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

[Sinaku5]

Cardio + Foam Rolling

30 mins of each really foam rolling the hell outta my hips, no lifting today going to hit it hard Monday with a new split.

Very very hung over finally recovering at 530pm... yikes!

what's the split gonna be like?

[nads786]

what's the split gonna be like?

So going back to my journal and looking at time period where I made the best gains (May-July) I noticed I had 2 upper body days and one lower body day. I was training 3 days a week with weights and biking about 1-3x a week.

My Upper body days were broken up with a heavy and light approach and I was pressing only once a week.

So a typical heavy day was:

1) incline bench
2)T-bar row
3)flat bench
4) One arm cable rows

a typical light day was:
chins
rope pushdowns
shoulder isos
curls

So going with this mentality my two choices are going right back to that style of workout or switching to a Push Pull Legs split.

I decided on doing a Push Pull Legs split with an emphasis on one big exercise per day and getting volume and trying to hit pr if possible on a second exercise but not to sweat it.

One of the things I loved with upper body days was the alternating nature of body parts giving me a break. So long story short:

Push Day

-BB Flat Bench
-Incline DB Shrugs/ Low Pulley Cable Rows
-BB Incline Bench
-DB Curls (super high rep)
-Tricep Pushdowns
-CBGP (light)

Pull
-DB Rows
-Rope Pushdowns
-Weighted Chins (will be pulldowns til shoulder is ok)
-Low Pulley Cable Rows/T-Bar Rows (high reps)
-High Rep DB Curls

Legs
-front squats
-GHR
-Hip Thrusts
-Calves
-Hypers

So obviously the leg workouts stay the same but the push and pull workouts will be different. I'm adding an alternate body part after my first heavy exercise to give me the benefit of hitting another muscle while resting. This will hopefully also keep me fresh and not as run down with a 2x approach I have been doing for the last 6 months.

This also gives me some additional arm work which I need.

[nads786]

Push

1)BB Flat Bench
barx8
95lbsx8
135lbsx8
185lbsx4
205lbsx1
225lbsx5
225lbsx4
185lbsx8
135lbsx12

2) DB Incline Shrugs
40x12 for 3 sets

3)Incline BB Bench
barx8
95lbsx8
135lbsx8
155lbsx8
155lbsx8

4) DB Curls (Simultaneously)
25lbsx18
25lbsx15
25lbsx8

5) V Grip Pushdowns
3 sets of 15+ reps

6)CGBP
135lbsx8
135lbsx8

7)One Arm Cable Laterals
20lbsx15
20lbsx15
20lbsx15

Comments

-BB flat bench surprisingly had zero shoulder pain! YAY! It took an hour for me to warm up my shoulder tons of lacrosse ball and foam roll work it worked tho. Bench felt off tho since I haven't benched in 2 weeks but hopefully next week I can get 3 sets of 5 reps.

-Incline DB Shrugs will be dropped it again caused lower back pain for some odd reason, I'll have to find another exercise

-Incline BB Bench felt pretty rough I've lost some serious muscular endurance with chest and shoulders

-CGBP was also super hard at this point, I was having trouble holding on to the bar at this point.

-I should note that after the BB flat bench everything else was done with 30 second rests.

Overall very glad the shoulder is not an issue right now I was getting nervous for a while. I'll drop the pullups for another week or two and hopefully the shoulder recovers.

[fittofattofit]

Thanks for your input on the injuries Andrew! So do you think I should just keep working around my tendititis and hopefully it goes away?

Yep.....acute inflammation you should treat with rest and ice and NSAIDs, but longstanding tendinitis becomes 'tendinosis' which is more of a chronic problem with the layering of small tears and chronic inflammation. Wear a compressive sleeve but work through the pain....nothing jerky but go slow and concentrate on the concentrics (negs)

Push

1)BB Flat Bench
barx8
95lbsx8
135lbsx8
185lbsx4
205lbsx1
225lbsx5
225lbsx4
185lbsx8
135lbsx12

2) DB Incline Shrugs
40x12 for 3 sets

3)Incline BB Bench
barx8
95lbsx8
135lbsx8
155lbsx8
155lbsx8

4) DB Curls (Simultaneously)
25lbsx18
25lbsx15
25lbsx8

5) V Grip Pushdowns
3 sets of 15+ reps

6)CGBP
135lbsx8
135lbsx8

7)One Arm Cable Laterals
20lbsx15
20lbsx15
20lbsx15

Comments

-BB flat bench surprisingly had zero shoulder pain! YAY! It took an hour for me to warm up my shoulder tons of lacrosse ball and foam roll work it worked tho. Bench felt off tho since I haven't benched in 2 weeks but hopefully next week I can get 3 sets of 5 reps.

-Incline DB Shrugs will be dropped it again caused lower back pain for some odd reason, I'll have to find another exercise

-Incline BB Bench felt pretty rough I've lost some serious muscular endurance with chest and shoulders

-CGBP was also super hard at this point, I was having trouble holding on to the bar at this point.

-I should note that after the BB flat bench everything else was done with 30 second rests.

Overall very glad the shoulder is not an issue right now I was getting nervous for a while. I'll drop the pullups for another week or two and hopefully the shoulder recovers.

I like the split
Good work on the flat benching --- you'll probably find that your shoulders are more comfortable because you're going slower and more controlled with the pressing. This is probably why you find that you're fading with the incline and CGBPs
Still looks like a good sesh to me

[Woody-5]

Strong flat benching after the layoff! no shoulder pain is win!
30 second rests is nuts, that must keep you moving!

[nads786]

Thanks guys! I think I must have sprained something in my shoulder doing speed reps with the bar a couple weeks ago never doing that again. I took all sets super slow and controlled.

In regards to the elbow, thoughts on lacrosse balling the pinky side of my elbow to break up some of this tissue?

I've been smashing that meaty part right above the inside my elbow bone, do you think it will help Andrew?

[Sinaku5]

You put in some good work Nadeem!

I'm glad to hear you had no pain with the shoulder press! Thats awesome! Looking forward to the upcoming lifts with the shoulder not acting up anymore!

[nads786]

You put in some good work Nadeem!

I'm glad to hear you had no pain with the shoulder press! Thats awesome! Looking forward to the upcoming lifts with the shoulder not acting up anymore!

Me too!! I'm insanely sore today in my entire chest and shoulders in a good way, feels good to blast the pushing muscles with volume and heavy weight. Hoping to get to 225x5 for 3 sets which would make it a PR (225lbsx10 is an all time PR early in the summer)

[nads786]

Cardio

20 mins of foam rolling 25 minutes of hard cycling. I was definitely not on cruise control today I was sweating up a storm felt really good too, a bit of a knee issue, fuking knees..

[fittofattofit]

Thanks guys! I think I must have sprained something in my shoulder doing speed reps with the bar a couple weeks ago never doing that again. I took all sets super slow and controlled.

In regards to the elbow, thoughts on lacrosse balling the pinky side of my elbow to break up some of this tissue?

I've been smashing that meaty part right above the inside my elbow bone, do you think it will help Andrew?

The last time I ruptured my RC was doing speed reps on bench!

As for the elbow, it depends where the pain is --- if it's in the muscle belly, then roll it and stretch it and get your thumb into it to break down any scar tissue and free up the muscle. If it's directly over the bony prominence/tendon insertion, then use some direct heavy massage with your thumb, ice it, and take some ibuprofen or other NSAID for a few weeks if need be. Wearing a tight elbow sleeve when you work out will help it as well.

[nads786]

Lower

1) Front Squats (box)
barx8
95lbsx8
135lbsx8
185lbsx5
205lbsx6 (pr)
205lbsx4
185lbsx10
185lbsx3 (done)

2) DB Hip Thrusts
bwx12
50lbsx12
120lbsx16 (pr)
bwx15
bwx15

3) GHR
bwx12
bwx13
bwx8 (had to stop stupid lady got right above me waiting to put a dumbbell away...jeez)
bwx6 *drop set*

4) Bird Dogs
2 sets @ 1min

Comments

Fuking awesome workout! One of the best lower body workouts I've had in probably forever. Front Squats felt amazing totally vertical back and great form.

-Couple reasons:

1) Changed my form a bit, still cross arm grip but my setup was much better, I stuck my hands out (supine) stuck my neck right on the bar then put my hands on the bar and raised my elbows it felt great. Also started looking slightly up to keep my body as vertical as possible, which helped my T-spine get the proper chest up cue for front squats.

2)Tons of hip stretching, kept the same stretching I always do but I added psoas hip stretching with a foam roller. Since my nuts get in the way (TMI) I just held the foam roller right on hip and it really helped.

3) It also probably helps that I'm lifting every other day keeping me very fresh and motivated. Even tho I was yawning going into this workout the minute I started lifting it was on.

Here is a great video of the hip stretch I am referring to, giving credit to my man Grant aka BTBAM

[-calvus-]

Glad the shoulder felt good on those 2 plate benches. Good progress. Now we gotta add 2 plates on the fronts brah.

[Sinaku5]

Intense front squats Nadeem!

I love GHRs. Staple in my routine thanks to Andrew lol.

Also I watched that vid - I'm going to do that with some tennis balls and see how it feels.

Keep up the great work man!

[fittofattofit]

Great work on the fronts now Nadeem --- plenty of volume and adding reps all the time. Now that you've found a good grip for you you'll be closing in on a 2pps front and that's starting to look alpha

Strong GHRs as well

I use a tennis ball all the time to roll into my glutes and pyriformis if they feel tight. I'm glad I don't have psoas problems though because if I started doing that in the gym and moaning like him I'm sure the trainers would have called the police

[nads786]

Glad the shoulder felt good on those 2 plate benches. Good progress. Now we gotta add 2 plates on the fronts brah.

I know right! Slow and steady..

Intense front squats Nadeem!

I love GHRs. Staple in my routine thanks to Andrew lol.

Also I watched that vid - I'm going to do that with some tennis balls and see how it feels.

Keep up the great work man!

Yep I got the GHR's from Andrew as well!

Great work on the fronts now Nadeem --- plenty of volume and adding reps all the time. Now that you've found a good grip for you you'll be closing in on a 2pps front and that's starting to look alpha

Strong GHRs as well

I use a tennis ball all the time to roll into my glutes and pyriformis if they feel tight. I'm glad I don't have psoas problems though because if I started doing that in the gym and moaning like him I'm sure the trainers would have called the police

hahahhahah luckily I do all my stretching and foam rolling at home!

[nads786]

Pull

1) DB rows
60x8
80x8
110lbsx7
110lbsx5
(12 rep PR)
55lbsx25 (pr?)

2) Rope Pushdowns
4 sets of 10-15 reps

3) One Arm Pulldowns
40lbsx12
55lbsx12
60lbsx12
70lbsx8
70lbsx8
55lbsx8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urJzx24eutM

go to 1min

4) Low Pulley UH Rows
4 sets for 12 reps (stack)

5) DB Curls
25lbsx12
25lbsx12

6) Side Planks
1min each side

Comments

Overall solid workout. I started with elbow pain because we bowled during our office xmas party. Damn bowling...

Everything felt very solid no shoulder pain with the one arm lat pulldowns I also did a set of chins bw and it felt alrite but I should probably take it easy and stick to one arm lat pulldowns.

Hands were slipping hard even with chalk on the DB rows oh well just keep working on dat grip of peace.

[fittofattofit]

Congrats on the DB rows PRs!
And it's good news that the shoulder is getting better even if the elbow is still a problem
The single armed pulldowns are good and I had them in my rehab work for a long time to improve my scapular mobility and tracking

I didn't really like his form on the two handed pulldowns, because he kept bobbing his head forward and didn't fully extend his arms, so it lookeed like he was going too heavy to keep good form and was putting a lot of stress on his biceps tendon. On the last few reps he really didn't look like he was retracting his scapula st the bottom of the pull either

[nads786]

Congrats on the DB rows PRs!
And it's good news that the shoulder is getting better even if the elbow is still a problem
The single armed pulldowns are good and I had them in my rehab work for a long time to improve my scapular mobility and tracking

I didn't really like his form on the two handed pulldowns, because he kept bobbing his head forward and didn't fully extend his arms, so it lookeed like he was going too heavy to keep good form and was putting a lot of stress on his biceps tendon. On the last few reps he really didn't look like he was retracting his scapula st the bottom of the pull either

Interesting opinion. I usually don't full extend my elbows during pullups or lat pulldowns either I feel like it puts the shoulder in a compromising position and adds stress.

Do you think the one arm pulldowns can be effectively used for progressive overload? I'm probably going to keep them for a couple weeks til I can do pullups again 100% pain free then use them as a volume booster.

[fittofattofit]

Interesting opinion. I usually don't full extend my elbows during pullups or lat pulldowns either I feel like it puts the shoulder in a compromising position and adds stress.

Do you think the one arm pulldowns can be effectively used for progressive overload? I'm probably going to keep them for a couple weeks til I can do pullups again 100% pain free then use them as a volume booster.

For a anterior shoulder and upper lats exercise though, the pull should come through the rhomboids and lower traps first to get scapular retraction and depression and then the delts, lats and bis. If you bend the elbow first then the biceps are doing a lot of the work. The shoulder is more stable with the scaps in retraction and the LHB is less likely to get impinged. The one-armed pull-downs looked good and there's no reason not to use them with progressive overload principles as long as the form stays good

[nads786]

cardio

Indoor cycling + foam rolling

- 6 sets of 30 second sprints I feel like puking lulz

I'm considering buying a kettlebell for kettlebell swings as another form of HIIT cardio thoughts?

Also this is weird but my elbow pain has seemed o get better ever since I went down to 1x bench frequency something to note.

[-calvus-]

Bowling is serious business when it comes to holiday parties. Injuries are well worth it to be top dog. Elbow is proving to be quite the pain in the ass. I like the one arm stuff mixed in. Keeps it fresh.

[Sinaku5]

You lift some serious weight on your back Nadeem.

Your back must be jacked.

Side note: I thought that was you in the video for a second till I saw Andrew talking bout "his" form.

[nads786]

Bowling is serious business when it comes to holiday parties. Injuries are well worth it to be top dog. Elbow is proving to be quite the pain in the ass. I like the one arm stuff mixed in. Keeps it fresh.

Thanks bro ya I ended up getting second with a 110 lulz poverty score

You lift some serious weight on your back Nadeem.

Your back must be jacked.

Side note: I thought that was you in the video for a second till I saw Andrew talking bout "his" form.

Fuk no! I wish that's Alberto Nunez one of the most bad ass natties in the game.

Back is prob my strongest muscle group, it's always come easier for me.

[nads786]

Push

1)BB Flat Bench
barx8
95lbsx8
135lbsx8
185lbsx4
205lbsx1
225lbsx4
225lbsx4
225lbsx4
185lbsx8

12 rep PR? Not sure... I was hoping to get 5 across the sets but was getting stuck on the bottom, poor set up but I was using medium grip

2)DB Incline Curls
20lbsx12
20lbsx12
20lbsx12

3) Planks
4 sets at 1min each

4) Semi CGBP
barx8
95lbsx8
135lbsx8
155lbsx8
185bsx4
185lbsx4

5)Incline BB Bench
135lbx6
135lbsx6
135lbsx6

6) V Grip Pushdowns
4 sets of 10-15 reps

7) One Arm Cable Laterals
20lbsx15
20lbx15
20lbsx15

Comments

-Overall solid workout. BB Flat bench continues to be really hard, I was hoping for 5 reps across the sets but I couldn't get it done. I have to keep working on my set up bc I'm getting some lower back irritation.

-Again I expected more from the CGBP as well but I got stuck with these damn 4 reps ugh.

- I can't do 3 pressing exercises either I'm running out of steam by the third exercise, next week I'll drop it and shoot for db press db flys or just simply nothing.

-Rest of the workout was pretty high reppy and felt good I shouldn't have done the DB curls my biceps were so sore.

[fittofattofit]

Nice work on the flat bench, especially with the 185x 8 after the 225s
Don't be too hard on yourself over the CGBP. 185 is a solid lift and you're asking a lot after all the flat BB volume. You could try doing the CGBPs on your pull day when your tris will be fresh

[nads786]

Nice work on the flat bench, especially with the 185x 8 after the 225s
Don't be too hard on yourself over the CGBP. 185 is a solid lift and you're asking a lot after all the flat BB volume. You could try doing the CGBPs on your pull day when your tris will be fresh

Thanks bro, I'll probably alternate between CGBP and Incline Bench week to week. Trying to save my shoulders haha..

Bench progress has halted a bit but I expect it to start increasing at some point. My back and Leg work is still going up so I can't complain too much.

[Sinaku5]

Thats some good bench work.

I'm probably going to reset my bench to 225 soon and work up from there.

You're throwing up some impressive weight for CGBPs, especially after flat benching. Like Andrew said I'm sure you'd have more in you on a fresh day for em.

Great stuff man!

[nads786]

Cardio HIIT

- Going with a new cardio routine high intensity interval cardio

20 second work with 40 second rests

6 sets of burpees 1 set of jumping jacks 1 set of mountain climbers

The burpees irritated my back and shoulders probably bc of crappy form trying to go as past as possible I'm an idiot

Ill stick to alternating jumping jacks and mountain climbers next time

[Woody-5]

Strong bench work! Excellent work sets at 225
CGBP is always a bitch after flat bench

[nads786]

Lower

1) Front Squats
barx8
95lbsx8
135lbsx8
185lx4
205lbsx5
205lbsx5
205lbsx4 (failed)
185lbsx7
185lbsx4

14 rep PR

3) Hip Thrusts
bwx12 for 3 sets

4) GHR
bwx12 for 4 sets

5)Hypers
bwx12 for 3 sets

Comments

Real chitty start prior to the workout. Got off work late rushed my foam rolling and pre workout routine which made my hips hurt during the entire workout. I also cut my palm while slicing an orange.. dumbass move.. had to wait another 20mins to stop the bleeding.... on to the workout!


Tuff workout, I was hoping to go for 7 reps but only got 5 so I tired to go for 5 reps for 3 sets and still hard as hell! I straight up failed hard on going for the 5th rep on the third set, if I grinded it up I'm sure I would of had the barbell fall off on the safety bars.

I decided to keep it light and hip reppy after the squats, just wasn't into doing anything after. I also have to do back tomorrow which breaks my every other day rule but no option.