Bo Flecks' Training Lean and Power Density Experiment

[Lou1se]

That was a solid training session!

Trash those legs tomorrow :-)

[HoustonTXMuscle]

Saturday 1/5/13- Chest/Biceps "B Week" Rotation ...

Chest Workout
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press:
Weight increased by 10lbs. Performed at a 30 degree bench angle.
Incline Dumbbell Flyes:
Weight increased by 5lbs. Performed at a 30 degree bench angle using the classic "hug the tree" form.
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press
Weight increased by 5lbs. Performed at a 30 degree decline.

Bicep Workout
Tricep Bar Spider Curls:
Weight increased by 15lbs. 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. Slow, controlled negative.
Dumbbell Spider Concentration Curls
Weight increased by 10lbs. Chest supported at a 45 degree angle. Using a total hang at the bottom and working both dumbbells simultaneously to get a good squeeze at the top.
Barbell Reverse Curls
Weight increased by 20lbs. Chest supported to protect my lower back.

Forearm Workout
Wrist Curls:
Continuing the forearm rehab work. Performed with a barbell with my wrists facing up.

Final Thoughts
The wheelz are on tap for tomorrow. Looking forward to it.

Great numbers and impressive increases all around, Steve.

[Bo_Flecks]

Sunday 1/6/13- Legs "B Week" Rotation

Leg press-Wide Foot Position
8x665
8x665
8x665
8x665

Leg press-Narrow Foot Position
10x570
10x570
10x570

Leg press-Medium Foot Position
10x550
10x550
10x550

Lying Leg Curls
10x60
10x60
10x60
10x60

Glute-Ham Raise
12xBW
12xBW
12xBW

Leg Press Calf Raises w/Toes turned out
15x600
15x600
15x600
15x600

Leg Press Calf Presses w/Toes in
15x600
15x600
15x600
15x600

Crush The Visual Weakness
4 sets of hi-rep leg extensions

Observations
I tweaked my lower back yesterday as I was cleaning up my gym and racking the weights for the day. So some adjustments had to be made to this workout because of that.

Quad Workout
Leg Press: Wide Foot Position
Weight increased by 15lbs. Heels are about 15 inches apart with the quads coming down well to the outside of my chest at the bottom of the movement.
Leg Press: Narrow Foot Position
Weight increased by 20lbs. Heels are about 3 inches apart with the quads coming down and pressing against my chest at the bottom of the movement.
Leg press-Medium Foot Position:
Heels are about 8 inches apart with the quads coming down well to the outside of my chest at the bottom of the movement. I substituted this one in place of the usual hack squats to protect my tweaked lower back.

Hamstring Workout
Lying Leg Curls:
Steady cadence with a short hold at the top and a slow negative.
Glute-Ham Raise:
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.

Final Thoughts
Despite the adjustments, the wheelz feel thoroughly worked.

[ljimd]

Strong work Steve, I see bigger better wheelz a' comin'. Watch that back.

[Vytis]

That's a whole lot of pressing! How do the quads feel this morning?

[ironwill2008]

It seems like any time guys posts out in the O35 these days about the special circumstances of competitors, it is hit with responses about being elitist.

I think that's just the nature of the beast, Steve. The majority of posters in the O35 aren't really hardcore (I feel like an elitist myself by posting this, but it's just the facts). But that's okay, really; everyone posting there has their own goals and agenda.

The guys who really understand the concept of constant improvement and the unending quest for it, they know where you're coming from.

Layne Norton says that you are very susceptible to viruses right around contest time and right after due to your immune system being weakened by the severity of the cut.

This is absolutely true. It's also the immune system that's responsible for repairing the tissue damage caused by hard training, putting even more of a load the body's recovery resources.

With my three little ones, there is always one of them bringing some sort of a sneezing, runny nose, coughing thing home. Last year, I was blessed with not catching any of it from them. Year before-last was a lot like this year. I never really know what to expect.

There's no way around this. We deal with it here when the grandkids are visiting; at least one of them is always coughing/sneezing. About the best we can do is have 'em "cover up" a sneeze, and try to keep hands washed.

[mharrislove]

Strong work Steve, I see bigger better wheelz a' comin'.

^^^This. Keep up the focused attack.

[Bo_Flecks]

Nice work. Did these today too but I was only using the 35s. 50's is darn beastly.

Doing the dumbbell spiders and the tricep bar spiders in the chest supported position really makes it a lot easier to handle heavier weight. I am not exactly sure why, but I could not even begin to handle those weights in a more upright and unsupported position.

Whatever it is, it allows me to force the biceps to move more weight without forearm tendon and lower back issues.

Lots of my favorite chest and bicep exercises there. Great job getting the weight increases. Dumbbell Spider Concentration Curls sound interesting - but, like Flex said, I wouldn't pull 50's.

The dumbbell spiders really allow me to squeeze the bicep at the top a lot more than any other movement. That is why I have them in both the A week and B week rotation. I think they are going to have a decent impact on my arm development by next year.

That was a solid training session!

Trash those legs tomorrow :-)

I love my weekend training sessions. I am always ready for rest day on Monday, too.

Great numbers and impressive increases all around, Steve.

By the end of this week, I will be at the point where I have moved all of my working weights to the top of my ability level, and increases will need to be micro-loaded from there on in. Weight increases will be between 2lbs and 5lbs after this week.

Strong work Steve, I see bigger better wheelz a' comin'. Watch that back.

The back outage was minor, but annoying. I probably could have done the hacks on Sunday, but chose to err on the safe side by skipping them and going to another variation of leg presses.

At this point I think my S1 is firing some warning shots at me that I am doing too much unsupported leg work with the barbell squats on Thursday and the SLDLs on Sunday. I will be considering an adjustment over the next few days.

That's a whole lot of pressing! How do the quads feel this morning?

The quads felt worked to about the exact level I wanted. Not too sore, but sore enough to let me know that they did not just cruise through it.

I think that's just the nature of the beast, Steve. The majority of posters in the O35 aren't really hardcore (I feel like an elitist myself by posting this, but it's just the facts). But that's okay, really; everyone posting there has their own goals and agenda.

The guys who really understand the concept of constant improvement and the unending quest for it, they know where you're coming from.

Yep. I just pick and choose to post sparingly. Right now the O35 is just mostly beginner and troll posts.

This is absolutely true. It's also the immune system that's responsible for repairing the tissue damage caused by hard training, putting even more of a load the body's recovery resources.

There's no way around this. We deal with it here when the grandkids are visiting; at least one of them is always coughing/sneezing. About the best we can do is have 'em "cover up" a sneeze, and try to keep hands washed.

I had to bring my oldest boy home early from school yesterday. He has caught some kind of a stomach virus and has been throwing up. Hopefully do not have that in my future, too. I am just now feeling normal again.

^^^This. Keep up the focused attack.

That is the plan. While I am not neglecting any muscle groups, there is certainly a focus being placed on the wheelz and a couple of other weaknesses.

[Bo_Flecks]

Tuesday 1/8/13- Back/Triceps/Abs/Calves "B Week" Rotation

Wide Grip Pull Ups
8xBW+35
8xBW+35
8xBW+35
8xBW+35

One Arm Dumbbell Rows
10x85
10x85
10x85

V- Grip Pull-ups
10xBW+35
10xBW+35
10xBW+35

Decline Close Grip Bench Press
10xBW+52 1/2
10xBW+52 1/2
10xBW+52 1/2
10xBW+52 1/2

OH Dumbbell Tricep Extensions
12x85
12x85
12x85

Close Grip Bench Press
12x175
12x175
12x175

Hanging Knee Raises
15xBW
15xBW
15xBW

Decline Crunches
30xBW
30xBW
30xBW

Seated Calf Raises
15x250
15x250
15x250

Crush The Visual Weakness
4 sets of hi-rep dumbbell pullovers

Observations
Almost all of the weights were increased and set at the top of my ability for the intended rep scheme. A couple of the sets felt really heavy today.

Back Workout
Wide Grip Pull Ups:
Weight increased by 5lbs. Wide grip, working to flare the lats out as much as possible at the bottom of this movement.
One Arm Dumbbell Rows:
Weight increased by 5lbs. Controlling the cadence of the reps to keep as much tension on the lats as possible.
V-Grip Pull-ups
Weight increased by 15lbs. Really just a hammer grip pull-up, flaring the lats out as much as possible at the bottom of this movement.

Tricep Workout
Weighted Tricep Dips:
Weight increased by 2 1/2lbs. Concentrating on keeping constant tension on the triceps.
OH Dumbbell Tricep Extensions:
Weight increased by 5lbs. The staple for working the medial head of the tricep. Very little forearm tendon stress at this angle.
Close Grip Bench Press
Weight increased by 20lbs. Hands about 10 inches apart, and elbows coming right down along my rib cage.

Direct Ab Work
Hanging Knee Raises
Reps increased. Knees straight ahead, focusing on pulling with the abs
Decline Crunches
Reps increased. Trying to really burn the abs here.

Calf Workout
Seated Calf Raises:
Soleus focused calf work.

Final Thoughts
I am still in the experimentation phase with some things and I am not completely sold on what I am doing. There will probably be some adjustments here and there over the next few weeks.

[Bo_Flecks]

Thursday 1/10/13- Shoulders/Traps/Legs "B Week" Rotation

Seated Overhead Barbell Press
8x190
8x190
8x190
8x190

Tricep Bar Front Raise
10x55
10x55
10x55

Bent Lateral Raises
10x40
10x40
10x40

Medium Grip Barbell Shrugs
10x255
10x255
10x255
10x255

Seated Dumbbell Shrugs
12x82 1/2
12x82 1/2
12x82 1/2

Leg press-Medium Foot Position
15x500
15x500
15x500
15x500

Lying Leg Curls
15x55
15x55
15x55

Calf Presses
30x300
30x300
30x300

Crush The Visual Weakness
4 sets of hi-rep upright rows

Observations
Typical mass gaining phase training. I made some fairly decent progress this week.

Shoulder Workout
Seated Overhead Barbell Press:
Weight increased by 5lbs. Bringing the bar down just below my chin until the backs of my arms go past the parallel plane. Any deeper than this and my delts disengage and my triceps take over.
Barbell Front Raises:
New exercise to try and put more emphasis on the front delts. Performed with a tricep bar with the hands in the hammer position. Raising the bar to just above shoulder level, and then controlling a slow negative for the burn. This one showed some promise today.
Bent Lateral Raises:
Weight increased by 5lbs. Chest supported at a 30 degree angle. Concentrating on pulling the dumbbells up with the elbows, forcing the work to be done by the rear delts.

Trap Workout
Medium Grip Barbell Shrugs:
Weight increased by 5lbs. Chest supported at a 60 degree angle forcing the traps to pull a little more from the top. Holding and squeezing..
Seated Dumbbell Shrugs:
Weight increased by 2 1/2lbs. Dumbbells brought around a little more to the back to try and focus on the top of my traps. Performed seated on my SuperBench, back supported at an 80 degree angle.

Legs
Leg press-Medium Foot Position:
I rotated this one in today to take place of the barbell squats since my back was tweaked earlier in the week. Heels are about 8 inches apart with the quads coming down well to the outside of my chest at the bottom of the movement. I substituted this one in place of the usual hack squats to protect my tweaked lower back.

Lying Leg Curls:
Controlled cadence with a short hold at the top and a slow negative.
Calf Presses:
Hi rep work with the feet together and toes straight forward to hit the belly of the calves.

Final Thoughts
The viruses I had over the last few weeks exposed an issue with my heart that I am having looked into. I had blood work and a specialist appointment yesterday, and another appointment coming up on Tuesday. Hopefully by Tuesday, I will have some resolution to this issue.

Until then, training will continue as normal.

[bamazav]

Will be praying?

[drudixon]

Final Thoughts
The viruses I had over the last few weeks exposed an issue with my heart that I am having looked into. I had blood work and a specialist appointment yesterday, and another appointment coming up on Tuesday. Hopefully by Tuesday, I will have some resolution to this issue.

Until then, training will continue as normal.

Didn't want to come in and have to read that I hope it checks out ok. It may be one of those things that's it's really good to catch it now. Best of luck. Well wishes coming your way.

[bustasinclair]

Stay strong brother.....hope all goes well with the heart!

[Vytis]

I hope the tests go well....

I've been living with a PVC arrhythmia since I've been a kid myself. I hope your issue is even less serious than mine...

[mharrislove]

Stay strong brother.....hope all goes well with the heart!

x2...sending positive thoughts your way, brother in iron.

[securekey]

Seems like you are having a run of bad luck so far this year I hope things turn around soon.

There is no doubt in my mind that you will overcome whatever this year brings ... and achieve your goals. Strong and focused as always.

[stayfit2008]

[baker]

Best of luck SteBo.

[OutOfStep]

Nice to see there are still a few guys posting on this board who actually *want* to look like bodybuilders.

[alex2363]

Stebo, you have a big heart in life and sport, so i know u will overcome this little bump on your road to numero 1

[Bo_Flecks]

Nice to see there are still a few guys posting on this board who actually *want* to look like bodybuilders.

I've been slogging through some health crap for the last two months, but the goal has not changed. I am working to build a natty physique that will bring as many cheap plastic trophies home as possible. Nothing more, nothing less.



^^^^ looks lonely in my trophy case and needs a lot more company .

Will be praying?

Didn't want to come in and have to read that I hope it checks out ok. It may be one of those things that's it's really good to catch it now. Best of luck. Well wishes coming your way.

Stay strong brother.....hope all goes well with the heart!

I hope the tests go well....

I've been living with a PVC arrhythmia since I've been a kid myself. I hope your issue is even less serious than mine...

x2...sending positive thoughts your way, brother in iron.

Seems like you are having a run of bad luck so far this year I hope things turn around soon.

There is no doubt in my mind that you will overcome whatever this year brings ... and achieve your goals. Strong and focused as always.

[img]http://durhamregionalhospital.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/heart-lifting-weights.jpg[img]

Best of luck SteBo.

Stebo, you have a big heart in life and sport, so i know u will overcome this little bump on your road to numero 1

Thanks, guys.

I had mentioned it a couple of times in my training write-ups that the viruses exposed some heart rhythm problems during (and sometimes after) my training. This is nothing new, and something that I have been dealing with since my mid-thirties.

When I had the heart procedure a few years ago, the doc told me I was cured of the SVTs but that I would continue to have the palpitations. I have been on a light dose of meds for the palpitations to keep them at bay since then. My guess is that all that needs to be done is have a med correction. It is probably time since I have been on the original med for 6 years.

While the palpitations are annoying and very frustrating, they are harmless. My main concern is finding a new med that does not cause unwanted side effects that screw with my training goals.

I will find out on Tuesday the results of the tests I recently had done, and hopefully a new med will be prescribed and I will be back in business. Until Tuesday, I plan to continue training as normal. I never really know how mild or moderate the palpitations will be, so I will just have to deal with it until then.

[BergMuscle]

Train strong and smart, iron brother.

[StressMonkey]

I will find out on Tuesday the results of the tests I recently had done, and hopefully a new med will be prescribed and I will be back in business. Until Tuesday, I plan to continue training as normal. I never really know how mild or moderate the palpitations will be, so I will just have to deal with it until then.

Good luck on Tuesday.

[Bo_Flecks]

Saturday 1/12/13- Chest/Biceps "A Week" Rotation

Incline Barbell Bench Press
8x227
8x227
8x227
8x227

Decline Barbell Bench Press
10x187
10x187
10x187

Incline Dumbbell Flyes
10x75
10x75
10x75

Incline DB Curls
10x47
10x47
10x47
10x47

Tricep Bar Spider Curls
12x145
12x145
12x145

Spider Concentration Curls
12x47
12x47
12x47

Wrist Curls
10x95
10x95
10x95

Observations
Solid training session today.

Chest Workout
Incline Barbell Bench Press:
Weight increased by 2lbs. Bench angle set at a 30 degree incline, and hands 2 inches wider than before. Controlled reps focusing on working the pecs with the weight.
Decline Barbell Bench Press
Weight increased by 2lbs. Bench angle set at a30 degree decline. Dropping the bar just below my sternum.
Incline Dumbbell Flyes:
Weight increased by 5lbs. Bench angle set at a 30 degree incline. Hug the tree form to concentrate totally on the pecs.

Bicep Workout
Incline DB Curls
Weight increased by 2lbs. The bench angle is at 60 degrees. 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.
Tricep Bar Spider Curls:
Weight increased by 5lbs. 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. This is my heavy work for the biceps to try and add size.
Spider Concentration Curls
Weight increased by 2lbs. Chest supported at a 45 degree angle. Using a total hang working both dumbbells simultaneously and getting a good squeeze at the top.

Forearm Workout
Wrist Curls:
Continuing the rehab work on my forearm tendons.

Final Thoughts
Looking forward to hammering the wheelz tomorrow.

[ProtienandIron]

Best of luck to you Steve, I hope those meds sort things out.

[mharrislove]

Serious reps as usual, Bo; looking forward to the upcoming leg workout.

[VoxExMachina]

Solid looking workout, Steve. Glad to see you're back in the groove.

Sorry to hear about the palpitations. Both my wife and I sometimes get odd rhythms, skipped beats, etc. Comes and goes based on accumulated fatigue, for me. Too many nights with lack of sleep and it'll crop up. Really freaked me out when it first happened, but I've learned to live with it.

[Bo_Flecks]

Train strong and smart, iron brother.

Always!

Good luck on Tuesday.

The whole onset of this thing kind of reminds me of when I started having a lot of trouble with the SVTs. At least this time I know I have the proper diagnosis to work with. Should not really be a big deal. One of the electro-cardio physiologists I went to a few years ago told me that meds have to be modified from time to time. I guess it is just that time.

Best of luck to you Steve, I hope those meds sort things out.

I am pretty sure a modification in meds will. I have given it enough time to sort itself out on its own and that really did not happen, so it is time to take the next step.

Serious reps as usual, Bo; looking forward to the upcoming leg workout.

Leg day used to be my least favorite workout. Now it is the one I look forward to the most. I guess I have a bit of a sense of urgency where the wheelz are concerned. They were definitely the reason I got beat in October. If I get that shored up, then I can actually be competitive for some titles.

Solid looking workout, Steve. Glad to see you're back in the groove.

Sorry to hear about the palpitations. Both my wife and I sometimes get odd rhythms, skipped beats, etc. Comes and goes based on accumulated fatigue, for me. Too many nights with lack of sleep and it'll crop up. Really freaked me out when it first happened, but I've learned to live with it.

Yesterday was the first workout in 8 weeks where my heart did not palpitate. When it happens, it is always after a set when the heart is slowing itself down. It might palpitate once or twice, or it may not do it at all. On a few days, it would do it quite a bit. None of that actually affected the lifts, but was real annoying.

I had the palpitations follow me out of the gym three different times and flop around for a couple of hours in the evening. That really sucked because it made it hard to go to sleep.

Whatever the cause, it is time to look into a med change. Like I said before, this is nothing new for me and ultimately harmless. Just another day in the life of SteBo

[Vanguard1965]

Strong Incline Bench and solid workout. When are you planning to compete again?

[HoustonTXMuscle]

Been absent for awhile and sorry to hear about your health problems, Steve. Know how disturbing, annoying and frustrating things like that can be mentally as I've thrown pre-atrial contractions since I was 25 and have never had a normal EKG in all those years. Props for the serious Chest/Bi work yesterday. Wishing you all the best on Tuesday.