Big Boy Basics

[Andalite]

BACK TRAINING - Mesocycle 23 Week 3

Went in to train today on an empty stomach...

Weighted Pull-ups:
BW + 45 lbs x 3 reps
BW + 55 lbs x 3 reps
BW + 75 lbs x 1 rep
BW + 50 lbs x 3 reps
This is unbelievable!

Dumbbell Rows:
120 lbs x 5 reps
120 lbs x 8 reps
120 lbs x 10 reps
120 lbs x 7 reps
Increased Density from last week again. Gonna try to use the 130's next week.

Seated Cable Rows: 120 lbs x 10 reps x 2 sets, 120 lbs x 15 reps

Had to cut the workout short because the gym was closing. But, I am very happy with my Pull-ups and Dumbbell Rows.

Video:

 

[JDid23]

doooooooooooooooooood great job with the pullups!!!! i have never spelled dood like that, so i guess this is a good first for that. i'm jealous of your pullup bar too. Nice choice of song. I thought you had a tattoo on before i noticed it was a belt lmao. Is 120 the highest the DBs go up to at your gym? I know you've been on 120 for a long time now, you thinking of moving up?

 

[Andalite]

doooooooooooooooooood great job with the pullups!!!! i have never spelled dood like that, so i guess this is a good first for that. i'm jealous of your pullup bar too. Nice choice of song. I thought you had a tattoo on before i noticed it was a belt lmao. Is 120 the highest the DBs go up to at your gym? I know you've been on 120 for a long time now, you thinking of moving up?

ahahaha Hey there, Josh.

I know I owe you a pm...I'll get to it tomorrow morning.

That pull-up bar is decent...not that good but its ok.

I have been on 120 for a long time. For some reason its still heavy for me. My elbows, etc are always sore after a row day. I am planning on moving to the 130s over the next 2-3 weeks though

The heaviest dumbbell in my gym is 140 lbs....I want to get there in a year.

 

[Tblock1]

Tell Kartik great work on the front squat!

One question though: Good work on pullups but isnt your form usually a little stricter? I mean your chin didnt really get over the bar on your reps and all. I do the same thing on the last rep of my sets sometimes...but just last workout I decided to start doing full deadhang reps....ie stop in the bottom and relax my shoulders...much harder but better. This isnt meant to take away from your accomplishment I was just wondering what your "rules" were for full pullups.

 

[Andalite]

Tell Kartik great work on the front squat!

One question though: Good work on pullups but isnt your form usually a little stricter? I mean your chin didnt really get over the bar on your reps and all. I do the same thing on the last rep of my sets sometimes...but just last workout I decided to start doing full deadhang reps....ie stop in the bottom and relax my shoulders...much harder but better. This isnt meant to take away from your accomplishment I was just wondering what your "rules" were for full pullups.

Hey Trevor: The camera angle must've made it look like my chin didn't get over the bar. But the bar in this new gym is weird for me. It's too thin and unstable in holding it. My form looks fine to me.

 

[Andalite]

PRESS TRAINING - Mesocycle 23 Week 3

This is yesterday's workout...

Overhead Press:
145 lbs x 4 reps
155 lbs x 3 reps
165 lbs x 3 reps
175 lbs x 2 reps
165 lbs x 3 reps
I'm gonna start a new progression scheme for this next week onwards. I am gonna work up to a relative max and then I am going to do 3-5 sets of 1-5 reps with a minimum of 90% of my max. I will try SDT Progression once I've found a good base to work with. This is the last week of Quality Volume Training for this exercise. I've given it 3 weeks. Now it's time to aggressively build up my strength.

Close Grip Bench Press:
185 lbs x 8 reps x 3 sets
I am very pleased about this. I am going to try my best to work up to 3x10 with 185. Once I get that, I'm gonna increase the weight. If I play my cards correctly, 225 shouldn't be too far off for me.

Unilateral Overhead Press: 65 lbs x 5 reps x 2 sets

Inverted Rows: BW x 15 reps x 3 sets

Land-Mines: 45 lbs x 10 reps x 4 sets

Facepulls: 77 lbs x 15 reps x 2 sets

Decent session. Here's the video:

 

[the.gladiator1987]

Whats quality volume training?

 

[Andalite]

Whats quality volume training?

Ok this is complicated.

First, I am going to qualify what QVT can be used for.

So, lets say you're getting back to doing an exercise. You think you can take a heavy load but you need to work up to it, this progression scheme will help you. Lets say you're having a bad workout, well, this progression scheme will help you.

Here's how it work.

Take roughly 85% of your max. Do 1-3 reps. Add small increments of weight. Do 1-3 reps. Either repeat the same weight for 1-3 reps or add another little bit of weight. Rinse and repeat and rinse and repeat.

So, lets say you do this for Squats, ok?

Week 1:
135 x 2
145 x 2
155 x 3
155 x 1
165 x 1
175 x 2

The emphasis here is on QUALITY so you cannot compromise on your form. So, in Week 1 you hit 175x2 at the end because you were gassed. Cool.

Week 2:
155 x 3
155 x 3
165 x 2
175 x 2
175 x 2
185 x 1

Check this out now.

The average Volume for both weeks is
Week 1 = 11 reps
Week 2 = 13 reps

The average Weight for both weeks is
Week 1 = 154 lbs
Week 2 = 165 lbs

So you basically took a heavier weight the second week and you increased volume.

This isn't planned. This is TOTALLY going by feel and you assessing your workout looking at the video of your lifts.

So you're supposed to run QVT for 3-5 weeks and you can imagine that each week it becomes exponentially more difficult because you end up increasing volume PLUS the weight you're using. So, you do this for 3-5 weeks (I usually do it for 3) and then you do a "deload" type workout in which you take a very heavy weight for half the volume and then you hop onto a more structured type of progression.

This make sense?

 

[Andalite]

DEADLIFT TRAINING - Mesocycle 23 Week 4

Felt strong going in...

Deadlift Warm-ups:
Mobility Drills
135 lbs x 7 reps
245 lbs x 5 reps
295 lbs x 5 reps
345 lbs x 3 reps
385 lbs x 3 reps

Deadlift Work Sets:
415 lbs x 2 reps
435 lbs x 4 reps
455 lbs x 3 reps
455 lbs x 2 reps
435 lbs x 3 reps
Felt good. Gonna do Poliquin's 5/1 Progression scheme for the next 3 weeks. This was a solid training session. Average Intensity was @ 88% of my 1RM.

Hand Extensions: 2 bands x 25 reps x 3 sets

Video for today:

 

[JDid23]

Ok this is complicated.

First, I am going to qualify what QVT can be used for.

So, lets say you're getting back to doing an exercise. You think you can take a heavy load but you need to work up to it, this progression scheme will help you. Lets say you're having a bad workout, well, this progression scheme will help you.

Here's how it work.

Take roughly 85% of your max. Do 1-3 reps. Add small increments of weight. Do 1-3 reps. Either repeat the same weight for 1-3 reps or add another little bit of weight. Rinse and repeat and rinse and repeat.

So, lets say you do this for Squats, ok?

Week 1:
135 x 2
145 x 2
155 x 3
155 x 1
165 x 1
175 x 2

The emphasis here is on QUALITY so you cannot compromise on your form. So, in Week 1 you hit 175x2 at the end because you were gassed. Cool.

Week 2:
155 x 3
155 x 3
165 x 2
175 x 2
175 x 2
185 x 1

Check this out now.

The average Volume for both weeks is
Week 1 = 11 reps
Week 2 = 13 reps

The average Weight for both weeks is
Week 1 = 154 lbs
Week 2 = 165 lbs

So you basically took a heavier weight the second week and you increased volume.

This isn't planned. This is TOTALLY going by feel and you assessing your workout looking at the video of your lifts.

So you're supposed to run QVT for 3-5 weeks and you can imagine that each week it becomes exponentially more difficult because you end up increasing volume PLUS the weight you're using. So, you do this for 3-5 weeks (I usually do it for 3) and then you do a "deload" type workout in which you take a very heavy weight for half the volume and then you hop onto a more structured type of progression.

This make sense?

Dude, I am definitely going to do this for deadlifts until college starts in a month!!! Would you mind telling me if something like this looks good?

---- 1RM = 365
85% = roughly 315

Week 1
315x3
320x2
325x1
335x2
340x1
345x1


Obviously I improvise based on how I feel, but is something like that a good example? 10 reps @ an average weight of 326.5

then next workout maybe i'll do 3 reps with 315, 3 reps with 320, 2 reps with 325, etc etc...

??

Btw, nice deadlifting workout. I look forward to seeing the day you hit your goal of 525