Alright guys, I have decided that I am going to train all upper body with fat bars for the month of October and possibly November. I read that Charles Poliquin sometimes has new clients use all fat bars so I figured I would give it a try. I am lucky enough to train at a gym that has an assortment of fat bars and I recently bought some grips off of Elite that you can put around dumbbells and pulldown bars so I can always train fat.
About me:
I am 23 years old and will be 24 in October. I have been training for 5 years. I had been training with a Westside template for the past year and a half. I will not be following that split, but will use max effort and repetition method as well as a speed day when I have the resources of bands or chains. I am 6’1’’ 205-210lbs My best all time bench is 315 squat 475 and pull 495. Today I did a pre fat bar test and maxed out at 295 on bench (I had gotten sick and lost some) and did 16 dead hang pull ups.
Concerns- the fat bar is more difficult so I am worried my max may go down because I wonâ??t be handling as heavy as weight. I plan on using the lightened method with reverse bands to try to handle maximal weight at the top from time to time.
I will take measurements before and after as well as maxing out again. If anyone has any questions or suggestions I would like to hear them. I am hoping to increase size and strength with this, I figured the best way to see what happens is to try it.
I got my fat gripz in the mail yesterday and took them to the gym to try them out. They were badass. I am excited to start tomorrow. Pre numbers are lookling like 202.4 pounds. 32.5 in waist, R. Arm 16.25 L Arm 16 L Forearm 14 R Forearm 14 Chest 44 at nipple line. Tomorrow will be an arm day with all fat grips. Should be interesting.
Alright, 10-1
Rack Press Close Grip with the Fat Gripz
bar x 8
135x8
225x8
245x3
265x1
285x1
225x7
Fat Bar Curl
70x8
80x8x3
Tricep Roll back on ground with pause superset with Alt Hammer curl With Fat Gripz
30x8
35x8x3
Standing overhead Tricep Ext w/ fat gripz
30x8
35x8
40x8x2
Preacher curl with fat gripz
70x8x3
Pushdown v bar with fat gripz
140x12
160x12x2
Alt DB curl w/fat gripz
25x12x3
Forearms were smoked, good workout.
10-2
Lower body with shoulders
Seated Box Jump
worked up to 5 sets of 2 at 45 inches
DL
135x8 conventional pull
225x4 conventional x4 sumo
315 3 conventional 2 sumo
365 1 conventional 1 sumo
405 1 sumo
425 1 sumo
465 miss
I am getting really pissed with the way my leg strength is going down. I need to get back to box squatting and speed pulls.
Log Clean and Press
5x5 Not sure what the bar weighs but I had quarters on each side.
Iso Leg Press
Alternating 4x8 with 2 plates per side. 3 count on the way down fast up.
Seated shoulder press SS w/ Front and side raise Fat Gripz on front and side raise
3 sets of 12 reps each. 40lbs on the press 20 on the raises
BB Lunges
135x8x3
My forearms are starting to get tired from typing. Gonna be a good month.
10-3 Chest and Back
Bench- Flat with Fat Gripz
barx12
135x8
185x5
225x5x2
225x3
You tire out very quickly with those gripz
DB ROW
60x8x4
Wanted to got heavier but couldnt hold on to it for shit
Incline DB bench SS w/ Wide Neutral grip Pulldowns Both with fat gripz
Incline 70x8 80x8x2 70x10
Pulldown 120x8 150x8x3
Cable Crossovers Super set with Supinated Barbell Row Both with grips
80x12x3 Crossover
135x12x3 Row
Traps: 315 standing Machine shrugs x12 SS w/ 225 shrugs front and back x12 for 3 sets
Facepulls 100lbs x 12x 3 SS W/ Pushups for 15 reps x 3
Today benching I felt it much more in my uppper back when lowering the bar. I also noticed that when I was lowering the bar on the earlier reps I wasn’t touching my chest, and I always do touch it.
I realized that the fat gripz give you about another inch or so range more motion. It may not seem like much, but it makes the lift a little more difficult and kind of threw me out of my groove at first. Just another benefit of the fat gripz.
Took 10-4 off
10-5
Arms
Fat Bar Floor Press
205x5x3
Fat Bar Tri Ext on floor with pause
90x8x3
EZ bar curl with Fat Gripz
90x8x3
Alt DB curl with fat gripz
35x8x3
Tri Pushdown V bar with fat gripz
130x12
150x12
170x12
200x10
Hammer curl with Fat Gripz
40x8x3
Band Pushdowns
MRx3
10-6
Legs
Speed squat with 2 chains off parallel box
8 sets of 2 worked up to 275 on the bar. First week wave so I stayed light, felt right.
Speed pulls
8 singles of 225 plus doubled red bands. I don’t like to pull conventional, but i didnt have a platform i could pull sumo from…on the 5th pull i lost my focus and pulled weird and did something and hurt something under my ribs or something. Hope it goes away.
Glut ham raise
1 warm up set 3 sets of 8 with red band. 5 second count on the way down fast up
Rev Hyper
4 plates 4 sets of 12
10-7
Day off
10-8
Chest and Back
Felt really good today, but have to work fast and cut it shorter because I had to go to work.
Reverse band bench- Double minis hung about 2 feet above me.
Fat bar (bar weighs prolly 20 pounds)
115x8
205x5
Bands on- 205x8
255x5
295x3
325x1
345x1
375 Miss
205x14
Pull ups
3 sets of 10 from a dead hang
Incline DB press W/ fat grips Super set with BB Row
Incline db press
70x8
80x8x2
80x10
BB ROW
135x8
185x8x3
Cable Crossover super set with Pulldowns
Cable crossover
80x12
80x8
60x12
Pulldowns
160x12
160x12
140x15
10-9
Arms/shoulders/traps
Today was just a day where I picked up a few things I missed during the week because I had a lot of time today.
Log clean and press
Bar plus 30 on each side 3x5
EZ bar curls with fat gripz
75x8x3
Tate Press Super set w/ Hammer curls With Fat Gripz
35x8
45x8x2
Laying DB tri ext with pause on ground superset with Zottman curls With Fat Gripz
tri ext
40x8x3
Zottman
25x8x3
Rev Grip Tri Pushdown With fat gripz SS with rope curls
100x12x3
BB Shrugs
135x10
225x8
(straps on) 315x8x3
225x10 First rep 1 second hold 2nd rep 2 seconds 3rd 3 and so on
135x10 first rep 10 second hold 2nd rep 9 and so on right into 20 reps
Upright row 3 sets of 12 @ 135 super set with 3 sets of 30 situps
10-10 off
10-11
Legs and Shoulders
Box squat
barx12
135x8
225x5
275x3x3
Didn’t feel the best. 275 wasn’t too heavy, but it was heavier than it should have been
DB Shoulder press
50x12x3
Step ups 20 inch box
40lb DB x 8 each leg x 2
60lb DB x 8 each leg
DB 30s x 3
20lb db 10 front 10 side 10 rear raises
50 glute ham raises
10-12
Chest and back
Speed bench narrow with fat gripz
9x3 135 on the bar plus 25lb plates on each side hanging on bands
Neutral grip pull ups
10 10 8
Incline DB bench w fat gripz SS w/ DB ROw
bench
80lb db 8 8 14
4 more reps then last time so I have happy with that
ROW
105x8x3
Incline Fly w fat gripz SS w/ wide pulldown w fat gripz
Fly 40x12 50x10x2
Pulldown 100x12 140x8x2
Inverted row SS w/ wide pushup
Row 15 10 10
pushup 15 15 15
10-13
Rack Press Narrow grip with fat gripz
barx12
135x8
225x8x3
Fat bar curls
Bar only x 8
70x8
80x8
85x8
Did one set of tri ext DB but killed my elbow
DB alt curl w/ fat gripz
40x8x3
Straight bar lying ext w fat gripz
75x8x3
Incline DB curl w fat gripz
30x10x3
Dips 12x3
Band curl
mini band x 12x 3
Tri push downs w fat gripz
150x12x3
Rope hammer curl
80x10x3