Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

"off" day :r

recumbent for 10

foam roller and (hard) softball rolling on my legs and glutes :banger

zerchers off the rack (135, 185, 225)

sled pushing (using an aerobic riser and 70# of weight, pushing on the floor) 2 x 25yards

assisted natty pull-ups: 2 x 10 w/40# assist

natty pull-ups: 5, 4, 3 :wo

done. :D

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Must have been a slow weekend in training land.

International Bench Monday. :r

warmups (bike, stretch, roller, tris)

flat bench pyramid: 135 x 8, 155 x 6, 185 x 4, 205 x 3, 225 x 1 PR :wo

peck deck: 2 or 3 x 10 @ whatever it was (160 or 175 on the stack).

superset w/ 1-arm DB inclines and 20# medicine ball slams: 45 x 8, 30 slams; 55 x 5, 20 slams; 55 x 8, 20 slams

1-arm DB rows on a stability ball: 5 x 5 @ 65 (I should be doing 75 or more for these -- I do normal reps at 125)

assisted dips: my fat ass needs assistance, dammit! :r 3 sets of 10.

pull-ups: 1 set unassisted natural, a few sets assisted with a wide grip and with an underhand grip

I think that's it. I may be missing something. I'm not losing much weight, but I think I'm slimming down a little and speeding up a bit, which is a good thing, I guess.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Congrats on the double 45s, Dokk! :tu

Bench day for me today, much stronger than last week, but I did a rep day instead of weight anyway.

Incline Bench 4 sets @ 295

Flat Bench 5 sets @ 275

Vertical Bench machine 4 sets @ 365

Dips 4 sets with varied grips

Lower back is much better, but thinking about another "all pull-up" back workout tomorrow to give it an extra few days to heal.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

your chest days make me shed a tear. :r

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

felt lazy this weekend and it was gorgeous outside, so I didn't lift legs, just did spin and a lot of walking. Is it still exercise if I am smoking a cigar while doing it? :ze

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I often smoke a nice cigar or pipe on the weekends on walks with my boys. Weather is getting nice outside. It doesnt count, but probably helps in the long term ( stress reducer etc.)

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Gym
Squats
440x8,8
Pulls
465x5,5
465 off of 8 mats, bar on top of my feet, x5,5
Leg Presses
Calves
Reverse Hyper
Abs

Spent.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

You should be spent, Frank! :tu :ze

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Medium load day, bench, incline, curls and dips. Good stuff, enough to feel like I worked, but not dead.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Back attack!

1-arm HS low-rows (weight listed is per arm, alternating right/left): 2p x 10, 3p x 10, 3.5p x 8, 4p x 8, 4.5 p x 5, 5p x 3 ... literally can't load more weight than that (no more room for plates); had to strap in at 4p

old skool Ts: 2p x 12, 3p x 10, 4p x 10, 5p x 8, 6p x 3 (no straps)

HS high rows: 2.5p x 8, 2.75p x 8, 3p x 5, 6, 5

pull-ups: epic fail :r an old Marine came over and spotted me so I could crank out a couple. attempted some more on the assist; but I was spent and it's not even really worth "counting" them

foam roller: hot damn that hurt! :banger

Pretty heavy day. My hands are killing me. :tu

I've earned the food and cigars I'll consume later today. :D

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Nice, Dokk!

I am back for back today, but am going to do one more "all pull-up" workout to make sure my lower back is fully healed before hitting the rows again.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Thanks, Admiral. Some of the rows today were for you, anyway. ;)

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

:wo

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Looking good there Dokk. Miss the hammer strength machines from time to time.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

thanks, Frank. they're fun machines sometimes -- helluva lot better than cable/stack machines. I just wish my hands weren't hurting so much. damned calluses are killing me. I need to cut them off is what I need to do.... :td

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

"off" day....

foam roller & stretching

t-bar: 3p x 10 for 4 sets

land mines: 1p x 10 x 2 sets, 1p + 10# x 10, 9, 10

1-arm rows holding the fat end of a barbell with the land mine weight: 10 x 2 sets

assisted pull-ups/chins: natural grip and underhand grip for several sets (can't recall)

done.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Nice lifting Dokk..

I'm coming back from a week off. Looking forward to it. Feeling strong today :)

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Dokk, you did back two days in a row?

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

thanks. feeling a tad sore from yesterday. I might invest in a chair massage at the coffee shop today just because it would help relieve some of the soreness in my lats (which I worked harder than ever yesterday).

been feeling good lately ... and had someone else comment on how I looked like I was slimming down. I'm not losing weight, though, which is a good thing in my book. If I can keep slimming and stay right where I'm at, I'll be a happy camper going into my next bulk cycle this summer.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

no ... only did it light today to get the blood flowing. the land mines are more for my obliques -- they hit me there in a mean, mean way. and the 1-arms were more grip than anything (that weight isn't even a warmup for me ... reallit, it's just hard as hell to keep gripping the fat end of the bar).

as for the pull-ups, I've made it a goal to do some every day. :tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I guess sometimes I think too much in a "bodybuilder" frame of mind, when I should realize that you have different goals, and even I don't really train like a BB in a classic sense.

Keep kickin' ass, My Friend. :tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

yeah. I never used to even remotely touch a body part the day after training it. a few months ago, though, I started doing "recovery" work the day after just to get the blood flowing to the muscles to aid in a more speedy repair. I *think* it has helped me. then again, I've changed up so many different things, it's hard to tell what's causing what. all I know is, it doesn't hurt and I'm not (generally) getting weaker (except for my legs a little; but that's because I haven't been training them as heavy the last month).

doing light t-bar rows the day after really makes me feel better, actually -- it really helps to stretch them out, get them moving, and limber me up.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I have done some similar things, and it seems to be a good stretch and move some of the lactic acid out....so that's a good thing. :)

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I often workout legs in back to back days. However, I split it into Quad dominant exercises and Harmstring dominant exercises. I've gotten big gains from doing it that way and it makes "leg day" much more tolerable.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

So... it's the Martha Stewart of lifting, right? ;)


("It's a good thing.")

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Leg days aren't supposed to be tolerable -- they're supposed to make you puke! :pu :r

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

:r I only make other people puke when they attempt my leg day. Supersetting deadlift and squats seems to have that affect on people.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

easy as pie. ;)

add bands to the deadlifts and make them sumo 5s for speed ... then you're beggin' for a pukin'! :r


tell us your leg day, Christos. I'd like to try some of it out and try to break my lifting partner. :D

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

First day back since Friday... took a break to fix up the elbow. Saw the PT yesterday and he told me what I shouldn't do, so I hit everything else hard and love it. Got leg presses up to 132#x20 and 144#x10... coulda kept going so I think I'll start w/ 144# next time.

Started doing rows, too... those aren't too bad. So far (about 1.5 hours later) the elbow is feeling great... let's hope it stays that way.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Not familiar with her mantra, Dokk, I'll have to take your word for it. ;) :r

Pretty strong shoulder day, and first time working traps since I tweaked my back. It's a bit tight, but I think it's pretty well mended.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Douché, Admiral. Douché. :salute: :r

Glad your back is mended. :tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I gotta go back in my workout logs to find some of the workouts I came up with that were extremly taxing. Here's one that I've done that is brutal. I borrowed it from somewhere but don't remember. Seems easy until you get midway through then it's like a truck hits you.

Deadlift x 6
Hang Clean x 6
Front Squat x 6
Hang Snatch x 6
Overhead Squat x 6
Front Press x 6
Bentover Row x 6
Romanian Deadlift x 6

No rest in between sets and don't put down the bar. Lift for speed and keep track of how long it takes to go through. Next set try and beat that time.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

yeah ... i've done one similar to that, but there were 2 more lifts and some pushups at the end. b.r.u.t.a.l. I only made it through 3 cycles before I had to lay down. :r

whatever we do tomorrow, though, should really be focused on legs and lower back. I hit the rest of my body pretty hard the rest of the week and don't like to repeat things before I've had a chance to rest properly.

definitely post up after you have a chance to go through your log. I think I like your idea of a squat-deadlift superset ... maybe do the squats high to emphasize the quads and the deadlifts sumo to emphasize the glutes and hams. :hm and maybe add bands to the deads to really force us to be explosive off the ground. :hm

other brutal squat-dead superset ideas?

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Off the top of my head. Do an explosive quad dominant exercise, no rest, front or back squat, 60-90s rest, explosive ham dominant exercise, no rest, into deadlifts. Ham dominant explosive exercise could be something like jump lunges.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

intriguing.... :hm

what are some explosive quad-dominant ideas -- aside from something using a machine (everything's too spread out, so throwing a machine in would defeat the point of a superset).

I train hams all the time; but avoid many quad specific exercises because I don't want bigger quads (or calves, for that matter). for quads, I've been throwing in fast, high box squats every other week (hits the quads most and forces the use of more stabilizers, unlike leg press); but that's about it (aside from the ways quads are involved in other lifts).

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

nothing spectacular today. I'm not even sure about everything I did. it was shoulders and traps. I did a bunch of things. I'm already sore. :r

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Box jumps, weighted squat jumps, banded squats, explosive leg press

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Day off... ugh... elbow hates me. Locks up about 80% of the time I try to stretch it.. Boo.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Good lifts this morning at medium weight, about 70-75% 1RM. Heavy enough that I feel it, but light enough that I can go faster. Press, bent-over rows, upright rows and lat pulldowns. Did some stretching and walked home to take a shower and eat some oatmeal. :ze

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

A couple days ago the PT mentioned that I probably have some arthritis from the break in the elbow... it killed this morning and I took some tylenol arthritis... I can actually move it without being in pain.

Now the question is, do I go to the gym...?

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

the answer is yes.... heading there now ;)

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I don't know that I'm broken ... but I'm certainly out of gas. :r

Superset:
1.) high box squats @ 315 x 5 reps
2.) sumo deads @ 225 x 5 reps
-----did 5 sets of that cycle ... enough rest between each to catch my breath

Reverse hypers: slow, no swing, with a pause at the top -- 4 sets of 8

Pull-down abs: 185 x 10, 200 x 10, 10

Pull-throughs: 150 x 10 -- I was gonna do more, but I was just too spent

The superset really killed me, folks. I was so frickin' beat (and still am) that it's hard to describe. Probably didn't help that I ate like sh*t yesterday and smoked 3 cigars. :r

This weekend is rest ... real rest. I don't even know that I'll go into the gym. If I do, I promise it'll only be for cardio.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I was talking to a friend I work with who said I was doing too many reps... I should be trying things and adding weight til there's nothing left in me. I gave that a try today... also cut out the presses as I think those hurt my elbow.

I had NO IDEA I could move some of the weight I did... I don't know if it was a fluke but I surprised the hell out of myself.

- ran/walked a mile

- Curls (natural grip) 72# x 5, 84# x 10, 96# x 4, 108# x 2, dead.

- Assisted Pull Ups (started w/ wide grip, then went nat) 10 @ 50# assist, 5 at 40# assist, 10 @ 25# assist, 5 @ 20 # assist, dead.

- Chest Fly 96# x 5, 120# x 10, could even move 132# an inch... dead.

- Rows 70# x 5, 90# x 5, 100# x 4, 110# 3, 120# x 2, 130# x 2, dead.

Then legs... this is where I really surprised the hell out of my self. I've never really tried to go as hard as I could... always tried to do lots of reps

- Leg Extensions - started at 96# and did 5 reps each in 12# increments to 228# :D :D

- Leg Press - started at 144# and did 5 reps each to 240# :D :D

My legs felt like I could've done more, but by that point I was sure I would throw up or die (or both).

I didn't even bother doing abs.

I am ****ing SPENT!

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Gotta find the limit before you know where to work to push it. :tu

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I would be careful with your presses / extension with you elbow issue. high reps is where you would want to stay in regards to your elbow. I would suggest investing in a nice elbow sleeve, get neoprene I would recommend getting a good one that isnt a piece of you know what. Keeping the area warm during training will work wonders.
I would totally eliminate extension movements and anything neutral grip for a period of time. These from my experience will aggravate your Brachioradialis causing unwanted elbow pain which is usually confused with tricep issues. Pressing or the above exercises with high reps will help
strengthen the area first slowly then work from there. High reps with little to no weight and/or tension.
It is good to push yourself from time to time. Just remember as a training tip, going balls to the wall all the time will drain your body.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

I will certainly check into that

I actually cut ALL "pushing" movements out. Only doing pulling stuff. As for a press-type thing, the guy took me to the free weight room and we did dumbells (really light, like 15-20#). I can not push ANYTHING natural grip... even doing the arm straight up, bend back, straight up thing w/ 5# that my PT wants me to do KILLS. I realized with his help that a couple angles hit it just different enough that it's not horrible.


I only really tried to go balls to the wall yesterday. Thank you for the tip though... are you saying I should go back and forth between reps and balls out? My thing is that I never seem to be sore the day after...

The only thing that hurts today is my elbow... the rest of my body (legs included) don't really even feel like I did anything yesterday. Is that normal? Does that mean I'm doing something wrong? I would think I'd be sore after how much I did yesterday.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Off day. For reals.

18 minutes of cardio including 12 minutes of HIIT in the mix

100 reps of abs stuff (cable rope crunches @ 180 x 12; 200 x 15, 15, 15, 15; and captain's chair for 15, 13)

22 minutes of cardio keeping the ol' heart right around 130

Time for some protein, mowing, protein, and grocery shopping (so I can make some REAL food, dammit). :r

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Give it another day, some guys get DOMS ( delayed onset muscle soreness ) I dont get it that often but it does happen. Stretching and foam rolling will help reduce this, but you have to be very proactive.

For the elbow I would get in the habit of putting some icy hot on your elbow ( neoprone sleeve will eliminate the use of icy hot) and ibuprofen and ice. Heat the day after if it still hurts. You may need this more in the beginning then later down the road. The key is to be proactive.

Not trying to sound like a dick here but, looking at your leg training and training for the day, you may have went balls out in your book but not in most. It was a decent total bodyworkout but there could have been more. I would maybe start training legs on its own day, with more volume and weight. You would be surprised the punishment your legs can take.

As far as training all out, you will be able to get away with it for a period of time then you will start to overtrain ( flu like symptoms decreases in musclemass and weight used during training ) if you are going to train balls out, you are going to need to eat more. Most of the guys I know try to pyramid there workouts. They start with high reps and lower weight, and each week they decrease the reps slowly and increase the weight. Main thing after a week were you go all out make sure to get lots of rest and calories. If you fail to recover properly the following week in the gym will be hampered.

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

Cardio....I'm pulling your PLifting card....:td


I benched on Wed
345x8,8
Inclines
Close Grip Rest Pause
Hold outs
Kaz Presses
Push Downs ( I havent done these in awhile and I got a massive pump )

Fri was assistance day
rows
mil press standing
cable rows
pull downs
delts
traps
biceps

I dont know if it's due to the training or something else. But I have been balls tired all week long. Like taking naps in the day, and I've been constantly hungry early in the day.
Bodyweight @ 258-259
8 Weeks out

Re: Pumping Iron with Zemekone and Icehog3
 

but ... but ... but ...

I did do all those weighted crunches, too. ;)