Definitely. My back felt so wide, I felt like my shoulders were being pushed forward!
My rear delts are still feeling the pump 2-1/2 hours later from the barbell rows.
New growth push
- Thread starter EMW14
- Start date
Definitely. My back felt so wide, I felt like my shoulders were being pushed forward!
My rear delts are still feeling the pump 2-1/2 hours later from the barbell rows.
thudgens96
hiatus
Chest day today. I'm going to miss a keg workout this week because I'm playing hockey tomorrow night. First game for me of the new season, so it's been a couple of months since I played last. Hard skating after an intense leg workout just doesn't happen!
Anyway, after last week's bench press experiment of dropping the weight back to 285 from 295 and realizing that my strength hasn't lessened, I decided to increase the weight by 5 lbs instead of 10. So today I did 290. This will be my new training weight until I get the 5x5. Or until I give up, lol... Took a long freakin time and 600 mg a week of test to get 285 5x5, so we'll see what happens with 290.
Here are today's results:
290
5; 4; 3; 3; 2
Not bad. Much better than my 295 attempt from 2 weeks ago. I feel like I can make progress from this point, whereas 295 just felt too heavy to really work with. I also kept the rest period closer to 3 minutes in keeping with my desire to shorten my workouts and at the same time increase the intensity.
85 lb dumbbells were heavier after that:
Inclines db:
85
7; 6; 5
Decline db
85
7; 5; 5
All sets 3 minutes rest (couple of exceptions while benching due to a couple of distractions). No doubt this also contributed to 85's being heavier than usual. Nevertheless, a great workout. My wife and I trained together for part of it (she got down to the gym faster rhan I, amd finished sooner), so she was here to spot me on the heavy bench press. Probably could have gotten 3 out of the last set if she was able to stick around for it. As it was, I didn't want to end up with nearly 300 lbs on my chest, so I quit after 2 reps.
I'm still hovering at 205 waking weight. It seems like if I increase my calories, I just get fat at this point. So I've sort of accepted that this might be my upper limit for now and am hoping that if I keep my calories where they are, I'll start recomping. I'd like to burn off a few % of fat without losing any size or weight. Hockey season starting up again should help with that and I am going to try to get on the elliptical a little bit at work. Now that I've said so here, maybe I'll actually follow through with that. If it isn't hockey, I hates cardio.....
Anyway, after last week's bench press experiment of dropping the weight back to 285 from 295 and realizing that my strength hasn't lessened, I decided to increase the weight by 5 lbs instead of 10. So today I did 290. This will be my new training weight until I get the 5x5. Or until I give up, lol... Took a long freakin time and 600 mg a week of test to get 285 5x5, so we'll see what happens with 290.
Here are today's results:
290
5; 4; 3; 3; 2
Not bad. Much better than my 295 attempt from 2 weeks ago. I feel like I can make progress from this point, whereas 295 just felt too heavy to really work with. I also kept the rest period closer to 3 minutes in keeping with my desire to shorten my workouts and at the same time increase the intensity.
85 lb dumbbells were heavier after that:
Inclines db:
85
7; 6; 5
Decline db
85
7; 5; 5
All sets 3 minutes rest (couple of exceptions while benching due to a couple of distractions). No doubt this also contributed to 85's being heavier than usual. Nevertheless, a great workout. My wife and I trained together for part of it (she got down to the gym faster rhan I, amd finished sooner), so she was here to spot me on the heavy bench press. Probably could have gotten 3 out of the last set if she was able to stick around for it. As it was, I didn't want to end up with nearly 300 lbs on my chest, so I quit after 2 reps.
I'm still hovering at 205 waking weight. It seems like if I increase my calories, I just get fat at this point. So I've sort of accepted that this might be my upper limit for now and am hoping that if I keep my calories where they are, I'll start recomping. I'd like to burn off a few % of fat without losing any size or weight. Hockey season starting up again should help with that and I am going to try to get on the elliptical a little bit at work. Now that I've said so here, maybe I'll actually follow through with that. If it isn't hockey, I hates cardio.....
thudgens96
hiatus
I decided to do a quick, light shoulder workout this morning. Well, it's afternoon, but it still feels like morning. I'm "stuck on nights", so I was up until 3:15 last night, slept in until 9:30 this morning.
Started off with dumbbell lateral raises
10 x 20
12 x 20
15 x 20
15 x 15
Bent over reverse dumbbell flies
15 x 15
15 x 15
15 x 15
Db military press
50
10; 10
I also threw in another exercise I don't know the name of. Light db's, 8 lbs. Hold up with arms ar 90° to the body and elbows bent 90° (sort of lije the first 1/3 of military press). Then rotate from the shoulder forward until forearms are parallel to the floor, then back up again, rotating back as far as possible. Did a couple sets of 10 of these. This is a PT type of thing designed to work the rotator cuff muscles and tendons. My left shoulder got pretty mangled in a motorcycle crash in 2010 and had been hurting me lately. Gotta get back to working them regularly as well as igf-1. Both of those things help tremendously.
Started off with dumbbell lateral raises
10 x 20
12 x 20
15 x 20
15 x 15
Bent over reverse dumbbell flies
15 x 15
15 x 15
15 x 15
Db military press
50
10; 10
I also threw in another exercise I don't know the name of. Light db's, 8 lbs. Hold up with arms ar 90° to the body and elbows bent 90° (sort of lije the first 1/3 of military press). Then rotate from the shoulder forward until forearms are parallel to the floor, then back up again, rotating back as far as possible. Did a couple sets of 10 of these. This is a PT type of thing designed to work the rotator cuff muscles and tendons. My left shoulder got pretty mangled in a motorcycle crash in 2010 and had been hurting me lately. Gotta get back to working them regularly as well as igf-1. Both of those things help tremendously.
thudgens96
hiatus
That crazy work schedule you got brother would ware me out.
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It does wear me out. Sometimes, I adjust pretty fast to the turnarounds. Other times, I never seem to. I've been in that kind of a rut lately. I go on day shift tomorrow and I know I'm not going to sleep tonight. The payoff is: after this week of 4 day shifts - "hell week", we call it, because it's the end of the rotation and is hell to get through after the previous 2 weeks, plus it's usually the busiest part of the schedule - is a week off. 13 weeks off per year are built into the schedule, split between 2 pay weeks, so it doesn't interrupt the pay period (still always get 1 48 hour week amd 1 36 hour week per 2 week pay period). Management is going to change our schedule this year, essentially adding a 2nd hell week after the 1st one, making it a 5 week rotation instead of 4. Which means 10 built in weeks off instead of 13. Nobody is happy about that. Going to be even more worn out at the end of that rotation.
I forgot to mention before: I did my shoulder workout today at home, so all dumbbells, no cables. I held each rep at the top of the mpvement and lowered the weights slowly each time. This made it feel somewhat similar to the cable versions of the same movements. I gotta remember that...
thudgens96
hiatus
That blows brother another company more concerned about the dollar than their people.
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Muscle mechanic
MuscleChemistry Registered Member
I used to work turnarounds as subcontractor so we would get good overtime. I was in NDT back then.
Are u in the Union where u at?
I had enough of the oilfield if things don't get better soon. Still at 35 hours a week.
Only thing else around here that would be better is contracting myself out as diesel mechanic but people are not wanting to spend right now.
Or going in Salt Mines hoping to get on with Union after 3 months as diesel mechanic above and underground. 58-64 hours a week there right now but would have to hope I like it and been where I am at for long time. It's time I moved up as service manager I did my duties hustled and things getting the way they are and moving nowhere, now there is a new guy he is such a suck ass I can see I got screwed by time against me for changing killing myself for nothing. I can see things will pick up with this new suck as within the year and he not have all the years to be let down and discouraged!!!
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We are non union. There was talk of possibly unionizing over this schedule change as well as a few other things that changed when our company was bought by another, larger one. But that fizzled out pretty quick.
Overall, we still have it pretty good. I shouldn't bitch. But I want to. I am REALLY not digging the proposed schedule change. However, both the Operations Manager (my direct boss) and the Plant Manager (his boss) say that the added week will be "flexible" and that I will definitely be able to play hockey more often. The Ops manager even said we could work around my hockey schedule (!) To a certain extent. As it is right now, I'll be able to play 6 of 14 games during the season because of work conflicts. We'll see. If true, that would be a plus.
There will also be 5 fewer weekends I'll have to work, which would allow me to do a few more things with friends on the weekends. I've wanted to do this particular bike run for 20 years and have never yet made it. Maybe next summer I will...
But it still reduces time off and ut reduces fixed over time by 20 hours a year. That doesn't sound like much but it's actually a lot of $$.
Mechanic, you should try to get in as a mechanic at a ppwer plant. NRG has one called Big Cajun in LA somewhere; a big one in Mexia, TX. I'm quite sure tjere are others. Everyplace needs power; there has to be one relatively close by. Most places, the maintenance crew is strictly days unless there is an outage or emergency.
It feels like forever since I worked out last. I played hockey Sunday night. That's a workout in itself, especially since I haven't played since before Christmas. My whole body is sore after hockey for a couple of days. Add to that the fact that I'm so amped up after playing I rarely sleep much that night. Add to THAT the fact that I was "stuck on nights" and couldn't sleep at night to negin with. What you get when all that is added up is that by the time I got in bed Monday night, I'd been awake for 36 hours. And had to work days Monday through Thursday. I'm just now starting to feel like I might recover! Needless to say, no workouts during the week this week. Thank God I'm off until Friday night.
I was overdue for a leg workout, so that's what I did today. Was a little rushed, so it got cut a little bit short and I split it in two: before and after dinner.
Before:
Squats
Went up to 420 today after warming up with 225 and 315:
420
5x5
Quite challenging. Gonna repeat that a few times, even though it's only 5 lbs heavier than I've been doing.
Leg press
720
10; 9; 8
Leg extensions
100
10; 10; 10
All sets waited just long enough to catch my breath. Completed the above in just under an hour or so amd went up for dinner.
After dinner did hams:
Leg curls
90
10; 10; 10
Quite challenging on my seated leg curl.
Stiff leg deadlift
205
10; 8; 8
Done! Anyone who says weigh lifting doesn't have a strong cardio aspect is full of shit! I was breathing hard and sweating halfway through dinner! Had to pull myself up the stairs by the handrail after the first session. Really gave it to my legs and glutea today in spite of leaving out an exercise!
I was overdue for a leg workout, so that's what I did today. Was a little rushed, so it got cut a little bit short and I split it in two: before and after dinner.
Before:
Squats
Went up to 420 today after warming up with 225 and 315:
420
5x5
Quite challenging. Gonna repeat that a few times, even though it's only 5 lbs heavier than I've been doing.
Leg press
720
10; 9; 8
Leg extensions
100
10; 10; 10
All sets waited just long enough to catch my breath. Completed the above in just under an hour or so amd went up for dinner.
After dinner did hams:
Leg curls
90
10; 10; 10
Quite challenging on my seated leg curl.
Stiff leg deadlift
205
10; 8; 8
Done! Anyone who says weigh lifting doesn't have a strong cardio aspect is full of shit! I was breathing hard and sweating halfway through dinner! Had to pull myself up the stairs by the handrail after the first session. Really gave it to my legs and glutea today in spite of leaving out an exercise!
thudgens96
hiatus
Great workout brother. I have never played hockey. Went and watched what I was told was a German pro team while I was in Germany holy shit that is a fast moving violent game I loved we were right next to the glass done got checked or whatever you guys call it smashed in the fucken glass blood just exploded out of his face. People think football players are tough you guys are going twice as fast with half the equipment on. Much respect bro.
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KngShisa
New member
Amen to that! I got a fitness tracker as a holiday present and have been using it since I resumed training. I know they aren't perfectly accurate by any means but according to the data, my heart rate stays in the "fat burning zone" to the "cardio zone" almost the entire time and since my weight training lasts longer than my cardio, I'd be willing to bet that in the long run the weights are doing more for my heart than the treadmill.
Muscle mechanic
MuscleChemistry Registered Member
Supersetting 3-4 different movements work Awsome for heart
Example
lat pull downs then
Preacher curls then walk to other end of gym hit abs walk back pacing back and forth for 60 secs and back to pulldown
Doing this for last 20 minutes of workout different combos and pushing harder and harder to the end is all the cardio muscle mechanic does most of time or my heavy bag kick boxing and playing with my kids
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KngShisa
New member
Exactly! Last night I did a superset of db lateral raises and low pulley cable rows and I thought I was gonna throw up and my fitness tracker had my heart rate at over 140 afterward, I'm sure it was higher during.
EMW it looks like your strength hasn't gone anywhere but up!
Yeah, man hockey is a fucking awesome sport! Been playing since I was 4... If it wasn't for misspent youth, maybe I coulda gone somewhere with it. But regardless, I love it!
They say hockey is the fastest game played on your feet. I believe it!
As for tough, I'm a Boston Bruins fan. During the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2010, when they won, one of the Bruins (I think it was Dave Campbell, but not sure) blocked a slap shot. He went down, but got right back up and finished his shift, though he was limping. When he went to the bench at the end of his shift, the trainer took him down to the locker room and he didn't return to the game. It turned out that the shot he blocked broke his femur. So the guy got in front of a puck moving at around 100 mph deliberately, it broke his leg, and he finished his shift WITH A BROKEN LEG! Yup, you're right, hockey players are tough!
Last edited:
Thanks! You're right, strength is going up. More slowly now than when I first started this 5x5 routine, but I'm moving some pretty heavy weights at this point. Heavy for me, anyhow!
Chest day today. Gotta capitalize on my days off and plan carefully: I have a 10:30 hockey game Monday night. That's going to wipe out any workouts for Tuesday, for sure. Legs yesterday, so I should be adequately rscovered by then to skate. Not sure what I'm going to do about deadlifting. Probably blow it off during my back workout tomorrow. Need all the recovery time I can get between now and then for my legs, glutes and lower back.
Anyway, backnto chest day. Second workout with 290 on the bench. Also working to trim the fat from my training. Reduced rest time to 3 minutes. Except for the last 2 bench press sets. I was getting quite fatigued and needed an extra minute.
290
4; 4; 2; 3; 1
I'm amazed at how much heavier 290 is than 285. I'm really struggling with it. I did look back at all the 285 workouts and I went up amd down with that and it took a damn long time to get the 5x5. 290 is obviously not going to be any different.
Incline db
85
8; 6; 4
Decline db
85
7; 6; 5
My wife and I trained together today so she was able to spot me. Amazing how much effect the psychological side has. She's 115 lbs or so. No fuckin way can she "lift" 290 lbs if I totally falter. But just having her there, able to give that little bit of extra if needed makes a huge difference. And she's a good spotter. She ain't helping unless the bar starts going back down. Not even when ot stops moving. She just says, "Come on..." LOL! I do love my wife!
Anyway, backnto chest day. Second workout with 290 on the bench. Also working to trim the fat from my training. Reduced rest time to 3 minutes. Except for the last 2 bench press sets. I was getting quite fatigued and needed an extra minute.
290
4; 4; 2; 3; 1
I'm amazed at how much heavier 290 is than 285. I'm really struggling with it. I did look back at all the 285 workouts and I went up amd down with that and it took a damn long time to get the 5x5. 290 is obviously not going to be any different.
Incline db
85
8; 6; 4
Decline db
85
7; 6; 5
My wife and I trained together today so she was able to spot me. Amazing how much effect the psychological side has. She's 115 lbs or so. No fuckin way can she "lift" 290 lbs if I totally falter. But just having her there, able to give that little bit of extra if needed makes a huge difference. And she's a good spotter. She ain't helping unless the bar starts going back down. Not even when ot stops moving. She just says, "Come on..." LOL! I do love my wife!
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