Bigger & Better Things: Rich's WNBF Journey to 2011

[rich55]

Originally Posted by lady.carolyn

..........as always you are a shining example of hard work! Thanks for your encouragement in my legs workout this past Tuesday. Just so you know, I was never tempted to bail on you. However, I really did appreciate the encouragement and the continued push! All together it kept me going, and I'm reaping the benefits! You are the best!!!!

Thanks Carol! You're welcome on the workout. It was tough, but you battled like a trooper. Your workouts are on a totally different level now and you're kicking butt! Keep it up.

Originally Posted by The_Animal11

Beastly leg workout man! Just insane.

Thanks Matt, it's getting there. Gotta get that 405 for 5 over the next few weeks. Band/box squats tomorrow to get me going. I'm going to have to peak into your journal and see what's happening.

[extremenergy3]

You should make a short training vid I'd love to see you hit 405 for 5!!! I'd favorite it on youtube and watch it before my squat days to motivate me LOL Actually, I do that with other bb'ers on bb.com already... like Layne, Tommy, Doug, etc youtube channels Pretty motivational!

[Matt593]

Just got my shipment of Golden Gains today, pretty excited to start using it. Sooo...thank you Rich Lauro for getting me hooked on Controlled Labs stuff lol. So far I have been very happy with every CL product I have tried over the past two years

[rich55]

Originally Posted by extremenergy3

You should make a short training vid I'd love to see you hit 405 for 5!!! I'd favorite it on youtube and watch it before my squat days to motivate me LOL Actually, I do that with other bb'ers on bb.com already... like Layne, Tommy, Doug, etc youtube channels Pretty motivational!

Agreed. I just get so focused on my workouts and nailing a lift that I don't take too many vids or pictures. Add in my lack of time due to training clients, but I need to though. I've thought about the 405 x 5.

Originally Posted by Matt593

Just got my shipment of Golden Gains today, pretty excited to start using it. Sooo...thank you Rich Lauro for getting me hooked on Controlled Labs stuff lol. So far I have been very happy with every CL product I have tried over the past two years

YEAH BUDDY!! Golden Gains is good stuff! You can't help that CL products are that good.

[rich55]

PUSHING SOME WEIGHT

Ah, good ole push day today and I had 315 and 105's in my sights. I'm approaching unchartered territories of strength and I love the adrenaline rush as approach each big challenge. Bigger and better, IT'S ON!!!

3-board press
Small unload on the boards and powering up.
45 x 10 w/o boards
135 x 3
185 x 3
225 x 3
275 x 3
315 x 3 ----> nailed it for another PR

Flat DB Press
Kinda figured I would rock the board press, so this was the real challenge.
65 x 8
85 x 8
105 x 8 ----> PR
110 x 5 ------> another PR
110 x 3

Cable Crossovers
70 x 10
75 x 10
80 x 7
- SUPERSET -
Incline Bench
135 x 10
155 x 8
155 x 6, 30-second rest pause and another 4 reps

Leaning DB Laterals
30 x 10
30 x 10
35 x 10 ---> last 2 were shallow
- SUPERSET -
Rope Pulldowns
90 x 10
100 x 10
110 x 10 ---> and another PR
110 x 7

Seated DB Shrugs to Lateral Push
45 x 10 each
45 x 10 each
- SUPERSET -
Shoulder-Width Pushup
BW x 18
BW x 16 ----> threw in some kickbacks here after to pummel the tris
BW x 13

Crazy strength today. 190 is coming soon. I can feel it. Saying my prayers tonight to thank God for my strength.

[The_Animal11]

makin me wish i had some 110s FTL!!

lol awesome workout like always rich. keep pushin that strength! i'm psyched to see where its gunna take you and all the new size thats gunna be packed on!

[Matt593]

So I just did legs with Tony, a friend of mine (who by the way recently decided that he will also be in the novice heavy class at the Buckeye). I hit a PR of 395 for 3 + 1 barely forced rep. As this was all too easy, he diecided he wants to do a "man set" with just 225 for as many reps as possible. I got 32 (lights out lol), but the dude got 40 reps lol! Man, rediculous. Try it, you will have a heck of a good time lol.

[The_Animal11]

so, rich, not sure if you saw the pic i posted yesterday. this is me db pressing 110 for 5:



yeah. i stacked them. on my fingers.


i also may have gotten a girls number afterwards...

[rich55]

Originally Posted by The_Animal11

makin me wish i had some 110s FTL!!

lol awesome workout like always rich. keep pushin that strength! i'm psyched to see where its gunna take you and all the new size thats gunna be packed on!

That makes you and me both! My entire upper body is now extremely sore after this heck of a workout with Joe:

LOTS OF PULLING

Big Joe came to train with me on Saturday and I must admit I pulled all the stops on this one. He said the pace wore him down, but really this was just my typical pace. We took some little breaks here and there.

Barbell T-Bar Style Rows
2 plates x 10
3 plates x 8
3.5 plates x 8
4 plates x 6
4.5 plates x 6 ----> PR
5 plates x 3+1+1 ---> little breaths between 3, 4 & 5

Straight-Arm Pulldowns
130 x 15
140 x 15
150 x 11 ----> PR
150 x 10
- SUPERSET -
Bent-Over DB Rows
70's x 8
70's x 6
70's x 6
55's x 8

High Pulley Rope Face Pulls
140 x 10
150 x 10
150 x 10
150 x 10
- SUPERSET -
Standing DB Shrugs
85 x 10
95 x 10
105 x 8
105 x 7

Seated Cable Rows
180 x 8
190 x 8
200 x 8
200 x 8 ---> getting sloppy towards the end

Alternating Hammer Curls
35 x 8
45 x 8
50 x 8
55 x 5

Simultaneous Hammer Curls
35 x 10
40 x 8

Barbell Curls
65 x 10
75 x 8
85 x 6

Close Cable Curls
80 x 12
85 x 10
85 x 9

[rich55]

GRINDING THROUGH LEGS:

Yes, even I must grind through legs sometimes. Once I get the blood flowing it's on. I have experienced some of the most severe upper body and back soreness in a while these past few days. But, you grind through it.

Squats
135 x 10
225 x 8
275 x 5
315 x 5
365 x 5
405 x 2 ---> got 3 last week, but will do better next week

Alternating Barbell Lunges
95 x 10/leg
145 x 10
195 x 10 ---> 8-10 was a battle

1-Leg Machine Curls
70 x 10
75 x 10
75 x 10
- SUPERSET -
Hanging Leg Raises
BW x 10
BW x 10
BW x 10

Reverse Hypers
50 x 10
70 x 10
90 x 8
- SUPERSET -
Standing Calf Raises
200 x 13
200 x 11
200 x 10

[rich55]

Originally Posted by Matt593

So I just did legs with Tony, a friend of mine (who by the way recently decided that he will also be in the novice heavy class at the Buckeye). I hit a PR of 395 for 3 + 1 barely forced rep. As this was all too easy, he diecided he wants to do a "man set" with just 225 for as many reps as possible. I got 32 (lights out lol), but the dude got 40 reps lol! Man, rediculous. Try it, you will have a heck of a good time lol.

That's awesome Matt! Too bad I saw this after leg day haha. Tony sounds like a beast. I may have to man up for man set next time.

Originally Posted by The_Animal11

so, rich, not sure if you saw the pic i posted yesterday. this is me db pressing 110 for 5:



yeah. i stacked them. on my fingers.

Hilarious, just hilarious. That's one to tell your kids some day haha. Legendary! Looks like I gotta get more than 5 on Friday haha. Nice work on the smoothness.
i also may have gotten a girls number afterwards...

[extremenergy3]

Some great workouts, Rich!

Quick question: how come you do the same amount of reps for the last couple sets of squats?

If you wanted to hit 405x5, wouldn't you want a couple warm-up sets and then a bunch of acclimation sets (just to get used to the weight on your back)?

I'd probably do like 315x4, 365x2, and then try for 405x5. But whatever works for you I guess Keep hitting it hard, man!

[rich55]

Originally Posted by extremenergy3

Some great workouts, Rich!

Quick question: how come you do the same amount of reps for the last couple sets of squats?

If you wanted to hit 405x5, wouldn't you want a couple warm-up sets and then a bunch of acclimation sets (just to get used to the weight on your back)?

I'd probably do like 315x4, 365x2, and then try for 405x5. But whatever works for you I guess Keep hitting it hard, man!

Good question. For me it takes quite a while to get loosened up. 315 feels real good and is actually really light. From there I drop the reps down as to not wear myself out. Dropping a couple reps from weight I could rep out is not going make a difference. Stay tuned on my journey to 405 x 5.

[The_Animal11]

So rich why am I chewing this blue gene?

Edit:nvm just got your text haha

I think I'll swallow some and chew some, fast and slow action!

[rich55]

LIGHT UPPER BODY

Tired late night workout at 9pm, but I got it done. It was cut a little short as our gym closed. I will hit my upper body hard on my heavy days this weekend.

Speed Bench with Bands
Doubled reds with 70 lbs of added tension at top varying normal, wide & close grips.
45 x 10
95 x 3
95 x 3
95 x 3
125 x 3
125 x 3
125 x 3
145 x 3

Weighted Wide-Grip Pullups
Assistance x 5 to warm-up
30 x 5
30 x 5
30 x 5
30 x 5
30 x 5 ----> little short on last rep

Close-Grip Incline Bench
First time doing these. Interesting tension throughout tris, front delt and upper chest.
95 x 10
135 x 10
165 x 10
175 x 9

Hammer Low Rows
Simultaneous with hands up to on handles.
45/side x 10
70/side x 10
90/side x 10
105/side x 7

JM Presses
Still terrible at these, but getting better.
65 x 10
75 x 10
80 x 7

Double Twist Seated DB Curls
Supinate, pronate and supinate all at top.
30 x 10
35 x 10
35 x 4 ----> only had a 30 second rest break and the lights were shut off in the gym

[cawiau]

that was light

[rich55]

Originally Posted by cawiau

that was light

Haha, yes it was


DYNAMIC EFFORT LEG DAY
Speed, speed and more speed.

Low/Narrow Speed Box Squats
Below parallel for speed at 50%.
45 x 10
95 x 5
135 x 2
135 x 2
185 x 2
185 x 2
225 x 2
225 x 2

Speed Deads
Roughly 60% or so.
135 x 2
135 x 2
225 x 2
225 x 2
275 x 2
275 x 2 ----> very pleased with my explosion at this weight

Low Shoulder Width Stance Leg Press Throws
Dared by Stolz and Joe. Really dig these. Kept it light to get real deep and throw as hard as possible. On the Nebula 45 degree I got maybe 6 inches of air haha. Rough stuff and put some good blood in the quads. Whenever you jump or throw as hard as possible on each one, you can count on a winding movement.
180 x 10
270 x 10
270 x 10
270 x 10

Lying Leg Curls
105 x 10
115 x 10
125 x 7

Angled Calf Raises
360 x 12
380 x 8
380 x 7

Hyperextensions
BW x 10
10 lbs x 10

Situps
BW x 10
10 lbs x 10

[The_Animal11]

Rich stole something from me!

haha those are a pretty nice speed move huh?? kinda humbling when you can only get it a couple inches away from your feet lol.

workouts are lookin strong man! any idea what the weights at?

[rich55]

Originally Posted by The_Animal11

Rich stole something from me!

haha those are a pretty nice speed move huh?? kinda humbling when you can only get it a couple inches away from your feet lol.

workouts are lookin strong man! any idea what the weights at?

What goes around come around Haha, yes it is! Our Nebula sleds are heavy, so I really have to drive it up hard and fast to get some air. Before starting I was afraid of topping out, but was only getting 6 inches or so.

I weighed in at 188 at the beginning of this week. PR!!!

[The_Animal11]

Originally Posted by rich55

What goes around come around Haha, yes it is! Our Nebula sleds are heavy, so I really have to drive it up hard and fast to get some air. Before starting I was afraid of topping out, but was only getting 6 inches or so.

I weighed in at 188 at the beginning of this week. PR!!!

yeah those leg presses do have HUGE sleds, i remember that now!

188!! :whistles: gettin HUGE man!!

[rich55]

EAT TO GROW!!!!

Homemade blackened chicken alfredo using Barilla Plus pasta and alfredo sauce with only 7 g of fat per 1/2 cup.




This is how I make sandwiches. 3 slices of Ezekiel bread and two 4 ounce lean beef patties between.




James and I dig pizza!




Bourbon chicken with rice and some type of spicy sausage bean dish.




Gotta love something sweet for breakfast. Kashi waffles topped with strawberries and eggs with turkey.




Blueberry buckwheat pancakes and egg whites.

[rich55]

Did I mention that I like pizza. Cici's!!!! Doesn't compare to my last eat-a-thon there.

[cawiau]

mmmmmm
Good food bro, good food
Making me hungry

[RooRooTJ]

Thats it, I cant come in here anymore if there is gonna be food all over the place. haha

[The_Animal11]

haha you and your cicis. my boss this summer called the place "chi chis" and the first few times i heard her say it i had NO IDEA what she was talking about. then after that i messed with her and when she said it id say, "you mean cha chas? ....choo choos?"

we had fun lol

[rich55]

Originally Posted by The_Animal11

188!! :whistles: gettin HUGE man!!

Don't know about HUGE yet, but I'm bigger. I'll take it!

Originally Posted by cawiau

mmmmmm
Good food bro, good food
Making me hungry

Haha. Yes, VERY good food!

Originally Posted by RooRooTJ

Thats it, I cant come in here anymore if there is gonna be food all over the place. haha

Haha, no worries. I just wanted to put up some pix acquired from the last month or so.

Originally Posted by The_Animal11

haha you and your cicis. my boss this summer called the place "chi chis" and the first few times i heard her say it i had NO IDEA what she was talking about. then after that i messed with her and when she said it id say, "you mean cha chas? ....choo choos?"

we had fun lol

Chi chis is Mexican. Ci Ci's is pizza and all you can eat pizza and dessert for $5.99.

[rich55]

HEAVY PUSH

Overall a very good workout. 325 is now on my list for next week with a miss today. I'm definitely feeling thicker through the tris and also the chest.

3-Board Press
James was overhead with board spot from a client. The bad board spot jacked me up. I did better with no board spot at all last week. No excuses. I'm getting this next week.
45 x 10 w/o board
135 x 3
185 x 3
225 x 3
275 x 4
325 x 1 ---> missed on #1, got #2 and needed help on #3

Flat DB Press
70 x 8
90 x 8 ---> digging how light these feel
110 x 7 ---> took a little tap on #8. That's a miss.
115 x 4 -----> matched Stolz
115 x 3

Cable Crossovers
70 x 10
80 x 10
85 x 9
- SUPERSET -
Incline Bench
135 x 10
155 x 10
165 x 5 + 4 after 30-second rest pause

Standing DB Laterals
Bringing DB's in front for some power. Little isometric hold at top and controlled negatives.
30 x 10
35 x 10
40 x 8
40 x 8

Rope Pulldowns
110 x 10
110 x 10
120 x 8
120 x 8

DB Kickbacks
30 x 15
35 x 15
- SUPERSET -
Shoulder-Width Pushups
BW x 20
45 lbs on back x 9, drop weight + 3

[The_Animal11]

Originally Posted by rich55

Chi chis is Mexican. Ci Ci's is pizza and all you can eat pizza and dessert for $5.99.

Flat DB Press
70 x 8
90 x 8 ---> digging how light these feel
110 x 7 ---> took a little tap on #8. That's a miss.
115 x 4 -----> matched Stolz
115 x 3
[/QUOTE]

haha yeah ive been to chi chis too... but there was a cicis in the shopping center our restaraunt was in, and she used it for customers directions! haha

nice work on the DB presses!! looks like i'm gunna have to step it up again today!

[lady.carolyn]

"Nice job this Tuesday Carol! I'm really impressed with the effort you are giving during your workouts. Top notch! Hope the workouts (and cardio) are going well this week. How is the soreness?

Reverse hypers often make me feel a little woozy done at the end. The bent-over and on your stomach combo can do that if fatigued. Hope all is well. Congrats again on the new job!!!"

Thank you so much Rich for the encouragement that you left on my journal. I absolutelly love the challenge and love to be challenged. I continue to be amazed at the successes that I'm experiencing, but know that I have you to thank! Thank you so much for all your thought that you put into our workouts! I know that Sherry is ahead of me in a lot of ways, but I enjoy the push that that represents. I've felt like it has been a good match, at least for me. Hope I represent a bit of a challenge for her as well. At least it's been fun!

[cawiau]

Nice lifts... how are you liking bulking so far? Not too tired of eating yet?