Memoirs of a Tough Old Bastard: the Resurrection of MHL

[Payton1221]

CGBP
225 x 7
225 x 7
185 x 12

CGBP with TWO wheels! Duuuuuude! (spoken Spicoli style)

Props for that 365x2 gym experiment from that earlier workout.

[mharrislove]

I suspect ^^^^ this may be a somewhat common trait among bodybuilders.

Completely agree!

Nice work for an experiment, MH. 365 is no small 'taters.

Thanks. It's no world-beater, but I feel good about working at that level after doing 4-plate deads.

I see what you did here. I'm watching!

I have no idea what you're talking about...

In to see what you decide. Doubt self sabotage is common for you.

Well, my alarm clock would disagree! But if I can get a handle on my sleep and nail these deadlines, the extracurricular stuff will be more doable.

You're thinking of competing soon? I'm in!

Hey, that's how rumors start, LOL!

But since I started the competitive comeback, I've always had in my mind to get on stage once per calendar year. But some life/work challenges are making this year's run a little more complicated than the last time around.

[mharrislove]

Chest w/triceps + calves

Connecting the dots

warm up:

• standing Oly bar presses, 1 x 10
• push ups, 1 x 10
• bench dips, 1 x 10
• pull ups, 1 x 10
• chin ups, 1 x 5

CHEST/TRICEPS

Flat BB bench press - phase II shoulder rehab
bar x 10
--------- two doubled red bands, high tension
45 - 135 x 5
100 - 190 x 5
135 - 225 x 5
155 - 245 x 5
185 - 275 x 5


Flat BB bench press, Pt 2 - phase III shoulder rehab
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
--------- shoulder test
250 x 1
260 x 1
270 x 1

I took a similar tact to these sets like the low bar squats yesterday; I used a weight around the 3 to 5 rep max, but used single reps to garner textbook reps and test the joints without working right at the margins.


CGBP
225 x 7
225 x 7
185 x 12







Gironda presses
--------- two doubled red bands, high tension
45 - 135 x 10
100 - 190 x 10
135 - 225 x 10

I'm real happy with the pressing this week. While I still have a ways to go, I have to recognize that I am benching without pain and making bodybuilding gains. I'm on the right path.


Dips
BW + 45 x 10
BW + 55 x 10
BW + 65 x 10


Seated machine flyes (with 2-3 sec holds at peak contraction)
130 x 10
130 x 10
130 x 8

The preceding work makes a difference; my warm up weight is now working weight after the time on the bench.


Seated machine dips
170 x 10
190 x 10
210 x 10 --- with machine work over BW, just staying on the seat is a challenge!


Tricep pressdowns
140 x 10
140 x 10
140 x 8



The "Take that you lazy bastard!!!" High Frequency Sets
_________________________________________

Front raises
30 x 10
35 x 8
40 x 6

_________________________________________



CALVES

Recumbent heel raises (stack weight)
170 x 15
190 x 15
210 x 12
210 x 10






Impressions:

[mharrislove]

CGBP with TWO wheels! Duuuuuude! (spoken Spicoli style)

Props for that 365x2 gym experiment from that earlier workout.

Thanks, man...those are two challenging lifts for me that I'm working hard to push forward.

[Stncldsnake]

Awesome work MH!! glad to hear that everything is feeling good and that your making gainz!!

[mharrislove]

Good session! Not bad squats for doing them in a different style. Did you find that is is harder to get depth in PL style?

Hey, Josh...I almost missed this one! All forms of back squatting pose a challenge for me regarding depth. I tend to get better depth with my primary quad exercise - front squats. But the depth on low bar squats was no worse than my high bar variety.

Awesome work MH!! glad to hear that everything is feeling good and that your making gainz!!

Thanks, man. I am thankful that I feel pretty good these days. As far as progress goes, I'm a bigger guy compared to my 2011 edition, but I'm not convinced that it's enough once I diet down. (But then again, would I ever feel differently?)

[baker]

Looking awesome bro!!

[Raigs]

Nice to see your joints are treating you better and you are making gains.

Nice amount of benching good bit of work there

[FlaIronMind]

Everything absolutely outstanding brother. From the awesome pressing to the "Impression"...all of it excellent my friend.

Edit to add -

Also included in the above is the tremendous pic. Hard work shows loud and clear brother.

[llahhsoj]

][/QUOTE]

Is that Terry Crews?

[Boomer29]

Seated machine flyes (with 2-3 sec holds at peak contraction)
170 x 10
190 x 10
210 x 10 --- with machine work over BW, just staying on the seat is a challenge!

haha gotta love it good job!

I kept looking for vacation pudge in that pic and did not find...

[ironwill2008]

...... I am benching without pain and making bodybuilding gains.

^^^^ Very significant.

Dips
BW + 45 x 10
BW + 55 x 10
BW + 65 x 10

gj. I really miss doing these.


I'm toying with the idea (like I have been for the past year) of trying these again myself. Had to quit them a couple years ago due to wrist pain.

[mharrislove]

Quads, Biceps, and Forearms

Come get some...

warm up:

• Oly bar presses, 1 x 10
• Oly bar squats, 1 x 10
• standing Oly bar curls, 1 x 10
• pull ups, 1 x 10
• chin ups, 1 x 10
• hyperextensions, 1 x 10
• knee extensions, 1 x 15
• seated leg curls, 2 x 10 --- hey! I've missed this machine! So nice, I did 'em twice...

A rare afternoon workout today...I was working downtown, so I just hit the chain location on the upper floor of the Verizon Center stadium. The location is kinda' awesome, but I'm not a fan of this outpost of the Evil Empire. But you know how the story goes - do what you have to do to get the job done.




QUADS

Front squats (in rack; with belt; no wraps)
bar x 10 wu
135 x 10
185 x 8
225 x 6
275 x 3
305 x 2
315 x 1 --- I was holding the bar so tight, that I experienced a full on left biceps cramp; I held on a finished the rep
225 x 10

Still not quite in the groove with squats this week - front or back - but I did enough work to keep me honest


Adapted leg presses (narrow stance; using hip sled machine; stack weight)
330 x 10 --- WTF..? The friction on this machine is 100x more than at my regular gym; it is in serious need of maintenance
290 x 15
290 x 15


Leg extensions
140 x 15
140 x 15
140 x 15

This machine had a good feel, but you couldn't adjust it to get decent knee flexion, so everything was these funky 3/4 reps



BICEPS/FOREARMS

Straight BB curls (using Oly bar)
45 x 10 wu
85 x 10
115 x 6
115 x 6
115 x 5


DB Hammer curls on Preacher bench
32.5 x 10
32.5 x 10
35 x 10 --- hmm...was I supposed to bump these up? Where are my damn notes..?
40 x 9 --- well I'll be...okay!


Seated curl machine - unilateral motion; stack weight (LifeFitness)
80 x 10
90 x ... --- I don't like the feel of this machine at all; a waste of time; move on...


Hammer Strength MTS curl machine - unilateral motion; stack weight
90 x 10
100 x 10
90 x 10

Awesome machine! Similar to the old Nautilus machines shown in the popular pics of Yates and Mentzer workin' arms


The "Take that you lazy bastard!!!" High Frequency Sets
________________________________________

Seated flyes
130 x 10
145 x 10
160 x 8

Using 2 sec holds at each rep during peak contraction

________________________________________








Impressions:












Is This Real Life?:




I just finished racking the Oly bar after the top set on front squats.

Leaning against the rack and sucking up air, the thundering sonic assault in my phones was broken up by a tap on my shoulder.

I yank the phones out, my mind rushing back to reality.

"Hey, man. You are really doing it there..."

Decaying guitar runs are still buzzing around in my head, heart rate is approaching normal but still at a gallop, "..huh?"

The trainer points to the bar, "That right there is what separates the boys from the men...
Hell, it separates the real men from the men!
You don't see many guys lifting like that around here..."

I look behind me, and there's a guy wearing some kinda' gym get up with a coordinated matching headband, flopping all over the floor...

"Yeah, I guess so..."

"Well, 3 plates on a front squat is just great, man...keep it goin'."

We exchange fist pounds.

"Oh, you can bet on that..."

[-=FLEX=-]

QUADS

Front squats
315 x 1 ---

Noice...

[mharrislove]

Looking awesome bro!!

[IMG]http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx71/mharrislove/progress/chest-unitone1.jpg[IMG]

Is that Terry Crews?

LOL, thanks, guys - I'm hoping to improve on that look very soon.

Everything absolutely outstanding brother. From the awesome pressing to the "Impression"...all of it excellent my friend.

Edit to add -

Also included in the above is the tremendous pic. Hard work shows loud and clear brother.

In for the long haul, brother!

Nice to see your joints are treating you better and you are making gains.

Nice amount of benching good bit of work there

Yeah, even with the schedule craziness, the up tick in my general health has not escaped me.

haha gotta love it good job!

I kept looking for vacation pudge in that pic and did not find...

Oh the pudge is in there, trust me; it's on the run now, though!

^^^^ Very significant.

Yes. I would rank that accomplishment high above the goal to return to a 3 plate lift.

gj. I really miss doing these.

They've been a really good addition to the regimen.

[ajk_ii]

MHL - Nothing is going to stop you! Great work, and, as usual, thanks for the inspiration! Oh yeah, and awesome pic of the car.

Hope all is well!

[Payton1221]

Straight BB curls (using Oly bar)
115 x 6
115 x 6
115 x 5

I haven't done these in over a year due to a nagging wrist injury, but there might be as few people who can do these as those who can do a 315x1 front squat.

. . . the thundering sonic assault in my phones was broken up by a tap on my shoulder.

This is a sincere compliment when someone is willing to interupt a man's tunage! (srs)

[Stncldsnake]

Awesome work MH!! 315 front! Nice..great work! the whole session looked awesome!!

[Payton1221]

MH, I recall you being a fan of the DB clean and press. I came across an article that explained starting it as follows: The most efficient way of doing a dumbbell clean is to not think about doing a clean at all. Think of doing a "power hammer curl from the floor." Is there any truth in that?

[cmoore]

Nice work.

[mharrislove]

Noice...

The Squatmonster has spoken..

MHL - Nothing is going to stop you! Great work, and, as usual, thanks for the inspiration! Oh yeah, and awesome pic of the car.

Hope all is well!

AJK...wow. Good to hear from you, man. Thanks for the message; I hope that all is well with you, too!

I haven't done these in over a year due to a nagging wrist injury, but there might be as few people who can do these as those who can do a 315x1 front squat.

This is a sincere compliment when someone is willing to interupt a man's tunage! (srs)

Thanks! I've been trying to keep the straight bar curls in the mix since my recommitment to the basics for arm work several months ago. Progress is never as fast as you would like it to be, but I think that the move is paying off.

Awesome work MH!! 315 front! Nice..great work! the whole session looked awesome!!

Appreciate it, bro!

MH, I recall you being a fan of the DB clean and press. I came across an article that explained starting it as follows: The most efficient way of doing a dumbbell clean is to not think about doing a clean at all. Think of doing a "power hammer curl from the floor." Is there any truth in that?

That's a really interesting question. A lot has to do if you opt to use the DB as a RKB, and mimic the kettlebell form - which is kinda' a swing between the legs prior to powering the bell into the clean position. When I start from the ground with each rep, I do make an effort to use more of the posterior chain to generate the momentum for the clean. However, what you mentioned is true, the tendency is to use more elbow flexion to clean the DB rather than more shoulder external rotation (which is typical of cleaning an Oly bar). Having said that, the raw power comes from the posterior chain - even when approximating a "power Hammer curl" type of form.

I never have an arm pump after 3 sets of these. So, comparatively more ROM is coming from the elbow, but that should not necessarily equate to significantly more biceps brachii and brachioradialis involvement in the lift.

Nice work.

Thanks, Cmoore!

[Bo_Flecks]

But since I started the competitive comeback, I've always had in my mind to get on stage once per calendar year.

The siren's song.

I am sitting here this morning, reading through your journal and snacking on two rice cakes covered in sugar free jelly. Only the call of the stage next year is giving me the will to control my diet again for the next week. My body wants to add the fat back fast. My brain has succumbed. Only my goal to compete has given me the will this week to keep things in check and stick to the plan.

The call of the stage is powerful once you've experienced it.

But some life/work challenges are making this year's run a little more complicated than the last time around.

Uhm...

You want it... you can make it happen.

[Boomer29]

Three plate fronts Dayum!

Hoss

[mharrislove]

Delts w/calves

...it was written.

warm up:

• standing DB presses, 1 x 15
• DB squats, 1 x 10
• DB RDLs, 1 x 10
• standing DB curls, 1 x 10
• leg extensions, 1 x 12
• lying leg curls, 1 x 10
• pull ups, 1 x 10
• dips, 1 x 10
• hyperextensions, 1 x 10

DELTS/TRAPS/CALVES (Pt. 2...more on that later)

Standing BB OHPs
bar x 10 wu
95 x 5
135 x 5
160 x 3
185 x 2 --- back to pre-midback FUBAR levels

I could have probably gone up a bit more, but that was hardly the point. I only did two reps because the first rep wasn't up to standards - but it was good to get back to where I belong on these. Much work needs to be done for sure, but I did my job to claw back up a steep hill.


Single-arm DB clean & press
60 x 5 / 60 x 5
70 x 4 / 70 x 4
75 x 3 / 75 x 3 --- +5 lbs


Seated laterals SS w/standing BB BNP
42.5 x 10 / 95 x 10
42.5 x 10 / 95 x 10
42.5 x 10 / 95 x 10 --- + 7.5 lbs

--- when being a gym sluggard pays off; I didn't want to want to walk clear across the gym to get the 40s and the 42s were right there


Behind the back shrugs
155 x 20
245 x 15
335 x 10 --- back to pre-midback FUBAR levels


Recumbant heel raises SS w/standing cable front raises
170 x 20 / 30 x 10
190 x 20 / 35 x 10
210 x 15 / 40 x 10


Seated heel raises SS w/standing cable front raises, pt 2
2 plates x 20 / 45 x 10
2 plates x 20 / 50 x 10
2 plates x 20 / 40 x 10

Maybe something was in the water, I don't know... Calf loads were the usual, but reps were up everywhere across all sets. Also, I don't really track PRs on cables, because - well, they're cables. But still my form was typically breaking at 40, so the working load has been around 35. But today, I just kept adding a plate with each set with no drop off in performance.


The "Take that you lazy bastard!!!" High Frequency Sets
____________________________________________


Seated machine flyes
130 x 10
145 x 10
160 x 10

All flye work with 2 sec holds at peak contraction


Single-arm rear laterals
65 x 5 wu
75 x 10
90 x 8
100 x 6


Reverse grip triceps pressdowns
115 x 10
130 x 10
145 x 10 --- drop set
--> Machine dips
--- 170 x 12


____________________________________________


Nearly a perfect workout. Plenty of energy from beginning to end. No aches or pains worth mentioning. Just a great way to end this week of training. What really has me shaking my head is that this was the 2nd day in a row that I did (or attempted) this workout, so I really didn't see today's performance coming (see the WTF below).





Impressions:










Is This Real Life?/WTF? Gym Moment of the Day:




I barely have the patience to relay what happened in any type of story format, so these are just the facts:

* The wife was still out of town, and the kid was up early, so I took him along to the mom-and-pop gym...

* Some guy I didn't know came in - clearly someone that worked there - and started with the "40-questions" bit. Turns out that he's the new owner and he didn't recognize me. I show him my gym card, drop some names, but he still says that he doesn't recognize my name from the last gym roster. I tell him that I'm paying somebody each month and my card is legit, so I don't understand the issue, blah, blah... The guy leaves, then comes back with a new contract - which I refuse to sign. To make a long story short, he is going to recheck the roster and I'm going to bring evidence of payment to help connect the dots. But as you can see, this is a LOT of talking, and not much WORKING OUT. Fuarrrkkk....

* Next thing I know, clients and trainers start to infiltrate the gym basement after I finally rid myself of the accountant/owner. * sigh * At that point I gather the kid and his stuff and just leave...

* The work (not that it matters)...

- the usual warm up

- set up the "kiddie circuit"

- Heavy bag: 3 + 5 punch combinations x 3
(I'm no FIM in the ring, but my jab has a lot more snap than earlier in the year; another sign that the shoulder is a LOT better)

Standing BB OHPs
bar x 10 wu
95 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 5
175 x 4 --- interruption #1


Seated DB presses
60 x 10
70 x 10
80 x .. --- interruption #2


Seated laterals SS w/standing BB BNP
35 x 10 / mystery preset BB x 10
35 x 10 / mystery preset BB x 10
... a gaggle of clients + trainers arrive

...end...

[Boomer29]

Congrats on the all the success today. Just feels good to straight wreck everything.

What a dumb new owner. Even IF you didn't have a legit membership, I'd still let you slide. Advertisement duh!

What does your kid do while your working out? I've brought mine once and it made me paranoid. I made him sit in the corner and watch cartoons on my phone. That lasted two seconds before he was into the medicine balls.

[mharrislove]

Uhm...

You want it... you can make it happen.

Maybe, man. The potential for 2 lost weeks of training and minimal control of the diet just sucks at 6 to 7 weeks out. But I may be able to train during the Dec/Jan trip, and I have no idea what is around my living quarters during the Feb trip - if there's a grocery store nearby and I can pack a rice steamer, then I may be good to go...

But your words are resonating with me and hardening my resolve - I would much rather do the Spring shows instead of the Summer and Winter options.

One of the comps is extremely difficult and has pain and disappointment written all over it, but I really want a second crack at it; the middle show would be a blast to do because I have good friends that would be available (who have never seen me compete) on the support side of things, and one of the guys is an awesome photographer. I don't have any pro-level shots capturing this crazy endeavor that demands so much of my time, so I would love to finally document this experience in a proper fashion.

More to follow on this one...

Three plate fronts Dayum!

Hoss

Every dog has his day.

[mharrislove]

What does your kid do while your working out?

[Boomer29]

Haha. Cool, he is such a cutie.

[mharrislove]

Haha. Cool, he is such a cutie.

Yeah, he keeps life interesting - that's for sure!

[Payton1221]

Seated laterals SS w/standing BB BNP
42.5 x 10 / 95 x 10
42.5 x 10 / 95 x 10
42.5 x 10 / 95 x 10 --- + 7.5 lbs

--- when being a gym sluggard pays off; I didn't want to want to walk clear across the gym to get the 40s and the 42s were right there

A less honest journaler would have gotten the 40's and then write "Farmers Walks superset with seated laterals"