Reply To: 'Starting From Scratch' | First prep in 3 years & my revised approach to BB.

[Cameron Thomas]

Day 16 UPDATE.

How’s it going guys, another quick update after what was a pretty awesome training rotation. It was back to the upper body / deadlift day / arms & delts half of my 8 day split which is always the most physically demanding, hence the most fun!

It’s been a pretty hectic week for me so I’m super happy I was able to fit in some really good productive workouts around my schedule.

I literally spent the last 2-3 days packing to move back to University, packing for my holiday (which I’m now on!) whilst trying to organize meals for over the weekend… but I made it work!

I spent Friday onwards in London as I visited the Integra Personal Training studio for an exercise mechanics course organized by RTS, which may I say was another extremely insightful look into the world of biomechanics.. the sh*t that I live for!

Then it was a 2am start to head to Gatwick to catch a 7am flight, and we all know how that can mess up our eating pattern! All fun and games though

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Let’s get to some training, best workout of this rotation was definitely the deadlift day which I got in at Muscleworks, Bethnal Green. Home of the only strive leg extension I’ve come across in the UK, which is pretty much the OG of machines designed that allow manipulation of the resistance profile. So needless to say that was a very fun, and brutal session (since it was about 30 degrees in there).

Training recap:

Thursday – Upper body (chest focus, lat focus, side delts & BFR arms)
Friday – Arms, side & rear delts
Saturday – Deadlift day (quads, hamstrings/glutes, calves & side delts)

The workouts being as follows:

Upper body

2x Incline hammer press 4-6 | 6-8
2x SA machine row 4-6 | 6-8
2x Flat Db 4-6 | 6-8
REP PROGRESSION ON TOP SETS
2x Chins 4-6 | 6-8 (Last set RP which was added this week)
REP PROGRESSION ON TOP SETS
2x Seated upright cable fly 12+
(holding the cable with no attachment with shoulder joint internally rotated, cables set up at a height to align with lower pec fibres)
2x Cable lateral raise 6-8 | 8-10
(bench set at a distance where the cable creates a 90 degree angle with my wrist, when my shoulder joint is at 45 degree of abduction)
REP PROGRESSION BOTH SETS
BFR Arms
(cable cross extensions and incline dumbbell curls. 30-15-15-15 with 30 seconds rest between sets followed by occluded stretch)

Deadlift day @ Muscleworks Bethnal Green

2x Seated hamstring curl 6-8 | 12-15
2x RDL 6-8 | 12-15 (First time programming this movement since training with JP!)
2x Front squat 6-8 | 8-10
2x Cybex squat press 15+
(2 min rest after top set, drop one plate and match reps)
1x DB DS Strive leg extension 20+ in total
BFR calves
(bodyweight calf raises, 30-15-15-15 with 30 seconds rest between sets followed by occluded stretch)
HIIT Upright bike 5x 10 seconds on 30 seconds off

Arms & rear delts (Pure Gym, most loads chosen by feel)

2x SA DB hammer with body leaning to one side 6-8 | 10+
(leaning body to ensure alignment of shoulder & elbow matches the line of force of the dumbbell)
REP PROGRESSION BOTH SETS
2x Seated cross cable extension 6-8 | 10+
(bench set at a distance where the cable creates a 90 degree angle with my wrist, when my elbow is at 45 degree of extension)
2x Incline cable curl 8-12 | 12-15
2x SA lying DB extension 8-12 | 12-15
REP PROGRESSION BOTH SETS
2x Cable lateral raise 6-8 | 8-10
2x High cable rear delt fly SS with
(focus on challenging shortened range)
2x incline bench dB rear fly
(focus on challenging lengthened range)

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I haven’t been able to monitor bodyweight for a few days which is annoying, last time I was able to my week 2 average was down around 1.2lbs on week 1.. slightly under the 2lb mark I’m aiming for on a weekly basis so there are a few changes to be made going into week 3 which I have begun implementing today.

Nutrition changes:

20g carbs taken out of upper body training days
20g carbs taken out of non-training days

Cardio:

x2 30 min seated bike on rest days

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As you can see it’s nothing major, just enough extra expenditure and drop in energy input that should see me illicit a good chunk of fat loss this week I hope.

Supplements both health wise & enhanced still remain the same, and these won’t change until I move into week 4.

As promised – the prep roundup video giving a brief rundown of the above will be on my YouTube channel very soon and as always I’ll get the link on here as soon as it is. This will have highlights from my upper body workout from this rotation, that was also a great one.

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Any questions, don’t be shy!

Hope everyone’s training is going awesome because I know from the looks of a few of you guys IG pages your going at it which is very motivating for me.

Instagram - @cameron_thomas5

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