Bo Flecks' Training Lean and Power Density Experiment

[ArchAngel'73]

ALWAYS defer to stimulate, do not annhilate.
Sound sage advices from one of the best men and Mr. O's EVER.

You look great, and lean!
Feels good compared to the out of shape old days huh?

Great work Steve.

[Bo_Flecks]

Solid approach to both the food over the weekend and today's work. A technician as always.

I figured I could not do much harm if I gave myself 4 hours to eat whatever I wanted. Sometimes I amaze myself just how much food I can pack away in one sitting when I let go of the reigns.

Most of the meals I eat are right at 400 calories each right now. When I sit down and pack away a couple thousand calories worth of food in one lengthy sitting it is like heaven on earth for one brief shining moment. It was like an episode of Man vs. Food, and man won!

Solid session and good for you on sticking to your plan Sunday despite the temptation. Now its GROW TIME !!

Yep. The plan was to do a re-feed to get the metabolism jumpstarted again and then gently bump my calories up to maintenance level the following day. Believe me when I say it was tough not to just go ahead and eat at-will for the family reunion meal on Sunday and wait to start the maintenance on Monday. But these are the little gut checks I do every now and then with myself.

The one big meal on Saturday was for the purpose of (theoretically or scientifically- however you want to look at it) beginning the process of raising my leptin levels back up.

The whole idea here is that if you eat below maintenance calories over a period of weeks your fat cells shrink as you diet. Shrunken fat cells release less leptin. When your brain senses that leptin levels are low, and that you are no longer "fueled up", the hypothalamus senses the decrease in leptin levels, lowering metabolic rate and decreasing energy expenditure. It also sends a "hungry" signal, increasing appetite and encouraging you to eat.

Well, that is the theory, anyway.

Here is a decent article on restoring leptin levels: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_..._your_leanness

Steady and solid work, especially the Leg Presses, OHP and Lat Raises. And great control over food intake...I can't say no to an extra piece of cake

I had cake and ice cream.

Normally I do not eat a lot of sweets with my nutritional plan. I know I could fit that stuff in if I wanted it, but then I have to give up/substitute something else. It usually just depends on how bad I want it to go through the hassle of making it fit.

I have my nutrition set up to get the biggest bulk of food for the target amount of calories I can. This really helps me out with the satiety aspect when I am playing things so close to the vest.

But when it comes right down to it, while I have daily calorie and macro goals that I shoot for, I really pay the most attention to my weekly goals. That way if I do have something (like an Independence Day celebration) come up that does not allow me to eat on my usually strict plan, I can easily adjust for it.

I will probably be making an adjustment on Friday to pay for something I really wanted on the 4th. -<shrugs>-

Agreed on the 5% comment.. but it sure would be cool to do it at least once I have a lot of respect for you guys that make it down that low.

What I noticed at the Gateway Naturals was that most of the guys who won their classes were in the 6 to 7% range.

I had the stager tell me before I went on stage to do my posing routine that I had the best conditioning he saw that day. While that may have been true, it did not help me get beyond 3rd place.

The question I will have to answer for myself next October is this: Do I shred it down to ~5% again, or do I shoot for 6 to7% and hold onto a little more size? Of course if I am teh hyooge it will not matter. But my guess is I will not be huge and will need to go with my judgment during the prep.

Yea, that can mess with an accurate assessment of your progression on the subsequent exercises.

Yes sir, that is the main reason right there.

Going ballz to the wall on those last sets was leaving me a little tanked prior to working the muscle group with the second exercise. That could have been in part to the calorie deficit, but still I need to keep it within reason. Forward progression is forward progression. Since that is my true objective for each workout, I need to keep myself dialed into the goal of what I am trying to achieve.

Leaving something in the tank for the following movement is a good thing. It is also MUCH less mentally taxing.

Best of both worlds, here.

Well, I am really trying to focus on my own hybrid periodization as much as possible. None of this is just random. I have put a lot of my previous experiences into what I am doing right now. Using the A/B exercise rotation with barbell centric/dumbbell centric workouts seems to keep me in the game without the nagging little injuries that have plagued me in the past.

Going from a weight increase week to a rep increase week is serving basically the same purpose.

I really need to keep my rep ranges in the 10-12 zone. I have found through trial and error that when I get heavier with lower reps, my muscles outperform my connective tissue and that is when I get into trouble.

FWIW, I think your expectations will be met when cals-in increase. As close to the vest as you keep things, just a few hundred calories will make a difference you'll feel.

I can feel the increase already through the improved recovery time between sets during the last workout, and then when I was doing my cardio yesterday. It will not be long until the CrAzY oLd MaN strength kicks in again .

ALWAYS defer to stimulate, do not annhilate. Sound sage advices from one of the best men and Mr. O's EVER.

I have to watch myself in the gym. I have really good endurance with the iron and sometimes I tend to push the volume more than I should. When I do that, I really risk bringing connective tissue problems into the picture.

You look great, and lean!
Feels good compared to the out of shape old days huh?

With the re-feed and eating at maintenance for a few days, I have really filled out visually. My body weight is up, but the skin looks the same, so this has been like a peak week of sorts. I will check my training weight today, but my guess is that I will easily be 3 to 4lbs heavier than when I took that pic last week.

On my frame, 4lbs goes a long way

[HoustonTXMuscle]

...I had cake and ice cream.

...

Nothing wrong with that, Steve. It's all in the choices. Lots of gluten-free cake mixes on the market now so that the flour doesn't turn to sugar in your GI tract. Couple that with sugar-free cake icings and top it off with Artic Zero (whey protein) ice cream.

[drudixon]

Nice job on the gains. Skin being the same means you're definitely onto something, not just packing straight up water. how much longer is the surplus going to run for?

[storm1507]

Lots of great info in here.

[ljimd]

I figured I could not do much harm if I gave myself 4 hours to eat whatever I wanted. Sometimes I amaze myself just how much food I can pack away in one sitting when I let go of the reigns.

Most of the meals I eat are right at 400 calories each right now. When I sit down and pack away a couple thousand calories worth of food in one lengthy sitting it is like heaven on earth for one brief shining moment. It was like an episode of Man vs. Food, and man won!



Yep. The plan was to do a re-feed to get the metabolism jumpstarted again and then gently bump my calories up to maintenance level the following day. Believe me when I say it was tough not to just go ahead and eat at-will for the family reunion meal on Sunday and wait to start the maintenance on Monday. But these are the little gut checks I do every now and then with myself.

The one big meal on Saturday was for the purpose of (theoretically or scientifically- however you want to look at it) beginning the process of raising my leptin levels back up.

The whole idea here is that if you eat below maintenance calories over a period of weeks your fat cells shrink as you diet. Shrunken fat cells release less leptin. When your brain senses that leptin levels are low, and that you are no longer "fueled up", the hypothalamus senses the decrease in leptin levels, lowering metabolic rate and decreasing energy expenditure. It also sends a "hungry" signal, increasing appetite and encouraging you to eat.

Well, that is the theory, anyway.

Here is a decent article on restoring leptin levels: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_..._your_leanness



I had cake and ice cream.

Normally I do not eat a lot of sweets with my nutritional plan. I know I could fit that stuff in if I wanted it, but then I have to give up/substitute something else. It usually just depends on how bad I want it to go through the hassle of making it fit.

I have my nutrition set up to get the biggest bulk of food for the target amount of calories I can. This really helps me out with the satiety aspect when I am playing things so close to the vest.

But when it comes right down to it, while I have daily calorie and macro goals that I shoot for, I really pay the most attention to my weekly goals. That way if I do have something (like an Independence Day celebration) come up that does not allow me to eat on my usually strict plan, I can easily adjust for it.

I will probably be making an adjustment on Friday to pay for something I really wanted on the 4th. -<shrugs>-



What I noticed at the Gateway Naturals was that most of the guys who won their classes were in the 6 to 7% range.

I had the stager tell me before I went on stage to do my posing routine that I had the best conditioning he saw that day. While that may have been true, it did not help me get beyond 3rd place.

The question I will have to answer for myself next October is this: Do I shred it down to ~5% again, or do I shoot for 6 to7% and hold onto a little more size? Of course if I am teh hyooge it will not matter. But my guess is I will not be huge and will need to go with my judgment during the prep.



Yes sir, that is the main reason right there.

Going ballz to the wall on those last sets was leaving me a little tanked prior to working the muscle group with the second exercise. That could have been in part to the calorie deficit, but still I need to keep it within reason. Forward progression is forward progression. Since that is my true objective for each workout, I need to keep myself dialed into the goal of what I am trying to achieve.

Leaving something in the tank for the following movement is a good thing. It is also MUCH less mentally taxing.



Well, I am really trying to focus on my own hybrid periodization as much as possible. None of this is just random. I have put a lot of my previous experiences into what I am doing right now. Using the A/B exercise rotation with barbell centric/dumbbell centric workouts seems to keep me in the game without the nagging little injuries that have plagued me in the past.

Going from a weight increase week to a rep increase week is serving basically the same purpose.

I really need to keep my rep ranges in the 10-12 zone. I have found through trial and error that when I get heavier with lower reps, my muscles outperform my connective tissue and that is when I get into trouble.



I can feel the increase already through the improved recovery time between sets during the last workout, and then when I was doing my cardio yesterday. It will not be long until the CrAzY oLd MaN strength kicks in again .



I have to watch myself in the gym. I have really good endurance with the iron and sometimes I tend to push the volume more than I should. When I do that, I really risk bringing connective tissue problems into the picture.



With the re-feed and eating at maintenance for a few days, I have really filled out visually. My body weight is up, but the skin looks the same, so this has been like a peak week of sorts. I will check my training weight today, but my guess is that I will easily be 3 to 4lbs heavier than when I took that pic last week.

On my frame, 4lbs goes a long way

That's a mini seminar right there. Good stuff Stebo. Mirin' your planning and detail.

[Bo_Flecks]

Wednesday 7/3/13-Chest, Triceps, Back, and Biceps (Dumbbell Centric Training- A Rotation)

Incline Dumbbell Bench
10x95
10x95
10x95
10x95

Incline Dumbbell Flyes
10x75
10x75
10x75

Weighted Bench Dips
12x95
12x95
12x95
12x95

OH Dumbbell Extensions
12x85
12x85
12x85

Wide Grip Pull Ups
10xBW+25
10xBW+25
10xBW+25
10xBW+25

Hammer Grip Pull Ups
10xBW+25
10xBW+25
10xBW+25

Tricep Bar Spider Curls
12x90
12x90
12x90
12x90

Dumbbell Curls
12x37
12x37
12x37

Wrist Curls
12x75
12x75
12x75

Observations
This workout begins the forward progression of the weight schemes for the next four training sessions.

My training weight was 180.2lbs today. I had intended on getting a progress pic, but my wife dropped the camera that has the self timer on it, so I will need to pick up a new one this week.

Chest Workout
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press:
Weight increased by 3lbs on each dumbbell. I have the bench dropped back to 30 degrees for my chest training. I was tempted to go ahead and load up the 100s but I will stay the course.
Incline Dumbbell Flyes:
Weight increased by 3lbs on each dumbbell. Using the classic "Hug the Tree" form, here. The 75s felt very manageable.

Tricep Workout
Weighted Bench Dips
Weight increased by 5lbs. Using a dumbbell between my thighs for the added weight.
Overhead Dumbbell Tricep Extensions:
Weight increased by 2 1/2lbs. Focusing on making the rear head of the tricep move as much of this weight as possible.

Back Workout
Wide Grip Pull Ups:
Weight increased by 2 1/2lbs. Wide grip, dropping to a dead stop at the bottom and flaring the lats to bring them out as much as possible.
Hammer Grip Pull-Ups
Weight increased by 2 1/2lbs. Leaning my head and shoulders back and pulling my chest up to the handle. The bars about shoulder width apart.

Bicep Workout
Tricep Bar Spider Curls:
Weight increased by 3lbs. Using a total hang at the bottom to stretch the bis, and then pulling the bar to the apex using the chest supported protocol.
Dumbbell Curls
Weight increased by 1lb on each dumbbell. Chest supported to protect my lower back. This angle allows me to supinate the dumbbells without any forearm discomfort.

Forearm Workout
Wrist Curls:
Weight increased by 5lbs. Continuing the rehab work on my medial forearm tendons. Performed with a barbell with my wrists facing up.

Final Thoughts
With the extra calories on board I finished this workout about 15 minutes faster than I did last week. Recovery time between sets was much better. My strength was still in the "meh" category, but I am sure that will be picking up soon enough.

I hope everyone here in the US has a great 4th of July holiday tomorrow!

[BergMuscle]

Even with "meh" strength you are moving some big numbers, especially compared to some of us.
I don't know about you, but I prefer DB work; I feel like I have better control of the exercises to hit the target muscles just right.

[Vanguard1965]

Even with "meh" strength you are moving some big numbers, especially compared to some of us.
I don't know about you, but I prefer DB work; I feel like I have better control of the exercises to hit the target muscles just right.

I agree on the meh strength. I trained chest today Steve and you kicked my ass. LOL

[Lou1se]

It's nice to be taking in extra cals. I notice a difference in my performance too.

I like your sensible approach to keeping a bit in the tank and not stressing the connective tissues. It's not a nice place to be and stalls progress.

[Bo_Flecks]

Nothing wrong with that, Steve. It's all in the choices. Lots of gluten-free cake mixes on the market now so that the flour doesn't turn to sugar in your GI tract. Couple that with sugar-free cake icings and top it off with Artic Zero (whey protein) ice cream.

That one sounds like a treat you could regularly work into your nutrition plan without much of a problem.

Right now I really have to watch my processed sugar and caffeine intake. When I was at the family reunion and did my re-feed I splurged on some desserts. The combination of sugar and tiny bit of caffeine from some of the chocolate stuff I had did some things to my heart rate and heart rhythm I did not like.

It sent me a message loud and clear that I am not totally over this heart issue and I need to keep things fairly strict.

Nice job on the gains. Skin being the same means you're definitely onto something, not just packing straight up water. how much longer is the surplus going to run for?

I got out of my eating bubble a little bit this week. I had to travel for a funeral and then follow that up with the trip to my folks for the 4th. I was basically gone for two days and had to pick and choose from the food that was available to me. Not what I usually eat.

I noticed last night that I was looking a little buttered over. It does not take long when the carb and sodium level gets a little high.

Lots of great info in here.

That's a mini seminar right there. Good stuff Stebo. Mirin' your planning and detail.

Thanks, guys.

That is what happens when a bored teacher has too much time on his hands during summer vacation.

Even with "meh" strength you are moving some big numbers, especially compared to some of us.
I don't know about you, but I prefer DB work; I feel like I have better control of the exercises to hit the target muscles just right.

I agree on the meh strength. I trained chest today Steve and you kicked my ass. LOL

Well, I gave it the "meh" rating because the weight I am using right now is all re-tread stuff. I still have 10lbs to add to each dumbbell before I get back to the weight I was using last year for sets of 10 on the DB presses.

While the weight for the DB presses and the DB flyes was very manageable on Wednesday, I am pretty sure I could NOT have mustered sets of 10 with 105s on the presses, so I have some work to do to get back there. It should not be long, though.

It's nice to be taking in extra cals. I notice a difference in my performance too.

I like your sensible approach to keeping a bit in the tank and not stressing the connective tissues. It's not a nice place to be and stalls progress.

The biggest change I have noticed so far is with my energy and recovery. I flew through the workout on Wednesday and finished it 15 minutes faster. I really did not feel like I was moving all that much more rapidly between sets. I just followed my normal protocol of going when I am ready.

I just happened to be ready much more quickly. It was a good feeling I had not had in a long time.

[cmoore]

Good stuff big guy. Keep it up.

[Bo_Flecks]

Friday 7/5/13- Legs and Shoulders (Dumbbell Centric Training- A Rotation)

Wide Leg Press
10x510
10x510
10x510
10x510

Hack Squats
10x340
10x340
10x340

Leg Curl
12x55
12x55
12x55
12x55

Calf Presses
20x510
20x510
20x510

Seated OH Dumbbell Press
12x75
12x75
12x75
12x75

Dumbbell Lateral Raise/Front Raise Combo
12x12x22
12x12x22
12x12x22

Dumbbell Shrugs
10x90
10x90
10x90
10x90

Hanging Knee Raises
17xBW+13 1/2
17xBW+13 1/2
17xBW+13 1/2

Observations
All of the traveling I have done this week, and not sleeping in my own bed had me dragged down a little this morning. As a matter of fact I slept in 2 hours longer than usual today because we got in so late last night. All of that combined had me feeling a little lethargic.

This would have been the perfect day for a PWO stim to get me going. As it was, I just had to get it done on my own. Once the workout got started I was okay.

Leg Workout
Leg Press: Wide Foot Position
Weight increased by 5lbs. Heels are about 15 inches apart with the quads coming down well to the outside of my chest at the bottom of the movement. Dropping these deep with negatives slower than positives.
Hack Squats:
Weight increased by 5lbs. The feet are positioned to put as much emphasis on the outer sweep of the quad as possible.
Lying Leg Curls:
Weight increased by 2 1/2lbs. Steady cadence with a short hold at the top and a slow negative.
Leg Press Calf Presses
Weight increased by 5lbs. The first set has toes turned out, on the second set the toes are straight forward, and the final set has the toes turned in.

Shoulder Workout
Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press:
Weight increased by 3lbs on each dumbbell. Bringing the dumbbells down until the backs of my arms go just below the parallel plane. The 75s felt like a load today.
Dumbbell Lateral Raise/Front Raise Combo:
Weight increased by 1lb on each dumbbell. A set of front raises immediately followed by a set of lateral raises before setting the dumbbells down.
Seated Dumbbell Shrugs:
Weight increased by 5lbs on each dumbbell. 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.

Direct Ab Work
Hanging Knee Raises
Weight increased by 1lb. The first set has the knees forward focusing on the abdominals. The second and third sets turn the hips and pull the legs up with the obliques.

Final Thoughts
Got all of my weight increases for the intended rep schemes with the exception of the hanging knee raises. I guess if I was going to come up short, the ab work was the acceptable place to do it. This one is in the books.

[VoxExMachina]

Once the workout got started I was okay.

More often than not, that's the way it goes.

Final Thoughts
Got all of my weight increases for the intended rep schemes with the exception of the hanging knee raises. I guess if I was going to come up short, the ab work was the acceptable place to do it. This one is in the books.

Can't ask for more than progress across the board. Even if you're in re-tread mode, it's movement in the right direction.

[BergMuscle]

I was gonna post just about the same thing as Vox^^^.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

[Bo_Flecks]

How much longer is the surplus going to run for?

I have been eating at the maintenance level for a week. I plan to go another week at maintenance, and then bump the calories up 200 per day.

My plan as it stands right now is to go with a 200 calorie per day surplus for 4 weeks and then evaluate. What I do at that point will be completely dependent upon what happened over that 6 week period.

Personally, I think most guys coming off of a cut (in the name of bulking or whatever) initially run their calories up way too high. I am in the camp with Layne Norton on this one. After an extended calorie deficit, the body is primed to add fat again... and do it quickly. Adding calories back into the nutrition plan should be done slowly and deliberately or it can get away from you in a hurry.

Good stuff big guy. Keep it up.

I hope to. I have not been 100% the last couple of days and I am not sure what to make of it yet.

Can't ask for more than progress across the board. Even if you're in re-tread mode, it's movement in the right direction.

The weight I am using for my upper body work is pretty much all re-tread stuff with the only difference being the increased frequency.

With my leg training, I have the depth changed where I am dropping the load close to 2 inches deeper than before. The weight that I am using right now is somewhat lighter than I was using last year, but the extra two inches of depth really makes a big difference in how heavy it feels in the hole.

My thought process here is that if I stretch the quads a little more at the bottom, I am recruiting more muscle fibers. Recruiting more muscle fibers in turn should spur more growth.

So far I see better shape in my quads, but not much size increase. Time will tell.

I was gonna post just about the same thing as Vox^^^.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

That is a good thing. I appreciate when guys come in here and look at things with a critical eye and open up a bodybuilding discussion. The journals are about the only place that is going on these days. Too much beginner crap, and parroting of the same old responses going on out in the open forums.

[nabilkhatib]

I wonder if you guys can help me out, wondering what this workout will do.

Every Friday, Front squats, 10lbs plate per side long bar, 10 reps, then I add 10 per side until I reach total 70 lbs per side plus the bar. comes to about 8 sets front squats with 1 min break between.

What's this workout do? Build size and strength??

I'm an MMA fighter, I usually do power and speed training, just trying to change things a bit.


Thanks

[ironwill2008]

I wonder if you guys can help me out, wondering what this workout will do.

Every Friday, Front squats, 10lbs plate per side long bar, 10 reps, then I add 10 per side until I reach total 70 lbs per side plus the bar. comes to about 8 sets front squats with 1 min break between.

What's this workout do? Build size and strength??

I'm an MMA fighter, I usually do power and speed training, just trying to change things a bit.


Thanks

Relatively high reps with moderate weight will generally build some size, provided you work to progress the amount of weight you lift over time.

If you're looking to increase quad strength, you'd need to reduce the number of sets and reps, and increase the weight.

[Bo_Flecks]

Sunday 7/7/13-Chest, Triceps, Back, and Biceps (Barbell Centric Training- B Rotation)

Incline Barbell Bench
10x210
10x210
10x210
10x210

Incline Dumbbell Flyes
10x75
10x75
10x75

Weighted Dips
10xBW+30
10xBW+30
10xBW+30
10xBW+30

OH Dumbbell Extensions
12x85
12x85
12x85

Wide Grip Pull Ups
10xBW+25
10xBW+25
10xBW+25
10xBW+25

Barbell Rows
10x185
10x185
10x185

EZ Bar Spider Curls
12x80
12x80
12x80
12x80

Dumbbell Spider Curls
12x37
12x37
12x37

Wrist Curls
12x75
12x75
12x75

Observations
I mentioned it earlier today that I have not been feeling 100% the past couple of days. For some reason the heart rhythm issue has been bothering me. Not like it was earlier this year, but it is bothersome to say the least. Could be because I am getting sick, or it could be more than that. Hard to tell at this point. I will give it another couple of days, and if it has not settled down, I guess I will be back with the docs at square one again.

Not good news no matter how I look at it. But on the positive side, I got through the workout without much of a problem.

Chest Workout
Incline Barbell Bench Press:
Weight increased by 5lbs. Bench set at a 30 degrees angle.
Incline Dumbbell Flyes:
Weight on each dumbbell increased by 3lbs. For this movement, I moved the bench up to a 45 degree angle.

Tricep Workout
Weighted Dips
Weight increased by 5lbs. Upright body position to place the focus on the triceps.
Overhead Dumbbell Tricep Extensions:
Weight increased by 2 1/2lbs. Focusing on making the rear head of the tricep move as much of this weight as possible.

Back Workout
Wide Grip Pull Ups:
Weight increased by 2 1/2lbs. Wide grip, dropping to a dead stop at the bottom and flaring the lats to bring them out as much as possible.
Barbell Rows
Weight increased by 5lbs. Chest supported protocol with the bench set at a 45 degree upright angle.

Bicep Workout
EZ Bar Spider Curls:
Weight increased by 3lbs. Using the narrow grips in the EZ bar in the chest supported position with the bench set at 45 degrees. Dropping it to a total hang at the bottom to stretch the bis, and then pulling the bar to the apex.
Dumbbell Spider Curls
Weight on each dumbbell increased by 1lb. Chest supported to protect my lower back. This angle allows me to supinate the dumbbells without any forearm discomfort.

Forearm Workout
Wrist Curls:
Weight increased by 5lbs. Continuing the rehab work on my medial forearm tendons. Performed with a barbell with my wrists facing up.

Final Thoughts
I tried to take a progress pic with my new camera, but for some reason they turned out blurry. I will need to figure out what is going on there.

[ljimd]

Sure hope the heart issue is a minor one this time. Fingers crossed here.

W/o weights are strong.

[wuskillz]

Be careful with that. Hope you get to feeling better soon

[mharrislove]

Sure hope the heart issue is a minor one this time. Fingers crossed here.

W/o weights are strong.

Be careful with that. Hope you get to feeling better soon

This.

Will be sending positive thoughts and vibes your way. Some bumps in the road along the way are expected and do not detract from the target within your sights.

[Lou1se]

All of the traveling I have done this week, and not sleeping in my own bed had me dragged down a little this morning. As a matter of fact I slept in 2 hours longer than usual today because we got in so late last night. All of that combined had me feeling a little lethargic.

This would have been the perfect day for a PWO stim to get me going. As it was, I just had to get it done on my own. Once the workout got started I was okay.

/\/\ You have been out and about and you're more tired than usual. And I wouldn't dally about with any abnormal heart issues, see your Doc. Better to be safe.

[ironwill2008]

I got through the workout without much of a problem.

I'm certainly no doctor, but ^^^^this has to be a good sign.

[HoustonTXMuscle]

[b]....
Observations
I mentioned it earlier today that I have not been feeling 100% the past couple of days. For some reason the heart rhythm issue has been bothering me. Not like it was earlier this year, but it is bothersome to say the least. Could be because I am getting sick, or it could be more than that. Hard to tell at this point. I will give it another couple of days, and if it has not settled down, I guess I will be back with the docs at square one again.

Not good news no matter how I look at it. But on the positive side, I got through the workout without much of a problem.....

Steve, just wanted to say that I'm in agreement with the others that have posted above. Increasing the weights on most of your lifts is a good sign, however, don't put off seeing your physician. Also sending positive thoughts and hoping that you get to feeling better real soon.

[Bo_Flecks]

Sure hope the heart issue is a minor one this time. Fingers crossed here.

W/o weights are strong.

My fingers are crossed, too. At this point, it is hard to tell. It has not settled down for five days, but has not gotten any worse, either.

I felt strong in the gym yesterday. Saturday marked a week of eating at maintenance, so that has started to kick in and make a difference. I will stay at maintenance for another week and then bump my calories up 200 a day and see what happens.

Be careful with that. Hope you get to feeling better soon

Always.

This is a problem I have dealt with for nearly 20 years now. I have had periods where it has been worse, and definitely periods where it has been better. I feel fine, otherwise. It is just very annoying when the rhythm issue happens.

This.

Will be sending positive thoughts and vibes your way. Some bumps in the road along the way are expected and do not detract from the target within your sights.

I have no intention of letting off the pedal for right now. I intend to keep doing what I am doing until my body tells me differently. For right now, I am not getting that signal.

/\/\ You have been out and about and you're more tired than usual. And I wouldn't dally about with any abnormal heart issues, see your Doc. Better to be safe.

The rhythm problem could be brought on by any number of things. I could be dealing with a virus. It could have something to do with the additional calories I am eating. Possibly stress from the funeral. Who knows.

I had a doc tell me that they do not know what causes it, so it could be a combination of things.

The bottom line for me is that the meds I have been on are not working like they have for the past 3 months. That tells me it is time to get it looked at with a different set of eyes.

I'm certainly no doctor, but ^^^^this has to be a good sign.

The issue kicked in again on July 4th so my last two workouts have been done under that cloud.

The thing is, it is different this time. The palpitations are not exercise induced; they are completely random. Over the winter, any time I got my heart rate up, I would have palpitations as my CNS was slowing the heart back down. It was very consistent that way.

This time, I am having random palpitations throughout the day that have nothing to do with elevating my heart rate. So, for the most part my last two training sessions were not impacted all that much. As long as it stays this way, I will continue my training as usual. If it does change, I will back off as I deem necessary.

I said it a couple of times in here that I expected the other shoe to drop at any time.

Well, it has dropped.

Steve, just wanted to say that I'm in agreement with the others that have posted above. Increasing the weights on most of your lifts is a good sign, however, don't put off seeing your physician. Also sending positive thoughts and hoping that you get to feeling better real soon.

I made an appointment this morning with the Cardiologist/Cardiac Electrophysiologist that did my heart procedure a few years ago. I will see him next week.

I tried to avoid him last winter when I was dealing with the initial re-emergence of the problem. I felt like if I gave into seeing him I was admitting that I had a bigger problem than I wanted to acknowledge. I had hoped I could get it dealt with through the path of least resistance so to speak.

The docs I dealt with earlier this year knew my goals and worked with me to try and find an easy med that would have the least amount of side effects. The Diltiazem that I have been on was an attempt to keep the problem at bay with the least amount of sides. It worked for a while, but I could tell it was just barely enough.

Time to move to the next level now.

So, my crystal ball tells me I have more tests in my future, more blood work, and no doubt a change in meds that will bring new and interesting side effects.

At this point, all I can say is bring it. I am ready to get this dealt with once and for all and move on with my goals.

[drudixon]

Wow, nerve wracking. I hope the tests come back with some degree of conclusiveness and you can chart some definitive therapy with a long term protocol. Wishing you well always man.

[Vanguard1965]

Really sorry to hear you are still having issues. Hopefully this is just you being sick and causing some minor issues but at least you are checking with the doctor. Better safe than sorry and you will be in my thoughts and prayers.

[alex2363]

Sunday 7/7/13-Chest, Triceps, Back, and Biceps (Barbell Centric Training- B Rotation)

Incline Barbell Bench
10x210
10x210
10x210
10x210

Incline Dumbbell Flyes
10x75
10x75
10x75

Weighted Dips
10xBW+30
10xBW+30
10xBW+30
10xBW+30

OH Dumbbell Extensions
12x85
12x85
12x85

Wide Grip Pull Ups
10xBW+25
10xBW+25
10xBW+25
10xBW+25

Barbell Rows
10x185
10x185
10x185

EZ Bar Spider Curls
12x80
12x80
12x80
12x80

Dumbbell Spider Curls
12x37
12x37
12x37

Wrist Curls
12x75
12x75
12x75

Observations
I mentioned it earlier today that I have not been feeling 100% the past couple of days. For some reason the heart rhythm issue has been bothering me. Not like it was earlier this year, but it is bothersome to say the least. Could be because I am getting sick, or it could be more than that. Hard to tell at this point. I will give it another couple of days, and if it has not settled down, I guess I will be back with the docs at square one again.

Not good news no matter how I look at it. But on the positive side, I got through the workout without much of a problem.

Chest Workout
Incline Barbell Bench Press:
Weight increased by 5lbs. Bench set at a 30 degrees angle.
Incline Dumbbell Flyes:
Weight on each dumbbell increased by 3lbs. For this movement, I moved the bench up to a 45 degree angle.

Tricep Workout
Weighted Dips
Weight increased by 5lbs. Upright body position to place the focus on the triceps.
Overhead Dumbbell Tricep Extensions:
Weight increased by 2 1/2lbs. Focusing on making the rear head of the tricep move as much of this weight as possible.

Back Workout
Wide Grip Pull Ups:
Weight increased by 2 1/2lbs. Wide grip, dropping to a dead stop at the bottom and flaring the lats to bring them out as much as possible.
Barbell Rows
Weight increased by 5lbs. Chest supported protocol with the bench set at a 45 degree upright angle.

Bicep Workout
EZ Bar Spider Curls:
Weight increased by 3lbs. Using the narrow grips in the EZ bar in the chest supported position with the bench set at 45 degrees. Dropping it to a total hang at the bottom to stretch the bis, and then pulling the bar to the apex.
Dumbbell Spider Curls
Weight on each dumbbell increased by 1lb. Chest supported to protect my lower back. This angle allows me to supinate the dumbbells without any forearm discomfort.

Forearm Workout
Wrist Curls:
Weight increased by 5lbs. Continuing the rehab work on my medial forearm tendons. Performed with a barbell with my wrists facing up.

Final Thoughts
I tried to take a progress pic with my new camera, but for some reason they turned out blurry. I will need to figure out what is going on there.

Good luck on your Doc visit, i hope all is in order.

[VoxExMachina]

I feel for you 100% on the rhythm issue, Steve. Back in 2004 I had some issues myself and it was pretty depressing. In fact, the night it first happened, I felt about 50/50 whether I'd make it until morning. It's not a good feeling when something as important as your heart feels like it's letting you down.

They never did figure out what was going on, and all my tests showed perfect health. Luckily for me, it went away after about a month all on its own. But to this day it can still return if I'm particularly stressed or have missed a lot of sleep...and despite the fact that I know it's basically benign, it doesn't make me a happy camper.

Prayers for a definitive solution.