Growths Journal

[jono]

good work on the squats

[Ash]

The squats are impressive but standing there and doing calf raises with 260 just amazes me. Nice!!

[Growth]

Thanks guys, ive really started to concentrate on squats. I think the 20 rep squats are going to really help my quad development. I love SLDL, leg curls have nothing on them.

Yeah the calf raises are fairly dangerous, very stressful on my back, they werent too bad today though, i keep telling myself i wont keep upping the weight on them and try something else but i cant help myself :grin: They are helping my calfs alot although i may have pulled the left one today lol

[Flex]

Hey Growth - just got a question regarding BB calf raises. I was just wondering how you go about doing them as I can't recall ever seeing anybody do them - I know how to do single legged dumbbell Calf raises, but can't picture BB raises. How do you get a full stretch - do you do them in a smith machine to help keep your balance or do you just stand on the floor and not go below parallel?

[deegee]

Glad to hear that the calves are developing, I know you were worried about them before!

[Growth]

Hey Growth - just got a question regarding BB calf raises. I was just wondering how you go about doing them as I can't recall ever seeing anybody do them - I know how to do single legged dumbbell Calf raises, but can't picture BB raises. How do you get a full stretch - do you do them in a smith machine to help keep your balance or do you just stand on the floor and not go below parallel?

I use the block from the calf machine if its not being used, if it is then i use one of those plastic stepper things that arobics people use. It would be pointless to do them standing on the floor IMO, how would you get full ROM. I started off using a free BB but since i began to go over 5pps i had to switch to the smith for safety. I struggle just to unrack 6pps, id hate to thing of the balance needed to do it with a free bb. I dont have a problem with doing it in the smith though, its only calf raises straight up and down.

I had never seen them done either then i saw some freak doing like 10pps calf raises and he had huge calfs so i gave it a try and ive seen massive growth, and my calves are really stubborn. You have to either do leg press calf raises or bb calf raises eventually IMO, your always going to max out machines and dbs.

[Growth]

Glad to hear that the calves are developing, I know you were worried about them before!

Thanks mate, im no longer worried about the little bastards, theyve come around to my way of thinking :grin:

[Flex]

Sweet as - it was the balance thing that was getting me, was trying to figure out how to stay on a block without falling off. I may have to give it a go sometime.

[deegee]

Glad to hear that the calves are developing, I know you were worried about them before!

Thanks mate, im no longer worried about the little bastards, theyve come around to my way of thinking :grin:

form little bastards..to big bastards

[Growth]

Todays Workout

Seated Military Press

60 x 10

80 x 8

90 x 5

90 x 4

Upright BB Rows

80 x 10

80 x 10

80 x 10

DB Front Raises

28 x 8

30 x 8

BB Shrugs SS Lateral Raises

120 x 20 SS 21 x 10

160 x 16 SS 21 x 10

200 x 8 SS 21 x 10

Nothing too special about todays workout, its pretty much the same as my last shoulder workout, some weights are up others down. Im not too dissapointed though, last week i didnt work shoulders so the last time i did was 2 weeks ago. I think the week off had really helped a bit, no loss in strength but they got a well needed recovery period.

[deegee]

What ! no red in there? no pb's achieved? You are not working hard enough or putting in the effort needed to succed. I think you need to take a good hard look at your self.

:grin: j/k a week off is always good and its nice to see those new gains just being consolidated.

[jono]

strong as always

[Ash]

Consistent and heavy as usual. :nod:

[Growth]

Thanks guys, appreciate the feedback.

[Growth]

Todays Workout

Incline Bench

60 x 10

60 x 10

100 x 8

105 x 7

110 x 4

115 x 3

Flat DB Press

47 x 8

52 x 5

57 x 1

SkullCrushers

50 x 7

55 x 6 =

CG Bench

90 x 7

100 x 4

105 x 4

110 x 3

Tricep Pushdowns (Bar - Single Pulley)

57 x 8

60 x 5

63 x 3

Well im happy with todays workout, ive notice the chest workouts have been a bit stagnant lately, my strength hit a bit of a lull, so i went into the gym today with the mindset to give it shit, and actively increase weights used. Incline is on its way back up, much better than last week. Flats felt okay, i though i would go for the 57 and get a couple of reps but i only managed 1 lol, still a milestone i guess. Skulls are at their peak again. CG was up past pb. Tricep pushdowns are on the way back up, 4kgs from PB.

[deegee]

Nice. what is the max you have on dbs at your gym? i know we talked about this before but you must be close? future options?

[jono]

nice work all round. take no prisoners attitude is #1!!!!!!

[Ash]

Good work - those CGs just keep going up.

[Growth]

Nice. what is the max you have on dbs at your gym? i know we talked about this before but you must be close? future options?

Thanks mate. Thats the max right there, im a long way off being able to rep them for 12 or so reps for 3 sets though, if i ever reach that kind of strength then i may consider a new gym, kind of like a reward for the hard work lol :pfft:

[Growth]

nice work all round. take no prisoners attitude is #1!!!!!!

Good work - those CGs just keep going up.

Thanks guys, yeah i just havent really been pushing myself recently, finally woke up to the fact and gave it my all today.

Im loving CG bench at the moment, a great example of me not pushing myself, today i really did and got a good result.

[Varven]

Dude, I have no idea how you push so much on CG bench AFTER all the chest workout.

57KG DBs for chest press is phenomenal, even if its a 1RM for now !

[Growth]

Ive been doing chest / tri work for ages now so they have probabley got used to the idea of getting punished straight after chest. I dont do that much chest work though, only 7 work sets, nice wide grips to keep the tri work to a minimum.

lol, yeah in the end i was just happy to get 1 rep with the 57s, i wasnt sure they would even go up :pfft:

[Growth]

Todays Workout

Lat Pulldowns

42 x 10

42 x 10

125 x 5

125 x 5

130 x 3 =

BB Rows

120 x 10

135 x 8

150 x 5

DB Bent Over Rows

57 x 12 =

57 x 12 =

57 x 12 =

BB Bicep Curls

60 x 6

62 x 5

65 x 3

DB Precher Curls

30 x 8

32 x 6

33 x 6

Went into the gym with the same mentality as yesterday and as a result todays back workout was better than last week. Lat Pulldowns were the same as last week, still knocking on the PB door though. BB rows were up. Mixed it up again this week and droped machine lever rows and picked up db rows. Dont really see much of a future for this exercise unless i change gyms though. Bicep exercises were up and are approaching pbs, bb curls are 2kgs away, prechers 3. All in all a good workout.

[Varven]

Solid rows man.. looking real good ! are you on a cutting phase as well or ??

[jono]

nice work man. good to see some progress over last week