AAAgent's training journal

[runner83]

bench

dead lifts
6x185lbs

i bumped into the same trainer that i met last week. He was telling me to do stiff leg deadlifts if i wanted to isolate my lower back. well i ended up hurting my lower back because i tried 185 which was too heavy, then dropped to 135 which was alright but i think i already hurt my lower back.

i did complete my sets
6x135lbs
6x135lbs

did some flys and then left. my lower back was hurting alot and still hurts today. I'm going to take a few days rest and start back up on tuesday.

Bad luck about the back injury.

My understanding is that stiff-legged deadlifts are mainly for hamstring stimulation, with secondary stimulation for the back.

I would suggest continuing with the ordinary deadlifts as part of your back routine, and put the stiff-legged deadlifts as part of your leg routine.

Hope the injury gets better.

 

[AAAgent]

My back is ALOT better today compared to the last few days. i probably won't do any lifting until atleast thursday or friday just to be safe.

i definitely felt more strain on my back during the stiffleg DL than regular. I will stick to normal DL for back though. It seems more beneficial since it is a whole body workout. It sucks that i can't workout AT ALL because my lower back is effect by all exercises to a certain extent.

Anyone can help me out with my diet?

I don't want to cut these things out for protein but seems like alot of guys have cut out these since they have better options.

Whole Milk
Cheese
Egg's including yolk
Tofu
other randoms

The ones i listed above are my main sources of protein. I also eat alot of carbs since i don't have much of a great selection.

 

[AAAgent]

I won't be able to hit the gym until next week, judging by the pain. I may do pushups and pullups at home to try to keep some muscle. sucks I know my bench will suffer the most form this.

 

[AAAgent]

pain almost gone. I will wait until monday to be safe and just do chest/tri's.

On a good note I have not smoked since sunday, clean of MB for longer, and started to eat slightly better.

Switched my bread to wheat bread and will start eating more plain bland foods.

 

[AAAgent]

hit the gym FINALLY today. Back is alright but i didn't do any back exercises just to be safe.

went light today as to not strain my back again.

dumbbell bench

50lbsx6 each hand
70lbsx6 each hand
80lbsx6 each hand all assisted

incline bench

135lbsx6
155lbsx6
155lbsx6

dumbbell shoulder press
35lbsx8
35lbsx8
35lbsx8

overhead tricep pulls
40lbsx8
40lbsx8
40lbsx8

 

[AAAgent]

Bicep bar curls

25lbs each sidex6
35lbsx2 followed by 30x5
32.5x4 followed by 25x4

squats (started light to test my back)
95lbsx6
135lbsx6
155lbsx6

Lat pull downs wide grip
70lbsx6
100lbsx6
100lbsx6

Shrugs
platex7
platex7
platex7

hanging leg raises
bwx6
bwx6
bwx6

 

[AAAgent]

Bench

155x6
185x6
205x2
185x4
first time getting through all that with no help. I did ask for a spot on the 205 but i didn't need it.

Deadlifts

135x8
155x8
175x8
back is a little stiff but i managed to make it through.

squats

135x7
135x7
135x7

hanging leg raises

bwx8
bwx8
bwx8

swam

 

[AAAgent]

after checking my journal, there hasn't been any significant improvement or decline. No decline which is good i guess. My body definition has gotten slightly better. I need to at least hit 4 reps of 205 flat bench soon. I'm pushing back the deadline of doing the 300 workout till mid/late February since i need to be able to rep at least 225 flat bench.

On a positive note, i've found my life's pursuit which was one of my 2011 goals. Archaeology. On another positive note i found a East Asian dig opportunity and have contacted the director. I just applied today and was notified that i am currently on standby. My back is also better now which means there shouldn't be anymore drawbacks. 2011 here i come.

 

[AAAgent]

clean from smoking since january 1st of 2011.

bench
6x155
6x185
2.5x205
5x175
6x135

bicep bar curls
6x25 on each side
6x30
6x30

DL
6x155
6x155
6x155

Sprint, run & jog track running
1 mile (12 laps)

1jog
2-4 run with increasing speeds
5 sprint
6-7 jog
8-9 run with increasing speeds
10 sprint
11-12 jog
13 walk

10lbs medicine ball incline abs
20 situps
15 situps
15 situps

 

[AAAgent]

it was 10 degrees out today and it felt like 0.......going to the gym actually made my trip home a lot warmer since my body temperature was up.

Bench
6x155
6x185
2x205
4x185

squats
6x185
6x185
6x185

close grip decline bench
8x135
8x135
8x135

close grip chin ups
8xbw
8xbw
8xbw

30 minute swim

I weighed in approximately 173 today. I look muscular and bulky. I'm still really light. I probably look really fat if i plan on getting to 185. When i get to a clean rep of 225 flat bench i'm going to start uping my reps to 10 reps. I have 3 weeks till i start the 300 workout. i need to pick up the pace.

 

[Fuglydude]

Congrats on quitting smoking. What's your bf% like? At 5'11" - 173, you're not gonna look bulky (at least not my by standards) unless you're 4-5% bf, basically 2-3 weeks out from stepping on stage at a bodybuilding show. I'm 5'8" - 193 at <12% bf (just got tested today), and I still feel pretty small.

Good persistence so far though. Way to deal with the injuries. Keep plugging away. Remember progress isn't always linear. All you can do is prepare/follow your diet and train to the best of your ability. Keep it up!

 

[AAAgent]

Ya i looked in the mirror this morning and i actually looked good. I'm assuming after working out my muscles must have swelled up to make me look a lot bigger. I looked pretty thick after working out. I remember that you had to pay for a bf% check at the gym. Do you pay for this or do you know a way to calculate it accurately?

The reason why i think i look bulky is because I'm literally all upper body. I have tiny quads and hamstrings. I was former all american swimmer and my best events were the 100 butterfly and 200 butterfly which are basically all upper body. My legs have been getting a little better due to squats. I could have been a better sprinter if i had bigger legs.

 

[Fuglydude]

Ya i looked in the mirror this morning and i actually looked good. I'm assuming after working out my muscles must have swelled up to make me look a lot bigger. I looked pretty thick after working out. I remember that you had to pay for a bf% check at the gym. Do you pay for this or do you know a way to calculate it accurately?

The reason why i think i look bulky is because I'm literally all upper body. I have tiny quads and hamstrings. I was former all american swimmer and my best events were the 100 butterfly and 200 butterfly which are basically all upper body. My legs have been getting a little better due to squats. I could have been a better sprinter if i had bigger legs.

My and my fiance are both competitors and we both have the same trainers, so we just pay them monthly for testing/diet/training advice, etc. Most gyms will have someone who can take your bodyfat though. Calipers are typically the easiest way to go. I'm not a huge fan of bioelectrical impedance because there's so many factors that can affect the results.

Swimming is a fantastic exercise for conditioning and you probably have a great V-taper because you lats/back should be well developed from these events. You'll obviously be carrying a pump post workout so you can expect to look thick. In the AM, especially after a work out day, your muscles will typically be "full" (assuming your nutrition/supplementation was done appropriately), and your subcutaneous water will be low. This a great combo for looking jacked.

The only guy I personally know that I think is jacked with stats like your is my buddy Chris. He's a pro fitness model, and he's actually all-natural too... a bit of a genetic freak though!

http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/Chris_Lazecki/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuqCM95ge88

EDIT: Forgot to mention this earlier... if you want a really sick pump try taking in 40-50 g of waxy maize pre-WO, then drink around 2 glasses of water, then take a pre-WO supplement that's high in arginine compounds. My fave was RedCell by CMI, but they don't exist anymore. SuperPump/NoExplode are good choices too. Add in 2 g of beta-alanine and you'll have some insane pumps. They're actually almost painful at times!

 

[AAAgent]

Thanks for the tip about the supplements.
I'm working on getting my camera charger and USB port to get pictures up.

I lose muscle definition easily so i don't think my genetics are that amazing (if anything normal) but i have engineered a great body shape I believe. swimming, pullups, etc. have given me broad shoulders and a strong upper body which always got me compliments.

I think i would look similar to your friend if i keep conditioning except my upper body would probably be a bit bigger and my lower body a bit smaller. He has huge legs. If i could get an extra 5 pounds on each leg my body would still look normal and i'd be at the 185 range i'm looking for. Did you manage to maintain your look? I remember you said you were bulky before.


below is for my own documentation purposes.
---------

Also on a side note on my anger issues (not sure if its increase in testosterone issues adds to this).
My best friend who's a med school student shot at me something although generic has some substance as to why I may have this problem.

"People who have anger issues, they generally come from unresolved issues. Sometimes from the father beating them or they did something in the past that they couldn't forgive themselves for. These people tend to have a co-dependence and want to take care of others without regard to their own well being to compensate for their incongruity of their own feelings."

It sounds pretty textbook/generic but i was beat heavily as a child by my dad which i considered normal. All my black friends got beat and my cousins got beat but apparently it wasn't as bad as my beatings that i later found out about. My bro ratted on my dad (he was always the little brat) and DYFS came. my beatings were bad. i was scared to come home and sometimes i would hide. I'd pray to every single deity i could think of to save me. I've done two things although not horrible, i have never forgiven myself for them because of the humiliation i caused the two people. I have a tendency to take care of all my friends, being big brother to girlfriends, paying for sh1t, going out of my way just because i have fun when my friends have fun.

 

[Fuglydude]

The classic V-taper will never go out of style. You're lucky you have that.

Ya, Chris is kind of a freak... he was around 170-175 when I first met him and he looked 200-210. Very long and full muscle bellies w/ great symmetry and body composition. A couple of my other buddies refused to believe that he was natural... but he has competed in a drug-tested federation. Works his a$$ off too.

In my pics I was 165 ish at around 8-9% bf I'm guessing. Remember I don't dance anymore and I'm engaged, plus I'm competing in bodybuilding later this year. My goals during the bulking phase were to pack on the meat. I'm chemically enhanced, so I was able to put on 25 lbs and only 1% extra bodyfat. This simply isn't realistic for natural trainees unless they're freaks. I have vascularity and striations in my arms, shoulders and legs, and slight abdominal definition, but obviously not where it was in my older pics. Recently, my caliper measurements on my chest was 5 mm, quad 2 mm and tummy 31 mm!!! 'Nuff said! I'm east indian, so its the curse of the curry belly genetics!

 

[AAAgent]

got a charger for my camera today. Will finally be able to take some pictures. I'm not really a picture person and find memories/experience more valuable but my new career path would definitely be helped and enhanced if i had pictures. I guess their good hand me downs as well.

 

[AAAgent]

will get a picture up later this work since my camera is charged.

Bench
6x155
6x185
3.5x205 (my best by 1.5 reps)
3x185

DL
6x185
6x185
6x185 (these were tough but manageable)

reverse tricep pull downs 1 arm

10x20
8x30
3x30
8x20

back exercise where you lay elevated on your chest and pull the weights toward your chest

70lbsx6
80lbsx6
90lbsx6

Squats---super deep set(i used the tiny little box)

These squats were as long as i could possibly go
6x155
6x155
6x165

skull crushers (22.5lbs on each side not including bar)
22.5x6+10 burnouts
22.5x6+10 burnouts
22.5x6+10 burnouts

I'm getting stronger in each area slightly.

 

[Midnight_Oil]

In the AM, especially after a work out day, your muscles will typically be "full" (assuming your nutrition/supplementation was done appropriately), and your subcutaneous water will be low. This a great combo for looking jacked.

I can't figure out why I'm so thirsty when I wake up. Maybe this is why?

 

[AAAgent]

got my pic's up.

Wasn't fully flexing as i didn't want to look constipated in the photo's.
http://s1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb453/aaagent/?action=view&current=AAA112.jpg

pics were taken 1.5 hours after my workout.

today

Incline bench (came late and my lifting partner was doing this so i just joined in the last two sets)
6x155
6x155

Bicep curl bar
6x27.5
6x30
4x32.5(3 and 4 assisted)

standing reverse shoulder flys with dumbbells
30lbsx7
30lbsx7
30lbsx7

bicep cable curls
30x6 (single arm pulls)
30x8
30x10

dumbbell shoulder shrugs
50x10
55x8
70x8

hammer chinups with hanging leg raises
chin ups leg raises
bwx7 bwx6
bwx7 bwx6
bwx7 bwx6

Machine reverse flys
forget what i did. its getting late.
----
i'm 5'11, currently 171lbs. My shoulders are beastly and i don't do much with them except pushups and pullups.

still have a long way to go compared to 3 years ago when i was putting up 6x225 flat bench on my last set and max BP of 1x260.

Back then i was 166-168 with gymnast like strength, I was able to go from standing slowly into a headstand and lift my whole body into a handstand and do pushups. That was ALOT of strength. Then i gained 45 pounds and didn't hit the gym for a whole year.

 

[Fuglydude]

Good shoulders and upper back. How tall are you?