Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

On vacation last week. Only made it to the gym at the hotel once(Wednesday), with nothing but a smith machine, a few dumbells (50lb max) and about a half-dozen other isolation machines. All that meant I was pretty restricted in what I could do. Got in some squats and bench presses on the smith (felt very wierd), did some standing overhead presses with the dumbells (50s) and some lat pulldowns to finish it off. Other than that I was laying around on the beach drinking fruity rum drinks and smoking loads of cigars.

Started my workout routine up again yesterday with a spin class - I'm actually starting to enjoy those. I must be sick. Lifting tomorrow morning.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Yeah ... you'd better be lifting tomorrow. Watch out for the medicine balls, though. ;) (I know ... you're not me. :r)

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Don't worry. I'll keep my eye out for stray medicine balls.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Had to miss today due to work, back @ it with a hard legs day tomorrow.

Been meaning to ask, do you guys take creatine on off days as well as lifting days?

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Half my regular dose, Jim. :)

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Yeah ... that was MY problem! :r

What's an "off day"? :confused: ;)

I need to be more disciplined about this. When I have a cardio-only day and I'm at home, about 50% of the time, I'll remember to take some (6g is my usual dose; but I combine it with 5g of beta alanine, which studies show has a synergistic effect). The other 50% of cardio days, I just forget. And if I'm traveling, it just doesn't happen....

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I've been doin about that for off days. But didn't take anything the last weekend
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Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

That's how I am, Jim -- it often escapes me on the weekends.



Back from a light support day. Just wanted to get the blood flowing to the muscles to help them recover faster. Did some v-bar and rope press downs, over head rope extensions, JM presses, t-bar rows, land mines, pull-down abs, rope crunches, and medicine ball word. Also got on the bench and practiced my arch/form/etc. -- just wanted to be sure I had the right groove for my bench attempt(s) tomorrow. Did a little bit of cardio at the end to wrap things up.

Tomorrow is my big day. I still don't have a spotter; but I'll find one. 175 would be a PR. 185 is the goal. Anything beyond is gravy. :D

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Back day today. Highlights:

Cable Low Row
180x5 3 sets

High Row - Hammer Str machine, plate loaded
115x5 3 sets

Bent-over bar row
155x5 3 sets

Threw in some 21s to finish it off
45
65 - too much after everything else, had to rest before the full curls
55

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I'm not sure how huge of a deal it is. I know i've read you have to be off creatine for like a month to need another loading phase (even though some think you don't need one at all) and also read that any more than 2g or so at a time is just pissed away, quite literally. This is interesting considering the listed dose is 10g a day.

article is here: http://www.wannabebig.com/supplement...sing-schedule/

edit: I'm sure other articles can be found stating differently, but this is just one I found.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

yup. that's why my maintenance dose is 5-6 ... seems to be the median number in all the different articles I've read. I'll do more sometimes (like right now, I'm on 10-20 a day) even though I know I'm pissing some away (literally) just to get every last drop my body can process.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I dunno about this creatine stuff. I am getting good gains on all my lifts right now with just protein after working out. I guess I would just think it unnecessary unless you are stuck on a plateau.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Well the way I understand it is lifting with creatine takes you to a certain level. If you cycle, when your cycle ends you will probably drop down a few levels. However, this lower level after you stop will still be higher than if you weren't to take creatine at all.



And Dokk, makes sense that since you don't know exactly @ what point your body is unable to take in more creatine, taking a bit more than needed can't hurt.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

How much beef do you eat, Pete?

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Yes. That.

And ... for some old pharts like me whose joints aren't as good as they used to be, creatine has a slight lubricating effect. Furthermore, beyond helping with mass, creatine aids in recovery, cutting down your recovery time and making it easier to hit it hard sooner.

Recovery is the main reason I take it. :2

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Now that I'm taking regular ole monohydrate, I need to stop buying those little gatorades and just buy a big ass jug of the powder like suggested......damn things get expensive.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I usually have beef once a week or so. I eat a lot of turkey, chicken and fish. I also get bison from my grocery store. I get about 180-220g of protein a day with all my meals. Bit more on days when I lift, as I don't have the shake on off days.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

The only supplement I take is whey protein. I have taken creatine back in high school, and I like it, but I haven't tried it since.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Was a link to a good article about casein protein vs whey a few pages back in this thread. Think this was the article. Worth a read, but the basic point of the article was that a mix of both whey, which is fast absorbed but not long lasting and casein, which is slower in absobtion but lasts longer, is the best way to go.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I read in an article of last years men's fitness that casein would be good to take before bed because it burns slowly, so your body doesn't eat the muscles during the night. I just never got around to buying any, lol

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

You could do that ... or you could just eat a serving of low fat cottage cheese as your nighttime snack. :)

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Or drink a big glass of milk. Preferably with some kahlua in it to go with your evening cigar.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Just a question on how you take your creatine, do you take it before or after the workout?

I used to take it prior to it, but for practical purposes I started a while ago taking it after the work out, mixed in my protein shake. I dont know if it really makes a difference, but just asking your preference.

Carlos.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Dont you get more of a pump by taking it beforehand?

Make sure you mix a little vodka in that milk/kahlua ;)

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I went through a phase of taking it before *and* after. But right now, I take it immediately after (within minutes, at the moment; but that's not necessary).

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

:r:r:r

You might. Depends on your body. To me, the idea is that you're trying to feed the muscles to help them grow. When they're in absorption mode (immediately after you're done lifting), that's when they're going to make the most out of it. If you're looking for pump/immediate effect, take an NO supp before lifting. Oh ... and lift harder. ;)

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I do 5g earlier in the day and 5g right after the workout....then have a protein shake 20-30 mins after workout

Although, as stated above I might drop it down to 3-4g as I'm sure some is going to waste currently

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Hit a 20lb personal record on bench for 185. :wo :ze. Thanks to Gerry, Tom, Dave, and everyone else for making it possible.

Next stop, 225. :D
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Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Now that I've had a chance to rest a little and take my protein, here's how it all went down after 10 minutes of warmups (stretching, tri, lat, and pec warmups):

95 x 5
135 x 5
155 x 2
185 x 1 (PR)
185 x F
135 x 10
135 x 8

The 185 was almost in slow-mo. :r I came down quick under control with the weight on my lats. Pushed up with my whole body. In the end, my glutes strained more then my pecs, tris, or delts (which is, I guess, what actually happens when you're arching and pushing). :r Tried 185 again; but probably didn't rest long enough and, in retrospect, I don't think I kept my form as tight. The 135 for 10 was a PR for reps, too.

After bench, I continued on with a normal workout: tate tricep presses, overhead tricep rope extensions, tricep press-downs (straight bar), and rows. Truly, I was pretty tapped by the time I tried my rows and my shoulder was bothering me a little; so I only did one cycle through close, medium, & wide. Went upstairs and did a few sets of lat pulldowns (easier on my shoulder) and cable seated low rows. Finished it all off with 5-7 minutes of stretching.

Hope everyone has a great day, today. Let's see some more PRs. :tu

PS, took two 17HDs. LoL!

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Nice one Dokk.

Did some chest work myself today, flat bench, incline dumbells, then finished off with some ab and tricep work. Not bad for my second day back. My biceps are a bit sore from yesterday's 21s...

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Hey guys when you list all those weights, how are you considering them, the total weight of the bar at the end; i.e. 135 would be 67.5 on each side, or 135 on each side of the bar?

just to have an idea of how far I am from you guys :rolleyes: hahaha.

This thread has been a lot of help to shape up my gym schedule. :tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

When talking about barbell lifts, it's total weight on the bar. So bar (45lbs) plus weights. As such, 135 is the bar with 45lbs on each side. When talking dumbbells, the convention is to talk about the weight of each db -- so a 100lb incline db presses are 100lbs *each* arm.

The other naming convention involved the term "pies." So on something like leg press, I might say 14pies x 8. That means 14 45lb plates loaded on the leg press (7 each side). Might use the same naming convention for t-bar rows.

Hope that helps. :tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

OK, yeah that helps. so usually the bar by itself weights 45 lbs?? I thought it was less than that. I always had that doubt.

I think the bars they have on the presses at the gym are the olimpic bars, it is aprox 1 inch more or less on the section were you grab it, and about double the diameter on where the plates are placed.


you are able to lift 14 pies on the leg press? :tu
I am only able to lift about 6 pies (3 on each side) on the 45° leg press. I still have a long way to go...:dance:

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

The bar vs dumbell weight conventions also carry over to machines that have dual vs unilateral weighting.

45lbs is pretty standard bar weight. Your gym might also have the shorter ez-curl bars that are usually 15lbs.

IMO, if you are pushing 6 pies on the leg press, go squat instead :ze

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I don't know that the choice between squat and leg press is an either or. To me, the squat works hams, glutes, spinal erectors, etc., and leg press is primarily about the quads. That said, I'd agree that squats are more important because they're a compound exercise. Leg presses aren't a regular thing in my routine. I throw them every once in a while just for the hell of it or if I need to get a good stretch going for my lower back. To each his own, though.

For the record (for Carlos) I've always had big legs and am an easy gainer mid back down. Chest and upper body I have to really work my ass off at to see good gains; hence the lopsided stats of only a 185 bench with a 315 squat and a 405 deadlift. That said, it's all been hard work over the last 1.5yrs. I started with a 50lb squat, a 40lb bench, and a 115lb dead (after lifting for a couple of months). The point is, if you push yourself and lift smart, even old pharts like me can improve. :D
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Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Actually, that's not far off normal. In terms of weight, all 5RM, I'm at 185 bench, 265 squat and 225 dead right now. Someday I'll figure out a 1RM, and maybe even lift it. Honestly, I'm a bit scared to try squatting a 1RM. I'll have to go back and look at my logs to see starting weights - I started lifting a bit over a year ago. - I'm 33 btw, an older fart than Dokk...

My dead is lagging everything as I didn't do them for a while, but I'm moving it up faster than anything else. I've been moving up slowly on the squat, focusing more on the dead and upper body stuff. Me = shorter legs, long torso, so I gain strength/bulk quickly in my legs, but slower elsewhere, especially my arms.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Oh ... don't be afraid of trying a 1rm on squat. If you have to dump the bar, you have to dump the bar. I've done it many times. :D I'd just be sure to do the squats in a full power rack so that (a) you can adjust the safety arms to *just* the right spot, (b) you have more room to fall forward, and (c) the bar dosn't roll away behind you and hurt someone else. If all you have are the L-shaped squat racks, that makes it a little trickier imho. If you're doing 265 for 5, you could probably hit 300 for 1. Just be sure you're well warmed up first. 135 x 10, 175 x 8, 225 x 5, 275 x 1, 300 x 1. :tu

The hardest thing when you start going up in weight on the squat is all your stabilizers. It amazes me how much of a difference even 20lbs can make ... especially if you're walking it out from the rack.

In terms of the deads, be VERY careful to keep your form on point. I messed up my back good a year ago training poorly for the deadlift. One false move and you'll be seeing the witch doctor for months.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I only take creatine on training days because im lazy

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Congrats on the PR on your Birthday, Dokk! Very cool, I am psyched for you! :tu

I took an unscheduled day off from the gym today to try to battle this upper respiratory infection. I could have slept all day.....hoping to feel well enough to be back in the gym by Friday, but the body and meds will dictate that, I guess.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Robotussin Max DM. Get some Tom it's the bomb shiggity. :tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

24 hour Walgreens on the way home, Frank. :) :tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I did deads for the first time in forever today with my leg and back workout. For some reason My squat weight isnt very high. The best I got to today was 160 pounds on the bar for the 4th set. This is one of those power racks/smith machines by the way. I did deads with 115lbs at 4 sets of 10, after 4 sets of 10 good mornings with 75lbs. I wanted to do some hang cleans but I was beat by the time I wanted to do it. I also did an exercise where you put the bar on your back like a squat but you step up onto a flat bench. four sets of 15 for each leg with almost no rest between legs. Only had 75lbs on it for this as well. Could have gone higher, but I haven't done this in like 2 months so I wanted to make sure I was feeling pretty stable for them. I threw some leg presses in there with 4 pies on the 45* press 4 sets of 10 with some calf presses on each rep. Finished the day up with seated rows.

I attempted to do a light chest workout on the bench today, but I haven't recovered from the other day yet. I couldn't even press 135 8 times. Slightly disappointing.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Well as Dokk said, I perform squats and leg presses both. I also look at them differently.

for the squats I am around 150lbs on free weight,
Stiff leg deadlifts are around 185lbs.
45 deg. leg press its 270lbs.

for bench presses, flat bench 165lbs. ; incline bench 140lbs.

and shoulder press I put 55lbs on each side on the smith machine (that would be 110lbs, since the bar doesnt count on that one?)

I have been lifting for almost a year more or less, the problem is that i havent been able to be constant because of work, or on the holiday months (december, january) so its been times I stop for almost a month or so, and feel like i have to start over again.

I am trying to keep up my routine to make real gains this time.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Ok, so to take things in a bit more serious direction here, my work has just advised us that Anyone planning to change workout patterns and/or stay home from the gym for a week or two? I'm debating sticking to jogging for a bit.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I am not planning any change to my routine, Pete. :)

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

:tpd:

I'm just making sure to use the sanitizing sprays and hand anti-bac stuff while I'm there.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Yeah, my problem is that I am pretty close to the center of infection in the US. Working in midtown Manhattan and commuting every day on Metro North trains is more likely to expose me than the gym I think.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I'll bet that's true.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Me too. Hell ... I'd be wearing a mask on the subways, fo' shizzle. :eek:

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Here they are alerting to stop going to crowded places, some have closed also.

The gym I go to, is running, but I have a friend who goes to another one, a bigger one (like a national chain), and that one is closed until 6 of May.