Freak's Training Log

[genetic freak]

I feel like my chest gets in the way and the arms of the SSB are digging in. You’re bigger than me, how do you get around it?

I have the Elite FTS SS Yoke. The handles unscrew, so that you only have the pad. The pad length is the perfect pivot point for me. As soon as it touches my chest I bring the bar down to my face. I even let the pad smash my face a little.

 

[genetic freak]

Is that due to the overall toll it takes on the body to max out on deadlifts, or is it injury prevention? Or some other reason?

A little bit of both. I have degenerative disk disease in 3 different spots in my back, so it takes a toll. Plus, the recovery takes so long anymore it will chew into an entire weeks worth of workouts if not more. I kind of feel sick right now. Probably from smashing the CNS doing those heavy Hatfields last week and Deadlifts this week.

 

[genetic freak]

Cable single arm rear delt fly 45 lbs x 14/7/6 (Rest pause set)
Swiss bar chest press top set 320 lbs x 6/back off sets 275 lbs x 7 and 225 lbs x 10 (Pause reps. 1 second pause on chest and full lock out with each rep.)
DC pull ups BW + 100 lbs x 12/6/4 (Rest pause set. I always love when people walk over and ask me, "What the hell are you doing?")
Seated lateral raise super set 35 lbs/70 lbs x 23 (If you are not sure how these are done, you go full ROM with the lighter weight to failure then immediately grab the heavier weight and do the same number of reps for 1/3 the ROM. It looks like a penguin flapping their wings. I suggest giving it a try.)
Machine iso row top set 270 lbs x 8/back off sets 225 lbs x 10 and 180 lbs x 14
Cable crossover 55 lbs x 15/7/6 (Rest pause set)

 

[monsoon]

I have the Elite FTS SS Yoke. The handles unscrew, so that you only have the pad. The pad length is the perfect pivot point for me. As soon as it touches my chest I bring the bar down to my face. I even let the pad smash my face a little.

I have the same bar, maybe I’m doing it wrong. I’ll give it another try

 

[genetic freak]

I have the same bar, maybe I’m doing it wrong. I’ll give it another try

I messaged you.

So I was supposed to take it easy today, but... easy is not in my vocabulary. LMAO!

Laying dumbbell leg curl top set 45 lbs x 14/back off sets 40 lbs x 9 and 35 lbs x 10 (Someone was on the leg curl machine and I didn't feel like working in. I actually prefer these over laying machine leg curls anyways. I feel so much more activation my hamstrings. Plus, 45 lbs is heavy AF when it is down by your toes.)
Kettlebell sissy squats top set 304 lbs x 18/back off sets 295 lbs x 13 and 288 lbs x 14 (Again, someone was on the leg extension. That is my bodyweight + the kettlebell. I do this as intended. This is not a squat, you shouldn't treat it like one. You need to lean back as far as you can and it should look almost like a hip thrust, which mimics the leg extension.)
Barbell squats top set 600 lbs x 1/back off sets 490 lbs x 8 and 380 lbs x 20 (I haven't done actual barbell squats in FOREVER. I always use the SSB or Smith Machine. It felt heavy AF on my back, which is my limiting factor and I actually wore a belt for this, but my legs could have done another 150-200 lbs. I wasn't satisfied with the depth, but everyone else is telling me I broke parallel. I guess I am so used to going ass to grass that it looks weird to me. I just grabbed some dude to spot me, as none of the regular strongman competitors were there. If they were, I would have went up or did a few reps. Like I said, it was easy.)
Machine calf extensions 500 lbs x 15 x 2
Belt squat lunges 338 lbs x 12 (I seen Brandon Curry doing these, so I decided to give them a try a couple weeks ago. Just set up in a belt squat like normal then turn 90 degrees. Fucking magical.)

 

[genetic freak]

Just to prove how much my chest sucks and my pressing is all triceps.

Swiss bar close grip bench press top set 320 lbs x 7/back off set 275 lbs x 10 (Pause on chest and full lock out. I do more close grip than I can with a normal width grip. I have always been this way. When I was younger and still powerbuilding, I would close grip 315 lbs with my thumbs touching and rest my hands on my chest with every rep and hit 20+ reps. I couldn't hit that with a normal width grip even with a bench shirt on.)
Spider curls 50 lbs x 14/40 lbs x 5/30 lbs x 5 (Drop set)

 

[genetic freak]

Deload over! Thank the lord. I have never actually committed to a full week out of the gym before. I would go in and train arms or do some pump work, but this time I actually stayed out of the gym except to go in and use the posing room.

SSB JM Press 225 lbs x 10/5/5 (Rest pause set. I think I could have done a rep or two more on the first round, but being fresh was kind of a bad thing. I wasn't as tight and it wasn't that it felt heavier, just less stable.)
Single arm overhead curl 45 lbs x 20/12/11 (Rest pause set. Should have went heavier.)

 

[genetic freak]

There is no way I would be able to recover from my previous mesocycle under my maintenance phase nutrition and supplement protocol, so I changed it to Push, Pull, Legs, Arms/Abs, Repeat. Arms/abs is pretty much a rest day, but if I find I am not recovering well enough I will put a rest day before are after leg day. I will run with this until I hire a coach next month and start prep. He may let me keep it or he might cahnge it. I don't know. I am letting him have full control, as I am prepping a few others and don't want to have to worry about my prep and theirs. Plus, I am my own worst enemy. I will just bury myself until I end up in the hospital or almost die in the hotel room. Shit I never let my clients do, but I do to myself.

Pec dec top set 280 lbs x 14 (This is almost a pre-exhaustion exercise at this point. Chest out, full controlled eccentric, full stretch and squeeze in the middle. Felt like nothing and I can only use a GymPin to add more weight.)
Smith machine incline press 315 lbs x 9/3/3/3/2 (Rest pause set. Focus on more control and squeezing the pecs through the contraction then pausing right before full lockout to keep tension on the chest.)
Single arm low crossover top set 30 lbs x 16 (Supposed to be both arms, but the gym was packed. I actually liked this better and will probably transition to single arms from here on out.)
Hanshaw later superset 35/70 lbs x 15/15/10 (Myo matching with 1:00 between sets. I actually thought I would get 15 reps on the last set, but I fucking died hard.)
Meadows front delt raise 30 lbs x 15/8/7 (Rest pause set. Delts were PUMPED.)

 

[genetic freak]

Against my better judgement I decided to add deadlifts into my maintenance mesocycle. Why? Because I love deadlifts and would like to beat my lifetime PR of 730 lbs before I start contest prep, but I don't think it is in the cards. I thought today would be the best day for it, but I have a sharp pain in my thoracic area of my spine, one of the areas where I have degenerative disk disease. I pulled anyways, but probably should have went to a chest supported row instead for some back thickness.

Chest supported rear delt fly superset 30/60 lbs x 22 (Same as side lateral superset, full ROM with the lighter weight to failure then immediately grab the heavier weight and do 1/3 ROM for the same number of reps. If you actually know how to train your rear delts and not your traps and upper back, this is fucking murder.)
Neutral grip pull down upper back focused top set 225 lbs x 14
V-grip pull down 200 lbs x 11/170 lbs x 6/140 lbs x 6 (Drop set)
Dumbbell upright row 50 lbs x 19/11/10 (Rest pause set. These are pulled up and out to focus on traps and not front delts.)
Deadlifts top set 668 lbs x1/back off set 602 lbs x 2 (I wanted to hit 602 lbs x 3, but I did more than 20 reps above 500 lbs today and was straight fucking gassed by the time I got to that last set. I failed at 708 lbs. It left the floor, but that was about it. I used the Texas bar today instead of the Kabuki, as the main focus was hitting reps at 600 lbs. If you have ever used a Kabuki bar and you start whipping that thing, it will whip you. A Texas bar is a lot more forgiving if you start jerking it.)

 

[Shock]

How are you doing laying dumbbell leg curls? An attachment? Comparable to machine versions?

 

[Yano]

This log makes me grin from ear to fucking ear.

 

[genetic freak]

How are you doing laying dumbbell leg curls? An attachment? Comparable to machine versions?

Hold the dumbbell between the arch of my feet. I have short hamstrings. Great for RDLs, as I can pull a ton, but horrible for machine laying leg curls. There is not training to failure. There is only training to hamstring cramp. My ROM is also very short on the machine laying leg curls. On the dumbbells, much less likely to cramp, yet I can feel it hitting the hamstrings hard. Plus, I have full ROM.