for those. After those two exercises, I went on a rampage with lateral cable raises, lateral DB raises, E-Z bar preacher curls, 1-arm preacher curls, rear delt flys, and rotator cuff exercises. 6-8 sets of standing calf and seated calf exercises were sprinkled throughout the workout as well. SOLID 2 hours in the gym!

Preworkout I took C-BOL and intraworkout I took Pump-BOL and the pump I experienced during this was absolutely disgusting. I had to make a phone call afterwards and needless to say it was not easy bringing the phone up to my ear. Post-workout was 3.5 scoops protein and bowl of Peanut Butter Crunch cereal.

Yesterday was a rest day so I spent some time playing blocks and giving my son a bath. Tomorrow will also be a rest day as I watch Da Bears whoop on the Packers.

In other news, I have now picked up a second cold. My wife first had a cold, then got strep throat, then got her 2nd cold which she has now passed on to me. RIDICULOUS! :mad: Ah well... :)

Looking back over the week, I made some incredible gains each and every workout. Getting closer to hitting my goals, which is all I'm looking for. Hopefully you guys push yourselves and are seeing progress, even if it's just an extra rep here and there like me.


JoshThat's why I love the fact my phone has a speakerphone option. Nice work Josh. 2 hours in the gym? Man, an hour and 15 and I'm pretty much done.

[JY_21]

great log here bro. will be lurking :D

[triplewhammy]

In on this, your level of dedication and humor are inspiring, good luck!

Stick around!


That's why I love the fact my phone has a speakerphone option. Nice work Josh. 2 hours in the gym? Man, an hour and 15 and I'm pretty much done.

LOL speakerphone, nice idea! Yeah I've gone as high as 3 hours before, but that final hour is not really all that productive... :D


great log here bro. will be lurking :D

Like many others LOL!

[triplewhammy]

300 rep Leg Day. Leg Press 10 sets x 15 reps. Seated Leg Curls 10 sets x 15 reps. Supersetted. The pain was almost unbearable. The first 6 sets went up just fine but the final 4 were ridiculous. Felt like I was gonna pass out. The pump was insane and my legs throbbed with every heartbeat. Towards the end I don't think I could even feel my legs, must have been willpower moving the weight at that point.

Post-workout was a protein shake and 2 candy canes. I hate candy canes post-workout, but my legs are growing. I can feel it.

[drew419]

Post-workout was a protein shake and 2 candy canes. I hate candy canes post-workout, but my legs are growing. I can feel it.

haha you and your ridiculous carb sources. sounds like a killer day man. leg pumps can be crazy painful but in a good way.

[camaleom]

in :)

[fltallpaul]

300 rep Leg Day. Leg Press 10 sets x 15 reps. Seated Leg Curls 10 sets x 15 reps. Supersetted. The pain was almost unbearable. The first 6 sets went up just fine but the final 4 were ridiculous. Felt like I was gonna pass out. The pump was insane and my legs throbbed with every heartbeat. Towards the end I don't think I could even feel my legs, must have been willpower moving the weight at that point.

Post-workout was a protein shake and 2 candy canes. I hate candy canes post-workout, but my legs are growing. I can feel it.

Candy Canes post workout huh....
http://www.eventprophire.com/_images/products/large/20080506171813_candy_cane_charlie_prop.jpg

[triplewhammy]

haha you and your ridiculous carb sources. sounds like a killer day man. leg pumps can be crazy painful but in a good way.

Definitely killer. You like those carbs, eh? DAT DERE ANABOLIC CANDY CANES!


in :)

Sweet!


Candy Canes post workout huh....
http://www.eventprophire.com/_images/products/large/20080506171813_candy_cane_charlie_prop.jpg

LOL! See the thing is, I just can't justify spending money on "supplement" carbs when my wife buys perfectly good (a.k.a. bad) ones at the grocery store all the time!

I've eaten some ridiculous stuff post-workout. I'll have to keep posting any interesting ones I come across as I scavenge the cupboards...

[fltallpaul]

Just get Pixie Stix....talk about fast acting carbs!

[Radio89]

in for this :D

[pu12en12g]

Just get Pixie Stix....talk about fast acting carbs!

Niiice !!! :D :D :D

[Sporto1633]

Just get Pixie Stix....talk about fast acting carbs!

Ef that! Sweet Tarts for the win!

Sporto

[devinh]

I'll have to subscribe to this thread, a fellow bodybuilder/math nerd, plus you eat whatever is around the house to make your numbers. We have a lot in common.

[triplewhammy]

Ef that! Sweet Tarts for the win!

Sporto


Niiice !!! :D :D :D


Just get Pixie Stix....talk about fast acting carbs!


I'll have to subscribe to this thread, a fellow bodybuilder/math nerd, plus you eat whatever is around the house to make your numbers. We have a lot in common.

OK guys I forgot to mention, they are NOT peppermint! They are cherry flavor. Man, peppermint would be even MORE disgusting! Didn't think to mention that...LOL!!!

[triplewhammy]

I'll have to subscribe to this thread, a fellow bodybuilder/math nerd, plus you eat whatever is around the house to make your numbers. We have a lot in common.

LOL glad we are on the same page! I don't know what it is, for example I hate when leftovers get thrown away. I mean c'mon, throwing away quality calories? Who does that?! So yeah when it comes to PWO carbs I'll use pretty much anything....

I remember a Depression-era saying from History class in High School...

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."

BOOM! NEVER FORGET IT!

[triplewhammy]

Well chest/tri/calves were smashed today. Highlights were bench 225x14, straight bar pressdowns stack x15, and incline DB press 100sx9. Tore it up volume-wise and finished with some nice 20 and 30 rep sets. Really starting to feel like it did when I was rockin' the stims a few months back, basically I make myself leave the gym due to time constraints more than anything. Post-workout was again a protein shake and 2 candy canes...it's like a stinkin 10 or 12 pack of 'em... sheesh! Still couldn't muster that 15th rep on bench, but that's ok. The funny thing is, I really should be focusing on incline since I need to improve my upper chest more. But, I guess I continue to do bench so I can answer the age-old question: "how much do ya bench??" Can't wait til I hit 15 on it.


"How much do ya bench?"

"225 for 15."



Yeah, that's legit.

[tagun]

Damn man, great vids, nice stregth progression... You're doing some work, mayne. :)

Yeah benching 225x15 is definitely legit, but that must put your 1RM to at least 305 or sth. THAT is an even more legit bench number! Brb doing high rep ("light work") on bench WITH 225 on the bar. WUT?

Also highly mirin incline DB presses with 100s for 9 reps, especially considering you've done 'em after BB bench. Impressive!

[chuckles_345]

Damn man, great vids, nice stregth progression... You're doing some work, mayne. :)

Yeah benching 225x15 is definitely legit, but that must put your 1RM to at least 305 or sth. THAT is an even more legit bench number! Brb doing high rep ("light work") on bench WITH 225 on the bar. WUT?

Also highly mirin incline DB presses with 100s for 9 reps, especially considering you've done 'em after BB bench. Impressive!

I can't do 225x15 and my max is 320 so it may even be higher than 305.

Chuckles

[triplewhammy]

Damn man, great vids, nice stregth progression... You're doing some work, mayne. :)

Yeah benching 225x15 is definitely legit, but that must put your 1RM to at least 305 or sth. THAT is an even more legit bench number! Brb doing high rep ("light work") on bench WITH 225 on the bar. WUT?

Also highly mirin incline DB presses with 100s for 9 reps, especially considering you've done 'em after BB bench. Impressive!

Glad you're getting something out of this. That's the ultimate goal. Yeah as far as the benching goes, like I said previously I definitely want to "master" the weight so that I know my connective tissue especially is ready for higher workloads.

No doubt the incline press is TOUGH after the benching, usually I'm just excited to get the 100s into position on my own! HA!


I can't do 225x15 and my max is 320 so it may even be higher than 305.

Chuckles

I've done 315 in the past so I'm pretty confident I can hit that, I just haven't done a 1RM in years. Perhaps I'll give it a try some time. I just feel like the high rep stuff is really neat at heavier weights and it's a great way to set a goal to pursue. Any time I need a mental boost I just watch Doug Miller deadlift 405 for 27 and I'm like... :eek: !!!



Josh

[lhockey]

300 rep leg day and 225x14 on bench? so close to your rep goal for bench and crazy ass workouts going on in here!

i may take a page out of your book of building up to higher reps to make sure my connective tissue is ok, my shoulder injury is due to weak connective tissue and i'm sure heavy weights don't do me any favors :mad:

[MaxPunishment]

In on this

[triplewhammy]

300 rep leg day and 225x14 on bench? so close to your rep goal for bench and crazy ass workouts going on in here!

i may take a page out of your book of building up to higher reps to make sure my connective tissue is ok, my shoulder injury is due to weak connective tissue and i'm sure heavy weights don't do me any favors :mad:

WORK is what we do up in herre!

I have injured enough bodyparts to know that this is the right approach for me. I have my whole life to build up to higher weights so I know at some point I'll be up to repping 315 on bench. Just remember it's not only about the statistics, it's about YOUR journey to getting HYOOGE! :cool:

We will discuss injuries more in depth later...


In on this

Suhweet! Don't be a stranger now, ya hear?!



Josh

[MaxPunishment]

Question about your training split, I know you're focusing more on arms and legs for upcoming shows, what are your thoughts on a split like this?

1: Legs (Light)
2: Back/Triceps
3: Shoulders
4: Off
5: Legs (Heavy)
6: Chest/Biceps
7: Cardio

Personally in my experience I've found I don't like doing Chest and Triceps, and Back and Biceps on the same day cause after a few sets of Chest/Back my Triceps/Biceps are pretty fried respectively to the point where they're at most 75% ready for an isolated, focused workout both in weight I'm able to move and reps I'm able to perform. Split this way, you'd be getting a solid Triceps workout on Back day and a solid Biceps workout on Chest day and you're still getting a partial Biceps workout on your Back day and partial Triceps workout on your Chest day, in effect training arms twice a week without doing a dedicated arms day.

Just curious if you've ever tried something like that and what your experiences were

[triplewhammy]

Question about your training split, I know you're focusing more on arms and legs for upcoming shows, what are your thoughts on a split like this?

1: Legs (Light)
2: Back/Triceps
3: Shoulders
4: Off
5: Legs (Heavy)
6: Chest/Biceps
7: Cardio

Personally in my experience I've found I don't like doing Chest and Triceps, and Back and Biceps on the same day cause after a few sets of Chest/Back my Triceps/Biceps are pretty fried respectively to the point where they're at most 75% ready for an isolated, focused workout both in weight I'm able to move and reps I'm able to perform. Split this way, you'd be getting a solid Triceps workout on Back day and a solid Biceps workout on Chest day and you're still getting a partial Biceps workout on your Back day and partial Triceps workout on your Chest day, in effect training arms twice a week without doing a dedicated arms day.

Just curious if you've ever tried something like that and what your experiences were

Yeah I've certainly done that before and like you said it's not a bad way to hit arms twice. I personally prefer the Chest/Tricep and Back/Bicep because even though I hit "arms" twice a week, I actually only train 1 portion (tris or bis) twice per week. The reasoning for this is actually from an injury-prevention standpoint more than anything. My tris get warmed up much better after hitting chest and same with back/biceps. Additionally, I notice more stress on my elbows and forearm tendons if I overwork my bis or tris too much. As long as you don't experience any stress from overworking your arms in that fashion, I think it would be just fine.

Also way to hit dem legz twice a week! I don't think I ever experienced pain like I did the first week I trained legs twice. Good stuff bro! :cool:

[triplewhammy]

Hit Back/Lats/Biceps today. Wasn't quite focused as I should have been, not sure why. Part of it was a slight bit of pain in my right forearm (the muscle not the tendon thankfully). I worked through it and blocked it out but it didn't help mentally. Anyway, for Corner Rows I did 1px10, 2px10, 3px10, 4px10, 5px10, 6px15. Even though I use chalk on the final set my grip started to slip a bit at rep 12 so my form wasn't quite 100% at that point. Still, there was no way I was letting go of that bar until I hit 15, so 15 it was. Didn't do as much volume for the rest of the workout but kept the weight just as high as I normally would. Because of this, instead of a "pump" type feeling in my biceps I felt more a dense hardness which was kinda neat.

Here's to hoping the 2 candy canes post-workout have some type of therapeutic effect on my forearm! :D

Spaghetti is on tap for dinner (aka PPWO meal) in just a few minutes....

Also, I placed an order for some CL White Flood and Primaforce Elastamine and Cissus. I'm not gonna lie, I'm looking forward to getting my stim on.... :cool:

[MaxPunishment]

Sucks to hear about your forearm, I'm coming off some biceps tendonitis the past few weeks which has really prevented me from hitting back recently so I def feel your pain. I'm about 95% right now, so hopefully I'll be able to hit back in the next few days and see how it goes from there.

Looking forward to your experiences with White Flood, never tried that one myself but have heard good things. Was a longtime user of Shotgun but recently switched to Superpump MAX and have really been getting good results

[triplewhammy]

Sucks to hear about your forearm, I'm coming off some biceps tendonitis the past few weeks which has really prevented me from hitting back recently so I def feel your pain. I'm about 95% right now, so hopefully I'll be able to hit back in the next few days and see how it goes from there.

Looking forward to your experiences with White Flood, never tried that one myself but have heard good things. Was a longtime user of Shotgun but recently switched to Superpump MAX and have really been getting good results

Meh the forearm is nothing major and really didn't interrupt anything physically, more of a mental annoyance.

As Marc Lobliner quoted in his thread: "You're going to feel pain. If you don't like it, play ping-pong or something." --Peter McGough, then Editor in Chief of FLEX in 2004 when he and I were asked by a consumer how to avoid elbow pain during skullcrushers.


I've never used White Flood before so I don't know what to expect either. I do like that it doesn't have any 1,3-dimeth in it though. Don't get me wrong, I love me some DMAA, but I would prefer to "ramp up" to a product containing it by first using weaker stims.

Speaking of 1,3-dimeth, does anyone know what its future is looking like as far as the OCB/IFPA is concerned?

[MaxPunishment]

As Marc Lobliner quoted in his thread: "You're going to feel pain. If you don't like it, play ping-pong or something." [b]--Peter McGough, then Editor in Chief of FLEX in 2004 when he and I were asked by a consumer how to avoid elbow pain during skullcrushers.[/b

haha good quote, I mostly adhere to the old strongman adage of "It's not a question of if you get injured, it's how badly". Luckily haven't had anything more serious than a muscle pull the last 6 years, maybe I'm not training hard enough? :P

[mivi320]

Yo Josh, in here for the journey. lol @ candy canes post-workout

[triplewhammy]

haha good quote, I mostly adhere to the old strongman adage of "It's not a question of if you get injured, it's how badly". Luckily haven't had anything more serious than a muscle pull the last 6 years, maybe I'm not training hard enough? :P

Dang that's pretty good! Whatever you are doing, keep it up. I have injured nearly every area of my body at some point or another, in just 7.5 years of training...


Yo Josh, in here for the journey. lol @ candy canes post-workout

Glad you're in buddy. You know you like those candy canes! I have around 4-6 of them left and then it's on to the next carb of choice....

[lhockey]

that's good that you can tell between a muscle and a tendon pain so you can decide whether it'll get worse or not.

i've read both good and bad reviews of white flood, but personally it's my favorite stim product without 1'3 dimeth. most caffeine based products don't do **** for me, but whiteflood was AMAZING! probably because of the vinpocetine and huperzine a (i respond well to nootropics)

[MaxPunishment]

Dang that's pretty good! Whatever you are doing, keep it up. I have injured nearly every area of my body at some point or another, in just 7.5 years of training...

Damn that sucks, at least you're still at it though, that's what counts. Fall down 7 times, get up 8 to quote the old Japanese proverb/Dwayne Wade commercial. Are you talking about the normal wear and tear aches and pains or legit go see doctor injuries? Most serious injury you've had so far?

[triplewhammy]

that's good that you can tell between a muscle and a tendon pain so you can decide whether it'll get worse or not.

i've read both good and bad reviews of white flood, but personally it's my favorite stim product without 1'3 dimeth. most caffeine based products don't do **** for me, but whiteflood was AMAZING! probably because of the vinpocetine and huperzine a (i respond well to nootropics)

Yeah depending on what motion causes the pain and how it hurts I can usually tell.


Damn that sucks, at least you're still at it though, that's what counts. Fall down 7 times, get up 8 to quote the old Japanese proverb/Dwayne Wade commercial. Are you talking about the normal wear and tear aches and pains or legit go see doctor injuries? Most serious injury you've had so far?

Yeah I'll be alright. As far as my injuries go I will probably do an episode discussing them but let's just say the worst was after deadlifting 405x8 with no belt several years ago I found myself in the ER that same night. Although never officially diagnosed, it was some type of SI joint problem that still affects me today. I was in enough pain to cause me to hyperventilate, which is ridiculous. I have a dull ache in my lower right back pretty much all the time, at least when I'm doing squats regularly. Still, for several months after the injury it hurt just to bend forward so like I said previously, I consider every rep a blessing.

[triplewhammy]

And speaking of dull back aches and squats...today was Heavy Leg Day!

Squats: 135x10, 185x10, 225x8, 275x8, 315x8
Machine Squat Press, 4 sets
Lying Leg Curl, 4 sets

Lower back was still a bit achey going into the workout like always but overall it was a solid day. The biggest issue was that I had a bit of pain on the tops of both my knees. After the workout was finished I figured out why. Typically I do 4 minutes of elliptical and 4 minutes seated bike to get warmed up. Well during my time on the bike is when my knees have a routine "pop" as they get in their groove. Today I did not get a "pop" in either knee which I thought was odd but I just figured they didn't need it or something. Well unfortunately it meant that there was a bit of pressure in my knees that didn't get released so it affected the squatting. Oh well, I still managed.

On a brighter note, to assess my stimulant sensitivity (and begin ramping up for dat dere White Flood) I had 2 Coke Zeros! Although I wasn't expecting much and didn't really get a HUGE effect, I did notice a bit of increased energy and even now at 10:30pm I'm not nearly as tired as I would normally be. Let's hope I'm not up all night but if so, that's why I chose Friday to test! Definitely pleased that ~60mg caffeine can give me a boost though, that's a sign of a solid month-long detox.

Post-workout was a protein shake and...wait for it... ....THREE candy canes! The anabolic cherry goodness is starting to grow on me just as I'm finishing up the fine box of stale Christmas candy.

Other than that, the rest of the night shall consist of OD'ing on protein and Fox News.

[iliftpesos]

subbed

[camaleom]

take care of those knees!

I was in the ditch for two months cause a sprain on my lcl... annoying as fuk

fish oil, cissus, Glucosamine, plus ice every time I finish a WO.

[triplewhammy]

subbed

Awesome!


take care of those knees!

I was in the ditch for two months cause a sprain on my lcl... annoying as fuk

fish oil, cissus, Glucosamine, plus ice every time I finish a WO.

Yeah definitely! The past couple of years I have been much more conscious of warming-up, proper form, injury prevention, etc and guess what -- the best period of gains I've had, go figure!

[triplewhammy]

Had a solid Shoulder/Tricep day today. One of the kids in our church youth group wanted some lifting advice so I worked out with him and gave him the basics. He's getting started at 15 which is awesome. Unfortunately, the bathrooms were "unavailable" at the gym due to some sewer backup issues so I had to go next door in the middle of my workout! So needless to say, for a variety of reasons my workout was not quite as intense as it typical is but that's OK.

I worked up to 4pps x 6 on the Hammer Shoulder Press which was a bit disappointing since I've done up to 8 or 10 before but I finished the workout with some high volume to make it a productive session. Put some serious volume on the triceps as well, barely able to extend my arms at the end. The cold I've had seems to be coming to an end so I look forward to working out at 100%.

Post-workout as a protein shake and 2 anabolic candy canes. After that I went out to Olive Garden with my wife and son but because of how busy it was I didn't actually eat until 3 hours post-workout! So I was pretty ravenous at that point. Threw down 3 breadsticks, 3 bowls of salad, a few pieces of french bread with smoke mozzarella fonduta, and half of my chicken scampi all washed down with copious amounts of H2O. If anyone needs me, I shall be in a carb-coma for the next 24 hours.

So would I consider that a solid cheat meal? Betta believe it! :cool:

[Radio89]

Awesome man haha. Im in a carb coma as well, check it out.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=131325643

BTW when is the new vid? :D

[triplewhammy]

Awesome man haha. Im in a carb coma as well, check it out.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=131325643

BTW when is the new vid? :D

That burrito was ridiculous, no way could I tackle that...

All I can say is the longer you are on the journey, the more vids you shall see... :cool: Glad you're on board!

[pu12en12g]

Good eats !! :eek:

[KimJong-il]

Amazing log partner.....Cant wait till the next vidz posted.

[UHCougar05]

Had a solid Shoulder/Tricep day today. One of the kids in our church youth group wanted some lifting advice so I worked out with him and gave him the basics. He's getting started at 15 which is awesome. Unfortunately, the bathrooms were "unavailable" at the gym due to some sewer backup issues so I had to go next door in the middle of my workout! So needless to say, for a variety of reasons my workout was not quite as intense as it typical is but that's OK.

I worked up to 4pps x 6 on the Hammer Shoulder Press which was a bit disappointing since I've done up to 8 or 10 before but I finished the workout with some high volume to make it a productive session. Put some serious volume on the triceps as well, barely able to extend my arms at the end. The cold I've had seems to be coming to an end so I look forward to working out at 100%.

Post-workout as a protein shake and 2 anabolic candy canes. After that I went out to Olive Garden with my wife and son but because of how busy it was I didn't actually eat until 3 hours post-workout! So I was pretty ravenous at that point. Threw down 3 breadsticks, 3 bowls of salad, a few pieces of french bread with smoke mozzarella fonduta, and half of my chicken scampi all washed down with copious amounts of H2O. If anyone needs me, I shall be in a carb-coma for the next 24 hours.

So would I consider that a solid cheat meal? Betta believe it! :cool:I haven't had Olive Garden in so long, that sounds delicious.

Good to see the next generation getting introduced to weight training, especially by someone capable. I was lucky to have a good mentor when I first started.

[MIKE6191]

Subbed. I was planning on attending OCB MW states this year, but had a conflict (I go to NIU so it's right down the road).

I really like the vids, keep it up!

[triplewhammy]

Good eats !! :eek:

Gotta love the cheat meals. Getting a few in before I start cutting again. :cool: How you been lately?


Amazing log partner.....Cant wait till the next vidz posted.

Following along on The Journey will continue to give you access to da vidz! Simple as that!


I haven't had Olive Garden in so long, that sounds delicious.

Good to see the next generation getting introduced to weight training, especially by someone capable. I was lucky to have a good mentor when I first started.

Yeah it was pretty good. I was told by a friend that each breadstick has 150 calories. LOL!!!! Definitely, and to think this guy is as young as I was in that HS basketball picture!


Subbed. I was planning on attending OCB MW states this year, but had a conflict (I go to NIU so it's right down the road).

I really like the vids, keep it up!

Great show, incredibly tough.

Glad you're here, this journey is for YOU too.



Josh

[Radio89]

That burrito was ridiculous, no way could I tackle that...

All I can say is the longer you are on the journey, the more vids you shall see... :cool: Glad you're on board!

Haha yea man I didnt finish it, but then again I ate it with no hunger at all. Maybe I try again just to conquer it lol :D

[triplewhammy]

Had a Coke Zero at 10am and another at 2pm then preworkout I had 1 cap Red Zone fatburner (30mg caffeine). So, again not a ton of caffeine but enough to wake me up and get me going. Even still, for some reason I just didn't have the drive or focus going into the gym.

Today was back/lats/biceps and I still made it happen but it was one of those days where you just have to grind it out even though you aren't feeling it. Worked my way up to Corner Rows 6 plates x 16 which is the most reps at the heaviest weight ever which was surprising. My form was not 100% on the last 4 or so reps but I wasn't giving up on the set until my grip failed. Pretty good strength for lat pulldowns as well, working up to 200lbs x 8 and on my bicep curls (Straight bar curl 110 x 6) even though my forearms are still feeling achey. I just had to look past it and focus on the exercises. I think they are in pain from overwork and being overstressed but I refuse to let them slow me down. Towards the end of the workout though I started to get into the groove and had some great high-rep sets which left me with a wicked pump in my back and biceps. The caffeine seemed to help with my endurance and stamina which is always nice.

So having said all this, if you guys ever head into the gym and just aren't "feeling it," I encourage you to still grind it out and make it happen. You will find the part that gets the most growth out of the session is your mind.


Josh

[lhockey]

nice job grinding out a gym sesh despite the pain and not "feeling it".

and your olive garden meal sounds so good, i've actually never been! i know you've been pushing through minor pains while bulking, but i'm wondering what you're strategy is while cutting? do you lift heavier or try to give your joints a break during the calorie deficit?

[triplewhammy]

UPDATE 2/1/2011

STATS
Weight: 190.4
Bodyfat: 13-14%??

TRAINING
1: Legs (Light)
2: Chest/Triceps
3: Back/Biceps
4: Off
5: Legs (Heavy)
6: Shoulders/Arms
7: Off

DIET
~3000 calories per day, 5-6 meals, 200g protein

SUPPLEMENTS
Performance:
ThermoLife E-BOL
CL White Flood
CL GlycerGrow
Prolab Creatine Monohydrate
USPlabs P-Slin

Support:
Primaforce Cissus
Primaforce Elastamine
Multivitamin
Fish Oil
Protein Powder

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/4509/img4074v.jpg

THOUGHTS
Well, I finished up solid first month for this new year. Gained only slightly more weight than I anticipated but all in all not too bad. The dual leg sessions have been working really well as this is the biggest my legs have ever been for sure.

I successfully tackled my stim-free month and even put up some solid numbers. I also tackled a couple colds, finishing up the 2nd one now.

Today I hit my high-volume leg day and put another 300-rep session on the books. Went up just one increment higher than normal on the leg press to make sure I'm progressing. Felt good but with the White Flood I did not feel as "depleted" as usual at the end. I enjoyed the taste and like that it's not too high on the stims. I will stick with 1 scoop as long as I can, since it felt like a slight "kick" but not too much. Since it doesn't have creatine in it, I am using a basic monohydrate to compliment the formula.

Still rocking the E-BOL as well which I think has helped with recovery. I have really been putting my body through a lot, especially being sick, and I don't plan to slow down any time soon so E-BOL will continue this next month as I train like a madman. There were definitely a few sessions this past month that I was not at 100%. I really didn't get in much cardio like I had planned so I will just assume 2 days of rest each week for the next 4 weeks. At the end of this month I will begin a two-month diet to get rid of the holiday weight I'm still carrying around :D. After that, the bulk continues!

[pu12en12g]

So having said all this, if you guys ever head into the gym and just aren't "feeling it," I encourage you to still grind it out and make it happen. You will find the part that gets the most growth out of the session is your mind.


Awesome tip, I agree completely ! The stimulation is still "happening"

[triplewhammy]

nice job grinding out a gym sesh despite the pain and not "feeling it".

and your olive garden meal sounds so good, i've actually never been! i know you've been pushing through minor pains while bulking, but i'm wondering what you're strategy is while cutting? do you lift heavier or try to give your joints a break during the calorie deficit?

Ya gotta grind it out for sure. The only easy day was yesterday!

As far as cutting, I actually learned just the opposite: keep the weights as heavy as you practically can for as long as you can. Not only will you retain much more strength, but a LOT more muscle as well (at least in my experience).

As long as there isn't any nagging injury I'm dealing with (which there really isn't right now), my joints and connective tissue stay healthy by supplementing with fish oil, glucosamine, and cissus and implementing proper warming up, quality exercise form, and stretching.

[Rodzilla]

Ya gotta grind it out for sure. The only easy day was yesterday!

As far as cutting, I actually learned just the opposite: keep the weights as heavy as you practically can for as long as you can. Not only will you retain much more strength, but a LOT more muscle as well (at least in my experience).

As long as there isn't any nagging injury I'm dealing with (which there really isn't right now), my joints and connective tissue stay healthy by supplementing with fish oil, glucosamine, and cissus and implementing proper warming up, quality exercise form, and stretching.

I've always read and trusted to keep some max effort work to recruit the maximum amount of muscle fibers. After all, in a state of depletion your body will let go of what it's not using.

So I always recommend keeping 2 sets or so of heavy compounds - as heavy as can be for 5-6 reps while still going up cleanly. As soon as you start to really grind/struggle it could be more detrimental to recovery.

[triplewhammy]

SICK shoulders/triceps/calves workout today. Worked up to 4pps x 7 for Hammer Shoulder Press and Tricep Pressdowns stack x 15. Pre-workout I took 3 scoops GlycerGrow and 1 scoop White Flood so I was primed and ready to go. I love how just 1 scoop of WF is giving me some crazy energy. It also seems like my focus is heightened although it is certainly tough to discern the difference in the focus enhancers vs the sheer caffeine.

At the end of my workout it was pretty much impossible to extend my arms. Also, my lateral delts were absolutely shot from the lateral DB raises -- I think that exercise is in my top 10 list of most painful, ESPECIALLY in the 12-15 rep range. After that type of set I wish I could disconnect my arms to stop the throbbing LOL!

Anyway, E-BOL's recovery enhancing ability will get a run for its money since this was my 4th workout today: 3 shoveled driveways from the blizzard and then the shoulder/calves/triceps workout. Why did I do this? Because my competition stopped after the 3 driveways. :cool:

[triplewhammy]

I've always read and trusted to keep some max effort work to recruit the maximum amount of muscle fibers. After all, in a state of depletion your body will let go of what it's not using.

So I always recommend keeping 2 sets or so of heavy compounds - as heavy as can be for 5-6 reps while still going up cleanly. As soon as you start to really grind/struggle it could be more detrimental to recovery.

Absolutely, I agree your body will definitely dump anything not used. I typically keep all my sets at 6 reps or above. It's important to find a good balance between staying heavy but keeping your joints healthy.

[triplewhammy]

Chest/triceps today. Typically don't do this just 2 days after shoulders so they were a bit achey but I pushed through and put in some good work. 3 scoops GlycerGrow and 1 scoop White Flood was on the menu preworkout.

2 sets Machine Chest Press (warmup)
Bench 135x10, 185x10, 225x14 (sooo close to hitting that 15!)
Incline DB Press 70s x8, 100s x7, 100s x6
2 sets Incline Machine Chest Press
~15 sets triceps exercises (grab bag :D)

The final tricep set was rope pressdown for 30 reps. Oh the pump!!

2 scoops protein powder and 3 packs of Pez candy gave me an anabolic sendoff into the rest of the evening.

[pu12en12g]

Pre-workout I took 3 scoops GlycerGrow and 1 scoop White Flood so I was primed and ready to go. I love how just 1 scoop of WF is giving me some crazy energy. It also seems like my focus is heightened although it is certainly tough to discern the difference in the focus enhancers vs the sheer caffeine.

Werd... LOVE the focus and mood from WF !!! :cool:

[triplewhammy]

TORE UP legs today for a heavy session.

Squats 135x10, 185x10, 225x8, 275x8, 315x10!
4 sets Leg Press
4 sets Lying Leg Curl

The first 8 reps at 315 squats went up solid. The final two I had to completely grind out. I promised myself I was hitting 10 today and wasn't stopping until I got there. So between the 9th and 10th rep I was sucking wind for sure but I wasn't racking the bar until I finished what I started. My warmup was great, got all the "pops" out of my joints and everything felt solid the entire workout.

Really wanted to put in some work today since this week I will be traveling so who knows what equipment I will have access to. The hotel I'm staying at will have a "fitness center" so in case I want to do some cardio on what I imagine is a 15-year-old treadmill I will have it available. I will find some nearby gyms but again it will throw off my workouts. Just gotta make it work.

Anyway, a protein shake and 2 packs of Pez candy sent me into post-workout bliss and it's time to refuel! My lower back? EN FUEGO!

[triplewhammy]

MgMPxavx7FU

[triplewhammy]

So this week I am living out of a hotel and I was a bit nervous about finding a decent gym. Turns out that this particular hotel has an agreement with a gym down the road so guests can work out for free. The gym is a bit small but has some great equipment and plenty of free weights which is all I need. Has a nice old school vibe to it since it is not part of any corporate chain.

Because I wasn't sure when I would get some time to work out, what turned out to be my preworkout meal was so atrocious I really don't even want to discuss it LOL! I took White Flood 30 minutes preworkout and my stomach was basically empty so it me HARD. I noticed that my head gets a very warm feeling everytime I take it, almost as if it's a niacin flush so it was even more intense this time. Intraworkout I took Cell Mass NT since I have some of the trial size bottles of it and it was convenient to pack in my suitcase.

Today was back/biceps/lats day. Corner rows were just slightly different: 1px10, 2px10, 3px10, 4px10, 5px10, 6px10!!! My grip is apparently pathetically weak so on my 6-plate set I just couldn't hang on to it after 10 reps. I guess with no chalk I'm complete weaksauce. Well, needless to say I was irritated to I dropped down to 4 plates and repped it 27 times. TALK ABOUT A PUMP! I didn't even need to work my biceps after that set (although I did of course :D). I also made sure to get in some ridiculously high volume for the workout to make up for it. The one nice thing about being on the road is that you have nothing better to do in the evenings so I just train like a maniac until I'm too tired to do anything productive, which usually means a solid 1.5-2 hr session.

Post-workout was 3 scoops of protein powder and 3 packs of Pez to get me out the catabolic mess I found myself in.

One thing to mention is that I really think it's important to base your lifts around basic exercises like the squat, bench, deadlift (or rows). Not only are they the core compound lifts, but when you're on the road you really find out how important it is because you don't have access to the typical machines or setups you're used to. This is why I always base my training around free weights. If I can find a barbell and some weights, it's just like home. :cool:

[triplewhammy]

Every time it's Chest/Tricep day, I wonder if it will be "the day." Well, today was the day. Everything started out pretty normal. Did my typical cardio warmup, stretching, and light weight sets. Then for bench I did 135x10, 185x10, and 225x15.

Bench 225x15!!

Another goal ACHIEVED. Unbelievable!

My joints were feeling great and I actually didn't have a ton of energy but I finally did it. I felt like I hit my usual wall at 14 reps but the image of a certain Pro bodybuilder entered my mind and I could quickly tell that it was time for a "what-would-Layne-do" rep. I gritted my teeth and grinded it out. A fist bump with the random stranger that spotted me was even more celebration than I had needed. It's strange to think that almost 8 years of training went into that final rep.

Post-workout was 3 scoops protein, 3 packs of Pez, and a half mile walk in 25 degree weather back to the hotel.

To my Journey brethren: DO NOT BE A VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCE!

Physically, the only thing I have to show for today is a chapped face and an ever-deflating pump. But mentally there is so much more.

[lhockey]

CONGRATS ON THE BENCHING! especially since you did it on the road and without feeling 100% energetic... super impressive, i'm sure you feel effing great :D

what weight do you plan on using next? oh and doing any exercise involving grip without using chalk sucks :p

[triplewhammy]

CONGRATS ON THE BENCHING! especially since you did it on the road and without feeling 100% energetic... super impressive, i'm sure you feel effing great :D

what weight do you plan on using next? oh and doing any exercise involving grip without using chalk sucks :p

Yeah I feel fantastic!

Not sure what I want to go to next. Perhaps go for 250x15? I may also go for some 1RMs in a couple weeks just to see where I am at. Either way I will stick with 225 for a bit to "solidy" the lift. I want to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I can hit that weight any time, just like with the Corner Rows. It's good to continue strengthening my connective tissue and ensure it's ready for a heavier load as well. Then I will move up after that.

Pretty sad that my grip lost me that 6-plate set but that 4px27 was NUTS.

[SyN65]

Awesome thread man. Def one of the better ones I've seen on BB.com. :)

sub'd and rep'd. Looking forward to more vids!

[triplewhammy]

Awesome thread man. Def one of the better ones I've seen on BB.com. :)

sub'd and rep'd. Looking forward to more vids!

Glad you're on board! If you have any questions, throw 'em in! Or, if you have some advice to offer, chip in! COMMUNITY is the 2nd "principle" of The Journey... YEAH BUDDY! :cool:

[str8flexed]

Every time it's Chest/Tricep day, I wonder if it will be "the day." Well, today was the day. Everything started out pretty normal. Did my typical cardio warmup, stretching, and light weight sets. Then for bench I did 135x10, 185x10, and 225x15.

Bench 225x15!!

Another goal ACHIEVED. Unbelievable!

My joints were feeling great and I actually didn't have a ton of energy but I finally did it. I felt like I hit my usual wall at 14 reps but the image of a certain Pro bodybuilder entered my mind and I could quickly tell that it was time for a "what-would-Layne-do" rep. I gritted my teeth and grinded it out. A fist bump with the random stranger that spotted me was even more celebration than I had needed. It's strange to think that almost 8 years of training went into that final rep.

Post-workout was 3 scoops protein, 3 packs of Pez, and a half mile walk in 25 degree weather back to the hotel.

To my Journey brethren: DO NOT BE A VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCE!

Physically, the only thing I have to show for today is a chapped face and an ever-deflating pump. But mentally there is so much more.
this is what i love about training, you get that thrill every time you hit a PR

[KimJong-il]

Awesome thread man. Def one of the better ones I've seen on BB.com. :)

sub'd and rep'd. Looking forward to more vids!

Hellz yeah!!!!

[triplewhammy]

this is what i love about training, you get that thrill every time you hit a PR

You inspire me to put myself through progressive pain....LOL!

[triplewhammy]

Hellz yeah!!!!

Lurker! :p

[KimJong-il]

Lurker! :p

Hellz yeah!!!!

[triplewhammy]

300 rep leg day today was brutal as always. The big difference today was that I used a leg press sled as opposed to a machine like at one of my local gyms. So, I worked my way up to 5pps x15 at the heaviest set. Also, instead of seated leg curls I used a lying leg curl machine to hit my hamstrings. Even though the high rep leg days are brutal physically, I enjoy that mentally I don't have any pressure to hit a certain weight but rather just try to get a good pump and focus on the muscle contraction (although during the final couple of sets my muscles move but I don't feel anything LOL!).

Pre-workout I just went with a half scoop of White Flood so I could get a slight boost but I didn't want to feel too stimmed. The past couple of nights I've been up until midnight or so and would prefer to get some more/better sleep. So, I was yawning a bit during the workout but felt some increased energy which was a nice balance.

Post-workout I went with 2 scoops protein powder and then went next door to a smoothie shop. I don't recommend fructose post-workout but I heard good things about this place so I figured I'd give it a try. The smoothie was basically just real fruit and ice so it had no additional sugar and had around 10g fiber.

I really feel like I've been making good progress on my legs since doing 2 sessions per week and I HIGHLY recommend it if you have lagging legs like me. Anyone giving this a try?

[Rodzilla]

First, huge congrats on that 225x15 - next vid update?!:D

I wouldn't worry too much about fructose - especially when coming from fruit (there's actually less in pieces of fruit than you think) and glut 4 receptors aren't all that picky - especially after 300set workouts, even if some of what you had was shuttled to the liver your muscle glycogen will be restored. I've seen studies where sucrose (fructose/glucose) actually outperforms D-glucose/dextrose, at least for cyclists.

[triplewhammy]

I can always tell when I haven't done cardio in awhile because my first time back to the treadmill lights my lower back ON FIRE. Feels like I just finished doing 100 poor-form squats. The ironic thing is that once I get back into cardio, for whatever reason my lower back ends up feeling BETTER on a daily basis. Really strange.

Anyway, today I hit up the treadmill in the hotel. Did 12 minutes at a pathetic pace, then did the stair stepper for 10 minutes (torture after yesterday's leg workout), and then back to the treadmill for 5 minutes at a faster pace (worked up to 10mph for the final minute).

Afterwards, I did several sets of grip work with my Altus Hand Gripper that I conveniently packed into the suitcase. I used to do grip work regularly and I can tell you that it helps a LOT to improve your grip strength, even on exercises that are pressing motions. If I can stay consistent with it, it will definitely improve my Corner Row and Bench. I definitely encourage everyone to do more grip work. This particular one has an adjustable ball that varies the resistance from "girlie-man" to "ok, my fingers will snap if I attempt this."

http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/6118/adjustablehandgrip.jpg

Last night I got a solid 9.5 hours and I'm looking to repeat that tonight, so the only caffeine I had was in 2 Coke Zeros. I figured since it was just cardio I didn't need that kind of intensity anyway. Tomorrow will be an off day as I will be in airports again. Today marked 4 days straight of workouts though, so recovery is definitely where I like it!

[triplewhammy]

First, huge congrats on that 225x15 - next vid update?!:D

I wouldn't worry too much about fructose - especially when coming from fruit (there's actually less in pieces of fruit than you think) and glut 4 receptors aren't all that picky - especially after 300set workouts, even if some of what you had was shuttled to the liver your muscle glycogen will be restored. I've seen studies where sucrose (fructose/glucose) actually outperforms D-glucose/dextrose, at least for cyclists.

Hasn't even been a week yet, let the video marinate a bit...ya big turd!

:D Glad you're enjoying them though.


So you're saying that fructose won't simply replenish liver glycogen and spillover to fat cells?

[Rodzilla]

I can always tell when I haven't done cardio in awhile because my first time back to the treadmill lights my lower back ON FIRE. Feels like I just finished doing 100 poor-form squats. The ironic thing is that once I get back into cardio, for whatever reason my lower back ends up feeling BETTER on a daily basis. Really strange.

Anyway, today I hit up the treadmill in the hotel. Did 12 minutes at a pathetic pace, then did the stair stepper for 10 minutes (torture after yesterday's leg workout), and then back to the treadmill for 5 minutes at a faster pace (worked up to 10mph for the final minute).

Afterwards, I did several sets of grip work with my Altus Hand Gripper that I conveniently packed into the suitcase. I used to do grip work regularly and I can tell you that it helps a LOT to improve your grip strength, even on exercises that are pressing motions. If I can stay consistent with it, it will definitely improve my Corner Row and Bench. I definitely encourage everyone to do more grip work. This particular one has an adjustable ball that varies the resistance from "girlie-man" to "ok, my fingers will snap if I attempt this."

http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/6118/adjustablehandgrip.jpg

Last night I got a solid 9.5 hours and I'm looking to repeat that tonight, so the only caffeine I had was in 2 Coke Zeros. I figured since it was just cardio I didn't need that kind of intensity anyway. Tomorrow will be an off day as I will be in airports again. Today marked 4 days straight of workouts though, so recovery is definitely where I like it!
Finally a post where I can feel good about myself. I can't come close to your strength numbers...but I can do cardio circles around you :D:p

Hasn't even been a week yet, let the video marinate a bit...ya big turd!

:D Glad you're enjoying them though.


So you're saying that fructose won't simply replenish liver glycogen and spillover to fat cells?
Haha, I just want to see that bench! Exactly I would never add just fructose to a shake or anything..but there isn't as much fructose in a piece of fruit as most people think.

Further, though fructose will primarily replenish liver glycogen - liver glycogen can then be broken down to glucose that will supply the musclegive the muscle what it needs.

[UHCougar05]

Finally a post where I can feel good about myself. I can't come close to your strength numbers...but I can do cardio circles around you :D:p

Haha, I just want to see that bench! Exactly I would never add just fructose to a shake or anything..but there isn't as much fructose in a piece of fruit as most people think.

Further, though fructose will primarily replenish liver glycogen - liver glycogen can then be broken down to glucose that will supply the musclegive the muscle what it needs.

What's this "cardio" thing you guys are talking about? :confused:

































:D :D :D

[lhockey]

strange about your back feeling better after consistently doing cardio, i wouldn't expect that... i remember when i used C-bol and ran, i would get RIDICULOUS pumps in my lower back. it was actually uncomfortable! but C-bol definitely delivers on the pumpzzz

[kfairhurst]

300 rep leg day today was brutal as always. The big difference today was that I used a leg press sled as opposed to a machine like at one of my local gyms. So, I worked my way up to 5pps x15 at the heaviest set. Also, instead of seated leg curls I used a lying leg curl machine to hit my hamstrings. Even though the high rep leg days are brutal physically, I enjoy that mentally I don't have any pressure to hit a certain weight but rather just try to get a good pump and focus on the muscle contraction (although during the final couple of sets my muscles move but I don't feel anything LOL!).

Pre-workout I just went with a half scoop of White Flood so I could get a slight boost but I didn't want to feel too stimmed. The past couple of nights I've been up until midnight or so and would prefer to get some more/better sleep. So, I was yawning a bit during the workout but felt some increased energy which was a nice balance.

Post-workout I went with 2 scoops protein powder and then went next door to a smoothie shop. I don't recommend fructose post-workout but I heard good things about this place so I figured I'd give it a try. The smoothie was basically just real fruit and ice so it had no additional sugar and had around 10g fiber.

I really feel like I've been making good progress on my legs since doing 2 sessions per week and I HIGHLY recommend it if you have lagging legs like me. Anyone giving this a try?

That's insane brother. Last time I did high volume for legs was 20 rep squats with 225, I couldn't imagine that. My legs were so pumped after 2 or 3 sets it made me light headed, and my skin hurt so bad I wanted to puke. I actually couldn't walk out of the gym in one shot, had to sit down a few times :p


What's this "cardio" thing you guys are talking about? :confused:


:D :D :D

I hear that! I need to pick it up again soon, school has been running my show lately though... :mad:

[camaleom]

I can always tell when I haven't done cardio in awhile because my first time back to the treadmill lights my lower back ON FIRE. Feels like I just finished doing 100 poor-form squats. The ironic thing is that once I get back into cardio, for whatever reason my lower back ends up feeling BETTER on a daily basis. Really strange.

Anyway, today I hit up the treadmill in the hotel. Did 12 minutes at a pathetic pace, then did the stair stepper for 10 minutes (torture after yesterday's leg workout), and then back to the treadmill for 5 minutes at a faster pace (worked up to 10mph for the final minute).

Afterwards, I did several sets of grip work with my Altus Hand Gripper that I conveniently packed into the suitcase. I used to do grip work regularly and I can tell you that it helps a LOT to improve your grip strength, even on exercises that are pressing motions. If I can stay consistent with it, it will definitely improve my Corner Row and Bench. I definitely encourage everyone to do more grip work. This particular one has an adjustable ball that varies the resistance from "girlie-man" to "ok, my fingers will snap if I attempt this."

http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/6118/adjustablehandgrip.jpg

Last night I got a solid 9.5 hours and I'm looking to repeat that tonight, so the only caffeine I had was in 2 Coke Zeros. I figured since it was just cardio I didn't need that kind of intensity anyway. Tomorrow will be an off day as I will be in airports again. Today marked 4 days straight of workouts though, so recovery is definitely where I like it!

run is one the hardest sport for the body (IMO)...

try to dead-lift heavy and then go on the bike for 3-5 hours... mind numbing!

[triplewhammy]

Finally a post where I can feel good about myself. I can't come close to your strength numbers...but I can do cardio circles around you :D:p

Haha, I just want to see that bench! Exactly I would never add just fructose to a shake or anything..but there isn't as much fructose in a piece of fruit as most people think.

Further, though fructose will primarily replenish liver glycogen - liver glycogen can then be broken down to glucose that will supply the musclegive the muscle what it needs.

Veddy intedesting....


What's this "cardio" thing you guys are talking about? :confused:




:D :D :D

Crazy stuff!


strange about your back feeling better after consistently doing cardio, i wouldn't expect that... i remember when i used C-bol and ran, i would get RIDICULOUS pumps in my lower back. it was actually uncomfortable! but C-bol definitely delivers on the pumpzzz

Yeah it is strange. It's not that it feels all that amazing DURING cardio, but it seems to "loosen up" in general once I do cardio regularly. The lower back pumps is definitely part of the issue...


That's insane brother. Last time I did high volume for legs was 20 rep squats with 225, I couldn't imagine that. My legs were so pumped after 2 or 3 sets it made me light headed, and my skin hurt so bad I wanted to puke. I actually couldn't walk out of the gym in one shot, had to sit down a few times :p



I hear that! I need to pick it up again soon, school has been running my show lately though... :mad:

The final 2-3 sets are almost an out-of-body experience. The pumps are usually unbearable and I can't feel the muscle contract.


run is one the hardest sport for the body (IMO)...

try to dead-lift heavy and then go on the bike for 3-5 hours... mind numbing!

Couldn't imagine it. Then again, I haven't deadlifted in so long it's tough to imagine that exercise at all...

[kfairhurst]

V
The final 2-3 sets are almost an out-of-body experience. The pumps are usually unbearable and I can't feel the muscle contract.


I hear ya, I'm not a huge fan of pushing myself to those points, just because I feel like I'm missing out on that mind-muscle connection. But, I have noticed my legs respond amazing to high rep training.

[Rodzilla]

I hear ya, I'm not a huge fan of pushing myself to those points, just because I feel like I'm missing out on that mind-muscle connection. But, I have noticed my legs respond amazing to high rep training.

oh finally realizing that you shouldn't cut leg training no matter what?!:rolleyes:

my most painful training experiences -
70 mile solo bike ride
high rep leg training

[triplewhammy]

oh finally realizing that you shouldn't cut leg training no matter what?!:rolleyes:

LOL!


my most painful training experiences -
70 mile solo bike ride
high rep leg training

Oh sweet mother...

[triplewhammy]

About 2 hours preworkout I took 2 E-BOL + 1 P-Slin and ate my preworkout meal consisting of a bowl of oatmeal, a banana, and 50g protein shake. 30 minutes preworkout I took 2 scoops GlycerGrow, 1.25 scoops White Flood, and 1 scoop Cell Mass NT.

I then proceeded to have my best shoulder/bicep/calf workout to date.

HS Shoulder Press
25 x 10
1pps x 10
1pps + 25 x 10
2pps x 10
2pps + 25 x10
3pps x 10
4pps x 10
4pps + 25 x6

DB Curl
20s x 10
25s x 10
30s x 10
35s x 10
40s x 8
45s x 8
50s x 8
55s x 6

3 sets Lat Delt Cable Raises
4 sets Lat Delt DB Raises
3 sets Rear Delt Flys

3 sets EZ Bar Preacher Curls
3 sets Machine Curls

5 sets Standing Calf Raises
4 sets Seated Calf Raises


That is about as best as I can remember it, as it was a 2.5 hour workout. I keep track of my major lifts at the start but after that it becomes a free-for-all of supersets. I really felt "solid" in the gym today, like I was working the weights rather than the other way around. My grip felt good and my joints were fine as well.

For the HS Shoulder Press, I've never actually gone up to the weight I did today but after the 4pps set I still had some energy left in the tank. For the EZ Bar Preacher Curls I worked up to 1pps, which always ends up looking ridiculous on such a small bar. Repped it for 6, not too shabby for me considering the damage my biceps took prior to that exercise. It also seems like once the major lifts are over that I experience a "runner's high" where I get a second wind. I suppose it is probably just the caffeine though, as I've never run far enough to get a runner's high so I actually have no clue what I'm talking about :D

That about wraps it up... couldn't flex my triceps if I wanted to and it was near impossible getting the Pez candy to my mouth post-workout. :cool:

[camaleom]

<-----------------------


oh finally realizing that you shouldn't cut leg training no matter what?!:rolleyes:

my most painful training experiences -
70 mile solo bike ride
high rep leg training


around 70-80 every Saturday on a Time Trial Bike... mind numbing

[camaleom]

About 2 hours preworkout I took 2 E-BOL + 1 P-Slin and ate my preworkout meal consisting of a bowl of oatmeal, a banana, and 50g protein shake. 30 minutes preworkout I took 2 scoops GlycerGrow, 1.25 scoops White Flood, and 1 scoop Cell Mass NT.

I then proceeded to have my best shoulder/bicep/calf workout to date.

HS Shoulder Press
25 x 10
1pps x 10
1pps + 25 x 10
2pps x 10
2pps + 25 x10
3pps x 10
4pps x 10
4pps + 25 x6

DB Curl
20s x 10
25s x 10
30s x 10
35s x 10
40s x 8
45s x 8
50s x 8
55s x 6

3 sets Lat Delt Cable Raises
4 sets Lat Delt DB Raises
3 sets Rear Delt Flys

3 sets EZ Bar Preacher Curls
3 sets Machine Curls

5 sets Standing Calf Raises
4 sets Seated Calf Raises


That is about as best as I can remember it, as it was a 2.5 hour workout. I keep track of my major lifts at the start but after that it becomes a free-for-all of supersets. I really felt "solid" in the gym today, like I was working the weights rather than the other way around. My grip felt good and my joints were fine as well.

For the HS Shoulder Press, I've never actually gone up to the weight I did today but after the 4pps set I still had some energy left in the tank. For the EZ Bar Preacher Curls I worked up to 1pps, which always ends up looking ridiculous on such a small bar. Repped it for 6, not too shabby for me considering the damage my biceps took prior to that exercise. It also seems like once the major lifts are over that I experience a "runner's high" where I get a second wind. I suppose it is probably just the caffeine though, as I've never run far enough to get a runner's high so I actually have no clue what I'm talking about :D

That about wraps it up... couldn't flex my triceps if I wanted to and it was near impossible getting the Pez candy to my mouth post-workout. :cool:


damn brother, u are killing it; GOOD JOB!!!

[triplewhammy]

UPDATE 2/13/2011

STATS
Weight: 195.2
Bodyfat: 14-15%??
Arms: 17.25''

http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/6169/02132011003.jpg

TRAINING
1: Legs (Light)
2: Chest/Triceps
3: Back/Biceps
4: Cardio
5: Legs (Heavy)
6: Shoulders/Arms
7: Off

DIET
~2500 cals, 5 meals x 500 cals, 250g protein

SUPPLEMENTS
Performance:
ThermoLife T-BOL
CL White Flood
CL GlycerGrow
Prolab Creatine Monohydrate
USPlabs P-Slin
Scivation Xtend

Support:
Primaforce Cissus
Primaforce Elastamine
Multivitamin
Fish Oil
Protein Powder

THOUGHTS
Well I'm jumping in to my cutting cycle a bit sooner now. Last week I had some solid cheat meals so it's about time. :D I am out of E-BOL right now anyway, so I will be using T-BOL to keep my hormone levels optimized while I drop my calories. This first week I'll be ramping down, cutting out my cheat foods, and eating clean. Ultimately, I will be at 2500 calories per day. I will be consuming 5 meals per day and drinking BCAAs in between each meal. This method worked extremely well to retain muscle and strength for me for my last contest prep so I'm giving it another run. Ideally I would implement this method during my bulking cycles as well but I need to get my staples in first and then get BCAAs as the budget allows.

Obviously this cutting cycle won't be as intense as a full-out contest prep but I'm still looking to lose 1-2 pounds per week and I'll be dieting for 8-10 weeks. The plan is to continue with my current training routine but adding the 6th day for cardio each week. At some point if I feel burned out or need more cardio I will probably swap out the high-rep leg day for a 2nd cardio day. Between that and dropping calories I don't plan to need any more cardio than that, although it's certainly a possibility. Looking forward to feeling "healthier." I will still be hitting the heavy workouts just like always and pursuing the goals of course. But, one of my goals is to not be fat so I need to keep that ongoing goal in check LOL!

Today's workout was Heavy Legs. I was not initially planning on working out so mentally it took a bit more to get into it. Hit squats 135x10, 185x10, 225x8, 275x8, 315x10. I also did 3 sets of Machine Squat Press. Instead of doing Lying Leg Curls though, I was talking with a buddy at the gym and he suggested something more intense for my hamstrings. So, I took up the challenge and went with Glute Ham Raises. I haven't done them in over a year and they LIT UP my hamstrings. I did 3 sets but only 5 reps each and that was with some assistance on the return portion of the lift! Definitely felt some insane stretch and my hamstrings were/are REALLY tender now! I think I will stick with these for my Heavy Leg day -- good stuff.

[Rodzilla]

2.5 hour workout.
Were you training with someone for this?

<-----------------------
around 70-80 every Saturday on a Time Trial Bike... mind numbing
I left out the 4,000 feet of climbing because I didn't think anyone would understand. Give me 70-80 on an aerobike any day. :rolleyes: :p

[Rodzilla]

Damn Josh, 315x10? I thought legs were your "weak part". What is your form on squats?

If you're doing BCAAs through out the day a la Layne. Wouldn't 4 meals make more sense than 5? It was my understanding that you need some time for the Leucine levels to drop before spiking them again.

[kfairhurst]

oh finally realizing that you shouldn't cut leg training no matter what?!:rolleyes:

my most painful training experiences -
70 mile solo bike ride
high rep leg training

Lets play nice now :mad:

Legs are my strong point :p



I left out the 4,000 feet of climbing because I didn't think anyone would understand. Give me 70-80 on an aerobike any day. :rolleyes: :p

:eek:

No thank you...

Josh, strong pit hair.

[Rodzilla]

Lets play nice now :mad:

Legs are my strong point :p

Um, no.

When you're repping 3 plates ass to ground I'll consider letting you get away with calling them your strong point. Until then, I recommend hitting them at LEAST once a week. Otherwise you're no better than the bros doing partner curls in the squat rack. :cool:

[triplewhammy]

Were you training with someone for this?

I left out the 4,000 feet of climbing because I didn't think anyone would understand. Give me 70-80 on an aerobike any day. :rolleyes: :p

Nope, trained alone which is usually the case.


Damn Josh, 315x10? I thought legs were your "weak part". What is your form on squats?

If you're doing BCAAs through out the day a la Layne. Wouldn't 4 meals make more sense than 5? It was my understanding that you need some time for the Leucine levels to drop before spiking them again.

Well I still feel like they are a weak part from a visual perspective. 315x10 doesn't seem like much compared to others around here either though...

Form is what you saw on Episode 2. It's not so low that my hamstrings are bottoming out but it is most certainly at least parallel.


Lets play nice now :mad:

Legs are my strong point :p



:eek:

No thank you...

Josh, strong pit hair.

Figured you guys would like that... :cool:


Um, no.

When you're repping 3 plates ass to ground I'll consider letting you get away with calling them your strong point. Until then, I recommend hitting them at LEAST once a week. Otherwise you're no better than the bros doing partner curls in the squat rack. :cool:

Kyle not training legs?! Say it ain't so...

[triplewhammy]

Damn Josh, 315x10? I thought legs were your "weak part". What is your form on squats?

If you're doing BCAAs through out the day a la Layne. Wouldn't 4 meals make more sense than 5? It was my understanding that you need some time for the Leucine levels to drop before spiking them again.

Regarding the Meal frequency etc, here is what I usually do...

6:00am - Meal 1, 500 cals / 50g protein
8:00am - BCAAs
10:00am - Meal 2, 500 cals / 50g protein
12:00pm - BCAAs
2:00pm - Meal 3, 500 cals / 50g protein
3:30pm - Workout, BCAAs or intraworkout supplement
5:30pm - "Meal" 4, post-workout shake 500 cals / 50g protein
6:30pm- Meal 5, 500 cals / 50g protein
8:30pm - BCAAs
9:30pm - Bed

So, I actually consider my post-workout shake a meal basically because it has the same macronutrient content as my other actual meals. Obvoiusly the timing changes slightly day-to-day but that is basically it. The biggest benefit is that it is easy to remember (5 meals, 500 cals each, 50g protein per) and also easy to implement.

I have used BCAAs while bulking as well, but usually not to the extent as when dieting where I feel it is even more valuable for recovery and maintaining muscle/strength.

[pu12en12g]

The biggest benefit is that it is easy to remember (5 meals, 500 cals each, 50g protein per) and also easy to implement.

Nice, so did you go from 3000 to 2500 for the current cut ?

[triplewhammy]

Nice, so did you go from 3000 to 2500 for the current cut ?

Yeah I am ramping down to 2500 cals throughout this week. If you remember from my last contest prep I started at 2500 calories (weighing about 5 pounds more than I do now) and I lost weight sticking with that number for many many weeks. So I think it's a good baseline number. Like with any diet, you have to monitor it week-to-week and if I lose too much to begin with then I'll bump it up a bit.

Would be awesome if I could stick to 2500 calories the next 2 months straight and just manipulate cardio to achieve the weekly loss. There is a fine line between dropping calories too low and doing too much cardio that you have to walk. My preference is to keep calories as high as I can for as long as I can.

[pu12en12g]

Yeah I am ramping down to 2500 cals throughout this week. If you remember from my last contest prep I started at 2500 calories (weighing about 5 pounds more than I do now) and I lost weight sticking with that number for many many weeks. So I think it's a good baseline number. Like with any diet, you have to monitor it week-to-week and if I lose too much to begin with then I'll bump it up a bit.

Would be awesome if I could stick to 2500 calories the next 2 months straight and just manipulate cardio to achieve the weekly loss. There is a fine line between dropping calories too low and doing too much cardio that you have to walk. My preference is to keep calories as high as I can for as long as I can.

1) Did you get as lean as you wanted previously ? Strictly bf % not anything else

2) Did judges mention any specific weaknesses to bring up ?

[Mick_13]

Hey Josh :)


Finally stopping in to say hi!

Keep up the good work mate... great thread and awesome vids.

On your cut at the moment do you treat it as strictly as if you were in prep mode?

[triplewhammy]

1) Did you get as lean as you wanted previously ? Strictly bf % not anything else

2) Did judges mention any specific weaknesses to bring up ?

1. Yes and no. I got to a lower bodyfat than ever in my life which is what I wanted, by losing 40 pounds in 20 weeks which was the exact maximum I wanted to lose in that timeframe. In a general sense though, no I did not have the glute striations that I wanted. I was pretty close, probably only a couple pounds away. I guess starting at 21 or 22 weeks out would have brought me in closer to that goal but I had no way of knowing that when I started, I figured 20 weeks was plenty (I actually hope for my next competition that it's 16 or less, we'll see).

2. No, I didn't talk to the judges afterward. Probably would have been a good idea but I feel like I have a good handle on what I need to improve. Bringing up the legs and arms will be my primary focus and then of course getting that last touch to the bodyfat and I think I will be looking good.


Hey Josh :)


Finally stopping in to say hi!

Keep up the good work mate... great thread and awesome vids.

On your cut at the moment do you treat it as strictly as if you were in prep mode?

Good to have you stop by! Glad you're enjoying The Journey, that's why I'm doing it.

Overall, no it probably won't be as strict although I'd still like a 1-2 pound loss each week. Not to mention it won't be as long in duration as what I would do for a contest prep. I just want to get back to a reasonable bodyfat level, as it is not very productive to bulk once you get too heavy. The big thing for me is to make sure I retain my strength so that when I transition back to bulking I can pick right back up where I left off on my strength goals (perhaps still approach them while dieting). But, one of my goals is to stay under 15% bodyfat so I need to cater to that at the moment.

[lhockey]

woah abrupt shift from bulking to cutting! your last few sessions were going so well too! good luck losing some fat before bulking more, it's probably a smart move, but i'm sure it's hard to stop bulking when you're progressing so nicely

[triplewhammy]

woah abrupt shift from bulking to cutting! your last few sessions were going so well too! good luck losing some fat before bulking more, it's probably a smart move, but i'm sure it's hard to stop bulking when you're progressing so nicely

Incredibly difficult to make the jump but it's only for a couple months and hopefully my strength remains or perhaps even INCREASES. Gotta trim this fat!

[triplewhammy]

Yesterday's workout was just cardio, pretty simple -- 10 min elliptical, 10 min treadmill (1.18 miles), and then 10 min walking incline treadmill. Wasn't too strenuous but enough to get the heart rate going and burn some nice cals.

As far as today's workout, I don't know if it is due to the decrease in calories or the pathetic pre-workout meal but I just didn't have much energy or focus for Chest/Triceps/Calves. Went something like this:

Bench 135x15, 185x10, 225x13, 250x6
Incline DB Press 75s x 8, 100s x 7, 100s x 5
6 sets Calf exercises
10+ sets of 1-arm Pressdowns, 2-arm pressdowns, overhead extensions

Didn't hit my 225x15 goal this week which was pretty disappointing. Decided to punish myself by going heavier for another set of bench. The numbers overall aren't too bad but again it's not about the numbers, it's about knowing I can do better. So, not too proud of this workout.

[kfairhurst]

Kyle not training legs?! Say it ain't so...

Haven't stopped training them, but I have cut way back on volume and frequency. They are out of proportion with the rest of me, and trump my upper body like crazy.



2. No, I didn't talk to the judges afterward. Probably would have been a good idea but I feel like I have a good handle on what I need to improve. Bringing up the legs and arms will be my primary focus and then of course getting that last touch to the bodyfat and I think I will be looking good.

I feel that, it's super easy to see where we need improvements under the perfect lighting, tanning and posing conditions. Plus I just wanted to go home and eat :D

[Rodzilla]

Yesterday's workout was just cardio, pretty simple -- 10 min elliptical, 10 min treadmill (1.18 miles), and then 10 min walking incline treadmill. Wasn't too strenuous but enough to get the heart rate going and burn some nice cals.

As far as today's workout, I don't know if it is due to the decrease in calories or the pathetic pre-workout meal but I just didn't have much energy or focus for Chest/Triceps/Calves. Went something like this:

Bench 135x15, 185x10, 225x13, 250x6
Incline DB Press 75s x 8, 100s x 7, 100s x 5
6 sets Calf exercises
10+ sets of 1-arm Pressdowns, 2-arm pressdowns, overhead extensions

Didn't hit my 225x15 goal this week which was pretty disappointing. Decided to punish myself by going heavier for another set of bench. The numbers overall aren't too bad but again it's not about the numbers, it's about knowing I can do better. So, not too proud of this workout.
We've got similar training mentalities. I think you can expect that slight drop off on some days, don't worry about it too much.

Please respond to my E-mail.


Haven't stopped training them, but I have cut way back on volume and frequency. They are out of proportion with the rest of me, and trump my upper body like crazy.

Which does not make sense to do at this point - I'm sure Josh will agree. Start training them at least weekly or you're fired :D

[lhockey]

lol at a sub-par training session with "just" 225x13... i know what you mean though i've had days like that. i think a huge part of it (at least for me) is having a good pre w/o meal at least an hour or more before. i've tried fasted training before and i'm weak as fck... probably an individual thing but it makes a huge difference for me

[camaleom]

lol at a sub-par training session with "just" 225x13... i know what you mean though i've had days like that. i think a huge part of it (at least for me) is having a good pre w/o meal at least an hour or more before. i've tried fasted training before and i'm weak as fck... probably an individual thing but it makes a huge difference for me

x2

+ good youtube videos before training
+ good music while training

Does make a difference! (for me at least)

[kfairhurst]

Which does not make sense to do at this point - I'm sure Josh will agree. Start training them at least weekly or you're fired :D

I've tried different splits, but they are the one thing on me that just accelerates no matter what. But... If you say so :p

[triplewhammy]

We've got similar training mentalities. I think you can expect that slight drop off on some days, don't worry about it too much.

Please respond to my E-mail.



Which does not make sense to do at this point - I'm sure Josh will agree. Start training them at least weekly or you're fired :D

I do agree. Sure, no need to double-up on them like me if they are a strength (instead use that day to double-up on something else). But definitely need to hit them just as hard at least once per week.


lol at a sub-par training session with "just" 225x13... i know what you mean though i've had days like that. i think a huge part of it (at least for me) is having a good pre w/o meal at least an hour or more before. i've tried fasted training before and i'm weak as fck... probably an individual thing but it makes a huge difference for me

A high-quality preworkout meal is definitely important. Protein shake + oatmeal + fruit is my typical "bread-and-butter" to allow for a good workout.

Remember though it's not about the numbers! If I had that exact same workout 2 weeks before a contest I would be ecstatic because I would know that I had given everything I could. The numbers are just a gauge to know that you're progressing and putting in work.


x2

+ good youtube videos before training
+ good music while training

Does make a difference! (for me at least)

I agree!


I've tried different splits, but they are the one thing on me that just accelerates no matter what. But... If you say so :p

Yeah, we say so!

[triplewhammy]

Another solid 300 rep Leg Day yesterday. Went up just a hair on overall weight which made it that much more excrutiating. Seems like with a bit of cardio that I've been doing lately it helped my cardio during the session. The 8th superset was the highest weight and most difficult but I felt like it was more impact on my muscle than cardiovascular system. Breathing and recovery were much better between sets which is nice.

Yesterday I woke up at 192.something and today I woke up at 191.8 so I need to bump up my calories a bit. Don't want to lose too much too fast.

[triplewhammy]

RIPPED IT today for Back/Lats/Biceps. Quality preworkout meal of 1 cup oatmeal, 1/4c frozen blueberries, and 2 scoops protein powder prepped me for success.

Corner Rows:
1p x 10
2p x 10
3p x 10
4p x 8
5p x 8
6p x 16 :eek:
7p x 5 :eek: :eek:
7p x 8 :eek: :eek: :eek:

Felt SOLID at the 6 plate set but there was a bit of momentum on the final few reps so I decided to up the ante. Decided it was time to hit 7 plates. The first rep I swear I experienced a Doppler Effect in my headphones from the pressure build-up in my head. As soon as I started to pull it sounded like the music I was listening to dropped in pitch. LOL!!! The weight felt really heavy but oddly also felt really GOOD so I had to go back for another set. Got even more reps, as I gave myself enough time to recover.

Finished the rest of the workout with some fantastic pumps in the biceps and pulled 200 lbs x 8 for lat pulldown.

Will have to get some footage of a back workout one of these days. The E-thugs are probably bored and need to comment on how poor my form is! :cool:

[pu12en12g]

Will have to get some footage of a back workout one of these days.

Werd.

[camaleom]

7p x 8 :eek: :eek: :eek:


fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

[triplewhammy]

After a string of workouts last week, yesterday was a much needed day off. Today I was visiting some friends so I worked out at a different gym than usual. Decided to go with Chest/Triceps even though it really wasn't up next in the rotation. Only got 14 for 225 Bench again but also did 275 x 4 and 315 x 1 (my spotter's hands were on the bar but he said he didn't help so who knows...). Did some filming but the camera cut out at 10 reps so in a weird way I was glad I didn't hit 15! LOL! Wasn't a great workout but now that I'm losing weight I suppose I'll take it. Gonna keep pushin' to get 15 back though.

Weight this morning was 193.0 so let the weight loss begin!

[triplewhammy]

Worked out with my old college roommate and CRUSHED it today. Since we were in a different gym, I decided to roll with back/lats/biceps since I figured I could get in a solid workout. Notable lifts from today include Corner Rows 6 plates x 16, 7 plates x 6, and 4 plates x 26. :eek: :cool:

FANTASTIC pump in the biceps, good strength on lat pulldowns (tough to know the weight specifically though since it was a different cable system), and of course put in some work on the corner rows. Got all the footage of it as well :cool:

Meals were not the best today so post-workout ended up being combined with dinner, which was 3 scoops protein powder, a bowl of cereal, and a slice of pizza. Really random but I wasn't at home so I did what I could.

[lhockey]

haha loving your post workout meal... sounds like something i'd eat at college :p

and wow awesome work with the corner rows with 7 plates! that's effing INSANE, we need to see a video of that! good luck keeping your 225x15 bench while cutting

[triplewhammy]

haha loving your post workout meal... sounds like something i'd eat at college :p

and wow awesome work with the corner rows with 7 plates! that's effing INSANE, we need to see a video of that! good luck keeping your 225x15 bench while cutting

Post-workout is the only time you can "cheat," right? :D

Yeah, still working to keep my strength up. As is typical, I notice more strength loss for pushing movements rather than pulling movements.

[triplewhammy]

Decided to hit some cardio today, nothing fancy. 10 min elliptical, 10 min treadmill (1.22 miles -- a small improvement), and 10 min incline walk. Just burning some calories but not going overboard. As I tell people, it's important to take fat loss at a slow, methodical approach rather than going all-out from the beginning. That way, when fat loss stalls you have some more options for a more aggressive approach. So, I do only the bare minimum to lose 1-2 pounds per week.

As far as supplements go, I've been having some great recovery with T-BOL and BCAAs. Really feeling good going in to the gym every day. T-BOL has been giving me some great drive in the gym and some ridiculously good sleep. The first couple of days I had some crazy dreams. The first night I had a dream that I was being attacked by bears while on the top bunk of a bunk bed LOL!!! The second night my dream was that a cheetah was attacking a crowd of people in a shopping mall. You can't make this stuff up!!!

Diet is looking like this:
6am Meal 1
8am 2 scoops BCAAs
10am Meal 2
12pm 2 scoops BCAAs
2pm Meal 3 (preworkout)
4pm Intraworkout BCAAs
5:30pm Meal 4 (postworkout shake)
7:00pm Meal 5
9:00pm 2 scoops BCAAs (optional)

The BCAAs are definitely helping recovery and DOMS, while also making my meal frequency very easy to implement. Good stuff.

[Mick_13]

Decided to hit some cardio today, nothing fancy. 10 min elliptical, 10 min treadmill (1.22 miles -- a small improvement), and 10 min incline walk. Just burning some calories but not going overboard. As I tell people, it's important to take fat loss at a slow, methodical approach rather than going all-out from the beginning. That way, when fat loss stalls you have some more options for a more aggressive approach. So, I do only the bare minimum to lose 1-2 pounds per week.

As far as supplements go, I've been having some great recovery with T-BOL and BCAAs. Really feeling good going in to the gym every day. T-BOL has been giving me some great drive in the gym and some ridiculously good sleep. The first couple of days I had some crazy dreams. The first night I had a dream that I was being attacked by bears while on the top bunk of a bunk bed LOL!!! The second night my dream was that a cheetah was attacking a crowd of people in a shopping mall. You can't make this stuff up!!!

Diet is looking like this:
6am Meal 1
8am 2 scoops BCAAs
10am Meal 2
12pm 2 scoops BCAAs
2pm Meal 3 (preworkout)
4pm Intraworkout BCAAs
5:30pm Meal 4 (postworkout shake)
7:00pm Meal 5
9:00pm 2 scoops BCAAs (optional)

The BCAAs are definitely helping recovery and DOMS, while also making my meal frequency very easy to implement. Good stuff.


Have you ever implemented or considered meal or bcaa intake during the night?

Slow and steady best option for sure even if its just a small cut cycle.

[triplewhammy]

Have you ever implemented or considered meal or bcaa intake during the night?

I have considered it and to me it's just not worth it. Sure, almost every night I get up to go to the bathroom but even then I'd rather stay half-asleep and go right back to bed then worry about getting a meal in. That's part of the reason I prefer a slow-digesting shake like Vasolate right before bed. Sure, it may not be as anabolic as getting up to eat/drink a shake, but I'd rather have a quality night's sleep (ESPECIALLY if I actually sleep through the entire night) than worry about a meal.


Slow and steady best option for sure even if its just a small cut cycle.

Definitely. It's actually tougher mentally to take it slow once I commit to dieting since I would have no problems just dropping my calories down to nothing and wasting away.

I guess those first couple years I started exercising where I would only eat celery and diet coke for breakfast at least taught me mental fortitude....

[pu12en12g]

it's actually tougher mentally to take it slow....

truth !!

[triplewhammy]

Squats today:
135x10
185x10
225x8
275x8
315x10ish (10th rep wasn't quality form)
345x4

3 sets Glute-Hame Raises

Well, I wanted to hit 10 reps at my 315 set and I certainly did but the final rep was not good quality so I had to punish myself with a higher weight set. Probably good for me to get better accustomed to a heavier weight anyway. Could have gotten 5 at 345 most likely but didn't have a spotter (really I should have had one anyway...).

I love the feeling of Leg Day once it's complete, you pretty much leave the gym feeling accomplished even if it wasn't an all-out best ever day. Although I think I've decided that the 300-rep Leg Day is more painful physically, the heavier day is mentally more difficult. As you can see, I've dropped the Leg Press sets for a couple of reasons. First, I need to decrease my volume now that I've added cardio and I'm dieting. I would be setting myself up for failure to keep the volume higher. Second, I'd prefer to use that energy to try for a heavier weight (or just for the 315 squat set) rather than Leg Press. Third, now that I'm doing Glute-Ham Raises, they are also more demanding physically than Lying Leg Curl so I need energy for that. Speaking of those, I am really starting to enjoy them even though my form is probably crappy and my highest rep set was only 6. They definitely leave my hammies feeling differently than a curl and with just 3 sets I waddle out of the gym in agony. Good stuff.

Work had some food brought into the office so I snagged some for later before leaving for the gym. Thus, post-workout was 2 scoops protein powder and half a Jimmy John's sandwich (no condiments). :cool:

[lhockey]

[QUOTE=triplewhammy;633260153]Post-workout is the only time you can "cheat," right? :D

haha my post workout "cheat" window extends until i go to bed :p but hey it's still post!

as long as you don't injure yourself squatting, KILL IT MAN. loving the intensity while cutting. oh and nice jimmy johns sandwich haha you never fail to entertain with your post w/o food

[triplewhammy]

haha my post workout "cheat" window extends until i go to bed :p but hey it's still post!

as long as you don't injure yourself squatting, KILL IT MAN. loving the intensity while cutting. oh and nice jimmy johns sandwich haha you never fail to entertain with your post w/o food

Nice, wish I could cheat that much and get away with it!

I've definitely noticed better results keeping the weight heavy. If your joints can take it, there's no reason not to.

Gotta love the post-workout grub. :cool:

[triplewhammy]

qHZtaPKQ00k

[drew419]

good video as usual. definitely seems like Cam's got a good goals and a framework set up to execute them. did you say he was a lifting buddy of yours?

[triplewhammy]

good video as usual. definitely seems like Cam's got a good goals and a framework set up to execute them. did you say he was a lifting buddy of yours?

Glad you enjoyed it. I like to give Cam a hard time about meal frequency, training style, etc since it differs from mine but the dude gets shredded for competition and stays real lean in the offseason so I gotta hand it to him, definitely legit. If nothing else, he offers another perspective and approach for you.

We went to the same college, but he lives in a different state now. So, we lift whenever we get together but not regularly of course. A couple weeks from now, I'll be heading to "Da Ahnold Glassic" in Columbus with him... :cool:

[triplewhammy]

Decent workout today, nothing great though. I don't know why 8 hours is the magic number, but if I get less sleep than that it affects my whole day. So, I was virtually falling asleep on my way to the gym even with 1 scoop White Flood in me. As far as the weights go, it actually was pretty good though.

Today was Shoulders/Biceps and the highlights were HS Shoulder Press 4 plates x 10 and Standing DB Curls 55s x 8. So, strength was great but there was absolutely no mind-muscle connection or drive. I pretty much went through the motions, cut my volume back just a touch due to the lack of energy, and grinded out what I could. Didn't even feel like I was contracting my muscles. Finished with some great high-rep sets to finish off the muscles.

[lhockey]

Decent workout today, nothing great though. I don't know why 8 hours is the magic number, but if I get less sleep than that it affects my whole day. So, I was virtually falling asleep on my way to the gym even with 1 scoop White Flood in me. As far as the weights go, it actually was pretty good though.

Today was Shoulders/Biceps and the highlights were HS Shoulder Press 4 plates x 10 and Standing DB Curls 55s x 8. So, strength was great but there was absolutely no mind-muscle connection or drive. I pretty much went through the motions, cut my volume back just a touch due to the lack of energy, and grinded out what I could. Didn't even feel like I was contracting my muscles. Finished with some great high-rep sets to finish off the muscles.

i'm so glad someone else is the same way! sorry about the zombie-like feeling, but i know exactly what you're talking about since i don't function well on under 8 hours of sleep either... 8-9 is perfect for me, with more after weekends when i don't sleep much.

after a night of sleeping under 8 hours, my strength doesn't seem worse, but i just feel out of it and have to force myself to go through the day mechanically. my mood is also drastically affected as soon as i get under 7 hours of sleep :o

[triplewhammy]

i'm so glad someone else is the same way! sorry about the zombie-like feeling, but i know exactly what you're talking about since i don't function well on under 8 hours of sleep either... 8-9 is perfect for me, with more after weekends when i don't sleep much.

after a night of sleeping under 8 hours, my strength doesn't seem worse, but i just feel out of it and have to force myself to go through the day mechanically. my mood is also drastically affected as soon as i get under 7 hours of sleep :o

No doubt bro, happens to the best of us. I will definitely be getting better sleep tonight...

I think in most cases it's important to just make yourself go even if you aren't "feeling" it. I left the gym feeling much better and glad I still got the session in.

[KimJong-il]

Dont worry, Im still here lurking.....you have a watchful eye :)

[Rodzilla]

Definitely jealous of you guys and your 8+ hours. I can make it on 6, but anything less is a struggle.

I haven't done the HS press in awhile - but I haven't seen many guys get over 3 plates. Any reason you chose it over BB/DB? Rotator cuff injury perhaps?

[triplewhammy]

Definitely jealous of you guys and your 8+ hours. I can make it on 6, but anything less is a struggle.

I haven't done the HS press in awhile - but I haven't seen many guys get over 3 plates. Any reason you chose it over BB/DB? Rotator cuff injury perhaps?

Exactly. A few years ago I was performing seated DB Press without a spotter. Lost control of the left DB at the top and it fell backwards, pulling my arm with it. Never saw a doctor for it, but I'm sure it had to at least be a minor tear. With proper warming up and therapeutic supplements I'm 99%. The only reason I would say I'm not 100% is that WITHOUT proper warming up etc there is a noticeable dull ache. So, I'd rather not take any chances with my shoulder at this point. I've gotten very good growth with the HS Press combined with supporting isolation exercises like lateral DB raises.

[KimJong-il]

Exactly. A few years ago I was performing seated DB Press without a spotter. Lost control of the left DB at the top and it fell backwards, pulling my arm with it. Never saw a doctor for it, but I'm sure it had to at least be a minor tear. With proper warming up and therapeutic supplements I'm 99%. The only reason I would say I'm not 100% is that WITHOUT proper warming up etc there is a noticeable dull ache. So, I'd rather not take any chances with my shoulder at this point. I've gotten very good growth with the HS Press combined with supporting isolation exercises like lateral DB raises.

Yes be very careful. Once you get up to my age you will notice that you have to do everything with proper warming.

Do you like to do dynamic stretching during your warm-ups? Also do you do static post? Just wondering...hope I didnt miss it your log is enormous.

[triplewhammy]

Yes be very careful. Once you get up to my age you will notice that you have to do everything with proper warming.

Do you like to do dynamic stretching during your warm-ups? Also do you do static post? Just wondering...hope I didnt miss it your log is enormous.

I do static pre and post.

Yeah yeah I realize that it theoretically weakens me to do it preworkout, but my theory is that I will be weaker if I'm in pain or get an injury so I continue to do it.

[KimJong-il]

I do static pre and post.

Yeah yeah I realize that it theoretically weakens me to do it preworkout, but my theory is that I will be weaker if I'm in pain or get an injury so I continue to do it.

Actually...I feel that static stretching pre-workout makes me more prone to injury, thats why I switched to Dynamic stretching pre (and during training-) and static post. This has led me to decrease my injury frequency by a nice %.

Anyways, if it works for you by all means keep doing it!

[triplewhammy]

Actually...I feel that static stretching pre-workout makes me more prone to injury, thats why I switched to Dynamic stretching pre (and during training-) and static post. This has led me to decrease my injury frequency by a nice %.

Anyways, if it works for you by all means keep doing it!

Yeah that too.

If I don't stretch I overtense something. Happens every time. Neck, quad, hammie (especially), calf (especially), etc, etc.

[kfairhurst]

Actually...I feel that static stretching pre-workout makes me more prone to injury, thats why I switched to Dynamic stretching pre (and during training-) and static post. This has led me to decrease my injury frequency by a nice %.

Anyways, if it works for you by all means keep doing it!

Thats the method to my madness as well. However, I don't always end up stretching afterwards like I should.

[triplewhammy]

GREAT Chest/Tri/Calves workout today. Tossed back 2 caps T-BOL, 1.5 scoops White Flood, and 3 scoops GlycerGrow and it was GAME TIME.

Hit my usual physical/mental wall at 14 reps for 255 Bench but I'll take it. Incline Press with DBs was 100s x 7 and 6. Again, not great but works for me. Triceps got blasted with 15+ sets of Straight Bar Pressdowns, 1 Arm Pressdowns, Machine Overhead Extension, Rope Pressdowns, and the for my final set I did Reverse Grip Pressdowns for a lightweight set of 50 reps. :cool: I never do any reverse grip exercises for triceps and I think I might start doing those, felt like a really good motion.

Last night I got another crappy night's sleep because I was so itchy all over from starting to tan again, kept me up for quite awhile. So, in light of that plus the fact that I'm dieting I am actually pretty pleased with the results. Various circumstances don't mean that you have an excuse for a crappy workout, but when you put some decent weight up (near your all-time max) it does put things into perspective as you overcome them.

Put in some WORK today to earn my post-workout shake + Skittles.



Taste the rainbow. :cool:

[Rodzilla]

14 reps with 225? Isn't that like a 30lb jump?! That's insane. Quality work my man. It's been awhile since I've dabbled in the skittles - but the newest flavor has me intrigued.

http://www.sugarpressure.com/2011/02/skittles-blenders.html

[triplewhammy]

14 reps with 225? Isn't that like a 30lb jump?! That's insane. Quality work my man. It's been awhile since I've dabbled in the skittles - but the newest flavor has me intrigued.

http://www.sugarpressure.com/2011/02/skittles-blenders.html

Well, looking back on January 7th I got 225x10 so some definite progress. Granted I weigh quite a bit more but now that I'm dieting back down casually I hope to retain a lot of the strength.

Yeah I ran out of oatmeal at work yesterday so I ran up to CVS to grab a tub of it. Saw a pack of Skittles while checking out at the cash register and the rest is history... :cool:

Interesting looking Skittles there.... since I was eating them post-workout I just grabbed a handful and tossed them back, so basically made my own mixed fruit flavor...

[triplewhammy]

UPDATE 2/26/2011

STATS
Weight: 190.8
Bodyfat: 14%??

TRAINING
1: Legs (Light)
2: Chest/Triceps
3: Back/Biceps
4: Cardio
5: Legs (Heavy)
6: Shoulders/Arms
7: Off or Cardio

DIET
~2500 cals, 5 meals x 500 cals, 250g protein

SUPPLEMENTS
Performance:
ThermoLife T-BOL
ThermoLife C-BOL
CL White Flood
CL GlycerGrow
Prolab Creatine Monohydrate
USPlabs P-Slin
Scivation Xtend

Support:
ThermoLife Vasolate
Primaforce Cissus
Primaforce Elastamine
Multivitamin
Fish Oil
Protein Powder

THOUGHTS
Dropped some more weight this week so everything's still ticking along quite nicely. Hitting my weight goal so easily tells me that I guess I should have eaten the second half of my Chinese food order yesterday after all... :D

My caloric goal each day is 2500 but I'm actually upwards of 26-2700 most likely. Since I'm not dieting too intensely right now, I'm taking liberties such as adding brown sugar to my oatmeal or using milk with my Vasolate as I see fit, and I'm not really tracking these calories. It's nice to see that I'm still able to lose weight doing this and the cardio probably is a big part of that.

In terms of strength, it does seem like I've seen a SLIGHT dip but nothing too major. I'm tossing ThermoLife C-BOL back into the mix to assist with my training. The two biggest benefits of this product are the strength and the stamina that I get during my workouts so I'm really looking forward to the much-needed boost. The ridiculous pumps will also give me some great motivation. I really want to work to keep some of the goals that I've already achieved so that after the next couple months of dieting when I begin to bulk again I have a great strength foundation to set new goals on.

Today's workout was another 300 rep Light Leg Day and I think I've finally decided for sure that this is the most painful workout, with Heavy Leg Day (the squats) and Shoulders (lateral raises make me want to rip my arms off to end the pain) coming in 2nd and 3rd respectively. The high volume just leaves me feeling completely obliterated. Around superset 8 I could tell that my preworkout oatmeal was trying to make a 2nd appearance but I choked it back, along with the pain in my legs, and kept on reppin'....

Post-workout was 2 scoops of protein powder and a nice tall glass of Pineapple juice. Why? No reason other than it has been sitting in my fridge (sealed) for months and I wanted to get rid of it.

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/6688/80014b.jpg


Tomorrow I may do cardio but it will depend on how destroyed I feel when I wake up. I may end up just doing two things: 1) go to church and 2) curl up on the floor and stew in a pile of my own exhaustion.


Josh

[lhockey]

Tomorrow I may do cardio but it will depend on how destroyed I feel when I wake up. I may end up just doing two things: 1) go to church and 2) curl up on the floor and stew in a pile of my own exhaustion.

sounds like you earned that post w/o shake and a good night's sleep! and yeah hitting 225x14 on bench sounds like a nice strength retention while losing weight, hopefully you continue to make progress like that. just wondering what types of supersets and numbers you use for your light leg day? it sounds a lot like HIT training

[triplewhammy]

sounds like you earned that post w/o shake and a good night's sleep! and yeah hitting 225x14 on bench sounds like a nice strength retention while losing weight, hopefully you continue to make progress like that. just wondering what types of supersets and numbers you use for your light leg day? it sounds a lot like HIT training

It's pretty simple: Leg Press x 15 followed by Seated Leg Curl x 15. Repeat 9 more times, increasing the weight each set. :cool:

[lhockey]

It's pretty simple: Leg Press x 15 followed by Seated Leg Curl x 15. Repeat 9 more times, increasing the weight each set. :cool:

:( :o :eek:

poor legs... sounds great though, i bet the pre workout helps a lot with the mental aspect of that type of training. how's WF treating you in terms of energy/focus?

[pu12en12g]

HS Shoulder Press 4 plates x 10....

If that's the exact machine I'm thinking of...

=

HOLY **** !!! (4 per side right ?)

[triplewhammy]

If that's the exact machine I'm thinking of...

=

HOLY **** !!! (4 per side right ?)

Not sure if it's the one you're thinking of, but in every video right after the "Josh Niemi The Journey" text I'm on the machine in question hitting 4 plates per side.... :cool:

[triplewhammy]

:( :o :eek:

poor legs... sounds great though, i bet the pre workout helps a lot with the mental aspect of that type of training. how's WF treating you in terms of energy/focus?

Yeah, towards the second half of the workout the pain and lactic acid buildup is almost unbearable...my legs are more achey today than after a Heavy Leg Day.

The White Flood is a great product, especially how I'm using it. It is not as strong stimulant-wise as other products but I'm using that to my advantage. Since in January I was stim-free, it is a great way to slowly introduce stims again. I am up to 1 heaping scoop preworkout and it gets me going great. Unfortunately it doesn't contain creatine which is why I'm tossing C-BOL into the mix this coming month. Should be a POTENT combo and cover my bases quite nicely. I may or may not get up to 2 scoops WF before running out. After I run out of White Flood I will be going to a stronger DMAA-based product, probably Jack3d since I have an unopened bottle laying around. At that point since I'm introducing the new stim (DMAA) I will again begin with 1 scoop and it should hit me pretty hard even though it would be a slightly lower caffeine amount.

This is a great way to stagger up and really maximize the reintroduction of stims. You also stretch the product further and experience fewer interruptions in sleeping patterns by taking it nice and slow.

[Rodzilla]

curious about your 300 day, what weight do you start with and what do you work up to? I know you said you started these during bulking - do you think they are as beneficial during your cutting phase?

I laughed at the laying in a pile of exhaustion, LI cardio can do wonders for physical recovery - but days off can do even better mentally :D

[triplewhammy]

curious about your 300 day, what weight do you start with and what do you work up to? I know you said you started these during bulking - do you think they are as beneficial during your cutting phase?

I laughed at the laying in a pile of exhaustion, LI cardio can do wonders for physical recovery - but days off can do even better mentally :D

I usually start at around 70 pounds and finish with around 170. Below is basically the type of leg press machine that it is...

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/8012/legpress.jpg

As far as hitting legs twice a week, I think it has been incredible for my leg growth so far. But, now that I'm dieting, if I need better recovery it will probably be one of the first things to go.

[lhockey]

thanks for the input on stims, i actually found WF hit me harder than most 1,3 based products unless the dose was above 50mg of DMAA... sounds like you're doing this the smart way though! i've been using the same leg press as you recently since our diagonal sled press is broken, but i prefer the sled to this one.

[triplewhammy]

Pretty solid Back/Lat/Bicep workout today even though mentally I was NOT in it. Highlights were Corner Rows 6p x 15, 7p x 5, and 4p x 27. Really took everything in me to hit that 6-plate set. I was a bit tired and that may have had an effect on me. A heaping scoop of WF wasn't quite enough to bring me back from exhaustion either. The numbers look great for me but it was just an OK workout in terms of satisfaction. I managed to get some sets in for the biceps as well which at least helped to end on a positive note.

The gym was PACKED today too. Mondays are always rough and today was no exception. Was waiting around for the machine bicep curl and the HS Iso Row (one of my all-time favorite machines).

Post-workout was 2 scoops of protein and the 2nd half of the pack of Skittles.

Also, my wife and son managed to pick up their THIRD cold this season. I have started taking Zicam already...

[triplewhammy]

thanks for the input on stims, i actually found WF hit me harder than most 1,3 based products unless the dose was above 50mg of DMAA... sounds like you're doing this the smart way though! i've been using the same leg press as you recently since our diagonal sled press is broken, but i prefer the sled to this one.

That's interesting. I definitely like WF but that's because for me it's a subtle stim so it's great for ramping up. I have never taken more than 50mg DMAA at one time so I have no idea how that would hit me. I think part of taking stims responsibly is knowing when you have maxed out a reasonable dose, which can certainly be on an individual basis.

As far as the leg press, I actually enjoy that one because it hits my legs differently than squats making it great for the high volume day.

[triplewhammy]

ytGOwAYh7RY

[lhockey]

solid work sticking with 6ppsx15, i'm sure that isn't easy on a cut. loved the video as usual, that was you benching 315 right? fcking sick man

[triplewhammy]

Pretty standard Shoulder/Tricep workout today. My calves are STILL a bit achey from working them last Friday :eek: So, normally I throw those in but today opted out. Worked up to 4pps x 10 on the Shoulder Press. Again, wasn't QUITE at focused as usual although better than yesterday. Had an incredible pump from C-BOL + 3 scoops GlycerGrow + 1.5 scoops White Flood! I also did several sets of reverse grip pressdowns which I am definitely going to be utilizing more. I really feel them working the outer tricep head which will be a great benefit for me. The motion feels great too and I can really focusing on hitting the tricep properly.

Still stacking Zicam as part of my supplementation :D

[triplewhammy]

solid work sticking with 6ppsx15, i'm sure that isn't easy on a cut. loved the video as usual, that was you benching 315 right? fcking sick man

Yeah that was me. My buddy left his hands on the bar for the first rep :mad: but it's all good :D

Like I said before, my pull strength usually sticks around longer than my push strength so even when I'm not mentally into it I can rely on my back to "pull me through" :cool:

[triplewhammy]

Today should have been either Heavy Legs or cardio, but I did neither. Picked up another cold. Blah. Figured I'd try to recover quicker by limiting my activity.

So, today's workout primarily consisted of watching Fox News. Pre, intra, and post workout I went with Zicam.

[Rodzilla]

As far as hitting legs twice a week, I think it has been incredible for my leg growth so far. But, now that I'm dieting, if I need better recovery it will probably be one of the first things to go.
Yeah, the recovery aspect is what I was thinking of - I've seen Lyle make recommendations for how to best recover during cutting, and that's one of them.


Today should have been either Heavy Legs or cardio, but I did neither. Picked up another cold. Blah. Figured I'd try to recover quicker by limiting my activity.

So, today's workout primarily consisted of watching Fox News. Pre, intra, and post workout I went with Zicam.
see if you can get a z-pack pronto. Hope you're feeling better soon my friend.

[lhockey]

see if you can get a z-pack pronto. Hope you're feeling better soon my friend.

x2, getting sick on a cut probably sucks twice as much. get better!

[pu12en12g]

Picked up another cold

Damn ! Hope you knock it out QUICK ! :cool:

[triplewhammy]

Yeah, the recovery aspect is what I was thinking of - I've seen Lyle make recommendations for how to best recover during cutting, and that's one of them.


see if you can get a z-pack pronto. Hope you're feeling better soon my friend.

What's a z-pack???


x2, getting sick on a cut probably sucks twice as much. get better!


Damn ! Hope you knock it out QUICK ! :cool:

Not letting it get me down. Pretty ridiculous that I got another one though!

[triplewhammy]

Sore throat, runny nose, cough, etc etc. Sneezed 6 times straight on my drive to work this morning! Every sneeze was an instant mini-headache. So, I was pretty much dreading the Heavy Leg session ahead of me.

2 hours preworkout I went with Zicam. 30 min preworkout I went with 6 caps C-BOL, 1.25 scoops White Flood, and 1 scoop GlycerGrow. I wasn't really feeling it but I also wasn't about to back down.

Squats:
135x10
185x10
225x8
275x8
315x8
365x4

3 sets Glute-Ham Raises

Boom! Crazy thing is everything felt GOOD. Joints, lower back, even the weight itself did not feel heavy like normal. When I unracked the 315 I was thinking "yeah, we can work with this." The biggest issue I had tonight was just straight energy, which was due to the cold. Had some new music pounding in my headphones ("Set on Fire" by Purified) which kept my focus strong and got my mind right.

I can also tell without a doubt that the nitrates really helped me. Not only did I rock the C-BOL, but I also had a full serving of Vasolate this morning with breakfast. I distinctly notice my recovery between sets improve dramatically and remembered this same feeling the last time I was on C-BOL. Good stuff!

Post-workout I had a packet of Met-Rx protein + a cinnamon muffin. Let me just say that protein was straight up nasty LOL! Even in 28 oz of water it was still like pure sludge. I had to "bite" the protein with each drink as if it were food just to avoid gagging! HA! I'm pretty much out of protein but haven't purchased any more since I'm headin' to DA AHNOLD tomorrow and well...yeah...should have plenty of protein when all is said and done. :cool:

Curious to see how my recovery with my legs and the cold are affected from tonight. Hopefully I'm not waddling around the Expo floor after this session. Oh well, I should be plenty anabolic.

Overall, VERY proud of this workout. Again, not because the numbers were near my best necessarily, but because I rocked it out when my circumstances said I shouldn't have.

[triplewhammy]

Headin' to the Arnold and stopped in Kokomo, IN to pick up my buddies Brad and Cam Smith. Hit the gym while we were in town and I crushed Back/Lats/Biceps as always.

Corner Rows 6 plates x 16, 7 plates x 6, and 4 plates x 30. Hittin' up Chipotle for some post-workout grub and then continuing on to Columbus.

LET'S GET ANABOLIC!

[chuckles_345]

Headin' to the Arnold and stopped in Kokomo, IN to pick up my buddies Brad and Cam Smith. Hit the gym while we were in town and I crushed Back/Lats/Biceps as always.

Corner Rows 6 plates x 16, 7 plates x 6, and 4 plates x 30. Hittin' up Chipotle for some post-workout grub and then continuing on to Columbus.

LET'S GET ANABOLIC!

Solid workout. Enjoy that chipotle but look out for the line. the 2 for 1 coupons expire today. I waited in line for nearly an hr last night to use mine. I fit chipotle into my mini-cut macros and there was no way in hell I was going to let a long line get in the way of it.

Enjoy the Arnold!

[pu12en12g]

Headin' to the Arnold

IN for PICS !! :cool: