#drizzt

[drizzt]

Ha, yeah actually the forearms were a wee bit of a struggle to get past on the first try, but I think they'll stretch a bit. So nice and snug on the inner arm though where I get some pain, I love them. My Rehbands took a while to adjust on my knees too.

And cheers, felt kinda slow today, looks better than I thought it was. Just glad it's 3 reps now and not 5 :grin:

[Phedder]

felt kinda slow today, looks better than I thought it was.

Exactly what I just said in my log! Maybe the cameras are at 1.5x just to mess with our heads :shifty:

[drizzt]

Exactly what I just said in my log! Maybe the cameras are at 1.5x just to mess with our heads :shifty:

Ha, so true. I like taking footage for that very reason, confidence even when you're feeling shite, it's probably better than you realise.

11.02.12 - 5 x 5, W5/D3

No weighin today, scales were in use. Probably a good thing after the "carb up" I had last night :shifty:

• Squats (sets x reps @ weight - RPE)
  Warmups
  bar
  1 x 8 @ 60kg
  1 x 5 @ 100kg
  1 x 3 @ 120kg
  1 x 2 @ 140kg
  1 x 2 @ 160kg
  1 x 2 @ 180kg (b)
  Working
  1 x 3 @ 200kg (b/loose wrap) - 7
  1 x 3 @ 225kg (b/w) - 9
  1 x 2 @ 250kg (b/w) - 9.5
  1 x 3 @ 250kg (b/w) - 8.5
  
• Bench
  Warmups
  bar
  1 x 5 @ 60kg
  1 x 3 @ 100kg
  Working
  3 x 3 @ 127.5kg - 8

Comments

• Another early session today due to the novice comp going on at the House, so we had to be done by about 10 when people started weighing in.
  
• Squats were ok, felt really strong actually. First working set of 200 I brought out the new Titaniums I had ordered, and they felt really good, just need to be broken in a little more to get a little bit more wrap out of them. Pretty loose but still gave me a lot of pop.
  225 I went back to the True Blacks with a fairly tight wrap, felt horrible. So uneven with the different wrap lengths and stretchiness.
  After the horrible 225 with the TBs, I talked to OB1 and decided to take a gamble and try the Titaniums for my top set of 250. Didn't pay off really, but not because the wraps were crap, just so new that they were a bit slippery. You'll probably hear it in the vid, but as I descended on the first rep, a bit "crack" can be heard and I lost all tension on the right leg. You'll see the wrap had slipped down a bit, and it felt to me as if it had snapped (obviously hadn't but the feel and sound made me wonder). Tried the second rep but it was too uneven to keep going so racked there.
  Went back to the TBs for another crack at it, and cranked these really tight. Trouble is, you kinda have to force depth when these are cranked up which can make me lose my tightness a bit, but they do get you up well. First rep popped up ok, depth was probably a bit shady, second went well enough that I decided to push to three (had only intended 2 for this set), and got that pretty easy as well. Reckon I maaaay have got 5 today if I had pushed it out, who knows, but I'll save it for next week when the weights go up again.
  Oh rounded everything up 2.5kg today just for easiness' sake, big deal, but I like round numbers (250 sounds better than 247.5 :shifty:)
  
• Then benched, felt WAY better than last week. Paused the final rep of the 2nd and 3rd sets and that was still pretty easy.
  
• By the time we had finished bench, the place was beginning to pack out, so even if we wanted to do the extra stuff (BB rows + turks) I don't think we could've, so called it there.

Ok session, looking forward to Tuesday.

[drizzt]

[Big john]

[This video is private]

[drizzt]

Oops! Should be good now?

[Big john]

Oops! Should be good now?

cheeyea bro. nice work on the wrking sets 8)

[Panzer]

Oops! Should be good now?

cheeyea bro. nice work on the wrking sets 8)

second that!

[drizzt]

Thanks fellas, wasn't happy with the set of 2, but was pleased to come back and get 3 relatively easy reps out to make up for it. Bodes well for the coming weeks I hope :nod:

[M.T]

Thanks fellas, wasn't happy with the set of 2, but was pleased to come back and get 3 relatively easy reps out to make up for it. Bodes well for the coming weeks I hope :nod:

Can we borrow Tonka for the next 4 weeks juuust incase lol not sure if I could curl you up should anything go wrong.

[HarryB]

I would be pleased if you could try and make that look more demanding! Great squatting man!

[drizzt]

Can we borrow Tonka for the next 4 weeks juuust incase lol not sure if I could curl you up should anything go wrong.

Think it maaay have to be dumped if anything goes wrong haha, although there is usually plenty of people around for a spot on Saturdays :nod:

I would be pleased if you could try and make that look more demanding! Great squatting man!

Ha cheers Harry! I'm not sure depth was fantastic though, little hard to tell with side spotters, although in my defense I kinda have to force depth in the black wraps a bit which is why I'm a bit slow on the reps I think. Hopefully can break the Titaniums in a bit better so they'll be more usable at these weights, as I prefer them.

[drizzt]

14.02.12 - 5 x 5, W6/D1

104.5 today, have been away from home so eating takeouts the last few nights... oops. Surprised I'm not above 105 tbh.

• Squats (sets x reps @ weight - RPE)
  Warmups
  bar
  1 x 8 @ 60kg
  1 x 5 @ 100kg
  1 x 4 @ 120kg
  1 x 3 @ 140kg
  1 x 2 @ 160kg
  1 x 1 @ 180kg
  1 x 1 @ 200kg (b)
  1 x 2 @ 225kg (b/loose wrap)
  Working
  1 x 3 @ 235kg (b/w) - 9
  1 x 3 @ 235kg (b/w) - 10
  1 x 3 @ 235kg (b/w) - 8
  
• Bench
  Warmups
  bar
  1 x 5 @ 60kg
  1 x 3 @ 100kg
  Working
  1 x 3 @ 115kg - 6
  1 x 3 @ 125kg - 7
  1 x 2 @ 142.5kg - 10 (too far back on the bench, 3rd rep pressed against pin)
  1 x 2 @ 142.5kg - 9.5 (extras to make up for the previous set)
  
• BB Rows
  bar
  1 x 5 @ 60kg
  1 x 3 @ 80kg - 7
  1 x 3 @ 90kg - 8
  1 x 3 @ 100kg - 8
  
• Dips
  1 x 5 @ bw
  1 x 3 @ +20kg -6
  1 x 3 @ +40kg - 8
  1 x 3 @ +60kg - 10

Comments

• Squats didn't feel awesome today, but can't really say it was a bad day either.
  Still persisting with the Titaniums as I want to stretch them a bit more and get them into shape for some heavier stuff, but the trouble is they slip around on my leg a lot because they're still quite shiny + new. Wore them for the first 2 working sets (and the final warmup set) and noticed that after the first rep, every time the wrap would slip down my thigh so it was just covering the top of my knee cap. All good for one rep attempts, but made 3 reps difficult as the reps got progressively harder the more it slipped. I know the solution - chalk - just hate to resort to it as it irritates my already savaged knees.
  Ah well, bring more pain
  Final set of squats I cranked the TBs up (if I don't crank em I really don't get anything out of them :pfft:) and that made it hella easy. Fast set. Hurt like hell though, have permanent welts on both legs now.
  
• Bench wasn't bad, felt kinda fast in the warmups and first two working sets. Final set @ 142 though, I set up a little far up the bench. First rep was fine, pretty quick. Second rep hit the racks on the way up but wasn't too bad, 3rd rep was shaky and I pressed it back and under the pin on the right hand side, couldn't recover so had to get spotted out of it.
  So did an extra set of 2 to make up for the poor set/missed rep, and that wasn't too bad.
  
• BB rows and dips were ok, nothing really to note.

No vids today, left the cam at home.

[Monarchking]

bar

1 x 5 @ 60kg

1 x 3 @ 80kg - 7

1 x 3 @ 90kg - 8

1 x 3 @ 100kg - 8

hey man, what are these numbers? me :?

are they reps so 3sets # 100x8? or whats going on lol

[drizzt]

Haha hey MK, I list this bit at the top - (sets x reps @ weight - RPE) - to try to lessen confusion but all good, I understand the last bit can be confusing! :nod:

RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion, pretty much a difficulty scale of 1-10... but you probably won't list lower than 5 (to confuse you further :shifty:). Basically I use it so when I look back at my workouts, I can get a quick gauge at how the weights felt on the day. In future I'll probably also use it to plan workouts on the fly (Auto-Reg training), which is kinda what I already do with assistance days - push things to 8-9 RPE, rather than aiming for weight/rep targets.

I had listed out what I personally mean with the numbers I list, but this article explains it better:

Rate of Perceived Exertion.

[Monarchking]

Haha hey MK, I list this bit at the top - (sets x reps @ weight - RPE) - to try to lessen confusion but all good, I understand the last bit can be confusing! :nod:

RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion, pretty much a difficulty scale of 1-10... but you probably won't list lower than 5 (to confuse you further :shifty:). Basically I use it so when I look back at my workouts, I can get a quick gauge at how the weights felt on the day. In future I'll probably also use it to plan workouts on the fly (Auto-Reg training), which is kinda what I already do with assistance days - push things to 8-9 RPE, rather than aiming for weight/rep targets.

I had listed out what I personally mean with the numbers I list, but this article explains it better:

Rate of Perceived Exertion.

agh nice i did't see that. I thought it could have been some sort of rating when i seen the 9.5 on one of your bench sets

[drizzt]

Ha yeah, that's my way of saying "maaaaaaybe had one more rep in the tank" :grin:

15.02.12 - Assistance stuff

105.4 today, not surprised, was a low carb day but had indian for lunch due to a teammate leaving at work.

Actually didn't really count reps or weights today so will give rough estimates, was pretty much just pumping up for the photos we were taking re: hobbit casting couch :grin:

• Assistance (sets x reps @ weight - RPE)
  bw chins x 6 reps x 3 sets
  Green band pushdowns x 20 reps x 3 sets
  60kg max grip bench x 12 reps x 4 sets
  Rope ab crunches x 10 reps x 3 sets
  25lb DB Curls x 20 reps x 2 sets
  Tri pushdowns x 20 reps x 3 sets
  Machine Shoulder Press x 15 reps x 3 sets
  70lb One-arm DB Rows x 10 reps/ps x 3 sets
  10lb Rear delt raise x 12 reps x 3 sets
  Decline pushups
  Close grip bench

Comments

• So yeah, basically OB1 asked if anyone was keen to take some photos for a possible extras part in the hobbit (they were looking for guys with big biceps). Decided to turn the session into one big pump up for the shots haha.
  Actually at 105 and a half I looked a little leaner than I thought I would, not sure if they'll see the light of day haha but it was fun to live the life of a bodybuilder, if only for an hour! Dunno if I'll get a part at all either (apparently they're not too keen on tattoos so who knows) but I'm not really fussed.

Back in tomorrow for deads.

[drizzt]

16.02.2012 - 5 x 5, W6/D2

105 flat today, not bad, been eating pretty freely on the IF again with plenty of cals (more than I was doing on the other diet) coupled with arguably less calorie expenditure in my days due to the drop from 5 x 5 to 3 x 3. Yet still haven't reached the lofty heights of 106.5 I was at a couple weeks back

• OH Pin Press (sets x reps @ weight - RPE)
  bar
  1 x 5 @ 60kg
  1 x 2 @ 80kg
  Working
  3 x 3 @ 95kg - 9
  
• Deads
  bar
  1 x 5 @ 70kg
  1 x 3 @ 120kg
  1 x 2 @ 170kg
  1 x 1 @ 200kg
  1 x 1 @ 220kg
  Working
  2 x 3 @ 235kg (b) - 8
  1 x 3 @ 235kg (b) - 9

Comments

• Not a bad day today, short and sharp because got the chins out of the way yesterday. Body was actually feeling it a little from the change in training style, shoulders and lats in particular, so that made pin pressing a wee bit tougher than usual.
  Still, the working sets of 95 weren't really a challenge. I upped the weight today from the prescribed 90. It was meant to be 87.5 for the past couple of weeks, but I had rounded those up to 90 so I was facing a 3rd week in a row at 90. Thought I'd rather advance things by 5kg and go from there. Looking forward to 100 triples next week.
  
• Deads were ok, trying to sit back more like Harry suggested. Ended up widening my stance ever so slightly to more mimic my squat, and when I got it right, it loaded up my hams and glutes nicely and felt really smooth. When I rushed it (which you might pick out a couple times on the video) my hips shoot up early and take the power away from my hammies. All good, work in progress. 235 felt better than 230 did last week anyway - did away with all the sumo stuff as I think that was just tiring me out for my conventional working sets. May have to take some time later in the year to properly have a go at sumo, but for this part of the program, I think it's important I just focus on the one style - may as well be the one I'm better at Just a few more weeks and the back gets a couple months break anyways :grin:

Short and sharp, vid to follow.

[drizzt]

[rod-dog]

Haha hey MK, I list this bit at the top - (sets x reps @ weight - RPE) - to try to lessen confusion but all good, I understand the last bit can be confusing! :nod:

RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion, pretty much a difficulty scale of 1-10... but you probably won't list lower than 5 (to confuse you further :shifty:). Basically I use it so when I look back at my workouts, I can get a quick gauge at how the weights felt on the day. In future I'll probably also use it to plan workouts on the fly (Auto-Reg training), which is kinda what I already do with assistance days - push things to 8-9 RPE, rather than aiming for weight/rep targets.

I had listed out what I personally mean with the numbers I list, but this article explains it better:

Rate of Perceived Exertion.

Agh i had been wondering what RPE was to. Thats an awesome idea .

With your squats bro how do you know when its time to wrap the knees?

Do you wrap at a certain percentage of one rep max and try and work without them up until that point?

[drizzt]

Agh i had been wondering what RPE was to. Thats an awesome idea .

With your squats bro how do you know when its time to wrap the knees?

Do you wrap at a certain percentage of one rep max and try and work without them up until that point?

Hey bro, yeah it's a great idea, not mine though so I can't take credit for it, heh :grin:

Re: wraps, I don't really have a set plan, have never worked off percentages or anything, I just like to wrap probably a set or two earlier than when I really NEED to bring them in. I find wrapping a pain in the arse for the most part, so like to do it for the least amount of sets as possible.

An example of when I bring wraps in could be last Saturday; I had to do working sets of 200, 225, and 250 for triples. I can relatively easily get a 200 triple without wraps, but 225 x 3 would be hard/impossible, so I'll wrap for the 200 set to get used to it for the heavier stuff. My wrapped squat forces me into a slightly different line than in just the sleeves (or with nothing on the knees), so it's good to feel that before jumping into bigger weights.

If the top set isn't particularly hard, I'll probably just wrap when things start getting tough.

[drizzt]

For a bit of a laugh, here's my photo from the Hobbit casting stuff a few of the House boys applied for. I'm 105.5 in this one, no, I can't pose, and yes I'm nowhere near lean or massive, but I'm happy with somewhere in between ha ha:

[Big john]

For a bit of a laugh, here's my photo from the Hobbit casting stuff a few of the House boys applied for. I'm 105.5 in this one, no, I can't pose, and yes I'm nowhere near lean or massive, but I'm happy with somewhere in between ha ha:

Serratus definition at 105

lengend status :clap:

[red machine]

For a bit of a laugh, here's my photo from the Hobbit casting stuff a few of the House boys applied for. I'm 105.5 in this one, no, I can't pose, and yes I'm nowhere near lean or massive, but I'm happy with somewhere in between ha ha:

lookin strong, whats the roll in the movie for? ull make a top orc

[Big john]

ull make a top orc

fuark...my dream roll (srs)