Bo Flecks' Training Lean and Power Density Experiment

[cmoore]

5monhs is plenty of time given your focus and regimen. Props and support.

[Lou1se]

Final Thoughts
I have only been running my full leg program since September 21st, so today marks right at 1 month of leg training following the injury hiatus. I am hoping the wheelz continue to respond without issue over the next 5 months.

This pic was taken prior to training today.

Despite the difficulties you have made great progress Steve! Very impressed with the changes I'm seeing in this photo.

Observations
I feel like I have been forced to fit my workouts in between real life, and I don’t like that.

Outer sweep on the quads is going to be the lynch pin for an April contest. We shall see.

My lower back is still a little dicey sometimes, but I am not having the chronic pain. I think as long as I am careful I can pull this thing off.

Real life catches up to us all. Your determination and persistence will get you through.

Exciting changes are happening to the wheels, I can't wait to see where they're at come April.

Also hoping the back continues to behave.

[trickyB]

This pic was taken prior to training today.

Uh yeah, its working. Respect.

[bamazav]

My lower back is still a little dicey sometimes, but I am not having the chronic pain. I think as long as I am careful I can pull this thing off.

Realize it is a different Sport, but there is some carry over. Check out some of the work that Brian Carroll has been doing with Dr. Stuart McGill. I have made some of the suggested changes and my back has benefited. The McGill style Pullups are a lot harder than they look on paper.

[Bo_Flecks]

5monhs is plenty of time given your focus and regimen. Props and support.

The contests I am looking at are in April, June, and October. I have no reason to think that I can’t be ready by April and will train as if it is inked in on my calendar. BUT, if I have any kind of setback that is out of my control, I will have the other dates to fall back on.

We shall see. I am a little snakebit from being overly cocky about contest dates in the past.

But as of right now, I intend to do all three. Just sayin'

Despite the difficulties you have made great progress Steve! Very impressed with the changes I'm seeing in this photo.

In the last three months (since I changed over to the “Rise of the Machines” protocol) I have had an excellent run of growth and muscle shape improvement. Comparing current photos to the ones prior to the 2012 contest season bears that out.

Real life catches up to us all. Your determination and persistence will get you through.

You know a little about that, don’t you Louise?

Exciting changes are happening to the wheels, I can't wait to see where they're at come April.

Also hoping the back continues to behave.

The new training protocol is set up to protect the back much better than in the past, yet let me train with more intensity. On paper, this thing should work.

Uh yeah, its working. Respect.

Thanks B.

I have put some strategies in place with this new training protocol along with the machines I have available that I think is going to make my legs look a lot fuller. But as I always have, I need to shore up the weakness that is my outer quads.

Realize it is a different Sport, but there is some carry over. Check out some of the work that Brian Carroll has been doing with Dr. Stuart McGill. I have made some of the suggested changes and my back has benefited. The McGill style Pullups are a lot harder than they look on paper.

I watched the maximum neuro-drive vid. Interesting stuff from a powerlifting standpoint of doing a single pull-up with 100% effort.

My lower back issues are much better since I went to the sports rehab clinic and worked with the docs there. But they cannot do anything to erase the damage that was done to my back and the subsequent disc deterioration.

Straightening the spine, strengthening the core and back muscles around the L5 was all they were really able to do to help me, and it was a huge aid in getting me back on stage but I will never have full lower back strength again.

I was on a field trip last Tuesday and spent the day around a lake, in 50 degree temps and a light rain. My lower back bothered me that afternoon, and again for a couple of days afterwards. It was just enough to remind me that I am NOT completely healed.

But for now, I seem healed well enough to make another contest run in 2015.

[Bo_Flecks]

Thursday 10/23/14 (Pull) Periodized Medium Rep-Back/Biceps/Legs

Observations
An hour is barely enough time to get this workout in so I really have to stay focused and hope the space-taker-uppers don’t get in my way. The leg area stayed empty the whole time I was training my back, and when it was time to hammer the wheelz there was two guys there messing around and talking. Sheeeeeeit.

I am pretty OCD in the gym and like my exercises to fall in my preferred order. That did not happen. But, I was able to get it all in within the allotted time frame.

Machine Lat Pull-Downs 5x10
Machine Chest Supported Rows 5x10
Body Weight Pull-Ups 5x10

Machine Bicep Curls 6x12

Leg Curls 3x10
Hip Adductor 3x10
Leg Press 5x10
Calf Press 5x12
Leg Extensions 3x10

10 minutes of core work

Final Thoughts
Thursday marked two full weeks with slightly increased protein intake.

I have been eating right at 10 additional grams of protein each day. While that doesn’t sound like a lot, it IS a 6% increase each day. And from my perspective, when I’m running my nutrition plan and daily energy expenditure on a razor’s edge, that constitutes a measurable difference.

Total macros right now are 170g protein, 130g carbs, and 95g fats.

[Bo_Flecks]

Saturday 10/25/14 (Push) Periodized Low Rep-Chest/Shoulders/Triceps

Observations
I had to get this training session in a little earlier today. I am taking my wife on the "Haunted Tour of Alton, Illinois" this evening, and then we are staying in one of the spooky hotels. Should be fun!

Machine Bench Press 5x8
Pec Deck 5x8

Machine Overhead Press 5x8
Machine Rear Delt 5x8

Machine Close Grip Bench 5x10
Machine Tricep Extensions 5x10
Rope Press Downs 5x10

10 minutes of core work

Final Thoughts
It was time for a re-feed, so I ate an additional 300g of carbs last night. That made a total of 430g carbs for the day. No spill over this morning.

This was the result of the carb up after my gym session. LOL!

[Bo_Flecks]

Sunday 10/26/14 (Pull) Periodized Low Rep-Back/Biceps/Legs

Observations
I ran out of my bulk pre-workout drink mix products, so I decided to go with a manufactured one for at least a month. I bought some blue raspberry Muscle Pharm Assault this morning. It tasted pretty good, and seemed to work fine for me. Overall, no complaints.

Machine Lat Pull-Downs 5x8
Machine Chest Supported Rows 5x8
Body Weight Pull-Ups 5x8

Machine Bicep Curls 6x10

10 minutes of core work

Leg Curls 5x8
Leg Extensions 5x8
Hip Adductor 5x8
Leg Press 5x8
Calf Press 5x10

Final Thoughts
I could feel a little stress in the SIs while using the weight necessary for the lower reps. I will keep an eye on that in the future.

[EjnarKolinkar]

TFW veins explode 300 was perfect.

Sounds like a fun outing @ haunted land

[Bo_Flecks]

TFW veins explode 300 was perfect.

Whenever I have felt the need for a re-feed, I have been experimenting with different carb loads. I have been interested in my spillover point for contest peak purposes. I have found that right at 450g is the limit I can go safely.

From what I have found, anything between 350g and 450g gives me just about the same effect.

Sounds like a fun outing @ haunted land

The 1st Unitarian Church of Alton was probably the creepiest place we visited.



From what I understand, the Unitarians are a church where pretty much anything spiritual goes. The church is located on a spot called sinner’s hill, and a pastor of the church hung himself from a transom in 1934 and supposedly has haunted the place ever since. This church has been called THE most active paranormal location in the Midwest. It was featured on a show called “Scariest Places on Earth” and lots of pictures have been taken in there that show the pastor.

Unfortunately, I didn’t experience didly. But interestingly enough, I was able to pinpoint the exact location of the old transom (which was removed during a remodel) where the pastor hung himself. Anyway, it WAS a fun night of creepy places and spooky stories.

http://www.altonhauntings.com/unitarian.html

[wedjim]

Man your looking beastly, almost scary! Some Carbs look good in that pic!

I could never get my boys or wife to go in a haunted building...or supposedly haunted. lol

[ironwill2008]

Observations
After today, I am hoping to get my schedule back on track. I feel like I have been forced to fit my workouts in between real life, and I don’t like that.

That's something that everyone must deal with, Steve. Before I retired in '07, Verizon owned me; during periods of bad weather, or when construction project schedules called for lots of overtime, I just had to roll with it. Sometimes, a workout at 10:00PM after a 12-hour workday would only be 5 sets of Squats and nothing else. There were many instances when I'd go for weeks at a time like this.

But at least doing something keeps you in the game, and will tide you over until time constraints ease up a little.







Adapt and overcome.

Having my fats right is a huge part of this. Not only for hormonal support, but for satiety as well. It is a whole lot easier running a nutrition plan very close to the vest when you’re not hungry all the time.

Absolutely. There's a reason why dietary fat is considered essential, rather than optional.

[mirroroferised]

Love the picture updates Steve. Looking great!! Machine work still going well too.

That's something that everyone must deal with, Steve. Before I retired in '07, Verizon owned me; during periods of bad weather, or when construction project schedules called for lots of overtime, I just had to roll with it. Sometimes, a workout at 10:00PM after a 12-hour workday would only be 5 sets of Squats and nothing else. There were many instances when I'd go for weeks at a time like this.

But at least doing something keeps you in the game, and will tide you over until time constraints ease up a little.

Adapt and overcome.

I've been finding this as well with shift work. A few times a month I'm having to wait until the end of the day near midnight and going to the gym becomes all about mental focus and pretty much just getting the compounds in and that's it. It was so much easier to sit down at a bar stool lol

[Bo_Flecks]

Tuesday 10/28/14 (Push) Periodized High Rep-Chest/Shoulders/Triceps

Observations
I had one hour to get this training session in and I was going to need every minute of it.

Machine Bench Press 5x12
Pec Deck 5x12

Machine Overhead Press 5x12
Machine Rear Delt 5x12

Machine Close Grip Bench 5x15
Machine Tricep Extensions 5x15
Rope Press Downs 5x15

10 minutes of core work

Final Thoughts
These high rep workouts are tough. Recovery time in between sets is at a premium. If I didn’t have a time limit of one hour during the work week, they could easily take longer…and they do when they fall on Saturday and Sunday.

[Bo_Flecks]

Man your looking beastly, almost scary! Some Carbs look good in that pic!

I really laughed at this thread about "Looking skinny" the other day:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=164749261

Some of the usual posts came out about lean guys not looking big in clothes, and anything below 15% body fat looks scrawny. I thought about posting these pics in there…



…and quoting those guys saying, “You know how I know you’re fat…”

But I chose not to. That just wouldn’t be nice.

I could never get my boys or wife to go in a haunted building...or supposedly haunted. lol

I don’t think it is anything my wife would have suggested to do on her own, but she was more than happy to have a weekend getaway from the kids! For that, I am pretty sure she would have spent the night in that old haunted church!!! LOL!

That's something that everyone must deal with, Steve. Before I retired in '07, Verizon owned me; during periods of bad weather, or when construction project schedules called for lots of overtime, I just had to roll with it. Sometimes, a workout at 10:00PM after a 12-hour workday would only be 5 sets of Squats and nothing else. There were many instances when I'd go for weeks at a time like this.

But at least doing something keeps you in the game, and will tide you over until time constraints ease up a little.


Adapt and overcome.

I started training in my home gym after we brought the twins home. It gave me the flexibility I needed with a new mom, new babies, and new priorities. I could slip down any time I had some free time to get a workout in.

As the kids got older and my goals changed, my workouts got a lot more regimented. I got used to that.

Now that the kids are older yet and have places to be and things to do, I have to split my time up between what I want to do, and what THEY want to do. Throw my wife’s needs in there as well, and I have no choice but to be more flexible about my workout schedule. Just the natural progression of being a husband, a dad, and a bodybuilder I suppose.

No matter what… being a husband and dad come first.

Absolutely. There's a reason why dietary fat is considered essential, rather than optional.

I fell into the same trap as most people. While I understood that dietary fat was essential, I didn’t truly understand how to work it in properly, or what the importance of the right kinds of fat truly were.

For years, I ran a very typical 40/40/20 macro breakdown. While 20% of my calories were from dietary fat, most of that was just peripheral from the protein I was eating. Very little thought was given to specific types of fats. While a 40/40/20 breakdown is a very typical bodybuilding plan, and fine for young guys, for guys my age it simply isn’t optimal.

Now that I have my fats set at over 40% of my nutritional intake each day, with the biggest percentage of that coming from MCTs, I have felt a huge difference. I wish I would have done a better job learning about this a few years back.

Love the picture updates Steve. Looking great!! Machine work still going well too.

The new training protocol is paying dividends in a lot of ways. Suffice it to say, I am very pleased with the way things are going.

I've been finding this as well with shift work. A few times a month I'm having to wait until the end of the day near midnight and going to the gym becomes all about mental focus and pretty much just getting the compounds in and that's it. It was so much easier to sit down at a bar stool lol

My job is very consistent 99% of the time. Fitting my training and nutrition in is easy where my work schedule is concerned. The biggest challenge I have always had is that teachers love to celebrate. And how do they love to celebrate? Yep. With food.

Don’t get me started on IIFYM and blah, blah, blah… It is just MUCH easier to stay on track when you don’t eat that crap all the time. By now, they are used to me bringing my own food. I don’t look down on them, and they don’t judge me.

And so what if they did? IDGAF. My entire wardrobe is made up of properly fitted clothing. And as was said in the “Skinny” thread I quoted above… “on a fit individual = you're looking amazing.”

[Plateauplower]

I might need to go back to reducing carbs and increasing fats myself. For nme carbs are like a trap, once I start eating more of them I just want more of them and get hungry quickly. I frequently look at this journal but just realixzed you are running the same split that I am starting. It looks like we will be doing close to the same number of sets, glad you are able to fit it in an hour, thats what I need to do too. Do you ever change the order of chest and shoulders to hit shoulders first or just trust they are getting worked with chest and blasted when hiot directly after chest. Same question with Back/Legs do you ever put legs first? I assume you are running strait sets too, it will be hard to work my normal supersets of apposing muscle groups into this type of split so i will likely just move from biggest to smallest muscles....Glad your getting it done, training early isn't much fun, but I know its a schedule I will be able to keep as my kids get older and I have more obligations afterwork with them other than playing with them; sporting events, chuaffer, whatever...(as long as I can be home and in bed by 8pm then I will be golden

[Bo_Flecks]

I might need to go back to reducing carbs and increasing fats myself. For nme carbs are like a trap, once I start eating more of them I just want more of them and get hungry quickly.

I could never figure out how to make a 40/40/20 macro breakdown work at my desired level of leanness. In every attempt to run my nutrition plan on that razor’s edge of having my calories just high enough to make gains in the gym yet not add the unwanted fat, I was constantly hungry and dissatisfied. I could do that for short periods of time, but not for any real extended training periods.

After I moved my macros closer to 30/25/45 I found that I could run that same amount of calories on that razor’s edge, and be completely satiated throughout the day. Mentally, that makes a HUGE difference.

Hormonally, the 30/25/45 breakdown with the biggest percentage of the fats coming from MCTs has been a real plus for me. A guy knows this sort of thing .

I frequently look at this journal but just realixzed you are running the same split that I am starting.

I like my current split with the periodization better than anything I have ever done. I have not felt the need for a de-load in quite some time. I will force myself to have one during the second week of November.

It looks like we will be doing close to the same number of sets, glad you are able to fit it in an hour, thats what I need to do too.

I really have to push it to get all of my intended sets and my core work in during the week day training sessions. On Saturday and Sunday, I give myself about 15 minutes longer to get them in. Mentally, that helps me handle the weekday pace a little better.

Do you ever change the order of chest and shoulders to hit shoulders first or just trust they are getting worked with chest and blasted when hiot directly after chest. Same question with Back/Legs do you ever put legs first?

There are a lot of different theories on exercise order, etc. I can only tell you what I do and why I do it.

I pick my exercise order based on longevity reasons, and how my connective tissue gets warmed up/used prior to certain exercises and training different muscle groups. I also like to do some pre-exhaustion work prior to certain exercises.

I like the theory of hitting weak muscle groups first when you are at your freshest to make them a priority. But that doesn’t always work for me.

An example of that is leg training. Theoretically, I should hit legs first and make that the priority muscle group of my training sessions. But there is two problems for me where that is concerned.

1) I never know when I am going to have a back or SI issue during my leg work. As soon as I sense something is or has gone wrong I quit and leave the gym so that the problem does not get exacerbated. If that were to happen, that would also mean that my other muscle groups would NOT get trained that day.

2) Leg training drains me. I have found that I can do an extremely hard upper body workout, and still have plenty in the tank for the wheelz. But after a leg session, I am pretty much done. I just don’t have the motivation to hit another muscle group hard. So I like to finish with my leg work, and wobble myself to the car.

I assume you are running strait sets too, it will be hard to work my normal supersets of apposing muscle groups into this type of split so i will likely just move from biggest to smallest muscles....

Yes and no. I mostly stick with straight sets, but depending on how I feel I might move the weight up or down from set to set. It is all about feel with me. I’ve said it before, I really don’t care what the number is on the iron I’m using.

OOS said it perfectly in a thread a couple of days ago: Just about every guy I see in the gym uses more weight than they should for pretty much every exercise. The art of stimulating a muscle is completely lost on most gym goers.

^^^^That statement is at the heart of my training. All I care about is stimulating the muscle to grow.

Glad your getting it done, training early isn't much fun, but I know its a schedule I will be able to keep as my kids get older and I have more obligations afterwork with them other than playing with them; sporting events, chuaffer, whatever...(as long as I can be home and in bed by 8pm then I will be golden

I only gripe about having to be flexible with my gym schedule because I am a somewhat OCD about my training. My workouts are a personal and important priority for me. I like them to fit neatly into my personal box. When they don’t, I get aggravated. But a little aggravation is NOT going to keep me away from the iron.

[ironwill2008]

It was so much easier to sit down at a bar stool lol

Of course it was. And that's (any path that's easier) the path that 99% of the population takes, all day, erry day. Not coincidentally, that why that same 99% look like crap, feel like crap, and are always complaining about looking and feeling like crap.

We (those who train and journal consistently) are different from the 99. Not necessarily "better" than them, but definitely different.

No matter what… being a husband and dad come first.

As they must.

[litljay]

STEVE!!!!!

I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow I got unsubbed. :/

Good to see you hammering away still and the scheduled shows. A few changes I see on this page and I'll need to go back to the explanations. 1) No longer in the home gym, and 2) New training protocol.

Life: Oh man, do I feel your pain/pleasure. I'm down to 3 days a week in the gym as the other days are completely consumed with kids sporting events and other activities and the need to not let my wife feel like a single parent. I love it though.

[EjnarKolinkar]

What model are you doing the machine close grip bench on?

I've had a bit of a fixation on finding a way to do them without racking and unracking. I've thought about testing a FID bench and the smith.

[Plateauplower]

Interesting how we all adapt diet protocols/ programs to suit our needs. The attention to detail that you follow with your overall approach is amazing.

I'm still in the lifting heavier than I probably need to to stimulate growth, I will be experimenting going forward with some work in higher rep ranges and bodybuilder type work. I do enjoy the heavy compounds though. I like those heavy sets where it's me vs the plates...

Forgot to mention, the wheels look great, I wouldn't call them an area that needs improvement IMO. They look pretty well balanced to me, but I'm no BB judge. Keep on doing what your doing, it's working.

[Payton1221]

Steve, with your history and knowledge of nutrition, do you think that I may have accidentally employed a quasi-peak week strategy with last night's unplanned candy gorge? I've been consuming approx 225/225/80 for weeks and last night (after eating 3 pieces of pizza--a very rare choice of dinner for me) I unleashed a fury on a chocolate chip cookie cake followed by at least a dozen Reece cups, Laffy Taffy, and candy bars. Before going to bed my chest and arms just looked like I had finished a high rep, high volume workout. Of course it could have been in my head, but I don't think so. What do you think?

Here's an article that I read and thought you might like: http://www.t-nation.com/training/4-m...ting-exercises

I was actually considering a leg press, but have decided against it considering the back issues that I've encountered.

[Bo_Flecks]

Thursday 10/30/14 (Pull) Periodized High Rep-Back/Biceps/Legs

Observations
I was telling a friend of mine at work that I was using a new pre-workout drink (MusclePharm Assault-Blue Raspberry) and that I thought it might be a good one for her to try. She was a HUGE fan of Craze when it was available, but not a big fan of beta alanine (the Assault is a little weak on the tingles) that is in some of the better pre-workout drinks that are still available. So I gave her my serving of Assault powder to try for her workout Thursday night. After that I didn’t give it another thought…until AFTER the workout was over.

Machine Lat Pull-Downs 5x12
Machine Chest Supported Rows 5x12
Body Weight Pull-Ups 5x12

Machine Bicep Curls 6x15

10 minutes of core work

Leg Curls 3x12
Hip Adductor 3x12

Leg Extensions 3x12
Leg Press 5x12

Calf Press 5x15

Final Thoughts
This workout was a bit of a grind. I had spent the entire day prior to training at the St Louis Zoo on a field trip. Maybe walking around in the cold weather all day, or the fact that I didn’t have my usual load of caffeine (at least 400mg) on board, but something was off.

I got it (ETA: the training session) in, but it wasn’t exactly fun. When the workout was over, I reflected on what might have been the issue. That is when I remembered that it was the first workout in ages where I didn’t have a stim (ETA: at LEAST 400mg of caffeine and a other stuff) in me.

[Cooper72]

I didn’t have my usual load of caffeine (at least 400mg) on board,

Glad I'm not the only one. I find a lot of the PWO drinks too sweet and kind of spendy. These days, I just pop 2 caffeine tabs (400mg) on a squat/dead day and 1 for an accessory day. That and a dose of creatine are the main ingredients of my poor man's PWO drink.

[cmoore]

I got it in, but it wasn’t exactly fun. When the workout was over, I reflected on what might have been the issue. That is when I remembered that it was the first workout in ages where I didn’t have a stim in me.

[confused] you mean pre workout?[/confused]

[Bo_Flecks]

We (those who train and journal consistently) are different from the 99. Not necessarily "better" than them, but definitely different.

I often refer to them in here (and in real life) as the “regular” people. Every now and then, I slip and call them the “normal” people. But whichever it really is, I quite enjoy being a 1%er at nearly 52.

Good to see you hammering away still and the scheduled shows. A few changes I see on this page and I'll need to go back to the explanations. 1) No longer in the home gym, and 2) New training protocol.

After a lot of research and soul searching, I have pretty much undergone a complete training shift.

Location: Training in a public gym
Protocol: Training nearly 100% on machines
Split: Each muscle group trained 2x per week
Schemes: Rolling periodized rep schemes
Nutrition: Running at about 100 to 200 calories over my calculated maintenance
Macros: Changed from 40/40/20 to 30/25/45
Conditioning: Keeping things VERY close (less than 5lbs) to contest level

So yeah… there have been a few changes.

What model are you doing the machine close grip bench on?

I've had a bit of a fixation on finding a way to do them without racking and unracking. I've thought about testing a FID bench and the smith.

This is the one my gym has. It’s a Matrix model with dual hand positions.



For close grip bench press, I use the down turned handles and keep my elbows in close to my lats. It works perfectly to hit the tris. Much better than any tricep pressing movement I have ever done.

Interesting how we all adapt diet protocols/ programs to suit our needs. The attention to detail that you follow with your overall approach is amazing.

I had the same comment made to me in real life the other day when I was eating with a group of people. I have a mindset that food is just another tool in my toolbox where my bodybuilding goals are concerned. It’s all just part of a big game that last 24hours a day for me.

I'm still in the lifting heavier than I probably need to to stimulate growth, I will be experimenting going forward with some work in higher rep ranges and bodybuilder type work. I do enjoy the heavy compounds though. I like those heavy sets where it's me vs the plates...

Whether it be the art of stimulating the muscles, or using the weight to train the muscles, it is just ONE mindset a guy can have in the gym. I have a HUGE ego where my physique is concerned, but not so much where the amount of weight I’m lifting with it is concerned.

Forgot to mention, the wheels look great, I wouldn't call them an area that needs improvement IMO. They look pretty well balanced to me, but I'm no BB judge. Keep on doing what your doing, it's working.

My wheels are adequate to stand on stage and feel like I deserve to be there. But quite frankly, adequate is not good enough.

Steve, with your history and knowledge of nutrition, do you think that I may have accidentally employed a quasi-peak week strategy with last night's unplanned candy gorge? I've been consuming approx 225/225/80 for weeks and last night (after eating 3 pieces of pizza--a very rare choice of dinner for me) I unleashed a fury on a chocolate chip cookie cake followed by at least a dozen Reece cups, Laffy Taffy, and candy bars. Before going to bed my chest and arms just looked like I had finished a high rep, high volume workout. Of course it could have been in my head, but I don't think so. What do you think?

I think the affect is pretty much exactly the same thing. I would be interested to hear if you noticed any carb bloat (spillover if you’re lean enough) the next day. When I do a carb overload like that, I will have some really weird thermogenic effects in the middle of the night. I will usually wake up with a high heart rate in a pool of sweat.

Here's an article that I read and thought you might like: http://www.t-nation.com/training/4-m...ting-exercises

I was actually considering a leg press, but have decided against it considering the back issues that I've encountered.

The 45 degree leg press is how I blew out my right SI joint. When I went to the sports re-hab clinic to deal with it, my doc told me that certain types of leg press equipment sends a lot of business her way. She recommended that I do NOT continue with the 45 degree pressing.

The machine I am doing leg press on now is this one:



I have found that the way it moves does not allow so much stress to be placed on the SIs. I have also been doing all of my other leg movements FIRST in order to pre-exhaust the quads. That said, I did feel a little bit of tension on the SIs during my last heavy periodized day. It could have been due to carelessness. I’m not sure.

Glad I'm not the only one. I find a lot of the PWO drinks too sweet and kind of spendy. These days, I just pop 2 caffeine tabs (400mg) on a squat/dead day and 1 for an accessory day. That and a dose of creatine are the main ingredients of my poor man's PWO drink.

I like mixing my own poverty PWO as well:
5g creatine
5g beta alanine
8g citrulline
400mg caffeine

But I recently ran out of citrulline, and was very low on beta alanine, so I stopped in at GNC and grabbed a tub of Assault. It had all of the stuff in it I wanted, and I was ready to try something new. I like to be stimmed up when I train. Just a personal preference.

[confused] you mean pre workout?[/confused]

I clarified it in the OP.

The intent of that paragraph was to say that I never really got into that workout. It just felt like drudgery the whole time and that is not normal for me. It could have been due to a lot of different circumstances, but I thought the biggest culprit was training without any caffeine in my system.

[Payton1221]

I think the affect is pretty much exactly the same thing. I would be interested to hear if you noticed any carb bloat (spillover if you’re lean enough) the next day. When I do a carb overload like that, I will have some really weird thermogenic effects in the middle of the night. I will usually wake up with a high heart rate in a pool of sweat.

I didn't notice anything different today. One observation that I have made is that my hunger is increased the day after an evening workout.

I have also been doing all of my other leg movements FIRST in order to pre-exhaust the quads.

Me too. Leg extension/front squat superset crew checking in Pre-exhausting my quads is the only way that I feel comfortable in doing any squat beside the hip belt squats that I do.

[Bo_Flecks]

Saturday 11/1/14 (Push) Periodized Medium Rep-Chest/Shoulders/Triceps

Observations
I dressed up to take the kids Trick or Treating last night. I’d never done that before. It was actually quite fun and my kids LOVED it!



Machine Bench Press 5x10
Pec Deck 5x10

Machine Overhead Press 5x10
Machine Rear Delt 5x10

Machine Close Grip Bench 5x12
Machine Tricep Extensions 5x12
Rope Press Downs 5x12

10 minutes of core work

Final Thoughts
Upper chest has always been a bit of a visual weakness of mine. I have really been focusing on bringing that in line for quite some time now. It is finally starting to fill in the way I would like.



I also may, or may not be keeping my tan up since I have a contest date planned for early in 2015.

[Bo_Flecks]

I didn't notice anything different today. One observation that I have made is that my hunger is increased the day after an evening workout.

When I overdo the the carbs and spillover, it will take my body up to three days to adjust. Visually, I will look very soft and buttered over during that time. After about three days of strict eating, I will usually be back to looking like I was prior to the carb binge.

I know what my spillover point is now, and I rarely allow myself to cross it these days.

Really there is no reason for it other than the inability to control myself. If the reason I am doing a carb focused re-feed is to adjust leptin and glycogen levels, there is really no reason to go over the spillover point. For me, 300g to 450g during a 24 hour period will get the job done.

ETA: But, as with a lot of guys, when I start in on the carbs I have a hard time controlling it and keeping it from becoming a binge. Carbs add to my hunger and I can eat a ton of them once I get started.

The good thing for me is the day after a re-feed, even when I know WHY I did the re-feed and kept it under control, I still feel a little guilty for some reason. But I guess that's a good thing because it sort of puts me in a frame of mind where I feel the need to eat strict again. Just my oddball nature.

Me too. Leg extension/front squat superset crew checking in Pre-exhausting my quads is the only way that I feel comfortable in doing any squat beside the hip belt squats that I do.

I read some articles recently that talked about leg hypertrophy and varying rep schemes to get the growth you are targeting. There seems to be some consensus out there that higher rep sets for the quads seem to hold an edge. I am starting to gravitate toward that consensus.

[cmoore]

Read this last night, thought you'd get a kick out of it too.

http://www.jissn.com/content/pdf/1550-2783-11-19.pdf

#Proteinrefeedscanbefun