Operation Lift Weight - Phase 2

[the block]

Phase 1 was on ukmuscle. so this has to be phase 2. i'm only going to post what i've been doing for the last month in ramadan. if anybody is particularly bored, and believe me you better be bored :015: , you can read the rest of my journal over at the "other board" :eek:

journal at sshh"other board"sshh:

http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/m_17891/mpage_28/key_/tm.htm#227480

there are 28 pages in total. the link will take you to the last page.

[the block]

tried something a little different due to ramadan starting, not being able to train for a few days and being low on energy blah blah blah.

Squat
Bar - 10
40kg - 6
60kg - 3
80kg - 3
100kg - 3
110kg - 3,3,3,3,3

OHP
Bar - 12
30kg - 3
40kg - 3
60kg - 3
65kg - 3,3,3

Dips
BW - 3,3
15kg - 3,3,3

BB Rows
65kg - 3
85kg - 3
100kg - 3,3,3

CG Chins
BW - 6,4,4

hard work. also trained at a different gym.

[the block]

right, for ramadan what i'll be doing is:

Day 1
OHS 3x10
Full Squat 5x3
Abs

Day 2
MP 3x3
Dips 3x3
Rows 3x3
CG chins - rep range will be left instinctive
(probably 2 sets of 6/8 as it takes ages to get someone to help me with a dumbbell and i am uncomfortable chinning with a belt.)


21/10/04.thursday

OHP
Bar - 12
30kg - 6
40kg -3
50kg -3
60kg - 3
67.5kg - 3,3,3

Dips
BW -3,3
5kg - 3
10kg -3
15kg -3
20kg -3,3,3

BB rows
65kg - 3
85kg -3
102.5kg -3,3,3

CG chins
BW- 6,6,6
5kg - 6,6

wrist roller thingy - 15kg lots and lots of rolling.

Cuban Rotations
2.5kg DB - 2x20

OHP was demanding.
decided to muck around with a wrist roller. first time i've used one of these. bloody hard in that your forearm gets pumped which is something i've not had much of recently.

[the block]

24/10/04. sunday

OHS
bar - 10,10
35kg - 10
47.5kg - 10,10,10 :)

Squat
40kg - 6
60kg -3
80kg - 3
100kg - 3
112.5kg - 3,3,3,3,3

H.L. raises
BW- 15,15

happy with the OHS. have made massive improvements with these. back squats are good too.

[the block]

28/10/04.thursday

OHP
Bar - 10,10
30kg - 3
40kg -3
55kg -3
60kg - 3
67.5kg - 3,2,3

Dips
BW -3,3
5kg - 3
10kg -3
17.5kg -3
25kg -3,3,3

BB rows
60kg - 3
85kg -3
105kg -3,3,3

CG chins
BW- 6
5kg - 6
6.25kg - 6,5

BB Curls
30kg - 8
37.5kg - 8,8

Static holds
100kg, 120kg, 140kg, 160kg - m/g. 180kg - m/g

Shrugs
100kg - 8,8

yes i did go mad. but i'm off work so can afford to do so. hadnt done static holds for ages. too many people to talk to in the gym though. annoying. its the main reason that i ended up doing so much as i got into a few debates and started cooling down at touch. anyway have made a firm intention to not waste time talking about training/politics/religion etc... whilst in the gym. a simple hi&hello is all theyre getting.

[the block]

30/10/04. sunday

OHS
bar - 10,10
35kg - 10
50kg - 10,10, 1.5 - 10

Squat
60kg - 3
80kg - 3
100kg - 3
110kg - 3
115kg - 3,3,3,3,3

H.L. raises
BW + 2.5kg - 12,12


for the last set of OHS i started off with too wide a stance which i changed after 1 rep which disturbed my rythym which brought the weight down. done something to my wrist in the process as i found out the next morning. but whilst in the gym it was ok so i redid my set and completed it. :045: :038:

[the block]

03/11/04. wednesday.

due to dodgy wrist as a result of OHS mishap was unable to do upper body so did legs workout instead.

didnt bother with OHS for obvious reasons so:

GM
Bar - 10
40kg - 10
60kg - 10,10,10

Squat
60kg - 6
80kg - 3
100kg - 3
110kg - 3
117.5kg - 3,3,3,3,3

knee raises whilst seated on bench
5kg DB - 12,12

hadnt done GM's for aaaaagggeesss. nasty DOMs the next few days. nasty.

[the block]

06/11/04. saturday.

still not quite ready to do upper body - wrist. getting better. much better but rather let it heal good than rush.

so... legs it is.

OHS
bar - 10, 10
30kg - 10
40kg - 10

Squat
40kg - 6
60kg - 3
80kg - 3
90kg -1
100kg -1
105kg -1
110kg -1
115kg -1
120kg -1 was going to stop at this but as it was easy carried on.
125kg -1
130kg -1. new PB for full squats :) could have got 135kg most likely but recovery is doo-doo at the moment

[the block]

right thats me up to date. obviously everything above is in the past tense despite not being written at the time :017:

current situation:

wrist still not 100%. say about 80%. :022:

also have a case of dodgy elbow. :022: possibly due to dipping too heavy the first session but more likely to be as a result of dips combined with work. i lift a lot of things at work at 45/90 degrees. 5/7.5kg loads repeatedly throughout the night. as a consolation: i am certain that its done my pinching grip good though.

as far as this month of fasting has gone, i definitely feel the difference in energy levels. really noticed it about a week in. due to clocks having gone back i get an extra meal in before training which is good.

am unable to train till sunday/monday/tuesday, one of them days due to being alive and having things to do.

next step: find/devise a hypertrophy routine - so if you have any ideas they would be appreciated. :023: i will start a thread in the.... let me think... bodybuilding :044: forum.

[the block]

hopefully i will be embarking on a voyage of EDT tonight, helpfully provided by PK (shameless plug). the full routine is:

Back & Triceps

PB Zone 1, 15 mins

A, Rack Pull (probably do 5 reps)

B, Close Grip Bench (probably do 8 reps)

PB Zone 2, 15 mins

A, Pull up (wide grip ones - 8 reps)

B, Skullcrushers (8 reps)

PB Zone 3, 15 mins

A, T-bar Row (8reps)

B, Pushdowns (8 reps)

Legs

PB Zone 1, 15 mins

Squats (5 reps)

no second exercise

PB Zone 2, 15 mins

A, Left leg lunge (8 reps)

B, Right leg lunge (8 reps)

PB Zone 3, 15 mins

A, Romanian DL (8 reps)

B, Barbell Hack (8 reps)

Chest & Biceps

PB Zone 1, 15 mins

A, DB Bench Press (6 reps)

B, Barbell Curls (8 reps)

PB Zone 2, 15 mins

A, Dips (8 reps)

B, Hammer Curls (8 reps)

PB Zone 3, 15 mins

A, Incline flies (8 reps)

B, Reverse Curls (8 reps)

thats it. going to take out one of the chest movements and replace it with either BB/DB shoulder press. am tempted to take out flies or dips. i do want to carry on with dips but they have been giving me elbow trouble recently.

[PikeKing]

couple of points and refinements

1. if your elbows dont like dips then dont do them, swap them for something else.
2. do your lunges with your front foot elevated a few inches.
3. possibly change zone 3 on leg day. what i'm thinking is lose the hack squats and put in hanging leg raises or pulldown abs.

[the block]

all taken on board cap'n!

[the block]

15/11/04. Monday. Back & Triceps. supersets all the way....

PB Zone 1
Rack Pulls D/O - Warm ups
60kg - 5
100kg - 5
130kg - 5
Work Sets - 140kg - 5,5,5,5

C.G. Bench - Warm ups
Bar - 20
40kg - 8
60kg - 8
Work Sets - 65kg - 8,8,8,8


PB Zone 2
Wide Grip Chins
Work Sets (B/W) - 8,6,4,3

Skullcrushers
Warm Up - 10kg - 8
Work Sets - 17.5kg - 8,8,6,6


PB Zone 3
T-Bar Rows (Ultra Wide Grip) Warm Up
20kg - 8
40kg - 8
Work Set - 45kg - 8,8,8,8

Pushdowns - Warm Up
3rd Plate - 8
5th Plate - 8
Work Set - 6th Plate - 8,8,8,8
(apparently according to the gym guy each plate weighs 5kg)


Well... an interesting session.didnt train to failure. basically i knew if i could do the next rep or not.

Rack Pulls - wasnt too sure where to do these from, had read somewhere to pull from just a touch above the knee so thats where i did them from. didnt know what sort of weight to use either but in the end i think i made the right decision. one thing i really noticed was how crap my grip was. really crap. i have had more than a week, probably 2 weeks off any upperbody work due to annoying wrist.

Chins - not too pleased with these really but being pragmatic(health is roughly 70%) theyre ok and will be better next time hopefully.not sure what to do as a warm up so went straight in for the kill. also on the 2nd set i got cramp in my legs so had to stop at 6 reps.

T- Bar Rows - havent done these for yyeeeeaaaaaaarrrrrssss. really really has been a very long time since i did these. was faced with 2 choices - a neutral close grip or the ultra wide grip. chose the latter. annoyingly the weight used was pitiful. well compared to BB Row it is. wonder what other people use for this exercise.

overall :038: enjoyable, definitely not boring. have been battling a flu/virus thing these last few days and been feeling really crap. low on sleep and food. today felt a touch better so decided to train as i am back at work tuesday night. with that as a factor i actually did well. someway through the session i felt really drained - probably due to the bloody flu thing. feel better having trained though.

will await the arrival of DOMS.

[PikeKing]

Are those PB Zones timed?

[the block]

yep. all 15 minute slots. i've nicked my sisters clock/timer thing off her treadmill. it has a start/stop & restart function :045: the warm ups are seperate and not included as part of a PB Zone (PB Zone sounds like a gay boy band)

[Robert]

Will watch with interest. Regards T-Bar Rows: Personally I would go for the neutral grip and sh1t loads of weight, but thats just me.

[the block]

might give that a go next week. had thought of it but the other grip seemed safer for my wrist at the moment.

nasty doms today. havent had it this bad for a very long time. i think unplanned week i've had off has something to do with it also.

got legs tonight. am not looking forward to the doms from them. especially the lunges. :018:

[the block]

todays gay PB Zone 3 for legs will look like:

PB Zone 3, 15 mins

A, SLDL (8 reps)

B, Hanging Leg Raises - weighted (12 reps)

[the block]

17/11/04. wednesday. legs. supersetted where applicable

PB Zone 1 - 15mins
Squat (full) warm ups
Bar - lots
40kg - 5
70kg - 5
100kg - 5
Work set - 105kg - 5,5,5,5

PB Zone 2 - 10 mins
Lunges (both legs unless stated), warm ups
Bar - 8
30kg - 8

Work set - 35kg - Right Leg - 8, 6 (basically sort of fell/goofed up)
Left Leg - 8,8 (the 2x20 plates i was using to put my foot on slipped on the 4th or 5th rep so i completed the rest of the set without them)

PB Zone 3 - 10 mins
SLDL, warm up
60kg - 8
Work set - 80kg 6,6,6

Hanging leg raises - B/W - 12,12,12

strange session. first i overslept and got to the gym late by 40 mins. did the first PB Zone whilst showing some youngsters how to deadlift. this cost me a few minutes (2 or 3), in which i could have got another set in i suppose.

PB Zone 2 - was running late for work so reduced the last 2 gay PB Zones to 10 mins. i have only done lunges for 1 set before about a year and a bit ago so basically i didnt know how to do the exercise. i had read up on it though.
these are quite difficult. hence the baby weights used and the time taken overall which meant i only managed 2 sets on each leg. each set left me out of breath a bit.

the mishap with the plates showed me how much easier it is to do this exercise with your foot flat on the floor. its way easier. hopefully i will do better with these next week and improvise a slip proof elevation thingybob.

PB Zone 3 - SLDL have not been done for a long time aswell. my forearms are still battered from monday and it showed. i couldnt hold onto 80kg for more than 6 reps at a time. form was good though.

HLRaises - easy enough.

overall an interesting workout. hogged the squat rack for the whole session muahahahaha! i could have worked a little bit harder by managing my time a bit better, and i still feel weak from fasting and the flu i've had over the last 5 days or so. will definitely improve on this session next week... but those lunges are hard work.

looking forward to the doms, ETA 1.45pm.

[the block]

also am not 100% sure whether to bulk or continue my goal of getting a flat stomach. :017: not bothered about a 6 pack and all that.

am currently 13 stones having come down from 14 & a half stones. i look better in many ways but no where near as large. have lost a fair bit off my belly but its still about 35inches give or take (probably - make that definitely - give half an inch).

[the block]

19/11/04. friday. chest & biceps

PB Zone 1 - 15 mins
DB Bench Warm ups
10kg - 21
25kg - 6
work sets - 35kg - 6,6,4,3

Barbell Curls Warm ups (not including weight of bar, probably between 5-10kg)
12.5kg - 15
25kg - 8
Work Sets - 34kg - 8,8,5,4


PB Zone 2 - 15 mins
DB Shoulder Press (standing) Warm up - 10kg - 8
Work Sets - 17.5kg - 6,6,6,6

Hammer Curls, Warm up - 5kg - 8
Work Sets - 10kg - 8,8,8,8

PB Zone 3 - 15 mins
Incline flies - Warm up - 10kg - 8
Work Sets - 17.5kg - 8,8,8,8

Reverse curls
Work Sets - 15kg (not including the weight of the bar) - 8,6,2 - aborted. elbow problem.

the new gym i'm at currently has dodgy dumbbells which generally jump in 5kg increments. also they dont have barbells with fixed weights. they have one of those bars where you have to put the weights on yourself. didnt want to use the oly bar since most of them were being used. hence i cant guage exactly what weight i used for certain exercises.

benching was ok. had to start from the bottom on 3 sets which is really really hard work and am sure costs me a rep or 2.

db shoulder press was interesting. i picked just the right weight. did put some strain on my lower back and also the increased ROM was a bit of an awakener.

reverse curls were the bogey's of friday. have had a grieved elbow for a few weeks now. its getting better with rest but certain positions and movements are very stressful. so i aborted the 3rd set and called it a day for biceps.

bad doms. very bad. still got doms in legs from wednesday aswell.

probably go back to my old gym next week. they dont have a t-bar row thingy so will probably use the chest supporting version.

will have to find a substitute exercise for reverse curls though.

diet = crap. still got flippin flu. its gets worse and then better and so on. but strangely enough i look "fuller" already after 1 week of higher rep work. its a miracle! not.

[Robert]

This routine looks real cool!

[the block]

it is! as PK said its a lot of fun. you also dont end up wasting much time which can happen sometimes when you bump into certain people etc... the 15 mins "deadline" is something which i'm going to incorporate into future routines simply as it ensures work at a decent intensity and pace is done.

it is hard work though.

[the block]

22/11/04. Monday. Back & Triceps. supersets all the way....

PB Zone 1
Rack Pulls D/O - Warm ups
60kg - 5
100kg - 5
120kg - 5
Work Sets - 145kg - 5,5,5,5

C.G. Bench - Warm ups
Bar - 21
40kg - 8
60kg - 8
Work Sets - 67.5kg - 8,8,8,8


PB Zone 2
Wide Grip Chins
Work Sets (B/W) - 8,7,5,3(4th one was only upto my nose level :011: )

Skullcrushers
Warm Up - 10kg - 8
Work Sets - 17.5kg - 8,8,8,8


PB Zone 3
Seated T-Bar Rows (Not a machine but sort of - Neutral Grip) Warm Up
20kg - 8
45kg - 8
Work Set - 65kg - 8,7,6,6

Pushdowns - Warm Up
3rd Hole - 8
5th Hole - 8
Work Set - 8th Hole - 8, too light so increased to 9th Hole - 6,5,6
(back in my usual gym. no idea what the plates weigh)

OHS - Bar - 10
30kg - 10
40kg - 10

Rack pulls - grip is crap. i manage but its hard.

Chins - got better at these. hopefully soon will have 4 sets of 8.

usual gym does not have the conventional T-bar set up, so had to make do with the seated version. it doesnt involves any mechanical bits (like pulleys etc..) so its the same.

Pushdowns- its a pain in the butt trying to find a machine to do these on. every time i look some idiot is using them. usually the same guys doing 5 million sets. the machine i finally settled on happens to be the one with the cable crossover attachments. so in between my sets it as if the whole world has decided to do flippin cable crossovers. i kept having to tell people that i'm using it.

hadnt done OHS for a while so threw these in. they have really helped with flexibility and my back is much better since doing these.

[the block]

24/11/04. wednesday. legs. supersetted where applicable

PB Zone 1 - 15mins
Squat (full) warm ups
Bar - 10
40kg - 5
60kg - 5
80kg - 5
100kg - 5
Work set - 107.5kg - 5,5,5,5

PB Zone 2 - 15 mins
Lunges (both legs unless stated), warm ups
Bar - 8
30kg - 8

Work set - 35kg - Right Leg - 8,8,8,8
Left Leg - 8,8,8,8

PB Zone 3 - 10 mins
SLDL, warm up
60kg - 8
Work set - 80kg - 8,8,8,8

Hanging leg raises - B/W + 1kg - 12,12,12,12

good session. got the hang of lunges sort of. used some sort of step platform thing for front foot elevation.

SLDL - very hard on grip. hanging leg raises in between do not help whatsoever.

[the block]

27/11/04. saturday. chest & biceps

PB Zone 1 - 15 mins
DB Bench Warm ups
15kg - 12
25kg - 8
30kg - 6
work sets - 35kg - 6,6,6,6

Barbell Curls - Warm ups
15kg - 8
25kg - 8
30kg - 8
Work Sets - 35kg - 8,8,8,8 (used 34kg last week and didnt complete the quota but these barbells are fixed so used 35kg instead)


PB Zone 2 - 15 mins
DB Shoulder Press (standing) Warm up - 15kg - 8
Work Sets - 20kg - 6,6,6,6

Hammer Curls, Warm up - 7.5kg - 8
Work Sets - 12kg - 8,8,8,8

PB Zone 3 - 15 mins
Incline flies - Warm up - 15kg - 8
Work Sets - 20kg - 8,8,8,8

Seated Incline DB curls
Work Sets - 12.5kg - 8,6. 7 R/A, 6 L/A, 5 R/A 4 L/A

BB curls are annoying and painful and just too much damn hard work.

I.Flies were also hard today as were the I. DB curls that i have replaced Reverse curls with due to repetitive strain on my left elbow.

[the block]

was actually meant to train on friday but i have had a meningitis jab (travelling soon) and it has given me tender shoulders. but i ignored them today :045:

[PikeKing]

So hows it going so far?

[the block]

you want the truth? you want the truth?



YOU CANT HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!

[the block]

on a serious note....

having not done this sort of stuff for ages i found the first week terribly difficult. this second week was much much easier. recovery between sets is better and hopefully i'll be pushing to make it 5 sets per PB Zone instead of the current 4 i am managing.

am getting used to the doms.

its good as my workouts are kept relatively short. the lengthiest bit is the warm up for the first zone, after that i'm flying :Tomcat:

its annoying trying to hog some of the equipment as i train on my own & cant have a partner hijack the other bit.

have learnt how to do lunges - sort of.

also has opened my brain up a bit as i can notice a difference in my body since doing this. this will be helpful in planning future routines.

overall: going is good!

[Brett]

A whole week since you last posted? Whats going on mate?

You gone on that trip you mentioned?

[the block]

just passing through.still around. not much time for training, bloody 50 hour shifts/6days a week at work. will update at some point.

:039:

[Robert]

Keep training hard mate. Hope you get a break form work over the Christmas period.

[the block]

hiya guys. been v.v.v.v.v.v.busy. also messed the daylights out of my shoulder and in the process learnt another valuable lesson - dont worry about how big the guy you ask to spot you is - if he cant speak good english and you dont know him then sod him. do it on your own or wait till someone you know is free.

basically have a very nasty strain in the shoulder/lat area, mostly in the shoulder though. was doing dumbbell bench press. had 40kg in 1 hand. asked "Mr I'm Big but dont know how to lift a dumbbell off the floor" to pass it to me. whilst i had 1 dumbbell in the air he took over 30 seconds to pass me the other one. and when he did pass it, it was only half way up. in the mean time i had been supporting the flying dumbbell with both arms. so i then grabbed the one he passed me. when i did that the other arm slolwy crept backwards and took my arm with it to the point that my arm went behind my head and i dropped the dumbbell. lit was too heavy for me to control at that angle.luckily no-one was behind. end of story. pain.

am off to saudi for 3 weeks tomorrow so no training. convenient as the pyshio i saw said i need to rest my shoulder for about a month or so. would have trained out there but my shoulder needs resting and jostling with 3 million people and walking miles every day should be enough. will be taking my CoC's though.

anyway - all the best to you lot and hopefully will resume when i come back as a fat lard in february. :039: :039: :039:

[PikeKing]

what are you going to be up to out there? is it just a holiday?

[the block]

well sort of. pilgrimage. mecca. called the hajj. has to be performed once in a lifetime if financial means are available.

[the block]

got back a few days ago. got flu, sprained/healing ankle and still sore shoulder. will sort some sort of routine etc.. out once i get the go ahead from my pyhsio. anyway ... hi.

[Brett]

Welcome back!