Built for Show - Satter's Training Log

Training Logs
21

Dec 30, 2008 - 5:30 am
Week 5 (Wednesday)
Workout B (Lower Body

A1 Front Squat (5x5, 90s)
(115 lb + 15 lb Vest) x 5, 5, 5, (125 lb + 15 lb Vest) x 5, 5

A2 Step ups (5x5, 90s)
(15 lb Vest + Holding a 45 lb plate) x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

B2 Swiss Ball Hip Extension (3x10, 30s)
Type 2 x 10, 10, 10

B2 Swiss Ball Crunch (3x15, 30s)
15, 15, 15

C Side Bridge (60s, 30s a side)
L 45s, R 45s, L 45s, R 45s

D Single Leg Squats
Bodyweight x 8, 8

The strength imbalace in my lower body is almost corrected so from here on out I’m going to do bilateral squats for the main part of my workout (this will allow me to lift greater loads). I really liked doing the single leg squats and felt that they helped me with my hip mobility as well as correcting the strength inbalance so I’m going to do a couple of sets at the end of every leg workout just to help keep my lower body balanced and mobile.

22

Tweaked my back this morning on the first set of the first exercise (bent over rows) dropped the weight and quit my workout right away.

F**K!!!

Im in a fair amount of pain right now. I’ve already taken a very strong muscle relaxant and anti inflamatory and am cosidering a morphine pill.

THIS SUCKS!!!

My back has been feeling good for a long time and it was nice to be able to do squats again and I was looking forward to the deadlifts. Now I have to re-evlauate everything. I think that I just have to avoid certain exercises. I’m going to go back to single leg squats and instead of bent over barbell rows I’m going to do dumbell rows with one knee on the bench. And I think that deadlifts are out of the question anytime in the near future.

I am going to take a few days off from my workouts get some physiotherapy and not rush this. The last time this happend I didn’t take it seriously at first and as aa result was derailed and in pain for a long time. I will not make that mistake again.

23

Keep up the good work and check out my Author’s Locker Room for the answer to your question!

-Nate

24

I spent the last couple of days hanging from an inversion table and I have a physiotherapy appointment later today.
My back feels better, I can still feel a little pain but it’s not constant.

I think I’m going to give it another day or two then start back into it with some pullups, pushups and shoulder work. I’ll save the heavy stuff and lower body work till I’m feeling better.

25

I’m still feeling some discomfort in my hip and back but I’ve been pretty much pain free for the last day or so.

Did some 100 pushups, 30 chinups and 50 bodyweight squats this morning…PAIN FREE!!!

Tomorrow I’m going to do some body weight ladders;
________Pullups__Squats__Pushups__Crunches
Rung_1_____1________5_______3________5
Rung_2_____2_______10_______6_______10
Rung_3_____3_______15_______9_______15
Rung_4_____4_______20______12_______20
Rung_5_____5_______25______15_______25
Rung_6_____6_______30______18_______30
Rung_7_____7_______35______21_______35

I’ll work my way up the ladder(rungs) and then work my way back down taking as little rest as possible and timing myself. So I’ll end up doing:

Pullups 49
Squats 245
Pushups 147
Crunches 245

Then I plan on taking the weekend off, eating really well, and resting my back and I’ll start back into the Built For Show program on Monday.

I’m really happy that I recovered (knock on wood) so quickly this time the last time this injury really did me in. Can’t let my guard down in the future.

26

Hey Satter,

I’ve kind of been keeping half an eye on your log as it goes along with wakikis, since you both started at around the same time and I was interested in following some people doing Nates prog.

Anyway, I don’t know what you did to your back originally, but I was thinking that doing lots of crunches isn’t necessarily the best way to go, esp if you are just recovering from a recent twang. Most people focus too much on crunches. I would work on things that target your lower abs more.

Anyway I dunno if you’ve ever seen this thread, but it might be useful for you:

www.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding_author/lower_back_pain_a_little_case_study

I’ve had some back issues since I injured mine at Uni, so I know it sucks!

Best of luck.

27

Lift,

Actually I was thinking the same thing after I posted this morning.

This Ladder routine is something I’ve done in the past when I was short on time or just wanted to do some body weight stuff but considering that my injury is still recent I’ll probably sub the crunches with maybe swiss ball rollouts or planks.

I’ll check out that link you posted, thanks for your thoughts.

Are you doing the Built for Show Program yourself?

28

I did the bodyweight ladder routine last night and man did it kick the shit out of me. It looks easy on paper but if you keep moving and keep the rests as short as possible it’s a killer. That’s the closest I’ve come to puking in a long time. It was a great test for me though because I was able to get through it with no back pain at all and today I feel like I never even had the back injury.

I am chompin at the bit to get back into the Built For Show program and am going to start first thing Monday.

29

Currently I’m doing stuff to fix my imbalances and improve my posture, but I think it is a prog I would consider doing in the futrue. I will probably buy the book as an addition to my library, so I wanted to see what kind of routines were in it.

Glad your back’s feeling better, just be cautious when you recommence lifting. There’s nothing worse than a long term injury which effects all your training and life outside too. Sometimes it’s better to be the tortoise rather than the hare when it comes to training.

30

Jan 12, 2009
Fall Program Phase II
Week 1 (Monday)
Workout A (Upper Body)

A1 Incline Dumbell Row (4x10, 60s)
40lb Dumbells x 10,10,10,10

A2 Incline Barbell Bench Press (4x10, 60s)
115lb x 10,10,10,10

B1 Pulldowns (4x10, 60s)
110 x 10,10,8,8

B2 Dibs (4x10, 60s)
Bodyweight x 10,10,10,9

C1 Reverse Crunch (2X15, 30s)
15, 15

C2 Side Plank (2x30s, 30s)
45s, 45s

It was nice to lift some weight again, I only had a week off because of the injury but it felt like forever. I got through all the exercises with no real problems and will go heavier next time, I always like to ease into new workouts with comfortable weights. On Nate’s recommendation I subbed the Bent over Barbell Rows with Incline Dumbell Rows and because of equipment limitations I used the barbell instead of dumbells for the Incline Bench Press. I’ve avoided using the barbell in my bench presses for the last year or so because of shoulder issues but I’ve been doing of foam rolling and had no problems today. I’m going to try and get in four workouts per week instead of three to make up for lost time and get through this phase a little quicker.

I feel like it’s time to focus and push myself out of my comfort zone with the weights as well as other areas of my life. I’m feeling very positive about my health, marriage, family, friends, and just life in general and am looking forward having a great year.

31

Jan 13, 2009
Fall Program Phase II
Week 1 (Tuesday)
Workout B (Lower Body)

A1 Supine Hip/Leg Extension (5x5, 60s)
Single Leg x 5,5,5,5,5

A2 Bulgarian Split Squat (5x5, 60s)
20lb x 5,5 40lb x 5,5,5

B1 Goblet Squat (2x6, 30s)
25lb Plate x 8,8

B2 Reverse Wood Chop (2x8, 30s)
25lb Plate x 10,10

C1 Plank (2X60, 60s)
60, 60

Not being able to do the deadlifts sucks but I was really able to feel my glutes and hamstrings with the Supine Hip Leg Extensions. All the other exercises were pretty straight forward, I’ll definately go heavier next time.

32

Jan 16, 2009
Fall Program Phase II
Week 1 (Friday)
Workout A (Upper Body)

A1 Incline Dumbell Row (3x15, 45s)
35lb Dumbells x 15,15,11,4

A2 Incline Barbell Bench Press (3x15, 45s)
95lb x 15,15,15

B1 Pulldown (3x15, 45s)
90 x 15,10,10,10

B2 Dip (3x15, 45s)
Bodyweight x 15,9,8,8,5

C1 Reverse Crunch (3X15, 30s)
15,15,15

C2 Side Plank (2x60s, 30s)
45s, 45s

33

Might have to stick with 3 days/week for now. I have a few projects to get done over the next couple of weeks and will be really short on time.

34

Life is very busy for me right now, I’ve had to stay up late and get up early everyday this week. I’m exhausted and haven’t worked out all week (although I have managed to get in some pushups and bodyweight squats.)

Good news is that I just re arranged some things and made time for a workout tonight. If things go as planned today I should be able to get in another workout tomorrow morning and get back on track.

I’ve also been pretty good with my diet and have managed to not eat any “convienient” junk.
This crazy time will be over by the end of the month then I’ll have some more time to focus on myself.

35

Finally got a workout in last night…going to do another one tonight.

Jan 22, 2009
Fall Program Phase II
Week 2 (Thursday)
Workout A (Upper Body)

A1 Incline Dumbell Row (6x5, 45s)
(50lb Dumbells) x 6, (52.5 Dumbells) x 5,5,4,4,4,2

A2 Incline Barbell Bench Press (6x5, 45s)
(135lbs) x 6, (145lbs) x 5,5,4,4,3,3

B1 Pullup (6x5, 45s)
(Bodyweight) x 6,5,4,4,3,3,3,2

B2 Dip (6x5, 45s)
(Bodyweight + 25lbs) x 6,5,5,4,4,4,2

C1 Reverse Crunch (2X15, 30s)
15, 15

C2 Side Plank (2x30s, 30s)
45s, 45s

36

Jan 26, 2009
Fall Program Phase II
Week 3 (Monday)
Workout A (Upper Body)

A1 Incline Dumbell Row (4x10, 45s)
(45lb Dumbells) x 10,10,10,8,2

A2 Incline Barbell Bench Press (4x10, 45s)
(125lbs) x 10,8,8,8,6

B1 Pulldown (4x10, 45s)
110 x 10,10,9,8,3

B2 Dip (4x10, 45s)
(Bodyweight + 15lb vest) x 10,10,8,6,6

C1 Reverse Crunch (3X15, 30s)
15,15,15

C2 Side Plank (2x45s, 30s)
45s, 45s

37

F.Y.I. I didn’t post my lower body workout from Friday because I lost my journal and I don’t remember the numbers but I did get it done.

38

Jan 21, 2009
Fall Program Phase II
Week 1 (Wednesday)
Workout B (Lower Body)

A1 Supine Hip/Leg Extension (5x5, 45s)
(Single Leg + 25lbs) x 5,5,5,5,5

A2 Bulgarian Split Squat (5x5, 45s)
(60lbs) x 5,5,5,5,5

B1 Goblet Squat (2x6, 30s)
(60lbs) x 8,8

B2 Reverse Wood Chop (2x8, 30s)
(25lb Plate) x 10,10

C1 Plank (2X60, 30s)
60, 60

39

Jan 30, 2009
Fall Program Phase II
Week 3 (Friday)
Workout A (Upper Body)

A1 Incline Dumbell Row (3x15, 45s)
(37.5lb Dumbells) x 15,15,11,4

A2 Incline Barbell Bench Press (3x15, 45s)
(105lbs) x 15,13,11,6

B1 Pulldown (3x15, 45s)
(95lbs) x 15,11,9,7,3

B2 Dip (3x15, 45s)
(Bodyweight) x 15,10,8,7,5

C1 Reverse Crunch (3X15, 30s)
15,15,15

C2 Side Plank (2x60s, 30s)
45 a side, 45 a side

I am still crazy busy right now, going to bed at midnight and getting up at 5:30 almost everyday. I know this isn’t optimal for building muscle but at least I’ve been getting in my workouts and eating well. Next week life should get back to normal and I can focus more on myself.

My legs are still sore from the Wednesday workout, especially my glutes. I guess holding a plate (on my non working shin) during the single leg hip extension really bumped up the intensity.

I don’t know if anyone’s noticed but for the last two weeks I’ve incorporated Waterbury’s idea of terminating each set when either the form or speed breaks down and focusing on the total # of reps without worrying about how many sets it takes to get there.

I have to say this is a great way to workout. You always complete the total number of prescibed reps for every workout and every rep is a good one. I have never felt more jacked in my life.

I am going to continue following the “Built For Show” program with Nates (set x rep) presciptions but am going to use Waterbury’s “Get Huge in a Hurry” ideas to get the work done.

Looking forward to this weekend our little guy turned one this week and we are having a huge birthday party for him Saturday night, 350!!! of our family and friends. Going to eat some good food and drink some good wine.

40

Feb 2, 2009
Fall Program Phase II
Week 4 (Monday)
Workout B (Lower Body)

A1 Supine Hip/Leg Extension (4x10, 45s)
(Single Leg ) x 10,10,10,10

A2 Bulgarian Split Squat (4x8, 45s)
(40lbs) x 8,8,8,8

B1 Goblet Squat (2x6, 30s)
(70lbs) x 8,8

B2 Reverse Wood Chop (2x8, 30s)
35lb Plate x 8,8

C1 Plank (2X60, 30s)
60, 60