Don’t let me stop you

I have been fighting a shoulder injury for sometime now, I just keep pushing through the pain, some days are worse then others, but lately it’s been real bad. I have really only two options, stop training my upper body for a while or go real lite on movements that kill my shoulder; I’m going with the latter of the two. So I told my training partners not to follow my lead for a while

We banged out Chest and Arms last night and it went something like this…

Started with flat bench where I stayed with one plate (135) for 4 sets and they both climbed to 3 plates (315), next was the incline bench for 4, where again I stayed with one plate and they worked there way up to 275 and 315, from there to weighted dips, Animal brought his belt to secure some plates around our waist. Now this doesn't hurt my shoulder as much so I was able to climb up to three 35 pound plates and last for the chest we did machine flies, which KILL my shoulders, but I wanted that movement.

Arms started with barbell curls, then onto seated preachers curls. We got a nice blood pump going into triceps where we started with behind the head French curls with a crooked bar sitting backwards against a preacher bench, next we bent over pulling a cable from the top pulley for triceps extension, then pushdowns with a rope, ending on a bench for 4 sets of wrist curls both ways for forearms

I’m planning on going real light for a while on my pushing exercise until my shoulder starts to feel better, and then I will slowly start to increase the weight and intensity

Time for a protein drink!

size BIGGER!

The day after…

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving; I was fortune enough to eat at two places yesterday, so I was ready to bang out some Back, Shoulders and Traps today

Again today there were four of us, once in a while Mike was still in town and needed more abuse which we are much obliged to give him…

Today damaged started with Back then Shoulders then Traps.

And it went something like this…

Reverse grip Chin-Ups/ 4 sets

Low Row Cable Rows/4 set

Barbell Bent over Rows/4 set

Wide grip cable Pull Downs/4 set

Standing Barbell Shoulder Presses/4 sets

Close Grip up Right Rows/4 sets

Machine Side Laterals /4 sets

End of a bench, Rear Dumbbell laterals /4 sets

Barbell shrugs 4/ sets

Finishing on stomach

I want to thank once in a while Mike for hanging and banging with the crew and welcome him back on his next visit for more thrashing.

Next two days off, back at it on Monday

Until next time… size BIGGER!

Time for a protein drink!

please pass the turkey leg

There is nothing like having no work the day after a legs night, other than having no work the day after a legs night and it being thanksgiving. A time, where for me I might have the chance to overeat and get ahead of putting on some weight.

Last night there were four of us, Me, Cliff, Animal and once in a while Mike. Mike’s in town for thanksgiving and he knows where to go to get his legs trashed.

I decided I wanted to run legs backwards, which I like to do every so often. We started with calves then into hamstring curls and legs extensions, leg presses, ¾ dead lifts, hacks and stiff legs

Training with four is the maximum limit unless you make two teams, but rather than having a three person rest in between sets, we use multi machines and did it in a way that you only rested one person between each set.   

The first person goes, then moves to the next exercise, but waits until the second person finishes their set on the first exercise, so that they get a full person's rest, it’s like you are training with only two of you

And it went something like this…

Standing Calf raises, Seated Calf raises and Seated Calf presses for 4 sets

Lying down Leg Curls, Seated Leg Extensions, Leg Presses. This group we did 4 sets around doing 15 reps on the leg presses and after the 4^th set around we ended on leg press for another 2 set of 15 reps adding 3 plates each side each set, totaling a 6 plate jump each side, 6 sets total.

Cliff Note - I left my legs on that press machine

¾ dead lifts and the hack machine for 4 sets ending with stiff legs for 3 and finishing up on abs… 

Again an awesome workout…size BIGGER!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Time for a protein drink!

In the wind.

I rode into work yesterday, it’s an hour’s ride, but on a bike it’s so much less stressful, having the ability to go around cars that can’t seem to go around cars... I can’t tell  you how much stress release I get knowing I can do that, knowing I never have to sit in traffic if I choose not too… awww

I had to give up the bike for a bit due to the competition, it’s hard enough to lug all your food around with you, never mind adding the bike element to the equation, it’s that much harder when you have to eat at a certain time and you have the bike, plus carrying around my frozen gallon of crystal light can be challenging

Banged out Chest and Arms last night with Alex and my shoulders hurt more then usual, it dawned on me this morning that we ran Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, last week as opposed to our Monday, Wednesday, Friday routine so that only gave us one days rest after blasting shoulders on Saturday, then to do Chest on Monday… oh my aching shoulders…

But that’s not going to stop me… damage went something like this…

Flats /4set

Incline dumbbells/4

Flat dumbbell flies/4

Cable crossovers/4

If you never tried doing your biceps before triceps, give it a try. You get this nice cushion pump from your bicep that your forearms rests on when working your triceps. Plus if your like me and have elbow pain when you do triceps, this gets the blood in the area and greatly reduces the pain

And it went something like this…

Standing wide grip barbell curls/4

Machine preacher curls/4

Scull crushers/4

Pushdowns angle grip/4

One arm over head extension with rope/4

End of the bench wrist curls both ways/4

Ending with abs…

Lets on Wednesday… can’t wait!

Time for a protein drink!

Come out as a double X

Back and Shoulders, I like this combination I call this the shaper. 

It’s best to hit the Back first, but you can do Shoulders first, and it isn’t as bad as one might think. A benefit of doing Back before Shoulders is you get this cushion hitting the back of your arms when you’re doing Shoulder presses, from the already pump in your Back, which gives you the added pop when pressing

The exercises used to train these two muscle groups really aid in shaping your body like a bodybuilder when combined. This combination combines all the Back and Shoulder muscles together with your Traps and all the little muscles around your Shoulder blades. This combination gives you such a great pump!

Today we terrorized Gold Gym in Natick. This is the first time we've hit Back and Shoulders at this gym. We've done Legs many times there because of the old school Vertical Legs Press machine and the Donkey Calf Raise machine they have. 

I like to train all around to get different atmospheres and use different movements as much as possible; I find that each gym brings something different to the table

And it went something like this...

Big John started the damage on the Lat Pull Down machine for 4 sets. We finally found a Back cable pull down machine where big John can get a stretch; the Animal is 6'4" 252lbs under 10% body fat. Second was seated lat machine pulls. It's free movement pull machine where you add weights, it’s not a cable machine. Then onto High Lat Rows and we ended doing reverse grip straight bar cable pull downs... 4 exercises 4 sets, over 10 reps, we don't count

Shoulders started with Rear Dumbbell laterals for 4 sets, followed with an old school standing side lateral machine for 4, (we don't get to see this machine too often) and we ended Shoulders with Front Presses on the Smith Machine for 5 sets.

 As Alex (aka Cliff) would say, "I've left my Shoulders on the press machine". I call this “ Cliff Notes” and I would have to agree with him on this one, shoulder were definitely toast after that...

Traps, 4 Sets of barbell shrugs, 2 with bar behind you, pulling bar over your ass and 2 in front....finishing with Abs

Another great working!

Go in as an extra large and come out as a double X

Time for a Protein drink!

And then there were four or should I say 8.

Last night there were four of us, which completes our team I like to call size BIGGER.  You have already met Alex aka Cliff and now we have John aka Animal and legs day Vinny, who kills legs with us every week.

As I mentioned before, I for the most part never count reps, but I do like to pick a number once in a while and drive myself to go as heavy as possible and last night the number was 8

The damage last night started with squats, we started with the 1 plate (135lbs) for 8 reps, then a plate and a quarter for 8, then 2 plates for 8, then 2 plates and a quarter for 8, then 3 plates for 8 and the last set of 3 plates an a quarter for 8 reps (365lbs) 6 sets of squats did the damage I was looking for

Next was onto the legs press were we started with 6 plates on each side for 8 reps, then we throw another 3 plates making it 9 on each side for 8 reps, then 2 more making it 11 for 8, then ending with 2 more making it 13 plates each side for 8 reps, talk about a quad pump!

And if your legs didn’t already have enough blood in them, we then did a set of walking lunges, a 100 lunges total, 50 away and 50 back, and talk about a throbbing blood pump!

Stiff legged dead lifts was the next attack for 4 sets, then to leg extensions for 4, lying down leg curls for 4 and ending on calves, 4 sets of seated calf presses and 4 of seat calve raises.

Legs today gone tomorrow... definitely!

Great workout last night guys!

Time for a protein drink!