# Genetics? PFFT - hsmann87's journal.



## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

Yo peeps.

Been on this site for a while now. Have sponged up as much info as possible. Some good. Some bad. Some sh1t. Some Excellent. And basically. Its now journal time!

Its gonna be something a lil different from what a lot of the journals are like on this site so hopefully you lot will take some interest 

*Stats*

Height - 5ft 9in

Current weight - 191 lbs

Bodyfat - circa 12%

Age - 23

Natural

Some 1rm lifts:

Decline bench - 140kg

Deadlift - 240kg no belt no straps

Strict no leg involvement OHP - 100kg

45 degree leg press - 10pps, 15 reps (each rep knees touching armpits)

Incline dumbbell bench - 50kg bells 8 reps (bells touching the pec at the bottom of each rep)

(I don't free weight squat as my hip flexibility is dodgy and I end up recruiting more glute, back, and hips as opposed to thighs so it's a waste for me)

*History*

Played rugby from age 11. Broke my leg age 12. Was sat on my a55 in a massive cast for almost a year. Got tremendously fat. At 16, once I discovered that girls were quite pretty and needed tapping, decided to shift some. Was on a mission to be thin. Didn't care about muscles. But lifted weights and did a LOT of cardio. I was clueless. Diet was sh1t; cereal for brekkie, snickers bar for lunch, lucozade postworkout, mum's home cooked dinner). Carried on like this through school and 1st year of uni. Probably did me more detriment as I drank a lot in first year etc.

I have always been fairly strong though. Was doing seated dumbbell shoulder press (20kg bells) for 20 reps with relative ease at 16. At 18 I was flat benching the 40kg dumbbells for reps. Strong leg press. Deadlifting 160kg for reps at 18. But sh1t physique.

Got serious on 19th birthday. Diet started to comprise more chicken with the inclusion of whey protein. Still didn't know about fats and carbs. By 20/21 I was more on it. Ate LOADS. And packed on some good strength and size. Was eating 6 meals daily without fail; 3x BSN True Mass Shakes Daily and 3x 100g rice+2beef burgers daily. Alternating between meal/shake/meal/shake/meal/shake.

Carried it on after uni. Still beating PBs, noticeable gains in size etc. Was always a lil chub though up until June 2010 when I decided to go on a little cut. Initial aim was 8 week keto. But got into it well and did the full 14 weeks. Ripped up nicely. Areas that need MOST improvement are arms and legs. Pics:



Aim was to do a natty BB show this year in Aug. But its my folks' 50th wedding anniversary and the whole family is going away for it and I don't wanna be dieting during that so I have postponed a potential show to 2012.

Post Keto, I got back on a more conventional diet with the inclusion of more carbs and calories in general. Am up to 191 lbs now. And am still progressing size and strength wise.

*MY THEORY!*

I have come to conclude this after 5 years of being disillusioned in that I can become a mass monster by staying natural and eating loads lol.

I am not gonna get massive by doing what im doing. Ive opened up my eyes and want to explore training. The sole aim is to still gain size. But im tired of the boring conventional bodybuilding splits I see on forums and read about in magazines all the time.

You see. Im natural. So there is no way im gonna get MASSIVE. Not bothered about taking AAS either or getting MASSIVE. I feel that I have a LOT more to learn before I even think about taking gear. GH is something that may be dabbled in at some point though, but obviously not before I do a natty show; if I do the show I want to be 100% clean for myself. Don't see the need to cheat. If you are gonna cheat then be a man and do UKBFF or NABBA I say!

I am one to watch a lot of training stuff on youtube, MD etc. I love it all. I love the hardcore BB style of training by for example Branch Warren. I also love the more athletic NFL style training&#8230;.DeFrancos, Diesel Crew, Elite FTS (Dave Tate) etc etc. I like it all.

I just enjoy watching people train HARD and not winge or moan about genetics, drugs etc etc.

So recently I have been watching the Levrone Transformation series on youtube and have read Dutch Scott's ALPHA Fitness thread twice. First time I read it was more for entertainment and because I was intrigued. Second time I read it I properly studied it. And it got me thinking. His training was really interesting. BB training doesn't need to be the same standard training splits, low intensity cardio, 6 meals. Done.

Look at NFL players, rugby players. They all have the same, if not MORE, muscle as most natural BBers. Yet their training isn't very BB specific at all.

*Training*

My training is now changing with the PRIMARY focus being on the following two things:

1)	NLF Combine Training - this is a test that NFL players do which tests strength, speed, agility. I feel that this will carve the ultimate athlete, IMO, and with the ULTIMATE naturally (yes, debatable I know lol) attainable physique. And also I feel that the inclusion of sprints etc may spark new leg growth. Please see here for more info: http://www.nfl.com/combine/workouts

2)	Arm hypertrophy - summer is approaching. Tshirts and vests are gonna be in full flow. And you tell me. Who doesn't like a big set of arms? Lol

I will take my measurements in the coming week for the following exercises, and see how much i smash them by after 10 weeks (end of May 2011):

-40 yard sprint

-Decline bench press (100kg) - Its supposed to be flat but i always fvck my rotators when flat benching so it is gonna be decline for me.

-Vertical jump - i will do box jumps

-Broad jump

-3 cone drill (this looks FUN!)

-20 yard shuttle

If you are unsure about any of these, just youtube them. You can find many examples.

BY THE END, I AIM TO BE BIGGER, FASTER, STRONGER, MORE AGILE, FITTER AND LEANER.

Split will be as follows:

Day 1 - Quads, abs, low intensity cardio

Day 2 - Arms, calves, skipping (with a rope, not like a fairy up and down the gym lol)

Day 3 - NFLC stuff

Day 4 - Shoulders, NFLC shuttle work

Day 5 - Hamstrings, sprints

Day 6 - Rest/skipping/NFLC all depending on fatigue levels

Day 7 - Chest, triceps, skipping

Day 8 - Back, biceps, low intensity cardio

Day 9 - Rest/skipping/NFLC all depending on fatigue levels

REPEAT

I don't follow a standard 7 day split as i need longer for muscle groups to recover. Weights workouts will be geared to more power and lower in volume as i will need to fit in NFLC stuff also.

*Rest and mental focus*

I feel that a lot of people forget about this part of training. And it is, IMO, equally as important as the gym work and diet. For me, it is IMPERATIVE that I sleep as much as possible. Obviously work commitments etc don't always allow me to do so, in which case I stop winging and get on with it. But on the whole, sleep is needed IMO. If im feeling im losing out on sleep i will just take an extra day off to rest.

This is my journey. If i don't have the mental focus, i may aswell not have started this journal. So im gonna give it my all.

Strength. Genetics. Natural. Gear. Limits? Fvck them. They mean nothing to me.

*Nutrition*

The diet below is the same as the one I have been following since the end of my keto last year. However I have reduced carbs at brekkie now and have taken out carbs from meal 2. The reason for this is because I want to get lean whilst doing this. I weigh all of my food. Some people do. Some don't. Some think its stupid. That's ok. But it works for me. Shawn Ray - CONTINUOUSLY one of the most conditioned BBers in history IMO. Never weighed his food. Still to this day the guy doesn't know how many g protein in a chicken breast. Dorian Yates, weighed everything to a T. 6 x MR Olympia. Yes. These are BB pros. But what im trying to say is that everyone does what works for them. The way I see it; if I weigh my stuff then if and when I need to go back to the drawing board, I have a starting point and I can tweak from there.

MEAL 1 (circa 60p 40c 40f)

10g BCAA

10g Glutamine

6 whole eggs

5g butter for frying pan

150/200ml fresh fruit juice (usually orange and apple mix..mmmmm!)

MEAL 2 (circa 60p 8c 18f)

55g whey

40g cashews

MEAL 3 (circa 55p 8c 20f)

Chicken breast oven cooked, seasoned with nandos peri peri chip salt only

Dollop BBQ sauce/ketchup

Dollop sour cream (if I fancy it)

37g cashews

MEAL 4 (circa 55p 8c 20f)

Chicken breast oven cooked, seasoned with nandos peri peri chip salt only

Dollop BBQ sauce/ketchup

Dollop sour cream (if I fancy it)

37g cashews

MEAL 5 (circa 45p 50c 10f) - 1.5hrs pre workout

90g powdered oats

40g whey

INTRA WORKOUT is 5g Glutamine, 10g EAAs

MEAL 6 (circa 55p 70c 3f) - POSTWORKOUT

5g BCAA

5g EAA

5g Glutamine

40g Whey

Waxy Maize Starch

MEAL 7 (circa 30p 10c 35f)

A ton of broccoli

5 whole eggs (of 4 whole eggs and 1 slice cheese)

5g butter

Ketchup (if I fancy it)

1 cheat meal on a Friday/Saturday night. Nothing major. Something like KFC and ice cream or a restaurant meal. I like whole eggs as i feel they have a good amino acid profile and you get the most bang for your buck. NEVER understood why anyone would get rid of the yolk???? :confused1: :confused1:

I may substitute a meal for something else but have the same macros. For example instead of chicken and cashews I may go to nandos and have half a chicken and some halloumi cheese so im getting the fats and protein in.

Here a few videos you guys may want to take a look at for reference. Vids that I watched that inspired me (sorry, don't know how to embed):











Kai Greene treadmill confessions (cannot find on youtube...)






http://www.youtube.com/user/levrone2000

Irrelevant to training. But this song has been played on repeat the whole time ive been writing this post. So i thought i would share. Enjoy. Lol&#8230;






Right. Off to train chest/triceps and skipping ! Will report back. BOOM

:beer:


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## Josh1436114527 (Apr 3, 2007)

You seem to have everything nailed buddy it will be good to see the results from a different approach to training

Good luck man


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## Little_Jay (Feb 6, 2006)

u no what you want mate and how to get it, best of luck!


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## IrishRaver (Feb 4, 2010)

Nice. It's about time as well, you :thumbup1:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

Josh said:


> You seem to have everything nailed buddy it will be good to see the results from a different approach to training
> 
> Good luck man





scouse_jay said:


> u no what you want mate and how to get it, best of luck!





IrishRaver said:


> Nice. It's about time as well, you :thumbup1:


Cheers chaps. Stay tuned


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Chest/Triceps/Cardio - 11 March 2011; 8pm*

*Chest*

1. Decline Barbell Bench

Thought I'd start with the bench test. Warmed up. Started with empty bar. Moving up 10kg each side. No more than 5-8 reps per set. Nothing too taxing. Did a single of 120kg. Went up easy. Aim of it was just to prime the body to shift heavy weight. Did the 100kg. Got 14 reps. So that's my starting point. Want to get at least 20 by end of May. Not going to do any decline bench now for the next 5 weeks or so. Just other exercises to build up the chest. Lets see what happens! Always been a believer that if you want to improve a lift, don't do it for a month. Aim to smash PBs on all other lifts that hit the same muscle groups and then come back to it. I've always noticed results like that.

2. 60 degree incline dumbbell bench press (quite steep!) - medium pace up and down

28kg bells - 10 reps (warmup)

45kg bells - 7 reps

45kg bells - 6 reps

3. Gay life fitness flat chest press - super slow down, hold stretch for 3 seconds then explode and push away

98kg - 8 reps

Dropset: 119kg-3 reps, 77kg-5 reps, 49kg-5 reps (WOWWW pumped!)

4. Superset with incline hammer strength press and cable crossovers (Dorian style), all reps medium pace, holding squeeze on peak contraction for a second

Incline: 50kg per side-7 reps. Cables: 30kg per side-12 reps

Incline: 50kg per side-6 reps. Cables: 35kg per side-10 reps

*Triceps*

1.Straight bar cable pushdowns, super strict, no lockout, constant movement, keeping pressure on triceps and not joints (just to "get blood into the area" LOL)

40kg-30 reps

60kg-18 reps. Take 5 DEEP breaths. 6 more reps (rest pause styleee)

2. Decline skull crushers with an Olympic bar (don't like EZ bars, prefer a flat bar; we use a flat bar to bench, deadlift, squat etc so why use a fancy bar for arms if your joints are savvy???)

40kg-8 reps

40kg-12 reps WTF:confused1:

40kg-8 reps immediate superset with bodyweight DEEP dips-8reps.

Dead. Chest and triceps done in 50 min.

*Cardio*

Skipping rope for 10 mins. Pretty much non-stop. Was sweating like a blind **** in the fishmongers. Forearms and calves were feeling it

Then, gym was pretty empty and the long strip where people do walking lunges was free. Started chatting to one of the trainers who is doing his sports science dissertation on sprinting and seems to know a thing or two. So did some 10 yard dashes. 5 sets. Times as follows:

2.03 secs

1.91 secs

1.97 secs

1.88 secs

1.84 secs

Hammies were fried! These times are SH!T. According to the NFL, "average" times are between 1.6-1.62. So that's the aim! TO be fair my technique was abysmal. Didn't even start properly and I was swaying from side to side like noones business. I reckon if I sort technique I will be able to shave quite a bit off that. We shall see! The reason why i was swaying is because my ab and core strength isn't functionally strong for sprinting. Hopefully it will come with practice.

:beer:


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## Little_Jay (Feb 6, 2006)

done very well to get that lean from a former fat boy (like myself) my plan is to get lean as i can now before carrying on bulking, ave realised its better to look ingood shape while growing then just being fat and bulking, it might not be the quickest way but its the best way because i mostly do this for looks, would look at competing in a few years but thts not my main concern now!


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

Ill be following this. Good effort man :thumbup1:


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## eezy1 (Dec 14, 2010)

goodluck mate. this`ll be the first one ill attempt to follow =] make it good


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

scouse_jay said:


> done very well to get that lean from a former fat boy (like myself) my plan is to get lean as i can now before carrying on bulking, ave realised its better to look ingood shape while growing then just being fat and bulking, it might not be the quickest way but its the best way because i mostly do this for looks, would look at competing in a few years but thts not my main concern now!





greenspin said:


> Ill be following this. Good effort man :thumbup1:





eezy1 said:


> goodluck mate. this`ll be the first one ill attempt to follow =] make it good


Cheers lads.

Right. Woke up at 10:15. Downed brekkie about half an hour ago. Just been researching and perusing the web.

Check this freak. Awesome physique also: http://www.youtube.com/user/CombineFreak#p/u/4/FhwBRb9Lfhk

Just measured up my garden and discovered that its big enough for me to do both the *3 cone drill *and the *20 yard shuttle*. Pics below. The distance between each cone is 5 yards (need to head down to sports world in a bit and buy some cones lol):



Getting my pre workout meal in at about 1pm (90g oats and 40g whey) and will train back/biceps at about 2/2:30. Depending on energy levels i will attempt these two drills later today. Run out of waxy maize:cursing:. So postworkout carbs will have to be some Haribo Starmix...oh well...cant be that bad :whistling:

Chest and triceps are sore from last night! Time to bang in the protein :tongue:

http://www.youtube.com/user/CombineFreak#p/u/2/YiRnu0EmLno : will be doing this drill as postworkout cardio after back/biceps today. 5-10 sets. Each set lasts approx 6/8 seconds (which is how long a 40yard dash should roughly take me).

*Daily vitamin and mineral intake*

At breakfast: 1000mg Vit C, 250iu Vit D3, 1200mg Calcium, 4g Omega 3

With meal 2: 1 x Berocca effervescent pill in water (nutritional info here http://www.berocca.co.uk/vitamin-c.htm)

With meal 7: 1000mg Vit C.

:beer:


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## Greenspin (Dec 27, 2010)

The backwards running stuff looks mental!


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## IrishRaver (Feb 4, 2010)

You definitely give it your best mate don't you lol

Progress pics? or gtfo


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

Bodyfat levels are at the level of the 3rd pic in the first post. Pics will come in due course. Worry not Raver!

*Back/Biceps/Speed work - 12 March 2011; 2pm*

*Back*

1. Neutral grip pullups (hands 12 inches apart)-maintaining S shape arch in back. Holding peak contraction for a second, full stretch at bottom

Very light warmup on lat pulldown-50 reps

2 sets, bodyweight-12 reps

Bodyweight + 20kg-9 reps

Bodyweight + 40kg-4 reps. Rest(5 deep breaths). Bodyweight-10 reps. Rest(5 deep breaths). Bodyweight-5 reps. Rest(5 deep breaths). Bodyweight-3 ½ reps. PAIN!

2. Barbell bent over row (Dorian Yates style)

60kg-12 reps (warm up)

100kg-8 reps (warm up)

130kg-8reps (surprised myself here; thought I would only be good for 6 reps)

150kg-4 reps (humping them up lol); immediate drop to 100kg-6 perfectly strict reps

3. Dumbell rows on 30 degree incline bench, medium pace reps

40kg-10 reps per side (warm up)

58kg-12 reps per side

58kg-15 reps per side :confused1: I think its because a good song came on ipod and I got a boner lol

4. Bodyweight regular chins; hands 24 inches apart, overhand grip, same perfect S shape

10 reps

7 reps

*Biceps*

1. Spider curls with a straight bar

25kg-15 reps

25kg-12 reps

25kg-12 reps (last rep was a with a bit of swing)

25kg-12 reps (last rep was with a bit of swing)

2. Dumbell preacher curls; 14kg dumbbell. Left arm, then right, then left, then right, then left. No rest between sets.

12 reps each arm

8 reps each arm

6 reps each arm

3. Standing barbell curls

30kg-10 reps

35kg-8 reps

Done in 50 min.

*Sprint work*

1.Started to do the wall drills, but the sprint coach in my gym came over and ripped my technique to shreds&#8230;made me felt like a floppy willy stood infront of a naked Jenna Jameson :lol:

Worked on my technique with him for 20 min

Then did 4 sets, each set lasting 6 seconds (THIS IS HARD although it sounds p1ss)

2. Barbell roll outs for abs and hips

3 sets of 8ish reps

3. Box jumps

Was just messing around. Best attempt was 37 inches. Which aint great, seeing as Dwain Chambers can do this:






4. 2 x treadmill sprints. Speed 20, incline 2 (standard gym life fitness treadmill)

Done.

The Haribo Starmix topped off a great workout! The muscles in and around my groin area are sore as fvck. No more drill work today. Will do some low intensity incline treadmill walking a bit later. That's it.

Lateral drills in the park tomorrow. BOOM!

Sprint work is bloody difficult. It engages your nervous system in NO way that heavy weights does. Its gonna be a massive change for me. And im looking forward to it!

LOTS of stretching will be done today. JOY!

Gym tune of the day:






:beer:


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## Zzz102 (Apr 6, 2010)

looking good mate and u have a great back


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

Zzz102 said:


> looking good mate and u have a great back


Thanks man. Needs to be MUCH greater though 

*Explosive groundwork drills - 13 March 2011; 1:30pm*

Woke up this morning and my a55 and hips were VERY sore. So i did this for about half an hour before starting my workout. Worked a treat:






Since I live in Twickenham and England are playing Scotland in the rugby today, the streets are MANIC so i set up some cones in the back garden instead of going to a park. Won't be doing this again as I have torn the turf up no end lol.

Started with 20 yard shuttle and best time was 5.38 seconds. Floor was very wet and slippery so maybe this added to the time?

Then afterwards I did some more random drills working on explosive power from touching down at each end and also working on sideway shuffling. Ended up mimicking HIIT cardio style.

Wasn't really sweating after as it was so cold outside. But i was WORKED. Finished with a bit of skipping and stretching.

Calves and legs are now in AGONY. Will not be training quads tomorrow. And seeing as I am doing a lot of leg work with the sprints etc, I will combine leg resistance training into one workout per 9 days now and not split between quads and hammies.

I'm, liking the look of this:

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/my_greatest_gains_ever_joe_defranco

*Nutrition*

Still no waxy maize. So im loving the Haribo. Might stick with it for a while now. Its all about Starmix, with the limited edition berry flavoured alien sweetie

Substituted eggs with minced lamb last night

Will be substituting eggs with steak tonight:rockon:

Legs are fried. They need some good rest and stretching now so I will be hitting some upper body tomorrow evening. Shoulders and traps. Will employ some explosive hang and cleans.

:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Low intensity cardio, booty myofascial release, leg stretches/mobility drills - 14 March 2011; 6:30am*

1. Cardio

Treadmill incline walking; speed 5, gradient 10, 10 min (more of a warmup than anything lol)

2. Myofascial release

As in video at top of previous post

3. Leg stretches/mobility drills






Legs were in a bit of pain today so had to go to the disabled bogs at work a few times. Take ye old tight work trousers off and stretch off the calves and hammies:lol:. Helped a lot though.

*Shoulders, sprint work (power), abs - 14 March 2011; 6:30pm*

*Shoulders*

1. Power cleans

Warmed up with pyramiding weights. This is the first time ive ever done power cleans. Looking back and from watching some videos on proper technique etc, i was muscling the weight up more than using explosive power. Working sets:

90kg - 1 rep

100kg - FAIL. Immediate drop to:

90kg - 2 reps

2. Standing single arm shoulder press - touching dumbell to delt at the bottom of each rep

24kg - 10 reps each arm

34kg - 6 reps each arm

36kg (LEFT) - 1rep; drop to 34kg - 1 rep; drop to 24kg - 8 reps

36kg (RIGHT) - 4 reps; drop to 34kg - half rep lol; drop to 24kg - 8 reps

3. Cable lateral raises (up quickly, hold peak contraction for a second, slow down)

12.5kg - 12 reps each arm

17.5 kg - 10 reps each arm

20kg - 7 reps; drop to 15kg - 7 reps; 10kg - 7 reps (did this for each arm....PUMPED!)

4. Barbell shrugs (deep stretch, then holding and squeezing peak contraction on each rep)

70kg - 30 reps

70kg - 30 reps...PAIN!

Done. In 45 min. Loving the variation to the shoulder workout. Was beginning to get bored of standard seated/standing barbell/dumbell/smith press 

*Cardio*

Treadmill. HIIT. Speed 20 (max), incline 5, 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off

Just did 4 sets. Felt like dying lol

*Abs*

Plank to push up

3 sets, 50 seconds each - TRUST ME. THIS LOOKS EASY. BUT IT AINT!






Done. Haribo Starmix to finish with some whey, BCAAs and EAAs.

Substituted evening eggs with fillet steak slices, low fat ham, cucumber and a small amount of butter thrown into a frying pan. Was LUSH. Whoever said dieting was boring?!??! :bounce:

Looking forward, these 2 drills are gonna be tried very soon:

1.





 - I dont have a prowler, so I will be using my car. Will try to video it if i can.

2.





 - from 0:20 to 0:30

Tune of the day:

__
https://soundcloud.com/mbiggs%2Fstreets-is-calling-prod-by-murray-biggs

:beer:


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## j1mmytt (Jan 12, 2011)

Hi mate, can you post up your size stats ie, size of arm, waist, calve, forearm, chest etc. Im 5'11 177lbs and i look alot bigger than you but i cant for sh1t push that much weight :{ maybe im just weak lol or your pics are very deceiving.

I was a natty last week lol but i have moved to the darkside now  so expect to see some serious changes soon although im on a cut im sure il still put on some size


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

well in my avi pic i was 171lbs. height is 5ft 9. quite a bit leaner than u in your avi (not trying to make it sound like a competition lol)

ive always been naturally strong. it runs in the blood. was dumbell shoulder pressing the 20kg bells for 20 reps when i was 16. always been a fan of strength. but u need to remember that strength and size dont necessarily go hand in hand.

i know a lot of natural guys who are much stronger than big bodybuilders. hell i can lift a lot of the same weights that jay cutler does! but that means sweet FA because my body is the size of his ankle.

hypertrophy doesnt equal strength (within reason). steroids aid size by preventing the body from excreting Nitrogen which, in turn, equates to muscle. So instead of being called anabolic agents, they should really be called anti catabolic agents.

Cant really be bothered to get the measuring tape out. chest/neck/arm/leg size means fk all to me. its all about being bigger, faster, stronger and leaner than i was last month, and looking well proportioned


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## j1mmytt (Jan 12, 2011)

hsmann87 said:


> well in my avi pic i was 171lbs. height is 5ft 9. quite a bit leaner than u in your avi (not trying to make it sound like a competition lol)
> 
> ive always been naturally strong. it runs in the blood. was dumbell shoulder pressing the 20kg bells for 20 reps when i was 16. always been a fan of strength. but u need to remember that strength and size dont necessarily go hand in hand.
> 
> ...


No doubt you are leaner in that pic, hands down, my avi pic is a few weeks old still during my current cut. yeah its very true what you said about strength and size but im pretty sure some of our strength has to do with size lol. Would just be interesting to have your stats on your journel mate gives others a goal or standard if ya see what i mean. Believe it or not but alot of folks on the net/this forum look up to yourself and will compare themselves to you in strength and size including myself which is what im doing now. But here i can only see that your alot stronger than myself but would be nice to compare sizes too. But of course thats your choice. Keep training mate looking good and very strong. 

oh forgot to mention, how can you tell your bigger than last month if ya dont get the tape out lol


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

thank you mate.

yeah i used to measure with the tape. but personally it ended up with me playing mind games with myself and sometimes i would just eat more to try to "beat the tape" as it were...so didnt know whether it was fat or muscle that i was putting on!

it can also be disheartening. there are many factors which will contribute to one not putting on size in a particular time period so i dont want that to get to me. i jsut see it as consistency. train hard, eat well, sleep lots for years and years and the results will come 

one guy who i train with a few times a month competes in the masters in the NPA. He won the over 50s in 2010 also. He takes a look at me every couple of months and gives an honest opinion so that helps. So does another mate from the gym. Also pics help. But posting up every single progress pic i take onto this site doesnt sit too well with me lol.


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## aka (Jun 25, 2010)

interesting journal, will be following


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## j1mmytt (Jan 12, 2011)

hsmann87 said:


> thank you mate.
> 
> yeah i used to measure with the tape. but personally it ended up with me playing mind games with myself and sometimes i would just eat more to try to "beat the tape" as it were...so didnt know whether it was fat or muscle that i was putting on!
> 
> ...


your welcome, yeah its good to get an honest opinion from someone in the know. ah go on mate get the tape out measure your bicep and chest u know ya wanna lol


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

akalatengo said:


> interesting journal, will be following


 Cheers mate.



j1mmytt said:


> your welcome, yeah its good to get an honest opinion from someone in the know. ah go on mate get the tape out measure your bicep and chest u know ya wanna lol


Bicep: 25 inches cold. 27 inches pumped. 

No training today. Need a rest. Body is battered.

*Low intensity cardio, booty myofascial release, leg stretches/mobility drills - 15 March 2011; 6:30am*

Same as yesterday. Standard morning drill.

*Low intensity cardio, booty myofascial release, leg stretches/mobility drills - 15 March 2011; 6:30pm*

Same as morning.

*Nutrition*

Have kept macro intake the same. No reductions or anything like. As macros and calories are lower than normal i'm not having any less just because today is a non-training day.

Having read up on a lot of nutrition stuff, i'm starting to believe that macro intake is more about how, when and what food you take in, not necessarily how many calories.

So today I changed the timings and source of carbs that i would normally take in postworkout (Haribo) - had a slice of toast at breakfast and another slice of toast with a small glass frest fruit juice with my whey protein post PM "cardio".

Looking to do arms tomorrow with some explosive work to finish. 10 yard dash and the broad jump. Very excited! Been doing a lot of work on my sprint technique, explosive start etc so my 10 yard dash times SHOULD, IN THEORY be better than they were last week. We shall see 

Cardio tune of the day:






:beer:


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## 54und3r5 (Apr 11, 2008)

And when I thought ukm was gerring boring... BOOM!!

Looks good dude, I shall be following!!


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

54und3r5 said:


> And when I thought ukm was gerring boring... BOOM!!
> 
> Looks good dude, I shall be following!!


LOL thanks.

It is getting boring! Until you update your bloody journal that is.

Sort it out boyo


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## Magic Torch (May 30, 2005)

hsmann87 said:


> i know a lot of natural guys who are much stronger than big bodybuilders. hell i can lift a lot of the same weights that jay cutler does! but that means sweet FA because my body is the size of his ankle.


Please tell me you were not serious when you wrote this post?!


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

LOL. Course i wasnt! Was tying to make a point though that a lot of BBers lift for their own reasons (i.e. motor neurone stimulation etc) as opposed to pure strength.


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## Magic Torch (May 30, 2005)

Thank feck for that, I was gonna send the men in white coats around 

Its a good read thus far mate, hope you keep up the journals intensity! Should be a popular one.

All the best with it.


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## 54und3r5 (Apr 11, 2008)

Hsmann, my blogging efforts have deserted me for the time being. Well and truly in the thick of it with legal work atm! Got my final exam of the term tomorrow, so may update a lil after then!! Bring on the booze tomorrow!! ;0)


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

Magic Torch said:


> Thank feck for that, I was gonna send the men in white coats around
> 
> Its a good read thus far mate, hope you keep up the journals intensity! Should be a popular one.
> 
> All the best with it.


 Cheers mate. Good luck in Pompey on 8th also. 



54und3r5 said:


> Hsmann, my blogging efforts have deserted me for the time being. Well and truly in the thick of it with legal work atm! Got my final exam of the term tomorrow, so may update a lil after then!! Bring on the booze tomorrow!! ;0)


Ah! Good luck with it pal. Professional exams are worse than being a55 raped with coar5e sandpaper! Im boozing on Saturday. Tight tshirt and whiskey will be in full flow:lol: :lol:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

Woke at 5am this morning to go for a pee. Was absolutely starving. Wanted to gnaw my arm off! Managed to get back to sleep though as i was knackered! Metabolism has obviously been kicked up a notch. Good news  . Left the morning cardio this morning as a result and got an extra 30 min sleep. Still wasnt enough though as i was yawning my a55 off at work and REALLY wasnt up to todays workout. Got back from work at 7:30. Had to sort a load of stuff out. Didnt get in the gym till 8. Had to get it done though.

*Arms, sprinting, cardio, flexibility work, 16 March 2011; 8pm*

*Triceps*

1. Rope pushdowns with little crimp outwards at the bottom of each rep

35kg-15 reps

35kg-15 reps

Felt heroic, so:

50kg-10 reps. Drop to 30kg-8 reps. Rest. 3 deep breaths. 30kg-2 reps

2. Seated overhead dumbell extensions (2 arm)

38kg-10 reps

45kg-8 reps

50kg-6 reps

3. Smith machine CGBP

1pps-8 reps (warmup)

2pps-6 reps (warmup)

3pps-2 reps. Drop to 2pps-4 reps. Drop to 1pps-12 reps

4. Bodyweight dips. DEEP. Full depth at bottom. Hold for 2 seconds. Explode up. No locking out. Constant motion

12 reps

10 reps

8.5 reps

*Biceps*

1. Close grip EZ bar preacher curls

15kg per side-12 or 13 reps (forgot!)

20kg per side-6 reps. Drop to 10kg per side-8 reps....PAIN!!

2. Gay life fitness high single arm preacher curl

25kg-15 reps (each arm)

25kg-12 reps (each arm)

3. Straight bar 21s

Set 1-25kg

Set 2-25kg

Done in 50 min. Arms battered!

*Sprints*

Decided to do some 10 yard dash with the intention to do some bound jumps after. Today as i got up off my chair at work i felt a tiny twinge in my tensor fasciae latae(TFL) in the hip. Was a minor twinge. Didnt think much of it.



So. I did some warm ups. TFL started playing up again. Attempted a first sprint. And that fvcked it. :cursing: :cursing: :cursing: :cursing: :cursing: :cursing:

Soaring pain up the side of my hip. Had to stretch it off. Still hurt. So had to stop. VEXED!

*Cardio*

So. Resorted to fvcking low intensity sh1t on the x-trainer as the treadmill/bike would cause too much pain. ANGRY! Did 10 mins. And got off with my tail inbetween my legs. 

*Flexibility*

Sat down. Ate my Haribo and downed my shake and started to think about why this bullsh1t happened to my TFL. Well. For starters. The fact that i havent done any high impact running or anything like that for the best part of 2-3 years. And all of a sudden ive been smashing it, back to back for the past 5 or so days hasnt helped!

But another thing is my sh1t hip flexibility. And the fact that i sit in a chair all day long. Which reminded me of this article:

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/the_thirdworld_squat

So i decided to man the fvck up and sort it out. So spent the next twenty minutes jamming myself into a 3rd world squat position. And have now vowed to myself that i will be practising this every day. And if i dont report it on this journal then it means that i havent been doing it and ive been a wasteman. So if anybody notices that im not doing it, please feel free to insult me till your heart is content

So. Got home. Decided to do some trigger point release like this (yes i know the guy is an absolute bender, but the exercise is decent!):






Gonna have to take a few days of any leg work now; sprints, drills, jumps, leg resistance training. Tomorrow will probably be light cardio. :cursing:

Will also do extra posing practice. No point in having the muscle and/or condition on the stage if you dont know how to showcase it properly 

But i need to use my head and let it heal and not act like a hero, train on it and fvck it more than it already is. Hopefully i will be okay sooner rather than later. Chin up:rolleyes:

Tune of the day:






And seeing as Nate Dogg passed, it would be wrong not to have a song in his memory, so here goes:






:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

The TFL still hurts when i touch it. I can see it has been getting better as the day went on though. Still not gonna train legs into mid next week though. Want it to heal properly.

Haven't had any Glutamine or BCAAs the past week. Myprotein order came today though so ive banged in 20g BCAA and 20g Glutamine lol.

No training today. Would have been up for some upper body but anything I would have done would have been inefficient as my arms are DESTROYED from yesterday! Triceps long head is in particular pain. Overhead free weight extensions rule the roost! Basic. Free weight. Heavy. Gospel.

Didnt want to remain totally inactive today so did some light stuff in the evening:

*Posing practice, cardio, hip & groin flexibility work, leg mobility work, glute myofascial release, abs, 17 March 2011; 8pm*

1. Quarter turns and 8 compulsories

2 rotations, approx 2 min rest inbetween

2. Cardio - gay low intensity sh1t to keep impact low on TFL low

Treadmill incline walking

Speed 5, incline 10, 12 mins (1km)

3. Hip and groin flexibility work

Lunges

3rd world squat

4. Leg mobility work

Normal mobility drills

5. Glute myofascial release with tennis ball

Noticed that my left glute was a LOT tighter today. Probably because it has been overcompensating as the TFL is dysfunctional lol

6. Abs

Regular crunches and some leg raises for 5 mins. Rest pause style i.e. minimal rest inbetween sets.

So thats done for the day. Nothing too extravagant. Will be either chest or back tomorrow. Depending on tricep soreness. If triceps arent too bad, will probably do chest, implementing some pre-exhaust with dumbell flyes to start. If not, then back, but will be laying off deadlifts and bent rows as it'll put too much strain on the TFL. So will be attempting this  :

http://www.youtube.com/user/aikines1#p/u/2/9Lzzyx6MYTo

Tune of the day: 



 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*WEEKLY WEIGH IN. 188LBS. 3LBS DOWN FROM LAST WEEK. WOO HOO! Need to ensure it doesnt drop 3lbs every week from now on though as that will probably mean im in extreme catabolism lol*

TFL MUCH better this morning. Still slight pain when pressure applied so was still dubious to push it today.

*Low intensity cardio, 18 March 2011; 6:30am*

Treadmill. Incline 10. Speed 5.2. 1km distance. Took 12 mins. Nothing too major. Just a little something to fire up metabolism and get the blood flowing.

*Myofascial release, leg mobility work, back, cardio, abs, myofascial release, stretching,18 March 2011; 6:30pm*

Im really starting to notice and feel the positive effects that prehab has on muscle soreness, fatigue, DOMS etc. It is excellent. And promotes longevity. EVERYONE should do it. Its not easy. You gotta come into the gym 20 min before training and 20 min after. But it helps. Ask any decent physio.

*Myofascial release and leg mobility work*

1. Used the foam rollers in the gym to work on my legs (calves, quads, hamstrings) and on my back.

2. Used a tennis ball on my arms. Triceps were still in tatters. This really eased up some soreness.

Very interesting vid:






3. Leg mobility exercises - standard stuff

*Back*

1. Pullups. Hands 2ft apart. Palms facing forward. Did the Harry's Chin Challenge. Managed 40 pullups in 2:24. Was FVCKED at the end! Got 20 without rest. Then had to stop and go again. Once you stop. Thats it. Game over. Only managed to get 2 reps at a time after that. Need to beat it!

2. Deadlifts. Beltless. Strapless.

Few warmup sets to get into the groove. TFL was still giving a tiny bit of jip so didnt go too heavy. Work sets as follows:

210kg-1 rep

160kg-6 reps

130kg-15 reps.....PHWOARRR PAIN!

3. Narrow, neutral grip bodyweight pullups (hands 4/5 inches apart). Full stretch at the bottom every rep. Holding squeeze at the top for a second. Slow down.

12 reps

12 reps (last 2 were a struggle; looked like a maggot at the end of a fishhook when i attempted rep 13 lol)

4. 30 degree incline bench dumbell rows, medium pace

50kg-12 reps each arm

50kg-10.5 reps left arm. 11 reps right arm.

Back was fried. Simple. Basic. Free weight. Done in 65 min. Session took a little longer than normal as was training with someone today. He left after close grip pullups though...the pu55y:lol:

*Cardio*

Skipping with rope

10 mins pretty much non stop. Heart was thumping by the end. Forearms and delts had a FILTHY pump!

*Abs*

"Figure 8s - stand up straight, abs tight, hold a plate out in front, arms outstretched, making a figure 8 with the plate, going as high as head, as low as w1lly region"

So:

Giant set:

Figure 8, ab rollouts, figure 8, ab rollouts, figure 8, ab rollouts.

Approx 8 reps per set.

*Myofascial release and leg mobility work*

Same as beginning or workout with a bit more focus on hammies and back.

No changes to nutrition today. Same shizzle.

Gym tune of the day:






:beer:


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## Wardy211436114751 (Jan 24, 2011)

Hi, Great to see a different outlook to training from the usual!

Will def be following this with interest as I've thought about adding some sprint/explosive training into my routine also. I think a lot of people underestimate the need to stay subtle/explosive when gaining size and strength. And also how doing the same **** for years will only get you strong at certain stuff(not that theres anything wrong with that) so mixing it up like this and really fine-tuning your body to get the max out of it on a host of different exercises will be super beneficial I reckon!


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

On The Rise said:


> Hi, Great to see a different outlook to training from the usual!
> 
> Will def be following this with interest as I've thought about adding some sprint/explosive training into my routine also. I think a lot of people underestimate the need to stay subtle/explosive when gaining size and strength. And also how doing the same **** for years will only get you strong at certain stuff(not that theres anything wrong with that) so mixing it up like this and really fine-tuning your body to get the max out of it on a host of different exercises will be super beneficial I reckon!


Cheers matey. Explosive stuff has taken a lil turn the past few days because of the hip region, but its all better now. Will be doing some leg work tomorrow 

*Cardio, myofascial release, stretching, 19 March 2011; 8:30am*

Did this on an empty stomach as have been doing every morning. A little later than normal as I had a little lie in  .

Standard treadmill, speed 5 incline 10 for 1km. Stretching, leg mobility and myofascial release.

*Nutrition*

Ate first 5 meals as per normal, substituting oats with wholemeal toast and eggs with lamb. Made the most amazing minced lamb kebabs ever with a little bit of mint sauce! Will give the recipe if anyone wants it. Takes 15 minutes to prep and cook...can't go wrong really:cool2:

*Evening antics*

Went out disco bopping with some mates. Drank a lot of whiskey. Prancing around a club for 5 hours was a decent amount of cardio for me, picking up birds, throwing them around etc lol. Drank a LOAD of water when we got home. Ate 4 slices of toast. Nothing too major.

*Sunday 20 March 2011*

Not a lot of sleep at all. 4 hours if that. Spent the day drifting in and out of sleep on the sofa, drinking lots of water. Diet was all over the shop. But its OK as it was my "cheat" day:

Meal 1: 2 slices wholemeal toast, half tin beans, 2 scrambled eggs, pint orange juice, 3 fish fingers.

Meal 2: Half a Kit Kat :thumbup1:

Meal 3: 200ml semi skim milk, 2 slices wholemeal toast, bit of ketchup, 4 fish fingers

Meal 4: 35g whey, 10g BCAAs, 10g Glutamine

Meal 5: 4 egg omelette full of spinach, broccoli, mushrooms and peppers, 8-10 baby potatoes (steamed), tomatoes, cucumber, iceberg. More water.

Went to bed early at 9:30. been up since 5am - had to collect the parentals from the airport this morning. SHATTERED! Massively busy at work also. Will be lucky to get out at 7. Chest, triceps, abs and cardio later. Gotta get it done. *GRAFT!!*. Will report back later. :thumb:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Chest, triceps, cardio, abs, myofascial release, leg mobility work, 21 March 2011; 7:30pm*

*Chest*

1. Decline dumbell bench press. Full depth; dumbells touching pecs at the bottom each rep, none of this half rep sh1t.

Few warm up sets. Work sets as follows:

55kg bells-7 reps

55kg-5 reps

50kg-7 reps; immediate drop to 30kg bells (super slow down, hold stretch for a second, explode back up)-7 reps

2. 45 degree incline smith press (free bar was occupied by a boyband, couldn't be a55ed to wait)

1pps-10 reps

2pps-7 reps

2.5pps-2 reps; immediate drop to 1.5pps-4 reps; 5 deep breaths and 2 more reps...PUMPED!

Had to rest a few minutes here and stretch out fully as i was unbelievably pumped at this point and was going really fast

3. CHEST SHOCKER!! The following was done with no rest inbetween (all bodyweight):

10 dips

10 pushups

9 dips

9 pushups

8 dips

8 pushups

.

.

.

....all the way down to 1 dip, 1 pushup

*Triceps*

1. Straight bar cable pushdowns

50kg-20 reps

60kg-16 reps

70kg-12 reps

2. Gay life fitness machine makeshift close grip style bench

63kg-15 reps

77kg-12 reps

77kg-9 reps

Pecs and triceps dead. Done in 45 minuten. BOOM! Low volume. High intensity. Today's chest session was HARD. I strongly recommend the Chest Shocker to anyone looking for a bit of variety...its brutal!

*Cardio*

Skipping, pretty much non stop for 15 minutes. Did a LOT of double skips etc today as the TFL is better. So it was effectively an HIIT-esque cardio session. Felt like Rocky Balboa in the gym lol. Getting a lot better at skipping now...will be giving Floyd Mayweather a run for his money soon:cool: Heart was THUMPING by the end.

*Abs*

4 sets of random crunches and twists on a gym ball. Abs kept cramping up so had to stop short. :cursing:

Its ALL about the Haribo postworkout. Just puts a smile on my face

*Nutrition*

Ramped up the sodium intake slightly in PWO meal (eggs and broccoli); I usually get a decent amount of sodium in from the ketchup/BBQ sauce i have with my chicken and the chicken seasoning but I sprinkled an extra bit of salt on my eggs today as i was sweating like a pig in the gym...even moreso than usual...probably all the whiskey from saturday night coming out lol. May have an extra half slice of toast or something tomorrow morning also as its big a55 leg day!

Legs tomorrow since the TFL is back in full flow. Its gonna be a big one!

Tune of the day: 




:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Legs, myofascial release, leg mobility, stretches, cardio, 22 March 2011; 7:00pm*

*Legs*

1. Neutral stance smith machine squats, hamstrings touching calves at the bottom of each rep (no half rep sh1t), no bouncing out the bottom, slow, controlled reps

Various warmups. Work sets as follows:

2.5pps-6 reps

3pps-2 reps

Dropset. Plates taken off by mates without racking the weight:

2.5pps-4 reps; 1.5pps-10 reps; 0.75pps-10 reps. DEAD. Needed to rest for about 5 minutes after this.

2. Glute ham raises; bodyweight

15 reps

15 reps

15 reps

3. 45 degree leg press, single leg press, foot low and out wide, knee touching pec at the bottom of each rep; medium pace

2.5pps-12 reps each leg

4. DEATH LUNGES! There is a long corridor in my gym where the squash courts are, always empty. 20metres in length. Did forward lunges for one length, then backward lunges back, then forward lunges, then backward lunges, then forward lunges. So 100m of lunges in total, mixing between forward and backward every 20metre intervals.

2 sets...THIGHS PUMPED! Spin class was going on right next to me so the loud nutty music kept be going.

*Myofascial release, leg mobility and stretching*

Standard stuff

*Cardio*

Incline treadmill walking

Incline 15; speed 5, really focussing on squeezing glutes every step. Was sweating quite a bit. 12minutes; 1km.

Ran out of Haribo so had to have waxy maize starch with PWO shake today:cursing:

All in all a SICK session today. Really enjoyed it, especially the variation with the lunges to finish.

No resistance training tomorrow. 2 cardio sessions. Maybe some abs also.

Tune of the day:






:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Cardio, leg stretching, 23 March 2011; 7:30am*

Treadmill incline walking. Incline 10, speed 5, 12 minutes, 1km and standard stretching to finish

The morning cardio really ramped up my metabolism. Was absolutely starving about 20 minutes before each meal today at work. Lets hope a good weight loss has occured this week. Weigh in Friday morning.

Was gonna just do cardio this evening also, but my biceps were in perfect nic, i'm not training arms for a while yet, and today's sun gave me the urge to train them! MASSIVE leg DOMS today. Absolute agony! So:

*Biceps, cardio, myofascial release, leg stretches, 23 March 2011; 7:15pm*

*Biceps*-no resting at the top or bottom of any exercise; keeping constant tension on the muscle

Lots of volume today. Got a little carried away!

1. Olympic bar preacher curls

Various warmups, work sets as follows:

40kg-12 reps

50kg-6 reps

40kg-8 reps; immediate drop to 25kg-12 reps; rest for 5 seconds-3 more reps.

2. Seated dumbell alternating curls

Did three sets here. Varying weights. Felt it more in my delts and forearms as opposed to my biceps. Waste of fvcking time. Not even worth saying what weight, reps etc i did. Ive learnt that my biceps only really respond when my triceps are tightly resting on something so i can isolate the biceps...i cannot train like Branch Warren:lol:

3. Dumbell preacher curls single arm

18kg-10 reps left arm; 12 reps right arm

20kg-8 reps left arm; 9 reps right arm

4. Wrists started giving a bit of jip so decided to employ the use of an EZ bar; EZ bar close grip spider curls (i fvcking love these!)

10kg pps-15 reps

15kg pps-8 reps

12.5kg pps-8 reps

10kg pps-9 and a half reps

5. Gay life fitness high one arm preacher curl

LEFT SIDE: 25kg-7 reps; immediate drop to 15kg-12 reps

RIGHT SIDE: 25kg-8 reps; immediate drop to 15kg-12 reps

*Gay tricep pump*

50kg-3 sets, 20 reps straight bar cable pushdowns, super slow reps

Done in 45min. Arms didnt feel too bad actually. Fvcked now though. They keep cramping up whilst i type this post

*Cardio*

15 minutes on x-trainer. Resistance 15. Steady low intensity with 4 bursts (HIIT style). 10 seconds burst each. All out. Smashed it. Machine sounded like it was about to break:tongue:. Was KOd by the end.

*Myofascial release and stretching*

Standard shizzle

Shoulders, traps and some explosive stuff tomorrow if my legs are a little better.

*General note*

I did keto last year for 14 weeks. About 2000-2200 cals a day. 1 refeed a week. Was fvcking mentally horrible. I am now on 3500 cals a day. With carbs. Dropping weight nicely (even though its only been 2 weeks lol). Not craving much AT ALL. Constantly buzzing:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:. And loving it. More importantly; LOVING TRAINING! Learnt this from reading John Hodgson's journal. Keto is good. But perhaps unnecessary? Why not just KISS!?!

Tune (AND VID!) of the day:






:beer:


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## layla (May 10, 2009)

Lookin great ,all the best .


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## FatScrub (Nov 16, 2010)

Hey hsmann, that TFL pain you mention - it blocks your sprint and HIIT right?

What if you do a different cardiovascular routine? Reason why I'm saying is because I ran into a similar problem last year: I jumped straight into HIIT and pulled my hamstring. Was frustrated at first but then figured if the point of cardio is to get your BPM up for long periods of time why not switch to something else and do the same 30 sec on/off? I went to bike machines, stairmaster and that roldex skiing whatever machine, even rowing machine and was still able to do intensive cardio and HIIT for weeks. Hamstring healed in 3-4 months and I could hit it hard again with the sprinting.

I think it was something about not having enough fast twitch muscles at the beginning of intensive athlete style training, can't remember the details and don't know enough about it anyway.

Other than that good luck and you've got another reader


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

layla said:


> Lookin great ,all the best .


Thanks Layla. Looking sh1t hot in your profile album! Best of luck in the UKBFF Scottish  .



FatScrub said:


> Hey hsmann, that TFL pain you mention - it blocks your sprint and HIIT right?
> 
> What if you do a different cardiovascular routine? Reason why I'm saying is because I ran into a similar problem last year: I jumped straight into HIIT and pulled my hamstring. Was frustrated at first but then figured if the point of cardio is to get your BPM up for long periods of time why not switch to something else and do the same 30 sec on/off? I went to bike machines, stairmaster and that roldex skiing whatever machine, even rowing machine and was still able to do intensive cardio and HIIT for weeks. Hamstring healed in 3-4 months and I could hit it hard again with the sprinting.
> 
> ...


Cheers for popping in mate and thanks for the support :thumb:

Yeah TFL injury completely disabled me from doing any quick, explosive style stuff.

The not being used to fast twitch fibre activation makes complete sense to be honest.

Im completely better now though thank god. Wasnt as bad an injury as i first thought. Will back on the nutty sh1t on Saturday.

Low intensity cardio is for mornings...not enough energy to do sprints etc when im still half asleep lol.


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Cardio, myofascial release, leg stretching, 24 March 2011; 7:00am*

Standard cardio. Incline treadmill walking, speed 5, incline 10, 12 minutes, 1km.

Finished with stretching and myofascial release.

Been at client's all day today and was sat on my a55. Usually i go for a walk at lunch. Normal pace into town with work mates whilst they get their sandwiches. That usually makes me a little hungry and gets a bit of blood circulation going as i sit at a desk all day. That didnt happen today so as a result I halved my carb intake pre workout and reduced post workout carbs 20g. Yes, I follow a "meal plan" but i'm always conscious that its not gospel, and different levels of activity during they day etc will dictate the need to tweak this slightly; hence the slight drop today. Didnt notice any strength decrease/endurance during training either.... I'm starting to believe that training is more mental focus than it is about how many nutrients you have inside you (within reason of course...attempting a day of 1rm deadlifts aint gonna go too well if all you've eaten is a banana lol).

So:

*Shoulders, traps, cardio (fun!), stretching, 24 March 2011; 7:30pm*

*Shoulders*

1. Standing barbell military press; no belt...my abs and python-esque erector spinae are my belt

Various warmup sets, shoulder stretching, rotator work etc. Work sets as follows:

80kg-10 reps

90kg-3 reps

100kg-1.5 reps; immediate drop to 60kg-9 reps

60kg-10 reps (was leaning back a little in the last rep, but was determined to get it up)

2. Clean (off the floor) and overhead press; really focusing on the explosion and speed from the floor here

50kg-10reps

70kg-8 reps

80kg-3 reps

Was really suffering (in a good way!) as I had done a load of military pressing for starters...was good though...delts were mashed and heart was THUMPING

3. Dumbell lateral raises

18kg bells-20 reps

20kg bells-15 reps

4. Dumbell shrugs

40kg bells-20 reps

50kg bells-15 reps

60kg bells-16 reps WTF:confused1:; immediate drop to 25kg bells-20 reps....PUMPED!

Done in 50 minutes. Noticing a bit more vein visibility in the delt now. Not much more though. Deltoid striations still arent there. Until they are, im a fat cvnt:lol:

*Cardio*

1. Wall sprint drills (http://www.youtube.com/user/CombineFreak#p/a/u/2/YiRnu0EmLno)

5 sets of 10 seconds each. 10 seconds on, 50 seconds off, 10 on, 50 off etc etc

Was really feeling it in the glutes and ham tie-in at the end of this...leg DOMS are still persisting!

2. Skipping

For approx 10 minutes.

Lots of double jumps intervals to emulate HIIT style. Basically, not tooting my own horn, but im a pro at double jumps now, started to do some single leg double jumps...but looked like a bellend so will be practicing those a little more before i can boast lol

3. Stationary bike

Resistance 12, cycling for 5 minutes, maintaining HR at approx 128bpm.

Quads were on fire!

*Stretching*

Standard

Rest day from resistance training tomorrow. Need a well deserved break. If i go tomorrow I will end up injuring my joints or something i can just see it. So just some low intensity cardio tomorrow morning.

*Cardio update*

10 minutes of incline walking really isnt classified as cardio imo lol. So im upping it to about 24 minutes from now on (2km distance). Time to start burning that adipose!

*Nutrition update*

Its amazing how quickly the body adapts. My body is already used to eating 3500cals a day now as opposed to 4000ish when i was "bulking" a couple of weeks ago.

As of the last 2 weeks, daily macro intake has been 365p/190c/150f.

Ive decided to do a minor drop. Nothing too drastic. 175cals drop. New daily macro intake will be 365p/180c/135f. 10g less carbs postworkout (70g to 60g....oooh adventurous!:laugh. 15g less fat in last meal of the day. Have reduced the number of whole eggs here from 5 to 2. The protein lost in those 3 eggs will come from a couple of blobs of chicken/fish tossed into the frying pan and cooked with the eggs. Im learning more and more that drastic changes in diet etc will only end up burning muscle. Small, incremental changes will enable me to carefully trickle down the bodyfat whilst not shocking my body too much and hopefully retaining as much hard earned muscle as possible.

So yeah. Chilled day tomorrow. Catching up with some mates. Having a chinese. Will just eat chicken, maybe a bit of red meat (if it doesnt look too fatty) and rice to replace pre and postworkout carbs and proteins. They are having a few beers. I will be a good dieting boy and stick to diet coke and other sugarless, H2O based substances:tongue:

Saturday is gonna be a mad day. Will be training arms and then finish with car pushes with my mate. We will time it to make it interesting  . My sample sachet of Dorian Yates NOX Pump came yesterday from BodybuildingWarehouse so hopefully that will help a little. Never been one for pre workout shizzle so this will be interesting...just hope i dont sh1t my load whilst pushing my motor up the road :lol: :lol: :lol:

Weigh in tomorrow morning. Excited  . Starting to think that even if im only losing 0.5-1lb a week its fine as long as im beating PBs. Beating PBs means that my muscles are growing. So a little muscle growth as well as fat loss won't result in considerable weight drops....we shall see....oooh the anticipation!

Peace out. Tune of the day (more for its sex appeal.. :rockon: ):






:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*WEEKLY WEIGH IN. 185.6LBS. 1.5LBS DROP FROM LAST WEEK. Content with this*

*Cardio, 25 March 2011; 7:00am*

Incline treadmill walking. Incline 10. Speed 5.2. 2km. 23 minutes.

Was sweating quite a bit. Treadmill is in our conservatory. Glass roof. Sunny day. PHWOARR!

*Nutrition*

Just wanted to elaborate on my previous post 'nutrition' points. Although i am counting my calories, macros etc. I feel its more about timing of meals in regards to insulin response. Especially since im the type of person who can retain fat just as easily as getting rid of it. Im trying to create a small insulin spike in the morning and postworkout. The two times i feel are essential for the spike of insulin. Current diet attached. Subject to change obviously due to appetite, weight fluctuations, levels of activity etc etc. This is just a guide:

Diet.pdf

Chinese takeaway tonight, but no battered foods or MSG sauces:innocent:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

Gotta love this vid:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

Weekend catchup>>

*Friday March 25 2011; evening Chinese*

I'm not a takeaway man myself. If i have a takeaway (once every 2 months on average) its a large KFC zinger tower meal with an Oreo Crushem for dessert.

So. Got to mate's flat. They were all on the beers. I was a star and drank coke zero and water. Had a look at the takeaway menu and the food looked pretty "bodybuilder-friendly". Yeah. RIGHT.

It came. And we ordered LOADS. Spring rolls sesame fried bread and ribs for starters. The ribs looked like fvcking pink highlighter pens! My stomach turned. So i sipped on a bit of coke zero and smiled  .

Tucked straight into the egg fwied wice and black bean chicken with a bit of some lamb dish. Must be honest. There was more carbs and MSG in this meal than there was meat. At which point i thought "fvck it. tonight is a full on cheat night!". Ate two platefulls of rice and other stuff. Felt like dying after. Got home. Ate three bowls of rice crispies and had a protein shake with BCAAs and Glutamine in to make myself feel better:tongue:

Gut was playing games with me. Felt VERY heavy. Im starting to detest cheat meals more and more as the months go on...old age perhaps? I fvcking hope not:lol:

*Saturday 26 March 2011; triceps, cardio; 11:30am*

Woke at 9:30. Training was at 11:30 so ate only a pre workout meal of:

2 wholemeal toast

2 whole eggs

40g whey protein

In the space between 9:30 and 11:30 i took three HENCH turds. Broke water every time. Felt good to get last night's dirt out of my system. Was raring to go.

Pre workout sample of Dorian Yates NOX Pump: the last time i'd taken pre workout supps was three years ago when i started training and was won over by lots of fancy advertising. Have since been majorly against pre workout stuff. Since Dorian and Kevin Levrone are my fave bb'ers of all time and they have both released new pre workout formulas, I decided to be a nice fan and give them a whirl. So. DY NOX pump was taken pre workout. The whole standard sh1t happened. 10 min after taking it. Got some tingly sensation in my gut. Thought i was a superhero etc etc. Didnt feel a pump for sh1t though. Brain was buzzing. No more focus or strength though and a DIRTY comedown postworkout....therefore my original opinions of pre workout supps stands....they are bollox (even if they have been released by my idols  ).

*Triceps*

1. Sraight bar cable pushdowns; medium pace reps, chest upright, shoulders back, no locking out or resting at the top; constant tension on muscle

Various warm up sets to "get blood into the area:lol:" (i love that bullsh1t saying). Work sets as follows:

70kg-20 reps

80kg-18 reps

90kg-11 reps (felt a bit of pain in my left elbow in rep 10 so decided to stop; luckily this didnt come back to haunt me later)

2. Bench dips; hands (shoulder width) on one bench, calves on another. Arms bent at less than 90 degrees, no half rep sh1t

Few warmup sets

Set 1:100kg on lap-6 reps; immediate drop to 60kg on lap-6 reps; immediate drop to 20kg on lap; 8 reps; immediate drop to bodyweight;10 reps....PAIN

Set2:Super slow down (4 seconds), hold at the bottom stretch for 3 seconds, slow up (3 seconds)

50kg on lap-9 reps; immediate drop to 20kg on lap-3 reps; immediate drop to bodyweight-3 reps....YEAHHH BWOII!

3. Seated over head cable extensions with a fixed V bar. Upper arms perpendicular to the floor (no sway/movement), full stretch at bottom and holding peak contraction at the top for a split second. I love all overhead triceps work. What Dorian and many others say is true about keeping stretched tension on the long head to activate more motor neurones.

Couple of warm up sets. Nothing too drastic. Work sets as follows:

60kg-11 reps

60kg-14 reps :confused1:

70kg-6 reps; drop to 40kg-6 reps

4. Dips keeping as upright as naturally possible, full depth at the bottom

Bodyweight-12 reps

Bodyweight+20kg-8 reps; immediate drop to bodyweight-6 repds

*I used to do a lot of heavy weighted dips before. Hanging 60 odd kg to the belt and getting 6-8 reps at the beginning of a tricep workout. Whilst this looked all flash, it did fvck all for tricep growth and ended up ragging my shoulders. The pre-exhaust style im using these days seems to work better.

Triceps done. Battered in 35 minutes.

*Cardio*

1. Prowler 10 yard sprints. My gym doesnt have a prowler machine. I dont think any UK gym does lol. So I turned our seated calf raise machine into one. Took the rubber feet off to prevent ultimate fricton and Bob's your uncle. This is what i did with a mate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cpgz_zjn28. Hands were a bit lower though (1foot off the ground) as the seated calf raise machine doesnt have high enough poles! This is tha machine we used. Hands on the horizontal metal poles.



Got a few weird looks. But fvck em

Did 5 sprints of these. Times as follows:

3.50 secs

3.49 secs

3.48 secs

3.70 secs

3.30 secs WTF:confused1:...oh well...i'll take it:laugh:

2. Skipping. 10mins. Double jumps etc. Tried to do single leg double jumps and twinged my right achilles:cursing:. Wasnt too bad but stopped anyway to avoid further damage.

All in all a pretty good workout. Apart from the horrible comedown at the end.

*Cardio; 4:30pm*

Incline treadmill walking. Speed 5, incline 10. 2km. 24 minutes. Sweating like a b1tch!

*Nutrition*

Went to an Indian restaurant in the evening. Was very good and all the meat was grilled. All i ate was LOADS of dry chicken tikka, spinach and a tiny bit of rice. No samosas, no fried stuff, no dessert. And drank lots of water and diet coke:innocent:

*Sunday 27 March 2011; 2 xcardio*

Incline treadmill walking. Speed 5, incline 10. 2km. 24 minutes.

Done on waking (empty stomach) and at 7:00pm.

Pretty chilled out today. Missed one meal due to the clock change and extra sleep. But not too bothered.

Back and biceps tonight. And a little bit of cardio obviously  .

Tune of the weekend (because the sun was out):






:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Cardio, 28 March 2011; 6:30am*

Incline treadmill walking. Incline 10. Speed 5. 2km. 24 minutes.

Boring. Standard. Sh1t. But needs to be done.

*Back, biceps, cardio, 28 March 2011; 7:30pm*

*Back*

1. Deadlifts. Plates on a 5 inch block. Feet on floor. Beltless, strapless (they are for pu55ies:lol. Chalk only.

Various warmup sets and a few pullups here and there. One work set as follows:

220kg-5 reps

2. Bodyweight pullups. Dead hang at the bottom. Slow, controlled up and pause. No swinging

15 reps; 3 seconds rest-3 reps; 3 seconds rest-2 reps

12 reps; 3 seconds rest-2 reps; 3 seconds rest-2 reps

3. 30 degree incline bench single arm DB rows

58kg-9 reps + 3 reps heave ho stylee LEFT ARM

58kg-11 reps + 1 rep heave ho stylee RIGHT ARM

4. Gay life fitness machine rear delt flyes

77kg-6 reps; 3 second rest; 2 reps

77kg-5 reps; 3 second rest; 2 reps; 3 second rest; 1 rep

*Biceps*

1. Close grip EZ bar preacher curls. Smooth reps, keeping constant tension on biceps

10kg pps-20 reps...PUMPED!

15kg pps-10 reps

15kg pps-7reps

2. Single arm DB spider curls; 12kg dumbell used throughout

12 reps LEFT ARM; 14 reps RIGHT ARM

12 reps LEFT ARM; 14 reps RIGHT ARM

9 reps LEFT ARM; 11 reps RIGHT ARM

Done. Upper body was feeling good! Nice and full. Loving it. Blasted in 70 minutes. Was sweating buckets. Noticing tightness in the whole physique already so im happy with progress so far. WEIGHT IS BEING LOST. STRENGTH IS INCREASING. ITS MORE ABOUT MENTAL FOCUS AS OPPOSED TO CALORIFIC INTAKE.

Im also astounded at this all; im eating 3550 cals a day (which is quite a lot for me) and im still losing weight. Was losing the same amount of weight weekly last year when i was on keto but was down to 2200 cals. Just goes to show its not all about lowering calories. Sensible eating at the right times with clever training regimen with the inclusion of BASIC, FREE WEIGHTS does the job...with a bit of animalism thrown in of course

*Cardio*

Achilles still giving me some agg so no explosive stuff tonight:cursing:

Incline treadmill walking. Incline 12. Speed 5. 1km. 12 minutes. EASY!

*Mobility and myofascial release*

A few sets of these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EANtKWs73zE. These are really good.

Standard myofascial release.

Back on the sweeties for PWO carbs:bounce:. Wine gums today. YEAHHHHH!

Meant to be chest and triceps tomorrow night. But triceps are still a little sore and i want to be 100%. So might just stick with 2 cardio sessions; am and pm. Will play it by ear and see how DOMS are tomorrow. Todays session took it out me a little. CNS has taken a severe battering! Last thing i want is to get ill now. Im on a roll...apart from stupid little niggly leg injuries of course lol

Tune of the day. Usually Metallica gets me going for my top sets of deadlifts, but this came on in the gym and i got surprisingly buzzing! :confused1: :






:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

No weights today. Don't know why. Just wasnt 100% up for it. So decided to take a day off the resistance stuff and smash it hard tomorrow.

*Cardio, 29 March 2011; 6:30am*

Standard steady state treadmill walking. Incline 10. Speed 5. 2km. 24 minutes

*Cardio, plyometrics, 29 March 2011; 7:30pm*

*Cardio*

Steady state treadmill walking. Incline 10. SPeed 5. 1km. 12 minutes. Just to get warm and a bit of a sweat on.

*Plyometrics*

1. 10 depth jumps to get the knees etc warm (40cm height)(





)

2. 10 depth jumps into bound jump

3. 10 vertical jumps

Made a nice change to the standard low intensity cardio. Achilles is a lot better now. Ready to push it in coming days  .

*Nutrition*

Extra 50 cals post workout today by way of half slice wholemeal toast. Was starving so listened to my body. Nothing too drastic. Satisfied a craving though  .

Took a quick snap just before bed also. Still a bit of a chunk! Layer of fat lining the muscles. The aim is to shift this in due course 



Chest, triceps and abs tomorrow. Bring that sh1t on maaaaarfvckers!

:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

Only 6 hours sleep last night. Fooking shattered this morning. A TON to do at work. MASSIVE deadlines. Stressed to the max. Oh well. MUST ATTAIN PHYSIQUE lol

*Cardio, 30 March 2011; 7am*

Incline treadmill walking. Incline 10. Speed 5.3. 1.8km. About 18 minutes i think. Was in a bit of a rush so had to cut short.

*Chest, triceps, 30 March 2011; 7:30pm*

*Chest*

1. Incline barbell press. Bar down to (and touching) clavicle. No half rep sh1t.

Various warmup sets. 100kg warmup felt light. VERY LIGHT! Therefore started to feel like a bit of a bigman! Work sets as follows:

120kg-5 reps SMASHED! WTF!!!! Never done this EVER BEFORE! Felt light. No pain in elbows or wrists. Felt like i had taken a shot of tren:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

130kg-2 reps SMASHED! Immediate drop to 100kg-3 reps only:confused1:; immediate drop to 60kg-10reps

I super surprised myself here. I remember a month ago i was struggling incline benching 100kg for 6!! *YOU DONT NEED GEAR TO WITNESS BIG STRENGTH INCREASES!!!!!!!!!*

2. Incline dumbell flyes, nice wide stretch at the bottom

32kg-8 reps

32kg-7 reps

3. Decline dumbell press (dumbells touching armpit area at the bottom of each rep, no half reps)

45kg bells-8.5 reps

32kg-8 reps - 4 seconds down, hold at the bottom for 3 seconds, explode up.....PAIN (good pain lol)

4. Gay life fitness flat bench press

105kg-5.5 reps; immediate drop to 70kg-4 reps

Chest was spent. Time to move onto triceps.

*Triceps*

Endorphins were in full motion at this point from the incline benching results earlier.

1. Rope cable pushdowns with that little poncy outwards crimp at the bottom to "focus on the triceps outer head" :lol:

40kg-10 reps (half a55ed set:cursing

40kg-12 reps; 3 second rest-3 reps

2. Decline bench EZ bar skull crushers, bringing bar down to the BACK of the head, not to forehead. Went a bit overboard with these sets-wise

15kg pps - 12 reps

15kg pps - 11 reps

15kg pps - 11 reps; 3 seconds rest-3 reps

15kg pps - 12 reps

15kg pps - 10.5 reps

15kg pps - 12 reps - i think this increase in reps was due to slightly longer rest

3. Superset between straight bar cable pushdowns and bodyweight dips

50kg cables-12 reps; 12 dips

50kg cables-10 reps; 8 dips; rest 3 seonds-2 dips

Upper body destroyed! Done in 70 minutes. Extra rest during sets made it a longer workout.

Legs tomorrow. Gonna be a big one so decided not to do any cardio. Massively happy with todays session.

*NOTE: I've lost circa half a stone but i'm stronger. If a mug like me can do it, then anyone can! BULKING??? MEH!*

Gym tune of the day:






:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

MASSIVE DOMS from last night. Snapped a quick pic this morning of the abdominal region. Very smooth as you can see. Must get it tighter!



*Cardio, 31 March 2011; 7:30am*

Incline treadmill walking,. Speed 5.5. Incline 10. 1km. 11 minutes.

*Cheat meal*

Upper body is smashed from last night. And ever since yesterday afternoon i can really feel my metabolism kicked up a notch. Always hungry and it feels like a furnace is burning in my belly 24/7! Whilst dropping weight is good, dropping too much is detrimental. It seems like my current progress is too good to be true, so will cut back cardio a bit. DE

ecided to have my cheat meal this lunchtime instead of Friday for the following reasons:

a) really needed a pick-me-up as i'm feeling a little weak

B) doing legs today so hopefully i will have a nice bit of strength for the workout

Instead of eating meals 3 and 4, I ate:

-Nandos half chicken

-Nandos Chips with coleslaw

-Double twix bar (2 fingers)

-6 mini M&S teacakes

-400ml semi skim milk.

PROPERLY hit the spot! Feel a bit dirty now though. Ready to get back on the diet and smash it for another week.

*Legs, abs, myofascial release, 31 March 2011; 7:30pm*

*Legs*

1. 45 degree leg press. Feet high and wide. Deep. Knees touching outer pecs at the bottom of each rep.

Various warm up sets, work sets as follows:

10x20kg pps-12 reps

11x20kg pps-6 reps; immediate drop to 6x20kg pps-10 reps....was a good one!

2. Glute ham raises

BW + 10kg bar resting across traps-8 reps

BW + 10kg-4 reps; immediate drop to BW only-6 reps

BW-12 reps

3. Smith squats. A55 to calves every rep. Feet moreorless underneath hips for more of a back squat feel over hack squat feel

30kg pps-15 reps

30kg pps-15 reps

30kg pps-15 reps

4. Single leg step ups. Step approx 50cm high

30 reps left leg

30 reps right leg...EXCRUCIATING pump here. I urge you all to try this after a hard leg workout. I couldnt stand for a few minutes after these.

*Abs*

Some random ab circuit consisting of lots of leg raises that lasted about 5 minutes. My mate made it up. Was quite painful in the lower ab area. Didnt really do much for me though. Won't be doing it again!

*Myofascial release*

Standard

Opted out of cardio today. Legs were in too much pain from the workout. The pain has only just now subsided and i finished my workout 2.5 hours ago lol. Was starving after postworkout shake and Wine Gums also so downed 2 jaffa cakes when i got home.

Good day all in all. Really wasnt feeling the session to begin with. Have been KNACKERED all day. Yawning every 5 minutes at my desk. Crazy busy at work. Only got 5.5 hrs sleep last night. But somehow managed to get it done. Well earned day off from weights tomorrow. 2 low intensity cardio sessions only am and pm. Weigh in in the morning. Excited:tongue:

Tune of the day: 




:beer:


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## aesthetics4ever (Aug 6, 2010)

Alright bro, saw your comment in my journal and thought I'd repay the favour. Must say some very impressive lifting going on. Awesome incline BB pressing. 30kg increase in a month is unreal. You sure you've not been popping the blue hearts? lol 

Leg session looking spot on too. No calf work though?

And Chase & Status:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

radicalry00 said:


> Alright bro, saw your comment in my journal and thought I'd repay the favour. Must say some very impressive lifting going on. Awesome incline BB pressing. 30kg increase in a month is unreal. You sure you've not been popping the blue hearts? lol
> 
> Leg session looking spot on too. No calf work though?
> 
> And Chase & Status:


Cheers dude. LOL. No gear for me just yet. I never do calves after legs. Im just too fvcked and have no energy. Was doing 2 calf sessions a week before but since ive been doing more running, explosive work etc they have been getting sore from just that. Will start to incorporate more calf work once this achilles is fully better. I still feel it a little when i walk up the stairs:cursing:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*1 April 2011 weigh in*

Right. So. Today was weigh in. That huge cheat yesterday fvcked my digestion up BIG time. Was constipated no end. Nothing exited in the morning. Weighed myself and was back at 191lbs...starting weight:cursing: :whistling: :cursing: :whistling:

Must be honest. This fvcked with my nut no end. Decided not to take it as gospel as i was literally full of sh1t lol. Popped 5 senna pills from boots throughout the day and went for 5 piddly poops. And one mahoosive one at 1am lol. And another hyooge one this morning.

So. *REAL weekly weigh in: 185lbs. 1.5lbs down from last week. Good stuff.* Im happy! Im considering increasing carbs slightly next week to see how it plays with weight loss. I'm not dieting for a show or anything so I havent got a deadline as such so am happy to chop, change and learn as much as possible about my body. Will have a think over the weekend and consolidate my thoughts tomorrow eve perhaps.

*Low intensity cardio, 1 April 2011; 7:00am*

Incline walking. Speed 5. Incline 10. 1km. 12 mins. Nothing major. Just a quick "pick me up".

*HIIT cardio, 1 April 2011; 8:00pm*

Right. Decided to do something a bit different from standard low intensity sh1t. So:

Incline 10. Speed 5. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 10. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 5. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 10. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 5. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 10. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 5. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 10. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 5. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 10. 200m distance.

2km total. That incline running was HARD. Was sweating like a b1tch. Took 19 min total i think so less time. More intense. And, dare i say it, more fun:bounce:

Starting to like some of ye ol' HIIT stuff. Dont want to do too much though as i feel it may impede my weight training.


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Shoulders, traps, cardio, 2 April 2011; 11:30am*

*Shoulders and traps*

1. Seated dumbell press. Fully upright bench. None of this high incline cheat stuff. Dumbells touching delts at the bottom of each rep. No half reps 

Various warm up sets. Work sets as follows:

45kg bells-4 reps. Never attempted this weight before. Felt good. i.e. shoulder joints felt nice and sturdy.

36kg bells-7 reps

2. Barbell wide grip upright rows. Bar up to nipple level.

50kg-15 reps

60kg-12 reps

65kg-10 reps

65kg-8 reps + 2 loose reps

65kg-7 reps + 3 loose reps (was literally humping the air in the last 2 reps lol)

3. Kettlebell swings. Never done these before. They get harder as you go on as the bell swings more, more momentum builds up and you need a lot of lower back and legs to stabilise. Interesting movement. May incorporate more of these.

32kg-10 reps

32kg-12 reps

4. Dumbell lateral raises

12kg bells-25 reps

12kg bells-25 reps (last 5 reps involved a bit of air humping again :laugh

5. Barbell shrugs to the front

Various warm up sets. Work sets as follows:

160kg-15 reps

180kg-10.5 reps

Mashed. Done in 50 minuten.

*Cardio*

Skipping for 10 minutes. HIIT style. Lots of double skips. But achilles started aching again:cursing: so stopped.

Will be doing a bit of low intensity cardio again this evening. Then taking the mother out and spoiling her. Not able to see her much tomorrow for mothers day. Will eat a plain steak and broccoli at a decent Italian near me. This will replace eggs. EDIT: ended up eating a load of my mums veggie noddles also. Couldnt resist lol. But reduced fats from cashews to compensate for it and made up for it with a late night cardio session:

*Cardio, 2 April 2011; 11:30pm*

Incline treadmill walking, incline 10, speed 5, 2km, 24 minutes

Tune of the day (seeing as im still on the Chase and Status hype:thumbup1:






:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Cardio(warmup), triceps, biceps, 3 April 2011; 9:00am*

Had a lot to do today as its mothers day etc. So decided to bang arms in the morning:

*Cardio*

Incline treadmill. Incline 10, speed 5. 1km. 12 minutes. More of a warmup as I felt cold!

*Triceps*

1. Straight bar cable pushdowns. Various warmup sets. Work sets as follows:

70kg-20 reps

85kg-16 reps

95kg-6 reps; immediate drop to 55kg-12 reps

2. Overhead dumbell extensions

50kg-8 reps (PB-got 6 reps last time)

40kg-9 reps

3. Decline bench olympic bar skllu crushers, but bar brought to behind head, not forehead

40kg-12 reps

50kg-6 reps; immediate drop to 30kg-10 reps

4. Superset smith machine CGBP with bodyweight dips

45kg pps-5 reps; 9 dips, rest for 3 seconds, 3 more dips

40kg pps-5 reps; 10 dips

*Biceps*

Was running out of time here so only had time for 2 exercises:

1. Close grip EZ bar spider curls

Various warmup sets, work sets as follows:

15kg pps-8 reps

20kg pps-6 reps

20kg pps-4 reps; immediate drop to 10kg pps-8 reps....PUMPED! Arm veins are more visible now, so I have been informed by a fellow gym rat 

2. Single arm dumbell scott curls

14kg-12 reps LEFT ARM

14kg-14 reps RIGHT ARM

14kg-10 reps; immediate drop to 10kg-7 reps LEFT ARM

14kg-12 reps; immediate drop to 10kg-10 reps RIGHT ARM

Quick one today. No cardio as the afternoon consisted of slow ambling along flat ground for approx 8km with the fam...JOY! That was my cardio for the day.

Happy with strength increases, especially as i did cardio right before bed!


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Cardio, 4 April 2011; 7:30am*

Incline treadmill walking. Incline 10 speed 5, 2km, 24 minutes...standard.

*Cardio, 4 April 2011; 6:00pm*

Thought i would do a bit of minor cardio this evening with a mate. Then decided to train him for a bit as he wants to "tone up" lol. But he decided to drag me along for the ride. Originally i declined but then he started with the "ooh youre all meathead with no athleticism". So my ego took over and i showed the cvnt who's boss:tongue:

1. Incline treadmill walking. 1km. Incline 10. Speed . 12 minutes.

2. 35kg powerbag drills. Quite fun actually:

Clean the power bag up onto left shoulder. Run 10 yards up. Then 10 yards back. Drop bag. Sprint 10 yards up, 10 yards back. Clean the bag back up but this time onto the right shoulder. 10 yards up, 10 yards down. Drop bag. Sprint 10 yards up and 10 yards back

This was HARD! Just for the record he used a 20kg powerbag whilst i manned up and used the 35kg one lol.

Did this 5 times. Timed each one. My last one was the fastest. Time of 23.46 seconds. Chuffed. His best time was 25.76 haha.

3. A set of 10 upright rows with the powerbag followed by an immediate 500metre sprint on the rower. Top resistance. Bearing in mind i havent rowed since i was 17, i was quite happy with my time. 1:33min.

Was *ABSOLUTELY FVCKED AT THE END. * Alright now though. Lots of rice, lamb stew and green beans await 

Cheeriyo peeps. Tune of the day:






:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Cardio, 5 April 2011; 7:30am*

Incline treadmill walking. Speed 5, Incline 10, 2km. 24 mins.

*Back, biceps, cardio*

*Back*

1. Close, neutral grip pullups, hands 6 inches apart, dead hang at bottom of each rep

Various warm up sets, work sets as follows:

Bodyweight + 50kg-6 reps - PB

Bodyweight + 20kg-10 reps; pause for 3 seconds-2 more reps

2. EZ bar close grip bent over rows

3x20kg pps-10 reps - PB

3.5x20kg pps-4 reps; immediate drop to 1.5x20kg pps-12 reps....PAIN! - PB

3. Close grip underhand lat pulldowns, slow up, fast pulldown, hold squeeze for a second

91kg-8 reps

63kg-13 reps

4. Bent over dumbell rear delt lateral raises

18kg-15 reps

18kg-15 reps

18kg-10 reps

*Biceps*

EZ bar close grip preacher curls

10kg pps-25 reps - PB

10kg pps-18 reps

10kg pps-21s and another 3 full reps to finish

*Fvck me. Personal bests all over the gaff! I will sleep a happy bunny tonight :laugh:*

*Cardio*

HIIT style skipping for about 10 minutes, lots of double jumps:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

Done in 80 minutes. Haribo Starmix to finish 

Achilles still playing up slightly. Getting much better though. Should be fine by end of week touch wood.

Tune of the day (loving the old school UK scene these days :thumb: ):






:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Low intensity cardio, 6 April 2011; 7:00am*

Incline walking. Speed 5. Incline 10. 2km. 24 mins.

*HIIT cardio, 6 April 2011; 6:30pm*

Didnt feel like doing low intensity. That sh1t is boring as fvck.

Incline 10. Speed 5. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 10. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 5. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 10. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 5. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 10. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 5. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 10. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 5. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 10. 200m distance.

2km total. Sweated like a B1TCH lol.

Chest and triceps tomorrow. Fvcking raring to go. Gonna absolutely smash it. Can't wait.

Just watched a Dave Tate seminar. He said the following...very motivating: HUMAN POTENTIAL IS LIMITED BY THE HUMAN MIND

:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Cardio, 7 April 2011; 7:30am*

Incline treadmill walking. Incline 10, speed 5, 24 min, 2km

*Chest, cardio, triceps, 7 April 2011; 7:30pm*

*Chest*

1. Incline dumbell bench press, full depth

Various warmup sets, work sets as follows:

50kg bells-7 reps

55kg bells-3 reps only

36kg bells-7 reps; super slow down, explode HARD up....very painful!

2. Flat alternating dumbell bench press like this:





 but holding the dumbell at the BOTTOM as opposed to the top

36kg bells-8 reps each arm

34kg bells-6 reps each arm

30kg bells-8 reps each arm

3. Cable crossovers, holding squeeze at the bottom

35kg-15 reps

40kg-12 reps

40kg-11 reps; immediate drop to 25kg-12 reps

4. Wide grip bodyweight dips, leaning forward to target pecs more

20 reps

16 reps

*Cardio*

Pushing my car for a length of 50 metres

2 lengths

Didnt time it. Quads were on FIRE! Second length was slightly uphill....was FILTH! Was very close to puking but pulled my sh1t together and kept it in :laugh:

*Triceps*

5 sets of gay rope cable pushdowns. 40kg, approx 15 reps per set. Was fvcked from the car pushing so heart wasnt really in it. Should have done car push at the end but it was getting dark.

Had an extra jaffa cake postworkout as i was so fvcked....i know...adventrous LOL.

Tune of the day...SICK TUNE!:






:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*WEIGH IN: 185lbs. No change from last week.*

Bit weird as i am definitely looking tighter in the midsection and quads especially:confused1: :confused1:

*Nutrition*

Have decided to reduce carbs on the non-weights days for the next 7 days:

On weights days, i am taking in 80g oats (50g carbs) pre workout and 50g worth of carbs. This will remain the same on weights days as i feel i really need the carbs in me for energy.

However on non-weights days i will be taking in no oats in the pre workout meal, just 40g whey protein which will be pre cardio and then only 20g carbs post cardio with another shake. These carbs will probably be from a slice of wholemeal toast and a bit of butter a tiny bit of jam.

*MONTH 1 END ASSESSMENT*

So.

Time: 4 weeks

Weight loss: 6 lbs, average 1.5lbs per week

Strength: Significant increase. Im the strongest ive ever been in my life! 

Agility and speed: Started the 4 weeks super motivated with this but unfortulately TFL and achilles injuries have slowed me down in this regard. I have tried to keep up with it as much as possible with the skipping and running but its not the same.

Overall: If i were to say i'm not happy with progress I would be lying. I am happy. Im stronger, leaner and potentially a little faster. But in essence im also PIS5ED at the two niggling injuries i have. But i suppose i just have to keep pushing on and doing what im doing. Learning is a good thing:thumb:

*MONTH 2 GOALS*

1. Continue with sharp mental focus in the gym. This, IMO, is more what contributes to strength increases over calorific intake, bf levels etc.

2. Get this achilles niggle sorted and get on the agility work PRONTO!

Cheat day today. Burger King at lunch methinks  . Legs tonight so it works nicely.

:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Cardio, 7am, Friday 8 April 2011*

Standard low intensity. Incline 10, speed 5 treadmill walking, 2km, 24 minutes

*Legs, cardio, 7:30pm, Friday 8 April 2011*

SOLID session today!

*Legs*

1. Smith squats. A55 touching calves on each rep.

55kg pps - 5 reps

65kg pps - 2 reps

45kg pps - 10 reps

45kg pps - 8 reps

45kg pps - 7 reps

45kg pps - 6 reps

35kg pps - 10 reps

Thighs were slaughtered!

2. Weighted walking lunges, 28 paces total (14 each leg, alternating)

40kg bar - 3 sets

3. SLDLs

100kg - 15 reps

100kg - 15 reps

100kg - 12 reps

*Cardio*

Light. More of a warm down. Incline treadmill walking. Speed 5, incline 10. 12 Mins, 1km

*Saturday 9 April 2011*

2 cardio sessions, low intensity as per usual. Am and pm.

Also kept VERY active during the day. Mowed my own lawn and my sisters. Im such a great lad i know  .


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Shoulders, 11:00am, Sunday 10 April 2011*

1. Power cleans

Attempted 100kg and failed again :cursing: :cursing: :cursing:

Was pretty fatigued from the warmups. Will warmup less next time,.

2. Smith machine behind neck press

1.5 pps - 10 reps

2 pps - 1 rep lol; immediate drop to 1pps - 6 reps. Rest for 3 seconds. 4 more reps.

3. "Running the rack" dumbell lateral raises

18kg bells - 12 reps, immediate drop to;

14kg bells - 10 reps, immediate drop to;

10kg bells - 10 reps; immediate drop to;

6kg bells - 20 reps....WHAOOOO PUMPED!

4. Dumbell shrugs

45kg bells - 15 reps

45kg bells - 15 reps

45kg bells - 15 reps

45kg bells - 15 reps

Was too knackered to go any heavier.

5. Upright rope kettlebell rows. As Wendler does here at 1:50:






40kg - 10 reps

Done. back home to eat, rest up, ready for sprints later in the evening!!!

*Sprint work, 7:00pm, Sunday 10 April 2011*

5 x 20m sprints. Best time was 3.5 seconds.

L-cone NFL combine drill. 5 attempts. Best time was *TBC*

2 x 20m sprints to finish

Achilles felt goood. AS did TFL. IM BACK! Smashing it up. Loving the sprints


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Cardio, 7:00am, Monday 11 April 2011*

Low intensity cardio. Incline treadmill walking, speed 5, incline 10. 24 min

*Arms, cardio 7:30pm, Monday 10 April 2011*

*Triceps and biceps alternating*; tried this for a change. Didnt like it. Will not be going back to it. Too much stress on the elbows for me.

1. Seated overhead cable extensions with the V bar

95kg - 9 reps

95kg - 8 reps

2. Olympic bar preacher curls

40kg - 11 reps

40kg - 9 reps

30kg - 12 reps

20kg - 4 reps; HARDCORE negatives; my mate pushing bar down whilst i resist..PAIN!

3. CGBP

110kg - 6 reps

120kg - 3 reps; immediate drop to 80kg - 5 reps

4. Gay preacher high arm preacher curl machine

30kg - 20 reps each arm. 1 set each arm

5. Decline close grip EZ bar skull crushers

20kg pps - 12 reps

25kg pps - 6 reps; immediate move into CGBP with same bar - 8 reps

6. EZ bar standing curls

12.5kg pps - 15 reps

12.5kg pps - 12 reps

*Cardio*

7 minutes on X trainer. Nothing major.

*General update*

Metabolism is back up. Its burning like a furnace these days. Hopefully weigh in on Friday morning will attest to this.


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Cardio; 7:00am, Tuesday 12 April 2011*

Low intensity incline walking, 2km, 24 min

*Sprints; 7:00pm, Tuesday 12 April 2011*

3 x weigted 20m sprints with a tyre for a sled

2 x non-weighted sprints. best time was 3.5 seconds again. Same as Sunday

5 x 20 yard shuttle. best time was 5.1seconds. Improvement! Last time i did these i got 5.38 seconds


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Cardio, 7:00am, Wednesday 13 April 2011*

Low intensity incline treadmill. Speed 5, incline 10, 2km, 24 minutes

*Chest, triceps, abs, cardio, 8:00pm, Wednesday 13 April 2011*

*Chest*

Something a little different today. Gym was a bit packed so decided to stick with one main exercise and smash it:

1. Shallow decline bench press (barbell)

130kg - 5 reps

140kg - 2 reps; immediate drop to 90kg - 10 reps

100kg - 10 reps

100kg - 9 reps

90kg - 11 reps

90kg - 8 reps

60kg - 7 reps (5 seconds down, hold for 3 seconds at bottom, explode up)

50kg - 10 reps (5 seconds down, hold for 3 seconds at bottom, explode up)....PUMPED!

2. Gay life fitness machine flat flyes

70kg - 10 reps

70kg - 9 reps

*Triceps*

1. Single arm rope pushdowns

20kg - 20 reps each arm

25kg - 12 reps each arm

2. Bodyweight dips, super deep!

17 reps; 3 seconds break - 3 more reps

14 reps; 3 seconds break - 3 more reps

*Abs*

Supersetting decline leg raises with thrust at the end with decline situps

3 sets. Abs started to cramp towards the end lol

*Cardio*

4 minutes of faffing on the treadmill

4 minutes of faffing on the X trainer

Nothing massively intense...was mashed after the chest, triceps and abs

All in all a sick session today. Still getting stronger 

Tune of the day:






:beer:


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Cardio, 7:00am, Thursday 14 April 2011*

Incline treadmill walking, incline 10, speed 5, 2km, 24min

*HIIT cardio, 8:00pm, Thursday 14 April 2011*

Incline 10. Speed 5. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 10. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 5. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 10. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 5. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 10. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 5. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 10. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 5. 200m distance.

Incline 10. Speed 10. 200m distance.

2km total. Fvcked at the end.


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*FRIDAY 15 APRIL 2011; WEIGH IN: WEIGHT DOWN TO 182.5LBS. 2.5lbs down from last week. Looks like the diet alteration has worked. Good stuff* 

Decided against cardio this morning.

*Back, biceps, lower back, 5:30pm, 15 April 2011*

Trained with a mate today. NPA Masters Over 50 2010 Champ. Fvcking animal. When you think you are a solid trainer, do a session with him and he will humble the sh1t out of you: http://www.npabodybuilding.com/ViewArticle.aspx?articleID=02454e59-3909-4eda-9cde-7996e78a2461

So i decided to follow his lead, but wanted to do the 40 pullup challenge right off the bat:

*Back*

1. Bodyweight pullups

40 pullups in 1:43min. Happy with this as i got 2:28 last time i tried  . Pete got it in 1:09.

10 reps, 3 second rest, 2 more reps

11 reps, 3 second rest, 2 more reps

12 reps, 3 seconds rest, 2 more reps:confused1::confused1:WTF, got better each set lol

2. Seated cable row

119kg - 6 reps

112kg - 7 reps

105kg - 8 and a half reps

98kg - 16 reps

3. Close neutral grip bodyweight pullups

16 reps

14 reps

13 reps

12 reps

*Biceps*

1. 5 sets of spider curls with a 25kg bar. Didnt note reps. But was fvcked by the end!

2. 5 sets of overhand grip life fitness high preacher curls - these really hit the forearms

*Lower back*

4 sets of back extensions

Done. On paper, this doesnt seem like a lot, but i sh1t you know, i was fvcked at the end. Not used to such high reps all the time. Almost puked during the workout! DOMS lasted 4 days!

Cheat tonight: cod and chips. Loads of milk and choccy biccies for dessert. mmmm


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Saturday 16 April 2011*

AM low intensity cardio - standad

PM a load of random explosive stuff. Had to bash it out quickly in 30 minutes. Speed pushups, sprinting up and down staircase, leg raises. Was fvcked at the end!

*Shoulders, traps, triceps, 10:30am, Sunday 17 April 2011*

*Shoulders*

1. T bar power clean and press - these are done facing the bar like the guy is doing at 3:30 here (



) but i basically power cleaned it from the floor and then pressed

50kg on bar - 5 reps

65lg pn bar - 5 reps

80kg on bar - 1 rep

2. Standing military press (to the clavicle)

70kg - 8 reps

70kg - 10 reps :confused1:

70kg - 8 reps

3. Mariusz style shoulder press (i used to do sets with 100kg last year but was fvcked at this point so stuck with just 60kg):






60kg - 10 reps

60kg - 10 reps

*Traps*

1. Smith machine shrugs

3pps - 15 reps

4pps - 8 reps; immediate drop to 3pps - 8 reps; immediate drop to 2pps - 8 reps; immediate drop to 1pps - 12 reps

2. Rope face pulls on lat pulldown machine

49kg - 16 reps

63kg - 12 reps

63kg - 14 reps (last 3 reps used a lot of momentum)

*Triceps*

1. Dips

Bodyweight - 19 reps

Bodyweight + 50kg - 7 reps PB

Bodyweight + 50kg - 6 reps PB

*Afternoon antics; Sunday 17 April 2011*

Spent the afternoon playing footie in the park for about 3 hours; so basically HIIT for 3 hours. Was totally fvcked lol.

*Monday 18 April 2011*

No AM cardio as i was still so mashed from yesterday. PM low intensity incline treadmill walking - standard. Felt the immune system not 100% so didnt want to push it. Plus had legs tomorrow.


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## hsmann87 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Cardio, 7:00am, 19 April 2011*

Low intensity incline treadmill walking. Speed 5, incline 10, 2km. 24 minutes.

*Legs, cardio, 7:00pm, 19 April 2011*

*Legs*

No squats today as lower back giving a bit of jip from park antics on Sunday:

1. 45 degree leg press

9pps - 20 reps

7pps - 20 reps

7pps - 15 reps; 5 seconds rest; 5 more reps

7pps - 12 reps

2. Glute ham raises supersetted with 65kg seated leg curls

19 reps PB; 15 reps

18 reps; 16 reps

15 reps; 15 reps

3. Gay life fitness machine single leg seated leg press

70kg - 15 reps each leg

79kg - 15 reps each leg

*Cardio*

Incline treadmill

Incline 15

Speed 5

1km, 12 mins

Legs are still destroyed! May upload some more pics in due course. Happy with progress so far. Leaning out nicely 

:beer:


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