A collection of posts in the journal section

[Behemoth]

I see. How long are your rest intervals?

However long it takes to get my mind and body ready for the next one. Nothing less than my best on every set.

What happened to prep brah?

I forego'd it. Ultimately both the struggle to work my construction job and the isolation I reduced myself to not knowing how to balance family/friends and their support vs. prep drove me to ending it early. Here was 3 and 7 weeks out:

[f=ma]

ahh rory, i dont know how i missed this startup here. so many of your goals should also be my goals. i'm such a selfish prick, especially about when it comes to not making sacrifices re: lifting and dieting. ive burnt so many bridges and lost so many girlfriends from being completely rigid in whats important to me.. ugh

anyways though, the plan looks like a great platform to guide you into the remainder of the year. pizza looks damn good... i havent had pizza in forever, i should get some lol. weights are obviously strong as always... killing it on the BB rows and DB OH press. thats one of my favorite exercises. are you going to incorporate more deads?

[chevelle2291]

IMO, you shouldn't feel bad at all about not competing. Think about it this way, for the past 5 years or so you've gone from crazy bulk to crazy cut, and put your training and dieting ahead of family, friends, etc. If you were to win a contest (which you probably would have), that would just be affirmation that neglecting those other aspects of your life was/is okay.

I think farther down the road you'll realize that not competing was a VERY good move. Life is more than looking good naked. Not much more, but a little more.

[Behemoth]

ahh rory, i dont know how i missed this startup here. so many of your goals should also be my goals. i'm such a selfish prick, especially about when it comes to not making sacrifices re: lifting and dieting. ive burnt so many bridges and lost so many girlfriends from being completely rigid in whats important to me.. ugh

anyways though, the plan looks like a great platform to guide you into the remainder of the year. pizza looks damn good... i havent had pizza in forever, i should get some lol. weights are obviously strong as always... killing it on the BB rows and DB OH press. thats one of my favorite exercises. are you going to incorporate more deads?

Thanks Tim. As far as the deads go, getting my lower healthy enough to train is priority that may jeopordize. SLDLs are scheduled into my leg day right now (whenever I feel healthy enough to train it again). I do really miss conventional deads and I think probably that, in time, I will incorporate them 3 or 4 days adjacent to my leg day!

IMO, you shouldn't feel bad at all about not competing.

I think farther down the road you'll realize that not competing was a VERY good move.

I don't. I realized that before I made the decision hence why I made it.

[chevelle2291]

Thanks Tim. As far as the deads go, getting my lower healthy enough to train is priority that may jeopordize. SLDLs are scheduled into my leg day right now (whenever I feel healthy enough to train it again). I do really miss conventional deads and I think probably that, in time, I will incorporate them 3 or 4 days adjacent to my leg day!

Is your back bothering you more lately?

Do you do rack pulls or anything instead?

[Behemoth]

Is your back bothering you more lately?

Do you do rack pulls or anything instead?

Ah, when I said lower I meant lower body not lower back. That's my fault, lower back good. Rack pulls are an excellent idea for time being. I'm hoping in one week I'll be into some legs again but good suggestion Ryan, count on them being added next back day for now!

[f=ma]

im seriously amazed youre not being stubborn about your lower work

[Behemoth]

im seriously amazed youre not being stubborn about your lower work

It's been killing me to skip over this day, especially when I was loving the box squats I added in on my one and only go at my new leg day. My hamstring tendons are seriously taxed though. I don't think serious as in long term problems but if I'm not safe right now I could get seriously injured. I just read something the other day about how to not do outdoor pavement HIIT sprints when you're lean for reasons such as this... too bad I didn't read that two months ago.

And yes, stubborn is no doubt in my nature. I should really add working on that to my goals in post #1

[Behemoth]

Damn, you are pretty strong for being 190lbs!!! Looking forward to your training. Where in western PA are you?

Sorry bro, I have no clue how I entirely missed this post. I'm from beaver county, chippewa specifically. You near these parts?

[Behemoth]

Went in for biceps and calves last night. Wrist flexors were killing me on the DB preacher openers. No doubt from work this week. Swtiched it over to DB hammer preachers and they were tolerable. Tried calves but tendons still giving me issues. I initially thought that it was my crucial ligaments that were beat up after that hiit session but then realized it was just my hamstring tendons. On a light set of straight leg calf extensions I was pushing around and feeling the tender areas back there. It is more than hamstring tendons. Overall they still feel better than a few weeks ago. I need to order knee wraps for when I ease back into leg training.

Shoulders and triceps tonight. Pumped for this one. Whatever workouts progressing best is always most fun to train so no suprise I'm stoked to hit these two tonight.

Also had a huge epiphany with regard to my nutrition last night. For months and months now I've been giving tremendous thought what exactly in certain offesasons years that lead me to stay leaner than others. I've racked my brain on each and aspect calorie intake, to macros, to timing, every aspect with regard to ones diet and I never really came up with a conclusive answer. And the reason was because there wasn't. It was purely behavioural, stemming from a hectic busier lifestyle.

[chevelle2291]

Just be careful, Rory, aight? I'd hate to see you injure something else.

[Behemoth]

'Mac snack wraps ain't got **** on me...

Mix 2.5oz boiled and shredded chicken breast with mcCormick chicken taco seasoning to taste. Throw into a WW tortilla, melt a slice a kraft fat free american on it. Dribble on 8g of kraft reduced fat ranch and you get a damn tastey snack with killer macros!

232.5 cal, 6.5f/ 22c (12g fiber), 33g protein.

[Behemoth]

Just be careful, Rory, aight? I'd hate to see you injure something else.

I don't get injured. I do injury.

[ELmx479]

Sorry bro, I have no clue how I entirely missed this post. I'm from beaver county, chippewa specifically. You near these parts?

I live in Cambria county so not too far from ya. I'm guessing you go to the Arnold Classic since you are fairly close also?

[Behemoth]

I live in Cambria county so not too far from ya. I'm guessing you go to the Arnold Classic since you are fairly close also?

I never have actually. I may next year though. Do you make the trek?

[Behemoth]

Shoulders, Triceps

Cable Internal rotations/Cable external rotations
20x12 / 20x12
25x12 / 25x12
35x12 / 30x8

DB OH Press
45x12
65x6
80x4
95x8!
95x7
95x8
95x6
90x6

CG Bench
135x12
185x6
245x6
245x6
245x6
225x8

Standing DB Lateral Raises
40x10
50x7, sloppy
45x10
45x8
45x10
40x12
40x12

Angle Bar PD's
115x10!
115x8
115x10

Post Delts on the Pec-Deck
210x9!
210x8
210x8
190x10
190x9
190x8
175x9

Commentary Good workout, great progress. Delts continue to explode, maybe faster than anything I've ever watched grow/progress.

Hormones are improving. My hair has been growing really fast, I've been breaking out. I actually care about things again. And most noteably libido is making a rapid rebound I starting to find women actually interesting me again.

Ryan - I don't normally note/care about the length of my workout but I know this one for instance was 2:05 minutes. I only know that because I got there at 6:55 and they shut the lights out on me.

[Behemoth]

DB OH of the last three weeks have been legimate sets of:
85x6 two weeks ago
90x8 last week
95x8 this week

one oh ohs going up next week

Video

[Behemoth]

Not that I'm not a little/lot soft, but I thought that video made me look a little moreso than I am. Here's one highlighting the delts a little later in the workout with a legitimate pump.

This file should be named "post diet glycogen/fat explosion" haha.

Weight guesses?

[f=ma]

looking really hoss rory

oh and whats with the should press work?? thats an interesting little move to get the dbs up. i do something similar but one at a time

[chevelle2291]

Not that I'm not a little/lot soft, but I thought that video made me look a little moreso than I am. Here's one highlighting the delts a little later in the workout with a legitimate pump.

This file should be named "post diet glycogen/fat explosion" haha.

Weight guesses?

Bout 200-205. You look huge as fuk.

That is an interesting little move to get the weight up. Mine's kinda similar. I tend to put my legs wide out like that also.

But i'm lifting the 50s...

[Coke]

Looking huge, been throwing around big weights!!

[Behemoth]

looking really hoss rory

oh and whats with the should press work?? thats an interesting little move to get the dbs up. i do something similar but one at a time

I look like a watermellon. Few changes has looking less bloated since that shot.

Do you ask what's with the presses because I don't usually advocate them as necessary? I don't know. I'm quickly addicted to rapid progression I'm seeing on shoulders even though I don't necessary need more delts. I guess I'd be a little silly not to capilize on the way they want to grow right now. I've said it before and I'll stand by it that disproportionately large delts can actually enhance symetry IMO. But short answer is - I like growing!

Bout 200-205. You look huge as fuk.

That is an interesting little move to get the weight up. Mine's kinda similar. I tend to put my legs wide out like that also.

But i'm lifting the 50s...

Do you look up when you do them? Not that 50s aren't good at your size/development but I only comment because I just changed this and somehow it made a huge difference. I always liked to watch myself in the mirror then about a month ago I did a set where I looked up and they felt crazy lighter. Done them since like that and they've gone great. I don't know if it's because more arch in my back or quite possibly sometimes watching myself lift motivates me sometimes it does the opposite. Don't know why.

Looking huge, been throwing around big weights!!

Looking squishy. Fortunately I think I'm leveling out on all sorts of fronts and I can flirt with this condition for a while, up a little down a little. I'm still pretty comfortable in my own skin and feel that for what I weigh, I'm carrying it tremendously better than I ever have before. And I hope to get some really big weights moving this year. I still have many years to go before they'll be on par with you but I'm really fighting for some strength induced hypertrophy lately.

[Behemoth]

Back

BB Row
135x15
135x12
225x8
275x8
295x5
315x2
335x2!
245x18.5 - rep 18 was completely respectable. rep 19 didn't move more than 2 or 3 inches, crazy failure.
245x11.5

Wide Pulldowns
200x11!
200x9
200x8 dropset: 140x8
180x9 ds: 140x5
160x10 ds: 120x10

Seated Row
220x8!
220x6
200x9
200x8 ds: 160x8
180x12

DB Shrugs
100x17
100x15
100x12
100x15
100x14

Commentary
Balls to the wall. YMCA workout. Hogged the (one) rack for 25 minutes with the rows. Karma struck when it was occupied the rest of the night. I wouldn't have had much left in me for rack pulls anyways, I gave this 120%.

335x2 you wouldn't have liked ryan. I find progressingly on BB rows with sloppy form/body english and then coming down and making sure I do some real clean sets is indefinetly quicker progression than trying to jump up the weight 100% clean.

[ELmx479]

Damn dude! That is some insane rowing. Your lifts are very impressive at your bw for sure.

[f=ma]

hah thats big volume rory. your back is probably smoked right about now.

in hindsight do you think that CLA helped at all? i noticed all of the fat i regained as a result of splurging went back to the same areas