Blonde will make you STRONG

[EvilPie]

So I've really enjoyed the recent strength building I've been doing. It's been a great phase doing the upper/lower/upper/lower routine but I'm now ready for a few isolation exercises to try to get a bit of definition going on.

I know the routine that always worked for me so I'll go back to similar. I'm going to add in an extra day at the weekend where I can but this is always going to be optional unless I need it to catch up a day.

Nothing's set in stone but something along the lines of:

Monday - Chest
Bench press
Incline flyes
DB press
Cable crossover

Tuesday - Back
Wide grip pull down
Bent over row
Seated row
Some other kind of row

Wednesday - Shoulders
Side lateral raise
OHP
Rear lateral raise
Shrugs

Thursday - Legs
Squats
RDL
Leg raise
Leg curl
Calf raise

Saturday/Sunday - Arms
Triceps overhead extension
Bicep curl
Rope push downs
Preacher curl

Everything will be 4 sets of 6 - 12 dependant on weight but I'll be pyramiding up through the 4 sets.

Going to give this a few weeks starting on Monday and see how it goes.

I'll post a few numbers up if I manage to remember what I've done.

[Marky147]

Similar to my split, but I have legs/back the other way around, and do arms with chest/shoulders.

Bit of a stretch to call it 'legs' day, as I do 4x10 leg-press, 3 sets of TRX squats, and then some core stuff with the kettlebell

Think I'll record all my lifts next week, so I can gauge how much damage a month off has done, when I get back in the gym at the end of July.

[iRaise]

What's with the ice cream? Is this some new miracle training aid that I didn't know about?

When I was lumping on the calories it used to be treacle sponge and custard but maybe things have moved on.

I am so late the the Ben and Jerry party its unreal. Everyone always said how nice it was and I just wasn't open minded enough, now I see it. My go to KCAL booster I think will always be chocolate rice cakes.

They are all still in low ish quantities. On a serious note I have just trebled my pancake mix in terms of the amounts of oats and just add bananas. I think my ice cream kcals are about 150. Rice cakes pre deadlift days are 700, but the daily 500 surplus comes from oats/bananas and honey. And to get back to a maintenance level was just adding in more volume of food and increasing my burgers and bacon quota. Trying desperately to not smash in a load of ice cream this time around.

[Marky147]

What's with the ice cream? Is this some new miracle training aid that I didn't know about?

When I was lumping on the calories it used to be treacle sponge and custard but maybe things have moved on.

I am so late the the Ben and Jerry party its unreal. Everyone always said how nice it was and I just wasn't open minded enough, now I see it. My go to KCAL booster I think will always be chocolate rice cakes.

They are all still in low ish quantities. On a serious note I have just trebled my pancake mix in terms of the amounts of oats and just add bananas. I think my ice cream kcals are about 150. Rice cakes pre deadlift days are 700, but the daily 500 surplus comes from oats/bananas and honey. And to get back to a maintenance level was just adding in more volume of food and increasing my burgers and bacon quota. Trying desperately to not smash in a load of ice cream this time around.

I don't mind Ben & Jerrys, but can't say I'll ever take it over Haagen Daz.

I've got some strawberry coconut crumble protein pancake mix that I'm going to break out after the summer. It's a bit hot for warm breakfasts atm, so just sticking with a shake & protein flapjack in the morning before gym.

[EvilPie]

What's with the ice cream? Is this some new miracle training aid that I didn't know about?

When I was lumping on the calories it used to be treacle sponge and custard but maybe things have moved on.

I am so late the the Ben and Jerry party its unreal. Everyone always said how nice it was and I just wasn't open minded enough, now I see it. My go to KCAL booster I think will always be chocolate rice cakes.

They are all still in low ish quantities. On a serious note I have just trebled my pancake mix in terms of the amounts of oats and just add bananas. I think my ice cream kcals are about 150. Rice cakes pre deadlift days are 700, but the daily 500 surplus comes from oats/bananas and honey. And to get back to a maintenance level was just adding in more volume of food and increasing my burgers and bacon quota. Trying desperately to not smash in a load of ice cream this time around.

At the moment I'm on 60g of peanut butter for my booster. It's 350 - 400 calories and a really good protein and healthy fat boost as well.

Looking at my current intake I could trim 800 to 1000 calories easily without sacrificing any significant eating pleasure. Remove the peanut butter, a few pitta breads and some of my wholegrain rice and I'm there.

Might give this a go in the near future if I happen to get a holiday booked in. MY waist is at 36 at the moment so wouldn't hurt to lose an inch or so if I intend to hit the beach.

[iRaise]

What's with the ice cream? Is this some new miracle training aid that I didn't know about?

When I was lumping on the calories it used to be treacle sponge and custard but maybe things have moved on.

I am so late the the Ben and Jerry party its unreal. Everyone always said how nice it was and I just wasn't open minded enough, now I see it. My go to KCAL booster I think will always be chocolate rice cakes.

They are all still in low ish quantities. On a serious note I have just trebled my pancake mix in terms of the amounts of oats and just add bananas. I think my ice cream kcals are about 150. Rice cakes pre deadlift days are 700, but the daily 500 surplus comes from oats/bananas and honey. And to get back to a maintenance level was just adding in more volume of food and increasing my burgers and bacon quota. Trying desperately to not smash in a load of ice cream this time around.

At the moment I'm on 60g of peanut butter for my booster. It's 350 - 400 calories and a really good protein and healthy fat boost as well.

Looking at my current intake I could trim 800 to 1000 calories easily without sacrificing any significant eating pleasure. Remove the peanut butter, a few pitta breads and some of my wholegrain rice and I'm there.

Might give this a go in the near future if I happen to get a holiday booked in. MY waist is at 36 at the moment so wouldn't hurt to lose an inch or so if I intend to hit the beach.

Yeah cutting out things like that save so much. Filtering out someones diet saves them like 400-1000 KCALs every time I do it. I have no idea what my waist is right now, 34 maybe? I don't really do measurements like that literally the only numbers I track day in day out is OHP, squat and deadlift.

Frustratingly OHP wasn't great yesterday. Pretty annoying, but didn't have a spotter and with that one for me at least a spotter is key. I just need some help getting past a sticking point then I am fine, without that help that sticking point gets me every time.

[iRaise]

Deadlifts today:

1x1 180/195
1x3 165/170/172.5
1x6 140/145

The last set of six is so tough, but all came up and were fairly nice reps. Tough week this week, dad's 50th tomorrow so had to squeeze them all in Monday-Friday, but managed it and enjoyed it.

[Eso Kral]

Legs day again today and recorded sets 2 & 3 with 80kg with one from the front and one from the side and finished with a good set of 85kg which will be the start weight next week as these feel good to kick on again now.

Flame away


Side view

[iRaise]

Legs day again today and recorded sets 2 & 3 with 80kg with one from the front and one from the side and finished with a good set of 85kg which will be the start weight next week as these feel good to kick on again now.

Flame away


Side view

Mate they look 10000x better than when I saw you do them. Now its just practice practice practice.

[PokerBroker]

Still looks like a tiny bit of flexion on the top set but on the side view it looks spot on mate.  The line is pretty perfect in bottom set.  Night and day between the frst video you put up. 

What's your one rep max?  

[Eso Kral]

Still looks like a tiny bit of flexion on the top set but on the side view it looks spot on mate.  The line is pretty perfect in bottom set.  Night and day between the frst video you put up. 

What's your one rep max?  

Cheers guys

Never tried my 1RM on any exercise tbh and kinda regret not doing it at the start of this as would have been nice to see the progress.

Will put myself through it in a few weeks time

[EvilPie]

Squats are looking good there mate.

Shouldn't worry too much about your 1RM unless you've got a good spotter on standby to assist or a set of safety bars set at the perfect height. I've never tested mine on anything either and managed quite alright without knowledge of whatever the numbers might be.

[EvilPie]

First night on the 100 press up challenge last night. I did 2 x 15 with nice long breaks and a max set of 49. I really gassed at 40 but then pushed for the extra 9. No great surprise there as I've been doing 40s for a few weeks so that's where my body thinks it's about time to stop.

Also started the new training split this morning with a chest session. Managed 100kg for 8 reps on bench and also 48kg for 6 on dumbbells which is pretty good after bench and flyes.

Quite optimistic about the new split. It's nice to have a bit of a change so will be nice to see what happens with the weights.

[iRaise]

Squats are looking good there mate.

Shouldn't worry too much about your 1RM unless you've got a good spotter on standby to assist or a set of safety bars set at the perfect height. I've never tested mine on anything either and managed quite alright without knowledge of whatever the numbers might be.

I do agree, I think it is a 'nice' number to know because you can go a % off that. But I don't test 1rm with nearly everyone because it wouldn't be a true measurement as they just aren't experienced enough to do it. It feels way to risky to ask someone to do it early on as if it goes wrong that is a huge confident dent. I totally understand why OL and PokerBroker would do it though, as most of those guys and girls would just use it for fuel for the next time.

I rarely use % of my 1RM, I just go whats the heaviest weight I can do for X on that day and judge it by my warm up/energy levels.

It is another caveat to fitness, everyone will have a different route but most get pretty dam strong/big but just lifting metal on a regular basis.

[iRaise]

First night on the 100 press up challenge last night. I did 2 x 15 with nice long breaks and a max set of 49. I really gassed at 40 but then pushed for the extra 9. No great surprise there as I've been doing 40s for a few weeks so that's where my body thinks it's about time to stop.

Also started the new training split this morning with a chest session. Managed 100kg for 8 reps on bench and also 48kg for 6 on dumbbells which is pretty good after bench and flyes.

Quite optimistic about the new split. It's nice to have a bit of a change so will be nice to see what happens with the weights.

Some strong numbers there, do you do cable flyes?