Bo Flecks' Training Lean and Power Density Experiment

[Bo_Flecks]

Full Body De-Load Workout #3-Bar Centric

Decline Barbell Bench Press
12x135
12x135
12x135

Barbell Rows
12x135
12x135
12x135

Tricep Focused Dips
12xBW
12xBW
12xBW

Standing Tricep Bar Curls
12x65
12x65
12x65

Overhead Barbell Press
12x115
12x115
12x115

Narrow Foot Position Leg Press
12x300
12x300
12x300

Lying Leg Curl
12x40
12x40
12x40

Calf Press
12x300
12x300
12x300

Hanging Knee Raises
12xBW
12xBW
12xBW


Observations
Gym time- 35 minutes

New exercises were rotated in, and all weights were set at 70% of my max for sets of 12 reps. There were no problems with this workout. Tomorrow will be light cardio. Only two more days until my visit with the doc so I can get back to normal training

[HoustonTXMuscle]

Nice Full Body De-Load Workout within a short time-frame. Make me wonder if my cadence on certain exercises is too low or my 30 second max rest between sets is too long on my deload days which I'll start on Friday. Prayers and positive thoughts that everything goes better than expected on your doctors visit.

[ironwill2008]

Yep. The doc and I are going to talk about a lot of things on Thursday.

I hope this goes well for you, Steve. I also know by following your journal that you've got the intestinal fortitude to deal with whatever comes.

[BergMuscle]

That's a lot of volume and a lot of weight for 35 minutes. Even on a deload you don't f*** around.

Prayers for a good doc visit.

[Vanguard1965]

You were moving to get all that in in 35 minutes. Got my fingers crossed for your visit to the doctors.

[securekey]

[There were no problems with this workout. Tomorrow will be light cardio. Only two more days until my visit with the doc so I can get back to normal training

The deload looks good... I know you would rather be pushing things but it is certainly a smart and calculated move at this point. Looking forward to next weeks training

[Bo_Flecks]

And I thought the heart issues were from injecting cell tech right into your heart... That thread pissed me off.

Based upon some of the neg comments he left in several of the guys' CPs from that thread, I would have to say that my response did not convince him that I got to where I was naturally. Oh well. I did see where he cried in the big Misc about old guys running a neg train on him.

Yak had a great comment about being accused of using:

Haters will hate

Mate...really consider this..why would you let idiots, fools and people of utterly no consequence...have access to moving your head into a s#$#t space?

^^^^QFT

I was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat years ago...told to stay away from caffeine and that it would put me at a greater risk for heart attacks (I have had what I would call "warning attacks" where there was no damage to the heart)...those moments where it would get out of sync were mighty scary.

In the past, I have tried to find nutritional changes that made some sort of difference without much luck. I have avoided caffeine, as well as drank a pot of coffee a day. I have even used PWO stims that had no affect on my heart rhythm in the past.

Whatever is going on now is different, though. That is why I am going to see a specialist who deals with heart rhythm issues. I have confidence that he will figure it out.

Nice Full Body De-Load Workout within a short time-frame. Make me wonder if my cadence on certain exercises is too low or my 30 second max rest between sets is too long on my deload days which I'll start on Friday.

That's a lot of volume and a lot of weight for 35 minutes. Even on a deload you don't f*** around.

You were moving to get all that in in 35 minutes.

Part of the pacing issue involves the fact that I train in my own gym. While I am doing an exercise, I am setting up for the next one between sets. I can move very quickly that way.

The other thing is, sets of 12 at 70% are really not that taxing. It does not take too much time to recover and be ready to go again. That is not the case when I am at the top of my ability for sets of 10 to 12. It takes a little more time to be ready to hit the next set with the proper intensity.

I hope this goes well for you, Steve. I also know by following your journal that you've got the intestinal fortitude to deal with whatever comes.

Whatever it is I will deal with it. I am not expecting to hear that I have anything major wrong, so I am already planning where my training will go once I have this worked out.

The deload looks good... I know you would rather be pushing things but it is certainly a smart and calculated move at this point. Looking forward to next weeks training

Once I get this heart rhythm issue worked out, I will be changing my training routine back to more of what it looked like last year.

I took a series of progress pics this week and compared them to pics from last summer prior to the contest prep starting. The conclusion was that 2013 has definitely been hard on me. Having the worst 6 month stretch of training in 5 years has definitely taken its toll on my progress.

I will not be posting those recent pics, but suffice it to say that I have gone backwards in the last year.

Before this current spate of heart issues started, I was finally starting to feel like I was getting things back on track, but I was not completely happy with the program I was on. The added frequency with the scaled back volume was not really giving me what I was looking for.

So, I am going to go back to a higher volume routine, and train each muscle group with a primary day once per week. When I used this training format in the past, I had my best period of hypertrophy, ever. So that is the focus I will be taking in the future.

[Bo_Flecks]

Full Body De-Load Workout #4-Dumbbell Centric

Incline Dumbbell Flyes
12x50
12x50
12x50

Hammer Grip Pull-Ups
12xBW
12xBW
12xBW

Bench Dips
12xBW
12xBW
12xBW

Dumbbell Spider Curls
12x25
12x25
12x25

Dumbbell Front Raise
12x15
12x15
12x15

Leg Extensions
12x50
12x50
12x50

Lying Leg Curl
12x40
12x40
12x40

Calf Press
12x300
12x300
12x300

Hanging Knee Raises
12xBW
12xBW
12xBW

Observations
Gym time- 30 minutes. The exercise selection allowed me to move a little faster today. All weights were set at 70% of my max for sets of 12 reps.

Final Thoughts
It was 2 weeks ago (today) that my heart rhythm started acting up again. This afternoon I have my appointment with the cardiac electrophysiologist. I am ready to get this thing resolved...once and for all time.

[drudixon]

Did you meet with Doc yet?

EDIT: NVM, just saw last sentence. Good luck this afternoon.

[Bo_Flecks]

Did you meet with Doc yet?

EDIT: NVM, just saw last sentence. Good luck this afternoon.

The doctor appointment went pretty much exactly as I expected. It was good that there were no surprises.

See below.

[Bo_Flecks]

Bo_Flecks Road to the 2014 Masters Men

I just got back from my appointment with the cardiac electrophysiologist. The good news is that the tests he ran show that the rhythm events I have been having are in the top of my heart, and are harmless. No chance of stroke or heart attack from high intensity training.

He said that he sees this problem in many professional athletes, especially hockey players. Folks who exercise hard and are in excellent physical condition tend to have larger hearts and slower heart rates. This often leads to this type of rhythm problem. So for the most part, I am in good company.

He cleared me to train and move forward with my contest plans.

The bad news is that before he prescribes a new med to control it, he wants to have me wear an event monitor for a month to record exactly what is going on and when it happens. This along with an echo cardiogram will help pinpoint exactly what new med needs to be prescribed. So, I will be living with the palpitations for another month.

Oh well, at least I am clear to train and train hard.

[Bo_Flecks]

High Volume Training
I have not been completely happy with my training over the past few months, so I am moving back into high volume mode. This is what that will initially look like:

4 Day High Volume A Week

Saturday- Chest/Biceps
Incline Barbell Bench 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________ 10 x________
Incline Dumbbell Flyes 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________
Decline Barbell Bench Press 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________
Decline Dumbbell Flyes 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________

Tricep Bar Spider Curls 12x________ 12x________ 12x ________ 12 x________
Dumbbell Spider Curls 12x ________ 12 x________ 12 x________
Dumbbell Seated Curls 12x ________ 12 x________ 12 x________
Barbell Reverse Curls 12x ________ 12 x________ 12 x________

Wrist Curls 12x________ 12x________ 12x ________

Sunday- Legs
Wide Foot Position Leg Press 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________ 10 x________
Narrow Foot Position Leg Press 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________
Hack Squats 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________

Leg Curl 12x________ 12x________ 12x ________ 12 x________
Glute Ham Raise 12x________ 12x________ 12x ________

Calf Presses –out 20x________ 20x________ 20x ________ 20x________
Calf Presses –in 20x________ 20x________ 20x ________ 20x________

Hanging Knee Raises-Abs 20x________ 20x________ 20x ________

Tuesday- Back/Triceps
Wide Grip Pull Up 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________ 10 x________
Inline Grip Pull Up 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________
Barbell Rows 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________
Two Arm Dumbbell Rows 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________

Weighted Bench Dips 12x________ 12x________ 12x ________ 12 x________
Weighted Tricep Dips 12x________ 12x________ 12x ________
OH Dumbbell Extension 12x________ 12x________ 12x ________
Tricep Press Down12x________ 12x________ 12x ________

Hanging Knee Raises-Obliques L20x________ R20x________ L20x ________ R20x ________

Thursday- Shoulders/Traps/Legs
Dumbbell Overhead Press 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________ 10 x________
Dumbbell Front Raises 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________
Lateral Raise 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________
Bent Lateral Raise 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________

Dumbbell Seated Shrugs 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________ 10 x________
Barbell Shrugs 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________

Hack Squat 20x________ 20x________ 20x ________
Leg Curls 15x________ 15x________ 15x ________
Seated Calf Presses 20x________ 20x________ 20x ________


4 Day High Volume B Week

Saturday- Chest/Biceps
Incline Dumbbell Bench 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________ 10 x________
Incline Dumbbell Flyes 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________
Decline Dumbbell Flyes 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________

EZ Bar Spider Curls 12x________ 12x________ 12x ________ 12 x________
Dumbbell Spider Curls 12x ________ 12 x________ 12 x________
Dumbbell Incline Curls 12x ________ 12 x________ 12 x________
Barbell Reverse Curls 12x ________ 12 x________ 12 x________

Wrist Curls 12x________ 12x________ 12x ________

Sunday- Legs
Hack Squats 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________ 10 x________
Wide Foot Position Leg Press 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________
Narrow Foot Position Leg Press 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________

Leg Curl 12x________ 12x________ 12x ________ 12 x________
Glute Ham Raise 12x________ 12x________ 12x ________

Calf Presses –out 20x________ 20x________ 20x ________ 20x________
Calf Presses –in 20x________ 20x________ 20x ________ 20x________

Hanging Knee Raises-Abs 20x________ 20x________ 20x ________

Tuesday- Back/Triceps
Inline Grip Pull Up 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________ 10 x________
Wide Grip Pull Up 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________
Two Arm Dumbbell Rows 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________
Barbell Rows 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________

OH Dumbbell Extensions 12x________ 12x________ 12x ________ 12 x________
Tricep Press Downs 12x________ 12x________ 12x ________
Weighted Tricep Dips 12x________ 12x________ 12x ________
Weighted Bench Dips 12x________ 12x________ 12x ________

Hanging Knee Raises-Obliques L20x________ R20x________ L20x ________ R20x ________

Thursday- Shoulders/Traps/Legs
Barbell Over Head Press 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________ 10 x________
Plate Front Raises 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________
Lateral Raise 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________
Bent Lateral Raise 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________

Barbell Shrugs 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________ 10 x________
Dumbbell Seated Shrugs 10x________ 10x________ 10x ________

Wide Foot Position Leg Press 20x________ 20x________ 20x ________
Leg Curls 15x________ 15x________ 15x ________
Seated Calf Presses 20x________ 20x________ 20x ________

Of course, some of this may be subject to change as I live it, but this will be the basic template for my training starting on Saturday.

[ljimd]

Great news Steve.

[Bo_Flecks]

Lean Mass Gain Nutritional Plan

Nutritionally, not much will be changing since I am still committed to the lean mass gain protocol. I am going to go ahead and move into my plan in increasing my calories to around 200 over maintenance. Here is what that will look like:

.........Calories / Protein / Carbs / Fat
Meal 1
1/2 cup of oatmeal- 150 / 6 / 26 / 4
2 eggs- 150 / 13 / 1 / 10

Total for meal- 300 / 19 / 27 / 14

Meal 2
Tuna- 120 / 26 / 0 / 1
5 Triscuits- 100 / 3 / 18 / 4
1/4 cup of almonds- 170 / 6 / 5 / 15
Sugar free/fat free yogurt - 90 / 6 / 18 / 0

Total for meal- 480 / 41 / 41 / 20

Meal 3
4 oz chicken breast- 196 / 35 / 0 / 5
on whole wheat- 75 / 4 / 16 / 1
1 cup broccoli- 24 / 3 / 5 / 1
apple- 81 / 0 / 17 / 0

Total for meal 376 / 42 / 38 / 7

Meal 4-
4 oz turkey breast- 196 / 35 / 0 / 5
on whole wheat- 75 / 4 / 16 / 1
1/2 cup carrots- 22 / 1 / 27 / 0
banana- 100 / 0 / 17 / 0

Total for meal 396 / 41 / 49 / 6

Meal 5-
4 oz lean Ground Beef- 240 / 30 / 0 / 12
6 oz Baked Potato 161 / 4 / 37 / 0
Green Beans 15 / 1 / 3 / 0
Sugar free Jell-O 5 / 0 / 0 / 0

Total for meal- 421 / 36 / 40 / 12

Meal 6
2 rice cakes 70 / 3 / 14 / 2
1 tbls peanut butter 90 / 4 / 4 / 7
2 tbls sugar free preserves 30 / 0 / 4 / 0

Total for meal- 190 / 7 / 22 / 9


................Calories / Protein / Carbs / Fat

Daily Macro Total- 2224 cal / 186 pro / 217 carb / 68 fat

Percentage Averages- 2200 cal goal / 33% pro / 39% carb / 28% fat

The goal with this nutritional plan is to keep my protein intake slightly higher than 1 gram per lb of lean mass, and get my fats as close to the 30% mark as possible. From the studies I have read, I believe it is optimal for an older natty to stay as lean, and yet have a diet as high in fat as possible without pushing the daily calories too high as to add unnecessary body fat.

Running a 33%/39%/28% breakdown is where I will begin this process.

Eating six times per day has nothing to do with meal timing other than the fact that if fits in my schedule well, it deals with my satiety needs, and I like it.

[-=FLEX=-]

I am moving back into high volume mode.

I thought you were already doing high volume.......

[securekey]

Bo_Flecks Road to the 2014 Masters Men
The bad news is that before he prescribes a new med to control it, he wants to have me wear an event monitor for a month to record exactly what is going on and when it happens. This along with an echo cardiogram will help pinpoint exactly what new med needs to be prescribed. So, I will be living with the palpitations for another month.

Oh well, at least I am clear to train and train hard.

Sounds like he is being thorough... which is good. As long as you are cleared to train that is the main thing Excellent news.

[Vanguard1965]

Great news Steve and looking forward to seeing how you do on the new program

[BergMuscle]

Great news Steve and looking forward to seeing how you do on the new program

Same thoughts from me. Glad to hear you'll be able to train hard.

[drudixon]

Bo_Flecks Road to the 2014 Masters Men

I just got back from my appointment with the cardiac electrophysiologist. The good news is that the tests he ran show that the rhythm events I have been having are in the top of my heart, and are harmless. No chance of stroke or heart attack from high intensity training.

He said that he sees this problem in many professional athletes, especially hockey players. Folks who exercise hard and are in excellent physical condition tend to have larger hearts and slower heart rates. This often leads to this type of rhythm problem. So for the most part, I am in good company.

He cleared me to train and move forward with my contest plans.

The bad news is that before he prescribes a new med to control it, he wants to have me wear an event monitor for a month to record exactly what is going on and when it happens. This along with an echo cardiogram will help pinpoint exactly what new med needs to be prescribed. So, I will be living with the palpitations for another month.

Oh well, at least I am clear to train and train hard.

This is fantastic news! An indirect compliment to be compared to pro-athletes... The monitor may be a drag, but a small price in the grand scheme of things. Looking over your plan below, now. Very, very happy for you.

[Athena]

Bo_Flecks Road to the 2014 Masters Men

I just got back from my appointment with the cardiac electrophysiologist. The good news is that the tests he ran show that the rhythm events I have been having are in the top of my heart, and are harmless. No chance of stroke or heart attack from high intensity training.

Awesome news -- really happy for you and the wife and kidlets! SUPER happy happy joy joy!!

The bad news is that before he prescribes a new med to control it, he wants to have me wear an event monitor for a month to record exactly what is going on and when it happens. This along with an echo cardiogram will help pinpoint exactly what new med needs to be prescribed. So, I will be living with the palpitations for another month.

Kinda confident in your ability to handle it, dude.

Cheers,
~Athi

[HoustonTXMuscle]

As others have said, this is great news, Steve.

... From the studies I have read, I believe it is optimal for an older natty to stay as lean, and yet have a diet as high in fat as possible without pushing the daily calories too high as to add unnecessary body fat....

Am also of the same mind-set with regard to fat, even tho I like my protein much higher.

[VoxExMachina]

Wearing the monitor is a bit of a PITA, but at least you now know it's not serious.

Game on!

[highiso]

So your maintenance at about 9% BF is 2,000? Don't know how you do it. Mine is around 2800-3000 at about 11-12% BF on days I train. I couldn't live on only 2,200 everyday let alone 2,000 when you're maintaining.

[Bo_Flecks]

Great news Steve.

Yep. I was very concerned that the issue had escalated due to some new underlying cause. After looking at my blood work, the tests he ran, my heart health history, and his expertise in the field, he was able to determine very quickly that this is just the natural progression of this type of rhythm variance.

It was good to hear him say that we basically had three choices: Do nothing, go to a new category of meds, or perform another ablation.

Under the circumstances, doing nothing would be silly. And the problem is nowhere near the level of needing another heart procedure. So new meds it is. We will talk about that after the echo and a month on the heart monitor.

I thought you were already doing high volume.......

I have had my volume backed off for the last 7 months ever since the rhythm problem initially started. When I got put on the current meds I am on (which only worked for 4 1/2 months, I increased the frequency in which I trained each muscle group, but the volume of each workout was scaled back.

Now I am going back to what I know works best for me: High volume, high intensity training.

Sounds like he is being thorough... which is good. As long as you are cleared to train that is the main thing Excellent news.

The next month is going to be marked by tagging the events with the monitor under differing circumstances. This will allow him to see all of the different variances of the heart rhythm under many different variables. This in turn will allow him to prescribe the best med for a long term solution.

Thorough is right. This guy is not just going to throw meds at it and hope something sticks.

Great news Steve and looking forward to seeing how you do on the new program

This program is very similar to what I used throughout 2012 with a lot of success, but has a few improvements added to it based upon some things I learned during that time. I am convinced that as long as my health holds out during the next year, I will get the improvements I am looking to see before the 2014 contest season.

Physically, I am in a good place to jump this thing off. The higher frequency training I have been doing for the last few months was not a waste. Under the circumstances that I was working with, it was actually very productive.

It just was not going to get me where I intend to go. This program change should to exactly that.

Same thoughts from me. Glad to hear you'll be able to train hard.

Unless this doc finds something unexpected with the echo on Monday, or the transmissions from the monitor over the next month, I have no intention of holding anything back before the new meds are prescribed. Whatever the case, high volume/high intensity training starts up again today. I am ready for it.

Honestly, this month cannot go fast enough. I have been frustrated and not had my training up to my standards for nearly 7 months and it has gotten old.

This is fantastic news! An indirect compliment to be compared to pro-athletes...

This doc is pretty much the man is the St. Louis area. I was fortunate to have still been on his patient rolls from the ablation he performed on me in 2006. That allowed me to get in and see him much more quickly.

Because of his reputation, he sees a lot of the pro athletes/retired athletes in our area that have heart related issues. He said that by far, Blues players are his most frequent flyers. He is not sure why hockey players have the highest frequency of atrial issues other than the high level of cardio conditioning they have from the extreme amount of skating.

Kinda confident in your ability to handle it, dude.

Cheers,
~Athi

Yep. I can deal with it. Especially knowing that it is the same old crap I have dealt with since I was 33 and it is nothing new.

Am also of the same mind-set with regard to fat, even tho I like my protein much higher.

Right now I have my protein intake set at an average of 1.2 grams per pound of lean mass. I have never really found any benefit it going much higher than that.

Of course, this is all anecdotal, but I will tell the story anyway.

When I went last spring and watched my friend get hydrostatically body fat tested, I had the opportunity to talk quite a while to the lady who owns and runs the tank. She tests a lot of the natty competitors in the area and many of them are very frequent flyers. She called them serial testers. lol

Anyway, based upon what she sees, she is convinced that most bodybuilders grossly over estimate the amount of protein they should be eating. She said that she has seen very little evidence that eating more than 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of LEAN mass has created any type of circumstance that made any kind of a difference in LEAN mass gains.

What she told me is that when guys go on a bulk and increase their protein to much higher levels and are tested that, yes, their lean mass tests higher but so does their body fat. When they cut back down to the equally lean levels of earlier testing, the gains from the additional protein intake are just not any greater when compared to others who keep their body fat lower throughout the year and maintain a protein intake at right around 1 gram per pound of lean mass.

You can take that for what it is worth. But I respected what she had to say based upon what she has seen day-in, day-out over a period of many years.

Wearing the monitor is a bit of a PITA, but at least you now know it's not serious.

Game on!

After I record six episodes, the monitor is full and I can take it off until I call it in.

The biggest PITA is that it must be done over a land line. There is just too much static on the cell servers for it to work well. Since I do not have a land line anymore at my house, I have to drive into town and download it using the phones at my church. As soon as I go back to work, I will be able to do it in my classroom but that will be another couple of weeks.

We tried the cells to see if they would work, but no dice. I will just have to coordinate transmissions with our normal trips into town.

So your maintenance at about 9% BF is 2,000? Don't know how you do it. Mine is around 2800-3000 at about 11-12% BF on days I train. I couldn't live on only 2,200 everyday let alone 2,000 when you're maintaining.

This week I bumped things up to 2,200 calories. I will keep it there for the next 4 weeks and see what the results are. This is about 300 under where I was last summer before I started the contest prep.

Some of the drop in maintenance calories has to do with the diltiazem that I am currently taking for the rhythm issue. It has my resting heart rate VERY low. Sometimes in the evenings, my resting heart rate is below 50bpm and my heart rate while exercising stays lower as well. I am hoping the upcoming change in meds will solve some of that.

The other thing is I am smaller and OLDER than you. lulz

I know the guys in the O35 like to express there immortality and brag about how they are no different than they were 20 years ago (or better) but for the most part that is just a lot of BS and wishful thinking. At 50 my metabolism is much different than it was when I was in my thirties, and DRASTICALLY different that when I was in my twenties.

The fact is, I simply do not need the same amount of calories I did when I was younger.

[Bo_Flecks]

Saturday 7/20/13- 4 Day Hybrid: Chest/Biceps "A Week" Rotation

Incline Barbell Bench Press
10x215
10x215
10x215
10x215

Incline Dumbbell Flyes
10x70
10x70
10x70

Decline Barbell Bench Press
10x185
10x185
10x185

Decline Dumbbell Flyes
10x60
10x60
10x60

Tricep Bar Spider Curls
12x75
12x75
12x75
12x75

Dumbbell Spider Curls
12x35
12x35
12x35

Dumbbell Seated Curls
12x35
12x35
12x35

EZ Bar Reverse Curls
12x75
12x75
12x75

Wrist Curls
12x65
12x65
12x65

Observations
Okay. Back to a training style where my muscle groups have a primary work day and then get a secondary work day during a period of a week. So essentially each muscle group is getting some work 2x per week.

This plays out in a chest/bicep, back/tricep, shoulder/leg format with the primary leg day being the only workout without any muscle group overlap. Through extensive experimentation over the years, I have found this to be the best training rotation for my muscle groups having had the greatest periods of hypertrophy while using it with a high volume/medium-high rep range protocol.

When following a de-load and changing to a different protocol, I always restrict my weights a little bit as to not overdo things right off of the bat. As I progress through the next couple of weeks of this program, I will be adjusting the weights up quickly and accordingly.

Chest Workout
Incline Barbell Bench Press:
During warm-ups, I had 225 on the bar, but felt that was going to be pretty dicey for 4 sets of 10, so I backed it down to 215. It was a good call. I have the bench angle set at 30 degrees for this movement. Really working here to make sure that my pecs are feeling the workload.
Incline Dumbbell Flyes
Performed at a 30 degree bench angle using the classic "hug the tree" form.
Decline Barbell Bench Press
I had not done any decline work for several months so I was unsure where to set the weight. 185lbs was my third attempt at getting the right feel. Dropping the bar just below my sternum.
Decline Dumbbell Flyes:
Hug the tree form to concentrate totally on the pecs. The suspension system is really the only reason I can do this movement, and I like it. Performed on my SuperBench at a 30 degree decline angle to achieve a good stretch.

Bicep Workout
Tricep Bar Spider Curls:
Chest supported at a 45 degree angle. Using a total hang at the bottom to stretch the bis, and then pulling the bar to the apex.
Dumbbell Spider Curls
Chest supported to protect my lower back. The angle of arm hang on this movement allows me to supinate the dumbbells without any forearm discomfort.
Dumbbell Seated Curls
Another movement that I had not done in several months. The 35lb dumbbells felt heavy as fuark today, but I rolled with it. I started the dumbbells at the bottom in the hammer position and put a quarter twist on them as I raised them to their apex. I work hard on my bicep movements to use a controlled speed so that no momentum builds up. Slow negative where constant tension stays on the biceps.
EZ Bar Reverse Curls
Chest supported protocol to protect my back, so this is almost like spider reverse curls. Slow negative to burn the forearms and bis as much as possible.

Supplementary Work
Wrist Curls:
Rehab work on my forearm tendons.

Final Thoughts
Training weight was 176.0lbs today. Training time was 80 minutes.

My energy and endurance were very good, but my strength on some of the new movements was, meh. I was satisfied with how my muscle groups responded to the additional volume, but I could tell that I had been away from a few of the exercises for quite some time.

I thought I would have a little gun show and check out the bicep peak.

[BergMuscle]

Good strong work. I haven't yet been able to get 70# incline flyes, but they are on my target list. Gotta love the spiders for working the guns.

Great pic - that should say 176# and most of it muscle. Nice "gun show"

[bamazav]

Great job. I agree with Dan, photo looks great considering all the health set backs this year, you are looking strong.

[Bo_Flecks]

Sunday 7/21/13- 4 Day Hybrid: Legs/Abs "A Week" Rotation

Wide Foot Position Leg Press PWO
10x500
10x500
10x500
10x500

Narrow Foot Position Leg Press PWO
10x500
10x500
10x500

Hack Squats PWO
10x330
10x330
10x330

Lying Leg Curls
12x55
12x55
12x55
12x55

Glute-Ham Raise
12xBW
12xBW
12xBW

Leg Press Calf Raises w/Toes turned out PWO
20x500
20x500
20x500
20x500

Leg Press Calf Presses w/Toes in PWO
20x500
20x500
20x500
20x500

Hanging Knee Raises
20xBW
20xBW
20xBW

Observations
It had been about 10 days since my last heavy leg workout, so I followed my usual post de-load protocol and backed the weights down just a little to start out this training cycle. As I progress through the next couple of weeks, I will be adjusting the weights back up accordingly.

Quad Workout
Wide Foot Position Leg Press:
Heels are about 15 inches apart with the quads coming right down to my chest at the bottom of the movement.
Narrow Foot Position Leg Press:
The feet are positioned with my heels about 4 inches apart which put a lot of the weight right on top of the quads.
Hack Squats:
Dropping deep with the feet positioned to put as much emphasis on the outer sweep of the quad as possible.

Hamstring Workout
Lying Leg Curls:
Yates cadence with a short hold at the top and a slow negative.
Glute-Ham Raise:
I could tell that I have had this one out of the training rotation for a while. Slow rep cadence on this one to totally focus on how the hammies pulling. Wide knee position which brings a little more of the upper hamstrings into play.

Calf Workout
Leg Press Calf Presses- Toes turned out:
Gastrocnemius focused.
Leg Press Calf Presses- Toes in:
Tibialis focused.

Direct Ab Work
Hanging Knee Raises:
Knees forward focusing on the abdominals.

Final Thoughts
Sort of a pedestrian leg day even with the increased volume. I will be hitting my legs again on Thursday with my hi-rep secondary work.

[securekey]

Good looking pic up there

Going back to what works is never a bad idea... I have played with a number of training protocols over the past year but I keep coming back to a simple push/pull/legs 3 on - 1 off routine. It seems to work the best for me.

[Lou1se]

Hang on SK.. I'm supposed to say that


Good looking pic up there



You've had to hold the reins back longer than expected and while you get these readings done the next few weeks it's great that you're able to continue training. It must be disappointing for you to have this problem crop up when you're the fittest and healthiest you've ever been. I expect at just 33 it was difficult to digest.

Good news it's not serious. And well done on keeping yourself reined in in the meantime. It will be the consistency of effort and volume of work that keeps your body in tip top condition. I think you said you were a little disappointed by some loss you're seeing, that's understandable and cannot be helped. What you've managed to retain however, is a triumph that should be celebrated.