Road to the BNBF Welsh Qualifiers 2011 - Progess Journal

[BennyC]

My shaker was full of water so would have lost the whole tub if I did that!

No you'd have to drink it all

I always add water in last with all my shakes. Add water, turn shaker upside down and bang on the bottom. Don't smack it on anything as I've cracked a shaker this way, lol

 

[Steedie]

Monday 24th January - Shoulders/Traps
Workout consisted of Sets Weight (if DB, weight of each DB) 10-20 second rest in between sets
Standing Lateral Raise 2x50 (6kg, 6kg)
Seated Barbell Press 2x10 1x8 (50kg, 50kg, 50kg)
Single Arm Cable Raises 3x12 (15kg, 15kg, 15kg)
Seated Front Raises 3x12 (14kg, 14kg, 14kg) Superset 1
Arnold Press 3x8 (10kg, 14kg, 14kg) Superset 1
Lying DB Rear Delt Raises 3x10 (16kg, 18kg, 18kg)
BB Shrugs 4x12 (80kg, 80kg, 80kg)

Tuesday 25th January - Legs
Workout consisted of Sets Weight (if DB, weight of each DB) 10-20 second rest in between sets
Leg Extension 1x12 1x50 (35kg, 25kg)
Back Squats 4x8 (100kg, 110kg, 110kg, 100kg)
Front Squats 2x8 (70kg, 70kg)
Leg Press 3x10 (200kg, 200kg, 200kg)
Leg Extension 21s (30kg)
Hamstring Curls 3x12 (50kg, 50kg, 50kg)
BB Lunges 2x20 (20kg, 20kg)

Thursday 27th January - Chest/Tris
Workout consisted of Sets Weight (if DB, weight of each DB) 10-20 second rest in between sets
High Incline DB Press 5x10 (22kg, 22kg, 35kg, 35kg, 30kg)
Incline Smith Press 4x8 (60kg, 60kg, 60kg, 60kg)
Flat Bench Press 3x8 (60kg, 60kg, 60kg)
DB Flies 3x10 (14kg, 16kg, 16kg)
Cable Pushdowns 3x15 (25kg, 35kg, 35kg, 35kg)
Skull Crushers 2x25 (20kg, 20kg) Superset
Closegrip Bench Press 2x25 (20kg, 20kg) Superset
Dips 3x6 (BW, BW, BW)

Monday and Tuesdays workouts went well. Especially legs, got some good volume and managed to keep the intensity up. Just a shame the leg press machine doesn't go as high so I had to reduce the weight. But it still did me good.

Shoulder workouts I think are my favourites these days just because I know I'm making such good progress with them so I enjoy working them, and I love the more volume approach. To think I used to do shoulders with legs a while ago is crazy

Todays workout wasn't great, I just didn't feel like my chest got worked. My triceps felt blitzed, but my chest, while definitely pumped didn't feel any uncomfort , which to me is always a worry that it didn't get worked properly

Last workout tomorrow before my diet so really making the most of this last week for my size gains. Then next week the cut begins

Will weigh myself and get my stats up tomorrow. As well as pictures to show where I am before the cut begins

 

[Buffman]

Cant believe you manage 10-20s rests between each set. That must be horrid especially for legs

 

[Steedie]

I will admit, the last two sets of squats or deadlifts are usually like 30-40 seconds, just because I'm so out of breath

But it's amazing how quick you get used to it

 

[BennyC]

Looks like a good week! I love smashing lateral delts until they fail completely

 

[Steedie]

The human body is so unpredictable

Yesterday I said I worried my chest didn't get worked but my tris felt absolutely exhausted. Yet today its my chest that feels so sore and my tris feel fine

Oh well

 

[alexakasloth]

Absolutely, but you got confirmation that you hit them well! What baffles me is when you have a great session, yet the following one I miss out on the last couple of reps where the session before I could push through it Then spend the rest of the time at the gym working out why that would be.

 

[Steedie]

Friday 28th January - Back/Bis
Workout consisted of Sets Weight (if DB, weight of each DB) 10-20 second rest in between sets
5 minute bike
Bent Over rows 4x10 (60kg, 65kg, 65kg, 65kg)
Deadlifts 4x6 (120kg, 100kg, 100kg, 100kg)
T-Bar Rows 4x10 (40kg, 50kg, 60kg, 60kg)
Lat Pulldowns 4x10 (55kg, 55kg, 55kg, 50kg)
Incline DB Curls 3x8 (14kg, 14kg, 14kg)
High Cable Curls 2x15 1x15 1x15 (40kg, 40kg, 30kg, 25kg)
Bar Curls 2x60 (3x20) (17.5kg/15kg/12.5kg, 17.5kg/15kg/12.5kg)
Hammer Curls 3x10 (10kg, 10kg 10kg)

Good session today although doing deadlifts with straps has messed up my grip as I really struggled with 120 today, as soon as I lifted, my grip would open and I'd have to reset every rep

I'm loving the pump I get from bicep workouts at the moment, the bar curls really get the blood there, and hammer curls to finish off you just feel like your bicep is about to explode through your skin

So that's it, my last off season training session.

Weight: 95kg (+5kg since October, I blame a couple of these on Christmas )
Bodyfat: 21% (+1%, better than I thought)

Will get some pics up when I'm home

 

[BennyC]

Only gaining 1% is good going mate. Fat will melt right off as you're coming down from 20% so should keep you motivated.

It's amazing how straps can totally transform a lift and allow you to focus elsewhere. When I used to use them on Lat Pull Down I noticed this the most along with the huge difference they make for deadlifts. I'm not saying they're amazing and everybody should use them as they are detrimental to grip but the difference they make to a lift is noticable.

 

[B1C3P]

Only gaining 1% is good going mate. Fat will melt right off as you're coming down from 20% so should keep you motivated.

It's amazing how straps can totally transform a lift and allow you to focus elsewhere. When I used to use them on Lat Pull Down I noticed this the most along with the huge difference they make for deadlifts. I'm not saying they're amazing and everybody should use them as they are detrimental to grip but the difference they make to a lift is noticable.

Tbh unless you are powerlifting/strongman straps are perfectly acceptable.

 

[BennyC]

Tbh unless you are powerlifting/strongman straps are perfectly acceptable.

According to CT, having to use your grip for heavy work is quite taxing on the CNS.

 

[icecold]

Good luck with the cut Steedie, 21% isn't too bad at all.

 

[B1C3P]

According to CT, having to use your grip for heavy work is quite taxing on the CNS.

My grip gives way before the muscle exhausts.... For example if doing any sort of pull exercise, we will just say t-bars or even pull ups, I'll bang out say 10 reps without straps, however with straps I can use a thumbless grip and focus the tension almost completely on the muscle, this makes all the difference imo, it works for me. But yeah grip won't really improve greatly but I'd far rather be able to work the muscle more efficiently and focus on it rather than worry about grip.

 

[B1C3P]

Good luck with the cut Steedie, 21% isn't too bad at all.

Higher then needed.... Im not competing but I would personally tend to stick to visible abs all year round. I've been there done that with the huge bulk ups probs to 21% maybe even more! and it's a nightmare to take it off again lol. Imo long gone are the days of these silly huge eating (which the body doesn't need). (not saying you did a lot of silly eating steedie!).

 

[Steedie]

My shopping for the week...

And for the next 19 after

The flavours going on there are just immense...[/sarcasm]

 

[Steedie]

Pictures for 30th Jan 2011

End of off-season

BF 21% and combine that with the belly of someone who 2 hours ago ate 6 plates of all you can eat buffet (my last enjoyable meal for 20 weeks )

One leg is slightly forward here, there not just different sizes

My poses are crap first off, and lighting isn't great but it will do. I hate how I look now, especially my biceps, my arms have gained a lot of fat so hiding away the guns which is sad face time

 

[B1C3P]

To be fair you actually look better there then you did in the other ones you posted up. You've def gained some decent muscle, and your fat is held in pretty well, you don't really look 21%. Obviously a bit soft, prob holding some water from bulk but wouldn't worry to much about it.

 

[Steedie]

Cheers mate

I'm hoping to lose a lot of the water and bloat this week due to the lack of sugary foods and salt. So next week i hopefully look a bit better

 

[BlackCoat2k10]

Im interested in what your diet and plan is going to be. I have just started a cut and looking at trying some Ketosis cycling but some added motivation from this journal could help massively!

 

[Steedie]

Look at page 6 for my diet mate