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| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 03-12-2015 @ 01:31 | ||
| Back felt much better both sides. Conv DL 70x8,100x6,140x3,180x2 - did these all tng - could feel the calluses getting shredded and my left knee became a wee bit anxious. 220x1 - actually missed it totally first attempt without the chalk on which is highly unusual. 230x1,240x1 - both ok. 250x1(belt) - not too bad considering I only had 2 fingers of the right hand on the bar! 260x1(straps) - possibly one lift too far. Wasn't that tough but lost core tightness coming up and felt some clicking in the right side. Bit sore but not nearly as bad as last time. Decent improvement - if I can keep the core tight I can probably go heavier next time. I'll stick to singles for now - less chance of losing form I think. Tried squatting the bar but still too sore. Hip Abduction 5x10,10x10,15x10,21x10,15x10,10x20 - all ok. Hip Adduction 5x10,10x10,8x10,6x10 - still s**t on these! After this spent ages trying to do step ups with a barbell and each time I stepped up the bar ended up jumping off the shoulders and smacking the back of my head! I'll try it with dumbells next time. Also tried some split squats but couldn't find a way of doing them without holding onto the rack frame so gave up. Box Squats (just above parallel, close stance) 20x10,60x10(belt),100x6,140x6 - ok but the top of the right quad was getting sore doing these, back was ok though, so stopped at 140. Leg Curls 100x10,140x10,180x10,220x10 - hadn't done these for a few weeks due to the left knee issues but were fine today. So not too bad - bit sore at the moment but significantly better than last time I pulled. Something to build on. Next up wide grip bench again - triples up to 170 - probably will have to drop the pp due to the right leg so will probably do either moderately heavy strict presses with a straight bar or dumbell shoulder press with a neutral grip. Then a whole bunch of other shoulder, pec, upper back and bicep blasting! | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 01-12-2015 @ 00:47 | ||
| Left side / hip was horrible last 2 days - sharp pain bending sideways. Much better today - I think it was just one of those transient things nothing serious. Right side was much better. I read on TNation recently this article that suggests deep bodyweight squats for 30s a day: [url="https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-do-a-deep-bodyweight-squat-da... Tried it out a few times a day and it actually helped a lot to reduce the back and hip pain I was getting. Worth trying it out. Wide Neutral Grip Bench Press (paused) 16x20,36x10,56x6,76x4,96x3,116x2,136x3,146x3,156x3,116x6,96x10 - all good, much less pain in the elbow, gripped the handles lower rather than higher which seemed to be better for the elbow. Wide Neutral Grip Cambered Bar (paused) - bar weighs 18kg 18x10,38x6,58x6,78x4,98x3 - I started off using the narrower handle but the elbow started to ache at this point so I switched to the wider handle. 118x3,128x3,138x3,118x6,98x10 - much better, shoulders and pecs were fine with the longer range movement. Medium Neutral Grip OHP (paused) 16x10,36x6,56x3,76x3,96x3,106x3,86x6,76x8,56x10 - all good, elbow was ok, 106x3 is I think a pb with this bar and grip. Seated Rows 180x10,240x10,300x10,360x10,420x10 - all good, sat upright more and kept the chest up which stopped the bit of niggle in the shoulders doing these. Face Pulls (rope) 10x10,20x10,30x10,40x10,50x10 - all ok. Thick EZ Curl Bar Curls (bar weighs 10.7kg) 10x10,20x10,30x10,40x10,20x20,20x15,20x10 - awesome. Brilliant implement - I started with the straight thick bar but everything felt really sore with that and as soon as I switched to this bar all the pain disappeared. Great session, virtually no pain and mucho gainzz! Next up I'll DL as much as I can before I get sore - I think probably 220-240 is my limit and I'll do sets of 3's or 5's with that. The back feels miles better but I'm not going to risk going heavier. After that other leg work - maybe throw in some step ups as well. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 29-11-2015 @ 00:39 | ||
| Once again back was starting to feel better...although left side had mysteriously picked up a niggle too - probably from too much sitting down yesterday! Squats (hybrid, wide stance, high bar position, all belted) 20x10,60x10,100x6,140x4,180x3 - ok till I got to 140 and then started feeling the right groin and top of the quad more than the back. Shouldn't have done 180 as it was a lot worse. Tried doing some rack pulls but even with just the bar could feel the right side so left it. Leg Extensions 160x10,220x10,280x10,340x10,380x6,320x10,260x10,200x10,140x10 - all ok, knees were fine before, during and after. Hip Abduction 5x10,10x10,15x10,20x10 - ok other than the ridiculous effort of getting into and out of the machine - not designed for the larger and less flexible individuals! Hip Adduction 5x10,10x10,15x2,12x10 - 15 was ludicrous but the rest were much better than last time. Reverse Hyper 20x10,40x10,60x10 - again not really designed for fat lumps and it feels more like cardio with my belly getting squashed. Had to stop there as gym was closing. No more squats until everything is healed up - I can only do very high pin squats or box squats and I don't see the point. I'll try some trap bar deads next time or some step ups with either a barbell or dumbells. I'll keep the deadlifts but only light unless they cause me soreness too. Next up neutral grip pressing, tricep stuff, curls, rows. I may try some pin presses with a normal bar too to see how that feels. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 27-11-2015 @ 01:34 | ||
| BP (Max legal grip - index on rings) Warmups 20x20,40x10,60x6,80x4,100x3,120x2 - bit niggly in the shoulders - mainly rear delt but totally pain free on the elbow. Working Sets (paused) 140x5 - switched back to middle on the rings and regretted it instantly - elbow got very sore - amazing what difference one inch wider makes! 150x4 - back to max width, shoulders were ok. Totally missed the 5th rep and had to be rescued! Lost my breath on the 4th and it was slowing down anyway. 160x3,2 - probably could've 4 straight but after the last set didn't want another miss. Did another 2 reps after a few mins rest. 150x1 - just to make up for that missed rep! Not too bad, definitely a bit weaker using this grip and the shoulders definitely a bit sore afterwards but I think I can use this grip if I moderate my shoulder volume elsewhere. Push Press 20x10,40x6,60x3,80x2,100x2,110x2,120x2,130x1.5(belt),130x2,140x0.5,120x3 - I alternated between a wide (middle on ring) and medium (pinkie on ring) up to 80 - wide was worse shoulder wise and also on the biceps/forearms strangely so just did medium afterwards. Had a bit of a niggle in the right glute/thigh area when going down - similar to the problem I had earlier in the year which is worrying. Seemed to go away afterwards. Should've stopped at 130, lacking leg drive. Dumbell Bench (neutral grip, paused) 10x10,20x10,30x10,40x10,50x4.5,30x7,20x10 - forearms got really sore on the 40's and 50's and was really gassed out even on the drop sets. Elbow and shoulders were fine. I'll cut this down to once a week from now on. Side Laterals - 5x10 - dedicated to Jack Revans - a little too much for the shoulders though! Shrugs (narrow) 20x10,60x10,100x10,140x5,180x10(straps),220x10 - struggling a bit with these, only just managed the 10th rep with 220 which is normally quite comfortable so didn't bother going heavier. Dumbell Rows - possibly the first time I've done these this century!!! 10x10,20x10 - humongous cramp around the solar plexus doing the 20's with the left arm! More next time! Barbell Curls (thick bar) 20x20,20x15,20x10 - Could've done more than 20 on the first set, after that biceps were too fried. Another marathon session over! Feeling pretty good atm and not too sore. But will need to balance the shoulder/elbow issues carefully. With this wide grip benching I'll have to cut the volume of other pressing down and do more rowing to compensate. Next up - the challenge will be not to aggravate the hip/glute/si joint again. It feels a lot better today. I'll try the gay multi-ply style squats again with the belt on, then partial dl's and leg extensions and other torturous implements. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 25-11-2015 @ 01:14 | ||
| Conv DL 20x10,70x8,100x6,140x3,180x2,220x1 - all fine, no hip, knee or back issues. 240x3 - first rep was fine but put it down a bit off center and didn't correct it before the 2nd rep and felt it in the hip. 3rd rep stood up and corrected it and it was much better. 250x1(belt + straps) - tried it without the belt and straps and it didn't budge as I was conscious of the hip. Pretty stiff coming up 2nd attempt. Tried a few reps semi sumo and sumo with 120 but it didn't feel good. Tried a few squats with the bar and 60 with the belt on but it felt sore. Hip Abduction 2x10,5x10,8x10,10x10,12x10,14x10 - all fine no hip pain. Hip Adduction 2x10,5x10,7x10 - I am ridiculously s**te at this! Reverse Hyper - probably the first time I've done these. no weightx10, 10x10, 20x10 - no pain doing these but quite knackering doing them! Box Squats - box height around 1-2 inches above parallel, belt on throughout 20x10,60x6,100x6,140x6,180x6 - a bit of pain coming down but I just pushed the belly out harder and it went away. Surprisingly got some pumped up outer quads doing these. After that spent 5 mins rolling the hip and back with a ball and again when I got home. Still sore. Good news is back was fine, left knee was fine and right knee is better and elbow was much better last 2 days. I think pulling from the floor next time I'll have to either: -do singles only above 220 -use belt and/or straps -keep the weight to 220 or less and just do more volume. -switch back to texas dl bar and pull from a higher position. -switch to trap bar - least favourite option since it's a pain to use, load and unload it. Next up BP - I'll try max legal grip and if the shoulders are fine will stick to that. Also PP, Dumb Bench, Curls, Shrugs and maybe some extra light assistance shoulder stuff. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 23-11-2015 @ 14:23 | ||
ChrisMcCarthy said:Rubbing in Voltarol....probably shouldn't be your go to solution here.  It's not - just occasionally when the pain is very persistent and interferes with non-gym related stuff. At the moment the right knee is really sore when bending it back or resting it on the floor. Probably overdid the leg extensions - although it was sore before when I started squatting. If I can get back to doing full squats again it should sort it out. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 22-11-2015 @ 22:20 | ||
| Didn't sleep great - had the heating on too high before I went to bed and was still feeling warm when I got up! Elbow was a bit sore when I woke up as well as the right knee. Back and hips were fine though. Neutral Grip BP (widest grip, paused each rep) 16x10,36x10,56x6,76x6,96x6,116x6,136x6,156x3,146x4,136x6,116x10 - nice little pyramid there. Elbow was fine generally. Felt pretty gassed after that. Neutral Grip OHP (medium grip, paused each rep) 16x10,36x6,56x6,76x6,96x1,56x10,76x6,16x10,16x10(widest grip) - fine until 96 which just felt too much and the elbow/tricep let me know. Neutral Grip Dumbell Bench (paused each rep) 10x10,20x10,30x10,40x7,20x15 - ran out of steam on the 40's pretty quickly, totally painless on the elbow though. Seated Rows 180x10,240x10,300x10,360x10,420x10 - bit of clicking in the elbow again but pretty much pain free. Barbell Curls (thick bar) 20x10,30x10,40x10,20x20 - nice little pump! Hammer Curls 10x10,15x10,10x15 - more pumping! And that was it! Generally pretty good, a bit of pain in the elbow on the heaviest sets but nothing major. Kept the elbow sleeve on most of the time and it helped. Next up Conv DLs and hopefully some squats - the right knee is pretty sore but I'll rub some Voltarol on it tonight and hopefully that should do the trick. So far today the hip and back seem much better - managed to do some stretches that have been too painful in the last few weeks. So cautiously optimistic I can do beltless pulls from the floor - I'll be happy if I can get 240x3 or more. Squat wise if the knee is fine I'll try some closer stance and deeper squats. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 21-11-2015 @ 01:43 | ||
| Yesterday was pretty miserable - back was really stiff all over, hip was tight and left knee was exploding in pain every now and then when walking slowly indoors. Today still had somewhat lesser pain in all three areas. LBBS (Very wide, feet forward) After the last session when I managed to squat to depth with the bar fairly painlessly I was hoping I could at least do the same today. But the hip was really sore as well as the right patellar. Rather than giving up I put on my belt as tight as possible and pushed out hard with the abs. 60x10,100x6,140x4,180x3 - more or less ok, even managed to come down faster on the last set. I think the belt limited the hip moving as much as well as limiting the range although I was more or less at parallel or just below. Felt ok afterwards. Groin seems to be virtually ok so better not re-injure it again this time! Partial DL (below knees, belt on throughout, touch and go all reps) 20x10,60x10,100x6,140x4,2(last two reps used mixed grip) - all ok 180x6(straps) - ok. 220x6 - ok. 260x6 - ok. 280x3 - bit slow, very slight niggle in the left knee but this was the only time I felt it. Hip was fine throughout - I think using the straps helped a bit too stopping the back twisting. Hip Abduction 5x10,7x10,10x10 - Rob recommended this to loosen up the hips a bit. Seemed to help. Hip Adduction 5x10,7x10,10x10 - much harder to do but didn't feel much in the hip doing these except at the top. Leg Extensions 160x10,220x10,280x10,340x10(9 fully locked),360x10(8 fully locked),380x10(6 fully locked),400x5(3 fully locked),340x10(9 fully locked),280x10,220x10,160x15 - 11 sets blimey. Quads were fried! Came home and after stretching rolled a hard ball on the hips and back and felt a lot better afterwards. Good session - managed to squat a bit, even if it was practically multi-ply style (without the multi-ply of course!) and do partial dl's without pain this time. I'll continue rolling the ball and doing the hip machine. Next time I train back and legs I might try doing some closer stance squats with the belt on. Next up - the neutral grip pressing / mega curl extravaganza continues... | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 19-11-2015 @ 13:49 | ||
ChrisMcCarthy said:I too have found that the more "pump" work I do the better I feel - something to bear in mind I think! Yes lesson finally learned. And besides it's fun pumping up People were taking the piss out of me for being the champ of least equipment used in the gym - no longer!Change is good most of the time even if its enforced. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 19-11-2015 @ 13:38 | ||
matthewvc said:glad to see you backing off a bit - you've been training through a few injuries recently. sometimes a great work ethic needs tempering with a bit of enforced rehab time. Yeah it often takes me time to realise the obvious being the stubborn old git that I am but fortunately most of the time I manage to do so just before I do myself some real damage. Woke up today and for the first time in weeks no elbow pain so I think all that isolation tricep and bicep work is starting to pay off. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 19-11-2015 @ 00:54 | ||
Post Edited: 19.11.2015 @ 13:39 PM by Aquarian You learn something new everyday! I rubbed in some Voltarol cream into my elbow and left knee and it actually worked in reducing the pain to almost nothing. I'd used it before and hadn't noticed any improvement but this time I just spent a few seconds applying it without rubbing it in hard and I think more of it got absorbed by the skin rather than end up on my hands and fingers! Duh... I think also wearing a compressive sleeve on the elbow for a few hours before applying the cream allowed the increased blood flow to transport the cream faster and more effectively to the inflamed area. So might be worth trying this if anyone else has inflammation which is hard to treat. BP (Wide Grip - middle finger on ring) Warmups 20x20,40x10,60x6,80x4,100x3,120x2 - ok, elbow was only slightly sore throughout, shoulders were fine. Working Sets (paused) 150x1 - yes 1 rep! I thought I'd forego the usual 531 or 321 stuff and just single up to the max. Elbow was worse on this but still not too bad. 170x1 - slightly slow. 190x1 - stalled slightly half way up but strongly locked out. The advantage of the wide grip - like in sumo - is the lockout is almost a gimmee if you can get the bar moving reasonably fast up to the sticking point. Unlike the close or medium grip pressing where it's very fast off the chest but then the increased distance the bar has to move makes the lockout much harder - for me at least. Very pleased with that - if the elbow holds out I think this may just propel me over that annoying 200kg hurdle - if the elbow holds out (big if!). Push Press Warmups 20x6,40x4,60x3,80x2,100x1 - all fine, knees were a bit sore at the beginning but ok after a few sets. Elbow was fine. Working Sets 120x1 - ok. 140x1 - belt on, didn't quite rack it or drive it up that well and had to lean back a bit to lock it out. 150x0.8 - very close, maybe 3-4 inches from lockout, drove it pretty well but maybe rushed it a bit. Just didn't have the tricep strength to do it. But probably the closest attempt on 150 I've ever done. Encouraging. Dumbell Bench (neutral grip, paused each rep at the bottom) 10x10,20x10,30x10,40x10,50x6,30x15 - first set elbow was a bit niggly but after that no pain at all. Wanted to get 20 reps with the 30 drop set but triceps too pumped up! Tricep Pushdowns (rope) Another blast from the past! 10x10,20x10,30x10,40x10,20x30 - bit of elbow pain on the 30's and 40's but nothing major. Tricep Extensions (rope) 10x10,20x10 - This was a bit too much for the elbow so I stopped there. Awkward to setup as well. I may try this next time with a barbell or dumbbell. Hammer Curls 10x10,15x10,10x15 - Forearms too sore to go heavier on these. Shrugs (Wide) 20x10,60x10,100x10,140x5,180x10(straps),220x10,240x8 - very close to getting 10 reps with 240! Barbell Curls (thick bar) 20x20,20x15,20x15 - Nice pump! LBBS 20x6 - amazingly the hip was almost fine and I could squat to full depth. Just 2 days ago I couldn't even do a half squat with this. Great session and elbow feels fine now - I'm sure all that volume has helped get some blood going in the elbow joint and tricep tendon and hopefully this will help heal it faster. Next up I'm pretty confident I'll be squatting - only as heavy as I can but even 60kg will be awesome to do after I was sure I'd have to take another few weeks off. No idea how I've recovered so quickly but I'm overjoyed. After the squats either partial dl's again or I may do some light semi-sumo pulls off the floor. Left knee was still niggly today and sumo or wide stance doesn't seem to affect it. I'll also ditch the leg curl and only do it once a week from now on as it also irritates that knee. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 17-11-2015 @ 00:13 | ||
| So there I was practising my posing routine and imagining I had a six pack (which requires some serious imagination!) and hey presto my back and hips actually felt better the last 2 days. So the Mr O plans temporarily put on hold whilst I get back to the masochism...I mean orgasmic pleasure of multi joint training. Conv DL (beltless) 20x10,70x8,100x6,140x3,180x2 - so far so good... 220x1 - ok. 240x1 - bit grindy and back was a bit stiff but felt fine afterwards. Hip was fine, back was ok, only downside was left inner knee pain which is pretty sore now but I'll take that all day over a sore back and hips. That cheered me up no end! After an eternity of waiting for a free rack I managed to do 3 painful reps with the bar and called it a day. Celebrations on hold, squatting is still fubar. Oh well I can live with that. Leg Extensions 160x10,220x10,280x10,340x10,360x10(3 reps not fully locked out),380x6(none of the reps locked out),280x10,220x10,160x10 - quads were pumped like mad, might even have grown a mm or 3! Knees felt fine. Leg Curls 100x10,140x10,180x10,220x10,180x10,140x10,100x20 - had a bit of left inner knee pain at the top of the rep. This may have contributed to the soreness I've got now. Well amazing transformation - I didn't think I'd be able to pull anything even from knee height a few days ago, let alone from the floor. No idea how it got better but I'm extremely thankful. Possible downsides are the left knee issues - but I can fix it by keeping the feet straight and standing closer to the bar. Hopefully it will be fine tomorrow. Next up...bench max. Hoping the elbow will be ok to do this - wide grip pronated - will try and aim for 190 paused. And may go for a 150 pp pb. | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 16-11-2015 @ 12:52 | ||
ChrisMcCarthy said:Has someone hacked your journal? It's the new old me! Down but not out. Broken but not defeated. Thongs, tan and depilation to come... | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 15-11-2015 @ 14:19 | ||
JackRevans said:no side raises? Maybe next time! Along with flys, pec deks, cable crossovers...I feel corrupted and I love it which is most disturbing! | |||
| » Aquarian's 531 odyssey (Go to post) | 14-11-2015 @ 23:52 | ||
| A trip into the unknown and very enjoyable too! A totally unstructured workout but one where the emphasis was on having some fun and discovering some new tricks! Neutral Bar benching Started with the regular grip width football bar weighing 16kg. Medium grip width. 16x10,36x10,56x6 Switched to the thick grip football bar as I was getting some elbow pain. Bar weight was < 10kg maybe around 7kg. 47x6,67x6,87x6,107x6 Stopped there as the bar was getting difficult to control - however elbow pain was minimal. Thick Bar (20kg) - wide-ish pronated grip 20x6,40x6,60x6,80x6,100x6 - at 100 started to feel the elbow so stopped there. Cambered Bar (approx 15kg) - wide neutral grip 15x6,55x6,75x6,95x6,115x6 - pretty easy on the elbow, stretched out the pecs and delts more. Neutral Bar bench - wide neutral regular grip 16x6,56x6,76x6,96x6,116x6,136x4 - bit of elbow pain, shoulders were fine. Dumbell bench - neutral grip 10x10,20x10,30x10 - elbows and shoulders fine. Pec was getting pumped so I stopped there. Should be able to go heavier next time. OHP - wide pronated grip, eleiko bar 20x10,40x6,60x3,80x2,100x1 - felt the elbow on 100 so stopped. Shoulders a bit sore by now. OHP - thick bar, wide pronated grip 20x6,40x6,60x3,80x2,100x1 - again elbow flared up on 100 Seated Rows - neutral grip I tried doing bent over rows with just the bar but the right hip was too irritable to continue. 180x10,240x10,300x10,360x10 - bit of clicking in the elbow, which may or may not be good! No pain though. Reverse Curls - thick bar 20x10 - forearms got very sore doing these so stopped there. Barbell Curls - thick bar 20x10, 30x10,40x10 - actually much easier on the wrists than a regular bar and forearms were fine too. Hammer Curls 10x10,20x5 - 2nd set forearms were totally gone. Whoa major arm, shoulder and pec overload - took me back to my bb days! Really enjoyed that, very little pain other than on a couple of sets with a pronated grip. So it seems I can press with a neutral grip fairly heavy and I will do so at least one day a week and next time on this session do ohp with a neutral grip too. I'll probably keep the regular wide grip bench and push press on the other session unless the elbow gets worse. Thick bar pronated pressing didn't really help that much although I can still do this fairly light so that's a plus. I could also try reverse grip pressing next time although that is supposed to be more tricep involving so may be tougher on the elbow. Could also do some light tricep isolation work to get blood into the elbow. Just shows that change can be good sometimes both for the mind and body - we all have our goals in training but sometimes through forced or unforced events it's good to have a break from the usual and experiment with the unknown. Have some fun - you've earned it! So next workout I'll probably do the same and experiment with some funky leg movements and pump up the quads and hams some more! Maybe I should start a log at bb.com next  | |||