NZNinja101 - Hypertrophy for 2013

[NZninja101]

This log is a culmination of my training, and also my thoughts on training philosophy.



My previous training involved the basic template of Starting Strength and later Madcows, though from the point I began training up until recently, I was obsessed with slow reps and a longer time under tension than I needed, as well as not realizing until almost a year ago the need for me to specifically train certain body parts such as the side and rear delts, arms and calves. Because of this I'm still a lot weaker than I should be. Now I'm doing my compound lifts with a slow negative, but more within reason, though still with the ultimate goal of hypertrophy.



At this point in time I'm running a Push/Pull where I train quads, chest, front delts, tris, calves and core on push, and upper back, side delts, rear delts, biceps and hamstrings on Pull. I train 2 days on, 1 day off. Right click and zoom on link to see it in a reasonable size.







I'm utilizing the P.H.A.T principles of training heavy and lighter within the week.


I may or may not be writing every workout on here. But PRs will be.

[NZninja101]

Heavy Push Day:


Incline Bench Press:


I've been doing incline before flat bench and I plan to keep it that way for a while. Incline is my 'power movement'. Today I did 3 sets of 5 with 72.5kg. That was what I did last time, but I've learned that at my gym, certain barbells are simply heavier than others. And today I used a heavier one. Will attempt to get more reps next time, though I don't go above 6 reps on this on power day.


Squats:


Close stance. Really trying to hit the quads rather than simply move weight, though today was a heavier day. Did 115kg for 5 reps after warming up with the bar, 60, 80, and 100kg.


Dumbbell Bench Press:


Used the 32.5kgs. 3 sets of 8, 7, 5.


Front Raises & Calf Raises:


When I'm done with the heavy compounds, I like to super set to save time. I used 8.5kg on front raises, 2 sets. Did a little bit of swinging. Would have used the 6kgs and been really controlled but they weren't there. I prefer stricter form, but momentum doesn't kill gains so I just used the heavier ones. Did 250 on calf raises. 3 sets.


Cable Overhead Extensions:


I used to do dumbbell extensions but I feel these are better. They allow more involvement from the other heads whilst still placing slightly more load on the long head, and since my tris generally needed more volume, it's essentially a better exercise in this instance.



Leg Raises:


I've been doing these with a pretty average ROM with a heavy dumbbell. Feel it better in the abs this way. 2 sets of 8.


Leg Extensions:


3 sets of 9, 9, 6.


Rope Pushdowns:


3 sets of 10, 10, 9.




Tomorrow is Heavy Pull Day.

[bogui94]

In.

[NZninja101]

Heavy Pull Day:


Weighted Chin Ups:

3 sets of 5. Last time I used 20kg, this time, 21.25kg. Micro loading. Will do 22.5 next time, though I'll probably get only 4 on the last set. No matter.


Lying Hamstring Curls:


I swear I love these way more than seated hamstring curls. I did 3 sets of 5 with '130' on the machine.


On leg curls I try to be very explosive but exercise the full range of motion, (it's easy to only go half way with heavy weight), but I do a 2 second negative here.

I feel that whilst low reps on an isolation exercise sound odd, the high proportion of fast twitch fibers in the hammies makes it fitting to train relatively heavy every second session. On lighter days I might do 3 sets of 8.


Cable Side Raises:


Currently I'm doing 12kg, and I also put 2 small plate stacks on top because the next weight is 18kg. I did 3 sets of 9, 9, 8.

Since I don't do any overhead pressing and this is my only real side delt exercise, on the last set, immediately after finishing my second arm, I switch back and do 2-3 more reps with the arm I worked previously, and switch back to do the same with the other arm. I think it's called a 'rest pause' technique. I only use it on this exercise.


Dumbbell Rows:


Felt good today, used 45kg dumbbell. Great contraction in lats, but unfortunately my grip wasn't doing so well. Next time I'll possibly use my straps on the last set.



Hammer Curls and Bent Over Raises:


Used 12.5kg for 3 sets of 10, 9, 9 on the curls. On bent over raises I used 11kg.


I feel that on bent over raises, and possibly all rear delt exercises, it is good to actually disregard the negative, and focus on the squeeze at the top of the movement. To compensate for a possible lack of time under tension due to not performing a slow negative, I do 3 sets of 15 reps. Felt great. I never got the hang of facepulls for the rear delts, but bent over raises are feeling great, really getting the movement and the connection down.



Seated Leg Curls:

2 sets of 8. 49kg I think I used. 2 second negative.



Shrugs:


Used 45kg. 2 sets of 10 and 6. Usually my grip gives out on the last set, but I don't really mind. I added a couple sets of shrugs not simply thinking about my traps, but my forearms too.


Incline Curls:


12.5kg for 3 sets of 8, 8, 6. These are like the 1 exercise where I use a drop set on the last set due to a lack of growth. Dropped down to 10kg immediately after last work set for 3 extra reps.


Tomorrow will be an off day. The next day is Light Push Day.

In.

Well hey there

[DetMatthews]

Subbed. That "Ronald" Coleman quote is priceless.

[DieselNZ]

Subbed. Good luck man!

[NZninja101]

Light Push Day:


Incline Bench Press:


Last time I did my light upper day I managed to incline bench 60kg for 3 sets of 10. Today I tried 62.5kg. Problem was, the heavier bar was on the incline station. I got 9 reps on the first set, so I dropped the weight to 60. Then I got 10 reps in the next set, and 8 reps in the last set. I didn't bother to change the bar because from a physical standpoint it doesn't matter much.


Squats:


107.5kg for 2 sets of 6 reps. I should have tried for 7.


Dumbbell Bench Press:

Used the 30kgs today. 3 sets of 8, 8, 6 reps.


Calf Raises & Front Raises:


Calf Raised 250 for 3 sets of 10, front raised 6kg for 2 sets of 10, 8.


Overhead Extensions & Leg Extensions:


Did 24kg for 10, then 30 for 8, and 6. Leg Extended the entire stack for 3 sets of 9, 9, 8. Eventually I might start doing these only a few minutes after squats to keep them difficult.


Pressdowns & Leg Raises:

Pressed 30kg for 3 sets of 8. Leg Raised for 2 sets of 10. Really loving the heavy dumbbells for a shorter ROM.

Subbed. That "Ronald" Coleman quote is priceless.

Subbed. Good luck man!

cheers

[NZninja101]

Light Pull Day:

Did this 2 days ago, here's a basic summary.

Finally got chin ups + 10kg for 3 sets of 8. Dumbbell rowed 37.5kg for 3 sets of 8. Side raises, seated and lying hamstring curls slowly progressing. Using 12.5kg for bent over raises. I think this might be quite a lot of weight compared to other people, but I still feel it in my rear delts just as well as I did with less weight.






Heavy Push Day:

Trained with my friend today. He's been overseas and hasn't lifted for a couple months and only started lifting around May last year. He managed to squat 85kg for 5 and deadlift 120kg (for 1) on his first day back. He's a little more into strength than me and I reckon he'll make some great progress in 2013.



Incline Bench Press:


3 sets of 5 again. Last rep was a grinder so I didn't go for more.


Squats:


Warmed up, (bar, 60kg, 80kg, 100kg), and went for 117.5kg. Didn't quite get the last rep.



Dumbbell Bench Press:


3 sets of 7, 7, 6.



Calf Raises & Front Raises:


6kg for 11, 10. Calf Raises went well, did 250 for 11, 10, 9, and then some bouncing reps for partial ROM.


Overhead Extensions & Leg Extensions:


Leg Extended the stack for 2 sets of 10. Will have to start doing these 1 leg at a time. Hopefully this doesn't throw everything off.

Overhead extensions with 24kg for 10, 30kg for 8, and then 24kg again for 10.


Leg Raises & Tricep Pushdowns:


Leg Raised 16kg today. Pushdowns with 30kg for 8, and 24 for 10 and 10.


I hardly go to failure on tricep movements. If on the last rep I feel I can't complete with strict form, I lean over a little so I can get the rep. But once I've loosened my form to get another rep in, at this point I end the set.

[NZninja101]

Heavy Pull Day:



Reporting this workout as it went well.
Went with my friend again, who despite not lifting for 2 months was managing to bench press 70kg for 3, (he weighs a little under 80), and overhead press 40kg for 5.


Weighted Chin Ups:


Did 3 sets of 5 with 22.5kg. Last rep on the last set was somewhat hard, but overall this was easier than expected. Glad to make the progress, will bump the weight up 1.25kg for next time.


Lying Hamstring Curls:


Did 3 sets of 7 with 110, (not sure if pounds or kilograms).


Later on, I noticed that my gym has taken out the seated leg curl machine, and I was pissed off. I then did 2 more sets of lying leg curls, thinking to myself just how I was going to decently train my hamstrings in the future with only 1 leg curl variation. I think next pull day I'll go exploring into the other rooms in the gym. The hyper extension machine was moved, so perhaps the glute ham bridge machine has also been moved rather than simply sold or thrown out.



Side Raises:


Might do these after dumbbell rows rather than before. I can't really super set them with leg curls due to the amount of time it takes me to do both arms so I might as well just do dumbbell rows right after lying leg curls. I got 3 sets of 9, 9, 8, and drop setted for 2 and a half extra reps.


Dumbbell Rows:


Used the 47.5kgs today. My grip was a problem, and in the second set I was placing it down in between reps like a pendlay row. My straps weren't in my bag but I'll obtain them for next time. If my grip is going to fail on shrugs then that's fine but I won't have it letting me down on an exercise as important as dumbbell rows.



Hammer Curls & Bent Over Raises:


Hammer curled 12.5kg for 3 sets of 10, 10, 9. Didn't use much body movement on the last rep of the last set so I've gotten slightly stronger here.


Bent over raises were 3 sets of 15. Although at face value it seems like doing the same amount of reps isn't progressing, I've found that at this point, on my second and last set, the quality of the reps deteriorates once I get near the end of the set, so I'll aim to improve this. I'm essentially taking my rear delts past failure,(with what I could achieve with a full ROM), on the last couple of sets but it feels good.



Shrugs & Incline Curls:


Shrugged only 42.5kg today, but for 2 sets of 11. Held them for an extra few seconds until my grip finally gave out.


On incline curls I used the 12.5s for 3 sets of 8, 8, 6. Improved performance. Then I did a drop set to the 10kgs for a set of 3.

[NZninja101]

I did push day yesterday. Was 'yucky with the boys' the previous night so I didn't do quads, calves and core. I did legs, (including hamstrings), today. I didn't make any impressive PRs, apart from using slightly more weight on pushdowns.



Did squats with ramped up sets. 10 reps with 80kg, 10 reps with 90kg, and 9 reps with 100kg. Felt better. I don't think ramped up sets are necessarily a case of 'he's too much of a bitch to do 3 sets with the same weight' is it is that I feel my reps drop on squats more due to fatigue from previous sets, than on other lifts. What I did today felt great. Leg extensions went pretty averagely, because I was so tired from squats. Should have done more hamstring work. Will look for the glute ham raise machine tomorrow just so I know where it is.


Tomorrow I work back and shoulders. It's essentially a light pull day, but without leg curls. Looking forward to it. And then, it's an off day, and then back to Push/Pull.

[NZninja101]

Light Pull Day:


Minus hamstrings on this instance.


Weighted Chin ups:


Did 11.25kg this time as I got 10kg for 3 sets of 8 last time. I did 8, 8, 7. I could have got 8 if I'd kipped just a little... but even if I had, I'd have still done the same weight next time in order to not move up in weight until I do it with the desired form.


There's actually nothing wrong with kipping or using a little momentum on exercises. There's massive guys that do it one way, and other massive guys that do it the other way. Both ways work. I'm simply a stickler for eliminating variables in my training, hence I do things with the same form every time, unless I consciously decide to change my form on an exercise permanently, or just to give it a go. Eliminating variables is key to determining true progression, and knowing true progression gives me peace of mind. I don't apply this to things like rear delt or bicep isolation, where I'm simply trying to work and eventually exhaust the muscle over several sets.



Cable Side Raises:


12kg with 2 little plates stacked on too. 3 sets of 9 this time, though the last rep was a little shaky. I noticed a great contraction when I lean out a little bit, and so I'll do that next time with the same weight.



Dumbbell Rows:


3 sets of 8 with 40kg. Felt good today.


I think that while a lot of people row until the dumbbell touches their body, these same people seem to use a lot of momentum as if they were starting a chainsaw. I prefer to go a little slower, which generally results in the dumbbell not touching my body.



Hammer Curls & Bent Over Raises:


Hammer Curled 12.5 for 10, 10, 9. Didn't use as much momentum on the 9th compared to last time. Nothing to report with the bent over raises.



Shrugs & Incline Curls:


Curled 12.5 for 8, 8, 6. Didn't quite get 7. Drop setted to 11kg for 4 reps. Shrugged the 45s today. I think I'll do faster reps, and do more of them in order to make it a little more of a trap exercise and a little less of a forearm exercise.




Taking tomorrow off and lifting the day after. Heavy Push Day. Will start doing squats first.

I honestly wondered if you lifted, now I know.

:}

that feel when MaoriNate comes into your thread and tells you that you don't look like you lift

[NZninja101]

Heavy Push Day:


Squats:


Worked up to 117.5kg, (bar, 60, 80, 100) got it for 5 this time.



Incline Bench Press:


Warmed up (bar, 40kg for 4, 60kg for 1), and did 72.5kg. Got it for 5 reps in the first and second set. Got it for 6 reps in my last set.



So I'm gonna do 75kg for 5 reps next time.



Leg Extensions & Leg Raises:


Leg Extended the entire stack for 3 sets of 10 reps with 2 second negatives. Concentric wasn't even explosive. I think I'm gonna have to do this exercise 1 leg at a time. Hopefully this won't be awkward.



Dumbbell Bench Press:


32.5kg for 3 sets of 8, 7, 7.



Calf Raises & Pushdowns:


One of the rubber balls on the bottom of the rope that prevents the hands from slipping off was missing, so I held the rope at the top and my hands were sliding down throughout the set. I did 3 sets of 9, 8, 10.


Front Raises:


Did 8.5kg for 2 sets of 8. Seems like I can do 6kg with perfect form, but the negative on this exercise with 8.5kg is pretty poor. I'll just have to work with it and improve.


Overhead Extensions:


Did 3 sets of 10, 9, 9. Strong pump.



Tomorrow I'll be doing chin ups with 22.5kg.

[NZninja101]

Heavy Pull Day:


Weighted Chin Ups:


3 sets of 5 with 22.5kg. I'm glad to see improvement here.


Lying Hamstring Curls:


Strong improvement here, did 3 sets of 9, 9, 7 with 110kg. Did another set after dumbbell rows, for 9 reps.


Cable Side Raises:


3 sets of 9 this time, last rep was solid. Will aim for 10 reps in the first set next time.



Dumbbell Rows:


I'm not really liking this exercise so much. The rotation of the torso that results from using a challenging weight doesn't agree with me. Did 47.5kg for 5. I used my friend's straps but even then I had to keep putting it on the floor between reps on my last 2 sets.


I'm going to start doing cable rows. I'm actually really looking forward to them.



Hammer Curls & Bent Over Raises:


Finally got 3 sets of 10 on hammer curls. Bent over raises went alright too. I felt my reps only started turning into half reps once I got to 10 reps on my last set.



Shrugs & Incline Curls:



Shrugged 45kg for 2 sets of 12. Incline curled with 12.5kg in one hand and 15kg in the other hand accidentally for 8 reps. Did 15kg for both hands next set for 6 reps. Dropped to 11kg for 8 reps and drop setted with the 10kgs for 3 reps.



I looked for the glute ham raise machine but when I found it, it turned out to be non functional. I used the pads on the lat pulldown machine which one places their legs under when doing pulldowns, and placed my heals underneath it, whilst facing away from the machine, and did a set of glute ham raises. I couldn't even do 1 proper rep so I'll keep working on these.

[NZninja101]

Light Push Day:


Didn't do anything of interest today. Squat was the same. Incline went poorly in the last set. And flat bench was poor also. Isos were about the same as last time.


When I was doing my tricep pushdowns there were 2 guys behind me and I asked them if they wanted to use it, but they said they were just new and were wondering what to do. They showed me a piece of paper which contained a routine which of course started with 'chest day' on monday, with 5 exercises. I was free in the afternoon and so spend the better part of an hour showing them some of the basic lifts. They were wearing jeans so couldn't squat, and I suggested an upper/lower routine. Upper day consisted of bench press. barbell rows, (surprisingly harder to teach), pull ups, (lat pulldowns for the other guy), followed by side and rear delt raises for the shoulder + some curls and extensions. We didn't do incline bench press but I just said to do it next time.

One of the guys was classically skinny, while the other was more barrel shaped. He benched 60kg, (135), for 3 reps first time so I could tell he's going to be moving some decent weight around on that eventually.

[NZninja101]

Light Pull Day:


Weighted Chin Ups:


11.25kg for 3 sets of 8. Attempted to get the 8th rep on the last set, didn't make it all the way up. I might have actually done 9 reps on the second set but I'm not sure.


Glute Ham Raises:


Did these first so I had more strength. Went like half way down for 3 sets of 7.


Cable Side Raises:


Did 3 sets of 10, 9, 8.


Cable Rows:


First time trying these. I pulled the weight with one of those metal bars that puts the hands quite close together. But consciously avoided elbow supination, (bicep contraction), and pulled 70kg for 3 sets of 8.


Hammer Curls & Bent Over Raises:


Hammer curled 12.5kg for 3 sets of 10, and bent over raises for 3 sets of 15 went slightly better than last time.



Hamstring Curls:


Only did 110kg for 3 sets of 7, 6, 5. Glute ham raises really took a lot out of me, even after probably 20 minutes of rest after them before hamstring curls.



Shrugs & Incline Curls:


Used the 47.5kgs for 2 sets of 10. Lifted balistically, due to grip limitations. Used 13.5kg for incline curls, 8, 8, 6. Drop setted to 10kg for 4 reps.

[NZninja101]

Heavy Push Day went pretty poorly. Inclined 75kg, only got 4 reps. Dropped to 72.5 for 4, and then 70kg for 4. Though at least I know why, as I went to a concert the previous night and didn't get as much sleep as normal. Dumbbell Bench went a little better, did 30kgs for 3 sets of 10, 10 9. I think.

Squatted 120kg, for 4 reps. Will try 115kg for 5 reps next time.



Heavy Pull Day:

This went a little better.


Weighted Chin Ups:


23.75kg for 3 sets of 5. 25kg next time.


Glute Ham Raises:


3 sets of 6, 6, 5. Went deeper, but bent over at the waist a little which made it easier I think.


Cable Rows:


3 sets. First set with 78kg for 8. Then like 90kg for 6, then 82kg for 6.


Calf Raises & Side Raises:


I didn't do calf raises yesterday. Today I did side raises with dumbbells. 8.5kg for 3 sets of 10, then a drop set with 6kg for 5 more.


Hammer Curls & Bent Over Raises:


12kg. Hammer Curled less this time. Bent over raises may have improved though.


Shrugs & Hamstring Curls:


Shrugged 47.5kg for 2 sets of 12 and 10. Leg Curled 110 for 3 sets of 7.


Incline Curls:


Used 13.5kg today. 8, 8, 6. Drop set to 10kg for 4 more.


I'll take a couple days off and repeat.

[NZninja101]

Didn't really break any PRs on light push day or light pull day.


Heavy Push Day:


Incline Bench Press:


Tried 75kg again today. Got it for 2 sets of 5, 1 set of 4. Much better than last time.


Squats:


Did 115kg for 5 reps. Last rep was a real grinder.


Dumbbell Bench Press:


Did 32.5kg for 3 sets of 8, 8, 6. New PR. I'm going to start using the 35kg dumbbells on heavy day now.


This session I put my feet on the bench when I did dumbbell bench press and I've got to say it felt better and I'm going to keep doing it.


Leg Extensions & Leg Raises:

I figured out that putting the seat back a little and stopping at the bottom makes this harder, so I'll still be able to progressively overload here, albeit slowly. Did 3 sets of 8, 8, 6 with the stack.

Had to use 18.5kg for leg raises. 2 sets. Last few reps were short but it felt good exhausting the abs.


Front Raises:


2 sets of 10


Calf Raises & Overhead Extensions:


Got 10, 10, 8 on extensions. Raises went ok. Went down a little lower this time.


Pushdowns:

3 sets of 10, 10, 8. I think this is a new PR. Nice. Heavy Pull Day tomorrow.

[NZninja101]

I finally squatted 100kg for 10 reps. Other than that, few PR's in the last few workouts until today



Heavy Push Day:


Incline Bench Press:


Used 75kg today. I got 5, 5, 4 again, but I dare say that I was a little closer on the last rep.



Squats:


117.5kg for 4. I feel like I need more practice with heavy weight rather than just 1 heavy set.


Leg Raises & Calf Raises:


I prefer this superset to leg raises and leg extensions.


Dumbbell Bench Press


I used the 35kg dumbbells today. God damn I failed to get them up on my first couple of trys. Got it on the third after a little rest and repped it for 5. Next set I repped it for 4, but sweet Jesus that last one took like 6 seconds I swear. Did the 30s for 6 reps after that.



Leg Extensions & Overhead Extensions:


Leg Extended the stack for 10, 9, 7. This time I overhead extended 30kg for 3 sets of 10, which is a new PR by a couple of reps.



Front Raises:


6kg for 10, 9.


Pushdowns:


I got 3 sets of 10, 10, 9 which is a new PR on this one too.




Good day for triceps.

[NZninja101]

Training Modifications:


I've been running my routine for a little while now and I feel that some changes should be had. I seem to perform pressing exercises better when I take 2 days off after pull day before hitting it again. Since I enjoy lifting, I've changed the structure around so I can still go often, whilst pressing less frequently.



Monday: Quads, Hamstrings, and Core.

Tuesday: Chest, Triceps, Biceps, Front Delts and Calves.

Wednesday: Upper Back and Shoulders, (side delt & rear delt).

Thursday: Off

Friday: Heavy Push Day, (chest, triceps, front delt, quads, calves, and core)

Saturday: Heavy Pull Day, (upper back, biceps, side delts, rear delts, and hamstrings)



Today was Leg & Bicep Day:

I might put them here, or on chest and tricep day. Whatever I like better.


Squats:


80kg for 10, 90kg for 10, and 100kg for 11 reps. It's great to see a PR here. I'll use 102.5kg next time.


Hamstring Curls & Hammer Curls:


Hamstring curled 110 pounds for 10, 7, 6. Hammer curled 12.5kg for 12, 10, 7. Not doing biceps on back day makes them feel so much stronger but I pretty much destroyed that advantage by going too hard on the first set.



Leg Extensions:


The stack for 3 sets of 8.



Incline Curls:


Didn't rest very long between Hammer Curls and these so I only got 10, 7, 6. Drop set with 10kg for 3-4.


I then did seated hamstring curls. It turns out that what I assumed was the second leg extension machine was actually a leg curl machine. But it felt awkward because the padding was in the wrong place for my legs. I then did a couple sets of poor form glute ham raises, 2 sets of leg raises, then left.


Took me 35-40 minutes.



Tomorrow, hypertrophy chest, triceps and calves.

[bogui94]

Congrats on the PR!

[NZninja101]

Chest & Triceps


I'll just leave people to assume I train front delts on the same day as chest, which I'd kinda be doing even if I didn't do front raises.


Incline Bench Press:


60kg, (heavy bar), for 3 sets of 10, 10, 9. Felt good.


Calf Raises:


270 for 3X10.


Dumbbell Bench Press:


9, 9, 8 with 30kgs.


Pushdowns:

10, 11, 12, with 24kg. Underestimated strength with these as a first tricep exercise



Front Raises:


8.5kg for 2 sets of 10, 8. Jay Cutler form on most reps.



Overhead Extensions:


8 with 36kg, 10, 10 with 30.



I felt like this wasn't enough. Biceps on legs day was awkward so I'll have a chest and arms day next time.

Order:

-Incline Bench press
-Calf Raises
-Dumbbell Bench Press
-Overhead Extensions superset with Hammer Curls
-Front Raises superset with Incline Curls
-Pushdowns



I reckon next leg day will be


-Squats
-Hamstring Curls superset with Calf Raises
-Leg Extensions
-Glute Ham Raises superset with Leg Raises

[NZninja101]

Back & Shoulders:


Chin Ups:



11.25kg for 3 sets of 8, finally got it, feels good.



Side Raises:


3 sets of 10, though like bent over raises I still have to master getting all the reps with a good ROM. I did 4 swinging reps past failure, felt amazing



Cable Rows:


72kg for 3 sets of 8, 8, 7, (almost 8, insufficient ROM). Feeling good as usual.



Bent Over Raises:


15kg 3 X 15


Lat Pulldowns:


First time in years I've done these with intensity as oppose to warming up for chins. 10, 8, 8 with varying weight.



Shrugs:


110kg for a set, and 100kg for a set, both 10 reps. Second set was stricter. Did static hold at the end with 100, only made it like 10 seconds.


Enjoyable session for realz

[NZninja101]

Leg Day:


Squats:


Started with the bar, then did a set with 60kg which felt amazingly easy. Moved up to 80kg for 5, and 100kg for 2. I felt strong so I put 120kg on the bar and did 2 sets of 5. I'll be doing two top sets now instead of 1 as I feel I need more practice under heavy weight. Squats felt great today.



Leg Curls:


90 pounds for 10, 110 for 8, and 130 for 4, drop set back to 90 and pumped out another 4.


Leg Extensions:


Stack for 9, 9, 7.


Glute Ham Raises:


3 sets of 5. Still not perfect, and won't be for a while.



Leg Raises:


2 sets, short reps, MMC and whatnot.


Only 13 sets this workout. It's been 4 days of non stop lifting so I'll take tomorrow off, and then do my heavy Push Day on the next day, (saturday).

[NZninja101]

Chest, Arms and Calves:


first time performing with these muscles on 1 day. It was ****ing brilliant 10/10

I was surprised to perform well considering that I'd had a lot to drink the previous day, (free drinks, they ran out of icebreaker and only had beer and so I ended up mixing, bad bad idea). Maybe I should drink all the time so i can have even better gains.



Incline Bench Press:



3 sets of 75kg for 5 reps. new PR, although the bar I used was the lighter one, (they're all supposed to be 20kg but this one is a tad lighter from experience).


I flared my arms out and felt it a lot more in my chest than my tris, though I made care not to overdo it and strain my RC, and I think I've found a really good medium.




Calf Raises:


Did these second. It's a good opportunity to rest my chest before my second chest exercise, dumbbell bench press.


I got a new PR on these too, 3 sets of 11, 11, 10 with 270 pounds. Felt great. I'm experimenting with something I heard from IronWill about training calves on a separate day to the rest of the lower body so they can grow better through being emphasized rather than done as an afterthought after squats, leg extensions, hamstring curls, etc.



Dumbbell Bench Press:


Used 35kg, I had a lot of trouble getting these up last time but I got it this time.


3 sets of 5, new PR! Last rep wasn't even super hard, it's great to do well on these.



Hammer Curls & Overhead Extensions:


12.5kg on hammer curls and 30kg on overhead extensions. I did the hammer curls with a slightly more supinated grip, (though it was certainly still closer to neutral grip), to make sure to make it primarily hit the outer part of the bicep without any chance of exhausting the forearm first. Rested 30 seconds and did overhead extensions, and rested 30 seconds and repeated curls. 3 sets of 10 with hammer curls, and 3 sets of 10 with overhead extensions.


I'll aim for 11 reps in the first set on both of these next time and try to still get 10 reps in the next 2 sets.



Front Raises:


6kg for 2 sets of 10, 9 and then some partial reps. Form was really really strict.


Often my shoulders feel a little dodgy when doing front raises but not today. I think that it was due to overworking the pressing muscles previously, rather than giving them more rest, which I've discovered works better for me. My chest and front delts simply don't need very much volume and what I'm doing now feels great.



Incline Curls superset with Pushdowns:


12.5kg for incline curls, for 8, 8, 6. Felt quite heavy, since I was very strict, (I kinda had to be, as I'd just done front raises and so couldn't cheat much even if I wanted to). Pushdowned 24kg for 3 sets of 11, a new PR on this exercise.


On my last sets I did drop sets for both exercises, curls, 10kg for 4. Swinging on the last 2, god I was tired. Pushdowned 18kg for an extra 5 reps.


Sometimes when i did drop sets for pushdowns, I felt elbow pain but not this time. I think it also relates to how I'm now doing less frequency for my pushing muscles, feels a lot better.


Good workout. Looking forward to hitting back and shoulders tomorrow.

[NZninja101]

Trained back and shoulders yesterday. Didn't bust any PRs so I'll just keep it short. Did chins with 25kg, 5, 5, 4. Maybe next time. Cable rows were fine. I think I'm gonna do 2 side delt exercises seeing as they're a very important muscle to me, and I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can for them. Because of how my routine is split into 3 parts this means my frequency has decreased slightly on average, so I'll do 2 sets of cable side raises and 2 sets of dumbbell side raises, and I'll do a drop set on 1 of the exercises. Did bent over raises with 12.5, will try 15kg next time.


Did shrugs, used straps. Grip is terrible, so I'm doing static holds after my last set of shrugs. Held for 10 seconds which is an improvement on last time.

Finished with lat pulldowns. I may end up doing these with a widish grip, overhand.



Legs Day:


This is what I just did.


Squats:

80kg for 10, 90kg for 10, and then 102.5kg, only got 9 reps. Wasn't feeling great today anyway but I'm still looking forward to tomorrow.


Leg Curls:


With 90 pounds, for 10, 9, 7.


Leg Extensions:


Did the stack for a couple sets then reduced it by 2 holes for last set, 9, 8, 8.

Leg Raises:


2 sets with 16kg, 10, 10.





Glute Ham Bridges:


3 sets of 6, 5, 5. ROM is still not there. I'm patient though.



This whole thing only took like 35 minutes. I find it amazing how people can go frequently and spend 2 hours in the gym. I guess stretching, foam rolling, cardio and powerlifting rest periods can really add up.

[NZninja101]

Chest, Arms and Calves:


Incline Bench Press:



60kg for 3 sets of 10. I used the non-light bar so this is a new PR in a way. I'll move up to 62.5kg again for next time.


Calf Raises:


3 sets of 11 with 270 pounds, and 4 bouncy quarter ROM reps at the end.


Dumbbell Bench Press:


30kg for 3 sets of 9, 9, 7.


Hammer Curls & Overhead Extensions:



3 sets of 11 for both of these, new PR.



Front Raises:


6kg for 2 sets of 11, seated. Felt really light. I might wait until I can get 12 reps and then move to the 8.5kg dumbbells for this.



Incline Curls & Pushdowns:


Incline Curled 12.5kg for 3 sets of 8, which i think is a new PR. Drop set to 10kg for 3. Pushdowned on a different cable machine. Weight was apparently double what I normally do so there must be some kind of mechanical advantage because I got 12 reps in my last set and did a drop set to 36kg for an extra 5.



Tomorrow, back and shoulders.

[NZninja101]

Chest, Arms & Calves:


Today was a good day.


Incline Barbell Bench Press:


I used the heavier bar today. My friend told me it was 25kg, which kinda shocked me. I told him that I thought it was a factory error and that there must only be a couple of kilos of difference, but he was pretty sure it was 5kg difference, and I think he may be right.


I wanted to do 75kg again with the heavier bar, but if what my friend said was true, this would be 80kg.


I did 2 sets of 4 with it, and lowered it to a 20kg and a 5kg plate on each side, which might have been 75kg, which I got for 5 reps. I'll try to use a different bar, or take the weight into account. I will put it on the scales next time unless the gym is packed.



Calf Raises:


270 for 11, 11, 11. Rep quality diminished a tad. Did some partials at the end.


Dumbbell Bench Press:


I used the 35kgs again. This time I got 3 sets of 6, 6, 5, a new PR. This made me fairly sure that there really could be a 5kg difference on the bar.



Hammer Curls & Overhead Extensions:


12.5kg on hammer curls. This time I got 3 sets of 12, 12, 11. When I get 3 sets of 12 I'll up the weight to 13.5kg, which is the next increment.


On Overhead extensions I got 12, 12, 11. So PRs for both exercises.



Front Raises:


2 sets of 12. ****. I think I'll use the 8.5kgs next time. It's a bit of a jump but I'd hope to get 2 quality sets of 8.


Incline Curls & Pushdowns:


12.5kg on curls, for 8, 7, 6. Drop set with 10kg for 4. Form was strict, (considering my tired anterior delts it had to be), and for pushdowns I used 30kg instead of my usual 24, for 3 sets of 8, 8, 6. Went to failure and drop set to 18kg for another 6.


Great day. PRs out the wazoo.

[NZninja101]

Legs Day:


Squats:


2 sets of 5 with 122.5kg. Felt heavy as a mother****er but I got all the reps to depth. Next heavy day, 125kg, though I may only get 4. If I convince myself I have to get 5 then I'll probably just **** my form up.


Leg Curls & Leg Extensions:


Did 90 pounds on leg curls, 10, 10, 9. 10th rep wasn't quality enough, half ROM. Leg Extensions, the stack for 9, 9, 7.


Leg Raises & Glute Ham Raises:


Leg raised 16kg for 2 sets of 12.

Did glute hams for 3 sets of 5. Slightly better ROM perhaps.

[NZninja101]

Legs Day:


Squats:


bar for 6. 80kg for 10, 90kg for 10. I rested for longer this time, and got 102.5kg for 11 reps. yeah bitch. So this pretty much makes it a good workout.


Hamstring Curls:


90 pounds for 3 sets of 10, 10, and almost 10, last rep wasn't great. But still a PR, if I remember correctly.



Leg Extensions:


stack for 9, 9, 6.


Leg Raises:

18.5kg for 2 sets of 10.



Glute Ham Raises:


3 sets of 5. One day I will have these.

[DivaJana]

IN! Interesting routine and great knowledge in your posts at exercises forum.