The Beast's Training Journal!

[WalkingBeast]

Looks like its time for me to back off again from the entire routine. Once I reach burnout I usually drop training and eating for size completely. All or nothing like always. This approach works best for me to make continued project. There is no concrete plan, only to get gradually leaner until I get to a point where I have a lean base to rebuild from. Cleaning up my diet has been a major help with my acid issues, but I still want to get rid of my gut to further improve that situation. Also to be able to see the detail in the muscle Ive been building.

There is a small chance I will continue again with the routine by next week, but I think I will either stop training completely for 2-6 months and just cut calories , to further lean. Or I will just train 3 times a week on those lower calories and around 130-200 protein. Thats all I really need to maintain most of my muscle if Im training. It would also burn more calories so it would be useful for that as well. Right now my mind is completely out of it, but either way Ill make forward progress. The trade off to a complete break is that I spend several months getting my old muscle memory back when I return. So there is some lost time, but I dont have any deadlines. This is a longterm pursuit for me. This is what needed to be done to avoid becoming a slave to the shit. The benefit is my joints and tendons heal alot. Which means bigger lifts and records for more sustained periods of time.

Those are pretty much the only 3 directions I will go in for now. I will mix up what I do, but keep everything aimed toward the main goal of getting leaner first. After a month or two I can completely turn my mind off to the idea of training. The eating I despise anyway. I get much more size and strength these days by coming back in bursts, hitting new size and strength records, then taking breaks.

KILL THAT SHIT

 

[WalkingBeast]

Took 14 days off so far. Largest arm down to 19 inches cold flexed, chest 55 inches cold flexed, legs 27. Very minimal loss so far. Im considering training 3 times a week and just scaling back my diet. Eating will just be half ass, but less calories. Maybe 130-200 protein. Some training will help me maintain muscle and get leaner for now. So i think ill add it back in. It will burn some calories too.

It will also be less work for when im ready to hit a growth phase again. The more time off, the longer it takes to get back the previous size. I can maintain most or all of my size on 130-200 protein and training 3 times a week. Its simple enough. I could even do low volume if i chose. I will probably scale back volume as well.

This will be basically a leaning/maintenance phase if i decided to keep up with it. If not ill return later. I find that im basically eating enough to maintain my size anyway, during the break, so might as well train a few days a week.

Kill that shit

 

[WalkingBeast]

Chest rehab and shoulders (overhead pressing and trap focused laterals)



First day back from 2 week break. Very low volume and light to mid weight. Maintenance and leaning phase.


Took 2 weeks off. Lost very little size. I lost 9 lbs but mostly in gut I believe. My waist is back down to where it was before the recent growth phase. So I didnt lose any progress with the leaning previously. My arms are down to 19 inches cold flexed, 55 inch cold flexed chest and 27 inch legs. Legs havent been trained in a while. Not a priority. Arms only down 3/8 to 1/4 of an inch. Chest/back is maybe down 1/2 and inch to an inch. Should all come back within a week or two at most.

Heart felt like it would fucking explode after my shoulder pressing sets. Beating extremely fast. I was heavily winded for a long time after those sets. Felt like I was pushing myself to the edge today with that. Cardio endurance should come back up with training again but its unusual to get winded like that for me. Especially since those sets were 18 reps and the 125s for 4, 120s for 6. Nothing high rep.


I went with full range reps on the shoulder presses to resume where I left off with my previous PRs from 2 weeks ago. Just switching shit up. Ill go back to constant tension eventually but cycle range of motion. Ill be keeping volume lower now as this is going to be a maintenance and leaning phase. I wasnt going to train for several months but decided Ill do it now. Reason being , I was eating enough to maintain my current muscle, but not training. I was doing this without any force feeding. Just eating what I feel like. Ill just be drinking milk and protein bars again. Fill it in with a sit down meal. I only need 130-200 grams protein to maintain my muscle size on the hormone replacement, and I only need to train 3 times a week. So really Im only adding in the training. I can basically train, take 2 days off, train, 2 days off, etc. Its simple enough. I wont be busting my ass with diet or high volume for now.

When Im ready for a dedicated growth phase Ill do that again. Ill be doing it cleaner as I have been. Im done with the powerlifting diet mentality of eating everything. I just want new muscle and strength now over just being heavy. I should continue to get stronger even if I stay lighter. Strength gains should be set in motion again since I always push for record lifts.

My elbows were clicking with the 100 lb dumbbell chest presses. This may have cut my reps back, but it goes away after a week or two usually. Strength will come back quickly. Maybe by next week Ill be back at 50 reps. Strangely my shoulder pressing strength with the dumbbells was nearly identical. One rep off with the 120x6 set. Also threw in a 125 lb set as well for 4 reps only. I should break 10 very quickly. Just re adjusting this week. I still plan to use duct tape and maybe Ill aim for 150s at some point. 125 is the gym max. Though this movement is pretty new for me. I havent had time to hit a strength peak yet in this movement. I hadnt done db shoulder presses for many years.


This will almost be like a break for me since Ive been eating enough naturally, and ill only be training 3 times a week and most likely lower volume. Focusing on some key sets to increase strength but mostly tearing up the muscle for maintenance and maybe even slight growth, while staying and getting leaner.



226 lbs after meal


Chest Rehab


Flat barbell bench press (warm up only)


Bar x 200 (plus barbell stretches to each side)


Flat Dumbbell Press

50x60 warm
100x35 (elbows clicking today. 15 reps off, but not bad for first day back after 2 weeks of low eating and no training. Should be back next week)
100x27

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press (Slight incline)

50x50 warm
80x20 warm
100x18 (Full lockout reps. 2 reps off from last week. See video. Not bad for just coming back 9 lbs lighter)
125x4 (Full lockout reps. See video. Never did this weight so technically a PR. Ive done 120x7 though. )
120x6 (Full lockout reps, see video. A rep short of last week but also was more pre exhausted, doing 125s first)

Nautilus Horizontal Chest Press (plate loaded)


No rest til line

90x50 warm (barbell style grip)
90x20 warm (closer palms facing grip)

------

No rest til line (Full lockout reps with HOLDs)

180x20 barbell grip
180x10 inside

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No rest til line (Being careful with chest, not pushing it too hard. Still rehabbing area)

270x11 barbell
270x1 inside (didnt feel right on chest)
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Nautilus Overhead Press (plate loaded) (seat set to line below 9)

270x30 (warm up, not failure)
450x10 (Full range reps)

No rest til line (didnt push failure on each set) (see video)

540x11
450x5
360x5
270x10
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Dumbbell Laterals (trap focused version. Winded as fuck today. Heart going wild. Stuck with two dropsets only)


no rest til line

45x30
65x10
----

no rest

45x30
65x10
-----

KILL THAT SHIT

videos below

 

[WalkingBeast]

 

[WalkingBeast]

 

[WalkingBeast]

 

[WalkingBeast]

 

[WalkingBeast]

 

[WalkingBeast]

About to hit some back. Another maintenance session. Since Im lighter from the 2 week break, yet retained most all my muscular measurements, I should be good to break 32 reps on chin ups. Cant really say though. I know that one time I didnt train back for 3 weeks and came back at around the same strength. Back tends to retain its strength longer than my chest or even shoulders. Chest pressing loses strength the fastest of any area for me. Always been like that. Right now my chest training is just super high rep and low volume. Rehab work. The area may be mostly healed but I wont trust it for a long time and will do things like this for a while. I still feel some tenderness in the insertions of the muscle. The side of the chest. Maybe thats not the insertions, the fuck I know. No real armpit pain lately. I do know that the side area is where the 3 pops occured. So its an area of weakness and concern either way.

Aside from attempting a chin up record (chin up records are relative to bodyweight. Did 43 at 200 or sub 200 lbs), there may not be any other record attempts. My shoulders are a little flared up and I want to save my joints for some dumbbell pressing records with shoulder presses and maybe even the tricep dumbbell press and flat db press, high rep shit. Maybe even bring back inclines. I just havent because they seem to be tougher on the injured area. My upper chest is flatter as a result. My chest overall is down in size as far as I can tell. I respond much better to HEAVY high rep sets. Not just high rep. I was doing 540 for 20 something reps on the hammer strength incline , I believe, constant tension style. Now Im doing 100s for 50 on flat db press. NO comparison there. 540 is way more damaging and effective for me. I was also hitting way more volume, movements and pyramiding up to 580 then back down. Cant afford to do that type of shit just yet though. Im sure I will go back to that eventually but I want more time to re inforce the area.

Also I will try not to black out today. I dont know if its my blood pressure or what but have been getting very light headed after sets. That may also be a factor. Hopefully will subside soon.

KILL THAT SHIT

 

[WalkingBeast]

Back


2 week break return. Maintenance/ Leaning phase.


Tried for a record with chin ups but my technique was off. Itll come back quickly though. This is my second day back from a 2 week break. Should be close to 40 reps soon again since Im lighter now. My lats didnt even touch the elbow pads of the lat pull over today. Only one side was touching. Normally there is heavy friction that slows down the reps, lats scraping pads. I got a good stretch and pump toward the end on the pullovers. At that point lats were scraping again, but not like at full size. So I can tell my width is down a little. I was only out for 2 weeks , so by next week ill most likely be back to where I was muscle size wise. I lost some fat around my gut during the 2 week break and low eating. However I retained most of my muscle mass. I am actually leaner now with more muscle and can see a big difference in detail already. I added a little fat during the 4 1/2 week growth phase but filled out the muscle, so thats been retained, while the fat is back down to where it was before I started the phase. From doing some leaning out prior.

Right now will just be training 3 times a week and eating 150-200 plus protein. Ive been over 200 the last few days. CLoser to 230 range. That is mostly from just eating when I feel like it. Not busting my ass. That will be more than sufficient to get leaner and hold my current muscle. Maybe even grow at a slow rate. Im still focused on getting leaner. My mind isnt into training right now so this is a comrpromise to keep shit rolling. Always best for me to be prepared for whenever I decide to start a growth phase. Its much more time and work to start off smaller from taking a full break. Best to maintain around peak size if possible.

Shoulder inflammation is getting pretty bad. I should still be good for a few more weeks of dumbbell shoulder pressing, possibly. Ill try to hit a few records before switching to a different movement again for a while. Or I may switch sooner. They are mostly for fun since I never did them often. Its an easy opportunity to hit new records. I got way larger and stronger just with my usual high volume , high intensity, mostly machine pressing approach. Every movement is optional for me at this stage.

I was experiencing dizziness again. That was the main issue again today. Ill try to push as far as I can without blacking out. Ive dealt with a worse version of this in 2010 on super drol. After I went off it took several months for that to go away. That was more severe though. I would feel like I was blacking out when I was about to go to sleep even. Between sets I had to take super long breaks as I would be seeing white and feeling like I was going to lose conciousness after each set. Its not that extreme this time around but Ill keep an eye on it.

I did not push failure today on most of the movements. This issue is preventing that right now. Also I am trying to take shit easier on my shoulder joints so I can get in some good pressing work with the dumbbells. Ill still be aiming for strength records when possible, even on lower calories and leaning/maintaining.

227 lbs after meal


Chin Ups (close grip, palms facing)

135 lbs assistance x 25 warm
105 lbs assistance x 10 warm
26 with bodyweight (See video. my body felt very light but my technique was off today. Ill re adjust as this is my second day back from a 2 week break)
10-15 with bodyweight

Low Cable Row (super dizzy by this point. Nothing from this point forward to failure. Also backing off on shoulder joints)

135x20 warm
210x16 warm
240x15

Mostly regular reps with some holds


Hammer Strength Lat Pullover (plate loaded)

no rest til line

90x30
180x20
230x20
----

again

270x15
180x20
135x20
90x20
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Lats expanded after some stretching and sets with the lat pull over. Scraping elbow pads toward the end. By next week they should be wider and create heavy friction. Thats how I can tell I lost width from the 2 weeks off. Itll be back by next week most likely.

See video below

KILL THAT SHIT