MuscleAddict83's Bodybuilding Journey

[MuscleAddict83]

Injuring my back and having to rehab it over the weekend got me thinking. Even though I'm not old by the standards of some on these boards, I'm not getting any younger and if I want to keep this going for years to come I need to start training smarter not harder. As such, I'm dropping the DC and I'm not going to be maxing out on my first set anymore either. I'll do it on the last set and I'm going to train 3X and FST-7 style. What that means is that I will pick a weight that I can get for 12 reps and on the first set I'll do 8 reps, rest for 30s and then do another 8 reps, rest for another 30s and then go for as many reps as possible. Each of the first 2 sets should be sub-failure, but the shorter rest periods will mean I'm progressively fatiguing the muscle. If I'm able to complete 8 or more reps on the last set, I move up in weight the next time I do the exercise. That way I'm still operating under progressive overload. This will save my joints, help keep me from getting injured, and hopeful help me continue competing for a LONG time! I'm going to be keeping the same split and the same rotation of exercises. I've got the program written up in the same format. Here's a link to the spreadsheet:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?key=0AnvXuA6HESzPdHduamZaNGwza1BqTjJfUVFtWU5Ma1E&output=html

 

[IronInsanity]

No brain. No gain

 

[MuscleAddict83]

LOL! I like that.

 

[IronInsanity]

That's my mentor's saying and he's 63 yrs old, all natty and still pulling 5 plates every week.

 

[MuscleAddict83]

Awesome. I want to be 63 and pulling 5 plates!

 

[MuscleAddict83]

Well, the back is 100%, and I'm itching to get the weights going again! Can't wait to start the new workout tonight. Gonna be throwing in 20-30 minutes of cardio in after each weights session. I've been feeling a little chub coming on. Tonight the onslaught returns!

 

[MuscleAddict83]

BW - 220

TRAINING
Last night felt great! I'm really liking this style of training. Talk about creating a massive pump! Even though the weights were lighter, only resting for 30s between sets really made it heavy. I picked the right starting weights as well. About 65% of your one rep max for 3x8 and 60% for 4x10. I was able to meet my goal weight for each exercise. So, when I revisit these exercises I will be pushing 5% more weight. Here's what I did, remember each rest between sets is only 30s:

Incline Dumbbell Press 80x3x8
Incline Dumbbell Flyes 40x4x10
Barbell Upright Rows 115x3x8
Reverse Flyes 20x4x10
Neutral Grip Pullups BWx3x8
Machine Rows 160x3x8
Pullovers 160x4x10
Close-Grip Bench 195x3x8

This took me about 75 minutes to complete. So, a lot of volume in a short about of time. I had to skip on my rack deads last night. My lower back isn't quite up for them yet, but the Seated Chest Supported Row did the trick. I'll have to continue doing different exercises like this until everything is up to snuff. Not going to take any chances and although my back feels good sitting and walking around, after pushing some weight it felt a little sore and tight again. I'll just have to work around it. This might make legs interesting on Wednesday. I'll have to improvise a little.

SUPPS
I upped my LG Sciences M1D Black to 6 pills a day and I upped my Vital Labs Powerdrol to 20 mg. These two changes alone are making the pumps super intense! All I have to do is stare at the weights and I blow up!!! It feels amazing!

 

[bigbumpkin]

Hey brother !! Good to see you over here. I am not as active on this forum as I am on some others but I lurk about

 

[MuscleAddict83]

Great to see you too! This forum is a bit more quiet than others, but I gotta get the word out!

 

[MuscleAddict83]

Well, I finally got back at it last night! Pretty much having 2 weeks off in the middle of a cycle sucks, but what can you do? Things are still progressing and although I didn't get the hit the gym as much as I wanted to (3 workouts in 2 weeks) I'm still growing and getting WAY stronger. I'm still doing my 3 or 4 sets with only 30s rest between each. I switched things up a bit last night by doing my isolation exercise first followed by my compound. Amazingly I was still able to complete most of the compound exercise's sets. Next time I'll switch things back around again. Here's what happened:

BW - 220

Incline Dumbbell Flyes
25x3x10,12 - Go up!
Bench Press
240x2x8,12 - Go up!
Reverse Flyes
25x3x10,6 - Stay
Standing Military Press
130x2x8,6 - Stay
Pullovers
165x3x10,8 - Go up!
Underhand Pulldowns
220x8,6, 190x8 - Stay
Seated Cable Rows
150x3x8 - Go up!
SUPERSET:
Rope Pressdowns
100x3x8
Barbell Drag Curls
50x3x8

 

[IronInsanity]

Glad to see you back at it MA!

 

[MuscleAddict83]

Thanks big guy! How's things going for you?