Heavythrower's New Log

Bigger Stronger Leaner Over 35 Lifter
1

Hey all, well, the last few months has been about surgery and healing.

I have had to call heavy lifting quits do to injuries and degenerative changes in multple joints.

I lift to stay in shape and improve appearance and fun only these days. \

my last surgery was in late November, had a cervical spine discectomy and fusion.

i am starting my log again for personal motivation and accountability reasons, and to hopefully get input from other members on what I am doing right, wrong, ect.

this is not an “attaboy your awesome” log, I want constructive criticism and ego checks whenever appropriate.

I was a former competitive strenght athlete, Highland games, Powerlifting and Weightlifting, those days are long gone and now at 45 years old I just want to be in shape and look like I train.

the biggest influence to my training lately is John Meadows, and i will start by posting last weeks training.

Monday- arms
cable pushdowns 4x12 last set drop set with partials/super-set with standing barbell curls with 3 chains each side 4x8 finishing last set with just empty bar for “21s”

bench dips 4x15 with 3 chains on neck/ seated alternate db hammer curls 3x12x60lbers

pushups with hands close and feet elevated two chains on neck 2x10 then dropped chains and rep out till failure/ single arm db preacher curs 2x8x40/35/25/25 drop set

Meadows style bent over db lateral raises 2x35

Tuesday -legs

trap bar dl off 2 inch deficit with weightlifting shoes on 255lbs plus 10 chains 4x10

glute ham machine 2x10xbw /super-set with db sldl 2x15x100lbers

goblet squat ladder- 100lb db goblet squat, 10 reps, no rest add chain around neck, 10 reps, add another chain 10 reps, keep going until 5 chains on neck, then no rest, take chain off x 10, take another chain off x10, until down to just dumbbell, that is one giant set of 100 reps.

Wednesday- chest and shoulders

flat bench flys with chains 2x20
slight incline flys with 15lb dumbbell and monster mini band 2x15
machine flys 2x20
slight decline dumbbell “twister” press 4x8x80lb
stretcher pushups with 3 chains on neck 2 rest pause sets
swiss bar standing overhead press 4x6x 205lbs
meadows bent over db laterals 2x35
meadows standing side laterals 2x20

Thursday- off

friday - back

meadows rows 4x8
trap bar bent over rows 3x10
stretchers 2x15
conventional deadlift 185lbs plus 12 chains 3x6
db shrugs 3x15 x 70lbs each rep with 3 sec pause at top
back raises 100 reps

that was last week. will post this weeks after Saturday

2

glad to see a rebirth here
how is your rom on your neck? can you turn it side to side
are you realitively pain free? i have a million questions

I ahave less then stellar health care- and a fear of operations
still I am pretending that I can do many things- but the list gets shorter each year

I imagine if I became machine guy vs squat pull a bunch and do upper lifts like a girl
Id be better off.

3

thanks for dropping in K.

neck pain is 100% better. but the numbness and tingling in my hands and fingers is just as bad, may not ever get better.

I have surprising rom in my neck considering i have 3 discs fused, less than before, but better

i totally feel you as far as “the list gets shorter each year” as to things you can do. my most recent health problem is my right knee, which i no longer have full rom in, finally got an MRI, and to put it simply, that knee is “gone” i will need a total joint replacement eventually. so full rom squats are out for me now.

currently to squat with any sort of weight, i squat to just shy of parallel free or off a box with a very wide stance, and use tons of contrast, either light base weight (250-350lbs) plus tons of chain, or heavy base weight 500-600lbs with lots of reverse band assistance.

currently my favorite low body exercise is trap bar deadlifts standing on a 1-2 inch deficit with olypic weightlifting shoes on with lots of chain for 6-10 reps.

most of my work is with dumbbells and machines and i feel much better. it is at times boring, but I tell you, if you embrace john meadows style of training, it can be very challenging and you feel like you work very hard even if the loading is not what you are used too.

4

last week

back-

one arm barbell rows with dead stop pause on floor at bottom of each rep(see john meadows stuff) 4x8 with chains added

wide grip chins 4x6 x bodyweight

deadlifts from floor with 185lbs plus 7 chains each side (about 280lbs added at top) slow work up with sets of 3 then an all out set of 11 reps with top weight

trap tri-set: standing upright rows with trap bar x 10/ partial bent over rows with trap bar x 10/ trap bar shrugs x 10 with 3 sec pause at top.

bent over good mornings with one band and two chains on neck, 100 reps.

chest/shoulders-

machine press, work up to entire stack (no contrast) for 6 then do 4 drop sets of 8 reps, finish with 20 partial reps with the neutral grips. this was all one big giant set

slight decline dumbbell twister press 4x10x60lbs

flat hex press 2x20x45lb dubbells

hammer incline shoulder press, 2 rest pause sets with 3 plates each side 8-4-3 and 8-3-1

machine flys 3x20 super set with machine rear delts 3x35(keep arms completely extended)

tonight legs with tomorrow arms.

5

Heavy what are you weighing now?

6

220-225

i was right at 235-240 when i had surgery in november, and i lost down to about 210-215 after surger, but i am holding at 220ish right now.
i always state my weight in a 5lb range because since as long as i can remember i have flucuated around 3-5 lbs in weight every day.

7

I am glad you are here. I, too, have joint problems and can relate to some of your challenges.

Looking forward to following.

8

Following this log. Do you find that the lifts with chains are easier on your joints?

james

9

YES james. i like chains verses added band tension as the bands chew up my joints.

if i use bands, it is either to add resistance on some sort of machine, or i set up for reverse band assistance, where the bands lighten the load at bottom of the lift.

i missed a few days due to illness and work, decided to go old school and do a total body workout today.

after a warm up that included lunges, push ups, bench dips and glute ham raises, i did this:

a1- summo deadlifts with Olympic weight lifting shoes and from a 2 inch deficit
a2-swiss bar standing overhead presses

i warmed up slowly, and did about a billion sets of three, my top weight on the deadlifts was 130kg plus 10 chains (about 200lbs)
top weight for overheads was 90kg straight weight

used straps on the deads, and a controlled slow decent with a touch and go tympo, and the overheads i did a slow eccentric with an explosive concentric and a pause at the top locked out position.

probably did about 6 sets of 3-4 reps with the top weight, then did 2 sets of 10 with about 60kg on the swiss bar overheads and 120kg plus 5 chains on the deads.

rest periods were about 1 minute between each exercise.

felt good, nothing hurting yet.

cant emphasize enough how much upper back stimulus you can get from holding the top position on standing overhead presses and pausing at the top of deadlifts with a hard shoulders back locked out position with each rep.

10

LAST TWO SESSIONS

yesterday

legs-

ghr 5x10

back squats straight weight wide stance with ssb off 1 inch above parallel box worked up to 200kg x 3 with belt on, then lost belt and did a drop set with 160kgx6/140kgx6/120kgx6/100kgx6

narrow stance squats with reg bar off same box 1x20x85kg

high pulls with trap bar 4x6x75kg

today

chest shoulders-

moderate close grip bench with reg bar with fat grips 120kgx3, 4x6x100kg, 1x10x80kg

standing overhead db press 4x8x70lb, 2x5x80lbs

11

[quote]heavythrower wrote:
this is not an “attaboy your awesome” log, I want constructive criticism and ego checks whenever appropriate.
[/quote]

You’re an asshole, HT! You love it! Craphound!

[gleefully] I’m still here, HT! And you’re still a useless mother -…

12

sigh…

13

[quote]heavythrower wrote:
220-225

i was right at 235-240 when i had surgery in november, and i lost down to about 210-215 after surger, but i am holding at 220ish right now.
i always state my weight in a 5lb range because since as long as i can remember i have flucuated around 3-5 lbs in weight every day.
[/quote]

Hey Heavy…Little late to your party, but I am hovering around 220-225 as well, what sort of cals do you take in on a typical day?

Assuming that you are even tracking your macros right now.

14

hahaha no, im not nor ever have done anything that sophisticated as far as my diet goes, i am flattered that you think i am smart enough to even attempt to track my macros though.

15

[quote]heavythrower wrote:
hahaha no, im not nor ever have done anything that sophisticated as far as my diet goes, i am flattered that you think i am smart enough to even attempt to track my macros though. [/quote]

Hahaha just curious my man!

16

Yesterday. Legs.

Trap bar dl with ol shoes on and standing on 2 inch deficit. 4 x8. Really dropped base weight and made this a chain top overload assignment. I used just 115kg of straight weight. And somehow got 12 chains on the bar. I did these John meadows style , slow decent. Explosive concentric stopping just shy of full lockout to keep constant tension on my quads

Next was wide stance high box squats with SSB straight weight only. Worked up to heavy set of 6 , then did strip set 6/6/6/10. Top set was 180kg. Bottom set was 70 kg. I was happy with this. Nearly 400 lbs

17

Yesterday. Legs.

Trap bar dl with ol shoes on and standing on 2 inch deficit. 4 x8. Really dropped base weight and made this a chain top overload assignment. I used just 115kg of straight weight. And somehow got 12 chains on the bar. I did these John meadows style , slow decent. Explosive concentric stopping just shy of full lockout to keep constant tension on my quads

Next was wide stance high box squats with SSB straight weight only. Worked up to heavy set of 6 , then did strip set 6/6/6/10. Top set was 180kg. Bottom set was 70 kg. I was happy with this. Nearly 400 lbs on a squat variation for reps.

Last was glute ham raises. Top 5 x 10

This morning after work

Chest shoulders.
Want to deemphasize chest and really push shoulders. I have always thought that huge developed round and full pecs made guys look fat and balloon tittied. I have always admired the bodies of very lean Olympic lifters. Chiseled but not overdeveloped pecs. Broad cannonball delta. Sick traps and huge triceps. Goggle image search of pics of pisarenko, klokov, dolga, To me this is what the male upper body should look like.

So my chest felt training g is 2 or three movements for chest. One of them some sort of n line press which will hot mostly delta anyhow. And then 20 sets or so of John meadows style delt madness

First steep incline dumbbell press 50lbs with monster mini band added resistance. 4x15

Moderate wide dips. Body weight x 4 sets 15 reps. Really stressed DEEP bottom position with pause explosive acsent just shy of full lockout

Moderate close grip stretcher push ups with one chain on neck 4 x 10

Delts

Bent over rear felt raises meadows style 3 x 35

Standing side lateral raises meadows style 3x20

6 ways with 10lb db 4 x 6

May not look like much. But this was a HARD upper body workout

That’s it for now!

18

Solid work in here.

19

thanks jjack!

yesterday

back-

3 supersets:

meadow rows / pause dumbbell rows 4 sets

wide grip chins / trap bar bent over rows 3 sets

conventional deadlifts / db shrugs deads i worked up to 120kg plus 6 chains each side x 11
shrugs i did one all out set of 28 reps with 70lbers

20

I tried holding the weight overhead on the final rep of my overhead press sets today, like you suggested in that other thread. It was absolutely brutal.