[Hym]

Wed was rest day and Thursday Legs.

BB RDL – 160×10, 165×10,9
Double Band Pendulum – 80×10,10,10
Paused Cybex Hack – 110×10,10,10
Leg Ext – 3 sets
Seated Leg curl – 3 sets
Adductor – 2 sets
Calf – 4 sets

Legs absolutely wiped me out. Wanted to sleep immediately post workout lol
Loading dropped a touch on the BB RDL as last week I felt a little bit of connection lost through 170. Next week I will bring it to 3 sets at 165 and see how things go from there.
Added an extra band for the Pendulum and this felt even better. Set up on pendulum will likely stick now and ill look to progress on it. If I can get to 107 on it banded it will match my unbanded pb lol
5.5 plate cybex hack took it out of my today. Had to really put in some effort and push through the sets. Managed to hit 3 sets of 10 so next week will bump the load up. Getting closer and closer to the 6 plate hack. My best is 6 plates for 4/5 reps not paused. I am sure in a month or 2 I will be hitting at least 1 set at 6 plate paused for 10.
Seated leg curl thrown into the mix today. I havent used this machine at all in Muscleworks as I struggled to nail down the position (far too many adjustments on it) Found a semi decent position so will run with it for a bit and see if I like it.
I always prefer the seated leg curl over the lying in terms of output.

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Tuesday Back/delt

Low Pulley Row – 14×10,10,10
LPD – 14×10,10,9
Cable Lateral – 4 sets
Cable Pullover – 3 sets
Plate Loaded upper back pulldown – 3 sets
Ext Rot Cable – 3 sets
Shrugs – 3 sets

Up a pin on the low pulley and LPD from last week. Starting to get a hang of the LPD much much more and really working on keeping torso position more upright.For years I have always had my LPD with a huge arch and turned them more into a row than a LPD. Hence the shit width on my lats. Lets see how these get on. Probably wont see the fruit of the work until much much later, so hopefully, it will be a positive result.

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Back on my 5 day split this week

Mon – Chest arms
Tues- Back delts
Wed – off
Thurs – Legs
Fri – chest arms
Sat – back delts
Sun – off

Chest arms to kick off the week yesterday and had a small switch around with exercise order, one because my work gym has no DB heavier than 50s and 2 I am doing low incline DB press as exercise 1 in both chest workouts, so a small switch for a different stimulus and load different fibers/movement first. I will continue to do this for the foreseeable future on one of the workouts as the pump and feel for the DB presses after BB pressing was incredible and I am definitely feeling the novel stimulus today.

High Incline BB – 100×10,7 85×8
Low Incline DB – 47×9,9,9
Cable Pec Dec – 3 sets
low cable curl – 3 sets
Tricep pushdown – 3 sets
oh Cable ext – 3 sets

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Saturday was an Upper day

Low Incline DB Press – 55×9,9,9
DY Row Single Arm – 65×10,60×10,10
HS Incline – 65×10, 60×10,10
LPD – 13×10,10,8
Cable Lateral – 4 sets
Low Cable Curl – 3 sets
Tricep Cable pushdown – 3 sets

No new injuries this week and both pecs have been holding up, definitely have less range on my right side. So I will continue my work on the right pec to see if ROM can be improved. The goal is to improve mobility esp in the upper body. I think this will really help reduce my injuries, pose better on stage, get better contractions and more ROM on exercises. But this first phase is definitely proving to be a difficult task.
Starting off easy and working on stretching my delt every day. One small step at a time.

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

rest day today
usual stufffff
had a lie in which was lush – body felt more refreshed after this and Frank didn’t wake me too much in the night…so that’s lovely
as hes old now he gets up between 1-3 times a night and I have to let him out to pee or have a drink…i don’t mind as i adore him…but when im sleepy..it is a little like,,,,ooo frankkkkkk ! haha

good day – booked the dentist for Friday..eurgh
booked my hair in for the week of the comp – yehhh ????

cooking, eating, working
bish bash bosh

How old is Frank now?

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Rest day yesterday and today was a fantastic leg session
The first session incorporating some RDLs since I crushed myself on the pendulum and hurt my back, Thick powerlifting belt is in.

BB RDL – 170×9,9,9
Banded Pendulum – 100×8
adjusted band tension- 80×10,10
Paused Cybex Hack – 110×10,8,8
Leg Ext – 3 sets
Lying leg curl – 3 sets
adductor – 3 sets
calf – 3 sets

BB RDL I feel like I can’t get a good grip on the bar. Used the normal straps today but the bars are just so shit at muscle works, all have almost zero knurling and are either bent or the screw is loose on the end.
Banded pendulum is in. From when I put on around 105-107kg I wasn’t feeling as much connection from my quads, and the way the Watson pendulum is built you feel a lot on your knees the more load you use. So band is in, to kick in just as the weight drops of in the midrange. The band also helping to reduce the amount of inertia after each rep.
Nice PB on paused hacks today, getting closer to the 6 plate mark (legit strong) according to Jordan haha
MY best on the hack is 6 plates for 4or 5 reps a few years ago but not paused. I think in the next 6/7 weeks or so I can push 6 plates paused for 10 reps for at least 1 set.

Overall the few injuries that I have had these past few weeks has really taught me to be a bit more patient with load progressions and I will most likely stick tot he same load for a few weeks before upping the weight. Bringing sets to 1-3RIR rather than 0-1.
So week 1 might be 80kg pendulum 3 sets at 0-1RIR
then I would stick to the same load and look to bring the RIR to 2-3 before progressing my load.
A safe way to keep form tidy and not hurt myself too, which would be ideal.

Another rest day tomorrow and I will get some treatment done on my pec.

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Tuesday was Back Delt

Low Pulley Row – 13×10,10,10
LPD – 13×10,9,9
Cable Lateral – 4 sets
Cable Pullover – 3 sets
Plate Loaded upper back pulldown – 3 sets
Shrugs – 3 sets

Low pulley is a new exercise on this rotation subbing out the hammer strength step back row. I have had the step back row in my rotation for close to 8months now and I think it is time to shuffle things. Progress has been pretty stagnant on it and not really changing much since I have finished prep.
I haven’t used a low pulley for a long long time and I got some great contractions last week, so they are in for my new meat and potatoes movement.

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Even I’d be pissed off if all the plates were off, you feel that difference on barbell and plate loaded work for sure especially shifting the weight you do. How come you’re at muscle works, just easier location wise?

Even at a plate per side, you can feel it, there are a few international branded ones and they are equal in weight
But you need to fish around the whole gym for them, which is annoying as fuck

Muscleworks is very close to my work, so using that gym. Also one of the only gyms around with decent equipment, multiple cables and DBs over 50kg

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Chest arms was quite good today consider right pec was still a bit fragile, felt like it got better as the session went on

Low incline Db press – 55×10,10,8
High incline bb press – 105×7 100×6 80×9
Pec Dec – 3 sets
Low cable curl – 3 sets
Push down – 3 sets
Preacher curl – 3 sets

A little bit pissed off with this session due to faff.
The racks and weight plates are starting to really piss me off at muscleworks. Weight plates are all off and have huge discrepancies on weight a 20kg plate can be 22.5kg-19kg which really fucks with loading for plate loaded kit or bb movements.
The 3D Smith doesn’t work and both smith machines downstairs are absolute wank.
Really needs a touch up which unfortunately I’m not sure if it will get.

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Weight has been sitting quite well at 88kg the past week. Weight looks like it is dropping slightly, which I am not too fussed about.
I pushed up from 78kg straight to around 88-90kg post-show and have now been holding that weight for around 17/18 weeks now.
I don’t believe that there is any one way to manage post-show. Some say stay leaner some say recovery diet, but I have found shooting weight up fast has helped me recover and feel normal this time around. I haven’t pushed beyond the 30lbs point and in the last 17 weeks, my physique has changed massively. Bomp comp is far better at 88 now than it was at 88 post-show. Not holding onto as much water than I was post-show and training close to peak strength, despite some niggles along the way.

I will let weight keep running its natural course for another few weeks or possibly more before pushing calories up.
I am still performing very well so I don’t really have much need to keep pushing calories up at this current time.

Back on a 4 day split this week for more recovery which I am really looking forward to.

Mon- Chest/ Arms
Tues – Back Delts
Wed- Rest
Thurs – Legs
Fri – Rest
Sat – Upper
Sun – Rest

Let’s hope no new injuries this week and the right pec is recovered for todays session
AM weight 88.6kg today

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Saturday was Back Delts

No problems with my back delt sessions atm so pushing on with loading

DY Row – 60×10,10,10,10
LPD – 13×10,10,9,8
Machine Lateral – 4 sets
Low pulley row – 4 sets
Cable Rev Flye – 4 sets

Volume in these sessions is pretty bang on and recovering well from it.
I think I am very happy with my back delt sessions in terms of volume and exercise selection and will look to push hard on them now without any changes.
When I do back twice a week I will do one session with 2 (thickness) and 1 (width) and the other session will be 2 (width) 1 (Thickness)
Low pulley row added back into this rotation and I haven’t done that exercise for a very long time. Contractions were incredible and I can really feel a lot of Lat on this. The only thing I would love is to have a chest support for this variation, especially towards the end of the session.

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Friday Chest Arms

Low Incline DB Press – 4 sets
Incline HS Press – 4 sets
Pec Dec – 4sets
Low Cable Curl – 4set
Crossbody Tricep Ext – 4sets
Overhead Tricep Ext – 4sets

I went a little bit lighter on the DB press today when warming up starting to feel a bit of tightness in my right pec, not sure if it was fully recovered from the last session.
Looking back on recovery I think I am going to have to drop some sets on my compounds. Might look at hitting 2 weeks at 2 sets and 2 weeks at 3sets rather than 3 and 4 sets. I am still looking at keeping the iso work at 3-4 sets.
Never been so broken in my life, not really sure why. But looking more into my training volume/intensity and seeing what I need to manage a bit better. I might look at putting back the load sets and backoffs with my pressing compounds as that always seemed to work really well for me in the past. Thinking of doing 8-10 reps for set 1 and 10-15 for the second set.
The first time I am back on the Pec dec rather than the upright pec dec, much more loading in the lengthened position vs the upright pec dec. And got some very good contractions on this

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Just reread the log my bad.. I follow you on instagram and love what you’re about !

Man thank you bud, means a lot. Being strong is in my DNA. I started out being strong in just squat bench and deadlift and afterwards I met JP back in2010 I became obsessed with getting strong on everything.
My mindset has always been can you really call yourself strong if you are only good at squat bench and deadlift?

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

with 4 sets of the compounds and iso, are you currently using an rir system within your training and if so why?

Currently I am only taking my final set to failure

But I am in two minds with the term. I think it is very hard to determine. Personally I would like to say I know where it is, but I think if I look deep down there’s probably more to give in each set.

I often train on my own so I know if someone shouted at me or I had someone to beat I could pull out more reps.
Or if you took a quick breather you could keep going almost like a widowmaker type set.
Also what then determines failure, when we can no longer hold our form? But then if you’re doing an exercise such as squats we may gas out before our legs reach muscular failure is that then “failure”
So many questions and small nauiences in the term I feel.

For me I just make sure I am pushing myself to what I can on that given day and make sure I aim for great contractions.

Where I am at right now is I’ll have some exercises that I will aim to really push hard on progressions and worry a little less on “feel” eg hacks
Then isolations I will still look to progress but if I go up on load and contractions aren’t there or compromised I will back it down again to regain connection.

Running with this atm and who knows my mind may change on this topic, but as for now this is my thought process.

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Legs today and its taken about just under a week and 2 treatments to heal my QL.
Setting the pendulum safety pin then getting pinned under it with 5+plates was not fun.
QL was so back I couldnt even lay flat on a bench and have my feet down, thought I really fucked myself there, but luckily I was able to recover.
A small reminder to not fuck around with loading. Anything can go wrong and only if you can safely fail then do so.

Hack Squat Cybex Paused – 105/s x 9,9,9,9
Leg Press Rev Band – 130/s x 12,12,12,12
LEg Ext – 4 set
Leg curl – 4 set
45 hyper – 4 sets
adductor – 2 sets
calf – 4 sets

Leg press in for todays session in replace for the pendulum and hacks moved up to 1st exercise.
Still a bit cautious with back/QL. I think I will go again with pendulum next week but band it and build from there. Last weeks 107 was a PB but didnt feel the connection as 100 did with quads, so I think a little bit too heavy.
Didnt like having hacks as the first exercise as I felt the knees weren’t as warm and it just felt off, although hitting rep pb on 105 today I dont feel placing pendulum in front of it really impacts my loading for hacks.
Absolutely hate leg press, so I am chucking that out. I have never really leg pressed much in the past,(shit leg presser) I can squat 5 plates for reps but I struggle to leg press 300kg lol and I get really wank range of motion. I think I am just built for squatting, but there is always a part in the back of my mind that thinks its an important exercise. MY rec fem is shit versus the lateralis and medialis but I am not sure if this is because I never leg press or because I am a weak leg extender.

All those with great seperation and thick rec fems all seem to leg extend a lot.

IG - @gymwithhym