My journey to becoming a sick kunt: ardee's lifting log

[ardee2124]

5/17: Push

Bench

45x15
95x8
135x3

165x5
190x3
210x4 (!!! PR !!! Was NOT expecting that. Damn. Up 10 pounds on the same weight in barely 4 days. Pretty insane)

Incline bench

145x5
165x3
185x4 (another PR! Damn. Later this week I'm going to do a fun upper body session where I'll do incline first and see what I can really do. I am expecting 185x7)

155x3 (Cluster sets with 20 seconds rest. Had 5 planned)
155x3
155x2 (failed a bench rep for the first time in a long time. I guess 80% cluster sets are a bad idea after two PRs)

Dumbbell OHP

50x8
50x8
50x8 (going for 60 on said upper day)

Dumbbell skullcrushers

22.5x8
22.5x8
22.5x8 (love the painful stretch you can get on these if you do them slow enough. Triceps never burned like this. I might stick with these even when I get back to school with the grooved EZ bar)

Facepulls

40x15
40x15
40x15

Pushups

BWx10
BWx10 (hilarious how much my pecs were burning at this point)

Palloff press

40x6
30x8 (don't know if I even did it right, did feel my core being tested though)

So pumped with the bench and incline PRs.

[wishiwasdivin]

Nice couple of session.

Congrats on the PR

[ardee2124]

Nice couple of session.

Congrats on the PR

Thanks man I can scarcely believe the progress I'm making on this routine. Two months or so ago I'd have been too scared to take 210 off the rack, let alone rep it out for 4. Jim Wendler is a genius.

Finally gonna squat tomorrow, feels like it's been a little while. No hack squat machine in this gym, gonna just go with 60% BBB, I absolutely refuse to do frickin leg press. Just measured by quads at 25", while not too big a little surprising for a guy with who can barely squat 2.5 plates for 1. I guess squatting high bar has its advantages

[Dan3317]

Your quads are the same size as mine, I need to get crackin'!

[ardee2124]

Your quads are the same size as mine, I need to get crackin'!

High bar bro. 'Tis a religion.

Haha just kidding, you're 5'8 and I'm actually trending towards 6'1 (like 6'0.5). 25" quads would look massive on you, while on me they only look decent.

[ardee2124]

Goddamnit. Was just tired all day. Mind was just foggy. If this was in the semester it would've been a really crappy day to go to class. Decided to rest and just lie in bed all day, foam roll, eat and watch the new Game of Thrones episode.

Smashed 450 g carbs today, planning on exceeding 500 again tomorrow, watch out weights.

Edit: it's 430 pm and I'm headed to the gym in a half hour. Already had 300 carbs. Might be on track to beat that goal lol

[ardee2124]

5/19: Legs (finally!)

Extra long warmup today, hammies were a little tight. Foam-rolled the **** out of them and went through the movement a lot.

Squats

45x12
45x12
95x8
135x3
135x3
165x3

190x3
215x3
240x3

BBB at 55%

145x10
145x10
145x10
145x10
145x10 (this SUCKS. I was ready to puke)

Leg curls

80x10
80x10
80x10

Couldn't do more, my entire legs were so swollen from the BBB sets.... I was getting a lot of hip drive, finally, my glutes are hurting worse than they ever have. Gonna pound some food and lie in bed watching something or the other on Netflix until I fall asleep.

My leg workouts may seem a little minimalistic, but that's for 2 reasons:

1. Lack of equipment. No hack squat machine, a very crappy leg press machine, no GHR machine (I really wanna try those)
2. Bang for your buck. I suppose I could do leg extensions and maybe some leg press, but squats are just... better. I've built 25 inch quads entirely on squats, so I think I'm just going to roll with BBB and enjoy the results.

Edit:

Went jean shopping later in the day, lol, I had to buy a 40 inch waist and get it adjusted to my 34 waist because anything less was hugging my quads and it looked absolutely ridiculous. Feels kinda good, now if only I can have the same problem for upper body

I wish I got a picture of my legs after today's session.

[wishiwasdivin]

Nice job on squats

[ardee2124]

5/20: Pull

I was EXTREMELY tired from yesterday. Erectors were exhausted. So I decided to just skip weighted pullups and barbell rows and go ham on the less taxing exercises and actually train biceps for once.

Dumbbell rows

82.5x11 (PR. I want 20)
82.5x9
82.5x9

Neutral grip lat pulldowns

150x7 (PR. Thought I'd be stronger on these because of the weighted chins, but whatever, it's still the stack)
150x6
150x6

Cable rows

200x8
200x8
240x5
260x5
280x4 (PR I guess. The way the setup was my ROM was approximately the length of my arm. This was really just more for fun. Still had a nice upper back pump)

WG pullups

BWx5
BWx5
BWx5
BWx5
BWx5

Hammer curls

22.5x10
27.5x8
27.5x8

Preacher curls

70x8
50x10
50x10

Also, I hate to say it but I'm getting a little insecure about my waistline. It looks decent in the mornings but post one of my ridiculous meals and with all the water I drink it start to resemble a belly. I know I should just ignore it and keep getting stronger, I can still see the top two abs in the mirror, but I mean at the end of the day I'm in it for the aesthetics. Should I do a mini-cut or something? Or just persevere until the end of the year, get HUGE and then cut from Jan onward?

[ardee2124]

Lololol 215 carbs in lunch alone today. 3 cups brown rice and 2 white potatoes. Feels good mayne

[wishiwasdivin]

Congrats on those PR's!

Get huge then cut

[ardee2124]

5/21: Push

Incline bench

45x15
95x6
135x3
145x5
165x3

185x6 (PR)
185x6
185x4 (so before 5/3/1 my best incline set was 170x3x5. So suffice to say it's been working for this too)

Dumbbell bench

80x6
80x6
80x6 (happy with this considering my pecs were already fried from the incline)

Dumbbell laterals

20x12
20x12
20x10
15x20

Facepulls

40x15
40x15
40x15 (insane MMC on these)

Dumbbell skullcrushers

22.5x12
22.5x10
22.5x8 (the STRETCH)

Ladder pushups

3 sets to failure

As you can see, I've been reading some John Meadows and decided to just mess around with some of his principles today.

This will be my last session until maybe Monday. I fly to Rome for summer school tomorrow, so I'd rather avoid the gym on the day I travel. Once I get there I'll get a gym membership at this place real close to our dorms. I do not think I will continue with a PPL there because I do not even know how often I'll be able to go. I'm guessing 3-4 times a week might be the sweet spot. In that case I might look at something like:

Upper
Lower
off
Upper
off
Full Body
off

IF I only have three days I'll basically skip the second Upper session. However considering how well 5/3/1 has worked for me I will still use the rep scheme for bench/squat. For squats however I will not push the last set, rather just do the 5x10 work after: I'm not comfortable maxing out 240-250 beltless in a new country where I don't have access to a physio if anything goes wrong.

That's the plan for now, you guys let me know if you have any ideas.

[ardee2124]

Congrats on those PR's!

Get huge then cut

Yeah that was just a momentary instance of mental weakness lol. Gotta get that mass if you wanna tap dat ass

By the way, how did you come across my log?

[ardee2124]

5/28: Pull

WG pullups

BWx10
BWx10
BWx9
BWx9
BWx6 (I'm getting heavier, these are getting harder. I think I'll jump back on the 20 pullup program because there are no facilities to add weight here)

Dumbbell rows

85x6
85x6
85x6
85x6
85x6 (volume PR I think? these are so easy now)

Close grip lat pulldowns

130x10
145x8
145x6
110x15

Cable rows (this was an actual cable row machine. Different from the multipurpose cable machine at school and home. MUCH harder for some reason)

145x6
120x8
120x6 (I'm going to use 120 and build up with these. Idk why these are harder, but whatever)

Barbell shrugs

185x5
185x5
185x5 + 20 second DOH static hold

Hammer curls

25x10
25x10

Cable curls

70x10

[ardee2124]

6/1: Push

Bench

(warmup)

153x5 (weird numbers, it's because of the kilos to pounds conversion. Can't help it, just getting as close as I can)
175x5
192x7 (one in tank. PR! Rest of session was meh but this made me feel so awesome)

187x5
187x4
187x4

Incline dumbbell bench (bad news, the incline setup over here is just horrible. I tried as much as possible to make it work but it was just too awkward to unrack. I'm just going with this)

75x5
75x5
75x4 (bench was too high, these were awkward too. More below)

Dumbbell OHP

53x4
53x4
53x3 (not too happy but after all those bench sets + incline DBs are harder on the delts than incline BB, can't be helped)

Dumbbell skullcrushers

22x8
22x8
22x6

Facepulls

45x15
45x15
45x15

Overhead extensions

65x10
75x10
90x6

So, not the best, but still got the bench PR. 190 feels so frickin light! I am going to eschew incline pressing of any kind in favor of close grip, and make DB OHP my second prime movement. So the setup will look like:

Bench
DB OHP
Close grip bench
Laterals
Overhead extensions/DB skulls
Facepulls

Or something like that.

Still, unbelievably happy with how bench felt. So light. So good. When I get back I'm seriously considering running my routine as a bench/squat 5/3/1 upper/lower and go 2 on/1 off to speed up my progress even more. I think I have 225 for REPS now, and I want that 275x1 by the end of 2015, which I think is achievable if I work my ass off.

[sooby]

the bench especially lookin good.

[ardee2124]

the bench especially lookin good.

Thanks man. It's my favorite lift, not gonna lie. For me, it's bench, dumbbell rows, and chins, in order as my three favorite lifts.

5/3/1 for bench is the ****, you should consider it. Not so much for squats but that's maybe just because I don't enjoy them as much.

[sooby]

Thanks man. It's my favorite lift, not gonna lie. For me, it's bench, dumbbell rows, and chins, in order as my three favorite lifts.

5/3/1 for bench is the ****, you should consider it. Not so much for squats but that's maybe just because I don't enjoy them as much.

Strangely, I really enjoy Bench but it is at best an average lift for me. I hate squats but it is my best lift by far. I will probably squat 300 for reps before I bench 200 for reps lol.

[ardee2124]

Strangely, I really enjoy Bench but it is at best an average lift for me. I hate squats but it is my best lift by far. I will probably squat 300 for reps before I bench 200 for reps lol.

Yeah lol, I maybe have 275x1 right now. Maybe. Long way to go before I squat as much as you are right now. I have decent leg genetics though, 25 inch quads which are the same size as guys I know who can bang out 315x10. Probably another reason I'm not as motivated for squats.

[ardee2124]

6/3: Legs

Squats

(warmup)

180x5
200x5
225x5 (not trying to go to failure here and risk injury, the belt wasn't the best either. Just gonna hit the required reps and smash the BBB sets)

145x10
145x10
145x10
145x10
145x9 (cardio)

Standing single-legged leg curls (I didn't like the lying machine. It was weird and awkward)

45x10 (per leg)
55x10
55x10

Entire lower body REKT. Time to go get a bigass pasta meal and play cards with friends after.

Gonna try out the classic Arnold chest-back setup tomorrow, then fly to Barcelona for the weekend. After that next sesh will hopefully be Monday.

[ardee2124]

6/4: Upper

Bench press

(Warmup)

160x3
180x3
202.5x5 (PR... I swear this weight felt like 185 did a couple of months ago. I'm in shock. The warmup weight felt heavy, I was literally going to right this set off and boom. Unreal)

Dumbbell rows

90x8 (PR again!)
90x6
90x6

Dumbbell OHP

53x8 (so it was the incline that screwed this up last session. Going to use the 58s next time)
53x8
53x6

Neutral grip lat pulldowns

135x10
145x10 (PR I suppose)
145x8

Lateral raises - superset with - facepulls

13x20 - 40x10
13x20 - 40x12 (upper back so pumped after this it was painful)

Overhead tricep cable extension - superset with - cable curls

80x10 - 65x10
80x10 - 65x10

I really don't get it, but I'm not complaining. Diet is less than ideal, I just stuff my face whenever I can. No creatine. Waste energy walking everywhere. And still getting stronger. But like I said, not complaining. Always dreamt of the day I walked into a gym, set up on bench, went bar -> 135 -> 185 -> 225 worksets. I feel like that day is coming, and coming soon.

[ardee2124]

6/8: Legs

Welcome to today's workout. Let's name it "ardee is an idiot".

Squats

(warmup)

190x3
215x3
215x3 (this is where my stupidity comes in. I forgot to add weight for set 3)
240x1 (stupid part deux. I didn't do my belt up properly and it slipped off after the first rep. Had to rack it, my policy is to always use the belt for the final set)
240x3 (got it, but ugly. Got it on video, third rep was horrible, way too high. I think I have this weight for 5 now clean, but the extra heavy sets didn't help and my mental state was frazzled after two consecutive phuck ups. I'm going to repeat this workout next time I do legs, I know this weight is easy for me)

145x10
145x10
145x10
145x10 (threw up in my mouth. Took 5)
145x8

Standing unliteral leg curls

55x10
55x10
55x10

By the way, Barcelona is an amazing city. If you can, and want to visit Europe, it has to be on your list.

[ardee2124]

6/9: Pull

Wide grip pullups

BWx10
BWx10
BWx8
BWx8

Dumbbell rows

90x8
90x7
90x7 (8, 6, 6 fresh last time... 8, 7, 7 with fatigued lats this time... This repping out stuff is getting boring though, I need more weight. New gym when I get home goes up to 110 I think)

Neutral grip lat pulldowns

145x10
145x8
155x6
110x10

Seal rows

115x8
115x8
115x8 (very interesting exercise. I experimented with grip placement on the bar, I think the wider I go the more I feel it in my upper back. Going to continue doing these for sure)

Farmer's walks (length of weightroom and back, about 20 seconds)

75s
75s
75s (dropped about halfway, didn't grip it properly in my left hand)

EZ bar curls

60x10
60x8
60x6

Rope cable curls

65x10
65x10 + 1:00 fascia stretch

[ardee2124]

6/11: Push

Bench

(warmup)

169x5
192x3
213x4 (PR! Unbelievable how much of a difference lift off makes... Did the 192 set myself, and this one had someone get it off for me.... Insane difference in easiness).

Dumbbell OHP

58x5
58x6 (PR)
58x5 (I think I'll have 65 3x5 soon, which I would consider a decent milestone)

Incline dumbbell press

66x8
66x6
66x7

Overhead tricep rope extensions

75x10
75x10
75x8

Dumbbell lateral raises

13x23 (burn)
13x20 (buuuuurn)

Great session. PRs with bench and DB OHP. I miss incline bench though. Can't wait to be home and hit everything twice a week. Going to Florence tomorrow. Might do a pull or shoulders/arms session on Saturday if I find a gym near the hotel and make time.

[ardee2124]

6/16: Squat/Pull

Squats

(warmup)

190x3
215x3
240x1 (belt came undone again, phuck this)
240x3 (no more 5/3/1 until I get home in two weeks. This is ridiculous. Just going to do rep work with up to 225, basically the heaviest I'm comfortable beltless)

Dumbbell rows

90x9
90x9 (PR)
90x7
90x6

Neutral grip pulldowns

145x10
155x7
155x6
110x15 (cardio)

Seal rows

115x8
115x8
115x12 (not a fan, I gotta start doing regular bent over rows consistently. Will be on the menu next pull day for sure. Oh well, live and learn)

Preacher barbell curls (don't remember weight and reps)

Rope cable curls (love these)

65x10
65x10

Already telling you to never try these two on the same day again. Not because I'm a pussy who doesn't like to be in the gym forever, but to me a squat is worth two or three regular back compounds, so by the time I hit my first back exercise I'm already halfway drained.

Some other news: I think I'm switching my routine. Still doing 5/3/1 but I will be running geneswest's 5/3/1 Who Was CNS version. It's a 4 day split that will have me in there 5-6 days a week but still let me hit everything at least twice in a week. I'm headed to the southern coast of Italy on Thursday night until Sunday, so the rest of this week will probably be fluff work for the beach haha. Then I'll start geneswest's routine next Monday, run it through Thursday, leave for home on Friday, and then devote the next two months almost exclusively to gains.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=155460263 for those interested.

Also, what I think is a pretty nice progress pic:



First pic was December 2014. Yuck. So happy I at least have some Christmas tree action going on. Nowhere near I wanna be, but I'm only turning 21 this July, lots of time left. I trust in geneswest, hope to add some quality size by the end of 2015 and then get absolutely shredded for next spring.

[ardee2124]

6/16: Push

Bench

(warmup)

154x5
169x5
197x5 (****ty set. Spotter lurched the bar off, had to use energy to get it set. Then after 3 reps he dragged it back when I locked out, thinking in his tiny brain that I was done when I specifically told him I was going for 7)
197x5 (repeated the set without problems to prove it to myself. Confident I have this for 7 fresh, which would be a huge PR)

Incline dumbbell press

75x6 (PR)
75x5
75x4

Incline cable flies

35x10
35x8
30x8
20x10 (tried these for lulz. Insane chest DOMs but I'm probably not advanced enough to really benefit from these)

Dumbbell OHP

48x5 (delts obviously really fatigued at this point, did the smart thing and lowered the weight)
48x5
48x4 (meh)

Rope overhead extensions

75x10
75x8
75x8

Facepulls

55x15
55x12
55x12

Not feeling these last couple of workouts. I spoke to Dan and he recommended a deload. I might just do that. Tomorrow it's going to be impossible to hit the gym. Come in on Thursday and do some fluff shoulder/arm work, then take Fri-Sun off as I go to the beach. One light session in five days should be enough for my body to recover, and then I'll be back at it next Monday.

[ardee2124]

Slept all day on Wednesday, was still too tired to go today. Don't really care, it was going to be a fluff workout anyway. Just gonna make the most of these three days and sleep whenever possible + have fun on the last weekend of this trip.

I think I was overreacting to those two bad workouts when thinking about the routine change. Might just stick with PPL. It's served me well. Also I'll be back on creatine soon, so that should help matters. I think also I've been ****** around with too many exercises. Need to get back to the stuff that gets results and do more volume on them.

[sooby]

good stuff man, starting to see that v-taper! stick to what's bringing you the most success!

[ardee2124]

Daaaamn that break was much needed. Had an insane weekend, headed down to the Amalfi coast, places like the island of Capri and Positano. Swum in the ocean for the first time! I was definitely one of the bigger dudes on the beach, though I think that says more about the Italian bodybuilding scene than me haha.

Was raring to go today. Was awesome.

6/23: Pull

Chinups

BWx5
BWx10
BWx10
BWx7
BWx7 (slightly harder because I'm not used to the underhand grip chinups, plus I'm heavier. I think I'll have 15 soon though)

Bent over rows

135x5
135x8
135x8
135x8 (this was really easy. I went light just to take it slow with my lower back, which was very sore but in a good way, not injured. It was easy as hell for my lats/upper back. I'm going to just keep adding weight, 5-10 lbs per workout in the 6-8 rep range, I'm sure I'll have 185 within 4-5 weeks)

Dumbbell rows

90x5
90x6
90x5
70x14 (surprised I got 6 on the 90 set, not too shabby considering I had 9 fresh)

Neutral grip lat pulldowns

145x9
155x5
135x8
110x12

Dumbbell curl

26x7
22x9 (screw it, I'm not trying to win some kind of curling PLing competition)

Hammer curl

22x9
22x7

Great session. Really gonna focus on bent over rows consistently. I've nailed the form, this is going to take my back to the next level.

[ardee2124]

6/24: Push

Decided to redo the 3x5 day after that disastrous spotter last time. Was worth it.

Bench press

(warmup)

155x5
175x5
197x6 (PR. One in tank)

185x6
185x6
185x6 (I way overdid the bench volume, as soon as I racked this I knew incline was not happening)

Dumbbell OHP

58x5
58x4
52x4 (meh, surprised I even got this much after 4x6 heavy bench)

Overhead cable extensions

75x14
75x12
75x8

Facepulls

55x15
55x15
35x20
35x15

That's it. Those bench sets really left me for dead.