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[VlaudTheImpaler]

Wow this is awesome. I am doing slightly leaning back in the door frame next step is to try a few Australian pull ups using chairs or when I finally get them some dip bars. Get good at those and go from there.

This video is excellent advise. Thank you for that.

Another thing to think about, and what I'd do if I didn't have the ceiling space for my rings or if I traveled a lot, would be to get a set of rings and hook them up to your pullup bar and do the progression with those. Same things as in the vid, but just with the rings. You can even attach bands to them, I do it all the time. The rings will really help build up stabilizer muscles FAR more than just the bar, in fact I'd say that just a bar would absolutely be skipping out on certain tendons, stabilizers and muscle chain connections.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

^^ I progressed on the rings until I could do a chin up. They're far more versatile than just a bar.

btw Vlaud how are those pelicans coming along?

 

[VlaudTheImpaler]

Welp, looks like the open practice tomorrow was a scheduling error... That means I have the green light for tonight...

All my stretches.

100 table top curls. Each arm.

100 triceps pull downs. Both arms.

100 pronation curls with band and kettlebell. Each arm.

100 wrist/forearm curls. Both arms.

6 minute static table top bicep curl hold. 1 minute negative at end. Each arm.

Load up heavier band.

100 table top curls. Each arm.

100 triceps pull downs. Both arms.

100 pronation curls. Each arm.

100 wrist/forearm curls. Both arms.

6 minute static table top bicep curl hold. 1 minute negative at end. Each arm.

100 table top curls. Each arm.

At least 50 supination rotations with kettlebell, then till failure. Each arm.

Sidepressure work on the table. 100 reps each side.

Done with upper body. Time for some lower body...

100 static triceps holds while doing standing crunches (lol I've got to come up with a better name for these.). So I attach my heaviest band onto my rings, no handles. I grab each end with a death grip and pull down into a static hold so my elbows are tucked into my side as if I'm going to press during arm wrestling. Then I do 50 crunches straight down and alternate 50 to each side for a total of 100 reps. This is rough on your elbows and wrists if you aren't used to it so beware if you are thinking of trying it. I just started doing ab workouts since I feel I'm in a good enough spot with my back recovery. I started with DunDunDunpachi 's kettle bell haloes to test it out. I still do those actually. Anyway, I do my crunches like this because it's how I use my abs when I'm at the table.

100 Lower back... Oh heck I don't know what to call these... It's this...

But without the chick. (The gif is also exactly how I imagine Tesseract does them.) Anyway, I use my pullup bar and load all my weights into the heavy duty bags you saw in my videos and do it with that.

Turkish gettups till I pass out.

DunDunDunpachi My elbows have been too tender for me to feel brave enough to try the pelicans... However, there is a progression I've been working on that I thought would take just as long that I'll have to make a video of because heck if I know what it's called if it even has a name. But I basically lower the rings to my armpit height, then grab just one. I then stand right underneath it and grip it as if I've curled the ring. Then I slowly lean to the side and unfurl my arm. My body spins while I'm "falling". My body is nearly parallel with the floor by the time my arm is fully extended. Then I curl myself back up. I've been doing negatives for the longest time but just the other day I tried the full movement and I was able to do 3 and I felt amazing. Anyway, I'll have to make a vid sometime. I'll try a pelican curl tonight since you asked though.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Glad to hear you're still doing those orbits as well as turkish getups VlaudTheImpaler . You'll get the pelican curls without a problem, just keep at em for a bit. I found the hardest part was keeping my wrists locked in the false grip so that I could pull myself back up. Your wrists are probably way stronger than mine so it should be an even shorter learning curve for you.

Next time you are in MI for an armwrestling meet, lemme know and I'll drive out as long as it's in the lower peninsula. I've been incorporating some new side-pushing and side-pulling conditioning (sambooo!) to hopefully put up a decent fight on the table. I'm also putting more and more time on the rings every day, not just dead hangs (which are medicine to the body) but a lot of false grip rows, support holds + leg raises, and one chin-up at a time (still working out the mechanical kinks on those). As a result of all these hold positions, my wrists and arms are tightening up and strengthening beyond what I'd expect. Anyone hoping to build upper body strength needs to hang a pair of rings in my amateur opinion jufonuk

Rice bucket + strap is legit, if you can incorporate it into your routine. Getting a few hours of extra farmer walking + rice bucket conditioning is too good of a bargain to pass up. I won't lie, it's not pleasant. My lower back and shoulders really begin to ache by mid afternoon, but the clock doesn't lie. A few sessions of this per day will pay off in the long run.

An entire week of 30-40F weather is forecasted, starting tomorrow morning. This is the first cold-training winter where I've also been working out heavily, so I'm eager to see results. One unexpected improvement is my flexibility. The cold weather tightens muscle tissue, but if you take the time to warm up and slowly stretch them out throughout the day, the muscles are far more pliable in "warm" temps i.e. when I go inside for the day. Using my workbench as a prop, I can put my foot up at a ~110 degree angle and then touch my ear to my knee, and I can touch my face to my knees when I do standing pancake stretches. This is the most flexible I've ever been (maybe that's pathetic).

 

[Tesseract]

stretching, dbells, jump rope, parallel progression ...

 

[haxan7]

I'm looking for some advice again:

Is it time for me to start going to the gym more?

I started weightlifting around the beginning of Sept. Been easing into it since then, going consistently 3-4 times a week but taking ample rest days when I felt I needed it. My weekly routine right now is:

1. Chest / Triceps / Shoulders
2. REST DAY
3. Back / Biceps
4. REST DAY
5. Legs
6. REST DAY
REPEAT

I think I'm only hitting each body part once a week (or slightly more) with this routine. From what I've been learning, you want to hit every body part twice a week for maximum gains (especially for a hard gainer like me).

Thinking of changing my routine to this:

1. Chest / Triceps / Shoulders
2. Back / Biceps
3. Legs
4. REST DAY
5. Chest Triceps / Shoulders
6. Back / Biceps
7. Legs
REPEAT

My diet is on point (160+ grams of protein per day, current fasted body weight of 157 lbs). Today will be the last day of my creatine loading phase (20 grams a day for 7 days), then switch to 5 grams a day indefinitely.

Since I first posted in this thread on Sept 4, I'm down to 157 lbs from 168 lbs. I haven't done much cardio, just been eating in a calorie deficit while hitting 1 grams of protein per pound of body weight. My abs are starting to show but I still have to lose maybe 3-5 pounds of fat.

 

[notseqi]

Thinking of changing my routine to this:

I enjoy alternating 2:1 splits with one day of essentials (deads/squats) and the other stuff falling in line with my push/pull scheme:
Week1
Day 1. Deads + pull exercises
2. Push exercises
3. No gym
4. Pull exercises
5. Squats + push exercises
6. No gym
7. No gym
...
Week2
Day 1. Squats + push exercises
2. Pull exercises
3. ...

I'd find 3 days a bit too much but will deviate from my usual plan when I have to travel.

Currently sitting in a bar with bombed out legs from squatting yesterday

 

[VlaudTheImpaler]

Hope Devon will be ok after pulling Trump. I hear his side pressure is uge, tremendous.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Had one hell of a training again today - after 2 weeks of almost doing nothing (believe me, it was hell for me... but my body just needed the rest... actually think I would need some more but fuck it, I could not stand it any more).

10 sets of 5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 goblet squats (24 kg) and 20 KB swings (28 kg). My new personal record. But hey, since I felt exceptionally good today after my weekly cheat meal and to ease my conscience after the delicious food I thought fuck it... let‘s do a 10 minute run after 5 sets and then another 10 minute run at the very end. Boy, let me tell you... the 5 final sets after the run were pure agony. Barely made it through... of course I still attempted the 10 minute run... Could not do it... My glutes wouldn‘t take it any more. Pissed me off...

Next time...

Have a swole weekend brahs.

 

[jufonuk]

I’ve done half my body weight set but today I added in dips and single leg calf raises.

I also tested out regular push-ups. managed to do five without collapsing.

Small steps and all that.
Think I’m getting better.

Will alternate between resistance bands and body weight work. Also When I can get it in do some runs. Next week Might try and wake up extra early to go running before everyone wakes up. Let’s see.

Also lost a bit of weight. So going in the right direction.

I would really love a lot of equipment to work with but I like the idea of just using my body weight as it seems more mobile/transportable and less reliant on things. When I go to work I won’t be able to take the equipment with me. (Baring the resistance bands) plus I am sure it will help my flexibility and general health overall.

The equipment thing is also I’m thinking with covid etc equipment and gyms might be less obtainable so going the body weight makes sense. Not sure I want to be bulky with muscles just fitter and stronger.

 

[notseqi]

Not sure I want to be bulky with muscles just fitter and stronger.

Same as with women scared about looking like bodybuilders, bulky and muscles is so much more work than you'd think. And then some.

Keep going, resistance bands seem to be great, free weights without the metal involved.
I tend to go for veeeery long walks or runs on weekends and I have never had problems with my ankles, training secondary muscles (as with free weights) all the time. Slid into a small hole today twisting my ankle around, no problem.

 

[jufonuk]

Same as with women scared about looking like bodybuilders, bulky and muscles is so much more work than you'd think. And then some.

Keep going, resistance bands seem to be great, free weights without the metal involved.
I tend to go for veeeery long walks or runs on weekends and I have never had problems with my ankles, training secondary muscles (as with free weights) all the time. Slid into a small hole today twisting my ankle around, no problem.

For me it’s not about the way I look with muscle. I just think at my age. Being that overweight with muscle would be just as bad with being over weight with fat. It would mess my joints up.
I will keep going though and get fitter

 

[Tesseract]

weighted vest, backpack, alternating dbell miles

then calisthenics until the sun goes down

 

[notseqi]

fakin brilliant me threw a freshly resting steak on my thigh muscle hurting from those squats
couldn't get it off quick enough without dropping it to the ground and now I got a steak-sized red mark
thank god I didn't ram that fork down

 

[notseqi]

weighted vest, backpack, alternating dbell miles

then calisthenics until the sun goes down

Love that muzak.
Got my noise cancelling headphones yesterday, back to listening to music while training, had been podcasts so far.
I fucking missed it:

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

I'm looking for some advice again:

Is it time for me to start going to the gym more?

I started weightlifting around the beginning of Sept. Been easing into it since then, going consistently 3-4 times a week but taking ample rest days when I felt I needed it. My weekly routine right now is:

1. Chest / Triceps / Shoulders
2. REST DAY
3. Back / Biceps
4. REST DAY
5. Legs
6. REST DAY
REPEAT

I think I'm only hitting each body part once a week (or slightly more) with this routine. From what I've been learning, you want to hit every body part twice a week for maximum gains (especially for a hard gainer like me).

Thinking of changing my routine to this:

1. Chest / Triceps / Shoulders
2. Back / Biceps
3. Legs
4. REST DAY
5. Chest Triceps / Shoulders
6. Back / Biceps
7. Legs
REPEAT

My diet is on point (160+ grams of protein per day, current fasted body weight of 157 lbs). Today will be the last day of my creatine loading phase (20 grams a day for 7 days), then switch to 5 grams a day indefinitely.

Since I first posted in this thread on Sept 4, I'm down to 157 lbs from 168 lbs. I haven't done much cardio, just been eating in a calorie deficit while hitting 1 grams of protein per pound of body weight. My abs are starting to show but I still have to lose maybe 3-5 pounds of fat.

Great job losing the weight! I do have a braindump of advice but it sounds like you're already on the right track. Do you have a reason to believe you're lagging behind or not making progress?

Personally I think you should go to the gym every day (and/or do sessions at home when you're not going to the gym). It is best to work out every day in the 50-70% zone of your "max exertion", if you want to gain mass and overall strength. "Rest days" are costing you hours invested on a per-month and per-year basis. Total muscle gain = hours invested x intensity - muscle tissue repair. You want to invest as many hours while not pushing yourself over the threshold into "muscle tissue repair" territory too much. Obviously, the tradeoff here is that you cannot "go hard" in quite the same way until you really build up the stamina and all-day grit to do it. You've already established the habit and are seeing results. Now take the time to fine-tune the machine and get the most out of your week.

Lemme do the napkin math. I'm guessing your routine is 1-2 hour sessions, 3-4 times per week? Let's call that 8 hours of moderate to intense exercise. By way of comparison, I'm putting in at least 5x as much time as you. Starting around 6am and going until 3pm, I'm lightly exercising for 9+ hours a day with bursts of intensity in that 50-70% range for a minute to 5 minutes at a time. By the end of the 7-day week, I've racked up (low estimate) 40+ hours of light exercise and 10+ hours of moderate to intense exercise. Extrapolate this to the end of a 12-month period and my body will have undergone hundreds more hours of stretching, lifting, pushing, isometric conditioning, etc compared to yours. At those scales, it's not about weights and reps, it's about raw hours of muscle under tension and cardiovascular development. You may have lifted and huffed and puffed and busted your ass more than me, but by the end of the year my body will have undergone more conditioning.

In fairness, I'm in a situation where this routine is possible. Maybe you aren't, but the overall idea is to fit in several mini-routines throughout the day, spiking your heart just a bit, exerting yourself just a bit, never pushing to your limits, but hitting that elevated pace several times per day to build up "farmers strength". Then you just snowball that habit into harder and longer routines, and before long you really are going full tilt for hours a day with the stamina and the joint/tendon stability to enable it. This isn't a specific routine or reps-per-minute I'm recommending. It's a paradigm that applies to any fitness goal you might have.

I am speaking from amateur experience (only been at this since March) but the research is there. The soviets did this with their athletes. Invest hours, by whatever means you can, invest the hours. But this means holding yourself back a bit so that you can train tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that, in perpetuity.

 

[jufonuk]

DunDunDunpachi is it ok to ask? is your long workout day due to a job with high mobility etc ?
Like a construction worker or as you said farmer ?
Mine is sedentary. I make sure to take walks around the office to get Tea etc. Stand up every half an hour when possible.

At lunch I will go for a walk for an hour.
But Ok So say at work I did some micro workouts through the day that will help me as well? Every hour a five minute workout. Not to build a sweat I don’t want to stink at work.

Like take a break find a quiet corner do say 10-20 squats , push ups , crunches. But not go hard. If I did this like five times in a day that would help a lot (also on top of my normal workout ? )

 

[notseqi]

DunDunDunpachi is it ok to ask? is your long workout day due to a job with high mobility etc ?
Like a construction worker or as you said farmer ?

Sorry to pimp in, a ton of people I work out with are doing heavy work, butchers, steel workers and factory mechanics. They are doing it to keep healthy and I think it's great.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

DunDunDunpachi is your long workout day due to a job with high mobility etc ?
Like a construction worker or as you said farmer ?
Mine is sedentary. I make sure to take walks around the office to get Tea etc. Stand up every half an hour when possible.

At lunch I will go for a walk for an hour.
But Ok So say at work I did some micro workouts through the day that will help me as well? Every hour a five minute workout. Not to build a sweat I don’t want to stink at work.

Like take a break find a quiet corner do say 10-20 squats , push ups , crunches. But not go hard. If I did this like five times in a day that would help a lot (also on top of my normal workout ? )

If I could do outdoor work like that, I'd LOVE IT. The "farmer" part refers to farmer walks, one of the single best exercises you can be doing.

But nope, it's quite the opposite: I'm an office worker, currently working from home. I was working in my basement at first, able to do gym ring stuff and kettlebell stuff. Then I moved to the front porch (expanded the range of things I could do), and now I have my laptop on a chest-high tool shelf in my garage. I am essentially on my feet all day long in my garage-gym.

And yeah, those micro-sessions should be brisk enough to get the heart rate up a bit, but not enough to break a sweat. Doing these all throughout the day is THE KEY. You've already got the right idea. It's all about getting in a deep stretch, or a walk, or some light exertion, all throughout the day. Five minutes is nothing, but these minutes add up into hours per week, which means dozens if not hundreds of hours a year. If you did that brief routine of squats, push ups, and crunches, it would be a massive boost. Also try to incorporate some stretching + isometrics like horse stance, planks, and balancing on one foot. These are even less likely to make you break a sweat but they will build up your tendons and joints over time.

A big payoff is that you're developing the habit of interspersing 5m sessions. For now you might be filling these slots with light exercise, but in 6 months you could be cranking out a ton of pushups/squats/whatever per day, always keeping the exertion level low so that you're not busting a sweat. It's a numbers game that continues to snowball in your favor the longer you keep it up.

Your muscles don't grow because you feel like you exerted yourself. Your brain doesn't stimulate muscle growth because "the pump felt so good". Muscle grows in response to stimulus. At the scale months/years, muscle growth correlates to time under tension, that's about it. Nutrition, hypertrophy, injury avoidance, and technique all play a role, but your "blood sweat and tears" do not translate directly to muscle growth. Your time investment does.

 

[jufonuk]

DunDunDunpachi cool. I’m gonna keep doing that then. I guess the same way I got out of shape I do the negative to get in shape. I mean little and often of activity. So it all adds up. Plus the main workout.

The standing on one leg idea yeah I will do that and the horse stance thing also. Anyone at work questions me I’ll lie and say my doctor said I’m getting tight joints. I need to stretch or what ever.

Thanks for all the advice.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Absolutely jufonuk , you're welcome. Just trying to pass along assistance in the same way that others have offered insight and advice to me.

Definitely stand on one leg with knee raised, increasing your time each week. Horse stances are good too. These will build up your hips and lower back. Stretch your legs by bending over and touching your toes. Improve over time until you are eventually touching the floor. Then grab your ankles and begin trying to touch your face to your knees. Flexibility = strength. Stretches and isometrics are perfect for the office environment because you don't need to huff and puff, but I promise you they will tighten and tune your body as good as any weightlifting regimen.

 

[VlaudTheImpaler]

Gonna do a workout session with my wife tonight. Love our workouts together. Helps a lot with all the stretching.

Lots of bloodflow work. Then I'll hit the rice bucket afterwards till my hands turn into balloons.

 

[Tesseract]

just sit ups and crunches now until i'm sufficiently devastated

 

[Cutty Flam]

Training 10/24/2020

-Walked 15 min
-Warm up movements and sets
-Shrugs
-Farmer Walks w/ DBs
-OHP
-Pullups
-Bicep Curls
-Few sets of Rotator cuff band exercises

-Swimming sessions for active recovery on off days

Keep up all the activity day to day fellas, the routines are looking excellent

haxan7 Just wanted to throw in, I’ve found excellent success with PPL routine, especially when I switched it to Push, Legs, Pull in that order; trying for two sessions of each every week if I could. But even better than than, when I used to train full body 3X per week and eat like a fiend, that’s when you’re going to find yourself strutting around with some serious muscle imo. 4-6 months of consistent full body sessions 3X per week is a game changer like no other. But it revs your metabolism up like you wouldn’t believe so prepare yourself for that if you decide to go that route. I used to fast 16-18 hours, work a very active job, as well as do these routines where I would work every major muscle group and there were some days I would sit down at the table and my hunger would not cease in the slightest for at least an hour. Be prepared to up your calories bro, and have quality meals ready to go is a crucial tip to keep in mind if you decide to go that route. Your body is going to call for more nutrients to repair and build once you get up there in intensity. But the right full body routine, imo it’s the way to go in that first year when you’re ready to commit and start gaining some size and strength

 

[notseqi]

Training 10/24/2020

-Walked 15 min
-Warm up movements and sets
-Shrugs

I am missing shrugs and I am not able to do them in a concentrated manner, as I usually did at the end of a training. Doing deads to the fullest and other shit though.
Not sure if I should return to shrugs. Love my shoulders, could improve?

 

[Cutty Flam]

I am missing shrugs and I am not able to do them in a concentrated manner, as I usually did at the end of a training. Doing deads to the fullest and other shit though.
Not sure if I should return to shrugs. Love my shoulders, could improve?

I found the best results with 40+ reps each set for shrugs and I always used 45lbs or less and focused on the contraction and more than anything the squeeze at the top for a second and an extra slow eccentric every rep. Before the gyms closed over here (still waiting for re-open) I was up to about 5-6 working sets of 30-50 reps each set when hitting upper traps hard with shrugs. I also used to bend my knees and do them at an angle and this really did wonders for my upper back. The pump was amazing (when performing them very slightly bent over / not standing straight) and I added a decent bit of size in my upper back thanks to doing them that way

Deadlifts and Pullups GOAT

 

[teezzy]

ashwagandha

Can you speak to this more? What the heck is Ashwagandha?

A lot of the stuff i'm reading make it seem like some sort of miracle pill

What benefits have you personally experienced?

 

[Kazza]

This week's figures:
85.4kg / 188lb (-1.4kg/3lb)
Waist 36 inches (-0.75)

I didn't make my sub-85kg weight goal, but I did smash my sub-36.5 inch waist goal, so I'm pretty happy:

I fasted Mon. Wed and Fri as usual, ate pretty normally the other days (not completely clean, but not really dirty either). I continued my daily jog and 25/30 min yoga, but added 10 min of pilates or bodyweight workouts on alternating days. I'll stick to the same routine next week too, but will again attempt to clean up my diet a little. Sugar addiction is still a weakness of mine, although it hasn't really been holding me back so far in terms of getting results. I'll let myself indulge a bit on Thurs and Sun, and make sure I eat no sugar on Tues and Sat.

I think the waist measurement is the most important, but I still want to smash that 85kg milestone next Sunday. Good luck for next week everyone!

This week's:
83.8kg/184.7lb (-1.6kg/3.5lb)
Waist 35.75 inches

While it is really nice to finally blast past that stubborn 85kg goal, I did "cheat" a bit in that Saturday is usually an eating day for me whereas this week I fasted, so this Sunday morning I was weighed on an empty stomach. My initial Mon-Wed-Fri fasting plan changed to Mon-Tue-Thurs-Sat, as I just didn't really feel hungry on Tuesday, so decided to just fast an extra day.

In addition to the usual yoga and running, I alternated between 15 min pilates classes and 20 minute bodyweight workouts. I found this one with a guy called Funk Roberts:




One thing I really liked about it was that he actually stopped for a breather during the routine and just told the audience "you guys carry on" . An admirable lack of ego, but he does look in great shape for a 50 year old.

Next big milestone is 80kg. Getting below 34 inches will also be a big one, but may take a little longer. Onwards and upwards!

 

[SpiceRacz]

Gonna do a workout session with my wife tonight. Love our workouts together.

 

[DavidGzz]

Though I'd post some pics for motivation in here.

After and before shots 180 pounds 10-2019 and 220 pounds 08-2011.

I've been lifting since 1999. I've gone from a weak 225 pounds at my heaviest to 160 pounds at my lightest. I am currently a bulked up 200. About 190 in my profile pic. I'm on a slow cut at the moment to get back to about 185 or so. Age 39. If anyone has any questions, shoot. I've gathered a lot of knowledge and experience in 21 years of lifting.

 

[VlaudTheImpaler]

Ok, well, now I see it...

 

[Tesseract]

Can you speak to this more? What the heck is Ashwagandha?

A lot of the stuff i'm reading make it seem like some sort of miracle pill

What benefits have you personally experienced?

never taken the stuff, cannot comment

 

[Tesseract]

starting the day

sit ups, crunches, goblin squats, jump rope, diamond push ups ...

 

[12Goblins]

I've been away from this thread for far too long. Sorry bout that.

So today's practice was... hell.

I've never struggled so much through a session as I did today. So, last week we did something new. We strapped a band to Alex, (the 18 year old 340+lbs hulk with 20 inch SOLID biceps (We just measured them today...)...) and had him pull like that. I can't even put into words how crazy that was. He had the band wrapped around his hand while wrestling me, Mr. Stapleton on the other side pulling like crazy in the other direction towards the pinning side of the table and he still steamrolled me and my buddy over and over and over. It was like some giant wild animal was on the other side of the table. In fact in his own words, "I feel like I can pull and hit harder with the band putting pressure on my arm...".

Anyhow, that session took my arm and shoulder in so many new angles as he manipulated it like a pipe cleaner. If you remember, after the first sessions I ever did with them I started to feel a nerve shock in my elbow and wrist. After that had subsided I felt SO much stronger and had FAR better endurance in the motions I'd been doing... Fast forward to now... Last week during recover I felt a new shock in my shoulders that I'd never felt before and I'm pretty sure it was from that last practice. I could be doing something as simple as picking up a spoon and ZAP. Nerve shock from my shoulder into my elbow.

Today, I felt good coming in because the shock had just subsided. I pulled with Alex first... Felt ok... Then King of the table was next. Oh BOY.

Now, I need to explain something before I go any further. Alex, when I wrestle him, feels... squishy or corded. When I pull or hit in on him he gives at first, especially his fingers which I can take on a very good day, ever so slightly before he takes my arm and pins it like a redwood fell on top of it.

Mr. Stapleton though, feels... literally like a robot. I'm talking full on T800. S.O.L.I.D. When he sets up for real... I can't budge him an inch. It's incredible and something that even though I explain as best I can, you just can't understand unless you grip up with him. This becomes more meaningful the more you arm wrestle and you can comprehend exactly what it is you're feeling even better. It's literally like reading a book on that person. You just know. Which is why arm wrestlers become obsessed with, "Man, I just want to feel that guy" when we're talking about people we admire. (btw Tesseract DunDunDunpachi I'd love to feel you guys on the table some day.)

So, King of the table... First up was me against Alex... They wanted to do the biggest as the first King. It went smallest to largest in line. So I was first. (Hey, I said smallest not weakest...) Next my buddy then Mr. Stapleton. Alex easily took me and my buddy and since he was fresh he was able to pin Mr. Stapleton several times as he came around, not easily though, before Mr. Stapleton finally pinned him. Holy crap the difference between Alex and Mr. Stapleton was incredible like I said before. But also in endurance. Alex was huffing and puffing and sweating like crazy and Mr. Stapleton was barely breaking a sweat at this point. Just slamming through all of us. This went on for around 45 minutes or so before we switched to the other arm and it was much the same story there.

Problem was, my arms where killing me after the first 3 cycles of the right arm my shoulders where screaming at me which made me rely on my elbows too much and then they started screaming at me. Same for my left arm but a bit worse as it was really tight coming in and it had been lagging a bit behind my right elbow in terms of strength so it's been a bit more sore as it catches up.

Man. It took all of me. Literally all of my mental strength to tell my body to keep going. I knew it was just the nerve shock. I felt VERY strong if I could look past the pain and tell my arms to activate. After they activated I had some great battles. I even won some against my buddy. But as soon as I won and disengaged, the pain would come flooding back and I'd rest my head on the table for fear of passing out. I broke out the muscle rub and basically took a bath in it lol. Then I kept going. There are times where you can tell that people are impressed and proud even through the friendly joshing around. This was one of those times. I went to take a drink from a bottle of water and could seriously barely open the cap. Mr. Stapleton walks up and goes, that's how you know. That's how you know you're an arm wrestler. Once you get past all this new nerve shock, you'll feel invincible.

I went strong the whole 3 hours.

He's not wrong. I couldn't even open the door to leave his house earlier. But now I feel incredible. No nerve shock at all this time. Still sore, but it's the good kind that I love after a good workout.

Found out we have another big public practice this Saturday... Wish I'd known that before I went all in on todays practice. FUUUUUUG. Hopefully I'm good to go by then. Gonna just do super light weight active recovery bloodflow work if I do anything between now and then.

Time to chill and heal. Keep chasing the dream champions. Sometimes you have to dig deep.

I'm pretty sure me, tess, and dun combined could use both arms simultaneously and still not beat you

 

[Caio]

I'm looking for some advice again:

Is it time for me to start going to the gym more?

I started weightlifting around the beginning of Sept. Been easing into it since then, going consistently 3-4 times a week but taking ample rest days when I felt I needed it. My weekly routine right now is:

1. Chest / Triceps / Shoulders
2. REST DAY
3. Back / Biceps
4. REST DAY
5. Legs
6. REST DAY
REPEAT

I think I'm only hitting each body part once a week (or slightly more) with this routine. From what I've been learning, you want to hit every body part twice a week for maximum gains (especially for a hard gainer like me).

Thinking of changing my routine to this:

1. Chest / Triceps / Shoulders
2. Back / Biceps
3. Legs
4. REST DAY
5. Chest Triceps / Shoulders
6. Back / Biceps
7. Legs
REPEAT

My diet is on point (160+ grams of protein per day, current fasted body weight of 157 lbs). Today will be the last day of my creatine loading phase (20 grams a day for 7 days), then switch to 5 grams a day indefinitely.

Since I first posted in this thread on Sept 4, I'm down to 157 lbs from 168 lbs. I haven't done much cardio, just been eating in a calorie deficit while hitting 1 grams of protein per pound of body weight. My abs are starting to show but I still have to lose maybe 3-5 pounds of fat.

If you are natural and you want to make some mass, you cannot train more than 3-4 times per week. You need good volume and intensity during your training, and you cannot ricover properly your central nervous system and energy level if you train 5-6 times per week. Now I'm talking about bodybuilding, just bodybuilding. Also, Muscle fibers also need recovery, and muscle synergy must also be considered, muscles do not work in watertight compartments, muscles that you are not specifically doing are also involved by muscle sinergy by other muscle groups.

In the second weekly routine you posted, you basicly do from point 5, after the rest day, 6 training days in a row, which is literally unproductive and exhausting from every point of view, if you train with good volume and high intensity; you would never revover, and you will easy finish in catabolism.

That's how I train, and at least it's working on my body :

Monday : Legs, light back recall, calf

Wednesday : Shoulders, light chest recall, triceps and abs

Thursday : Deadlift(which also is a legs recall), lat machine, rowers, pulley and calf

Saturday : Chest, light shoulders recall, biceps and abs.

As you can see, I do abs and calf twice per week, arms specifically one per week, while Chest, Back, Shoulders and Legs also twice per week, but one time very intense and good volume, the second time is a recall for those muscle groups.

I tried in the past to train specifically every muscle group twice per week with good volume and intensity, but it didn't work well at all, poor results, fatigue and loss of strenght.

On the other hand, training specifically every muscle group only once per week at maximum intensity, I think, it's not the best for the majority of natutal bodybuilders, guys, we are not like Coleman or Jay Cutler, and these 5/6 split routines per week doesn't work that well.

This is why I'm using the "recall " to train the biggest musce groups and train them twice per week in the way I mentioned above.

I hope this can help you.

For muscle pairings, you can use the ones that work best on your body. I am comfortable with the weekly routine that I showed you, it is personal

 

[Caio]

I will try this pre-workout next monday.
CELLUCOR ULTIMATE C4

 

[notseqi]

If you are natural and you want to make some mass, you cannot train more than 3-4 times per week

I did 2x boxing, 3x gym, 3x running (7+miles, with overlap on other training sessions), track training and one day of cage soccer for 1,5 years.

Stupid should I have had a goal in any of those disciplines and without testosterone use. Glad I didn't injure myself and not a good thing in hindsight, still fun.

 

[VlaudTheImpaler]

I'm pretty sure me, tess, and dun combined could use both arms simultaneously and still not beat you

lol. I mean, I'm pretty strong but unless Tesseract and DunDunDunpachi are crossplaying, and have been lying about their training and actually look like this...

Then you guys would break me in half...

King of the table though...

 

[Tesseract]

i train every single day

don't arm wrestle much, k-12 almost every day alongside swimming and football but those days are over

not opposed to learning ...

 

[Caio]

I did 2x boxing, 3x gym, 3x running (7+miles, with overlap on other training sessions), track training and one day of cage soccer for 1,5 years.

Stupid should I have had a goal in any of those disciplines and without testosterone use. Glad I didn't injure myself and not a good thing in hindsight, still fun.

OMG you did a lot of things, impressive

however I made a general discussion, then it depends a lot on the goals, our age, genetics, nutrition, supplements, lifestyle, we are not all the same. I in particular am happy with 4 workouts per week (natural bodybuilding)

 

[notseqi]

OMG you did a lot of things, impressive

however I made a general discussion, then it depends a lot on the goals, our age, genetics, nutrition, supplements, lifestyle, we are not all the same. I in particular am happy with 4 workouts per week (natural bodybuilding)

Not trying to be cool with my post, just sayan that you can do a lot without a goal. You can train and train but you will see nothing if you don't have the appropriate rest period.

I'm having 6hr nights within my circadian rhythm but compensate for it with a 1,5hr nap. Not optimal but 7,5+hr sleep is important for day to day living when training a body.

I do 4 gym sessions a week and it has been working out so far. No-gym days are dedicated to running or cycling, the dog gets at least 5mi a day.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

It's gonna be one of those late nights. Guess I'll fill it w rings, working the bags, isos, and stretching. New iso this week is an upgrade to my 1 handed plank: pulling the same-hand knee up., balancing on opposite hand/foot. The transverse gains will be Homeric.

 

[Cutty Flam]

Can you speak to this more? What the heck is Ashwagandha?

A lot of the stuff i'm reading make it seem like some sort of miracle pill

What benefits have you personally experienced?

This is a decent website to learn about foods and such; simple and concise with its information

The Powerful Adaptogen You Should Consume

Ashwagandha is an important herb in Ayurvedic medicine because it serves many purposes and benefits many body systems, including the immune, neurological, endocrine and reproductive systems. It can help improve thyroid function, boost energy levels, relieve adrenal fatigue, reduce cortisol...

draxe.com

I’ll take it w/ a protein shake, usually 3-5 grams. It’s one of those supplements that is tough to tell if it works or not. I also can’t tell if ginger, curcumin work but there are promising research papers out for all of them so I take them regardless. There was this one dude who used to swear by it, and always talk about its abilities and effects on health. One day he straight up gave me a bottle of Ashwaganda root power capsules for free and since then I’ve been using it. If it takes care of the thyroid gland then I’m for it. Everything else is a plus

I will try this pre-workout next monday.
CELLUCOR ULTIMATE C4

I’ve tried these from Transparent Labs. They work, especially the one with all the stimulants. The were the first pre-workout I’ve tried that have stimulants. And I made sure to buy the ones that likely had the least amount of extra random ingredients or filler from a trusted company but even with these guys I don’t trust the product. Coffee and caffeine pills if needed are the much safer way to go imo. My chest area felt bogged down and inflamed every time I took it. I’m probably not going to take it again any time soon, neither the stim free or the bulk phase pre. Not worth it imo. A few cups of coffee + creatine, maybe some berries of some sort to get some sugars in the bloodstream 30 min before training will be my go to if needed

The beta-alanine and caffeine in the bulk pre-workout do their job. I had to stop for a couple reasons, but that was the pre-workout I was looking for for weeks to make sure I bought a quality one. Jeff Cavalier has a stevia based pre-workout in sour apple flavor on his website too. I missed that at the time, didn’t know he had no sucralose options. I would have went with his company instead, had I known

 

[VlaudTheImpaler]

Don't mind me, I'm just over here working out all day every day getting bigger and stronger. I've already gone up a clothing size since I started arm wrestling training...

My legs, specifically my knees because of years of laying tile, are without a doubt the weakest part of me. I've come a long way, can do lots of squats and I even dead lift every other week now. But one legged stuff is really hard for me. So I'm working on pistol squat progressions tonight along with other leg work.

Marching hip bridges. Rotation into back arches. ostrich walks. Horse walks. wall sits. Glute raises. Calf raises to prepare myself to get back into jump rope. Won a competition for that back in the day. Was never able to do it without back pain since the accident. Not giving up.

 

[jufonuk]

I went for a run it was only 2km. I jogged a lot more of it. I still have pacing issues

I thought instead of doing a longer distance and only jogging a quarter or less (ok mostly less) I would do a shorter jog and try and jog more of it. Think I will keep doing this as I can spend less time overall and work on getting my jogging stamina up. Then later increase the distance and be able to jog a lot more. Either way yes I feel good.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Though I'd post some pics for motivation in here.

After and before shots 180 pounds 10-2019 and 220 pounds 08-2011.

I've been lifting since 1999. I've gone from a weak 225 pounds at my heaviest to 160 pounds at my lightest. I am currently a bulked up 200. About 190 in my profile pic. I'm on a slow cut at the moment to get back to about 185 or so. Age 39. If anyone has any questions, shoot. I've gathered a lot of knowledge and experience in 21 years of lifting.

Is this achievable natty?

 

[Tesseract]

same old shit

weighted vest, backpack, dbells farmer miles walks, overheads, extensions and curls along the way

 

[DavidGzz]

Is this achievable natty?

Yes. It would be sad that after all of these years I needed drugs to get 15 inch arms. They're 16 at the moment but im bulked up. Lean does not equal steroids. It comes down to if you're willing to make it a lifestyle for at least 5 years. Also starting young makes a huge difference.


BTW guys, I say quit wasting money on so many supplements. All you need is caffeine, creatine, and quality protein. Caffeine you can buy in pill form from Walmart for 3-4 dollars. Creatine is also really cheap.

 

[Tesseract]

yoga and parallel bar progression

 

[Jasonadream]

Gyms have been closed down again, until late November so I’ve re adopted the kettlebells. It feels great to get back to basics of low tech/high concept of kettlebelling.

I personally used to go in to train primary muscle groups; one at a time but eventually I adopted movement groupings instead, which is more aligned to powerlifting.
it’s more simple and effective for me as I prefer to do full body all the time

I would train 4 times a week and this was week 8 of my routine where I nailed two prs
Day 1
Calf raises 3x10
Squat ramp to single 455
Squat 5x2 385
Back off 2x5 335
Inc bp 4x6 215
Pullover 3x6
QDPR 5x12
RDFL 4x15
Crunch

Day 2
Ramp up 455
Dead x3 405
Dead 2x4 365
Dead 2x5 315
Chinups-5×5
GHR-4×10
OHP 4x8
Reverse hyper 4x12
Cable crunch 3x15
Kb lunges 12/12/8/8

Day 3
Front ramp 4x3 255
Bench ramp up 290
Bench 5x3 225
CG 2x8 135
Lateral flyes 5x12
Reverse hyper 4 x 12
Mag Row 3x12

Day 4 Deadlift accessory/alternative stance
Def 5x5 315
Rows 3x8
Reverse hyper 4x10
Wide Pulldown 3x15
Snatch 3x8
Dips 3x8