[Rich Ellis]

Hi mate

Very “on the fence” answer, but it depends so much on the severity of what’s going on in there.

If it’s just a labral tear and bicep tendon tidy up, I’d be super surprised if you don’t make a full recovery. Mine were far more complex, so have had ongoing issues, but these are very very common procedures so should be perfectly dealt with

My biggest piece of advice would be to find a legitimately credible sports physio you complete your recovery with, ideally someone that works with shoulder demanding sports – javelin throwers, cricketers etc…

As good as our NHS is in some respects, they’re not specialised in high performance, their job is to give you good quality of life

[Rich Ellis]

Hi mate

Yes, a couple. Where do you want advice focussed? Have you had tge surgery yet?

[Rich Ellis]

Rested today gang.

I’ve felt very tired today, but really pleased with how my knees have felt after leg training yesterday…. bodes well for progress over this block

I also had a look through and a try on of the new TBJP Clothing we’ve been sent. Keep your eyes out guys, it’s tge best range to date, some incredible stuff in there!

[Rich Ellis]

It would of course depend on the way you programme mate, but tht proposed split could be incredibly taxing. I prefer Clare’s suggestion at this stage of your development

[Rich Ellis]

I do the same as Clare and Hilly.

It really isn’t that bad is it?

[Rich Ellis]

Legs today.

It’s been a long week. Again, not in any way moaning, I’m very lucky to be working, but it definitely brings an amount of tiredness

None the less, tht rarely seems to negatively impact training. I like having my sessions at the end of the day. Something to look forward to, a catharsis, a focus separate to the day’s tasks.

I like to be quite “up” for my sessions, so I’m really enjoying the STIM 2.0

Anyway, today’s session.

As we know, I’m going through a “back to basics” strength block. I’m lucky to have some kit at my disposal that I can get stuck into, but typically leg sessions are the hardest to programme without a gym. As a result, sets are higher per movement

Today went

Single leg curl
Sissy squat
Machine squat
RDL

Very much enjoyed it. A few tweaks to make to set-ups, but on the whole, good to go for this block

Have a great weekend all!

[Rich Ellis]

I like a physical book as well mate, but that could well be because I’m a dinosaur and that’s how I’ve always done it

There’s not a right or wrong provided you can gather everything you want to record from your session. For some tht will just be pure metric, others will go into significant detail in notes to provide context to those numbers.

It’s your style, but the more informed you are tge better in my view

[Rich Ellis]

By “otters” I had meant “pattern”, but fortunately you picked tht up!!

I think that’s the way if you can mate. Just be careful with volume. Start lower than higher, you always have scope to edge it up if needed

[Rich Ellis]

Really good calves and arms session this evening. Very basic, but exactly what I need at the moment.

Arms are a real weak spot for me, both aesthetically and performance wise, so they require the focussed session

Calf raise
Incline DB curl
Kennellys
Floor French press

Really enjoyable session, worked hard and got my numbers set to beat next time out.

Game on!!

Also, supps arrived today so I’m all stocked up

[Rich Ellis]

Can you change the otters to one on one off?

[Rich Ellis]

Hi mate

This is quite an individual thing.

It’s not something I’d programme in when looking at hypertrophy as a goal, where as I would if strength development was the goal.

There are lots of variables to consider, but ultimately, assuming hypertrophy is the focus, this would be a reactive decision

[Rich Ellis]

Today was a rest day guys.

It’s been very busy at work, I’m certainly not moaning, very lucky to be still working, but none tge less it’s felt a long day.

One more meal to go and I’ll get a good sleep in ready for tomorrow

Expecting my supps order any time soon, a couple of new flavours of whey I’ll report back on

[Rich Ellis]

Agree with Clare Jack.

There’s some really good info there that will build your foundation of understanding of the principles.

Once you’ve digested them, have a go at putting your own split together and we can contribute with feedback

[Rich Ellis]

I’d like to see a press in there also mate

[Rich Ellis]

Hi gang. Excited to get stuck into this

As the intro suggested, I’ve had my share of struggles with injuries – some of which remain, but this past year has resulted in a move away from the fundamentals. Partly because of the accessibility of kit, and partly because of looking for ways to accommodate my issues

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had good blocks, and I’ve learned plenty, but my biggest mistake has been chopping and changing.

This week is a feeler back in to ensure programmed movement selection will allow me to work consistently over the next 12 weeks.

This block is purely about building some strength and work capacity back up. It’s a necessary phase before I can consider specialising

This will be built largely around straight sets, with two distinct rep ranges based on what my body will allow.

This is how the set up looks

Push

– Cable Lateral (3) A
– DB Lateral (3) B
– Cable Tri (3) A
– Dips (3) B
– DB Press (Paused) (3) A

Pull
– Toe Press (6) A
– Upper Back Machine Row (3) A
– Dead Stop Row (3) B
– Corner Bar Row (3) B
– Underhand Pulldown (3) A
– Standing DB Curl (3) A

Arms
– Toe Press (6) B
– Inc DB Curl (4) A
– EZ Curl (4) A
– Kennellys (4) B
– Floor French Press (4) B

Legs
– Leg Curl (4) A
– Sissy Squat (4) A
– V Squat (4) B
– RDL (4) B

Strength is in a really poor state at the moment, as is my size, but I’m looking to have a significant shift over the next 12 weeks

I’ve started this week erring on the side of caution, and I’ll continue with that approach until I’ve completed each of the sessions. From there I have reference numbers and it gets competitive!!