Happy New Year! 
(in 72 minutes)
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Happy New Year!
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Happy 2019 and may the gains BEGIN!
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2019
Woke at 237.0 lbs and that was shocking after my salt binge last night. I managed to drink a decent amount of water before bed in an effort to diminish the bloat.
And a flashback to last year. I’m not sure if I’ve improved or declined…
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Well, everyone is reflecting on 2018 and looking forward to 2019 so I thought I’d share some thoughts (as if I’m ever shy about that).
I haven’t looked at pics of myself for awhile. I just threw up last year’s progress through the T-ransformation for reference and I observed this: my legs and ass grew! That’s cool and all but it doesn’t really translate to a noticeable physique change. I guess the SGSS plan works but it’s lower body dominant.
I’ll have to keep that in mind this year. Perhaps I can shift my training focus and manage to add some size to my upper body. Throughout my entire training life I’ve emphasized legs and back over chest. I’ve always thought that everyone focuses on chest and arms so I wanted to be different. Those splits are easy (and enjoyable).
But after nearly two decades of training I think I’ll give in to the meat head style of training. I’m not sure how I’ll do it but I might adopt a bro split or something. It might even allow me to do more running/conditioning.
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Happy New Year J, may this be one of tremendous health and success in all your good endeavors!
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I think they are all about doing them a lot. Also not a lot of guys who are 6’4” 240 moving quickly for dozens of pull-ups. I find “WOD” conditioning comes super quickly if you do them regularly and rotate through a couple different types. My metcon is pretty bad right now, but would be back at 90% in a couple months especially if losing a couple pounds.
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No training today because I’m feeling lazy. We went bowling with my mom’s family per our usual tradition. I missed out last year since I was on crutches. I bowled a 170 the first game and was on pace to break 200 in the second but we didn’t get to finish. I had a 157 in the 7th frame with a strike in the 8th & 9th (working on five in a row). I think my total if I’d thrown it in the gutter to finish would’ve been 187.
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1.2.18
Woke at 235.4 lbs!
I tried this new diet yesterday.
Breakfast - handful of almonds around 10
Snack - casein shake around 1130
Lunch - pizza at the bowling alley (eaten steadily over two games)
Snack - cheese cake x 2
Dinner - 4 beers, 1 glass of wine
Late Snack - more pizza and a bit of chocolate
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Bro Split
LIMBER 11 WARM UP
AIR RUNNER
Jog 0.25 mile, walk for a couple minutes
Fartlek 3 x 20 sec run / 20 sec walk
Rest 2:20
Repeat two more times for three total rounds
92 calories, 0.83 miles
DEADLIFT
135 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 3
315 x 3
This was a trial run. I didn’t feel any pain during the movement but the muscles around my hip started to tighten up and ache as soon as I started this movement. It’s the same feeling I get throughout the week. I guess deadlifts are still a no go.
HANG SGHP
135 x 3
155 x 3
175 x 3
185 x 3
195 x 3
CABLE ROW (pronated grip) 1.5 reps
160 x 12
160 x 8
Neutral grip caused my tendon to pop.
LAT PULL DOWN
140 x 8F/8B/8T
140 x 8 (1.5 reps)
REVERSE CABLE FLY
30 x 10 + 10 rear delt emphasis x 2 sets
REVERSE CABLE CURL
50 x 35
50 x 15
I hit the one hour mark when I started cable rows. I need to find a way to pick up the pace. I want these workouts to be an hour or less.
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1.3.18
Woke at 237.2 lbs.
I’ve decided that I’ll probably try the following split with conditioning added two to three days a week in the form of running (before I lift) or a complex/WOD at the end of the session.
Monday - legs so that I’m sore on my days off
Tuesday - shoulders/chest
Wednesday - vertical pulling
Thursday - chest/shoulders
Friday - horizontal pulling
Mon-Wed are pretty much set but the final two workouts could be a day or two later in the week. If I miss a workout then I’ll still do legs on Monday and then just pick up where I left off. I’d rather do legs on Wednesday but then I realized it would make me sore AF during my work week which is no Bueno.
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Bro Split Chest
INCLINE BENCH
45 x 30
95 x 10
115 x 10, 9, 6 (1.5 reps)
Triceps just quit on these.
FACE Pulls (during Incline)
Black Band x 15 x 3
DB BENCH
65 x 10, 7, 5
DB FLY
25 x 20
I didn’t reach failure but I realized it’s been a loooong time since I’ve done this much chest volume and I’m going to be hurting.
SEATED LAT DB RAISE
15 x 12, 10, 10
Slow eccentrics.
SKULL CRUSHERS
45 x 50
PLATE CRUNCH (with bar lol)
45 x 15, 15, 10
Well… I think this session is too short. Let me rephrase that. This session has the potential to be better. I just can’t do much for chest. I mean, once you reach failure on one exercise it’s pretty much over. 65s would not move on DB Bench but I didn’t feel the burn. Fly’s helped me find the MMC again but I was done. I’d planned on only doing chest but I felt that there was an opportunity to stimulate my delts again. Today would be a good day to add something like conditioning.
I’ll keep playing with this layout. I’ll probably take Thursdays off on the future so I can do my push workouts on Tues/Fri and pull workouts Wed/Sat.
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The periods I’ve lifted chest/tris/delts as one session, the gym time flies by and o don’t feel like I’ve done much work, even if my muscles are fried. Since you felt the same, grouping those small muscles must not tax the whole body.
On the other hand, there’s merit to having a day that’s easily recoverable from. And as you said, conditioning would fit well here.
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I did conditioning yesterday because it had been two days since I made myself breathe hard but it made the workout long. It apparently will fit well with the day instead.
I’ve also learned to do it before I lift. It’s really hard to breathe when you’re chest and shoulders are tired!
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That’s how I feel about ab work.
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That’s true too! I learned that one when I was preparing for my first police academy. I knew we’d run, do push ups, and do sit ups. I was doing 100 push ups and sit ups in as few sets as possible in my early training. One night I did those first and then tried to run. I was halfway into my first lap on the track and felt like I was reclined 
Tired abs + tired pecs = no running
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That sounds awful. Necessary, but most uncomfortable! Some people love running, so I reckon they wouldn’t be phased. Lucky them.
I wonder if working the anterior torso mucles compresses the lungs a bit, making it harder to breathe while running?
I think I just didn’t realize how many muscles contribute to keeping me upright. I think the muscles we’ve discussed help with deep breathing. Once they get tired it’s like they’re just dead weight on top of the diaphragm. I take them for granted until one or more of them is unavailable.
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In no circumstance will i ever run or train running! How people can enjoy running is beyond me 
I think you hit the nail on the head.
How’s the shoulder on all that pressing work? If OK, looks like you can get some work done on upper!
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