Ash's Journal

[deegee]

What happened to your test level in the firat place, is it age or are you just naturaly low. I have had mine tested before and it is mid range from memory maybe slightly lower than mid range but then it seems to drop off with age.

[Ash]

What happened to your test level in the firat place, is it age or are you just naturaly low. I have had mine tested before and it is mid range from memory maybe slightly lower than mid range but then it seems to drop off with age.

I went into some of the possible issues and solutions on the first page of my journal. While test levels do drop off with age, in my case I think it was mainly due to the huge amounts of soy I was eating at the time as well as being deficient in Zinc.

My advice to anyone who's training hard and eating well but still not making decent progress is to get their test levels checked out. You never know.....

[deegee]

I went back and re read your journal, especialy the first part which I had forgotten, its good to see that the test has gotten higher makes me think I must be due to get some bloodwork done soon myself just to make sure things are all in check.

[Growth]

Hey mate, good to hear the test levels are back up. Yeah i remember you used to have a LOT of soy in your diet. If your a man so is a big no no.

[sponge]

Hey mate, good to hear the test levels are back up. Yeah i remember you used to have a LOT of soy in your diet. If your a man so is a big no no.

Rumour!! I think you'll find overwhelming evidence that destroys that theory

[Ash]

Rumour!! I think you'll find overwhelming evidence that destroys that theory

Hmm I'm not so sure. I did a fair amount of reading on the subject when I first became aware of my low test levels and there seems to be evidence supporting both sides of the "soy lowers test" argument.

The thing is - I wasn't eating a normal amount of soy, I was eating heaps! Try at least a kilo of tofu and a kilo and a half of Sanitarium's Casserole mince (a vegetarian dish with soy in it) per week plus Soya protein powder on a regular basis. I won't say the soy was the #1 factor but I'm convinced it had something to do with it.

[deegee]

What is your soy intake now or is it completly cut?

[Ash]

What is your soy intake now or is it completly cut?

I dropped it completely for about 3 months but I've slowly added a small amount back in. I eat it no more than once a week or so and then I have a fairly small portion.

[Pseudonym]

Rumour!! I think you'll find overwhelming evidence that destroys that theory

I'd be curious to see these studies, if you can lay your hands on them? I did a search a while back, and found a study on EndoJournal (http://www.nzbb.co.nz/forum/viewtopic.p ... hlight=soy) that pointed towards soy hindering testosterone levels. But it wasn't exactly conclusive, and I couldn't find any other studies that proved it either way.

I've had chronic sinus problems, and although I've ruled out dairy intolerence, I still keep an eye on the alternative protein powders. So I'd love to get to the bottom of this soy issue!

[Ash]

Thursday - back, bis, forearms, legs

Wide grip pulldowns

88 x 9

(Last time 84 x 10)

Getting close to my old PB but keeping my form tight.

Machine rows (horizontal grip)

75 x 10

(Last time 72.5 x 10)

Standing cable curls

60 x 10

(Last time 42 x 12)

I haven't done these for a long time and this was only my 2nd time doing them again but the progress was way more than I expected. Last workout I managed 42 x 12, so I went with 48, aiming for 12 reps but when I got to 16 , I realized that it was too light. So I moved up to what I thought was 54 and got 10 good reps. At the end of the set, I noticed I had accidentally put the pin into 60kg. :grin:

Pinwheel curls

22.5 x 8

(Last time 19 x10)

Seated leg curls

40 x 10

(Last time 35 x 12)

Leg extensions

I didn't really have a good leg workout - I stuck with 35kg rather than going for more weight and did 4 sets of 12. Still trying to ease my knees back into things.

Seated leg press calf raise

131 x 14

(Last time 129 x 10)

[jono]

great work on all the progress ash. glad to see your not going crazy on the legs yet. saftey #1

[deegee]

Nice one, everyone here seems to be breaking through pb's good to see

[Growth]

So I moved up to what I thought was 54 and got 10 good reps. At the end of the set, I noticed I had accidentally put the pin into 60kg. :grin:

Good effort mate. Great work on those, maybe you should randomly place the pin more often :grin:

[Ash]

great work on all the progress ash. glad to see your not going crazy on the legs yet. saftey #1

Nice one, everyone here seems to be breaking through pb's good to see

Good effort mate. Great work on those, maybe you should randomly place the pin more often :grin:

Thanks again guys. I always appreciate the encouragement.

[Ash]

I dragged my butt into gym this morning - just chest, delts and tris today.

My neck feels a little bit dodgy at the moment for some reason, so I took it easy with the military press and didn't train traps.

Incline BB press

82.5 x 8

(Last time 82.5 x 8 )

I couldn't get any extra reps today - I'm not all that fussed as my neck was giving me a bit of grief and I still managed to equal the last PB. I'll clobber this one next time out.

Smith machine military press

40 x 8

(Last time 47.5 x 7)

Mumble mumble mumble

Pushdowns

69 x 12

(Last time 66 x 13)

A bit of a disappointing workout really - next time will be much better!

[sponge]

Nothing wrong with those numbers (except they could be in lbs..) you sure didn't do many sets why is that? IMO pushdowns aren't a very good exercise though

[Growth]

IMO pushdowns aren't a very good exercise though

Really? I love doing pushdowns, quite a nice exercise just to finish of the tris.

Nice workout to Ash. Watch that neck.

[Ash]

Nothing wrong with those numbers (except they could be in lbs..) you sure didn't do many sets why is that? IMO pushdowns aren't a very good exercise though

Just doing pushdowns for a few weeks for a change. I'll be back on dips soon.

I only do one work set - my current routine is based on DC training, which is very low volume. I've dropped the intensity levels that are part of DC because it was frying my CNS.....which can be blamed on my diet, not on the training routine

[jono]

Nothing wrong with those numbers (except they could be in lbs..) you sure didn't do many sets why is that? IMO pushdowns aren't a very good exercise though

pushdowns are a great ex. i would say they helped me a TON this year to put some size on my tris

[Ash]

pushdowns are a great ex. i would say they helped me a TON this year to put some size on my tris

Lots of people say they are useless for real size but then again, just as many love them.

Pretty much par for the course in the world of BB.

[jono]

pushdowns are a great ex. i would say they helped me a TON this year to put some size on my tris

Lots of people say they are useless for real size but then again, just as many love them.

Pretty much par for the course in the world of BB.

its all about finding what works for YOU

[Ash]

its all about finding what works for YOU

Zigactkly :grin:

[Varven]

Push downs done with the rope, where you lockout nice and wide and hold for a second helps develop the overall shape IMO.

So are you on a cruise now Ash ?

[Ash]

So are you on a cruise now Ash ?

You might say I am on a permanent cruise given that I only train to failure occasionally. :grin: My results are as good as they've ever been though, maybe better.

I've switched the workout around a bit, so it's now broken into:

Chest, delts, tris, traps

Back width, back thickness, bis, forearms, legs

[Ash]

Thursday - back, bis, forearms, legs

Today's workout felt average even though I beat or equaled the logbook on everything. :?

Close grip pulldowns

84 x 12

(Last time 84 x 10)

Rack chins

BW + 5kg x 9

I'm still giving me neck a break and for some reason the machine rows were aggravating it, so I'm trying rack chins again.

Standing cable curls

63 x 10

(Last time 60 x 10)

Standing DB wrist curls

27.5 x 14

(Last time 27.5 x 12)

Seated leg curls

40 x 10

(Last time 40 x 10)

Leg extensions

37.5 x 16

(Last time 35 x 17)

Seated leg press calf raise

131 x 15

(Last time 131 x 14)