In my training the one thing I've noticed is that there is no constant. What I mean is what worked for you today might not work for you tomorrow. What worked for you six months ago might work for you again today. So on and so forth. You get the picture.
That's why I refuse to take any of my old posts down even if they no longer work for me. If you read a post of mine and it got you to the next level in your lifts, then that was the right information for you at the right time but it doesn't mean it'll work for you the next time you lift.
Case in point, I've recently begun having trouble digesting protein the day after I workout so I had to cut down my protein intake and increase my carbohydrate intake. It's a simple solution. But am I going to take down any post of mine that recommends eating huge amounts of animal proteins the day after you train? The answer is no because huge amounts of animal protein intake are the only things that will enable you to repair your muscles and make them grow, and just because it's not working for me right now doesn't mean it won't work for you. Incidentally, I seem to be able to better digest animal protein far better on the second day after my training session. I have no clue why that's the case.
Anyways here is my training data:
What the workout numbers mean:
First off I only record my 1 rep max out set, so I
list the weight I attempted in lbs. and then I list the rating I gave
to the lift. On a scale of 1 to 5, 1 is barely lifting the weight off
the ground or barely getting the bar away from my chest. 5 means I
completed the lift with perfect form. 4 means I completed the lift but
with terrible form and a lot of shakiness. 3 means I finished the lift
about 3/4 of the way. 2 means I completed the lift about half way up. 0 means I couldn't even lift the weight so that there was no noticeable gap between the weight and whatever it was resting on.
Gym Sunday 5/11/14 1130 a.m.
Hoist chest press 160-2
Stiff legged deadlift 505-1
Icarian one legged leg press
Left 120-1, 140-1
Right 120-1, 140-1
Rack pull 525-0
Bicep curl free motion cable machine
140-1
5/11/14 workout notes:
The biggest disappointment for this workout was the fact that I couldn't finish it. At about the time I hit my biceps on the cable machine, I noticed my body was getting weak and consequently my lifts were getting weaker. I could feel my body going into a weird catabolic state. My muscles were loosening up and losing their tightness. It kind of felt like my body was using my muscles as a source of energy which is something you don't want to have happen. You train to build your muscles not break them down and use them for energy. So I quit the workout. I didn't do tricep extensions or hit my chest again on the chest press cable machine.
I guess the reason I lost the energy to work out was that my carbohydrate intake wasn't enough on my feeding days prior to my workout and my breakfast before the workout didn't have enough animal protein to carry me through the workout. The simple solution is to eat more carbs and have a more substantial breakfast with more animal protein before I workout.
I also suffered a small injury to my left shoulder while I was doing stiff legged deadlifts for 415 lbs. The problem was that I wasn't setting my shoulders right before attempting the lift. The trick to not wrecking your shoulders in any kind of deadlift is to sweep your shoulders back and pack them down while tensing your lats. This provides the stability and sturdiness to pull huge amounts of weight without shoulder injury.
For some reason I took that lifting cue for granted and didn't pack my shoulders down enough into my back so now my left shoulder has been kind of sore for the past two days. The fix to prevent the shoulder injury was to pack my shoulders down. It's a simple solution, and that's what I did and I went on to complete the workout. I even got into the 500 lb range for my rack pulls so it was a very minor injury but I should know better.
Even though the stiff legged deadlift doesn't allow for much setup of the shoulders you can still pack your shoulders down enough into your back to prevent injury. I might even go back to doing conventional deadlifts again just to avoid repetitive movement injury potential and switch them between stiff legged deadlifts.
Home 5/8/14 12 pm Thursday
shoulder press seated 195-1
Conventional deadlift 465-1
Stiff legged deadlift 495-1
Pendlay barbell row 325-1
Pec fly dumbbells pair of:
35's-2
30's-3
Skull crushers Tricep extension barbell
95-1
Pause squat 365-1
5/8/14 workout notes:
My pause squats were getting blasted up to the top thanks my recent addition of doing kickstand squats for my previous workout, so I went for a 365 lbs pause squat attempt and I completely missed the lift and let the bar fall off my back and crash onto the cross bars of the power rack.
I don't know how people squat without a power rack or squat rack. You need those crossbars to catch the bar in case you miss the lift. Otherwise if you slide the bar off your shoulders it'll hit your spine on the way down. I picked mine up for 300 dollars off of craigslist and that included 400 lbs of iron weight plates, an olympic barbell and dumbell handles.
Gym Sunday 545 pm 5/4/14
Leverage chest press 300-1
Stiff legged deadlift 485-1
Kickstand squat
Left leg 285-4
Right leg 285-4
Rack pull 515-1
Life fitness chest press cable machine
200-0
Life fitness bicep curl cable machine 130-1
Life fitness Tricep machine rope pushdown
115-1
Home 5/1/14 Thursday 12 pm
Shoulder press seated 145-4, 175-1
Stiff legged deadlift 385-1, 435-1
Pendlay barbell row 295-2, 315-1
Pause squat 320-2
Pec fly dumbbells 30's-1
Tricep extension skull crusher 95-2
My overall impression of my training program is that I'm doing what I'm expecting what I should do. My gains are small but they're measureable so that's how I'm able to assess my increased progress in my lifts. I'm slowly breaking into the 500 lb range in my deadlift. I'm not that far off from getting into the 400 lb range for my squats, and my chest press is also inching its way upward to the 300 lb range.
The only way I'm able to increase my poundage is that I don't demean the missed lift. It's a stepping stone to my ultimate goals, and I've learned that over the years. Before I came to that conclusion, I would always get upset because of my misses. I would think that I was doing something wrong. But that was the wrong attitude. The missed lift is your single greatest tool in getting stronger. That's why you rate your misses to track your progress.
I always hear some crap about not missing the lift. Usually people who say that are taking drugs to get strong. They have the luxury of not missing their lifts because they make gains in whole numbers. Each and every time they work out, they increase by 5 to 10 lbs or by adding more reps to their sets. They do that at least until the drugs stop working and then they have to take more drugs. Luckily, you don't have to worry about that downward spiral of drug taking. You get strong just by working hard at the gym and eating beef.
The funny thing the steroid freaks never talk about and it's a wonder they never mention it is that once you start taking growth hormone is your body stops producing its own supply for the rest of your life and you'll have to take the drugs to get strong until you breathe your last breath. At $1200 a month for a supply of growth hormone, that could add up to hundreds of thousands dollars in a lifetime.
Here's my numbers from earlier this year:
Gym 1/25/14 Saturday 10 a.m.
Deadlift stiff legged 270-2
Shoulder press seated 90-2
Pec fly machine 150-4
Tricep extension machine 150-2
Lat row cable machine 180-4
Seated leg press machine 250-1
Gym Thursday 1/23/14 130 pm
Seated bench leverage chest press machine 185- 2
Stiff legged deadlift 270-1
Pause squat 85-3
Rack pull 360-1
Tricep extensions standing cable machine 100-1
Bicep curl standing one hand
Left 20-1
Right 20-1
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