Journey to a natural pro card

[ebomb55]

I know John said some sessions could be close to 2 hours. how long did that take to complete? and what are your rest times?

This one took me about an hour and a half to complete...I rested the longest between squats, but it was thrown off by the fact that I had to switch bars midway through. Usually, his sessions run me an hour and 15-hour 45.

Rest periods all depend on how much time I have in the gym.

[ebomb55]

11.18.12

Chest/Shoulders/Biceps

Machine Press
Warmups: 75 x 15, 95 x 12, 125 x 10, 145 x 8,*
Worksets
175 x 8
200 x 8
230 x 8

Incline Smith Press (continuous tension)
Warmups*
1 pps x 15
1 pps + 25 x 15
Worksets
2 pps x 15
2 pps + 15 x 13
2 pps + 25 x 11
2 pps + 35 x 8
2 pps x 23

Reverse Band Low Incline Bench (done very explosively)
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
Worksets
275 x 5
295 x 2x5
275 x 2x5*
(goal: lift weight as quickly as possible)

Wide Grip Bottom Half Dips
Bw x 15
Bw + 25 x 12
Bw x 14
(would highly recommend as a finisher)

Dumbbell Laterals (to the ears)/Spider Crawls*
20 x 12/short monster mini (feeling bold today) x 3
20 x 12/monster short x 3
20 x 12/short regular mini x 3
15 x 12/short mini x 3

Bentover Rear Delt Swings
35 x 25
40 x 25
35 x*

KB Cross Body Curls
18 lb x 10-8-6-4-3-2-1*
One arm, other arm, no rest between any set...insane brachial is pump

Awesome session. Chest pump from machine presses was nasty going into the incline smiths, which did me in *haha. 295 x 8 felt good, but cheat was so pumped! Reverse bands were done very explosively. No reps were grinders or even close, the goal was maximum explosion.

Wide grip dips usually don't feel great for me, but I tried doing them with my feet in front of my body instead of behind and they felt great! No shoulder pain, all pec. Laterals/Spider crawls absolutely destroyed my Delts and swings finished them off. No triceps today, so I threw in a biceps finisher.

[The Solution]

Continuous tension, are you stopping an inch shy and exploding back up with shortly before locking out? how do you do those?

[ebomb55]

Continuous tension, are you stopping an inch shy and exploding back up with shortly before locking out? how do you do those?

Yep, pretty much, except no stopping. I lower to about 1-2 inches above the chest and then press up to about 3/4 lockout then repeat. Too heavy = can't keep going/would have to rest to get more reps.

[ebomb55]

Just a food update, here's what I ate today:

Meal 1) 1/2 cup cream of rice, 1.5 tbsp almond butter, 1.5 scoops whey/casein/egg white, 1/2 scoop greens +

Peri-Workout: 80 grams carbs + 30 grams casein hydrolysate

Meal 2) 2 cups Jasmine rice, 5 ounces chicken breast

Meal 3) 1 cup wild rice, 6 ounces chicken breast, 1 slice Ezekiel bread + 1.5 tbsp almond butter, 2 Lundberg rice cakes + 1 tbsp VCO

Meal 4) 1 cup Siggis fat free yogurt, 2 tbsp peanut butter + 1/2 tbsp VCO, 1 scoop greens +, 3 Lundberg rice cakes

Meal 5) 5 eggs cooked in VCO

255 P/425 C/98 F

[NaturalPursuit]

how did you like the reverse band incline bench? I've always been interested in these..

[ebomb55]

11.19.12

Back/Traps/Calves

Standing Calf Raise/Dorsiflexions
135 x 20/50
135 x 20/40
185 x 20/25
185 x*

Meadows Rows
Warmups
45 x 10
90 x 10
115 x 10
Worksets
125 x 10, 10, 10, 10

Single Arm Supinated Pulldowns
70 x 8 LR
60 x 8, 8, 8 LR

Meadows Pullovers
60 x 12
70 x 12
60 x 12,*

Smith Dead-Stop Rows (explosive)
1 pps x 6
1 pps + 25 x 6
2 pps x 6, 6, 6

Dumbbell Shrugs w/3 second hold
120s x 12

Banded Hypers
Warmup: bw x 30
1 mini band x 40
1 mini + 1 monster mini x 20
Dropset
2 mini + 1 monster x 15 to 2 minis x 15 to 1 mini to bw
(ouch)

Strong overall back session. Meadows rows and Pulldowns pumped up my lats big time, and pullovers stretched them out nicely. I'm really liking the explosive work done a bit later in the workout, where weight isn't as important as moving the weight explosively using the target muscle.

Banded Hypers were awful today haha.

[ebomb55]

how did you like the reverse band incline bench? I've always been interested in these..

I'm a big fan of reverse band pressing for the chest because it allows you to flex your chest and really work the muscle on a big compound movement.

I prefer incline presses of any sort over flat, but I switch off on these. These were also done on a very slight incline, the bench being elevated at the head by 2 45 lb plates.

[ebomb55]

11.20.12

Legs/Cardio

Lying Leg Curls
6 x 10 worksets

Back Squats (no belt, as deep as possible, done very explosively)
135 x 10
185 x 10
225 x 6
245 x 6
265 x 6
285 x 6
305 x 6

Aerodyne Bike Tabata
5 minute warmup
4 awful minutes
5 minute cooldown

Secondary leg day...felt great. Goal was to pump up hammies a ton, and then hit 5-6 very explosive sets of squats. Goal here was maximum acceleration on every rep, and I certainly did that...was about to jump through the ceiling haha.

Tabata was hell. I figured I'd toss that in as Thanksgiving is coming up lol.

[ebomb55]

11.21.12

Arms

Rope Pushdowns/Cable Curls (with 2 second flex at top)
3 warmup sets (15 reps each)
12/8
12/8
12/8
12/8

Palms Up Dumbbell Curls (3 second negative, continuous)/Bentover Rope Extensions
25 x 8/12
30 x 8/12
30 x 8/12
30 x 8/12

Reverse Grip Single Arm Pushdown/Bottom-Half Barbell Curls
8 LR/80 x 8
8 LR/80 x 8
8 LR/90 x 8
8 LR/90 x 8

Single Arm Pushdown/EZ Reverse Curls
8 LR/10 + 10 partials
8 LR/10 + 10 partials
8 LR/10 + 10 partials
8 LR/10 + 10 partials

Nasty, nasty pump today...love arm sessions haha!

[The Solution]

Week 1 in the books of the program? Thoughts so far? Or does he have you training 6x a week on this program?

[ebomb55]

Week 1 in the books of the program? Thoughts so far? Or does he have you training 6x a week on this program?

Yep, week 1 is in the books. I'm very excited to see how I can progress on it. The program has a base of 4 days and then there are 3 'optional' days where goal is either explosive work or pump work. So, if my recovery is on point, I'll go all 7. If I feel like scaling it back, I can. It's very versatile, which makes it great for progression IMO.

[ebomb55]

11.22.12

Chest/Shoulders

1 x 30 second all out aerodyne bike sprint

Machine Press (hard flex, full stretch)
50 x 15
70 x 12
100 x 10
130 x 10
150 x 10
175 x 10
190 x 10

Dumbbell Hex Press
30 x 12
40 x 12, 12, 12, 12

Pec Minor Dips/Band Over and Backs
Bw x 15/10
+ 25 x 15/10
+ 70 x 15, 15/10, 10

Pec Dec Rear Delts
3 x 30

Spider Crawls
Short monster mini x 3
Short mini x 5
Short monster x 3 to mini x 2

6-Ways
10 lb x 2x10
5 lb x 15

1 x 30 second all out aerodyne bike sprint

Nice chest/shoulder pump day with a little HIIT thrown in....Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

[ebomb55]

11.23.12

Back/HIIT
30-45 seconds rest

Meadows Rows
45 x 10 LR
70 x 10 LR
90 x 10, 10 LR
95 x 10, 10 LR

Pullups
5 x 10

Kayak Rows
4 x 10 LR

Bike HIIT
8 intervals (15/45)

The usual secondary back session + cardio.

Big leg session tomorrow.

[ebomb55]

11.24.12

Legs

Lying Hamstring Curls
50 x 20
80 x 15
100 x 8
120 x 8
140 x 8
160 x 8
180 x 8
190 x 8

Back Squats (beltless)
135 x 10
185 x 8
225 x 6
275 x 6
315 x 6
345 x 6
375 x 6
405 x 6 (cut it when bar speed slowed/not as explosive as I'd like it)

Leg Press
Warmups
3 pps x 15, 5 pps x 15, 7 pps x 15
9 pps x 15, 15, 25

Dumbbell Lunges
60 x 12 LR + bw x 10 LR
60 x 12 LR + bw x 10 LR
60 x 10 LR + bw + 10 LR

RDL w/25s
145 x 10
195 x 10, 10

Very solid leg session. Leg curls pumped my hammies up a ton to begin with, and beltless squats felt great. I haven't done them in a while, and the goal today was ramp up doing explosive sets until bar speed slows, and 405 was a perfect finishing weight. I look forward to getting my squat up again!

Leg press was brutal. I took a 15 rep weight and turned it into 25 haha. Lunges were brutal as usual, and RDL's were a solid finisher.

[NaturalPursuit]

DUDE!!! crazy leg sesh! those squats!!!

[ebomb55]

DUDE!!! crazy leg sesh! those squats!!!

Haha, thanks man...squats are starting to feel good again.

[Jab1]

Jesus dude, when you gonna start using real weight/aka h4m told me to say you're a bitch. OMG JK NOT SERIOUS.

I am dreaming for the day when 4 plates is speed work.

[ebomb55]

Jesus dude, when you gonna start using real weight/aka h4m told me to say you're a bitch. OMG JK NOT SERIOUS.

I am dreaming for the day when 4 plates is speed work.

Lol, H4m is a monster...I'm trying to get back to that weight!

[ebomb55]

11.25.12

Chest/Shoulders/Biceps

Incline Dumbbell Press (deep stretch/slight pause, 3/4 lockout)
100 x 4 x 8

Incline Barbell Press (explosive)
225 x 5x5

Free Motion Cable Press
3 x 8

Blast Strap Stretch Pushups
4 sets to failure

Dumbbell Laterals (above ears)
20 x 3x12

Smith Cage Press
35 lb/side x 5, 5
1 pps x 5, 5

Hanging Lateral Swings
40 x 15, 15, 15

V Grip Pushdowns/Dumbbell Hammer Curls
12/30 x 8
(3 times)
Dropset
12-12-12-12/30 x 10-20 x 10-10 x 10

Strong overall session...these are what will help me keep pushing through the next 3 weeks of finals/studying!

[coolmroli]

Keep up the posting dude! It's quite motivational. I'm actually starting mountain dog training tomorrow! I wonder how I will handle it considering I have final exams in a week and a half too haha

[ebomb55]

Keep up the posting dude! It's quite motivational. I'm actually starting mountain dog training tomorrow! I wonder how I will handle it considering I have final exams in a week and a half too haha

Awesome to hear that you're gonna be giving MD training principles a try. Enjoy :P.

I think physical activity, lifting in our case, is a must when in school, law school especially. It's so easy to get wrapped up in all the work and lose your focus. Not only does lifting help you organize your day better, but it puts you in a better frame of mind to study IMO.

[ebomb55]

11.26.12

Back/Traps/Calves

Standing Calf Raise/Dorsiflexions
20/50
20/45
20/40

Single Arm Barbell Rows
50 x 12 LR
75 x 12 LR
100 x 12 LR
110 x 12 LR
125 x 12 LR
100 x 12 LR

Straight Arm Pulldowns
4 x 10

Chest-Supported Elbows out Rows
90 x 3x10
45 x 10

Behind the Back Shrugs (2 second hold + continuous)
135 x 10 + 10
185 x 10 + 10
245 x 10 + 10

Hypers
bw x 63 (ouch)

Solid overall back session...got a pretty nasty pump. I gave something a bit different a try today. I have been reading a lot of stuff by Scott Abel and in between nearly all of my sets, I did either jump squats, burpees, or swiss ball jackknifes. I was pretty dead by the end of this haha. It's just an effective way to get some solid cardio in while still placing the emphasis on hypertrophy.

[ebomb55]

11.27.12

Arms/Calves

Standing Calf Raise/Dorsiflexion
135 x 10/50
185 x 10/50
225 x 10/40
265 x 10/40
275 x 10/40
295 x 8 + 20 partials/30

V Grip Pushdowns/Barbell Curls w/1 second squeeze at the top
150 x 15/bar + 40 x 8
stack x 15/+50 x 8
stack x 15/+70 x 8
stack x 15/+70 x 8

Dumbbell Hammer Curls (1 sec squeeze + partials)/Bench Dips (3 second eccentric, lean back-flex)
30 x 8 + 4/45 x 8
30 x 8 + 4/90 x 8
30 x 8 +4/45 x 8
30 x 8 +4/Bw x 8

Decline EZ Bar Extensions (strict, continuous tension)/EZ Bar Reverse Curls + Partials
Bar + 70 x 12/+20 x 10 + 10
Bar + 90 x 12/+30 x 10 +6
+ 90 x 12/ + 40 x 10 +6
+ 90 x 12/ + 40 x 10 + 6

Close Grip Pushups (feet elevated)/Reverse Curls
Bw to failure (30-40 reps)/+20 x 10 +6

Awesome arm session. I went through this in about an hour, which was pretty quick considering I hit a good amount of calves first. Pump, as usual, was nasty, especially with the 30-45 second rests between everything.

[The Solution]

You always a morning trainer by nature?
And i assume you are getting in what John likes with a smaller protein + Carb + Fat meal prior to the gym (i know he likes oats/whey/peanut butter)

are you supplementing with BCAA's and intra-workout carbs like he likes and posts about on his site?

[ebomb55]

You always a morning trainer by nature?
And i assume you are getting in what John likes with a smaller protein + Carb + Fat meal prior to the gym (i know he likes oats/whey/peanut butter)

are you supplementing with BCAA's and intra-workout carbs like he likes and posts about on his site?

Yep, my pre-workout meal is always cream of rice + 1.5 tbsp of almond butter and 1.5 scoops of protein.

I currently take an intraworkout drink that has 80 grams of carbs and either EAAs, BCAAs, or Casein Hydrolysate.

[ebomb55]

11.29.12

Chest/Shoulders/Calves/Abs

Machine Press/Hanging Leg Raises or Ab Wheel
50 x 15
75 x 10/20
110 x 10/15
130 x 10/15
150 x 10/20
170 x 10/15
190 x 10

Dumbbell Hex Press
40 x 12
45 x 12, 12, 12

Pec Minor Dips/Band Over Backs
45 lb x 15/10
70 lb x 15/10
70 lb x 15/10

Machine Laterals
8 x 30
8 x 30
6 x 30

Spider Crawls
Short monster mini x 3
Short mini x 2 x 3

6-Ways
10 lb x 10
7.5 x 10
7.5 x 10

The usual secondary chest/shoulder pump day. Pump from chest work was actually painful haha. Dumbbell hex presses are definitely my favorite MMC movement for chest now, hands down.

[ebomb55]

11.30.12

Secondary Back
30-45 seconds rest between everything

Meadows Rows
45 x 10 LR
70 x 10 LR
95 x 10, 10, 10, 10 LR

Single Arm Supinated Pulldowns (continuous tension, driving elbow down hard + flex lower lat)
60 x 10, 10, 10, 10 LR

Pull-Ups (wide grip and medium grip)
5 x 10

Rope Straight-Arm Pulldowns
4 x 10

Quick session, but effective with a nice back pump.

[ebomb55]

12.1.12

Legs!

Lying Hamstring Curl
Warmups: 50 x 20, 70 x 15, 110 x 12
Worksets
130 x 12
150 x 10
170 x 8
Dropset
170 x 8 to 130 x 10 to 110 x 15 + 10 partner-assisted reps (holy hammie pump lol)

Back Squats (normal form, belt on at 405)
135 x 8
225 x 8
315 x 8
405 x 8
Dropset
435 x 8 (1-2 left in the tank) to 315 x 10 to 225 x failure (was about to pass out haha)

Leg Press
5 pps x 3 sets of 35-40

Leg Extension
4 x 8 (2 second squeeze at top)

Dumbbell RDL
4 x 8 (continuous tension)


Wow...nasty leg session. The hamstring curl dropset to start was ridiculous and the squat dropset was one of the toughest dropsets I've done in a while. Afterwards, I felt like I had run 10 x 100's and couldn't catch my breath. The rest of the day was pump work. Was very happy with how 435 felt on squats...could have hit 10 likely, but left a bit in the tank for the dropset.

[ebomb55]

12.2.12

Chest/Shoulders

Very Slight Decline Dumbbell Press (continuous tension)
25 x 20
50 x 15
70 x 10
80 x 8
100 x 8
120 x 8, 15 (not to failure, heaviest DBs in gym)

Slight Decline Smith (done explosively, lower controlled, explode to 3/4)
1 pps + 25 x 5
2 pps x 5
2 pps + 10 x 5
2 pps + 25 x 5
2 pps + 35 x 5
3 pps x 5, 5

Incline Barbell Press (explosive, same as previous movement)
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5x5

Stretch Pushups
bw x 40, 25 (failure)

Dumbbell Laterals/Band Partials + 1 second holds
20 x 10/mini x 15
30 x 10/mini x 15
25 x 10/mini x 15
25 x 10/mini x 12

Band Rear Delt Pull-Aparts (hard 1 second flex, drive elbows back as hard as possible)
mini x 3x15

Awesome chest/shoulder session. Wish I had had heavier DB's with the decline dumbbell press, as 120s were too light for a heavy set of 8, but still got a nice pump. Decline smith felt extremely strong today, especially since I was just doing explosive sets and was able to hit 3 pps like it was nothing. Stretch pushups were a nice finisher. The delt superset was very tough. Would recommend the banded partials + hold for someone looking for a pain tolerance delt movement.