Bamazav & BergMuscle Building Con-Cret Muscle

[BergMuscle]

Starting with new Lemon-Lime Con-Cret and logging my progress here. Looking forward to bigger and better muscles.


Squats and Deads
Squats
12x175 WU
10x220
7x230
5x240
burnout x130
I need to get (a bit) deeper on these. Not much, but a little bit will do a lot for my quads. Good quad work none-the-less, but could be better.

Dead Lifts
5x195
5x255
5x285
4x300
4x305
Hard work again today. Good pulls, but took a lot of energy to get 'em done.
The last set at 305# took everything I had.

BB Hack Squats
10x190
8x200
6x210
burnout x115
Good MMC, hit target reps again. Beat and sweaty.

Abs
Crunches
3x50
Good finishing ab work.

Pre-WO supps:
Con-Cret (lemon-lime flavor)
stacked with
Beta-Cret

Very nice day coming back off the deload. This is a rough routine to come back in one, but I like how it works my body all over.

Delts, traps, and biceps tomorrow.

[RyouBakua]

looks like the start of a good log

im....

[pastorpritch]

oh hai

[storm1507]

Squats and deads......great start.


Let's show the youngins how to lift.

[BergMuscle]

Squats and deads......great start.


Let's show the youngins how to lift.

Old guys rule!

[BergMuscle]

Delts
Scooby Press
10x42.5
10x42.5
10x42.5
burnout x25
Picked up a rep to hit target all the way. Good front delt work. Worked the mirror to be sure my elbows didn't drop below parallel.
Also couldn't help but think "Damn, my arms are looking huge."

Lateral Raises
10x31.25
10x31.25
10x31.25
burnout x11.25
Strong reps, good form - not great but good. Not quite ready to add a pound or two. Plus I hit burnout pretty quickly so I can tell that 31.25# is still taxing the muscle.

Face Pulls
10x67.5
10x67.5
10x67.5
burnout x37.5
Well-executed reps done with underhand grip. Picked up a rep on set #3 to hit target across here as well. Seems to be a trend here.

Traps
Upright Rows
9x85
9x85
9x85
burnout x45
Slow, steady rows with a rest/pause at top to work the traps. Actually dropped a rep a piece on sets #1 and #2, but did better trap work. I'm good with that.

Biceps
DB Scott Curls
9x30
9x30
8x30
burnout x20
Rest/pause at top to push the biceps work to a good, intense level. MMC was very strong today.

Tricep Bar Hammer Spiders
9x55
8x55
8x55
Done with a strong bicep squeeze at the top of the curl. Great work.

Reverse Grip Curls new exercise
9x45
I decided to throw in this set as a finisher. Feels like a good decision.

An over-all solid day. Guns are showing some improvement. I really like this split combination.

Rest tomorrow (church choir rehearsal for the Advent "Lessons and Carols" service - after a trip to Costco; need food for the muscles - and cat food and litter. )
Pecs, hams, calves on Thursday.

[RyouBakua]

whats a scooby press?

[BergMuscle]

whats a scooby press?

See this video. He calls it a "front raise" but a bunch of us who do these have nicknamed them "Scooby Press" since that's the guy's online name and to differenciate them from regular front raises.

[RyouBakua]

ah, Hammer Grip DB Shoulder Press

http://www.mensfitness.co.uk/exercis...der_press.html


40 is pretty good

[RyouBakua]

have a good workout today Berg

[BergMuscle]

Came down with my first official cold of the school year (and surprised it took until now). My goal was to match last week's weight and reps, which is good with a head full of mucus. (Sorry - gross )

Chest
Flat DB Press
10x65
10x65
10x65
Flat BB Press
burnout x115
Solid and deep reps with full ROM. Good start to a full pec blast.

Flat Flyes
9x55
9x55
9x55
burnout x35
Done with strict form. Had solid pec MMC (Mind/Muscle Connection).

Incline DB Press
10x55
10x55
9x55
burnout x30
Good form, plus I picked up a rep on set #2. Wasn't expecting that.
Swole pecs

Hams
SLDL
10x225
8x230
6x235
burnout x135
Good form and MMC here as well. I felt all the muscles at work today.

Single Leg Curls
10x42.5
10x42.5
9x42.5
burnout x22.5
Great ham work on these. The way my leg curl station is set up it's easy for me to keep one hand on the hamstring as it works. I'm finding this really helps me focus on the muscle being worked.

Calves
Single Leg Calf Raise
11x80
10x80
Slight rest/pause at top of the movement. Got an added rep on set #1 here as well. I'll be doing three sets of these next week - as long as my foot feels OK. Somedays the stress fracture in my right foot feels like it's completely healed; on other days it really smarts.

Abs
Knee Raises
16, 14
Hold full contraction to kick the abs a bit.

I made today's goal and then some. Very happy with the added reps, and with matching reps weight everywhere else. I was also impressed/surprised/pleased with how well I was breathing through my nose throughout the workout. That and the major league muscle pump I got made this a great day in the weight room.

Going to bed a bit earlier to get enough rest for teaching tomorrow and back/triceps work when I get home.

[BergMuscle]

ah, Hammer Grip DB Shoulder Press

http://www.mensfitness.co.uk/exercis...der_press.html


40 is pretty good

Yeah, that's pretty much the exercise, only I don't bring my elbows down as low as the picture here. I find that not going below parallel focuses the work better on the front delts.

[RyouBakua]

found a good pic for you

[bamazav]

Great job Dan, even with the mucus ( I like to use that word any time possible, preachers do not get to use it that often.)! I do not remember, but are you a home gymer also?

[bamazav]

I will be joining Begmuscle and cologging our con-cret Lemon-Lime experience. I am still a relative newbie to all of this. In Oct. 2007, the Doctor started me on this journey. After a year of body weight and DB training I purchased my first rack and BB equipment. I was hooked. Like Dan, I am wanting build the superhero body I saw as a kid and it would be great to have some of the strength too. That is my quest in a nutshell. Con-cret is one tool I am using to reach that goal.

After a year of slow gains, I had some time to do some re-evaluating this summer. I realized that my overall strength was one area holding me back. While I am definitely stronger than when I started, I feel I need to get my big lifts up to be able to put more stress upon my muscles. This thought brought me to 5/3/1, the goal to improve my big lifts significantly in 2011-2012. My pulls and legs are much stronger than my presses, so I am working to bring them all up. Next week I will be into PR range on almost every one of my lifts. That in itself is a milestone.

5/3/1 Cycle 2 Week 2 Day 3 Floor Press Day

1 hour prior COFFEE
about 45 minutes before 2 scoops of Lemon Lime Con-cret.
Love the taste of this stuff. I like pineapple, can tolerate the blue-raspeberry, but I love this Lemon Lime. Great mixability and taste.
Taste - This is a 10
Recoverability - Today was a 9 - Recovery seems quicker with Con-cret
Strength - I was feeling it today. Great day 9 out of 10

Floor Press
5 x 45 wu
5 x 65 wu
3 x 85 wu
4 x 102.5
3 x 117.5
15 x 132.5 AMAP - Was shooting for 10 but had 5 more in the tank.

Pushups
5 x 12 x BW - Tired after these

V-Handle Rows
10 x 95
4 x 12 x 95

Larry Scott Pushdowns, bamazav style
3 x 10 x 45

[BergMuscle]

Glad to have you on board with me, David. Solid work logged here, which goes along with solid goals.

I'm also a home trainer. I train in my basement with a bunch of weights, bars, benches, etc. that I've been accumulating since I was (not kidding here) a teen-ager. (If I had trained then like I train now... Nah. Not gonna go there. I'm too proud of where I am today.)

Today's work posted below:

[BergMuscle]

Cold is progressing - and I hope it'll get the H out of me soon.
Goal again today was matching last week (make that the week before last week's deload to be precise).

Back
Front Lat Pulldowns
10x95
9x95
9x95
burnout x55
Rest/pause at bottom; great MMC; off to a good start.

DB Rows (one of my personal favorites)
10x80
8x85
6x90
burnout x50
Done with strict form, pulled the DB tight to the waist.
Used the weight to work the muscle - intensely

Carlman Pulls
10x52.5
10x52.5
9x52.5
burnout x35 +5#
I used the mirror to monitor my form and be sure I did each rep with a full ROM to work the lat muscles all the way down. I had planned the #5 increase on the burnout set during my last full-weight back session before the deload. I figured, sick or not, if I want muscles like a beast I have to train like a beast, and means pushing it a bit sometimes.

Triceps
Skullcrushers
10x95
10x95
9x95
burnout x55
Worked at keeping strict form all the way through with tight shoulders and stationary upper arms.
My stamina was starting flag at this point.

2-hand Pushdown
10x72.5
10x72.5
10x72.5
burnout x40
Tight elbows, swole triceps. Not much more to say. Weight increase soon?

Suppliments:
Con-Cret (lemon-lime)
Beta-Cret

Made my sick day goal again. Followed up with a heartly leftover meal. Lats and triceps are really talking to me right now.
Tomorrow is a rest day, which I need. Maybe some cardio. Definately a trip to the roof to clean some gutters. Funny how the ladder isn't as heavy as it used to be. Can't beat being middle-aged and muscled.

[bamazav]

5/3/1 Cycle 2 Week 2 Day 4 Squats

Today was Band Fruit delivery day. I spent two hours this morning loading and unloading 14,000 lbs of fruit into cars. My lower back and legs are feeling it a bit. I did want to get my squats in, so I did. Not into PR range but edging ever nearer.

Hour before I sucked down 2 scoops of con-cret lemon Lime. I can't speak too much about how great this stuff tastes. I don't know if it is me, but the powder also seems to be finer, less gritty than the other flavors I tried.

Taste - still a 10
Recoverability - Hard to tell today, just did squats and moved pretty fast
Strength - 9 form got me here, not strength

Squats 5/3/1
5 x 95 wu
5 x 115 wu
3 x 135 wu
3 x 155
3 x 177.5
7 x 200

NOTES
See above for why I only did one exercise. I am trying to follow the schedule as closely as possible. I am working on patience and not pushing ahead. In the process you will note the microloading. I am using microweights purchased from http://www.paceweights.com/ These have been one of the best investments I have ever made. I use them at home and Fit For the King.

[BergMuscle]

Squats after hours of loading and unloading anything can be taxing. Great work.

I agree about the lemon lime texture and taste. It certainly mixes better as well (not that the pineapple doesn't mix well - just l/l is better).

Planning to hit squats and deads tomorrow. Today was yardio and gutter cleaning including toting our ladder up and down two floors. Our planters and concrete bird bath don't seem as heavy as they used to be.

[bamazav]

Squats after hours of loading and unloading anything can be taxing. Great work.

I agree about the lemon lime texture and taste. It certainly mixes better as well (not that the pineapple doesn't mix well - just l/l is better).

Planning to hit squats and deads tomorrow. Today was yardio and gutter cleaning including toting our ladder up and down two floors. Our planters and concrete bird bath don't seem as heavy as they used to be.

I need to get our gutters cleaned out. I don't look forward to it.

I like the pineapple. It is actually quite good mixed with chocolate protein. I just noticed that the Lemon lime is really really fine, got some on my hand and tried it dry. Tart, but not bad. I know that is weird, but it was kind of candyish.

[storm1507]

Good job guys. I've been very busy lately, but will get back on track in a few days.

[BergMuscle]

I like the pineapple. It is actually quite good mixed with chocolate protein. I just noticed that the Lemon lime is really really fine, got some on my hand and tried it dry. Tart, but not bad. I know that is weird, but it was kind of candyish.

Do you actually mix the pineapple and chocolate together to make one drink? Never thought of that.

[conradcrow]

subd

[bamazav]

Do you actually mix the pineapple and chocolate together to make one drink? Never thought of that.

yes sir. I am going to give Lemon/lime and vanilla myofusion a try this week.

[BergMuscle]

Squats and Deads Day
Squats
12x170 WU
10x220
8x230
6x240
burnout x130
Done at a good steady pace. I could feel my quads at work all the way through. Picked up a rep per set at 230# and 240# to hit my target reps. I'll want to do that at least two more times solid before I bump up the weight.

Dead Lifts
5x195
5x255
5x285
5x300 +1 rep!
4x305
Great form today at 195# and 255#. I'm more than a little bit happy with the added rep at 300#.
Since I'm not at all into powerlifting, dead lifts are in my routine purely to build my overall body strength so I can better handle the heavy stuff on my muscle-building lifts. Today was definately a strength-builder - and I liked it!

BB Hack Squats
10x190
8x200
6x210
burnout x115
Super quad MMC. Had a case of shakey legs when I was done. I hit my target reps again so I'm thinking about upping the poundage fairly soon.

Abs
Crunches
3x50
Good solid sets today. Just enough rest between sets to do a good set of 50 and have the abs feel worked and not feel the back muscles kicking in to get the last reps.

Supps:
Con-Cret lemon lime - 2 scoops
Beta-Cret pineapple - 1 scoop

This is a tough routine and I'm glad my schedule allowed me to do it on a Sunday when I had a bit more time to (a) let the supps truely take effect (weekdays get rushed sometimes) and (b) let me work at a pace that pushed the muscles but didn't have me watching the clock.

Delts, traps, and biceps tomorrow.

Mirror check: Noticed what looks like added mass on my triceps today. Incentive to keep working - hard.

[bamazav]

Fantastic work Dan! Added mass +++ I know what you mean about watching the clock. That is why I always look forward to my Friday sessions, since I am off, I don't usually have to race. I can take my time and really focus on what I am doing.

Are you noticing anything different with your con-cret and beta-cret?

[bamazav]

5/3/1 Cycle 2 Week 3 Day 1 OHP
I tried something new today. I mixed some Lemon-Lime Con-cret with Vanilla Myofusion for a pre-workout shake. My wife makes this no bake lemon cheescake that is fantastic. This new shake, tasted just like that. The vanilla was a little over powering, but the Lemon- Lime cut through it to give a nice smooth flavor.

Taste - 9
Recoverability - 9 today most of my rests between sets were 30 seconds or less.
Strength - 9 See below.

Seated OHP
5 x 45 wu
5 x 65 wu
3 x 95 wu
5 x 105
3 x 120
5 x 132.5 PR

Arnold Presses
5 x 10 x 20

Chins
6
6
5
5
4 Total rep PR +1

Skulls to CGBP
10 x 25
10 x 25
8 x 25

NOTES
This morning was spent luggin more fruit around. About mid day yesterday, the lower back started reminding me of just how much I lifted on Saturday. More DOM type pain than injury type pain, a nuisance but not debilitating. I belted up for a little extra support and set about the task at hand, beating a personal best on the Seated OHP. Mission Accomplished. I toyed with quiting, as I was already about an hour and a half behind my normal schedule but decided to press on.

Arnolds - I will be adding 5 lbs to these on the next cycle.
Chins - My goal is 10 across and then I start adding weight. The additional reps this week were all on the front end. An extra set of 6. Baby step #1 get 5 sets of 6 asap.
Skulls to CGBP - A little discomfort in the elbow area. I will be looking into an alternate Trciep exercise for the next cycle.

All in all, a good day. Wednesday will be a combined Dead lift and Bench day, as I will be in NC on Friday with my parents.

[pastorpritch]

Good job today bama
Glad to see the strength has increased, hope the ConCret continues to do it's thing

[BergMuscle]

Good to see PR's and plans to add more weight to the lifts. Sure signs of progress.

There are bunch of triceps exercises out there. Anything in particular you are looking for in a replacement for Skulls to CGBP?

[BergMuscle]

Delts
Scooby Press
10x42.5
10x42.5
10x42.5
burnout x25
Good concentration, hit target reps for a second time. Front delts were feeling it.

Lateral Raises
10x31.25
10x31.25
10x31.25
burnout x11.25
Good side delt MMC and control. Planning to increase 1.25# next week. That's a big enough increase for a relativily small muscle like the side delt.

Face Pulls
10x67.5
10x67.5
10x67.5
burnout x37.5
Rest/pause at the end of each pull. Great rear delt MMC. I'm planning to put 2.5# more on these next week.

Traps
Upright Rows
10x85
9x85
9x85
burnout x45
Rest/pause at top of the row to hit the traps hard! Picked up a rep on set #1.

DB Scott Curls (aka Spider Curls)
10x30
9x30
9x30
burnout x20
Rest/pause at top of each curl - intense bicep hit. Gained a rep per set on #1 and #3.

Spider Hammer Curls
9x55
9x55
9x55
Squeeze at the top of the curl. The last set took all of my strength.

Reverse Grip Preacher Curls
9x45
A good finishing set. I experimented with wide and narrow grip on the EZ-bar. I think I prefer the wide grip, but I'd really like to hear some feedback from other lifters who do these (seriously).

Supps:
2 scoops Con-Cret lemon-lime
1 scoop Beta-Cret pineapple

The delt and trap work was good, but the bicep sets...WOW! I have never seen my biceps this swole!

David/Bama asked how I was liking the Con-Cret/ Beta-Cret stack. Well, I'm looking at added reps or planned weight increases on a bunch of lifts. I was able to match my proir numbers when I was sick. And I was sporting the biggest set of biceps I've ever had today.
I'd say I'm having a positive experience so far.