I agree with Clare here.

Also, I think when food is already high, channelling more food into a weak body part day won’t do much more, and if you were to really push with say a cheat meal, well then 9/10 you impact digestion, which carries it’s own issues.

<font face=”inherit”>When pushing I think spreading food increases out…

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A superb back session yesterday to finish off my training cycle before moving into a deload next week. I should’ve taken a week off at the start of October, but with have Sicily booked – and there being no gyms where we stay – I thought it would be best to just take a week of then.

The forearm and bicep are feeling a lot better. Still twinging…

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An excellent push session today. I thought it might be a bit off due to my forearm still hurting, but it held up well. It was actually the left that was causing issues in pressing, not the right. . . so that’s fun.

I don’t usually train a Wednesday, but I’m trying to get the big sessions done and dusted before I fly to Sicily on Friday -…

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Looking forward to watching mate, enjoying your content 🙂[/quote]

Cheers mate! It should be up the 31st/1st as I’m away on holiday on Friday.

I’m not going to lie, I felt terrible not training over the weekend, and Monday. Last week I only trained push, pull and arms due to feeling close to a flu type situation.

However, I banged out a quality leg session today at Muscle Hut – and filmed it for the YT channel too.

Paused seated leg curls – 1 set, 8-12

Cybex incline leg press – 1 set,…

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Wake at 4am or 5am

Pre meals or prep M1 and train a 6am client

– I always prep for the day in the morning. I really don’t like prepping food at night unless it’s 100% necessary.

Clients 9:30am-1pm

Train at either 1pm or 3pm

Afternoon client (usually just 1)

Check-ins

Bed

Agreed with the above, where the elbow can go is what you’re looking for in terms of grip.

Today didn’t quite go to plan. My full intention was to train where I got back to Glasgow, but I decided not to as I had to get a tonne of life & work admin done. It was the right call, but it’s stressed me out, because I wanted to get a full week of training finished before I go on holiday on Friday for 6 nights. I won’t be training while I’m…

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What a great weekend, spending time at the TBJP British, and then through in Telford for the PCA British. I only had the 1 client with Josh competing in tall Junior BB – the standard of the juniors nowadays is incredible – and he walked away with the win. Junior BB means so much to me, as there’s so much nostalgia attached to it having come…

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I ran 0.75mg of reta at its peak at 8 weeks out. I noticed it backed me up a lot when I’d do a high day, or multiple high days. The food would just sit in my gut for ages. From that point I pulled it to 0.5mg and that helped with the high days slightly, but I still noticed some issues with food sitting.

I removed it at 4 weeks out and loaded…

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A sketchy back session yesterday, but all in all improvement on the bicep rehab front.

I delicately trained my back for the first time since getting work done on my bicep and forearm. Last week the pain was a 9/10, sometimes a stabbing pain as I worked up to the end of the set. Yesterday, I’d say the pain was 6/10 but that only kicked in…

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Nothing much to report from today. My guys who are going into the last shows for the team this year are looking spot on. Josh is looking mad, and made more interesting in the fact the PCA have split juniors into short and tall. I do’t think they’ve ever done that. Lisa is getting tighter by the day 4 weeks out from the Euro Masters in Milan…

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Just arrived at our cottage in the highlands for my brothers wedding. Tomorrow is going to be an absolute write off. I have brought meals to weddings before, on prep. There is no need to be 10/10 when you’re in a push phase. I’m not saying you have to pig out and drink like a fish, but let your hair down and enjoy it. My other half and I will…

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On a movement you feel the most;

1. Use a 5-6 second eccentric

2. Pause on the stretch for 2 seconds

3. Pause in the shortened position for 2 seconds

4. Use a weight that you can achieve maximal range. For a seated calve raise, I don’t feel I need more than a 20kg plate

Another solo session today, but I’m starting to notice a vast improvement in the connection with my shoulders. Before, the connection with my shoulders while training was no more than a 5/10, so to now be able to connect with them is paying dividends visually.

Lying cuffed Y raises – 1 set, 12-15, 1 set, 8-12, 1 set, 15-20,

– 4s negative for…

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After you’ve tried both for a sustained period of time and then compare results. Done properly, both methods will yield incredible results, it then comes down to preference, or, taking inspiration from from both and applying your own methodology.

– Tag direct hamstring work in with pull

– Rear delt work in with pull

– Add bicep work to legs, pre-leg work

– More lateral raise work with upper

To name but a few if you’re pushing for more frequency with a 4 a week split, but this also depends of the body part you’re trying to bring up.

I checked in yesterday at 265lbs on the button. I didn’t even look at the photos, for numerous reasons, the main one being that next week is all over the place routine wise due to my brother’s wedding, but I should get all of my sessions in without any bother.

It’s my brother’s wedding so I’m absolutely not thinking about bodybuilding that day…

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Another very simple yet effective leg session today with Kieran. RDLs were slotted into my back day again due to me having to put some harder volume into my back day from being unable to do bigger heavier movements due to my forearm.

Paused seated leg curls – 1 set, 8-12

HS hip press – 1 set, 8-12 > feet 5 inches apart, heel slightly of the…

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If your schedule allows a full days rest then take that opportunity. I’d always avoid the time around my leg and back days.

Interested to hear Hilly’s thoughts on this one, and of course how you plan to move forward.

An excellent push session today with the return of my training partner. He’s been insanely busy this year with work, so training together has been a little off and on. Also, with my forearm released from massage yesterday, everything felt super comfortable.

I kept the cuffed fly out because funnily enough, this is the most painful movement for…

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Just walked out of a session with massage guy, and he battered the living shit out of my forearms, it’s been a while since they’ve been that sort to go through. I find it usually takes 3-4 days before I see the full effects of the massage.

It is wild how I feel instantly better when it’s done.

I’ll be able to tell if it’s released enough when…

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Today’s back session was definitely more improvised, and intuitive than previous session due to the forearm still killing me. Luckily, I’m in with my massage guy tomorrow and he can usually hammer it out with the one session. I’m going to be far more vigilant going forward and make sure I get massaged out thoroughly every single week.

I can’t see a valid bodybuilding reason for taking more than 37.5. If you NEED more than that, something isn’t right with your health and/or your setup.

The forearm held up okay today, but I’ve had to bin the cuffed flys for Prime peck deck, but with the handles loaded at my elbow, not from my hands – much like an old school Nautilus peck fly.

<b style=”font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit;”>Lying cuffed Y raises – 1 set, 12-15, 1 set, 8-12, 1 set, 15-20,

– 4s negative for all, no pause in…

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A class weekend spent up in Aberdeen for my brother’s home stag. The home stag was more so for my dad, my dad has quite advanced Parkinson’s so he couldn’t attend the stag in Krakov. It was good to chill with him and my brother’s mates for an afternoon on Saturday.

I had no intention of training while in Aberdeen, but back to it tomorrow.

Agreed with Clare here. One person’s soft, is another person’s lean when it comes to pushes, surpluses etc. As you progress through bodybuilding, you will start to find that sweet spot of conditioning that allows for all the progression markers Clare mentioned to move forward.

A similar question was asked in this forum, but like Kuba said it doesn’t interfere, don’t pin the muscle you intend to train.

Checked in today at 263.6, so almost a zero increase in weight this week, but I’m not mad at that at all. I am feeling slightly over trained, but I don’t think I need anything in the way of a deload just yet, especially since I’m going to Sicily on the 23rd, and there are next to 0 gyms there so I’m taking that as a week off.

Yesterday’s…

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Yesterday’s push session was great, not to mention I tagged my tricep work on top of my session as I’m up in in Aberdeen back at my parents for the weekend, and just due to timings of social stuff, I had to stick my arm work in the week.

Seated cuffed cable flys – 1 set 12-15, 2 sets, 12-15 – My forearm is still killing me, so I had to lighten…

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Every day (or try to) I do;

1 leg raise variation – 3 sets of AMRAP

1 crunch variation (usually a decline crunch) – 3 sets of AMRAP

I try to get them done when I get into the gym prior to clients, if not, PWO.

I find that triceps do cause a lot of bother when it comes to PIP. I’d say my success rate it about 2/10 shots in my shots get PIP or slightly inflamed, but then the frequency which I jag them isn’t that high. Maybe once every 3-4 weeks. It may just be a site you can’t do, and should probably avoid as that’s a small amount of oil.…

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Nothing much to report from yesterday’s NTD. One thing I need to dial in is my ab training. Currently, I’m programmed to do abs every day, including my NTDs, however, I have been letting it slide admittedly. The fact I’m writing it in this blog to that I can get all those who read it to give me a level of accountability.

Since 2018 I’ve managed…

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Rate of gain varies wildly, it’s also circumstantially driven too. Competitor A might need to force food up quicker for XYZ reasons, but competitor B maybe able to do the slow, drawn out reverse.

As Hilly mentioned, there are some feedback markers that are a better way of assessing rather than the scales or just the scales.

1.…

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Okay, so yesterday’s back session was horrendous. My forearm/brachialis has completely seized up. As I mentioned in previous blogs, this has happened on and off for literally 18 years. My forearms are pretty big having never ever trained them, so they take a shite tonne of the load when pulling. No matter how I position my hands, handles…

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Much of the knowledge/experience we’re all gained is from a simple case of use and assess. As Hilly mentioned above, the degree of variance in blood work when using aromasin is quite large. You’re best starting at your smallest dose a few times a week and then assessing bloods from there.

Not the most comfortable push session yesterday as my right forearm is absolutely killing me, I had to use larger cuffs on the cuffed fly and have the cuff sit a lot higher, as even though the cuffed fly is supposed to remove the forearm, I’m still getting a lot of tension in the forearm.

This has been plaguing me since the very beginning.…

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I agree with Hilly’s comment about going back to test/AI if the test/mast combo doesn’t change anything on an AI front. I feel EQ just hits most far too hard.

Checked in today at 263.2 so the 2nd move in BW since my show 14 weeks ago. I feel much better for it in a sleep sense as my sleep is now SUPER deep where an 8 hour sleep feels like 5 minutes. So with that recovery is in a good place.

However, my brachialis is killing me to the point where I had to stop bicep work with arms today as it…

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Agreed with the above!

A great push session with Chris yesterday, and the first push 2 where I’ve removed the shoulder pressing movement from the session to help my shoulders recover as I was finding my shoulder joint becoming very tight and uncomfortable especially while I was sleeping. They just felt like that achey, “dead arm” kind of way. It will take more than…

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A simple NTD yesterday. I’m feeling a little achy through my shoulders, however, we decided on Saturday to remove all shoulder pressing and to replace them with lateral raise variations, so we’ll see where my shoulders land after a few weeks of doing that.

My other half and I go to Sicily the last weekend of October, we’re also moving house,…

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Lower test, put mast in at 300mg, remove GH until you see the effects from the test/mast, and then add it back in.

A superb back session ticked off at Muscle Hut Glasgow yesterday. Every time I’m in there is a new bit of kit, with an adjustable handle extremely row which was a great addition.

My forearm is killing me just now, it went while doing d-handle cable flys so I’m going to pull those out and exclusively use cuffs going forward.

Rope cable pullovers –…

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A fairly uneventful weekend this week, but a check-in that I was very pleased with on Saturday. This is the first time in 13 weeks that my fasted weight has been higher than my stage weight (261.2)

I’m noticeably fuller, and for this BW and on 250mg test 6IU GH I feel I look the biggest I’ve ever looked at this weight.

I’m in no rush to go…

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Agreed with Hilly, if you’re seeing such issues from nandrolone, pull it and opt for something else rather than just trying to mask the issue.

An excellent push day signed off yesterday. I trained solo which meant that I was able to move through the session a bit faster. Chris and I usually just rotate as one of us finishes the set, it’s not as if we’re shower because we’re talking or the likes. However, with the tempo’s that I’m using, it does take a lot longer when 2 people are…

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I’ll take any thyroid supplementation usually 3’ish hours after I get up and after taking my other supplements. This just coincides with when I leave for work rather than taking it to work and probably forgetting to take it.

I farted just reading that. I’ve found green beans are the worst culprit for me veg wise. I only eat fermented veg now and I haven’t had any gas or bloating in years. Sauerkraut, kimchi and this Polish concoction called, “dinner salad” which has all sorts of fermented veg in it. I couldn’t get anything like that in the states, so I used…

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