Raynerd's Road to 40

[Jbizzlechizzle]

Scheduled offday today in between nightshifts. Slept most of the day. I went downstairs to play with the new cable setup.

Exercises tried:
-wide pulldowns
-straight bar tri pushdowns
-rope push downs
-low cable curls
-rope facepulls
-cable crunches
-seated rows

All felt really good so very happy with this purchase for the price. This opens up a whole bunch more exercises for me and can't wait to add it into my program.

I'm really mirin that contraption you've got there. Sounds like a very solid purchase!

[Sen8or]

Thats a mighty fine looking gym youve got set up Shawn, the cable machine looks the business for sure, I know I get quite a bit of use out of mine, wouldn't be without it really.

[fittofattofit]

All felt really good so very happy with this purchase for the price. This opens up a whole bunch more exercises for me and can't wait to add it into my program.

$270 was a great price (plus Canadian Dollars are like Aussie dollars at the moment ..... unloved) so that looks like a whole load of machinery for very little money. With that you've now got a complete set up

[SteveWright1]

In for vids of superset or giant set of the various cable exercises on the new lat pull down machine

great purchase Shawn and a great piece of equipment for accessories on both OHP and Bench day ( with Lat pulls or seated cable rows etc)

[shaneinga]

Great looking squats Shawn on your squat day, and that looks like a sweet addition to the home gym. New toys, you have got to love that.

[RT1957]

Just noticed the lat pulldown/low row.....Nice......so how was assembly of the cables.....

[PtReyesGreg]

Really like the looks of that lat machine Shawn. That should allow you to add some nice variety to your workouts. You've built up an excellent home gym.

[raynerd]

Legs/calves/Rehab

Seated cable calf raise 90lbs
55/45/40/37/40

Cable donkey raises 90lbs
24/20/17/15/14


Tibialis Anterior with 35lb on top of foot, raise off floor
20/12/10/9/8

Cable standing abductor side leg swing 10lbs
12/8/7/8

Cable standing adductor leg swing
10lbs x 20
20lbs x 8
20lbs x 8

Mobility:
-broomstick GM paused narrow/wide stance
-broomstick twists
-lumpy roller hams/ glutes / ITB
-knee floss BW squats x 20

Box Squats: light
Bar x 10
135 x 10
185 x 10
225 x 4
225 x 4

Walking Lunges holding 33lb DB's
8 (each leg)
9
9

Dun:

Notes: wanted to go down and play with the new cable machine, no real plan and was contemplating another rest day for legs.
Figured out a couple ways to use the low cable for seated calves and donkeys using my weight attach belt. Worked well actually and got a good calf workout.
Used cables for some adductor and abductor work, worked ok

Decided to knock off the rest of my legs today with some lighter box squats, these were harder today anyway with prefatigued glutes so stayed lighter and knocked out some reps. Walking lunges were the nail in the coffin and my glutes and quads were toast after

Thoughts: great workout actually, thinking I am going to have to program in a lighter volume day and a heavy intensity day for legs. Today is day 1 of my week so will be my lighter "hypertrophy" day. Not sure about programmed 20 rep squats yet, gotta take it by feel with the knees.

[RT1957]

Nice improvisation with the lat machine.....That calf raise board looks like it would be the perfect height for BSS too....nice work with the Donkeys.....and all the different calf work you did

Ya don't need to PR the 20 reppers the first week you do them.....Ya don't really need to do them at all unless their calling you...........They can be like anything else start light work up a little at a time...Since I can't do 20 at my BW it wasn't even a thought to try....

[EB68]

Nice addition Shawn. It is amazing all of the different exercises you can do with that. I have done loads of different stuff with mine and need to get back to some of them. You can do loads of Ab work with it too.
Bi's, Tri's and forearms are looking swole in the pics.
Edit: I couldn't take it any longer and had to look up Josef Fritzl. That was pretty funny what Andrew posted

[DocJekyll]

I see your putting the new toys to task. Nice imagination there to grab some good calf work. You'll come up with more, no doubt.

[raynerd]

I'm really mirin that contraption you've got there. Sounds like a very solid purchase!

Thanks Jason, think it will do the trick. Wasn't the best one out there, that's for sure

Thats a mighty fine looking gym youve got set up Shawn, the cable machine looks the business for sure, I know I get quite a bit of use out of mine, wouldn't be without it really.

Thanks Sen, ya the cable machine is pretty versatile and if you get creative you can do almost anything.

$270 was a great price (plus Canadian Dollars are like Aussie dollars at the moment ..... unloved) so that looks like a whole load of machinery for very little money. With that you've now got a complete set up

Ah so your dollar sucks balls as well It was cheap, and that's the only reason I got it, we will see how it holds up now.

In for vids of superset or giant set of the various cable exercises on the new lat pull down machine

great purchase Shawn and a great piece of equipment for accessories on both OHP and Bench day ( with Lat pulls or seated cable rows etc)

Thanks Steve, definitely some SS vids coming! Adds a big number of things I can do at home now.

Great looking squats Shawn on your squat day, and that looks like a sweet addition to the home gym. New toys, you have got to love that.

Thanks Shane, the box squats are progressing so that's good. They are quite tough and are really hitting my weaknesses. So far the new addition gets a thumbs up for cost vs functionality!

Just noticed the lat pulldown/low row.....Nice......so how was assembly of the cables.....

Thanks Ron, it wasn't bad at all to put together. Think I got it done in under an hour, the instructions were pretty good for a change.....and I actually used them for once

Really like the looks of that lat machine Shawn. That should allow you to add some nice variety to your workouts. You've built up an excellent home gym.

Thanks Greg...I find myself surfing for my next purchase already lol, seated calf machine and maybe something for hamstrings next.....

Nice improvisation with the lat machine.....That calf raise board looks like it would be the perfect height for BSS too....nice work with the Donkeys.....and all the different calf work you did

Ya don't need to PR the 20 reppers the first week you do them.....Ya don't really need to do them at all unless their calling you...........They can be like anything else start light work up a little at a time...Since I can't do 20 at my BW it wasn't even a thought to try....

Thanks Ron, it worked quite well for calf work. I wrapped the straight bar with padding for the seated calf raises and it worked well, and I already had the weight attach belt and that did awesome for donkeys. I actually use my high bench for BSS, I like to get that big stretch going on.
I like the 20 reppers a lot. I think I pushed a bit too hard on leg volume my last 3 sessions last week, I have to remember I am training them 3 times a week and to adjust the volume accordingly. The box squats hit me hard with DOMS last week, that's for sure, but it's a matter of getting used to squats again.

Nice addition Shawn. It is amazing all of the different exercises you can do with that. I have done loads of different stuff with mine and need to get back to some of them. You can do loads of Ab work with it too.
Bi's, Tri's and forearms are looking swole in the pics.
Edit: I couldn't take it any longer and had to look up Josef Fritzl. That was pretty funny what Andrew posted

Ya it has endless options for sure. It is a great addition. Hope it holds up lol. It has a middle pulley for abs as well which will be great for weighted crunches. Ya the Josef Fritzl comment came out when I posted the original room before I gutted it, cracked me up

I see your putting the new toys to task. Nice imagination there to grab some good calf work. You'll come up with more, no doubt.

Thanks Doc, I am definitely happy I figured out a better way to do seated calf raises. I was real close to ordering up a seated calf machine. Still might a bit later, but this will do well for now.

[mirroroferised]

Okay that's just awesome! Great use of the gym. Something like that never occurred to me. Good thinking

[anonymous]

checking in on a fellow home gym VIP - can you remove the seat on that pulldown and use the low pulley for cable belt squats?

its cool how creative you can get with limited equipment but unlimited imagination

[Plateauplower]

Nice, it looks like you can do a lot with that cable pulley machine. Hope your night rotation is coming to an end and you can get back to normal schedule.

[shaneinga]

I like the new machine Shawn. I see you have already put it through the paces and have found some great calf movements with it. Today's workout looked like a great one. Walking lunges always humble me.

[SteveWright1]

great images Shawn
you got your calf raise blocks in use and I noticed you have the rope attachment for face pulls / tri extensions etc also

plenty of exercise options available to you with that piece of equipment
any idea of how many plates you could load onto it? probably a lot more weight than might be available on a standard block type machine I imagine?

[raynerd]

Chest/Back (Multi the doods tonight)

Morning Weight: 173.6lbs

Bench:
Paused:
Bar x 30
135 x 6
185 x 4
225 x 3
245 x 2 vid
255 x 1 vid (grind, not tight)

Touch and go
235 x 3 vid
225 x 4
225 x 3
135 AMRAP 30

Incline Flies 65lb DB
9
8
6
6

Pendlay Rows
135 x 8
225 x 5
225 x 5
225 x 5
225 x 5
225 x 5
225 x 5

Seated narrow cable Row:
(Plate weighted I loaded on)
90 x 16
140 x 10
150 x 8
150 x 8

Wide cable pulldown:
150 x 5
120 x 8
120 x 8

Dun:

Notes: ok workout, was hoping to be stronger on bench with the added eating but no dice. Feeling achy today and not 100%, hope I am not getting the Ebola. Still fighting with tightness on the new bench, I like my first rep at 245 but could see me hump my azz up on the second, 255 was just a grind in general with bad form.

Back went ok, stayed at 225 for rows, it felt well heavy enough. Like the new machine for seated rows, did not like it much on wide pulldowns. Stick to wide pull-ups.

Liked first rep, second not tight


Grind today, not tight


Tighter

[Flounderbout]

Nice work Shawn. Agreed re the first trep at 245 - looked lovely. Bit of looseness creeping in on a couple fot he others, but not biggie I reckon - lot of weight moved.

I can't imagine it helps much that you appear to have the world's tallest bench. If you were feeling achy and light-headed on that thing I don't think you can discount altitude sickness...

[EB68]

Nice job on the bench and rows Shawn. A ton of reps with 225 on the Pendlays followed by Seated rows must have had your Lats screaming. I would be thrilled to grind out a 255 rep on the bench.

[conoutlook]

You have a very strong bench dude, can you lower bench so you can get feet flat on the floor, or do you prefer your bench posture in vid, everyone is different and often take a different approach to the big lifts.... Awesome Pendlay rows too, that's my goal weight

[DocJekyll]

Don't worry man. Those calories will kick in for you soon. That's still a really nice press day today regardless and you felt chitty to boot. That First 245 rep was tight.

Good job man - try to prevent that Ebola from taking over and get it again tomorrow.

[shaneinga]

Nice chest and back day Shawn. Lots of volume in that chest workout. Big numbers on pendlays as well for tons of sets. Impressive numbers across the board in here.

[mirroroferised]

Bench already looking a lot tighter. GJ and hope you battle ebola off. Your kids back in school tomorrow? I'm counting down the phuking hours at this point

[raynerd]

Okay that's just awesome! Great use of the gym. Something like that never occurred to me. Good thinking

Thanks Dave, was digging deep in the ol brain to figure out a way to get a better seated calf method in there. That worked quite well, as did the donkeys with the weight belt!

checking in on a fellow home gym VIP - can you remove the seat on that pulldown and use the low pulley for cable belt squats?

its cool how creative you can get with limited equipment but unlimited imagination

Thanks for stopping in Halfway. Yes I can remove the seat...and thats a great idea Thanks man! Yet another one to add into the list!

Nice, it looks like you can do a lot with that cable pulley machine. Hope your night rotation is coming to an end and you can get back to normal schedule.

Thanks Tim, it seems to open up quite a few things for me. Ya nights are over as of yesterday morning, off until Thursday, then 2 days, 2 nights allover again.

I like the new machine Shawn. I see you have already put it through the paces and have found some great calf movements with it. Today's workout looked like a great one. Walking lunges always humble me.

Thanks Shane, it turned out to be a pretty good workout. I didn't really have a plan, but did want to get calves in, once I got in the groove I figured I would knock off the rest of the workout. The light box squats and the walking lunges ended up really giving me a great leg pump. I had done that abductor and adductor rehab chit before hand so the glutes were already tired out, think that translated into the quads doing more work or something lol.

great images Shawn
you got your calf raise blocks in use and I noticed you have the rope attachment for face pulls / tri extensions etc also

plenty of exercise options available to you with that piece of equipment
any idea of how many plates you could load onto it? probably a lot more weight than might be available on a standard block type machine I imagine?

Thanks Steve, lots of options now, and the I ordered the rope with facepulls in mind. Not sure how much weight I can put on there....says it's rated for 700lbs but there is no way I would load that on there even if I could lift it I didn't pay a whole lot for it....and imagine you get what you pay for lol

Nice work Shawn. Agreed re the first trep at 245 - looked lovely. Bit of looseness creeping in on a couple fot he others, but not biggie I reckon - lot of weight moved.

I can't imagine it helps much that you appear to have the world's tallest bench. If you were feeling achy and light-headed on that thing I don't think you can discount altitude sickness...

haha, yes it may be altitude sickness! I am actually feeling a bit chittier as the day progresses. It is a super tall bench, I really like it for the versatility of the incline all the way to decline and it is real solid. Just getting used to the height has been tough for my bench setup. Not so bad on the T&G reps but the paused reps are tough to hold my tightness. I may order another flat bench from Rogue in the future if I can't get this dialed.

Nice job on the bench and rows Shawn. A ton of reps with 225 on the Pendlays followed by Seated rows must have had your Lats screaming. I would be thrilled to grind out a 255 rep on the bench.

Thanks Eric, got a good bunch of volume in, just physically was feeling pretty achy this morning, and not feeling much better now. Back had a great pump. I was happy the paused 255 went up, but it was much harder than last week, felt like a 10 min rep!

You have a very strong bench dude, can you lower bench so you can get feet flat on the floor, or do you prefer your bench posture in vid, everyone is different and often take a different approach to the big lifts.... Awesome Pendlay rows too, that's my goal weight

Thanks Con, the bench isn't adjustable. I prefer to pull my feet back and on the balls of my feet as my old bro style had my azz shooting all the time. (which I seem to be doing again a bit with this giant bench) When I went back to the drawing board and rebuilt my form, this style was the only thing I could find to keep it pinned down. I need to have my knees pointing way down to the floor, below the bench and this also helps me with my arch. It was an Alan Thrall video I stole this setup from.

Don't worry man. Those calories will kick in for you soon. That's still a really nice press day today regardless and you felt chitty to boot. That First 245 rep was tight.

Good job man - try to prevent that Ebola from taking over and get it again tomorrow.

Thanks Doc, the bench will get better, it was pretty much the same numbers as last week, they all just felt much heavier The first 245 rep definitely felt better, and I can keep tighter on the T&G, just have to keep playing. Feeling pretty exhausted right now with a headache...F-off Ebola!

Nice chest and back day Shawn. Lots of volume in that chest workout. Big numbers on pendlays as well for tons of sets. Impressive numbers across the board in here.

Thanks Shane, part of me expected much better today, but judging by the Ebola like feeling I have right now...it may not have been in the cards. Glad I go it done and happy with the volume under the belt.

[raynerd]

Bench already looking a lot tighter. GJ and hope you battle ebola off. Your kids back in school tomorrow? I'm counting down the phuking hours at this point

Faakin Ninja Dave!! Glad you thought it looked better actually, that makes me feel like I am getting somewhere, thanks Dave
Yup 3 on the bus at 835 am, my youngest is going into JK and does 1 day this week and fulltime next week with the other 3. Look to the NorthWest at 8:45 am tomorrow morning Dave....the fireworks show will be seen across Ontario!!!!

[RT1957]

Good bench day a paused 255 is good work followed by some serious rowing...Sorry to hear of another ebola outbreak

[PtReyesGreg]

Nice workout today Shawn. The bench weight and volume on back work were all excellent. Great work put in especially given you weren't feeling 100%.

[SteveWright1]

great session on the bench Shawn

if the height of the bench is an issue, with feet placement on floor thus stability/ leg drive etc
maybe you could put a 45lb bumper plate either side of the bench for your feet?
I used to do that when I wanted to use the taller bench in the multi gym (because it had safeties fitted whereas the bench press station does not)

[mirroroferised]

Seriously don't underestimate the power of a few 2x4's and a piece of plywood to plant your feet firmly on. With my old bench it was night and day after I built that thing out of scrap wood. It might be worth a shot if you can't get this one sorted.