Arms
End of fourth week back from 6 week break. In week four I am feeling most of my strength coming back and within the next 2 weeks I should be mostly back. May still not be back but it will depend on food intake. Not busting my ass right now with food , just training what I feel like and when. Three times a week is all Ive been training for now. Upper body only.
Hit 230 today. I should be back around 240 lbs soon. If I hit it without training legs then I should be carrying more muscle in my upper body. So either way its new mass. Chest/back is around 55 inches cold flexed now. Still an inch off from biggest. Arms are still only 18 7/8 cold flexed at most, down from 19 1/2. Those take longer always to get back.
Good pump today. That was the focus. Low rest times and very controlled contractions. Focused on muscle contraction over weight used. Volume was closer to what I normally do, didnt count sets but I normally do around 50 sets for arms.
I added vitamin d12 at 50,000 IU a week today. I find that helps with test levels. Thats the only vitamin Im taking now. Normally I dont use any vitamins. Ill do that for atleast 3 months. My vitamin D was low in blood levels, so the doc prescribed it. I would stay on all the time if I had the script. Im on HRT but I feel like the vitamin D has a synergistic effect with the test. That warmth in my blood that I associate with testosterone seems amplifed when I take that. I perceive that as more anabolic. Might be in my head. Any edge helps at this stage.
Close grip incline presses were better today on the smith. Still not taking them to failure. They are hard on my shoulders. Not as bad on joints today though, and I added more weight and reps. So I should be able to work them up. I liked them as a pre exhaust before hitting the 300 lb pressdown dropsets/supersets. I just call em No Rest Til Line sets. Since I drop down the stack then hit various sets of curls immediately after. Ive also dropsetted and reverse dropsetted in the same set (up the stack then back down, then into curls, etc). So thats why I list them under that title. Ive had some of these no rest sets last in excess of 10 minutes straight. Brief rest pauses only (a few seconds to catch breath only). Goal is to maximise the pain and burn when I train like that.
I didnt want to go beyond 245 today with the close grip presses. I have used 315 for reps with free weight bench, close grip in the past, but I rarely ever use freeweight benches anymore. Its much better not needing spotters and lift offs, and its better on my joints, the smith.
I did something new with the close grip presses. I tried to bend the bar when pressing basically. Meaning I tucked my elbows in completely. Normally I press with elbows flared out, regardless of grip width. Really I only do wide grip bench, same grip always. Its just recently I added in closer grip pressing and also close grip for triceps. I did it this way because thats how I felt it almost PURELY in my triceps. Now I understand how powerlifters bench. I could do this type of tuck with a wide grip too, and I see how it would be mostly tricep and delt. Never really tried it before. Since I benched to build chest and with a wide grip its more for moving weight. With the close grip it was mostly all triceps though. So I will do them like that. Maybe Ill make a video of the movement just to show the style. I am just experimenting now and is only my second week doing em. It shouldnt be a problem to push past 315 though. Just got to feel out my joints on the movement. I only ever do cable pressdowns these days for triceps and my triceps are extremely resiliant to those by now. No matter what I do to them.
Strict alternating dumbbell curls again. Palms facing forward , no twisting. These stimulate the biceps with an almost pure tension. When I wanted to keep the tension nonstop I would stop before full extention at the bottom and curl up to about upper chest level. Once the dumbbell travels beyond that point shoulders take over and the biceps get rest.
I asume this type of training will benefit me because my back blew up when I focused on held contractions and trying to feel like I was hanging the weights off my lats, like my arms didnt exist. Feeling that cramp and tenderness in the lats and trying to really amplify that, and hold it in the most painful zones. Thats the best way I can explain it. Its not always holding it at full contraction that is the most painful. Getting that full stretch without hyper extending my elbows or flinging the weight is also essential to how ive been training back lately.
I used to row way more weight with my back. I was basically exploding and throwing the weight through the range of motion. I got very strong explosively but its a different type of strength to actually force the weight through movement with enduring power rather then throwing the shit with explosiveness. Holds are also something that requires the muscle to adapt. Especially to use the same type of weight I was flinging around, or close to it. With the explosive reps, the muscle contracts once very forcefully at the beginning of the rep but then the muscle just rides the momentum and doesnt get that concentrated contraction. Ballistics had thier place for me, definately and gave me alot of explosive power but what Im doing now is another level. Much lighter but much harder on the muscle overall.
My grip also got much stronger when I ditched straps. I stopped using them because of my hand numbness issues. I assumed the straps were pulling the hands in a very bad way with all the weight ive strapped to my wrist (up to 945 lbs barbell in the past). Initially my grip wasnt strong enough to keep up with my back strength. Now I have no issues losing grip during sets. I dont train as heavy but I do use long holds so it works out in a similiar way.
230 lbs after previous nights meals, stayed up to train
Incline Smith Machine Close Grip Press (Shoulder width grip, Elbows tucked in , New method for me)
(3/4 reps mostly , with some lockouts, mostly toward the end. These were tough on shoulder joints and elbows so I didnt want to do more damage with lockouts)
Not to failure mostly, just wanted to get some good pre exhaustion
Bar x 50
135x50 (Possible PR)
185x20 (Possible PR.)
225x15 (PR)
245x10 (PR by default)
245x10 (same)
This is a brand new exercise for me, so PRs are free in the beginning. Mostly just a note for me, since I need some starting point to work off of. I generally try to push strength in every lift I do. Its reduced now, but its still something I implement when it makes sense for me. Ive done close grip with 315 on free weight flat bench, this is just PRs because its different style, machine, incline, etc.
Curved Bar Pressdowns
KILOGRAMS for pressdowns unless otherwise noted
no rest til line (not to failure on triceps)
35x50
65x40
95x5 (210 lb stack)
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300 lbs x 6 (two 45's loaded onto stack)
255 lbs x10
95 kilos again x10
65x15-20
50x20
40x15 Strict Alternating Dumbbell Curls, Palms facing entire time, no twist, Slow
35x10 (same)
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No rest til line
300 lbs x10
255 lbs x10
95 kilos x10
65x10-15
50x20
55x5 Strict Alt Db curls again
45x5 same
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No rest til line
300 lbs x10 (have done 30 reps, but not bad for coming back a few weeks ago and being pre exhausted)
255 lbs x10
95 kilos x10
65x10-15
50x20
55x5 strict alt db curls
45x10 same
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No rest til line
300 lbs x 6
255 lbs x 8
95 kilos x10
65x3 strict alt db curl
45x10 same
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Strict Alternating Dumbbell Curls (palms facing as mentioned, alot of holds mixed in too and slow)
No rest til line
65x3 (with slow negatives)
50x5
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No rest til line
50x4
40x5-10
25x10
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With this movement I sometimes do one arm at a time and sometimes both simultaneously.
No rest til line
30x15
40x5-10
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Sometimes I dont remember my reps on some sets exactly, even though I list it immediately, because I am zoned out and focused on increasing pain. So thats why that occurs. These sets are only really important in how much pain they cause, not rep numbers. This is more size oriented training for me, on arms day. On most days. I incorporate strength record attempts rarely on back day and regularly on chest and shoulder presses lately. I follow them up with alot of pain focused sets to pump blood into the muscle and tear it up though, for growth. I just lead with some strength records or record attempts. In the past nearly everything including warm ups were record attempts, and I did massive volume to failure as well.
Alternating Dumbbell Curls with reverse curl negative
no rest til line
60x4
45x5
25x10
----------------
No rest again
45x8
40x5
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no rest again
55x5
40x5
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45x6
Preacher Curl Machine Rep Out Attempt
One arm at a time
30 lbs x ??
I stopped these very early. Fucked with shoulder joints. Right shoulder joint was a little inflamed today. Elbows were feeling some pain too by this point. I got enough done. I am just regaining lost size for now
KILL THAT SHIT
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