Nick David Journal 2011

[nickdavid]

Day 9: Chest/Back/Traps

Notes: Whoa - And I thought Chest day was 'Fun day!' LOL

Boy was I umm... Mistaken!

Tim & I had fun... Well I had fun.. But, it WAS a brutal chest and back domination!

Started off with Bench Press hitting a PR at 242lbs (110kg) for 4, where we then moved onto Bent-Over-Rows and hit a PR of 253lbs (115kg) for 8.

This is amazing though...

I've never in my entire training history had such a progressively long run of PR's stacked on top of each other EVERY session.

I'm being careful to keep form tight and increase the weight in incremental amounts while staying free of any injuries.

I've been lucky enough to only have 1 minor chest strain during my entire training period, so let's hope I stay relatively injury free for the future too!

I'm looking forward to punishing arms and calves tomorrow..

[2 D]

Nice work on all the PRs there, and for sure gotta pay attention to the body it will help avoid injury in many instances.

Also when I was asking about your conditioning earlier I meant your cardio routine.. I generally refer to cardio as conditioning.

[RosieCheeScott]

This is amazing though...

I've never in my entire training history had such a progressively long run of PR's stacked on top of each other EVERY session.

BOOYAH! Now THAT is what I'm talkin' about! Great stuff, Nick - looks like you are having an INCREDIBLE run do far!

~Rosie~

[nickdavid]

Day 10: Arms/Calves

Notes: Today was PUMP day. And damn was it awesome! The entire workout was all about getting a stupidly ridiculous pump so that when it was all said and done, I wouldn't be able to tie my shoe lace or buckle the seat belt in my car.

And it worked.

Anyway, numbers are looking good. Feeling super strong. Arms were totally swollen by the end of it, and there were some PR's in there to boot even though it was all high reps today. (Above 8)

Nice work on all the PRs there, and for sure gotta pay attention to the body it will help avoid injury in many instances.

Also when I was asking about your conditioning earlier I meant your cardio routine.. I generally refer to cardio as conditioning.

Cardio - Sometimes I do some sometimes I don't.

I plan on doing some HIIT on my rest day tomorrow.

BOOYAH! Now THAT is what I'm talkin' about! Great stuff, Nick - looks like you are having an INCREDIBLE run so far!

~Rosie~

It's certainly going well that's for sure, Rosie!

I haven't received any updates from AM on your journal - Maybe I didn't subscribe properly..

[nickdavid]

Day 11: Shoulders/Traps

Notes: I was training on my own last night and I didn't rest much at all. It was one of those workouts once I was in the zone I was good.. But before the training session I was involved in some heavy reading on other subject matter and probably should have prepped my mind a little more before I just got up and went straight into the gym. But anyway, sometimes this is life and you have many other things to juggle other than just your training sessions - even though working out and achieving physique goals is great - It isn't the ONLY thing in my life that I'm working on excelling at.

The workout though, was a success. Felt strong. Got a huge pump in my delts after a dropset of 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 - yeaowch!

There are some really cool aspects to this split that I find really good and very useful. Will be interesting to see what sort of results come about as the weeks stretch on.

Overall mindset has been good though - Because of the constant progression.

I have a photoshoot lined up tomorrow - I wasn't actually planning on doing one, hence why I'm bulking right now. However this was an opportunity to get a shoot out of the way while I'm still semi-lean - Definitely not ripped right now, by any means.

Anyway, there's the update!

Today is REST day, but will do some HIIT and some LISS training later tonight.

[2 D]

Today is REST day, but will do some HIIT and some LISS training later tonight.

Does NOT Compute..

[nickdavid]

Does NOT Compute..

HIIT - 20 minutes, followed by
LISS - 20 minutes

REST DAY = Cardio (Somtimes - Since I don't do any cardio on my weight-training days)

[nickdavid]

Day 12: Rest/Cardio

Notes:

Okay so today was rest day - Cardio day.. I was planning on doing some HIIT also but ended up doing just

-40 minutes of LISS

Yes, that is all for today..

[nickdavid]

Day 13: Hams/Quads/Calves

Notes: Okay so today the sun was out, hovering over the beach at around 28 degrees.. So I couldn't spend the afternoon in the gym! And this was great timing, as I had isolation legs to hit. Mostly in the 8-15 rep range, so I was able to keep my rest periods down to 1 minute or below and just use maximum intensity to rep out as many as I could. Overall it was a really solid session which consisted of mostly hamstring exercises and one quad exercise (wide-stance smith machine squats) so now my hamstrings are killing me! (Yesterdays' workout)

Anyway, Sunday is REST day - I may do some sort of cardio but I doubt it. Sunday is always a day of rest for me.

Tomorrow is Chest and Triceps!

CRUSH IT.

[RosieCheeScott]

It's certainly going well that's for sure, Rosie!

I haven't received any updates from AM on your journal - Maybe I didn't subscribe properly..

Good to hear, Nick

They will usually send an update re posts either daily or weekly - depending on what you have it set to. My "Fitness Blog" on my website (essentially the same re posts) sends them the day after a post is made (the "Subscribe re email link on the top right of the blog). Also, my updates have only been once a week, so you won't get something every day if you get them.

Overall mindset has been good though - Because of the constant progression.

I have a photoshoot lined up tomorrow - I wasn't actually planning on doing one, hence why I'm bulking right now. However this was an opportunity to get a shoot out of the way while I'm still semi-lean - Definitely not ripped right now, by any means.

Constant progression is good - something we should ALL aim for! My sessions have been getting better weekly, with progress on all fronts, even if I have not yet managed to get a complete week of training as I want to - next week will be THE week!

How did the photoshoot go, Nick?

Anyway, Sunday is REST day - I may do some sort of cardio but I doubt it. Sunday is always a day of rest for me.

Tomorrow is Chest and Triceps!

CRUSH IT.

Rest days are good - Sunday is my planned Day Off ALL training as well. Tomorrow it's DEFINITELY time for a CRUSHING session! And back to first thing in the MORNING, -430-0500 for HIIT and 0600 at the gym for weights! It's a relief to FINALLY be able to get back onto the schedule that I used at home (and that works best for me)!

~Rosie~

[nickdavid]

Good to hear, Nick

They will usually send an update re posts either daily or weekly - depending on what you have it set to. My "Fitness Blog" on my website (essentially the same re posts) sends them the day after a post is made (the "Subscribe re email link on the top right of the blog). Also, my updates have only been once a week, so you won't get something every day if you get them.




Constant progression is good - something we should ALL aim for! My sessions have been getting better weekly, with progress on all fronts, even if I have not yet managed to get a complete week of training as I want to - next week will be THE week!

How did the photoshoot go, Nick?




Rest days are good - Sunday is my planned Day Off ALL training as well. Tomorrow it's DEFINITELY time for a CRUSHING session! And back to first thing in the MORNING, -430-0500 for HIIT and 0600 at the gym for weights! It's a relief to FINALLY be able to get back onto the schedule that I used at home (and that works best for me)!

~Rosie~

Gotcha - I'll look out for an email from AM

Photoshoot - Went smooth. No hickups

Rest days - Makes sense huh! Creating that balance in life

How did you HIIT and weights go?

You could always post a link to your blog here so I can just go straight to it

[nickdavid]

Day 14: Chest/Triceps

Notes: This was one of my 8pm workout days - Was going to be 1pm with Tim, however I had something else I wanted to get to so I didn't have time to take my time and do a mid-day session. (When I say take my time, I'm speaking more, take 1 minute rest.)

The 8pm session was hard and intense with high reps and drop sets. My chest felt like it was going to explode by the time I finished CRUSHING it.

Triceps were fully burnt out after my last exercise of tricep kick-backs - Massive pump!

So a bit of a pre-fatigue session for the triceps - Very low rest periods often lasting around 30-40 seconds so strength was good for the low rest but I could have certainly lifted much more if I was training with Tim because of the extra length of rest periods and spotting (out of the hole) etc

Anyway, was a really productive burn out session and today as I write this my chest is ALREADY sore - GOOD!

[RosieCheeScott]

Gotcha - I'll look out for an email from AM

Photoshoot - Went smooth. No hickups

Rest days - Makes sense huh! Creating that balance in life

How did you HIIT and weights go?

You could always post a link to your blog here so I can just go straight to it

Ok

Very awesome!

Definitely. Making sure I have that one day off everything a week helps for sure, and with my job now, Sunday is my ONLY day to myself!

Training didn't go as planned. However, adjusting my schedule to better fit my working hours re sleeping patterns (instead of only getting in 2-3 hours sleep a night, allowing for 5-6 hours). Also fitting in my supplements with training and working hours, etc. In saying that, HIIT went well, and so did my Shoulders/Hamstrings session (even if it wasn't first thing early in the morning). We'll see how it goes this week - I am a little leery about changing what I know works for me re scheduling, etc., but sometimes you have to adapt, and adapt I will, and make it work!

Blog (link also in signature): The Female Terminator Chronicles: REVOLUTION OF A WARRIOR.

Day 14: Chest/Triceps

Notes: This was one of my 8pm workout days - Was going to be 1pm with Tim, however I had something else I wanted to get to so I didn't have time to take my time and do a mid-day session. (When I say take my time, I'm speaking more, take 1 minute rest.)

The 8pm session was hard and intense with high reps and drop sets. My chest felt like it was going to explode by the time I finished CRUSHING it.

Triceps were fully burnt out after my last exercise of tricep kick-backs - Massive pump!

So a bit of a pre-fatigue session for the triceps - Very low rest periods often lasting around 30-40 seconds so strength was good for the low rest but I could have certainly lifted much more if I was training with Tim because of the extra length of rest periods and spotting (out of the hole) etc

Anyway, was a really productive burn out session and today as I write this my chest is ALREADY sore - GOOD!

Sounds like a good session! And times - 1pm and 8pm - going to be close to MY new training times (experimenting this week, and although not very like me, if it works, I will stick to that probably).

~Rosie~

[nickdavid]

Day 15: Back/Traps/Biceps

Notes: Back and Biceps - Always a FUN day - The pumps lately have been stupidly hard though... I'm starting to think I'm turning into Pop-Eye with the motor in his bicep..

Anyway, Tim did really good. We powered through the bent over rows, hammer rows, WG pull downs and some other supersets - Everything from a 15 - 8 rep range today. Gotta love the INSANE pump that you get from the super high reps!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Day 15 is now complete and what's next? Supposed to be REST Day #16 HOWEVER we will be hitting LEGS tomorrow with some Heavy 5x5 Squats and some other finishers at Day #1 of the program.

What's that?

Yes, we're repeating the program over again, unless stated otherwise...

Here's to another 16 day SPLIT!

Exercise PR's on this split:

ALL EXERCISES WENT UP!

See you on the other side...

Ok

Very awesome!

Definitely. Making sure I have that one day off everything a week helps for sure, and with my job now, Sunday is my ONLY day to myself!

Training didn't go as planned. However, adjusting my schedule to better fit my working hours re sleeping patterns (instead of only getting in 2-3 hours sleep a night, allowing for 5-6 hours). Also fitting in my supplements with training and working hours, etc. In saying that, HIIT went well, and so did my Shoulders/Hamstrings session (even if it wasn't first thing early in the morning). We'll see how it goes this week - I am a little leery about changing what I know works for me re scheduling, etc., but sometimes you have to adapt, and adapt I will, and make it work!

Blog (link also in signature): The Female Terminator Chronicles: REVOLUTION OF A WARRIOR.




Sounds like a good session! And times - 1pm and 8pm - going to be close to MY new training times (experimenting this week, and although not very like me, if it works, I will stick to that probably).

~Rosie~

Checked out your Blog Rosie - Glad to see your wrist is doing much better without support!

Will be interesting to see how different training times effect your progress... I'll be following along.

[nickdavid]

Day 1: Quads/Hams

Notes: We started with Squats 5x5 then moved onto a superset of Hack Squat w Leg Press (20 reps / 20 reps) and bought the business.

I don't really know what to say about this leg workout other than I doubt I'll be walking right in the next couple of days and Tim just experienced his first 2 hour + Leg Session (Business) with me. LOL!

Good times...

Anyway, was a successful workout as expected.

Weigh in and measurements tomorrow - Will see how things have been shaping up..

[RosieCheeScott]

Checked out your Blog Rosie - Glad to see your wrist is doing much better without support!

Will be interesting to see how different training times effect your progress... I'll be following along.

Thanks - I am too!

Yes, it will be. Especially since I spend my morning (and then again after lunch!) at work doing four hours of taking members through training sessions, most of whom have never done any sort of training in their life, so demonstrating the exercises and weight adjustments has been taking a small toll on how I feel - I might start using the lightest weights possible to demonstrate any and all exercises, since it's not that important for me to be doing it, LOL

Day 1: Quads/Hams

Notes: We started with Squats 5x5 then moved onto a superset of Hack Squat w Leg Press (20 reps / 20 reps) and bought the business.

I don't really know what to say about this leg workout other than I doubt I'll be walking right in the next couple of days and Tim just experienced his first 2 hour + Leg Session (Business) with me. LOL!

Good times...

Anyway, was a successful workout as expected.

Weigh in and measurements tomorrow - Will see how things have been shaping up..

Tim's going to be in worse shape than you, I can almost guarantee that! I do not miss suffering after Legs sessions - guess I am lucky in that respect Anyways, I expect things have been going rather well for you - let's see what you get tomorrow...

~Rosie~

[nickdavid]

Day 2: Chest/Back Width/Shoulders

Notes: We started off with DB Bench and overall Today was a massive PR day! After running Day 2 once again, and revising last times numbers, I'm up on all lifts and reps. Things are going very well!

Finished off with a massive back and chest pump! shoulders were pretty fried too, was awesome!

Great PR on DB Bench Press with 121lbs (55kg) for 4!

I don't think I've ever picked up the 55kg DB's let alone pressed them for 4 - I feel really good for hitting that Pr and throwing those little weights around!

The dropsets on back were super painful and after finishing a back exercise - Close-Grip Pull-Down with 8 reps drop-set 8 reps, after finishing my set I said,

"Damn, my back feels like it's on fire - Awesome!" This was followed straight after by Tim's retort of, "My back feels stoned." This was the comment of the day! LMAO!

Anyway, was a great workout and finished chest off with some low-to-high cable flys which REALLY finished the chest off!

Weight Update:
200lbs (90kg) - Up 5lbs

I haven't been 90kg for a loong time and have never been 90kg at sub 10% bodyfat so things are going well!

Thanks - I am too!

Yes, it will be. Especially since I spend my morning (and then again after lunch!) at work doing four hours of taking members through training sessions, most of whom have never done any sort of training in their life, so demonstrating the exercises and weight adjustments has been taking a small toll on how I feel - I might start using the lightest weights possible to demonstrate any and all exercises, since it's not that important for me to be doing it, LOL

Tim's going to be in worse shape than you, I can almost guarantee that! I do not miss suffering after Legs sessions - guess I am lucky in that respect Anyways, I expect things have been going rather well for you - let's see what you get tomorrow...

~Rosie~

Sounds like your current role is giving you a bit of a workout inadvertantly.

It seems you're right once again, Rosie! Tim seems to be rather sore today... I'm kind of sore. But not too bad...

[NattyFLEX]

Weight Update:
200lbs (90kg) - Up 5lbs

I haven't been 90kg for a loong time and have never been 90kg at sub 10% bodyfat so things are going well!

Pics or not 90kg...

[nickdavid]

90kg (200lbs) Oct 07, 2011

[2 D]

Damn nice on the flat pressing PR the other day Nick.

Looking lean (no homo). So you still playing with your macros or you going to start bulking?

If you haven't heard of Hola Bola, your split reminds me of his. Dude was a house.

[nickdavid]

Damn nice on the flat pressing PR the other day Nick.

Looking lean (no homo). So you still playing with your macros or you going to start bulking?

If you haven't heard of Hola Bola, your split reminds me of his. Dude was a house.

Thanks 2D - I haven't heard of Hola Bola

Playing with Marcos - Those are set at the moment, but they may shift a little.

I've been bulking since the start of this journal - Bulking doesn't mean getting fat in my book. It means adding a little each week and then doing mini cuts along the way when I want to lean out a little.

[RosieCheeScott]

Great PR on DB Bench Press with 121lbs (55kg) for 4!

I don't think I've ever picked up the 55kg DB's let alone pressed them for 4 - I feel really good for hitting that Pr and throwing those little weights around!

The dropsets on back were super painful and after finishing a back exercise - Close-Grip Pull-Down with 8 reps drop-set 8 reps, after finishing my set I said,

"Damn, my back feels like it's on fire - Awesome!" This was followed straight after by Tim's retort of, "My back feels stoned." This was the comment of the day! LMAO!

. . .

Weight Update:
200lbs (90kg) - Up 5lbs

I haven't been 90kg for a loong time and have never been 90kg at sub 10% bodyfat so things are going well!

EXCELLENT on the PR! And yeah, ROFLMFAO at the comments

Sounds like your current role is giving you a bit of a workout inadvertantly.

It seems you're right once again, Rosie! Tim seems to be rather sore today... I'm kind of sore. But not too bad...

It does. I've cut my HIIT sessions this week right down to only 8-10 minutes and dropped a post-weights 20 minute cardio session, but getting all my other sessions in, with a huge difference noticed re strength on some days, depending on the exercises and what I've done before I train (because you know, I used to train first thing, to start my day off, and this week I have been training at lunchtime, so a little different, but not unmanageable to get used to - still making adjustments here and there, actually, to make sure I get this right and perfect for next week for sure!)

Oh Tim, prepare to be sorer than you've ever been before!

90kg (200lbs) Oct 07, 2011

I can see the difference, Nick

...Bulking doesn't mean getting fat in my book. It means adding a little each week and then doing mini cuts along the way when I want to lean out a little.

Yeah, I'd agree with that - what you do is more like RECOMPING, Nick

~Rosie~

[nickdavid]

Day 3: Arms/Calves

Notes: Pumped.

That is all.

Current Macros:
268/204/60

Example Daily Meals

Meal #1
Fish
Potato
Avocado
Greens (Broccoli/Green Beans)

Meal #2
Whey Pro
Sweet Potato
Peanut Butter
Fruit (Apple)

Meal #3
Steak
Potato (Home-Made-Chips)
Walnuts
Greens (Broccoli)

Meal #4
Whey Pro
Oats
Peanut Butter
Fruit (Strawberries)

[drew419]

looking good at 200lbs man.

[nickdavid]

Day 6: Chest/Shoulders/Calves

Notes: Okay so first 5.30am training session in about 6 months and first time back at my 'local' gym.. I've had some different changes in work and have been strugglign to fit in all my training time either mid-day or at night, so I've gone for the best approach to consistency I know how... Early morning sessions!

It was actually really good!

I'm suprised.

Why?

Because last time I was at this gym I didn't have a very good line of workouts - Each session was a drag.

Why?

Because my 'head' wasn't in it.

But now that I've got a solid goal and game plan to stick to, I just plug the MP3 player in and go for it!

So overall I had a really great pump in my chest and finished the shoulders off.. Shoulders were so sore by the end of it that I felt like they were going to fall off as I carried my gym bags out of the gym, haha!

There is much less equipment in this gym than the previous one, however I would rather BE consistent with my training than SACRIFICE consistency for 'more variety'.

Which isn't as much an instigator for results as CONSISTENCY.

In the end, nothing beats consistency over an extended period of time - As long as you put in your best efforts MOST of the time.

looking good at 200lbs man.

Thanks brother. I appreciate the kind words.

[2 D]

So you like the new gym despite the lack of variety?

Not sure what the big deal is, as long as they have plenty of barbells & dumbbells, a decent squat rack or two and some pressing stations, aside from that only thing really needed is a dip/pullup stand and some cardio machines IMO.

And yes consistency is crucial to fitness.

Glad to hear you're pleased.

Nutrition looks quite good man, certainly not eating poor. Get to eat steak daily = lucky.

[nickdavid]

So you like the new gym despite the lack of variety?

Not sure what the big deal is, as long as they have plenty of barbells & dumbbells, a decent squat rack or two and some pressing stations, aside from that only thing really needed is a dip/pullup stand and some cardio machines IMO.

And yes consistency is crucial to fitness.

Glad to hear you're pleased.

Nutrition looks quite good man, certainly not eating poor. Get to eat steak daily = lucky.

Hey man,

The new gym is okay... It's about 30 years old (or older) and has really old machines, but has the basics..

My current training split was setup for hammer strength and other machines however I can accommodate.

It wasn't a big deal not having variety, it's more 'atmosphere' of the gym.. Variety can be useful for mental enjoyment too..

It only has a basic squat rack - Nothing special but will do - And leg press/hack squat etc - There's enough..

Nutrition - I guess we're all lucky in some way, right? The fact we have food, shelter and a great support structure is awesome, let alone extras in life..

[2 D]

Hey man,

The new gym is okay... It's about 30 years old (or older) and has really old machines, but has the basics..

My current training split was setup for hammer strength and other machines however I can accommodate.

It wasn't a big deal not having variety, it's more 'atmosphere' of the gym.. Variety can be useful for mental enjoyment too..

Nutrition - I guess we're all lucky in some way, right? The fact we have food, shelter and a great support structure is awesome, let alone extras in life..

I see..

Perhaps you will see new results. I'm kind of a big proponent of the basics, the thing I cannot stand is when a gym does NOT have enough of the basics and too many other things. I.E. not enough bench press stations, not enough high weight dumbbells etc.

However if I could, I'd do a lot of OLY lifting. So suppose just different strokes for different folks.

And yes, sometimes we often take for granted some of the things we have daily at our disposal. I recently had to replace my microwave and waiting for a new one to get installed was surprising tough and inconvenient.

[RosieCheeScott]

In the end, nothing beats consistency over an extended period of time - As long as you put in your best efforts MOST of the time.

^^^Truth!

~Rosie~

[nickdavid]

Day 8: Quads/Hams

Notes: So today was my first day hitting legs at the new gym - I felt it was a pretty solid workout. It's always a little different getting used to different machines (working out numbers) so today I focused on tempo, form and contraction a little more rather than just moving pure weight.. Not that I always just try throw weight around but I wanted to get a good leg workout without having to pile on tons of weight onto the leg press or hack squat or leg extension - And it worked!

So legs were pretty jelly by the time I was done. Finished the workout off with some walking DB lunges and ended up using the 55lb (25kg) kettlebells for the last lot of walking lunges - Felt waay better than holding dumbbells - Only issue is, that's the highest kettlebell weight they have!

I woke up a little groggy - Good sign. Had a shake with some carbs before my workout and after and I felt right as rain.

I've noticed I'm not hungry in the morning when I workout.. So will see how that goes, as I know it's important to get a good wack of calories in 1-3 hours post-workout..

And on the last two days of working out in the morning, I've just been doing a shake and maybe some fruit - Shake still has carbs in it though.. Then a meal 2-3 hours later.. I could optimise that for sure..

I've found mentally preparing myself for the workout, even if just for a couple of minutes, the night before has really helped increase my intensity in the mornings - AND using a MP3 player during sessions to focus my consciousness more internally than externally.

Consciousness, what?

^^^Truth!

~Rosie~

Thanks!

Will rep you next time - Bb.com isn't letting me.. Apparently I have to spread it around first..