Black_Spit's training Journal

[ArchDukeOfTops]

4:30 is tough man. stay mentally tough and go to bed early when you can.

[Black_Spit]

I forgot to mention the P6 in my supplement talk the other day. So, again thanks to the Cellucor people, I'm taking their Lean Muscle stack. P6 (Test Booster[Non-Ph]), R3 (recovery/immune/joints), and N0 (Pre w/o product).

Press-
45x3
95x3

135x3
150x3
170x5 <Got 2 extra reps than prescribed>

Deadlift-
135x1
225x1
315x1
340x5 <Got 2 extra reps here>

Weighted Hyperextensions-
25lb's

3x10

L-Flyes (Shoulder joint/Rotator Cuff preventative exercise)-
5 lb's

3x10

Getting pretty close to a PR on Presses. I haven't been doing strict presses for very long, only a few months, so I have a long way to go still until it catches up with my bench and squat. Honestly, I could really be blowing bench press out of the water right now, but the effort doesn't seem worth it when everything else needs a bump first. I don't want to waste too much energy on it when I know it can really go up when I want to focus on it. Right now, I'd rather use up any recovery time on the other 3 lifts. Deadlifts, I stuck with 1 set, for the same reason I'm only lifting 2 days this week. Less volume to recover from. I wonder if I would have better luck doing 4 days and cutting down to bare bones accessory work (like Hypers on Dead day, Abs on Squat Day, L-Flyes on Press Day and Pulldowns on Bench Day) rather than the way I'm doing it now with a typical day having 6-9 sets of accessory?

[ArchDukeOfTops]

Have you looked at the BBB version of 5-3-1, I think its really sparse on the accessory. If I was gonna do it I would probably do that one.

I don't do a huge amount of accessory one because I rare have the extra time, and two because I always try to hit the stuff I do hard and don't need a billion exercises to finish me off.

[Black_Spit]

Have you looked at the BBB version of 5-3-1, I think its really sparse on the accessory. If I was gonna do it I would probably do that one.

I don't do a huge amount of accessory one because I rare have the extra time, and two because I always try to hit the stuff I do hard and don't need a billion exercises to finish me off.

I already know all those sets on the big 3 would psych me out. If anything, I might do the NDS version + conditioning.

[ArchDukeOfTops]

give me cliffs on that one (I'm not that familiar with 531)

[Black_Spit]

give me cliffs on that one (I'm not that familiar with 531)

NDS = Not Doing Shit.

Day 1- Press
Day 2- Deadlift
Day 3- Bench
Day 4- Squat

That's it.

[ArchDukeOfTops]

I like it already, haha

[Black_Spit]

Forgot to mention. I bought an Inzer belt about 3 months ago, 2xl. I was on the second from last hole. I knew I had a problem then. That was a big wake up call.

Anyway, I'm down to the second to smallest hole. In a few weeks, I'll have to buy an XL.

So, long way to go still. About 50 pounds. But, I'm on the right track.

[ArchDukeOfTops]

belts are expensive, but keep shedding the pounds.

How'd you do on thanksgiving?

[SgSpartan]

Hey brah, since you're doing 5/3/1, thought this link: http://articles.elitefts.com/article...531-questions/

might be useful for you. Cheers.

[Black_Spit]

belts are expensive, but keep shedding the pounds.

How'd you do on thanksgiving?

I stuck to my diet on Thanksgiving actually in favor of a Friday night refeed meal that I figured I could control better.

First report on the Cellucor stack: I've been a sleep talker/walker my whole life. And any time I've taken supplements before bed, it's always exasperated that. And, the Cellucor products are proving to be no exception. Last night, I fell asleep while watching The Wizard of Oz with the wife/kids after taking 4 R3 pills. This morning, my wife was mad at me, and when I asked her what her problem was, she told me I was yelling at her last night, lol, and of course I don't remember any of it. Anyway, I'm about to put the efficacy of this R3 Recovery/Immune/Joint product to the test with Conditioning in the 30 degree weather. I really pushed myself this morning out in the cold, to the point where I could barely even lift my legs on the last few sets of stadium steps. One thing I can report on the positive side though is that I slept like a BABY this week for the first time in a long time. 7-8 hours 4-5 nights in a row. Kinda crazy really considering I average about 4-5 hours usually. I can't say I feel the recovery kicking in yet, but, nothing works overnight. Right now taking 2 scoops on N0 pre w/o, 3 pills P6 pre-w/o and 2 before bed (or 2 in the morning on off days), and 4 pills R3 post w/o OR before bed on off days.

Squat:
135x3
225x3

275x3
315x3
340x3

Bench Press:
135x3
190x3
225x3
250x5 <<2 more reps than prescribed... still not struggling here much>>

Calves:
3x10

The football stadium at my old high school is on my way home from the gym, so I went to test out the steps there for the first time in about 12 years when I played football/wrestled there. Man my lungs were burning in the cold weather and I started to get a little sick around number 7-8, but I was shooting for 10 and I got it. It's a big 5A school, so it's not some small podunk stadium.

Conditioning:
Stadium steps x 10

[Black_Spit]

Hey brah, since you're doing 5/3/1, thought this link: http://articles.elitefts.com/article...531-questions/

might be useful for you. Cheers.

Thanks man.

[ArchDukeOfTops]

hell yeah

i went to run stadium steps at the indoor arena yesterday and it was locked. i had to run on the ramps outside and it sucked just as bad and it was cold.

[RoccoTanno123]

Looking good. Not sure if you are mostly doing the prescribed number of reps, because you're on a cut, but the last set is a 5+, 3+, or 1+, where you are basically shooting for a rep max (maybe stopping one short). (cutting carbs esp. it sucks, works very well, but its really tough to maintain or gain strength, for me at least).

Wendler has a decent 1RM max calculator that you can use to set rep goals on those max sets and to alter your maxes every 4 weeks or so, since it isn't really practical to max every month.

weight x reps x .0333 + weight = 1rm

Jim's 5/3/1 for football is pretty good too. BTW, can you PM me the info about free sups? Free stuff is always nice.

[Black_Spit]

Looking good. Not sure if you are mostly doing the prescribed number of reps, because you're on a cut, but the last set is a 5+, 3+, or 1+, where you are basically shooting for a rep max (maybe stopping one short). (cutting carbs esp. it sucks, works very well, but its really tough to maintain or gain strength, for me at least).

Wendler has a decent 1RM max calculator that you can use to set rep goals on those max sets and to alter your maxes every 4 weeks or so, since it isn't really practical to max every month.

weight x reps x .0333 + weight = 1rm

Jim's 5/3/1 for football is pretty good too. BTW, can you PM me the info about free sups? Free stuff is always nice.

That's next week brah. This week it's 3x3 @ 70, 80, & 90%.

[Black_Spit]

Warmup sets-
45x5
95x3
115x1

145x5
160x3
180x2 <<<PR>>>



Not too impressive of a PR as I've only started doing strict presses for a few months now. But, I'm adding weight to the bar while dropping pounds, so things are going right.

[Black_Spit]

Feeling good today after dropping accessories. I think it's easy to subconsciously leave something in the tank for other exercises. I got 5 reps for my 1 rep, 95% set. When there's nothing to do afterwards, I think it's psychologically easier to push myself harder.

Anyway, I think my next cycle will be done this way. Good stuff.

Deadlifts-
135x3
225x1

280x5
320x3
355x5 <<<4 more reps than prescribed>>>

[ArchDukeOfTops]

355x5 <<<4 more reps than prescribed>>>

strong sandbagging on estimated 1 RM

seriously man, good job. by the way you ought to do your presses eslewhere 'cause somebody may need that rack to knock out dem curlzz

[Black_Spit]

strong sandbagging on estimated 1 RM

Yeah. I did what Wendler insists and took 90% of what I figured my 1rm was at the time, which was in the area of 405, so 365, and for this new cycle added 10 pounds.

Btw am I the only person whose fingers swell up like sausages for 3 hours after deadlifts? Or is it because of my short ass, stubby fingers? They don't even touch my hand wrapped around the bar lol... I can barely get my middle finger to touch if I squeeze hard. So now you know why I squat the same as I deadlift.

[Black_Spit]

Soooooo cold this morning. I had to get in the sauna for a few minutes to warm up my joints and muscles enough to even be able to start my warmup sets. And even then, I was stiff and sore, so I did more warmup sets than I normally do for Bench Press.

Bench Press:
45x5
135x5
185x3

205x5 75%
230x3 85%
260x4 95% <<< Kinda irritated, bc I could have done 5-6, but with no training partner, I didn't risk it, but still got 3 more reps than prescribed, so I'm definitely getting stronger>>>

[ArchDukeOfTops]

ever bench in the power rack?

[Black_Spit]

ever bench in the power rack?

No, but I think I'm going to have to start. I'm not going to ask for a spot. Plus they would just touch the bar or help me when I'm still moving and fuck up the whole set.

So, this weekend is my first real 48 hour Anabolic Diet/Ketogenic Diet/CKD style carbup. So far, in 7-8 weeks, I've done 4-5 carbup meals, most weeks, one meal a week. And that's been working fine, but I think it's time to start doing it the right way now. Doing it AD style, 15% protein, 60% carbs, 25% fat... I'm not that anal about the ratios, but somewhere in that area. 500-600 carbs per day, less than 100g fat.

On to my workout. Since I got 5 reps with 95% on deadlifts, I really wanted to do the same thing with squats today. But, I psyched myself out somehow. I couldn't shake the little voice telling me that I wasn't going to be able to get 5 reps. Consequently, the weight looked heavy, felt heavy, and I didn't get 5 reps. It took me 9 minutes between my 85% set to even decide I was ready for my 95% set. I don't know what happened, because I'm usually really good at psyching myself up for a set. I still got 2 more reps than prescribed though. Maybe my deadlift is just finally starting to surpass my squat now... that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Squat-
45x3
135x3
225x1

280x5
320x3
355x3 <<<2 more than the prescribed reps. Hard set>>>

Standing calves-
3x15

Seated calves-
3x15

[Black_Spit]

I guess next 4 weeks I'll bump my numbers up to-

Press-
190

Deadlift-
385

Bench-
280

Squat-
385

Like Wendler says, my maxes are definitely higher than these. But, he's seen people training with an estimated max of 405 using his program Bench 445 in competition and so forth. The training max is just a number. Because obviously if I can deadlift 355x5 and squat 355x3, then obviously I can get more than 385 for one rep, this is just a way to progress.

[ArchDukeOfTops]

yeah to hell with having to ask some jabroni for a spot.

355 x 3 ain't bad at all especially considering your head wasn't quite in it.

[Black_Spit]

With deload coming up this week, and my last deload being less than stellar, I put some thought into it this time.

Originally I thought about cutting my lifting days down to 2, and doing some conditioning afterwards, and going along with Wendlers recommendations of 3x5 for 40/50/60%.

But after thinking about it some more, I realized that I haven't taken a week off in 25 weeks. So, I think I'll take the week off of lifting completely, get an extra hour and a half of sleep, and just do some little stretching 2-3 days this week, maybe some conditioning if it works out that way.

This deload coincides perfectly with this week. I already have Thu-Sun off instead of my normal Sa and Sun because my wife and I have bought a new house and we're closing Thurs, moving over the weekend.

We've hired movers for the big stuff but I'll still be moving a bunch of fairly heavy stuff around. I know because I already have been in the lead up.

[Black_Spit]

Btw, I know everybody's into the foam rolling and all that, but if you have sore muscles, try one of these.



As we cleaned out our house for our move later this week, (amazing what kind of crap you can accumulate over 6 years... but that's for a different post) we came across that Homedics heat massager someone gave us for a Christmas present years ago.

Well, my hamstrings were sore, so I had my wife use it with the heat on them. I had her press down pretty hard, to the point where it hurt... but felt really good, too. Ended up doing hamstrings, quads, calves, back and arms, and I stood up feeling a million times better. It actually is kind of painful having her press down hard with it, but it was def worth it.

And somehow it made my headache that I've had since last Monday go away. I'll definitely be using this thing more often.

[ArchDukeOfTops]

good call for the week of rest for deload.

good luck with the move. I've think I've moved enough between me, other family memebers, and friends to last five lifetimes.

[Black_Spit]

Finally bought a foam roller just now at Wal-Mart. Going to try it out during my deload, and start using it some on off days too.

Also, here's a vid for you ArchDuke. I know you're into grappling & mma. Here's the last minute of my 7 year old son's match last night. He wrestled 4 times last night, this is the last match. He won 19-3. I'm about as proud as I can be obviously... wrestling is a pretty big deal to my family (my brother and I wrestled).




Also closing on the new house in under two hours, so it's going to be a busy weekend. I took vacation days for Thu/Fri, so I have a 4 day weekend to move. The owners stipulated 24 hours for them to get the rest of their stuff out.

[Black_Spit]

Well, cycle 3 starts this week. I planned to lift this morning, but the ice prevented me. Probably just as well since I managed to hurt my wrist moving into the new house over the weekend. So I'm gonna ice it tonight, maybe try some Advil to keep inflammation. And if I decide to do OHP tomorrow anyway, I'll wrap up the wrists even on warmup sets.

I'll probably try to keep my 4 day split this week and just do Tue/W/F/Sat.

I like training Sat anyway bc I get to sleep a little later and my carbups begin Sat, so that's a perfect stimulus at 6:30 am.

[ArchDukeOfTops]

Finally bought a foam roller just now at Wal-Mart. Going to try it out during my deload, and start using it some on off days too.

Also, here's a vid for you ArchDuke. I know you're into grappling & mma. Here's the last minute of my 7 year old son's match last night. He wrestled 4 times last night, this is the last match. He won 19-3. I'm about as proud as I can be obviously... wrestling is a pretty big deal to my family (my brother and I wrestled).




Also closing on the new house in under two hours, so it's going to be a busy weekend. I took vacation days for Thu/Fri, so I have a 4 day weekend to move. The owners stipulated 24 hours for them to get the rest of their stuff out.

Oh man that video was awsome. . . a minute long pin hahahaha. Your boy is a stud. I've actually got the exact same addidas wrestling shoes he's got on too. Poor other kid was trying to bridge but he didn't have a chance. Do they let kids try to work out of pins in peewee or was he able to keep his shoulders moving enough to not get pinned? He seriously looked like he was pinned the whole video to me, lol.

Congrats on the move, hope your wrist heals up you old fcker, hahaha

I went outside to workout this morning and felt the wind gust in the 30 degree weather and said hell no. I had to work out in the gym at work with (no power rack) just so I could be near a heater !