The Beast's Training Journal!

[WalkingBeast]

Chest Rehab And Delts, Rear Delts (trap focused laterals , overhead pressing)



Very light and low volume, Maintenance, Leaning


Camera lost footage of lifts. Battery was low and it only filmed the first 10 seconds of each lift.

The only progress today was 410x14 for full reps on Hammer Strength Incline Press. Different gym but changing machines didnt seem to be an issue.

This is still chest rehab so the main concern is just building the area back up, re strengthening.

Legs are back up to 27 without any training. Most likely just water weight. Fluctuations. Dont really measure the area since I havent trained them in months. All other measurements are around where I last listed them. This is still just basic maintenance.


226 lbs after meal, (this may be accurate but this scale usually has me 3 lbs lighter it seems, been a while)

Chest Rehab


Flat barbell bench press (warm up only)


Bar x 200 plus barbell stretches


Hammer Strength Incline Press (Full range reps except just short of hitting bottom stoppers)

No rest til line (warm ups only)

No weight x 40
90x40
180x25
270x10

Most of these are partial reps to warm the area up
--------

320x10 warm up only
360x20 (Matching last week)
410x14 (Just short of lockout on final rep, up from 12 last week. Recent PR only, but progress for the rehab)

No rest til line (Still all full range reps)

450x7
360x7
270x7
180x10
-----

There are some holds and pauses at the bottom as well mixed in with these.


Hammer Strength Wide Chest Press (plate loaded again)

Holds with these at the top. Just short of bottoming out but full range.

No rest til line (warm ups)

90x15
180x15
-----

230x12

No rest til line

270x8
180x8
-----

Not pushing it with these or chest in general, still taking it easy on the chest strains. Area not too tender today but never healed. It is getting stronger again, but it only takes one pop to start the rehab over again.

Hammer Strength MTS Shoulder Press (Pin loaded)

(Did these to give my shoulder joints a break. Just pump work)

No rest til line

200x20
310x5
-----

No rest til line

310x15
210x15
170x15
-----


Reverse Machine Fly

Long holds on each rep

no rest til line

165x15
225x10
------

again

275x10
210x10
165x10-15
-----

Dumbbell laterals (trap focused version)

no rest til line

45x30
55x10
-----

again

75x20
55x10
40x10
------

Camera should work next time.

KILL THAT SHIT

 

[WalkingBeast]

About to hit some back and trap focused laterals. Still just barely eating enough for maintenance. This is just a bare bones phase. My focus now is to do the least amount of training and eating to maintain muscle, strength and stay leaner, so that I can start a growth phase around peak size, muscle wise. I dont care about holding extra fat bodyweight.

Its good to start a growth phase with the muscles filled out as much as possible, to reduce wasted weeks of the growth phase. Spending weeks just getting back old size is a waste.

This is a semi break for me. Nothing Im taking seriously, though I never go to the gym to fuck around. Its just scaled back in volume. Not so much intensity.

Though I am limiting my beyond failure training techniques and certain harsher movements to let my joints recover and be strong for the growth phase that may begin on the 21rst. Heavily considering starting it then.

Probably not too many strength records until I begin my growth phase. Ill try for 34 chin ups today which is a rep record for being above 220 lbs. Ive hit 32 at 235 lbs and 43 at sub 200 or around 200 lbs. Chin ups are the odd exercise with PRs as it changes depending on your bodyweight. When I hit 43 at 230 plus or 240 thats definately stronger than doing it at 200 lbs or less. I did move in my grip however and do a close grip palms facing style these days. Wide overhand fucks me up these days. Otherwise the wide grip overhand may be easier as its less range of motion.

Aside from that I will probably just pump the fuck out of my lats with relatively light weights. Maybe alternating sides with rows again, no rest aside from when one side is rowing. Maybe film that as well as chins. Nothing too special.

My biceps are still greatly compromised. The tenderness will probably never subside unless I take a full training break. May not happen for a little while. Will see how shit progresses.

KILL THAT SHIT

 

[WalkingBeast]

Back, Delts (trap focused laterals), Rear Delts



Mid volume, Light training, Leaning/Maintenance phase



Very light overall training today but I compensated with about 36 sets for back alone. I didnt do an accurate count on the alternating Iso Low Rows with 270 but theres a video. I was just going for pump so it didnt matter.

This is just maintenance. I attempted chin ups today but I could not get a grip where my legs werent getting caught up on the assistance pad. My legs swing forward when I hang from a chin up bar, and the machine was in the way. Ill have to do them at the other location I was doing them at.

I hit strict lat pulldowns again today. Staying as upright as possible basically. Much harder but hits some different muscles in the back than the usual way.

The pullovers were extremely light since they fuck with my hiatal hernia. My width must be back however as I could almost hold the elbow pads down by flexing my lats. Im only measuring at 54 1/2 to 55 around the chest/back measurement, down from 56. Leaner though. Its possible I just lose some thickness from front to back but the width may be back. It may be a loss of muscle in my chest since Im rehabbing the area or in back thickness. Everything will fill back out during a growth phase.

Ill see about hitting a growth phase on the 21rst. This is just minimum maintenance for me now. Eating has been very mixed.


225 lbs after protein bar, stayed up to train

Attempted Chin Ups (palms facing grip)


165 lbs assistance x 20 (warm up)
100x10 same
Bodyweight x 15 (I cut these short because my legs kept getting caught up on the assistance pad. My legs swing forward when I hang. Ill hit these again at the other location)

Attempted them one more time. Couldnt get a grip where this wasnt an issue on this machine.


Strict Lat Pulldowns with Medium Length Curved Bar (palms facing grip) (Staying as upright as possible)

165x15 warm
250x8

No rest til line

250x5
220x5
190x5
160x5
135x10
------

No rest til line

265x5
220x5
190x5
130x10
------

No rest til line (see video)

295x4
250x5
220x5
190x5
160x5
135x10
------


Iso High Row Hammer Strength

no rest til line (warm ups)

180x15
270x15
------

No rest til line (See video for exact number of reps, just estimated)

270x10 (Alternating sides is the only rest. Matched on both sides for all sets)
270x5
270x5
270x5

--------------

No rest til line

270x8 (matched both sides again)
270x5 (same)
-------

Iso Low Row Hammer Strength

270x15 (both arms simultaneous)

No rest til line

270x10 (alternating sides style again)
270x10 (both arms simultaneous)
-----

Hammerstrength Lat pullover (plate loaded again)(Holds mixed in)


Lats were swollen creating major friction on pads. So width seems to be back. Missing some thickness possibly.

No rest til line

90x40
180x20-30
------

no rest til line

180x30
90x30
-----

Extremely light since these fuck with hiatal hernia.


Dumbbell Laterals (trap focused version)

45x60 (brief rest pauses)

No rest til line

75x15
45x20
------

Reverse Machine Flies

Long holds

no rest til line

140x10
215x10
-----

Again (Possibly regular reps for these, but mixed)

270x5
190x10
165x10
----


KILL THAT SHIT

videos below

 

[WalkingBeast]

 

[WalkingBeast]

 

[WalkingBeast]

The last 2 weeks or so since I added Strict Lat Pulldowns my back has been getting sore in very different places. Usually its very hard to get any part of my back sore, except the very outer lats.

Now I can feel the outer lats as well as the middle of my back sore in different places. Definately from that movement, since thats the only new movement I added recently. Its new in the sense that I started doing them as upright as possible. I figured a video would better illustrate the change.

As I get stronger with that form itll improve as well as the number of reps. This is only maybe the second week that Ive done them this way. Normally I have some hinging at the hips. I also have done them very strict with long holds, but I didnt adhere to staying upright. So that is more new for me. Its a simple change but often thats all it takes to get new stimulation.

I also dont need as much weight since its much harder. 295 feels much heavier in this style. While I am not at peak strength right now, Im sure I can still toss around the stack for a good amount of reps as usual. I should start getting much stronger as I adapt to that movement, and as I fill back out more. Maybe starting on the 21rst if I begin this growth phase. This has just been very base maintenance.

While it may seem like alot of work to the unitiated, to my journal, this was basically my version of taking a break from the whole routine. Eating maybe only a little more then what I feel like eating, often not even keeping up with that, and trianing only twice a week. Now 3 times since I added arms back in. So this is my version of a break. Rather than taking a full break, I went with this. Since I was eating enough to basically retain most of my muscle anyway, I figured why not train a few times a week so I can keep most of it. Otherwise the muscle just deflates over the months. Takes time to re inflate. Waste of time if not needed.


Dropsetting was also great to get in alot of volume with this style.

I will likely continue with these for a while now.

KILL THAT SHIT

 

[WalkingBeast]

About to hit arms. Its been a pain in the fucking ass and alot of luck involved, to get 300 lbs on the tricep stack without the machine jamming up. Otherwise Id aim for 300x31 plus on the curved bar pressdowns. Im good for that shit but its very rare the stack doesnt jam.

I should be good for a record with the newer tricep movement I added recently however. Tricep only flat dumbbell presses. Elbows tucked to sides, palms facing. I hit 100x31 last week. Ill aim for maybe 40 and see where my strength lands. Maybe mid 30s. My elbows were clicking bad last week. Hopefully thise subsides enough to not interrupt the set too much. That is the only thing that I can see slowing me down but Ill try to atleast bang out 32 for a PR.

If elbows feel decent enough Ill do some heavier sets. Maybe going up to 110s or 125s which are the max. Ill aim for records on those as well.

That is the benefit of adding newer movements. Increasing the fire with records. This is really whats beyond neccessary now since Im about 18 lbs lighter and this is a maintenance phase for me. Thats just how I train though. I dont use that as an excuse.

In about 3 days I may start a growth phase though. if so then my numbers will all shoot up drastically, strength wise, on a consistant basis. My bodyweight will atleast be in the mid 230s again as well. Im not pushing for sheer bodyweight anymore. So the size I gain will be mostly from a 300 gram protein minimum daily. Im still trying to stay leaner so Im not going all out on calorie consumption. Mostly protein with some extra carbs thrown in. Different type of gaining for me. Cleaner for now.

Biceps seem a little less torn up. Hard to say. Not too bad with back yesterday. I will keep that training very light and focused purely on contraction and pump. After the dumbbell tricep presses probably just blast the fuck out of them with cable pressdown dropsets.

KILL THAT SHIT

 

[WalkingBeast]

Arms


Light , Low volume, Maintenance , leaning phase




Hit 2 PRs with the tricep only dumbbell presses. Elbows werent clicking nearly as much. By next week it should be mostly gone. 100x33 and 110x22 were the two PRs. This is not bad as Im 224 and am breaking records I hit at 235 and heavier. Though this is a newer movement for me as well.

I feel these more than any other movement ive done for triceps in a long time. They also make a great pre exhaust prior to hitting the cable pressdowns.

I also hit a 5 minute dropset with curved bar pressdowns , v bar pressdowns and dumbbell curls.

I may start my growth phase today. The 21rst is only 3 days away and Ill see if my mind is in it by increasing my eating and adding in legs this week. Ill likely be training 4X a week now and aiming for a 300 protein minimum.

Biceps training was ultra light and low volume with a focus on quality of contractions. The 40 lb dumbbell curls on steep incline for 50 reps, with holds on each rep, was the main set. I tried to make the most out of my limitations with biceps lately. They are torn up as fuck for months now.


Very light headed initially but grinded it out. Not too severe. I trained on a mostly empty stomach. The stimulants can hit cause more dizziness in that scenario. Some leftover light headedness from the issue I was having during my last attempted growth phase as well. Its mostly gone though.

I decided to end my tricep dumbbell presses at the 110s. The clicking is still not fully gone. I couldve repped them out but I just wanted to hit a few records on my two target sets, which I did, then blast the fuck out of them with cables for pump.


224 lbs after some milk , before meals


Tricep Only Flat Dumbell presses (Elbows tucked at sides, palms facing)


40x75 warm only
60x30 same
100x33 (PR. Strength will really shoot up once I am a few weeks into my growth phase. Still breaking records during a half assed maintenance phase though)

110x22 (PR. See video)

See videos for 100x33 and 110x22 sets


Curved Bar Pressdowns


KILOGRAMS FOR ALL PRESSDOWNS UNLESS NOTED

No rest til line (warm ups)

35x75
65x30
95x20
40x15 Strict Dumbbell Curls (palms facing, no twist, Holds)
------

No rest til line (See video. 5 + minute dropset)

300 lbs x 21 (not too much friction today, buy heavily pre exhausted)
255 lbs x 10
95x10 (210 lb stack, KILOS again)
80x10
65x20
57x20
65x5
57x20
50x5
Extra set in here somewhere ??
40x20 Strict Dumbbell Curls, Palms facing, No twist, Holds
-------

Was getting very light headed, winded, so that was the main challenge. The searing pain wasnt an issue. That should improve, but if not Ill grind through it

V bar pressdowns

KILOGRAMS STILL FOR THE PRESSDOWNS ONLY

95x15 (210 lb stack)
80x15
65x15
57x15
50x15
40x15 STRICT DB CURLS AGAIN
-----

One Arm Cable Pressdowns

KILOS

No rest til line (Except when switching arms)

20x10 (matched on both sides)
25x10 (same)
30x5 (same)
35x5 (same)
------

Steep Incline Dumbbell Curls With Holds

40x50 (Brief rest pauses only)

Did this to compensate for my biceps being massively compromised strength wise. Focused on lower volume for now, but high quality contractions. The area has been very tender and damaged for months


Alternating Dumbbell Curl with reverse curl negative

no rest til line

50x6
40x6

------

biceps weak as fuck and fatigue very quickly now, but good pump.


Steep Incline DB CURL again

25x30 (With holds again, brief rest pauses. Biceps were mostly useless by this point)


Videos below

KILL THAT SHIT

 

[WalkingBeast]

 

[WalkingBeast]