AK's Journal...

[AK]

6 months between drinks/posts good to see your log back up :clap: :clap:

Cheers OB. :wink:

[AK]

A few random toughts and a quick recap on the last few week's training:

I been back training consistently the last 8 weeks. For those who don't know... I been

having some low-back and hip trouble for a while. They feel somewhat better now but not 100%. I can accept that, as long as I'm able to manage it and work around the niggles and pulls.Anyways enough whingeing ....

I've been organising my training into 4 week blocks. All of these "Blocks" have some goals and objectives that I like to achive or get closer to.

I think in the past I made the mistake of not having a specific enough or well rounded plan to work with. So I will pay more attention to that in the future. I found the following article informational... 3 parts to it. Give it a read if you like, I enjoyed

it.

http://www.elitefitnesssystems.com/docu ... t_meet.htm

Perhaps an other mistake I made in the past is that I did not deload properly and I think I really payed the price for this one ... Also changed some of the movements (assistance or supplementary) to offten and others not often enough...

Therefore in the future I will de-load on the 4th week at the end of each block.

Figure how I felt about my last 3 weeks and make plans accordingly to my needs for the upcoming 4 weeks.

Recap:

Week 1-4 the goal was simple get in there 4 times a week, test the waters, try to find some movements that wont agravete the existing issues with niggles...

Clean up the dietary habbits make better choices.

Adrress some specific deficits like core stability and endurance, lazy glutes, weak shoulders, strenght imbalances, mobility issues etc...

Get some general conditioning.

Week 5-8

Focused on technical aspects of the big 3, lots of video and review time.

Nutritional habits were paying of well, so it made it easier to focus on positive body composition changes, decided to monitor coffee consumption as I can go overboard with that from time to time. =P~

Still hitting weaknesses hard ...

Things went well and decided to hop into my squat suit to get a feel for things ...

Oh boy \:D/ a very intresting experience. First time in it, straps done and just a belt.... Intresting stuff ... The only set back in the 8 week period was some iritated SI joint. Gave it some rest feels a little better, fingers crossed.

[poos_n_wees]

Great to see you back AK! You've been missed.

I think in the past I made the mistake of not having a specific enough or well rounded plan to work with. So I will pay more attention to that in the future.

:ditto: I think this is where I fall down too. Sometimes I tend to just "wing it" when it comes to training and whatnot :?

Sounds like you've been busy! Good to hear the things are looking up :nod:

[AK]

Great to see you back AK! You've been missed.

I think in the past I made the mistake of not having a specific enough or well rounded plan to work with. So I will pay more attention to that in the future.

:ditto: I think this is where I fall down too. Sometimes I tend to just "wing it" when it comes to training and whatnot :?

Sounds like you've been busy! Good to hear the things are looking up :nod:

Thanks P&W :wink:

[TheGus]

What do you mean by de-loading on the 4th week?

[AK]

What do you mean by de-loading on the 4th week?

Decrese volume or/and intensity to some degree, to let the body rebound.

[AK]

Lower body day aka injury time :?

Speed squats 8 sets of 2 @ 50 plus purple

2" deficit sumo ... started warming up and pulled something in my back. :doh:

I guess back to usuall... Taking some time off from L.body.

[Varven]

Hey bro, bugger to hear about injury,.. sounds like myself!

The best investment I ever made was finding a GOOD physio that worked for me.

Once the injury heals, why not just take up a real easy, push/pull/legs split using high volume, lower intensity... bb type workouts to re strenghten muscles and joints... i cant imagine doing explosive speed work after a time off at all.....

[AK]

Cheers Varven.

I been to MANY different oestheo and ciropractor. Just been a few days ago actually...

They all tell me a different reason why they think I'm having "issues".

I been training the last 8 weeks so its not like I did the speed work out of random ...

Aprechiate the imput tho :nod:

I think its my SI on the left ... not Low back. Its kind of a good news rest it a bit and may switch to conventional pulls. See if its ok.

[AK]

Upperbody... Week 9

(A) Speed BP 10 sets of 3 @ 50

(B1) Close grip BP 3 x 5 @ 100 and 5 @ 90

(B2) Chest supported T-bar rows 4 sets of 5 @ 40

(C1) Inverted rows

(C2) External rotations

(C3) Scap push ups...

Core:

Blast chain ...

Anti rotation stuff...

* Good session done under an hour. The supersets in the last few weeks did seem to help with general conditioning.

SI joint feels better a little irritated but no major pain, and no back pain. :pray: Its good news. Will rest L.body next week maybe more .... and seek some treatment on it.

[AK]

Week # 10

(A1) Incline BP ( Clusters ) 5 @ 100 / 4 sets of 5 @ 95

(A2) Pull ups ( Clusters ) 10 @ BW+7.5 / 4 sets of 5 x 2 @ BW+5

(B1) Dumbbell BP 3 sets of 6 @ 85s (lb)

(B2) Dumbbell rows 3 sets of 6 @ 70 (lb)

(C1) Voyer shrug...

(C2) Guns

(C3) Core

* Took me 65min. Good session. Shoulders got a good workout on the inclines... Now I get some more quality food in me, and unleash my trigger fingers on my PS3

[AK]

Week # 10

(A) Speed BP 8 sets of 3 @ 55 than regular BP 3 @ 100 and 105

(B1) Close grip BP 5 @ 102.5 / 2 sets of 5 @ 100

(B2) Chest supported rows 3 sets of 5 @ 45

(C1) Inverted rows

(C2) Core: anti rotation.

(D) Lying external rottations

* Good session.

Done in 50 min thus will take slightly longer rest between B1 and 2.

Upperbody conditioning seems to be adequate...

[AK]

Week 11 ....

(A1) Incline BP 6 sets of 4 ( clusters ) @ 100 / 102.5 / 100 / 100 / 100 / 90

(A2) Pull ups 6 sets of 8 ( clusters ) BW+7.5 / 7.5 / 5 / 5 / 5 / 5

(B1) Dumbbell BP 3 sets of 8 @ 85s (lb)

(B2) Dumbbell row 3 sets of 8 @ 75 (lb)

(C1) Voyer shrug...

(C2) Guns...

(C3) Core Barbell roll-outs

* Took me 75 min. Time well spent... magic.

[AK]

Week 11...

(A) Speed bench 10 sets of 3 @ 60

(B1) Close grip BP 5 sets: 5 @ 100 / 2 sets of 5 @ 105 / 2sets of 5 @ 100

(B2) Chest supported row 5 sets: 5 @ 50 / 4 sets of 5 @ 45

(C1) Inverted rows...

(C2) External rotations...

*Done and dusted in 50 min ...

Speed improoved significantly. Yey...

[AK]

Week # 12 De-loading week.

(A) Speed BP 5 sets of 3 @ 60

(B1) Close grip BP 2 sets of 5 @ 100

(B2) Chest supported rows 2 sets of 5 @ 40

(C1) Inverted rows...

(C2) Scap push ups...

* Done and dusted in 25 min. Got a stubborn cold, thus de-load is welcomed by the body.

Looking forward to the next block. It is always exciting to try some new exercises...

[Varven]

Are you working up to a bench contest ?

Whats the overall routine like.. I couldnt figure it out.. i.e.

I notice D.E. on 2 consecutive weeks and no mention of ME work ?

[AK]

Are you working up to a bench contest ?

Whats the overall routine like.. I couldnt figure it out.. i.e.

I notice D.E. on 2 consecutive weeks and no mention of ME work ?

4 week blocks. Each block has a slightly different objective while working towards a "main goal". The blocks do vary exercises, but they do build on each other to serve a specific purpose.

Eg: Shoulder stability work would be a specific problem for me on my left side and been hindering my bench,thus to address this my exercise progression was something like this:

Week 1-4

Press ups ( There is an article on T-nation called something like ... Press ups , face pulls and overhead shrugs... about shoulder health.)

I used to get the dumbest looks at my gym for doing "girly" stuff like that but oh well ha ha ha

Mini band external rotations

Week 2-5

Side-lying external rotations.

Prone trap raise ( a great low trap activation and strengthening exercise )

External cable rotation ( Similar to mini bands but tension is on from the beginning of the movement, thus more work.)

I also did copious amount of chin ups while trying to squeeze my shoulder blades down and together to work low trap.

(Mike Robertson has a good article on the importance of low trap work and its relation to shoulder strength at t-nation, look it up if you like.)

Week 9-12

I kept "Side-lying external rotations" as they did their work well.

Added Voyeur shrugs and Inverted rows which I find great for hiting the muscles around my scapulas.

For the next block

I have crazy bells ( look it up at elitefts ) and face pulls planed for shoulder health and stability...

Not sure if I make my self clear here on the progression of exercise choices to address a specific problem? Please let me know if I need to elaborate more...

As far as the overall routine I was training 4 times per week.

2 Low-body and 2 upper body sessions per week. The general goal was ( still is ) to get stronger overall but no specific comp in mind at this stage. My recent hip injury on week 9 forced me to shy away from L body. Getting treatment on the injury and staying away from L body till given the green light by the professional.

You won't see a ME day as per the general understanding of ME day by west side type workouts.

However on the 3 weeks of 9-11 I did Maximum effort work.

My exercise choice was incline BP ( which is regarded by many as a great bench builder) and the method was clusters. ( High mechanical stress and oxygen depravation of working muscles. According to the experts two important factor for gaining strength and size. )

I used to do clusters regularly and find they give me a quick boost early on in my preparation phase. If you like to read about clusters more look up Christian Thibadeu's work at t-nation.

On week 12 this week I stayed away from ME work since this week is

De-load week. Letting the body rebound...

Again, hope I made sense...

Thanks for the question :oops:

[Varven]

Sounds solid.

It's a lesson I have just learnt as well.

Only way to progress is to clean up those tiny injuries.

Mine isnt as structured as yours but I am loosely addressing the same problem areas instead of just trying to get the numbers on my big 3 up.

In my case Ive gotta fix forearms, left shoulder and knees.

Thats some good reading on tnation.. they always have some interesting reading.

[AK]

Sounds solid.

It's a lesson I have just learnt as well.

Only way to progress is to clean up those tiny injuries.

Mine isnt as structured as yours but I am loosely addressing the same problem areas instead of just trying to get the numbers on my big 3 up.

In my case Ive gotta fix forearms, left shoulder and knees.

Thats some good reading on tnation.. they always have some interesting reading.

Agree ... :nod: have to address niggles to keep the body running well.

Glad to hear you enjoyed the articles :wink:

[AK]

Week # 13

(A) Floor presses 3 sets of 3 @ 110 / 2 sets of 5 @ 100

(B1) Crazy bells 2 sets of 6 @ 80 / 6 @ 90 / 10 @ 60

(B2) Seated cable rows ( underhand ) 2 sets of 7 @ 60 / 7 @ 70 / 10 @ 60

(C1) Face pulls...

(C2) Lower trap stuff...

(D) Negative BP: 2 @ 140

*Done in 55 min. The cold feels a bit better, still a bit congested tough.

Crazy bells WERE crazy :shock: but I loved the unpredictability of them.

Since I have not done these exercises in a while I turned out to be a little conservative with some weights so will up it a little next time.

[AK]

Week # 13

Speed BP of pins: 10 sets of 3 @ 60

(B1) Seated cable rows: 4 sets of 6 @ 60

(B2) Dumbbell push press 4 sets of 5 @ 50 (lb)

(C1) Low-trap stuff...

(C2) Triceps

(D) Negative BP 2 singles @ 140

Session took me 50 min. I took it easy with push presses, my left shoulder is lagging behind my right, but slowly improving.

Speed pin presses were a tad bit slow ... speed out of the bottom is an issue. Maybe I can make some decent gains by improving it...

[AK]

Week # 14

(A) Floor presses:

2 @ 115

2 @ 115

2 @ 117.5

2 @ 115

2 sets of 4 @ 110

(B1) Crazy Bells :

6 @ 90

6 @ 95

6 @ 90

(B2) Cable rows:

3 sets of 7-ish @ 70 and 12-ish @ 60

(C1) Face pulls

(C2) Low trap stuff

(D) Negative only BP 1 @ 145

Session took me 65 min.

Floor presses felt good today...

Crazy bells are the flavor of the month as far as exercise choices.

The weight is not challenging in the traditional sense of heavy. Rather I

find that when I start "fading" away on it, I get the shakes and find it hard to keep it in the right groove, becomes very unpredictable.

Curious to see how it effects my bench and shoulder health.

Shoulders need more strength thats for sure.

[AK]

Week # 14

(A) Speed BP off pins:8 sets of 3 @ 65 than 2@110 / 2@115 / 1@120

(B1) Dumbbell push presses: 2 sets of 5 @ 60 (lb) / 2 sets @ 50 (lb)

(B2) Seated cable rows: 4 sets of 6-8 @ 60

(C1) Low trap stuff

(C2) Triceps...

Session took me about 55 minutes.

Speed improved off the pins. Still... speed kills. Thus I need more of it. No negatives today, the CNS feels a bit fried ... will resume it next week but a little lighter. I have also been a bit slack with my food choices in the last 2-3 days...been having to many of these... I should stop ha ha ha :^o

[Flamer]

There is such a thing as too many of those???!! They look FANTASTIC! Where does one find them?

[SoaringSwine]

There is such a thing as too many of those???!! They look FANTASTIC! Where does one find them?

A little bird told me AK may be a bit more than your average baker.