Current Bodybuilding Training Thread 2.0

Bigger Stronger Leaner
404

Yes and no. I usually let the lift do that for me. Since you’re so interested in back workouts :wink: I’ll focus my examples there.

You can use anything for the beginning pump, really. Generally, I’ll use the same exercise that will be the destroy exercise, but with lighter weight and “warm-up” with it. For me at the moment, my lats need work, so I’ll do this:

Low T-Bar Row (3-4 pyramid sets of 12-20 focusing on the squeeze, never going to failure) supersetted with Pullups (3-4 sets of 6-8, never going to failure)

To destroy my lats, I use two different exercises. T-Bar Rows and Meadows Rows. They both hit my lats, but in very different ways. Plus, they allow me to lift the most amount of weight, which helps me create the most amount of torque and tension in my back (which is what really matters since your muscles don’t know what weight is).

T-Bar Rows (3-4 sets of 6-8 heavy)
Meadows Rows (3-4 sets of 8-12)

At this point, my back is full of blood and I feel like Dorian Yates. I also feel destroyed. Now the muscle needs stretched out. For the stretch, I try to pick an exercise that almost forces you to be in the eccentric position more. So…pullups from a dead-hang (this is awesome, especially if you have a weight belt), pulldown varieties, or pullovers. In these exercises, I always perform slower negatives and pause at the fullest eccentric portion. This forces you to lighten the weight, but you get a better stretch. Last week I did this:

Wide-Grip Lat Pulldowns supersetted with Reverse-Grip Pulldowns (3 sets of 8-15)

That hits upper and lower back pretty well and forces a really good stretch. Since the majority of the workout has been lat-centric, I decided to finish with an upper back exercise:

Rope Face Pulls (4 sets of 12-15)

Lately, I’ve then been finishing my back with a staright-arm pulldown or DB pullover movement. I also like bent-over reverse-grip cable rows for the pump finisher.

If you feel the stretch in a rowing movement, by all means go for it. It wouldn’t be my reccommendation, but I’m no expert. I also feel like my back is trash, so I’m not sure how great my opinion really is :grin:.

I suppose the way I think of it is this: In what way do you feel the movement the most? Based on that answer, does that feeling maximize a pump, blunt-force-trauma, or a stretch?

On a related note: I f***ing love training and today is all about my back, so it’s good to get into this mindset early in the day!

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405

Look at the SECOND exercise in this video. Has anybody ever tried it? If so, can you describe how it hits your chest? I’m really curious…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMksVJ3jqtT/?taken-by=shaunclarida&hl=en

406

Those are just like Smith Machine Presses from the floor, but with a neutral grip.

407

Alright thanks for posting the details!

Overall I think you have a solid plan and are on track. If you’re losing 1lb a week things seem to be moving along at the proper pace. A couple of thoughts that might help along the way:[quote=“orcrist, post:401, topic:221850”]
For the last 5 weeks I don’t think 5/3/1 is a good idea, so I plan to do BB-style push/pull split, different HIIT and maybe add more LISS.
[/quote]
I agree with you here, 5/3/1 is an outstanding program for strength gains and putting on some mass, but isn’t the most conducive for cutting. A BB-style split would be ideal IMO, and definitely varying your HIIT. Just like LISS, your body adapts to whatever you do. So, the more sled work you do, the more you’ll get used to it. You can try sprints (30 second hard run, 2min jog, repeat), the step mill, rowing, etc. Alternating between them would be ideal to keep your body challenged and guessing.

It might also help your fat loss to be in the gym more than 3 days a week. I tried that during my first contest prep, prepping on a full body plan 3x a week, made some slow progress but once I moved to a 5 day a week split things really started moving quickly. (5 weight days, 2 HIIT days.) You might also experiment with doing HIIT on different days than your weights. HIIT is a hell of a fat burner, but as you continue getting leaner, I think doing HIIT after weights can really inhibit growth and recovery, especially if you’re a natural lifter. LISS/MISS after weights for about 20-25 minutes is a good fat burner, I’d recommend separating your HIIT sessions from your weight sessions. Maybe a 4 day split, with 2 HIIT days and an off day would be good. Something like (there a million ways to split it, just listing an example):

Day 1 - Legs (doing legs on this day allows you a day before and after to not work your legs doing HIIT, better recovery)
Day 2 - Chest/Triceps, LISS
Day 3 - HIIT (Followed up by 15min of LISS, good way to wind down and burn some extra fat)
Day 4 - Back/Biceps, LISS
Day 5 - Delts/Abs, LISS
Day 6 - HIIT (Followed up by 15min of LISS, good way to wind down and burn some extra fat)
Day 7 - OFF

Then you can add additional LISS after legs and on your off day if needed.

Nutritionally you seem on point, if you’re starting to feel run down I’d recommend adding a “high day” on leg day. Right now it looks like you have training day and non training day nutrition which is all good, a high day can provide some extra fuel for a big muscle group like legs and be a nice bump for metabolism. Since you’re getting 140g carbs normally, on a high day I’d recommend trying something like ~250g-300g carbs, lowering protein to 180-200g, and keeping fats minimal to non existent. We lower protein because carbs are muscle sparing in nature and lowering protein to ~1g per pound of bodyweight ensures you leave more room for carbs but still get enough protein to maintain, and we lower fats because having higher fats and carbs in the blood at the same time has a greater potential to store body fat. Don’t be afraid of higher GI carbs like bagels, pasta, rice, potato, etc., the point of the high day is to tell your body everything is ok, get those carbs in and fire up the metabolism.

Hope this helps man!

408

Floor press. I’ve never done them but they have the reputation of being really good for your upper chest, although I’m not really sure how they could be. Always looked like more of a tricep move to me…

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409

The depth he goes with his dumbbell presses have the same effect too though.

410

yeah I hadn’t noticed that but he doesn’t use a huge amound of ROM on those, eh?

It’s working for the dude so fair enough.

411

Thats actually a hammer strength dead lift machine, creatively used of course. The neutral grip gives it a novel distinction from regular machine presses I suppose, but otherwise I wouldnt think there is anything special about that particular machine used in that way.

412

I kinda look at what the pros do and say: imagine if they did what was effective, where would they be?

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413

Its floor press, but to me it just looks like a dip turned upside down.
Dips hit chest and tris hard, though with proper pre-exhaust/exercise sequencing it could be more effective.

Remember, IFBB pros are likely incredibly genetically gifted. They will respond positively to a lot more than the rest of us.

414

Iron, thank you! This is giving me good stuff to think about and it’s really going to help me train more instinctively as I try to let go of such a rigid training structure.
BTW, that looks like 7 exercises for back. I do 6 including traps.

415

My pleasure, sir. Anytime.

416

Is there a need for post workout carbs if one has them intra-workout? If I work out in the evening and have carbs during the workout, am I short changing myself by having just beef and veggies afterward for dinner?

417

Robstein,
First, thanks for the detailed reply. Very helpful.

In the last 9 weeks, my legs have grown substantially doing only 6-8 total sets per week for legs (FS, RDL). The heavy sled is great HIIT, and it is also creates TUT my legs respond to. I will move sled work to separate days next week, and put in LISS afterward. I’m starting to see the adaptation you describe, but the periodized schedule is still ramping up. I’ve worn out the seams on one harness, so I’ll happily switch HIIT methods after I get through week 12.

I think I will take my current lifting program and just rearrange exercise order so it looks much closer to a BB split, start with a 4-day split. Since I’ve been making progress, “same but different” seems like a place to start, rather than start a whole new plan from scratch. I will probably dump the 5/3/1 %'s, and just start each session with a ramp to a heavy set of 5-8. Then do one down set for max reps.

I saw a vein yesterday running across the top of my kneecap, didn’t know I had that. Looking forward to more of those discoveries in the weeks ahead.

418

No, you’re not short changing yourself.

419

I’m having trouble with my distal bicep tendon (constant pain for 6 months)

Any idea how to rehab? I have tried to find out but really have no clue.

Am worried it will get worse. Have stopped all bicep work and pullups but has barely improved.

420

Give me the Cliff Notes version of your split (ie, days and exercises only).

421

4-5 days per week

Session 1 chest and and squat
Session 2 back
Session 3 shoulders and legs

chest: incline DB, fly machine

back: pulldown, cable row, few HS machines

Shoulders: laterals/rear delt/ presses DBs/machine

DB shoulder press can sometimes cause pain, back exercises usually ok.

pain is generally low level but permanent. Difficult to fully flex bicep hard/pain increases if i do.

tendon sometimes feels “swollen.”

Thanks alot for any suggestions!

422

tendons are a bitch. They heal REALLY slowly.

423

Is the incline DB more of a fly movement, or a pressing movement? Also, is the fly machine the sort where you hold the handles in your hands (ie, the machine version of DB flies)?

Laterals refers to lateral-delt DB raises, I assume? Also, what rear-delt exercise(s) do you do (bent-over DB laterals; face pulls; etc)?