Fugly's lifting journal...

[Fuglydude]

Update: Jan 11th

Squats/Chins

Just recovered from a food poisoning. However, I did sleep A TON yesterday, so I think I'm all caught up in that department. Pre-WO supplements:
- 1.5 to 2 servings of Endorush energy drink (1/3 - 1/2 bottle)
- 2 high potency GNC multi's (non-time release variety)

Warm up:

Stretches, core work

Powerclean:

185 x 5 (hang)
205 x 3

Front squat:

215 x 6 (powerclean to get the weight into position)

ATG Back squat:

225 x 5 (jump squats)
295 x 5 (Personal best!... it was funny because I thought it was 285!)
225 x 12 (rough!)
225 x 8 (rough!)

Zercher box squats:

295 x 3 (personal best for a trips)
315 x 1 (PB for a single)

Pull ups (narrow grip w/ palms facing me)

(BW + 45) x 12
(BW + 90) x 8
(BW + 90) x 8
(BW + 90) x 7

Pistols:

20/side x 5
20/side x 5

Seated bicep curls:

30/side x 8
30/side x 8
30/side x 7

Overhead one arm dumbell squat:

Was quite fried by this point:

65/side x 5

Also did hip ext., standing calf raises and light barbell bicep curls.

Post WO weight of 172!

 

[Fuglydude]

Update: Jan 12th Push/pull day

Still not at 100%, but have been sleeping well, so that will help.

Warm up w/ core work, rotator cuff stretches.

Incline dumbell press:

55 x 8
105 x 3 ... immediately followed by 55 x 4
105 x 3 ... immediately followed by 55 x 4
50 x 10
50 x 10

Dumbell row:

105 x 8
105 x 6
50 x 12
50 x 12

Z-lifts (off the floor. The weight was so low I had to get on my knees)
- Used this to work my abs mostly.

135 x 3

Reverse grip bench press

135 x 5
135 x 5

Modified overhand grip pull up:

BW x 18
BW x 12

Hammer strength shoulder press:

25/side x 10
25/side x 10

Dumbell snatch:

60/side x 3 (was gassed at this point)

Post WO wt of 173.5

 

[Fuglydude]

Update: Jan 15th. Deads/Dips.

Was tired today... felt nauseous through out the WO, working 36+ hours in the last 3 of days w/ fairly unstable/sick patients. Because healthcare in Canada is publicly funded, and ICU beds are really expensive, we only admit the sickest of the sick, and our acuity is typically significantly higher than most ICU's in the US. Been sleeping ~4 hours/night for the last couple of nights and waking up several times a night. Just have been very restless.

I think my CNS might be kinda burning out. I did my pre-WO work-up consisting of hydration, multi's and endorush for energy.

Warm up w/ stretches, core work.

Powerclean:

135 x 5 (hang)
185 x 3 (felt tougher than normal)

Deads:

315 x 5
405 x 5 (ties personal best)
405 x 4
315 x 6 (last rep was a static hold)
315 x 1 (static hold)

Weighted Dips:

(BW + 135) x 4
(BW + 135) x 3
(BW + 135) x 3
(BW + 90) x 8

Was quite disappointed w/ my dips today.

Pistols:

30/side x 4

Dumbell Snatch

90/side x 1

Overall a disappointing work out. I know I'm burning out, but that's the kinda lifestyle I have w/ my job(s)...

 

[Fuglydude]

Update: Jan 19th - Squats/Pull ups today

Got a lot of sleep last night and felt great today. Pre-WO supplements consisted of orange juice + whey powder followed 45 minutes later by 1/3 bottle endorush, and 1 serving H-blocker and rapid release multis. I have a lot expiring supplements lying around my house... Still I don't think I was adequately hydrated.

Warm up:

Core work, hip/quad stretches.

ATG back squat:

135 x 5
225 x 5 (Jump)
305 x 5 (personal best!)
315 x 4 (probably could have done an extra one, but I was outside the rack w/o a spotter... personal best w/ 3 plates)
315 x 3

Weighted Pull ups. (Under hand narrow grip)

(BW + 90) x 9
(BW + 105) x 7
(BW + 105) x 6.5 (not gonna count the last rep)
(BW + 105) x 5
BW X 20

Zercher box Squat:

315 x 1 (ties personal best... really felt this in the abs, and didn't push for more reps)

Pistols:

27.5/side x 5
27.5/side x 5

Overhead Dumbell squat:

70/side x 5

Seated Bicep curls:

27.5/side x 8
27.5/side x 8

Finished w/ some calf work and leg ext. Gonna be sore tomorrow, but it was nice to get some new PBs on the squats! I'm happy to see some positive progress in a lift that I've always felt weak at. Realistically a guy w/ my athletic background, amount of training experience, and pharmaceutical supplementation should be repping 405 ATG ... Hopefully I'll get there one day.

Post WO weight: 177 (80.5 kg)

 

[Quagmire911]

I keep saying it but the chins are insane! You need to aim for bw+bw!

Some damn good squatting as well. You've made a lot of progress there latley.

405 atg for reps is a tall order at 177, if you were 195 it would be easier to attain. You can still do it at this weight, it's just going to take longer.

Keep it up,

Quagmire

Ps- I saw that thread you made on burnout. Keeping your volume down and cycling 3 weeks on to 1 week off/deload will help. Be careful with stims as well. It would better to get in aminos in my opinion. Something like tyrosine preworkout (precursor to adrenaline etc) and then glutamine/glycine pwo could make a difference although there are others.

 

[Fuglydude]

Thanks quag, hehe, I think bw+bw pull ups are nuts. I've attempted 115 lb on pull ups before and they were ROUGH. It took everything I had for every single rep, and I was only getting 4-5 reps.

Ya, I'm happy w/ the squatting progress. Its an area I've always neglected as I felt weak in it. I've cut down volumes on deads, to the point where I'm just attempting heavy 1 RMs/static holds and burning out w/ 315 x 10s. I'm focussing a lot more on squats. I'm trying to squat 2x per week. I notice huge progress when I actually get enough sleep and my nervous system feels adequately rested. I don't think I'll get to 195 until I'm done dancing, as I don't want to sacrifice leanness.

I think my schedule will become a bit easier (hopefully!). We had the h1n1 pandemic, so that meant a lot of extra hours at work. In addition, I was doing a lot of extra coverage work over x-mas hours. The last few months have been very busy. My bank account benefitted but I don't think my health did.

Its interesting you should mention use of tyrosine... its a catecholamine pre-cursor as you said. I was talking a neurosurgeon a few months back, and she was saying she takes a supplement w/ tyrosine rather than direct stimulants during call as it doesn't make her hands shake. I'm actually gonna get some glutamine powder today. Do you think 15-20 g/day is enough for me? I'm not sure where to get glycine... I know glycine is a neurotransmitter in the CNS, but what other benefits does it have? I've never really used BCAAs either. Do you find they help?

 

[Quagmire911]

In this thread:

http://www.ironaddicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10420

Poliquin: "Fat people should not consume carbs post-workout. The best Post workout drink for a 200lb overweight man is: Whey Isolate 60g + Glutamine 20-80g + Glycine 20g. This will replenish glycogen while preventing fat gain."

I know you aren't fat, but there are amounts. Poliquin tends to boat load supps right enough. So 15-20g pwo should be a good amount.

I've seen lots of good stuff on several amino's. The one's I mention above, taurine, leucine...etc. They all play a role.

I don't have a lot of cash so for myself if I get any it is what provides the most bang for my buck. You can of course get a product that provides all the essential amino acids and that will be great. Trueprotein do a 1lb for about $20 I think.

BCAA's are good as well, but again it is just a few specific amino's. I think IA might have stated that he now prefer's EAA's over BCAA's. But they both work.

I've never actually used any of this stuff because of cost, but I know it can make a big difference. For more info read on ironaddicts and t-nation. On t-nation look for stuff by poliquin and Christian Thibaudeau. Here is an example:

http://www.tmuscle.com/article/diet_and_nutrition/supplementation_for_newbies&cr=

They tout glycine to be good at lowering cortisol pwo, which is why I recommended it above- to help lower stress.

If you look at the supps in that article that he touts- surge and powerdrive, they contain dl-phenalalinine, leucine, and tyrosine. Basically amino's with fancy names thrown in. It would probably cheaper just to get them from somewhere like trueprotein.com.

Pity I can't say more, but I've not managed to experiment yet . When I get the cash I will. I have got some tyrosine on the way right enough, nice and cheap.

Edit- I almost forgot, although I think I made a post in the past. You need the basic stuff, zinc, mag, cal, b vitamins, vit c, etc as co factors to be able to absorb this stuff. So make sure you are getting adequate levels of those.

 

[Fuglydude]

Hmmm, Poliquin's comment is very interesting... I'm just trying to get into the physiology as to why such a shake would be effective. I think it has to do w/ harnessing the hormonal drives of glucagon, cortisol (and associated stress hormones) to induce gluconeogenesis. Insulin release, associated w/ post-WO carbs would inhibit this, and arguably take the body away from being in "lipolytic mode"... which would be undesirable for fat dudes.

The crew at t-mag, including guys like poliquin, Berardi, etc are great at harnessing the hormonal response to food to elicit body composition changes. I still remember reading Berardi's "Massive Eating Part I" many years ago, and thinking about how smart that approach was.

T-nation has good articles, and they do a great job of marketing their supplements, but I'm not buying into many of them. I'd rather spend a few hundred bucks on good quality gear to give me WAY better results than products like Surge w/ their "d/l" amino acids... I think its the d-enantiomer amino acids that can't even be properly used by most life forms, as many enzymes are stereoselective!

Regarding the stress response, I've been beginning to read about neuroendocrine exhaustion in critically ill patients... it seems there maybe parallelisms and carryover of some concepts in the Burn out thread that I started. Basically neuroendocrine exhaustion associated w/ prolonged stress depletes physiological reserve and accelerates poor health and aging... (and death among the critically ill)! I wonder if using amino acid therapies would help alleviate this. Glutamine is already used. I've never heard about other amino acids being used though. Pharmaceutical companies probably don't want physicians to know about potential benefits of these substances as they wouldn't be able charge huge sums for them.

Anyways, thanx again for the links and the info.

 

[Colossus]

T-nation has good articles, and they do a great job of marketing their supplements, but I'm not buying into many of them. I'd rather spend a few hundred bucks on good quality gear to give me WAY better results than products like Surge w/ their "d/l" amino acids... I think its the d-enantiomer amino acids that can't even be properly used by most life forms, as many enzymes are stereoselective!

Agreed about T-nation. I love the articles by Tate, Wendler, Bolton, etc....but their elaborate attempts at covert product hype amount to just another company/website peddling supplements in my face. Also true about the D enantiomers--the vast majority of amino acids in proteins are L isomers; although D-serine has been implicated as a neurotransmitter.

Regarding the stress response, I've been beginning to read about neuroendocrine exhaustion in critically ill patients... it seems there maybe parallelisms and carryover of some concepts in the Burn out thread that I started. Basically neuroendocrine exhaustion associated w/ prolonged stress depletes physiological reserve and accelerates poor health and aging... (and death among the critically ill)! I wonder if using amino acid therapies would help alleviate this. Glutamine is already used. I've never heard about other amino acids being used though. Pharmaceutical companies probably don't want physicians to know about potential benefits of these substances as they wouldn't be able charge huge sums for them.

Dr. Scott Connelly is on to this. Google him or check out some back episodes of Heavy Muscle Radio on RXmuscle.com.

 

[Fuglydude]

He's the Met-Rx doc isn't he? I think he did some work on preventing cachexia in ICU patients by developing some kinda protein/meal replacement...?

Based on what I know there really isn't conclusive evidence to show if there are any benefits of IV glycine in ICU patients. We give glutamine to burn patients and protein supplements via enteral feeding (PO/NG/OG/PEG/PEJ), but I've never seen IV glutamine. Immune function can be compromised in cachectic pt.s w/ depleted glutamine reserves... I think I read an abstract that talked about improved pro-inflammatory drive in pt.s being given TPN fortified w/ glutamine. There still isn't definitive data on the benefits of IV glutamine in the ICU. We're starting to take nutrition much more seriously in critical care.

Anyways, Update: Jan 20th - Push/Pull

Warm up w/ core, rotator cuff work, stretches.

Incline Dumbell Press:

45 x 5
105 x 6
105 x 3 (tough!)
45 x 12 (focus on contraction)
45 x 12

One arm Dumbell row:

110 x 8
110 x 6
45 x 12 (focus on contraction)
45 x 12

I did anterior, lateral and prosterior raises w/ light weights super-setted w/ the presses and rows.

Zercher Box Squat:

275 x 3
225 x 5

Hammer strength Shoulder press:

50/side x 8
50/side x 8
25/side x 8

Pull ups:

Wide grip: BW x 20
Parallel grip: BW x 20

Overall felt weak today. Yesterday took a lot out of me. Just felt like I had no metabolic reserve. I felt strong for the first 1-2 sets then kind of faded away. My shoulders also weren't doing too hot. I ended up buying 1 kg of glutamine, so I hope that helps me to recover better!

Next up: deads.

Post WO weight was 178.

 

[Quagmire911]

Are you holding the bar in your elbow area on those zerchers without support? That look's sore.

Took 2g tyrosine today pre-workout. Noticeable energy boost and mental clarity.

Keep up the good work!

Quagmire

 

[Fuglydude]

Yeah it can get a bit sore but you really don't think about it during the lift! Just gotta make sure you get a nice smooth bar that won't rip your skin off when you go to pick the bar up and weight moves around.

I wanna be able to to rep work w/ 315 on the zerchers.

 

[Fuglydude]

Update Jan 25th: Deads/Dips.

Warm up w/ stretches, light core work, etc.

Deads:

225 x 3
315 x 3
405 x 6 (personal best!)
455 x 1 (personal best... form sucked, was a struggled, but I pulled it and locked out)
405 x 5 (tiring!)
405 x 3
315 x 5 (w/ full reset between reps)
315 x 1 (static hold)

Dips:

(BW + 90) x 8
(BW + 135) x 5
(BW + 135) x 5
(BW + 115) x 6
BW x 10

Finished w/ light tricep work, face pulls and calf raises. Was happy about the PBs on the DLs... especially after working a 12 hour day shift... Still feeling the effects of this work out.

 

[Quagmire911]

455! Sweet!

Not far from 500! Keep going! Nice dips too.

Do you use a belt?

Quagmire

 

[Fuglydude]

Thanx, no, definitely no belt for me... I've tried belts before, and it just makes me wanna throw up.. I'm a huge proponent of raw lifting. I only use tape for my wrists, as I have "loose" wrists that are sort of prone to inflammation and chalk to help w/ grip. If the bar is good, and the weight is light, I won't use chalk until I get above 4 plates.

I use a weight belt for my weighted dips/chins, and this is the only kinda belt I use.

Do you use a belt?

 

[Quagmire911]

Do you use a belt?

F*** no

Just seems gimmicky to me. I find it funny most people consider using a belt "raw", when it clearly isn't.

 

[Fuglydude]

Ya what cracks me up is when dudes have the belt on ALL the time even when doing bicep curls w/ like 20 lb dumbells! But, I'm not gonna judge... well maybe jus a lil bit

Feb 1st... Squats/Pull ups.

Warm up w/ stretching, lower back stretches, quad stretches, stationary bike

Power clean:

135 x 5 (hang)
205 x 4

ATG Back squat:

135 x 5
225 x 5 (jump squats)
275 x 6
295 x 5 (could have done 6, but I was outside the cage w/o a spotter, so i chickened out)

Front squats:

185 x 3
225 x 3 (tiring!!!)

Pull ups (underhand narrow grip)

(BW + 100) x 8
(BW + 100) x 6
BW x 21
(BW + 90) x 10 (after a long rest)

Pistols

27.5/side x 5
22.5/side x 5
BW x 5

Bicep curls:

30/side x 8

Finished w/ leg curls.

Have been eating crappy for the past 3 days, and working on 4 hours sleep. Trained today after working a 12 hour shift and being up for 16 hours, so my nervous system wasn't 100%, but still didn't feel off.

Post WO wt = 180.5

 

[Drum&Bass]

whattup beast, your workouts are nuts..i dont think i could hang without throwing up or passing out....Im about to borrow a few things from your programming.

i see your also puttin on some weight. You trying to make it to the 200lb club ??

 

[Fuglydude]

whattup beast, your workouts are nuts..i dont think i could hang without throwing up or passing out....Im about to borrow a few things from your programming.

i see your also puttin on some weight. You trying to make it to the 200lb club ??

I don't think you'd have any issues hanging w/ me Mr. 500-lb deadlift... What things are you considering borrowing? I'm not gonna try and actively gain weight... just keep my protein above 200 g/day, lift heavy and hope for the best.

 

[Fuglydude]

Update: Feb 5th.

Was up for around 24 hours yesterday... just couldn't calm my brain down. Slept for around 6 hours, so felt pretty good. Gym closes at 10 pm here on Fridays, and I got up at 7 pm, so didn't have a lot of time to rehydrate following sleep. Trained fairly dry. Also, did a light push pull session the day before, so I wasn't really expecting fireworks.

Kind of "transition day" ... experimented w/ a few different lifts, as I'm in the middle of designing a new program.

Warm up w/ stretches, stationary bike.

Romanian DL:

135 x 10
225 x 8

Parallel Squat:

225 x 10 (find these to be quite a bit tougher than ATGs)

Box squat:

325 x 2 (phuckin hard!)
245 x 6 (hard!)
225 x 8 (still tough towards the last couple of reps)

Pull ups (narrow grip w/ underhand grip)

(BW + 90) x 7
(BW + 90) x 7
BW x 22

Dips:

(BW + 90) x 8
(BW + 90) x 7

Bicep curls

25/side x 8