AJ's Big Arms => Big Paychecks journal

[ajdahlheimer]

Week 10
Day 2 (Chest)

Pre-Workout: NutriBullet Shake (brocoli, frozen berries, spinach, raspberries, sliced apple, cherry tomatoes, almonds, coconut milk, water)

Flat Bench Press (barbell)
300x5
300x5
315x3
315x3

Butterflies (dumbbell)
55x10
55x10
55x10

Incline Bench Press (barbell)
255x5
255x5
270x3
270x3

Incline Bench Press (dumbbell)
60x12
60x12
60x12

Dips
3 sets of 20

Raised push-ups
3 sets of 20

Weighted Decline sit-ups (with 45 pound plate)
3 sets of 20

Trunk Rotators (with 45 pound plate)
3 sets of 50

Resistance Tube bands-Butterflies
3 sets of 15

Resistance Tube bands-Pulls
3 sets of 15 (each arm)

Post-workout: Phase8 (1 scoop vanilla flavor w/almond milk)

Time of workout: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg) and a Multi-vitamin

[ajdahlheimer]

Week 10
Day 3 (Accessory Day)

Pre-Workout: NutriBullet Shake (oats, banana, frozen berries, spinach, peanut butter, 2 raw eggs, pumpkin seeds, coconut milk, chocolate milk)

Upright Row (EZ bar)
185x10
185x10
185x10

Bent Over Rows (Swiss bar)
165x10
165x10
165x10

Triceps Kickbacks (dumbbell)
45x10 (each arm)
45x10 (each arm)
45x10 (each arm)

Single arm tricep pulley
60x12 (each arm)
60x12 (each arm)
60x12 (each arm)

Shoulder shrugs (barbell)
315x15
315x15
315x15

Shoulder shrugs (dumbbell)
60x25
60x25
60x25

Pull-ups
3 sets of 10

Front Raises (Swiss bar)
90x10
90x10
90x10

Resistance Tube bands-Lateral raises
3 sets of 15

Resistance Tube bands-Behind head triceps extensions
3 sets of 15

Behind head triceps extensions (dumbbell)
60x15
60x15
60x15

Post-workout: None

Time of workout: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg) and a Multi-vitamin6

[ajdahlheimer]

Week 10
Day 4 (Cardio)

Pre-Workout: NutriBullet Shake (ice, banana, blueberries, spinach, raspberries, grapes, cherry tomatoes, almonds, coconut milk, water)

3.5 mile outdoor run

Post-workout: None

Time of workout: 30 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg) and a Multi-vitamin

[ajdahlheimer]

Week 10
Day 5 (secondary chest/ab day)

Pre-Workout: None

Flat Bench Press (w/35 pound Swiss Bar)
285x5
285x5
295x3
295x3

Incline Bench Press (w/35 pound Swiss Bar)

235x5
235x5
250x3
250x3

Close-grip Bench Press (w/35 pound Swiss Bar)

215x5
215x5
230x3
230x3

Leg raises (while hanging from pull-up bar)
3 sets of 20

Post-workout: Phase8 (1 scoop vanilla flavor)

Time of workout: 45 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg) and a Multi-vitamin

[ajdahlheimer]

Week 10
Day 6 (Cardio)

Pre-Workout: 3 eggs, 1/2 cup oat meal w/berries, Greek yogurt

3.5 mile outdoor run

Post-workout: None

Time of workout: 31 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg) and a Multi-vitamin

[ajdahlheimer]

Week 11
Day 1 (Shoulders/Biceps)

Pre-Workout: None

Overhead Press (w/35 pound Swiss bar)
200x5
200x5
215x3
215x3

Overhead Press (dumbbells)
60x10
60x10
60x10

Preacher Curls (EZ bar)
120x8
120x8
120x8

Dumbbell Curls
50x9
50x9
50x9

Barbell Curls (w/35 pound Swiss Bar)
105x8
105x8
105x8

Pull-ups (hammer-grip)
3 sets of 10

Hammer-curls
40x10
40x10
40x10

Trunk Rotators (with 45 pound plate)
3 sets of 50

Resistance Tube bands-OHP
3 sets of 15

Resistance Tube bands-Bent over row
3 sets of 15

Resistance Tube bands-bicep curls
3 sets of 15

Post-workout: Phase8 (1 scoop vanilla flavor)

Time of workout: 1 hour and 25 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg) and a Multi-vitamin

[ajdahlheimer]

Week 11
Day 2 (Chest)

Pre-Workout: NutriBullet Shake (banana, frozen berries, spinach, sliced apple, scoop of peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, almond milk, grapes)

Flat Bench Press (barbell)
300x5
300x5
315x3
315x3

Butterflies (dumbbell)
55x10
55x10
55x10

Incline Bench Press (barbell)
255x5
255x5
270x3
270x3

Incline Bench Press (dumbbell)
60x12
60x12
60x12

Dips
3 sets of 20

Raised push-ups
3 sets of 20

Weighted Decline sit-ups (with 45 pound plate)
3 sets of 25

Trunk Rotators (with 45 pound plate)
3 sets of 50

Resistance Tube bands-Butterflies
3 sets of 15

Resistance Tube bands-Pulls
3 sets of 15 (each arm)

Post-workout: Phase8 (1 scoop vanilla flavor w/almond milk)

Time of workout: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg) and a Multi-vitamin

[ajdahlheimer]

Week 11
Day 3 (Accessory Day)

Pre-Workout: NutriBullet Shake (banana, frozen berries, spinach, apple, grapes, strawberries, almonds, coconut milk)

Upright Row (EZ bar)
185x10
185x10
185x10

Bent Over Rows (Swiss bar)
165x10
165x10
165x10

Triceps Kickbacks (dumbbell)
45x10 (each arm)
45x10 (each arm)
45x10 (each arm)

Single arm tricep pulley
60x12 (each arm)
60x12 (each arm)
60x12 (each arm)

Shoulder shrugs (barbell)
315x15
315x15
315x15

Shoulder shrugs (dumbbell)
60x25
60x25
60x25

Pull-ups
3 sets of 10

Front Raises (Swiss bar)
90x10
90x10
90x10

Resistance Tube bands-Lateral raises
3 sets of 15

Resistance Tube bands-Behind head triceps extensions
3 sets of 15

Behind head triceps extensions (dumbbell)
60x15
60x15
60x15

Post-workout: Phase8 (1 scoop vanilla flavor w/almond milk)

Time of workout: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg) and a Multi-vitamin

[ajdahlheimer]

Week 11
Day 4 (Cardio)

Pre-Workout: NutriBullet Shake (banana, oats, frozen berries, scoop of peanut butter, 1 egg, spinach, pumpkin seeds, chocolate milk)

3.5 mile outdoor run

Post-workout: None

Time of workout: 35 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg) and a Multi-vitamin

Note: Pretty hot and windy. Tough runnin'.....

[ajdahlheimer]

Week 11
Day 5 (secondary chest/ab day)

Pre-Workout: None

Flat Bench Press (w/35 pound Swiss Bar)
285x5
285x5
295x3
295x3

Incline Bench Press (w/35 pound Swiss Bar)

235x5
235x5
250x3
250x3

Close-grip Bench Press (w/35 pound Swiss Bar)

215x5
215x5
230x3
230x3

Leg raises (while hanging from pull-up bar)
3 sets of 20

Post-workout: None

Time of workout: 45 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg) and a Multi-vitamin

[ajdahlheimer]

Week 12
Day 1 (Shoulders/Biceps)

Pre-Workout: None

Overhead Press (w/35 pound Swiss bar)
200x5
200x5
215x3
215x3

Overhead Press (dumbbells)
60x10
60x10
60x10

Preacher Curls (EZ bar)
120x8
120x8
120x8

Dumbbell Curls
50x9
50x9
50x9

Barbell Curls (w/35 pound Swiss Bar)
105x8
105x8
105x8

Pull-ups (hammer-grip)
3 sets of 10

Reverse Curls (seated w/EZ bar)
75x5
75x5
75x5

Trunk Rotators (with 45 pound plate)
3 sets of 50

Resistance Tube bands-OHP
3 sets of 15

Resistance Tube bands-Bent over row
3 sets of 15

Resistance Tube bands-bicep curls
3 sets of 15

Post-workout: Phase8 (1 scoop vanilla flavor)

Time of workout: 1 hour and 25 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg) and a Multi-vitamin

[ajdahlheimer]

Week 12
Day 2 (Chest)

Pre-Workout: NutriBullet Shake (banana, strawberries, spinach, sliced apple, pumpkin seeds, coconut milk, water)

Flat Bench Press (barbell)
300x5
300x5
315x3
315x3

Butterflies (dumbbell)
55x10
55x10
55x10

Incline Bench Press (barbell)
260x5
260x5
275x3
275x3

Incline Bench Press (dumbbell)
60x12
60x12
60x12

Dips
3 sets of 20

Raised push-ups
3 sets of 20

Weighted Decline sit-ups (with 45 pound plate)
3 sets of 20

Trunk Rotators (with 45 pound plate)
3 sets of 50

Resistance Tube bands-Butterflies
3 sets of 15

Resistance Tube bands-Pulls
3 sets of 15 (each arm)

Post-workout: Phase8 (1 scoop vanilla flavor w/coconut milk)

Time of workout: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg) and a Multi-vitamin

[ajdahlheimer]

Week 12
Day 3 (Accessory Day)

Pre-Workout: NutriBullet Shake (banana, frozen berries, spinach, peanut butter, strawberries, raw egg, almonds, chocolate milk)

Upright Row (EZ bar)
185x10
185x10
185x10

Bent Over Rows (Swiss bar)
165x10
165x10
165x10

Triceps Kickbacks (dumbbell)
45x10 (each arm)
45x10 (each arm)
45x10 (each arm)

Single arm tricep pulley
60x12 (each arm)
60x12 (each arm)
60x12 (each arm)

Shoulder shrugs (barbell)
315x15
315x15
315x15

Shoulder shrugs (dumbbell)
60x25
60x25
60x25

Pull-ups
3 sets of 10

Front Raises (Swiss bar)
90x10
90x10
90x10

Resistance Tube bands-Lateral raises
3 sets of 15

Resistance Tube bands-Behind head triceps extensions
3 sets of 15

Behind head triceps extensions (dumbbell)
60x15
60x15
60x15

Post-workout: None

Time of workout: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg) and a Multi-vitamin

[ajdahlheimer]

Week 12
Day 4 (Cardio)

Pre-Workout: NutriBullet Shake (apple, banana, frozen berries, almonds, almond milk, water)

3.5 mile outdoor run

Post-workout: None

Time of workout: 30 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg) and a Multi-vitamin

[ajdahlheimer]

Week 12
Day 5 (secondary chest/ab day)

Pre-Workout: NutriBullet Shake (banana, frozen berries, frozen pineapple, apple, kale, spinach, almond milk, water)

Flat Bench Press (w/35 pound Swiss Bar)
285x5
285x5
295x3
295x3

Incline Bench Press (w/35 pound Swiss Bar)

235x5
235x5
250x3
250x3

Close-grip Bench Press (w/35 pound Swiss Bar)

215x5
215x5
230x3
230x3

Leg raises (while hanging from pull-up bar)
3 sets of 20

Post-workout: None

Time of workout: 45 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg) and a Multi-vitamin

[ajdahlheimer]

Week 12
Day 6 (Cardio)

Pre-Workout: None

3.5 mile outdoor run

Post-workout: None

Time of workout: 30 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg) and a Multi-vitamin

And thus ends another 12 week-cycle. Welcoming a much needed deload next week....

[ajdahlheimer]

About halfway through my deload week and body really feeling recovered/repaired.

Went for a 5k run on the treadmill yesterday for something to do. Was way too hot to run outside (90 degrees). Welcome to MN! It finally gets warm enough to run outside around May and by June it's already too hot for it!

Can't wait to start my new lifting program next week! Trying some lower weight/higher rep stuff out to hopefully assist with cutting further!

[bradandblake]

About halfway through my deload week and body really feeling recovered/repaired.

Went for a 5k run on the treadmill yesterday for something to do. Was way too hot to run outside (90 degrees). Welcome to MN! It finally gets warm enough to run outside around May and by June it's already too hot for it!

Can't wait to start my new lifting program next week! Trying some lower weight/higher rep stuff out to hopefully assist with cutting further!

I'm with you on the weather. Here in in OK, it goes from mid 70s to upper 80s in the course of about three weeks. Looking forward to see how the new split routine works.

[ajdahlheimer]

Looking forward to see how the new split routine works.

Thanks, brah. I've been jotting down the exercises and rep amounts I have in mind, but the weight amounts used are really going to be a shot in the dark/trial & error for the at least the first couple weeks. Never done sets of 15 and 20 before.

Speaking of OK, my Vikings got a certain Oklahoma Kid back last week! Thank God for #28!

[bradandblake]

Thanks, brah. I've been jotting down the exercises and rep amounts I have in mind, but the weight amounts used are really going to be a shot in the dark/trial & error for the at least the first couple weeks. Never done sets of 15 and 20 before.

Speaking of OK, my Vikings got a certain Oklahoma Kid back last week! Thank God for #28!

I would started lighter than you think. Being you haven't done it before, it might hit your muscles fibers more than you are used to.

Hell yeahz.

Can never get bored of that man. I'm jelly.

[DocJekyll]

Strong finish there man. Your numbers are enviable.

Enjoy the deload. Going to 5x5?

[ajdahlheimer]

I would started lighter than you think. Being you haven't done it before, it might hit your muscles fibers more than you are used to.

That's the plan. I'm also going to be moving back to the traditional olympic bar for my OHP's this cycle. I had been using my Swiss Bar for OHP's the last 12 weeks. So that will be fun.

[ajdahlheimer]

Going to 5x5?

Nah, just a custom high rep/lower weight plan I came up with myself. This is the first cut of my life (gone from 244 to 226 since early April) and the way I have always worked out (lower reps/heavy weight) just didn't jive with the strength losses that come with losing a decent amount of body fat. The last 2-3 weeks of my cycle were brutal. 315x3 on the flat bench for my last set is not very good for me. There's a vid in this journal of me throwing 325 up 5 times pretty easily. But I am at a point where cutting/diet is more important to me than putting up big numbers--hence the overhaul of my program. Who knows, maybe it won't work for me/I'll hate it--and I'll end up going back to the way I've always done things. I'm just ready for a change and am really starting to buy into the notion that "losing body fat actually creates the illusion that you are bigger than before" which I have learned from peeps like Bustas and ID here.

[ajdahlheimer]

Did another 3.5 mile outdoor run today. Felt like a million bucks despite the heat. Love deload weeks...

[DocJekyll]

Nah, just a custom high rep/lower weight plan I came up with myself. This is the first cut of my life (gone from 244 to 226 since early April) and the way I have always worked out (lower reps/heavy weight) just didn't jive with the strength losses that come with losing a decent amount of body fat. The last 2-3 weeks of my cycle were brutal. 315x3 on the flat bench for my last set is not very good for me. There's a vid in this journal of me throwing 325 up 5 times pretty easily. But I am at a point where cutting/diet is more important to me than putting up big numbers--hence the overhaul of my program. Who knows, maybe it won't work for me/I'll hate it--and I'll end up going back to the way I've always done things. I'm just ready for a change and am really starting to buy into the notion that "losing body fat actually creates the illusion that you are bigger than before" which I have learned from peeps like Bustas and ID here.

Well, certainly no telling if you will like or not. Different strokes and all that. I just did my first real cut this past fall and winter. I was always lifting 7-12 reps and trying to fail at 7-8 last working set. That's when I was 225. Switched to a superset high intensity high volume program that an IFBB pro set up for me. Diet is by far the key element. I hated the program at first - HATED IT. now all the programs I build are based on ithat philosophy, go figure. Guess the moral is, give it a whirl for a bit if you don't like it at first.

I agree, the illusion is real. When not depleted, at my now much lighter weigh ins I look bigger than I did pre cut.

Good luck. I'll be following along.

[ajdahlheimer]

Diet is by far the key element. I hated the program at first - HATED IT. now all the programs I build are based on ithat philosophy, go figure. Guess the moral is, give it a whirl for a bit if you don't like it at first.

I have absolutely come around the globe and back as far as my diet has gone. Everything from eating extremely clean, to eating much less, to buying a Nutribullet, to dramatically reducing my alcohol intake (cut out hard alcohol completely). Sticking to my diet almost seems to hit the same part of the brain as training. i.e. it's an addiction

I hated the program at first - HATED IT. now all the programs I build are based on ithat philosophy, go figure. Guess the moral is, give it a whirl for a bit if you don't like it at first.

That is very encouraging. On spread.

[DocJekyll]

Total props for your dietary changes bro. I love me a nice Goose on the rocks...or three or four..so I know how that goes. I got rid of all of it, but for weekends - and at that, it isn't anything near like it use to be. I am just to social for it to go away completely...plus you need a little sanity, so long as its not a "problem".

Hey man, anything i can add from that standpoint I am happy to do. All i ever wanted to do was hit 256 at 4-6%.....My how things change!

GL Brother!

[ajdahlheimer]

Ran another 3.5 mile outdoor run yesterday. About 11 miles the last 3 days total. Still on deload week, but am not the type to just sit around. Suppose to start my new lifting cycle Sunday, but I am getting very antsy and may start it Saturday instead.

[ajdahlheimer]

First Day of new high-rep/low-weight workout routine!

Week 1
Day 1 (Shoulders)

Pre-Workout: N.O. X-plode (1 scoop grape flavor)

Military Press (barbell)
135x20
150x15
135x20

Standing OHP(dumbbell)
35x20
50x15
35x20

Lateral Raises (dumbell)
25x20
30x15
25x20

Front Raises (Swiss Bar)
55x20
65x15
55x20

Shrugs (barbell)
275x20
300x15
275x20

Shrugs (dumbell)
60x25
60x25
60x25

Pull-ups (ultra wide-grip)
3 sets of 7

Trunk Rotators (with 45 pound plate)
3 sets of 50

Resistance Tube bands-Lateral Raises
3 sets of 20

Resistance Tube bands-OHP
3 sets of 20

Post-workout: Phase8 (1 scoop strawberry flavor w/almond milk)

Time of workout: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Other supps: Fish Oil/Omega-3's (1400mg), Turmeric (500mg), and a Multi-vitamin

Interesting workout. Very exhausted and sweaty, but don't feel beaten down by heavy weight like in the past!

[DocJekyll]

Strong shoulders bro, hitting those for reps.