Quagmire911 Lifting Journal

[Quagmire911]

Are you remembering that I was using a barbell? They were a little conservative cause this wasn't a full out week. Probably use 30kg next week. But that still sucks. At least I don't turn it into a hybrid row or something like I see most other people doing.

I did them first cause I have seen a a lot of reputable people recommend that. It doesn't impact on squats/deads or anything else anyway so why not? They could do with the extra help of being done while I am fresh instead of at the end when I am wiped. Seen a lot of that, putting your weakpoint first and it makes sense.

And yeh, that statement after the curls was meant for fun . The blashpemy can't stand!

Front squats are pretty fun like any new exercise. Breathing on them sucks though.

The diet is going really well, unfortunately I am doing very little cardio. I've lost a few pounds but nothing much. Starting that manual job on Monday (supposedly) so it shouldn't be a problem anymore, will need to watch I don't start losing weight and get back into the 150's!.

 

[I-tallionStallion]

oh yeah......barbell...hahaha

I've been eating less carbs, except for after workout and probably averaging 3500 calories a day. keep on it...

Btw its Ethyl Ester

 

[Quagmire911]

Ethyl Ester is meant to absorb really well, brand maybe? Alex always said it didn't do much for him. I haven't tried it yet.

Fat loss still going well?

 

[I-tallionStallion]

You bet...i look better everyday. That morning cardio kicks a$$

 

[Quagmire911]

Sunday

Didn't really feel great today but once I got in the gym I hit my groove and it went well. Wasn't really trying to set PR's today but I did on one or two things. Next week I was intending to push it. Here it is:

CG bench 80kgx4-Quite happy with this and how 80kg felt. Unfortunately I set the ghetto rack up a touch high and the weight banged on two of the reps. I think I may have been able to get five otherwise but I called it a day after four. Next week I reckon I will just add 2.5kg and go for reps.

Flat bench 70kgx10-This equals my best with this weight I think. Rep 10 was a real grinder and I nearly failed on it. What is interesting was my sticking point was a lot higher today, I think perhaps because I used a close grip on the first set.

Speed bench 2x3 45kg

Overhead press- 45kg 2x5-This felt heavier than I expected it too. Will probably just use 47.5 next time. I think the higher rep set on bench is what makes this harder. Kind of fatigued in the musculature that is used in this by the time I get to it.

Chinups-BW+5kgx9 (PR)-This was a lot easier than I was expecting. Managed to add a rep and PR. Will add weight next week.

T-bar rows 80kg 1x10 1x8 (PR)-This was quite good. Not sure whether I will add reps or weight next week. I think weight.

I then tried some different tricep stuff and couldn't settle on anything. Any variation of skulls I tried f***** with my right elbow area. I could do pushdowns but I have seen Poliquin say they aren't that good for strengthening the tris. Will look into something else for next week.

I had some b******* today whining about the ghetto rack and the equipment I use to make it up. The people in my gym blow.

Until next time...

Quagmire

 

[The Bat]

Hmm, interesting. You did flat after close grip, and flat turned out to be really good? That's almost counter-intuitive because you'd want to do the compound (flat) before close grip (technically, isolation no?).

You didn't try DB tri extension for triceps instead of skull?

 

[Quagmire911]

Close grip carries over to flat pretty well. A range of grips should be used on the bench. I am still training the regular grip with the down set. The second set with the flat wasn't particularly great, I equaled my best and it was harder than the last time I remember. Was only the second week in the new cycle though, and using CG for the first will change things a bit. I think my tri's are a weakpoint in the lift as well so CG should benefit it more so.

I did try the db tri extension. I found it awkward though. I may try it using only one arm, (the variation I saw online used two). Maybe you meant for me to try a one arm variation.

On another note:

Started the manual job yesterday and have done it today as well. Don't feel too bad, and at this stage am confident it won't affect progress. If anything It will benefit my recovery to have the blood pumping round my body faster all day. It is basically low intensity cardio for 7 hours, so I reckon my CNS will be fine and as long as I keep the calories up I can maintain/gain if I want. More to come on that.

I will be doing the next session either tomorrow or Thursday, I haven't decided yet. I really feel like PR'ing on rack deads but I should probably hold off for another week before I really push it. Shall see how it goes warming up.

 

[Quagmire911]

Thursday

Worked four solid days in the warehouse and have some niggles here and there. I was hoping that it was something other than strength that it would affect and so I went to the gym after a nine hour shift. I am glad I did . Here it is:

Bicep curls-30kgx8x8 (1x9 15-20s 1x2) (PR)-Surprised how big the increase was. Haven't worked bi's with an iso in a while so gains are to be expected. I think it must be the rest pausing though, never tried it on anything. Will see next week I guess. Maybe I will actually get to a semi-respectable weight on these in the next while. More to come on that...

Front squats-85kgx3x3x5(PR)- As I thought, I am going to see rapid progress on this. Not only because it is new, but because there is no form f*** up with back rounding like with the back squat. Pretty excited about this one.

Rack deadlifts -165kgx3 (PR)(2-3")-This has been a long time coming. The ghetto rack was actually set a bit lower than when I got 162.5 however many months ago. So it is even better. I actually think I adjusted my form a bit and this helped. I feel like I could have got four. The first rep was great, I could feel it was a clean rep. Second was alright and third was a bit touchy with the arch. The form (issue?) I perhaps resolved was pulling my shoulders back a bit and keeping my chest higher, whilst concentrating on pushing back through the heels and leveraging the weight. I really felt a big difference with 150 doing this. Will see how it goes with regular deads when I next try them heavy. I keep thinking it was 175 that was on the bar but I am sure it was 165. Will see next week. Should be around 400 for a rep on these. I think I will pull that before I attempt it from the floor. I am surprised there was an extra 10kg on the bar from last week. I was originally going to do 160, but the last set on warm ups and tweaking form convinced me otherwise. Will have to cycle in regular deads at some point soon.

135kgx10 (PR?)-May or may not be a PR. Not sure about doing this, back is pretty fatigued from the first set and it is hard to maintain an arch. Feels like I will only get 5-6 but I keep going and get more.

Speed deadlifts 2x3-105kg-This felt a bit heavy. Last week 100kg felt spot on, but I wasn't as fatigued. Will lower the weight next week, not sure by how much.

GHR'sx6x5x4-My calves are wiped from work. I think this had a slight impact.

Well, overall a fantastic session. Very pleased that the manual labour didn't f*** anything up. I have been eating for two whilst working. Now that I will have a bit of money and structure to my day, I feel I will be able to aim for that 180@10%ish. Cardio, my biggest problem, is taken care off. Lifting and eating are easy. I suppose I'll see how I get on.

Anyway, until next time...

Quagmire

 

[Mad Manic]

Nice front squats, you're strong on those ... and keep curling boi. ;-)

 

[ProDJ26]

good **** mate

 

[Quagmire911]

Monday

Firstly, thank you MM and Pro- better **** to come though.
Quite a good day today, I am very lucky I got anywhere to be honest, had a pretty bad weekend with a big party and not eating for a big gap. But hey I am young, got a great nights sleep last night and ate well for nearly 24hours after it so I recovered in time. Would not have wanted to have lifted yesterday though. Anyway here it is:

CG Bench 82.5kgx4(PR)-My God. The last rep took a long time to complete, my tri's were on fire.

Bench 72.5kgx10(PR)-My God. The last rep took a long time to complete, my tri's were on fire . Yes I know I just repeated myself. But the same thing happened. Again this week my sticking point was a lot higher than it has ever been, in the top half of the movement and I found it very difficult to lockout on the last rep. I attribute this to CG being the first and heaviest set. Happy with the PR though, considering I barely got 70x10 last week.

Speed bench 45kg 2x3

Overhead press 40kgx8x6-Had to seriously shave some weight off. This is going to be too intensive after CG, I intend to switch to laterals.

Chinups BW+10kgx7 (PR) Very pleased with this. 5kg more than last week but only two reps less. I have made some very good progress here in the last few weeks which is great. Doing one heavy set seems to be working.

Pullups 1x5-I think I have a problem with my upper/middle back. I don't really feel these in my back at all, only my forearms. I have read about this being an issue. Don't think that area is activating very well and I think it is a weakpoint for me. Not lats though, they are strong.

T-bar rows 82.5kgx7x5-Not counting this as a PR as the reps were a lot lower than last week. Same deal as with pullups, I don't really feel much in my back. This is something I am going to have to fix. I think my anterior muscles are dominant over the posterior, they are a lot more developed looking.

Tri stuff-Tried out some stuff and have decided upon DB skullcrushers with a hammer grip. These seem to be fine for my elbows. Used 10kg a side and did 5 . Will be better next week.

And that was that. Did five days in the warehouse last week and ate a lot more whilst doing so. To be honest I think it is going to be off benefit from a GPP/recovery standpoint. The intensity isn't high enough to impact CNS or f*** up the muscles so I just have to eat a lot. I should have money again in a few weeks, enough so that I can start with the goal of 180-185 at 10-12%. I think I lost a bit of fat over the last few weeks, but starting that job last week changed things up. So I will wait another week or two before I judge progress. Had to eat more carbs than I intended last week because of lack of money, won't be a problem this week though. Wait is something like 173 so still a good few pounds to lose.

On another note, and something of relevance is that my right knee twinges occasionally. It has been doing it on and off for a month or two. It doesn't hurt when doing weights though so I am not too worried. I think it may have been from the back squat form issues, so I will see how things are after a few weeks before looking into it further. And it really only does it an hour or so every other day.

Anyway that is that, until next time...

Quagmire

 

[Quagmire911]

Thursday

Didn't have time to post this up yesterday, was literally in the door and too bed. My knee got to the point where I started icing it on Wednesday and I was a little concerned about the workout the following day. However, bw squats weren't a problem and it was only certain angles that it felt sore, so I went in and gave it a shot. Here it is:

Bicep curls 30kgx10x10 (1x10 (15-20s) 1x3) (PR)-Well this seems to be working. Will up the weight next week. Good to actually see progress on this. I remember last year I would struggle hopelessly to add weight/reps.

Front squats 90kgx3x3x3(PR)-Quite pleased with this. They were absolute murder. Decided not to try for another rep on the last set, think I would have failed. I really want to get 100kg+ on these for reps and it is my intention over the next month or two. Hopefully will get 200lbs+ for 3x3 next week.

Rack deadlifts 170kgx3 (PR) (2-3")- Very happy with this. I will be able to do 400lbs+ for a rep on this now. I am thinking to do another week and then the week after set up with 400lbs+ and see how it feels. Not sure how far off a floor 400lbs+ will be. I reckon I will be around 160-165kgx3 from the floor so it can't be too far off. Hopefully I will make it before I am 18 (two months). My grip was starting to be tested by this but I think it should be alright.

Deadlifts 125kgx10 (PR?)-I don't think this is a pr but I am not sure. I could do another 10kg or so if I was fresh so it isn't really a big deal. I switched to from the floor for the down set because I wanted to maintain the full rom. Whehter it was neccasary I don't know but I wanted to be on the safe side. I actually intended front squats to help/maintain from the floor.

Speed deadlifts 90kg 2x3-Big drop this week. I was wiped. Probably not much point doing these. It was originally to maintain the feel of the move rather than speed work. But I will keep it.

GHR's-0x0-I had a suspicion that GHR's (ghetto style on a lat pulldown) had been what caused the knee issue. Right enough when I set up on rep number one I knew there was no chance I was doing these. Whether this is what caused it or not I don't know, but it is the only move which I felt it on. So I will be taking these out for a few weeks and if I try to do them again will be approaching with caution. I think there was too much torque because of the ghetto setup and no knee support. I will try and fix it because these really are a great move.

Pullthrouhgs 60kg 3x8-This is the first time I have properly attempted these. Not sure what to make off it. I could feel it in my posterior chain but it felt weird. Not sure what to make off it. I will look up form stuff.

Well a pretty decent session. I really want that deadlift, it is on my mind quite a lot heh. I think I covered pretty much everything above, so until next time...

Quagmire

 

[I-tallionStallion]

Nice session...Deads on your mind? Think about how i feel taking a week off...its painful. But relaxing heh

 

[HandyAndy]

Hey quag, i dont feel like going back 20 pages to look at your progress, but what differences have you seen in the time doing whatever workout your doing?

Weight, Strength, Size, you know..

 

[Mad Manic]

Wow you're doing really well for your age mate, especially the Front Squats and Deads.

MM

 

[ProDJ26]

Never realized how young you are Quag, keep up the good work brotha!!!

(I'll get those videos of squats and deads to you soon)

 

[Quagmire911]

Thanks guys.

Stallion: Week of blows ehh? Will be good to see you back this week mate. Unfortunately it will still be sub-max...

Andy: Weight from around 150-155 to 170-175. It could have been 185+ by now but I have chosen to stay this weight. I think I say above about getting to 180+ but I am on the fence about it. I have other goals that I haven't put in here yet. Bench is from 55kgx5 to 85kgx5. Squat 65kgx5 to 105kgx7 although that was **** form and it should be higher, had some problems though. Deads are from 95kgx5 to 155kgx4. Progress is slower now though, maintaining probably isn't helping. I want to do a one arm chin up.

MM:Thank you. The front squats should go up fast because my back squat has been held back for so long. I love deads .

PRO:Thanks mate. Would be good to see more videos on here. You will see my 400+ soon don't you worry...

 

[Quagmire911]

Bah

Monday

Hmmm. Had a bit of a piss day today. I got called in to the ****ty warehouse and did a 6 hour shift and then after that I had to do the equivalent of 25 minutes walking on incline to get to the gym. Today was the first day that I have had to bench whilst doing the labour job and I don't think the two went hand in hand. I have done it twice on lower day and it seemed fine but I think it drains the upper body a bit. My tri's/shoulders were feeling a bit funny. Anyway, here it is:

CG bench 85kgx2-I warmed up to 75kgx1 and it felt heavier than it should have. I struggled with the second rep with 85 near the top as well. I felt kinda drained going into the gym, I don't think I had eaten enough either. Failed on rep 3. So yeh I wasn't pleased at all with this. Considering I got 82.5kgx4 last week I should have at least manged a triple.

Bench 75kgx6-Failed on rep 7. Utter piss. I have done this for 8 before. Won't think too much off it though because of the circumstances I explained above. Didn't bother with speed work.

Chinups-BW+20kgx3x3x2(PR)-Reasonably pleased with this. Perhaps a bit ambitious, maybe should have used 15kg.

Laterals-10kgplatesx7x6-Had to use plates because there were no DB's, probably made it a bit harder. Not sure if this is a PR.

DB skulls-12.5kgx4, 10kg platesx6x8-Just felt like **** by this point. Felt like going home.

Grip work-Did a few sets with the grippers to kill some time. What a **** attitude.

Well there it is. Hardly a stellar performance. I even drank less than usual at the weekend, go figure. I'll be so f***** pissed if my bench isn't up after doing this. Thinking of doing some max work next week and then rotating the lifts, stuff like CG to regular again. I may switch the template on bench again, feel like I may have got the usefulness out of the 1x3-5, 1x8-10. Well that is that. Hopefully will have a good day on Thursday, I have the day off so I should be fresh. I think I may be to aggressive in ramping the weights up though and cutting cycles short.

Anyway, until next time...

Quagmire

 

[Mad Manic]

If you got 82.5 kg x 4 then 85 kg x 2 sounds about right to me.

MM

 

[Quagmire911]

If you got 82.5 kg x 4 then 85 kg x 2 sounds about right to me.

MM

Assuming I didn't progress

Which I should have :cuss: