All Eyez On Me

[fittofattofit]

I don't know about any loss in detail --- I think that that is more a function of bodyfat levels than any isolation training.
You're bodyfat levels and definition look pretty similar in those pics given the difference in lighting
The big difference I see is that I think the delts and arms are bigger and your traps and midback/spinal erectors are a lot thicker. It's not surprising with the 7 month focus on the big lifts

[The Shoeless Wonder]

your nipples point opposite of each other

sheiko definitely makes my hungry, and thus fat

[nads786]

your nipples point opposite of each other

sheiko definitely makes my hungry, and thus fat

His nipples hate each other

[nads786]

Your posterior chain def got a lot bigger! The lighting difference makes it hard to tell but I would agree that using a more BB approach would have gotten you bigger ( that wasn't your goal tho).

[adamsz]

12/11/12 @ 24 Hour Fitness

Did this as my upper body warmup, with the exception of the shoulder dislocations because my chiropractor said they wern't good for my specific body mechanics or something



Before starting it, I went to the little personal trainer section of the gym where they keep some of the equipment and asked one of the trainers if he had a thick band I could use to do the pec stretches. He said no, they only had the thin ones, and then launched into a rant about how people have been stealing chit from the gym. He then informed me that "gym bags weren't allowed on the floor anymore because people have been stealing so much stuff." I explained to him that 1) I didn't have a lock with me, 2) I had tons of stuff in my bag that I use through my workout like wrist wraps, rumble roller, etc. and 3) In my 2+ years working out that gym no one had ever told me that. He said I needed to put it in one of the lockers that have a built in lock then. I said "right" and walked away and didn't do it, and started my warmup in plain view of him with my bag next to me. He didn't do chit, and later I saw multiple trainers using the exact same bands I was looking for. *******... I mean I understand that people are stealing chit so I can understand why they would want to do that, but I don't know why he needed to lie to me about the bands, and almost all the trainers see me workout all the time and see all the chit I use from my bag, etc., and I don't think any of the other one's would have responded to me like that.

lifting: 4:45PM - 6:05PM

Bench Press Supersetted With Chin-ups/Pull-ups medium grip, all reps paused
45 x 5 - 5
125 x 5 - 5
155 x 5 -5
185 x 3 - 5
210 x 3 - 5
245 x 3 - 5
275 x 6 - 5 possible rep PR (I know I've done 270 x 6 and 280 x 5), left at least 1 in the tank
315 x 1 - 5
325 x 1 - 5 ---> took the bar wayyy to far down on my torso, had to use a lot of leg drive to get it back up which tweaked my lower back. Luckily it was only temporary.

Flat DB Bench Press first 2 sets supersetted with chins/pull-ups
80's x 10 - 5
80's x 10 - 5
80's x 10
80's x 7 lol wut
70's x 10

Cable Rope Pushdowns
50 x 20
60 x 20
60 x 20
60 x 20
50 x 20

Cable Face Pulls
30 x 20
30 x 20
30 x 20
30 x 20
30 x 20

6:05 - 6:55 Stretching, physio work

6:55 - 7:20 Prowler Pushes (only did a few sprints, even just pushing the damn thing leaves me panting after a lap)
10 laps with 90 pounds, collapse on floor each time, repeat. 1-2 minute breaks

protein shake break

7:35-8:00 foam rolling

Thoughts

I originally wanted to work out at EPC tonight, but the owner never got back to me about it unfortunately. I was pretty disappointed, but it's understandable because he's busy as fuk I'm sure (wife, kids, professional job, running a gym on the side, rehabbing an injury, etc). This lead me to ponder what to do at the gym today... I started looking into Texas Method for a bit and it seemed interesting. I thought about repeating last week and doing another 5 x 5 squats and bench but upping each set 5 lbs also. Then I decided I'd give the 3/5/1 powerlifting template a whirl for fun, and decided to do a bench day.

BB benching was fine, but I hate the benches at 24 hour fitness. Brb sliding around a chit ton and can't keep my back tight. 275 felt really light - understandably so since I haven't benched in a week and I'm used to benching 3x a week - but I'm really not used to doing more than 5 reps with heavier weight on the compounds at all so I played it safe and stuck with 6 comfortable reps on it. Took Wendler's advice and supersetted most of my pressing sets with chin/pull-ups, after 55 total reps my back/arms were pretty spent.

Holy chit high-rep work is hard. Brb can't even do 5 sets of 10 with the 80's on flat DB presses. Not sure if srs... I guess I did do some heavy singles beforehand though. Even doing ridiculously light weight on the cable pressdowns and facepulls wasn't easy doing the 20 rep sets.

When I was doing a quad stretch before the prowler work I somehow managed to like pull/strain a ligament in the top of my left foot really bad. Chit hurt like a motherfuker for like 10 minutes, and I couldn't figure out what the fuk I had done. One thing I noticed was for once I didn't wear my chucks to the gym since I wasn't doing any lower body work, opting instead to wear some Jordan 13's, which I think probably had something to do with it and how the shoe fits on my foot (I can confirm, I am broscience). The pain eventually subsided, and I decided to man up and hit the prowler again as planned, but did the first 5 sets in my socks. My fukin socks kept coming off and I didn't want to do it completely barefoot, so I tried them with my shoes on and it worked out alright. Inb4 I wake up tomorrow and can't walk.

Post Workout Meal: Steak, roasted vegetables, and green beans



Goals

There was a thread in the powerlifting section about goals for 2013, which got me to thinking. Here's what I came up with:

2012 Goals:
315 Bench Press - check
405 squat - check
495 deadlift - check
225 SOHP - fail: haven't concentrated on SOHP in over 7 months now

2013 Goals:

Lifting-Related
365 Paused Bench Press
500 Squat
600 deadlift
1300 total by next meet (late March I think)
1400 minimum total by end of 2013 (I know this doesn't add up with my big 3 goals lol)
lose 5-10lbs and compete comfortably in the 198 class
do more GPP
keep up with my mobility + physio work

Other Goals
Find new job by next August
Find a girlfriend (lol)
Study more Japanese

[adamsz]

NPB for progress pics and chit

lol thanks brah



Yeah I suppose that's decent progress If only I could repeat that in the next 17 months... And yeah it's definitely nice to have the log. I really want to figure out a way to print out the entire thing like a book and save a hard copy of it along with my physical training journals. Is such a thing even possible???

And circuit work is fukin crazy. Brb doing 3 inch ROM pullups by the end because everything is so pumped and exhausted. LOL.




Thanks Nads.

1) I think I added some significant mass to my posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, lower back) more than anything, but I lost a ton of detail on most of my body because of not doing any isolation work and also not doing any hypertrophy work for a lot of different muscle groups. I would only run Sheiko if you want to get stronger on the big 3, not to add mass. For mass I think something like 5/3/1 with bodybuilder accessory work is great.

Here are some pics for comparison (sorry some of them the lighting/angle/etc is different, but it was the best I could find):

End of 5/3/1 (4/28/12)



Today after 7 months of Sheiko (12/11/12)



3/11/12



Today



I think I added some thickness in my back/traps as well, but lost some of the detail like I was saying.

2) I know one guy (ChaseT) who did chin-ups (something like 5 sets of 10) instead of the good mornings. I think adding in the 4th back/bicep/shoulder hypertrophy day also helped to counteract a lot of the benching, and closer to the end of the program I started adding in a lot of cable face pulls and rear delt cable crossovers at the end of workouts as well. I think I may have lost a little bit of lat strength, but not really a significant amount.



If only the gains stayed as linear as they do in the first 2 years… lol. And I don’t know about the student becoming the teacher quite yet, you still got me beat on squats and deads buddy. I’m gonna work hard to change that in the coming months though



Thanks man, I really appreciate that.

[adamsz]

I don't know about any loss in detail --- I think that that is more a function of bodyfat levels than any isolation training.
You're bodyfat levels and definition look pretty similar in those pics given the difference in lighting
The big difference I see is that I think the delts and arms are bigger and your traps and midback/spinal erectors are a lot thicker. It's not surprising with the 7 month focus on the big lifts

It's possible that I have a higher BF percentage now, but I've pretty much stayed +/- 5lbs of the same bodyweight when I ended 5/3/1 if my memory serves me correctly. I've looked through other progress pics and noticed how now I have more a blocky-powerlifter look than the shape/size/symmetry bodybuilder look I used to have. Too embarrassed to post some of those comparison pics now though lol (also didn't take enough pics today). Either way I'm fine with it because I care more about getting stronger than looks now though.

your nipples point opposite of each other

sheiko definitely makes my hungry, and thus fat

His nipples hate each other

It's true, I have "persistent gynecomastia of puberty" aka gyno (srs, I went to an endocrinologist and everything). One reason I think I would never be able to do well in bodybuilding unless I had surgery done (the other being that I have kyphosis so my back is uneven, which I'm sure would knock off points for me in a competition).

And I know what you mean about Sheiko making you hungry lol. I definitely started not caring as much about eating super healthy while I was on it.

Your posterior chain def got a lot bigger! The lighting difference makes it hard to tell but I would agree that using a more BB approach would have gotten you bigger ( that wasn't your goal tho).

Thanks mate, and I agree.

[fittofattofit]

I love reading your workout write-ups Zach!
First....great job on the benching.....fuku at 275 feeling light and getting 6 paused reps with 1 left in the tank
You must've felt pretty good moving on to the two heavy singles
I saw 4:45PM to 6:05PM and I though: 'short session' for you.....then I saw stretching, prowlers, and foam rolling to 8:00 PM. I thought: 'that's more like it'

You did great to achieve your goals for 2012 and 2013 goals look very achievable (.............except the girlfriend ......jk)
Good luck with all of those!

[dopamine72]

Subbed.

Amazing progress.

If I were you I would work on building up your traps and neck more. Try power shrugs with straps and more weight than your max deadlift for reps. I'm going to start this up again too. It will carryover to your DL lockout too.

[adamsz]

I love reading your workout write-ups Zach!
First....great job on the benching.....fuku at 275 feeling light and getting 6 paused reps with 1 left in the tank
You must've felt pretty good moving on to the two heavy singles
I saw 4:45PM to 6:05PM and I though: 'short session' for you.....then I saw stretching, prowlers, and foam rolling to 8:00 PM. I thought: 'that's more like it'

You did great to achieve your goals for 2012 and 2013 goals look very achievable (.............except the girlfriend ......jk)
Good luck with all of those!

Thanks Fit! Glad someone enjoys my OCD attention to detail lol!

Yeah it was definitely a short lifting session - but there was plenty of work to do afterwards

And I will achieve my goals in 2013! (gotta figure out where someone my age can meet girls though besides the bar/club lmao).

Subbed.

Amazing progress.

If I were you I would work on building up your traps and neck more. Try power shrugs with straps and more weight than your max deadlift for reps. I'm going to start this up again too. It will carryover to your DL lockout too.

Dope in the houseeee. Sup brah. Honor to have you hear.

Looks like you finally got a new AVI too, about time

RE the power shrug thing: I have kyphosis (curvature of the spine from front to back) so certain movements put too much stress on my lower back and it hurts, and unfortunately regular barbell shrugs are one of them (Even with a belt) The only shrugs that don't really bother my lower back are lying prone shrugs on an incline bench, or standing DB shrugs with moderate weight. I wish I could hit up power shrugs but it's just not in the cards for me.

[adamsz]

12/12/12

20 minute dynamic warmup

Lifting: 9:55PM - 11:10PM

Squats
145 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
255 x 3
295 x 3
add belt
330 x 6 rep PR (although never repped this weight out before lol)
385 x 1
385 x 1

Leg Press all reps knees to chest, toes hanging off top of platform
1pps x 10
2pps x 10
3pps x 10
4pps x 10
5pps x 10
6pps x 10 rep PR - haven't done leg press in 7+ months though

Ghetto G-H Raises
5
5
5
5
5

Hanging Leg Raises
9
9
9
7
8

11:35PM - 12:30AM stretching/physio work

Thoughts

Overall a great workout. Decided to continue on with the 5/3/1 powerlifting format for now until I figure out training over at EPC. Today was 3's wave with repping out 330, which I got a pretty easy 6 on. Probably could have had as many as 8, but wanted to just stick to something I could do with half decent form and leave some in the tank for some heavy singles. 385 singles were alright, but they were definitely challenging and somewhat grinders. Pretty awesome though considering about 3 months ago 385 was my 1RM and now I can hit it for a few singles after a heavy work set.

Hit up leg press for the first time since 5/3/1. Leg press always really bothered my lower back due to the spinal compression that takes place, but tonight it wasn't too bad. I did a different position than I ever had - with my feet about shoulder width apart but with my toes hanging off the top so I really had to push through the heels, deemphasizing the quads and emphasizing hamstring/glute recruitment. Oddly enough though afterwards it felt like my groin area was the most worked out On 5/3/1 I think my rep PR with 6pps was about 6-7 reps, so I know I'm definitely stronger now, and I defintiely didn't go balls to the wall with it. Probably could do 7pps x 10 with good form if I wanted to push it.

Was planning on doing some prowler pushing post workout but another guy was using it for awhile and by the time I was done stretching it was already pretty late so I decided to call it a night.

[adamsz]

12/16/12

20 minute dynamic warmup

8:55AM - 11:10AM lifting

Deadlifts
135 x 5
225 x 7
275 x 5
315 x 3
365 x 5
365 x 5
365 x 5
365 x 5
365 x 5

Banded Bar Pulldowns in the Power Rack setup on bench like going to bench press, bar is suspended overhead with bands. Grab bar, pull down to stomach, hold 5 seconds, release, repeat for 5 rep
5
5
5

Bentover DB Rows
100's x 8 per arm
100's x 8 per arm
100's x 8 per arm
100's x 8 per arm

Reverse Hypers
90 x 10
50 x 8
50 x 8
50 x 8

Ab Wheel
10
10
10

Thoughts

Turned in my application for membership today and got my key to Elite Performance Center, feelsgoodman Definitely an awesome place to workout. It's a good group of guys and they make training fun while still being serious. During DL warmups they were imitating each others' forms of grunting which was hilarious. Some of the guys who work out there are fukin beast. One dude (Bob) was like 6'1-6'2, about 220 lean, was DLing 545 for reps and box jumping insanely high for reps, I was definitely miring his athleticism. Reminded me of back in highschool when I could jump insanely high, got pretty nostalgic. Might try and work on that if I can do it with my knees and ankles cooperating. At one point Chris Duffin (kabukiwarrior) did a static hold of 315 with a hook grip and held it for 59 seconds. Bob stepped up and did the same thing for 60 seconds. Definitely some good friendly competition there which is awesome to see.

Looks like my next comp is going to be a at EPC in March, and I want a 1300 total minimum. I talked to Rudy, who co-owns the gym with Chris Duffin, a bit about programming and he suggested this far out from the meet to really try and hammer out volume and not lift too heavy at this point, so stuff like 5x5's and 5x3's. I know some of the guys also train conjugate method, but until I get my work schedule sorted out and I can only do team training on Saturdays at this point I'll probably stick to 5x5's and 5x3's for the time being.

[nads786]

Good workout, have you tried one legged leg press? I feel it takes a lot of the pressure off the lower back.

[adamsz]

Good workout, have you tried one legged leg press? I feel it takes a lot of the pressure off the lower back.

Thanks Nads. Yeah I tried 1 legged leg press a long time ago and didn't feel like it felt any different in terms of my back, but maybe I'll give it another shot. Thanks for the tip bro.

[fittofattofit]

Pretty awesome though considering about 3 months ago 385 was my 1RM and now I can hit it for a few singles after a heavy work set.

^^^^^^ this!

That was a great session Zack --- nailing that 330 x 6 on the skwatz and then hitting those 385 singles before hitting a PR on the leg pressing
My back is the same with the leg pressing: I used to hate the leg press because I would always get a low back ache, but I started placing my feet wider and higher as though I was going to go into a deep PL style squat and my back has been fine since

Great job on that deadlifting as well....mirin' 365 x 5 x 5
It's cool that you've joined EPC and it sounds like the perfect place for you.
With the extra guidance and support there you're going to have no trouble getting that 1300 in March

[dopamine72]

Nice squats and deads man. Sucks about your spinal condition. Maybe you can do some direct neck work then? Neck harness?

Nonetheless getting that deadlift up will still help. Power cleans also work and heavy bent BB rows.

[Jstamp]

I did a different position than I ever had - with my feet about shoulder width apart but with my toes hanging off the top so I really had to push through the heels, deemphasizing the quads and emphasizing hamstring/glute recruitment. Oddly enough though afterwards it felt like my groin area was the most worked out

This is exactly how I do the leg press. To take the pressure off your back you could also not go as deep with 2 legs or decrease the incline of the seat, and like nads said try 1 leg.

Looks like my next comp is going to be a at EPC in March, and I want a 1300 total minimum. I talked to Rudy, who co-owns the gym with Chris Duffin, a bit about programming and he suggested this far out from the meet to really try and hammer out volume and not lift too heavy at this point, so stuff like 5x5's and 5x3's. I know some of the guys also train conjugate method, but until I get my work schedule sorted out and I can only do team training on Saturdays at this point I'll probably stick to 5x5's and 5x3's for the time being.

Nice! Good luck at the meet. I think I'll wait a while before I compete again.

I can't wait to see what kind of progress you make there. Sounds like my programming


Also, how much is a membership there? Does the key give you 24 hour access?

[adamsz]

^^^^^^ this!

That was a great session Zack --- nailing that 330 x 6 on the skwatz and then hitting those 385 singles before hitting a PR on the leg pressing
My back is the same with the leg pressing: I used to hate the leg press because I would always get a low back ache, but I started placing my feet wider and higher as though I was going to go into a deep PL style squat and my back has been fine since

Great job on that deadlifting as well....mirin' 365 x 5 x 5
It's cool that you've joined EPC and it sounds like the perfect place for you.
With the extra guidance and support there you're going to have no trouble getting that 1300 in March

Yeah I'll definitely have to play around with the leg press and find out what works for me. I'm not sure if they have an angled leg press like that at EPC though, I'll have to look today!

365 x 5 x 5 wasn't insanely hard, but my back was toast and kinda hurt in a bad way the next day (I didn't wear a belt on any of the sets). Yesterday and today the back is fine though. Might need to belt up for those volume sets.

Nice squats and deads man. Sucks about your spinal condition. Maybe you can do some direct neck work then? Neck harness?

Nonetheless getting that deadlift up will still help. Power cleans also work and heavy bent BB rows.

Haha do you really think direct neck work will help me with my PL total though? Inb4 frogtech. I'd love to learn how to do power cleans properly, haven't done them since weight training class in high school damn near 10 years ago. I wonder if anyone at my new gym can coach me on how to do them...

This is exactly how I do the leg press. To take the pressure off your back you could also not go as deep with 2 legs or decrease the incline of the seat, and like nads said try 1 leg.

Nice! Good luck at the meet. I think I'll wait a while before I compete again.

I can't wait to see what kind of progress you make there. Sounds like my programming

Also, how much is a membership there? Does the key give you 24 hour access?

Thanks Joey. If you ever have a day off you should come up to Portland and train at EPC! There's a 10$ drop in fee, but I'm sure you could come in for free once or twice. Membership is $50/month and you get a key so you have 24 hour access. Pretty damn good deal if you ask me! When I went and trained at Elite Speed Strength in Tigard the guy was asking $80/month for 2x/week. Not a bad deal because he's a great coach, but the shorter distance and more affordability of EPC sold me.

Off to go train bench at EPC! Just planning on hitting some volume and accessories today.

[adamsz]

New log guys!!!

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...#post996182963

come drop in, sub, and get repped

[Conquer92]

in on this

[adamsz]

in on this

Thanks, but this log is done buddy. I just sent you the link so you could read up on how I ran Sheiko if you were interested. The link to my new log is posted right above if you're interested in checking out what I'm doing now.

[DstryEvrytng]

Your pressing is insane
that is all