Connor's Journal: A consistent approach to Diet and Training for Lean Mass - Page 9

FATHER FLEX · 11-02-2009, 10:37 PM

How was the birFday?

ConLaV · 11-03-2009, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nwskier

you know it! definitely holding down the fort here. drop me a line if you're out this direction. btw, might be getting in a workout at that ^ place you had some pics posted from CO. Got some work stuff going on in the area so I'll get to do a quick drive by in Aspen in a few weeks.

sounds like you are getting to become a machine. awesome to hear after the previous setbacks. keep killin it!

btw- how are those Hammer Chins coming along?

I will eventually be living out that direction, snowboarding, mountain biking, etc. just my thing. that place is Aspen Snowmass club, one of the nicest gyms I've ever been to actually... great massages too!

admittedly, I need to start implementing those chins again... keep setting the bar high over there man! all other lifts are on the rise tho.

ConLaV · 11-03-2009, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FATHER FLEX

How was the birFday?

Thanks for the feliz cumpleanos on facebook man, time is flying by! I actually did hw/worked/worked out all weekend until Sunday night we went out for tons of sushi and sake at this place downtown Chicago http://www.japonaischicago.com/index2.html btw, I got that camera you recommended...!

ConLaV · 11-03-2009, 10:57 PM

Today was the second leg day of this strength protocol. I'm loving it so far- I was working out for about 80 minutes today and switched up the order of exercises. I'm done with my traveling, nagging injuries, and dabbling in other avenues. Everything is clicking now and the thoughts of competing again get me so happy, excited, pumped up I cannot explain. No more fooling around... the time is now, we're setting a new standard!

Leg Press- 3 sets (12 total plates +25)
Hex deads- 2 sets (455 for 6)
SLDL- 3 sets (335 for 6)

Leg Curls- 2 sets (stack +10 for 6)
Toe press on smith- 5 sets (400 for 6)
Smith squat- 1 set- 315 1 set- 365

I'm on a slow and steady increase in kcals- 3,567 today. My fitday is pretty boring... I have lots of oats, whey, eggs, egg whites, atleast 6 slices of ezekiel toast, green beans, I had 2 smores poptarts, flax seed, whey and trail mix is great too. I will post vids with my new camera and diet in later posts!

nwskier · 11-03-2009, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ConLaV

I will eventually be living out that direction, snowboarding, mountain biking, etc. just my thing. that place is Aspen Snowmass club, one of the nicest gyms I've ever been to actually... great massages too!

admittedly, I need to start implementing those chins again... keep setting the bar high over there man! all other lifts are on the rise tho.

awesome! lemme know if I can help speed up that move to mountain town

ConLaV · 11-05-2009, 06:24 AM

It would probably be in a couple years, or as soon as the cubs win the WS. haha, that is the plan though, thanks for the offer Tim!

ConLaV · 11-05-2009, 06:32 AM

I have a new day in my split completely devoted to arms. Like I've mentioned before in previous entries, I usually never get DOMS in my biceps. I usually always "feel" the triceps after an arm day but in last two weeks it's been with both muscles... this kind of change is exactly what my body needed I think. If you've been doing the same thing for a while consider changing protocols for a couple months, I was in and out in about an hour...

Barbell Curls- 3 sets of 6 (115)
Alt. DB curl- 2 sets of 6 (55)
Hammer curl- 1 set of 6 (60)
Lying Triceps extensions- 3 sets of 6 (110)
Vbar pushdowns 3 sets of 6 (labled 12)
Overhead DB extensions 2 sets of 6 (105)
Wrist curls- 3 sets of 8

If you haven't checked it out, Natural Bodybuilding Radio has Jerry Brainum... awesome interview: http://naturalbodybuildingradio.com/...-jerry-brainum

ConLaV · 11-07-2009, 08:13 PM

Shoulders in the dungeon

DB presses- 3 sets
Standing military press- 3 sets
DB side laterals- 3 sets
DB rear laterals- 2 sets

Shrugs- 3 sets
Upright row- 2 sets

Heavy, intense session... macros today were a little crazy 350/700/120 I'd say, back day was today and my shoulders were smashed from the day before but I worked on varying grips and angles this workout. I found out underhand grip rips up my lats... never tried it unrtil now though!

Lat pull down- 3 sets
Straight bar cable rows- 3 sets
Barbell rows- 2 sets

weighted hyperextensions- 2 sets
Good mornings- 2 sets

You have to check out this video. I love what Evan Centropani talks about dealing with people getting so hung up on all the damn details... towards the middle/end. Lots of great yet subtle bits of info- http://mdtv.musculardevelopment.com/...view/2445/225/

MHurricane · 11-11-2009, 03:26 AM

Just got finished reading your log, it's inspirational to say the least, bro. I have a question in terms of your training. I see you like doing the Upper Power/ Upper Hypertrophy (the same for the lower body) split. However, your journal is kind of confusing, to me.

It seems like your training is spontaneous (not in a bad way), because sometimes you do Chest/Back instead of all your upper body.

Sorry if that sounded confusing, just wanted some clarification.

ConLaV · 11-11-2009, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MHurricane

Just got finished reading your log, it's inspirational to say the least, bro. I have a question in terms of your training. I see you like doing the Upper Power/ Upper Hypertrophy (the same for the lower body) split. However, your journal is kind of confusing, to me.

It seems like your training is spontaneous (not in a bad way), because sometimes you do Chest/Back instead of all your upper body.

Sorry if that sounded confusing, just wanted some clarification.

Not a problem man... Most of my workouts so far have been in conjunction with power/hypertrophy split however I do train instinctively. If my reps are over 5- then it would be a hypertrophy day for back/chest. I have been training exclusively in the lower rep range for the past three weeks though. Don't hesitate to ask if you have other questions.

homerunrbi · 11-11-2009, 02:49 PM

How do you eat your ezekiel bread?

Been doing your spinach shake for the past week and a half. Share more cool recipes

ConLaV · 11-11-2009, 04:21 PM

I've finishing up on my third week on low reps/strength progression. On this protocol I will do 7-9 sets for each body part and focus on getting 4-6 reps on every set. Here are some highlights from the week so far:

Legs on Nov. 10- Arms Today

Leg press- 14 plates for 6- 3 sets PR
Front Squats- 295 for 3 sets of 5 PR
Barbell curls- 135 for 3 sets of 6 PR

I've never had a week with this many PR's before! I see things only getting better. I will be putting up vids next, time to test out the new camera!

ConLaV · 11-11-2009, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by homerunrbi

How do you eat your ezekiel bread?

Been doing your spinach shake for the past week and a half. Share more cool recipes

I eat about 9 slices of Ezekiel bread a day. 5 slices pre-workout and another 4 slices with my eggs a little later. I pretty much toast it and eat it dry most of the time, however the cinnamon swirl variety is great with peanut butter/ bananas/ 75% cocoa dark chocolate chips.... real good.

I've had that spinach shake every night for the past 2 years I think... hope you like it man!

ConLaV · 11-13-2009, 09:20 PM

No ego on shoulder day... ever. These joints need to be in it for the long run... but I've been training them like there's no tomorrow

Nothing crazy today, just a quick effective session in and out in 45...

DB Shoulder press- 3 sets of 6- 80s
Military Press- 3 sets of 6- 185
DB side laterals- 3 sets of 6- 50
DB rear lateral- 1 set
BB shrugs- 2 sets
Upright rows- 2 sets

ConLaV · 11-14-2009, 10:55 AM

Back day felt very strong as I upped all my lifts from last week by 5-20lbs and set a new PR on the trap bar deads. I was surprised because I put deadlifts at the end of my workout rather than the beginning like I normally would do. Great day overall, felt strong on all my rows using an underhand grip... which is also new to me, works great for my structure though!

"16" refers to the labeling on the machines... I don't know what the weight is at this gym, but it doesn't matter because I'll be working out here every day the rest of the year.

Cable Pull-downs (16) 3 sets of 6
Cable seated rows (16- straight bar) 3 sets of 6
Barbell rows- 3 sets of 6 (225- underhand- strict form)

Trap Bar Deads- 405- 2 sets of 6 and 495- 1 set of 4
Weighted Hypers- 35- 2 sets of 8

ConLaV · 11-15-2009, 12:39 PM

Man, this training phase is really producing some solid results. If you've been doing volume for a long time, consider taking a solid eight weeks of basic compound movement overload. Adding weight each week... Today was chest and abs, the pressing is starting to feel better as I've made it a point to prehab my shoulder every day... it's so much easier said than done!

DB press- (110) 3 sets of 6
Incline DB press - (100) high incline- for 5 95 for 6
Weighted Dips- (+85) 2 sets of 6

Weighted leg raises- 2 sets of 15
Cable crunches- (12) 1 set of 15
Weighted crunches (25)- 1 set of 15

nwskier · 11-15-2009, 03:16 PM

great results! awesome to see the shoulder doing well and your pressing is starting to see some solid increases.

chilln in aspen - spent the weekend ski touring (climbing uphill) on Ajax and Snowmass cause the lifts are still closed. Tons of snow up high, lots of work getting up there though. Hoping to check out the Aspen Club for a workout, but im pretty spent from a long day of tortorous uphill!

ConLaV · 11-16-2009, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nwskier

great results! awesome to see the shoulder doing well and your pressing is starting to see some solid increases.

chilln in aspen - spent the weekend ski touring (climbing uphill) on Ajax and Snowmass cause the lifts are still closed. Tons of snow up high, lots of work getting up there though. Hoping to check out the Aspen Club for a workout, but im pretty spent from a long day of tortorous uphill!

Only going up from here my man, intensity is always the common denominator to progression.

I was sprinting up Ajax mountain 2.5 months ago! not the whole mountain... just the area next to the gondolas. We ate at Ajax restaurant a few times right next to the Little Nell hotel- it was unbelievable. Both of those spots are great for a hike... snowboarding, frisbee golf, etc. Those pics I posted are from Snowmass club... you won't be disappointed!

nwskier · 11-17-2009, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ConLaV

Only going up from here my man, intensity is always the common denominator to progression.

I was sprinting up Ajax mountain 2.5 months ago! not the whole mountain... just the area next to the gondolas. We ate at Ajax restaurant a few times right next to the Little Nell hotel- it was unbelievable. Both of those spots are great for a hike... snowboarding, frisbee golf, etc. Those pics I posted are from Snowmass club... you won't be disappointed!

haha, yeah I ate at the Hickory House three times! Best blueberry pancakes EVER

damn, snowmass club huh? I thought your pics looked better than the gym I went to. pretty tired this morning but cranked it out. hotel had a free gym pass so I figured I'd have to sack up and go.

that's such a great town and atmosphere. definitely had a great time in aspen. btw, hittin up some workouts in chitown during thxgiving week if you're in town

ConLaV · 11-17-2009, 05:42 PM

Legs tonight! pretty solid session. Strength is still on the climb, I started out will Leg Press and went in to front squats and missed my PR, but I feel that if I start with fronts next time I will get it.

Leg Press- 3 sets of 6- 14 plates
Front Squat- 3 sets of 6- 275 1 set of 3.5- 315
video is horrible quality (from my phone) I have an HD camera that I'll use next time!

SLDL- 3 sets of 5- 365
Leg Curl- 2 sets of 6 stack+45
Standing Calfs on Smith- 6 sets of 10- 390
Smith Squats- 1 set of 8- 315
Leg extension- 1 set of 8- stack

NorCALSpeed · 11-17-2009, 06:06 PM

Do you use the Ezekiel bread as our carb and protein source, both pre and post workout? I eat an awesome bread (similar to Ezekiel) but it's 90 calories a piece, 30 gC 5gP. So 5 pieces for me would be an insane amount of carbs.

I have a bad left shoulder, which makes progress on chest and shoulders slow-going. Any rehab tips?

ConLaV · 11-17-2009, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nwskier

haha, yeah I ate at the Hickory House three times! Best blueberry pancakes EVER

damn, snowmass club huh? I thought your pics looked better than the gym I went to. pretty tired this morning but cranked it out. hotel had a free gym pass so I figured I'd have to sack up and go.

that's such a great town and atmosphere. definitely had a great time in aspen. btw, hittin up some workouts in chitown during thxgiving week if you're in town

Those workouts are usually the best ones... when you're NOT feeling it at first. Aspen is 1 of 2 places I visit twice a year cause it's so nice... but yeah, I'll be around! probably in Chicago until Thursday, then back home

Quote:

Originally Posted by NorCALSpeed

Do you use the Ezekiel bread as our carb and protein source, both pre and post workout? I eat an awesome bread (similar to Ezekiel) but it's 90 calories a piece, 30 gC 5gP. So 5 pieces for me would be an insane amount of carbs.

I have a bad left shoulder, which makes progress on chest and shoulders slow-going. Any rehab tips?

Get an exercise band, attach it to a door... and do external rotation movements. Place a towel under your armpit. This will really help if you have a rotator cuff problem. Make sure to ice it everyday too.

Yeah ezekiel has 15g Carbs... I use it for both, 5 slices has 75g CHO and 20g PRO. Just adjust your meal to fit the amounts you need. I will usually keep it only as pre-workout and have the rest with other meals.

homerunrbi · 11-17-2009, 06:32 PM

How much is a loaf for you? Here its 3.99 for the regular and 4.99 if you want sesame or any of the other ones.

ConLaV · 11-17-2009, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by homerunrbi

How much is a loaf for you? Here its 3.99 for the regular and 4.99 if you want sesame or any of the other ones.

I don't know actually... I think trader joe's sells it cheaper than whole foods though. Trader Joe's markets in the midwest have very reasonable prices.

ConLaV · 11-18-2009, 04:39 PM

This marks the 1 month point, and 4th arm day. I have never worked arms on their own day before. I've also never had DOMS like this in my biceps, triceps always take a beating... but now it's incredible how much my biceps are responding to this program.

Straight BB curls- 3 sets of 5 (145)
DB curls- 2 sets of 6 (60)
Hammer curls- 1 set of 6 (65)

Lying Tricep extension- 1 set of 6 (135)
Cable pushdown- 2 sets of 6 (11) 11** the machine labeling is different here.
Overhead extensions- 2 sets of 6- (100)

I also implemented an FST-7 type set for cable preacher curls... arms are still pumped

Post workout I tried this cake batter whey from ON- not too bad, I'm not a cake batter guy per say, but this was pretty damn good. Mixed it with frozen rice and oats (it gets really cold and the texture is awesome). 1 slice of ezekiel bread on the side... usually don't have it post workout like I said yesterday... but I love this stuff!

ConLaV · 11-20-2009, 12:10 PM

Shoulder really felt strong today- I haven't touched a machine in a month... that's offseason for you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVSS8k42dYI- I liked this video MD put out, Evan Centopani makes some great points- sometimes you have to just go guys!

Strength is still climbing with each and every workout

DB shoulder press- 3 sets of 6
Seated Barbell press- 3 sets of 6
Lateral raise- 3 sets of 6
Rear raises- 1 set of 6
Upright rows- 2 sets of 8
Barbell shrugs- 2 sets of 8

ConLaV · 11-21-2009, 07:30 AM

This morning I'm training back and then heading to the OCB midwest states to meet up with Layne, Tommy, and watch Paul compete.... I'll make sure to take some pics and update you guys. This is always such a sick show, I was there in 2007 when Tommy won the overall... I was 19, I decided to compete the next year. Needless to say, it was a very motivating experience. See you guys later!

Groundhog2109 · 11-21-2009, 07:35 AM

subbed!

ConLaV · 11-21-2009, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Groundhog2109

subbed!

Nice to have you along bro!

ConLaV · 11-21-2009, 09:23 AM

Back Day! I had a quick session in my basement this morning:

Lat Pull down- 4 sets of 6 stack is 175- I added a 25
Seated cable row- 3 sets of 6
Barbell rows- 3 sets of 6- 275

Deadlifts- 315 for 5- 365 for 5- 405 for 5- 435 for 6-435 for 6- 435 for 7- 315 for 20* my lungs gave out on rep 17 so I dropped it for 2 seconds and picked it up for 3 to finish it.