Nads Workout Journal 2012: Get strong without turning into a lardo

[nads786]

I've wanted to start a journal for a while now, but never got time/ around to do it. So welcome to my 2012 journal (just 2 months late )

Currently I am 177 pounds, at 5"10. I've been bulking since my cut where I went from 194.4 to 160lbs. Big time cut and took a lot out of me. I feel like I'm finally making strength strides.

The workout split will be a very vanilla body part split, chest/back, legs, and arms and shoulders. A simple 3 day split. Focus will be on getting stronger each week while keeping the lard down.

I'll also add comments about my workouts as well as general things that happen in my life that are worth noting or are funny.

And with that, ON TO THE WORKOUTS!

[nads786]

Chest/Back

1) incline bb bench

barx20
95lbsx12
135x8
170x4
210x8 (pr)
210x5

^these felt great today, a bit heavy but got it done, going to keep it at this weight for next session


2) V grip pullups

182x8 (body weight)
207x8( +25)
247x6 (pr) (+65)
247x4 (+65)
182x9

3) bb bench

barx12
95lbsx8
135x8
155x8
205x8 (pr)



4) one arm cable rows

30x12
40x8
50x8
60x8 (pr)
50x8

felt good but need to figure out a way balance which leg should be in front??? Also all the cables at my gym are extremely tense and hard as hell!

5) planks and side planks

3 sets

gotta keep my lower back happy!


overall pretty good workout, surprised how well V grip pullups are going.

[nads786]

Chest/Back

Incline BB Bench

barx20
95lbsx12
135x8
170x4
210x10 PR
210x8

170 might be too light of a warmup that 210 felt way too heavy.

V Grip Pullups

182.7x8 (bodyweight)
207.7x8 (+25)
247.7x7 (+65) PR
x4
182.7x10 (bodyweight)

Flat Barbell Bench

barx12
95lbsx8
135x8
175x6
205x10 PR



V Grip Low Pulley Cable Rows

5 sets up to stackx12 felt great no lower back issues the weight is light though..

planks and side planks

3 sets


Comments
overall good workout, especially considering lack of sleep and slightly hung over. Sometimes I forget how awesome coffee is to get you going, prior to it I felt like not doing anything, after I was ready to destroy something.

[FatEars]

subbed to your journal
we almost weigh the same but you're so much stronger no fair haha

[BluntD]

lol

[nads786]

lol

don't be jelly............................................. .................................................. ............................................










hater

[nads786]

Arms/Shoulders

Close Grip Chins

182x8 (body weight)
207x8 (+25)
222x5 PR (+40)
x4
182x8 (body weight)

Close Grip Bench

barx20
95lbsx12
135x8
155x8
165x11 PR

this is pretty weak, but I'm slowly ramping up this weight, making sure my form is spot on

Cable Side Laterals

25lbsx12 for 4 sets no stopping (massive pump)

Trying to go for pump on this exercise for a bit since I've stalled on weight.


Low Pulley Rope Cable rows

50lbsx8 for 4 sets

again same idea, going for pump right now, I use this exercise as a replacement for face pulls, kills the rear delts and upper traps.


Machine Preacher Curls

45lbsx8
55lbsx8
75lbsx8
45lbsx8

slow and controlled this exercise sucks and is also awesome at the same time, hard to explain.

Rope Pushdowns (Paused)

5 sets of 40-50lbs for 12 reps

slow and controlled paused at the bottom, I do this because the cables at my gym are very tense making it impossible to go higher in weight unless I master the current weight I'm using.

* at this point I take off my sweatshirt, letting everyone know beast mode was activated*

One Arm Rear Cable raises

3 sets of 25lbsx12

slow and controlled finishing off what the low pulley rows started.


Planks And Side Planks

3 sets, gotta make sure the lower back is happy!


Comments


Overall pretty crappy workout, It was Friday night, tired from the work week but I just dragged myself there, I even took a caffeine pill and I barely had any energy, Just glad to have gotten it down, next time I need to really dig deeper.

planks and side planks

3 sets


Comments
overall good workout, especially considering lack of sleep and slightly hung over. Sometimes I forget how awesome coffee is to get you going, prior to it I felt like not doing anything, after I was ready to destroy something.[/QUOTE]

[nads786]

So from time to time I will entertain you with a story from my life I found funny for whatever reason.

Me at work: " I wanna open this yogurt but not have it explode on my face "

Female Coworker: " What's wrong with it exploding on your face"

At first I was like:



Then I was like...

[nads786]

subbed to your journal
we almost weigh the same but you're so much stronger no fair haha

179 vs 165 Isn't that close! Thanks for the sub.

[nads786]

Legs

Single Leg Press

Padx20
135x8
185x8
225x8
275x8
320x12 PR
320x8

Leg Extensions

110x8
130x8
160x8
210x8

Lying Leg Curls

50x8
60x8
70x8
80x8
80x8

Standing Calve Machine

90x12
180x12
x12
x12

Bird Dogs And Hip Bridges

3 sets a piece


Comments

Now you all may wonder, why isn't this goober doing squats? LOWER BACK! My lower back is very iffy and single leg press (one leg at a time) seems to cause zero lower back issues and is a great way to work the legs. Overall this workout was pretty average, having some knee irritation at the minute need to find the right foot placement.

[nads786]

Arms/Shoulders

Close Grip Chins

182x8 (body weight)
207x8 (+25)
222x6 PR (+40)
x4
182x8 (body weight)

Close Grip Bench

barx20
95lbsx12
135x8
155x8
165x11
170x8
180x8 PR

these did not feel that great today, the exercise just feels ackward right now and I'm getting shoulder irritation on both shoulders..





Cable Side Laterals

25lbsx12 for 3 sets
30lbsxx12 for 2 sets great pump here






Low Pulley Rope Cable rows

50lbsx8 for 4 sets

again same idea, going for pump right now, I use this exercise as a replacement for face pulls, kills the rear delts and upper traps.


Machine Preacher Curls

45lbsx8
55lbsx8
75lbsx8
80lbsx8
45lbsx8


Rope Pushdowns (Paused)

5 sets of 40-50lbs for 12 reps

insane pump here..


One Arm Rear Cable raises

3 sets of 25lbsx12

slow and controlled finishing off what the low pulley rows started.


Planks And Side Planks

3 sets, gotta make sure the lower back is happy!


Comments

Defintely looking for a switch from this split and going to try Chest Tris and Back Bis, CGBP is not really working out right now and my strength is going up too fast right now to be set back with an injury.

[nads786]

Push

Barbell Incline Bench

barx12
95lbsx12
135x8
175x4
210x9 (crappiest reps, just horrible, form was off and the lift off felt terrible)
215x4 PR

the PR set felt really good, much better form and much slower

Seated Calve Machine

90x12
115x12
125x12
135x12

One Arm Cable Raises

25lbsx12
30lbsx12
35lbsx12
35lbsx12
25lbsx12

Flat Barbell Bench

135x8
155x8
185x8
185x8
135x8

again these felt like crap too, way too heavy and the form was really off

Rope Pushdowns

35lbsx12
42.7lbsx12
50lbsx8 (tough as hell)
42.7x8

Ez Bar Pushdowns

42.7x8
50lbsx8
50lbsx8
x8

Planks and Side Planks

3 sets

Comments

Overall really ****ty workout, Gym was really crowded and its already the end of February, these New Year
s People are still here! WTF haven't you failed yet? I got the one PR but everything else just didn't feel right, shoulder was also slightly tweaked. But I like the change up of the Push, Pull, Leg workouts, gives me so much flexibility, especially with work and weekend plans.

[nads786]

So another reason for my lack of workout updates or cardio has been my trip to St. Louis for Mardi Gras. Such a fun time, so many teddies exposed, I've become desensitized. Heres some safe pictures to give people an idea of the amount of people that show up.

Large Crowd storm



Try reading what this guy's sign says, pretty funny stuff

[PBateman2]

Subbed.

I wanna see if you even lift

Train hard, man.

[nads786]

Subbed.

I wanna see if you even lift

Train hard, man.

Oh snap, pressure is on, gotta live up to the standard you set!

[nads786]

Arms/Shoulders

1)One Arm DB Floor Presses (Hammer Grip)

40x12
50x8
50x8
60x8
70x8
80x8

damn these are rough as hell on the shoulder joint...

2) CG Chin ups

183.4x8 (bw)
208.4x8
223.4x5 (pr) hard as hell..
223.4x4

3) low pulley cable rows

35lbsx12
42lbsx12
50x12
57x12

4) barbell floor press

3 sets didn't feel right hard to get into position

5) decline bench

6 sets close grip felt good...

6) Random Bicep Machine/Ez Bar Curl

6-7 sets


7) planks

3 sets

Comments

overall decent workout, not a lot of detail in this one because I'm trying to experiment to find the right tricep exercises, I think decline CG really seems to fit the bill feels really good and no shoulder or elbow pain so far. One arm DB preses are way too rough on my shoulder right now.

[nads786]

Legs

Single Leg Press

Padx20
135x8
185x8
225x8
275x8
315x10
315x10
315x10
315x10
315x10

Really high volume, no knee pain went much slower and not as deep.


Lying Leg Curls

50x8
60x8
70x8
80x9
80x8
90x8
110x8

Standing Calve Machine

90x12
180x12
x12
x12

Partial Reverse Hypers And One Leg Hip Bridges

3 sets a piece

anyway to make hip bridges harder?


Comments

Pretty good workout, no knee pain this time, the lack of leg extensions may contribute to that. High volume and easier weight.

[nads786]

Cardio


Cycling on my trainer for 45mins, its been a while felt great.


for reference this is what my trainer is

[nads786]

Cardio

More Cardio, 30mins fueled with



and

[nads786]

Chest/Back

Incline BB Bench

barx20
95lbsx12
135x8
175x4
190x2
215x5 PR
x5

dang still felt heavy as hell almost as if it was going to drop... lame I think my shoulder squeezing is too tense need to loosen it up a bit

V Grip Pullups

184.8x8 (bodyweight)
209.8x8 (+25)
254.7x5 (+70) PR
x3
184.8x10 (bodyweight)

wow beastly, no idea how I did 70+ prob going to go back down to +65 next week and get more reps

Flat Barbell Bench

barx12
95lbsx8
135x8
175x8
185x4
215x4 PR

ugh this felt heavy and wobbly too.. maybe just an off day



V Grip Low Pulley Cable Rows

5 sets up to stackx12 felt great no lower back issues the weight is light though..

planks and side planks

3 sets


Comments
Overall ok workout, the reps with the 215 on Incline were not my best I can definitely work on that and improve them, not sure if I should stick with 215 or go back down to 210 and make it my bish? Back work was phenomenal.

btw this is occupying all my free time right now

[MrSinister]

hey buddy, i fluked finding this about time i got to comment back at you!
love your work on the single leg press, looks like you're nailing them, nice strong on the inclines too.

[nads786]

hey buddy, i fluked finding this about time i got to comment back at you!
love your work on the single leg press, looks like you're nailing them, nice strong on the inclines too.

Thanks bro, single leg press is an awesome exercise but I'm trying to go for some volume here because of some knee issues!

[nads786]

Chest/Back

Incline BB Bench

barx20
95lbsx12
135x8
175x6
215x8 PR
x4

These felt really good today, using tons of chalk to maintain grip, still don't feel like I'm really activating my lats though..

V Grip Pullups

185.4x8 (bodyweight)
209.8x8 (+25)
250.4x5 (+65)
235x5


Wow terrible, no PR, everything felt really heavy..

Flat Barbell Bench

barx12
95lbsx8
135x8
155x8
185x6
215x6 PR
135x12

felt great I kind of want to switch to this as my first exercise...



V Grip Low Pulley Cable Rows

5-6 sets of various grip rows

planks and side planks

3 sets


Comments
Overall pretty good workout, even though the back work was subpar.

[nads786]

Legs

Single Leg Press

Padx20
135x8
185x8
225x8
275x8
315x8
325x8 PR
325x8
225x15

felt great, very slow reps here which helped my knee pain




Lying Leg Curls

50x8
60x8
70x8
80x9
80x8
90x8
110x8
120x6 PR

Standing Calve Machine

90x12
180x20
x20
x15
x12

damn these hurt

Partial Reverse Hypers And One Leg Hip Bridges

3 sets a piece

the hip bridges were really hard..


Comments

Pretty good workout, no real knee issues here today or even the day after.

[nads786]

I have been keeping track of my calories and weight since my cut, it's a pain in the butt, but it really helps you figure out how fast your gaining weight and the amount of calories.

[nads786]

Cardio


50mins of cardio on the bike trainer, worked up a sweat no biggie.

Comments

I use to be really against working out after eating a big meal, but recently I've been doing cardio at 9pm to 10pm and it has made zero difference, my stomach isn't irritated at all and tbh I prefer it this way. I have way too much stuff to do between after work (5pm) to 9-10pm. I wouldn't do this for lifting but cardio is much easier and my intensity is not super high on it.

[Animalwannabe]

In on lifting journal.

[nads786]

Arms/Shoulders

1)Chin ups

184x8
209x8
221.5x7 (pr)
221.5x3 (****!)
184x8
184x4

2)Decline CG Bench

barx12
95lbsx12
135x8
155x8
185x4

stopped here a lot of elbow pain..Should prob widen the grip and just deal with more chest at this point.

3)One Arm Cable Laterals

25lbsx12
x12
x12
30lbsx12
35lbsx12

4) face pulls

30lbsx12
x12
x12
x12

5) Machine Bicep curls

4 sets on one arm machine curls good pump

6) rope pushdowns paused

42lbsx12
50x12 (pr)
50x7
35x8
x8

7) planks and side planks

3 sets



Comments

Overall pretty good workout, 200mg of caffeine will do that to you I haven't really given an explanation yet on why I am doing chins and semi CG bench for arms, BECAUSE CURLS AND EXTENSIONS SUCK FOR ME!! Trying to give compounds a shot here and hopefully make my arms a little bit less pathetic.

[nads786]

Legs


1)single leg press

barx12
135x12
185x8
225x8
275x8
315x8
325x12 (pr)
330x8 (pr)

definitely getting sick of the single leg, no real knee pain but def getting annoying finding the perfect position. also right knee almost collapsed on the last set wtf...

2) squats

4 sets up to 225x8, eh still doesn't feel all that great on my lower back, maybe try box squats?

3) Regular Leg press

315x12
375x12
405x12
405x12
405x12

very easy, no knee pain, great form, and no lower back issues... time to switch?!

4) calves

225x12
x12
275x12
x12

5) hip bridges and reverse hypers

3 sets a piece


Comments

Pretty decent workout, defintely time to switch to regular leg press, I'm sick of dealing with knee pain and trying to find the sweet spot.

[nads786]

In on lifting journal.

Nice! glad to have u