Onwards and upwards - target 2012...
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Makes sense that those leg presses from the pause at the bottom are so killer. By pausing you must be removing all (or most) of the elastic type of energy, ie the eccentric contraction before you stop the movement and reverse it. It's not unlike how a spring stores energy when this happens, and our bodies are actually designed to use that effect. Much like when ya start a deadlift from the bottom, there is no elastic energy stored before hand. It's all brute force and has a massive toll on both muscles and the nerves. Can probably apply this principle to a number of other push movements to increase their impact.
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yeah JK, we have pause on chest bench press at times too.<br />
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That sounds like a pretty good theory to me at any rate until something better comes along!<br />
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Whatever the theory behind it, it bloody works, that is for sure!<br />
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Today was back day, and biceps. Highlight again the weighted chins. Still just a measly 5kg, but changes the whole dynamics of the movement I reckon. Feels tough at any rate!<br />
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New workout arrived for next next week. It's gonna hurt. Legs getting caned again, lunges for Africa! -
whoops, 6 days since last update, almost another full week gone - just back left tomorrow.<br />
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Good weeks training, upped my clean and press on shoulders day yesterday, and today my back muscles are paying the cheques that my body wrote out yesterday! Legs also just empty vessesls. Those pause leg presses followed by the swiss ball wall squats murderous!<br />
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Visit trainer on Monday, will be interesting to see what gains on the fat % and muscle mass there are. Fingers crossed more of that latter and less of the former!! Have not weighed in for a long while, was 91 last time out onto the scales! -
Sooo, visit to food guru was bloody good. weight to 90kg, bodyfat down to 10% flat (was 10.8), muscle mass up another half a kilo.<br />
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First two days into new programme. Chest workout good, we were in Manukau so trained with our trainer, think he enjoys seeing us train as he can see the pain that he puts us through first hand! Was chest and triceps, and blasted, very excellent. <br />
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Today was legs, and lets just say smashed to pieces. I have not done so many lunges in the last 12 months that it is not funny. Making up for the first 22 years of lifting weights when 'lunging was for girls'... Hamstrings are already smashed, not looking forward to how I feel in a couple of days! -
Good stuff. I'm still scared of those lunges! Will do them one day though and most likely when I roll back in to a split programme once this 5x5 has finished in 12 or so weeks time. Either that or I may do a few weeks of 3 x 5 and really try crank up the weights. Have to see how I go.
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hell yes - lunges are killer. Think it was 'only' sets of 8, and then 15 jump squats (no weight, arms crossed in front of chest). But today struggling! And to finish leg workout 60 DB walking lunges. Murder!<br />
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today was shoulders day, no longer death by cable, this next four weeks is death by DB presses, one arm, 2 arm, and machine presses to finish. Loving it. -
back day, first of the new workout. and great galloping gumboots. Dead-lifts as part three of a triple set pops a fufu valve and a half, especially when part 2 is chins to failure, and part 1, boring old bent over rows. Put em together though, and it's a vein popper!! First dead-lifts since 2 programmes ago, and straight back to 150's for 4. First rep always a slow motion affair, but if you crank that one out, you know the next 3 will come easy - comparatively!<br />
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We've been aiming for 2 comps this season, a regional to get the bod ready, and the nationals. We've already qualified via last years North Harbour comp. But already things are looking to ramp up a little. The Asia Pacific titles are in Auckland this season, so that might be number three, and then there is another federation running a big show in Auckland too i9n November I think it is. So it might end up being 4, but at the moment, aiming for 2, the two extras come along later anyway, we can readjust sights after the regional. We now know, for me anyway, that five comps in seven weeks is too much, so as they come closer we'll have to see how things are stacking up! -
[quote name='BartMan']hell yes - lunges are killer. Think it was 'only' sets of 8, and then 15 jump squats (no weight, arms crossed in front of chest). But today struggling! And to finish leg workout 60 DB walking lunges. Murder!<br />
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today was shoulders day, no longer death by cable, this next four weeks is death by DB presses, one arm, 2 arm, and machine presses to finish. Loving it.[/QUOTE]<br />
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Walking lunges suck. Evil boxing trainer makes us do stuff like a track of walking lunges then a run straight after. Now THAT is murder. -
Mokey - one of our workouts a year or so back had ten minutes of walking lunges to kick off proceedings. Sucked.<br />
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Chubbs, ranked number 1 (I s'pose) in the Athletic division, lost once in 15 comps in NZ over the last 3 seasons. Came second, but that's not first, so that's a loss!! That was the 2010 Nationals. Never lost a regional show - yet, there's always a first time though, and it'll happen, one day. Love being the 'intimidator' though, with the pack chasing you. Of course, all with a smile on the dial, no need to be nasty, just do your 'talking' on the stage!<br />
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and to keep the pack at bay, today was chest day, and a good day at the office, as shoulder held up to the heavy poundage well, low reps helped out no end, as soon as the longer rep ranges come into it, left shoulder lets me know all about it. -
lucky legs today, my favourite workout at the moment. Lunges from hell, barbell, supersetted with jump squats to kick off, a lung burner as much as a leg burner. Then leg extensions followed by squats. Squats got the better of me for the first time since I was training with prop Cyril and we were lifting insane amounts of weights. Rep 5 was a struggle getting the the back up from the bottom of the squat - sort of halfway when you hinge back to upright. Stood for a moment after getting back up, and then just knew that while I would control the decent on rep 6, there was no way it was coming back up again!<br />
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Barbell lunges, 80 kilos, felt like hamstrings and glutes were going to tear, think I've got my weight limit there too!<br />
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So superb workout, shagged to pieces. -
Shoulders today, single arm DB presses, standing DB presses, and machine presses, all super sets with various lat raises, bent, standing, one arm etc. Then shrugs with cable upright rows. For a change, smashed smashed smashed!! Loving this 4 week cycle we're on, no chance at all to get bored. And getting into weight limits right off the bat too - failed on last rep on 2 of the 3 press movements, as opposed to getting the reps out and just been shagged.<br />
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injury watch, nothing major to report. In fact, left bung shoulder is going great guns (am I jinxing myself here), no pain at all in any of the movements, and strength wise on the one arm presses is no lagging behind the right much at all. -
today felt GOOD. buggered if I know why, or maybe it was the teaspoon of honey in my coffee this morning?!? <br />
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Anyway, back day and a cracker workout and a half. Still dread the triple of bent over BB rows, chins, and deadlifts, but caned it this morning. up to 165 on the last set of deads, and petrol in the tank for more, and still 2 more weeks on this programme. I like the idea of having 4 20kg plates on each end of the bar, but that might be a bridge too far. Will crank to 175 next week anyway and see how that goes, 10kg a week for 4 weeks improve I can handle...<br />
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Ness is looking AMAZING, she is certainly a far cry from the rookie of 3 short years ago. I'll have to get some photos at some stage to show her off!! -
double dipped today. With gym closed yesterday, did chest this morning, and then legs this evening. Shit it was hard in the heat, used to working out in the cool of the morning, not in the heat of the 6pm inferno. But dusted, another step closer to something..>@
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Where are we up to...?<br />
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Chest Monday, back yesterday, legs today. Ness went on a 50k cycle on Monday so legs were too knackered to go yesterday! She's doing come cycle thing ina few weeks in Cambridge or Matamata, or from Cambridge to Matamata. Anyway, so she's done a couple of cycles to see if she can do it, which she can with ease!<br />
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Legsw today, drained at the end of the workout, we do 80 walking lunges with dumbells to finish, and certainly was finished at the end of that.<br />
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Got new programmes for the next 2 four week stints. Another four weeks of supersetting, and then we've got four weeks of heavy low rep stuff - you beauty!! Not that we've been going too high in the rep department at the moment, but 4 deadlifts after bent over BB rows and chin ups is tough! Be interesting to see how much extra I can put on the bar without all that extra woprk first (Dreaming of 200)... -
awesome - bet you are frothing to get stuck into some heavy weights!<br />
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would you bother with straps to get 200+? if your grip is knackered due to the earlier exercises surely that'd be a reason to strap up?
