[Hym]

RDL, Pendulum and Paused Hack, daaaammnnn son, thats mad! You’re not messing about are you lol

Ha you know me aint fucking around with the easy stuff.
The big movers built my legs and thats always where its at.
Would really like to put squats back into the mix, but all the bars suck at muscleworks and the weight plates are uneven too.
The deep dish fit pro plates are around 22.5kg each (for a 20kg plate) thats pretty far off and I think some might be 19kg or even 18, you can really feel the difference.
On top of that its so hard to set the amount of time to sessions. I just don’t have time for 3 hr sessions no more lol.
If im squatting or deadlifting its going to be 1hr on one exercise alone lol

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Thursday Legs day

BB RDL – 170×10,10,7 160×8
Watson Pendulum – 107×8,8 102×7
Paused Cybex Hack – 105×10,10,8 100×8
Leg Ext – 4 sets
Lying Ham – 4 sets
Toe Press – 4 sets
Cable Adductor – 4 sets

The pendulum absolutely fucked me. Had to pull out of my last set as back was in pain. Set the safety pin a little bit too low and failed on 102 and got crushed slightly by the machine. Not a good feeling. The fact that the BB RDL already has my back a bit tighter and pumped an exercise before didnt help either. Killing myself in the gym atm literally, but when pushing close to all time bests niggles and injuries will happen, its just managing them and being patient with progressions, not altering rep cadence and form in pursuit of PBs.

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Back/Delts yesterday

Step back Row – 85×10,9,9 80×8
LPD – 13×10,10,9,9
Cable Laterals – 4 sets
Cable Pullover – 4 sets
Plateloaded pulldown – 4 sets
Horizontal Shrug – 4 sets

Happy with this workout, this workout will be more width focussed back workout, the next time I hit back/delts ill do a more thickness focussed version.
Not logging my smaller muscle exercises for a while. So laterals,high rep pullover, rear delts, arms, shrug type movements I will autoregulate.
I have a rep range to hit and my aim is to fail within that range. Train it hard, get a great pump and if on that day I can do more load then great, if not reduce. But aim is to get a great connection and pump on these exercises.
In the past I have been a bit attched to log booking all the small details and forget what the real point in the log book was. Not telling you what numbers to hit, but to give you a guide where you should be. I am letting my body tell me what load/reps I can do. As long as I am reaching fatigue and failure its job done.

Note: I am still logging and looking to progress core movements eg exercises at the start of the sessions.

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Am weight 88.85kg
Chest/Arms to start off the 4 day split week

Low incline DB Press – 55x 9,8,8 50×9
Incline BB Bench – 100×10,10,8 85×9
Upright Pec Dec – 35×20,20,20,20
Cable Pushdown – 4 sets
Low cable Curl – 4 sets
Cable Ext rot – 3 sets
Cable Abs – 3 sets

Happy to find a pec dec which doesn’t cause any pain and I can really push effort on. Muscle works Bethnal Green has this upright costal pec dec by Gym80 a bit odd-looking but a pec fly variation I can do with no pain.

I am milking eccentrics on pressing so I don’t use too much load to aid pec/bicep recovery and I am still hitting the 55s.
This has been a real eye-opener. Sometimes taking the extra days off in order to facilitate strength and growth is key.
I have been guilty in the past of if you’re not in the gym, training a muscle frequently then it will hinder growth. But this has really shown me otherwise. The reduction of fatigue is allowing me to push new levels of strength.

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Update weight was 89.25kg as of this morning.

Training is back on the up now as of last week and this.
The Pec/bicep pain has been really messing it up prior, but this week I already feel so much better and probably at 95% better.
The adaptations and extra recovery days/ lower volume has really helped reduce the inflammation.

This week I am back on a 4 day split

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

The extra recovery day will really help bring up strength and I can already feel it in my legs and pressing.
Im going into sessions feeling amped to train and fresh. Muscles are fully recovered to take the beating.
The extra day rest every other week allows me to book in slots to see massage therapist too, which I love.

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Chest Arms today
Had extra work done on the Pec/Bicep and along with the extra rest day last week it has really helped my recovery

Low Incline DB Press – 53×10,9,7
Incline BB Bench – 100×7, 85×8, 80×9
Pec Dec – 3×20,20,20
Cable Tricep Pushdown – 4×20,15,12
Low Cable Curl – 3×20, 4×16, 3×17
Cable Ext Rot – 1×20, 1.1×19, 17
Abs – 3set x 15

A pain-free session.
Taking my DB press and BB press with slightly limiting range, not going all the way down and also milking the eccentrics hard, not ideal but working with what I can do right now.
Pec dec I am also doing it with limiting range.
Just stopping before I feel pain.

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Change of scenery for my upper session on Saturday.
Trained at Crayfords for the first time in 6/7months
What a fantastic set up Paul Knight has over there.
The nautilus and cybex kit there is phenomenal and hard to come by.
Hes also added in 2 prime pieces, plate loaded leg curl and the leg ext. Ive only tried the older strive versions but the prime v2 of this kit is just so smooth and comfortable if only more gyms had this 🙁

Upper session

Nautilus LPD – 80/sx10,8, 70/sx8
Nautilus Incline Press – 70/sx10,10,10 (didnt push it as pec was still tender)
Nautilus Row – 80/sx10,10,8
Atlantis Lateral machine – 35×18,15,13
Cable Ext – 35×20,20,18
low cable curl – 8×20,18,16

Played around with the Prime leg ext afterwards, which is possibly one of the best leg ext I have ever used, especially if you just load the top peg.
Overall nice to have a change in scenery to use different movement patterns and allowing more rest to my muscles.
If I do move house to more east london/ sidcup area I will definitely look to be doing more sessions down at Crayfords!

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Thank you man. Nothing too serious so should be okay, just trying to find some stuff that doesn’t cause me pain so I can still train around it

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Took an extra rest day friday. After speaking with Jeff Alberts, we have decided that an extra rest day every other week may help to facilitate recovery and also help to keep my lift progressions moving.

The split this week has been:

4 days split
Chest Arms
Back Delts
Legs
Rest
Rest
Upper
Rest

Next week I will revert back to
5day split
Chest Arms
Back Delts
Legs
Rest
Chest Arms
Back Delts

Then the following week will be 4 days split again
Along with a big reduction in exercise volume, I think I should still be able to bring lift progressions along with improving recovery to my pec/delt/bicep area.
As long as lift progressions remain/ strength doesn’t drop off I should still keep moving forward.
The injury may have occurred due to trying to add in too much volume.
During prep having more volume is fine when strength is down, but now that strength is really coming up quick, managing fatigue/injury/ recovery and volume is really key.
Many may be too scared to take these moves, but just because we are taking volume down doesnt mean we will lose muscle, nor does it mean we cant bring it back up.
I can always let my body recover during this next block of training and then look to bring it back up again for the next block.

Building muscle is a slow process, but one thing for sure is making sure I remain healthy, so that I can keep making process. Rather than trying to keep pounding my body and then really creating a big problem, which may limit my progress in the future.

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Legs yesterday felt great hit some amazing numbers and really felt the effect from having the deload.
Pretty much starting my new block of training from the numbers that I left off with or slightly above

BB RDL – 165×9,7,9 (strap broke on my second set mid set)
Pendulum – 100×10,10,8
Paused Hack – 95/sx10,9,10
Leg Ext – 9×15,15,15
Lying Ham – 90.1×18,16,15
Standing calf – 80×18,15,15
Toe Press – 110.1x3sets

Great workout with the Pendulum and hack squat really feeling great. The Watson Pendulum is truly the heaviest one I have ever used.
PB on both Pendulum and Hack in this workout and matching numbers on the RDL

Rest day today which is much needed. Legs are really battered today

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

awesome looks like the new split is working well for you

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Thanks for sharing I will be following along
Really cool insight into how Corinne is programming for a bikini athlete, what split she is using with you.
Is there a specific body part you are focussing on?
Also, the chest workout isn’t just chest, you’re incorporating rear delts, shoulders, triceps too?

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Today’s weight update at 88.8kg
Back and Delts just done

DY Row – 60/s x 9,9,8
Step Back Iso Row – 82×9,9,8
LPD – 13×9, 11×9, 10×8
Pullover – 9×15,15,15
Cable Lateral – 4×20,15,15
gym80 Row SA – 10×15,14 8×15
Plate loaded puldown – 45×15,14,13
Gym 80 shrug – swapped out for cable horizontal shrug as someone was using the row.
Abs to finish

The pullover isn’t normally in this workout, but have found a very nice set up on the cable with cuffing the elbow, something which I had been taken through with at RTS with Michael Goulden and remember the connection was incredible.
Whilst the bicep is still tender, I think I will drop the LPD and replace with the Cuffed Pullover variation and also swap the Plate loaded version out with this cuffed version too. I have tried many machine pullovers and can never seem to set myself up on it. So Pullover machines although dorian and many bodybuilders have built some incredibly thick lats with them, I am yet to find one that I really like.

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Deload Finished now
Ready to get back to the gym yesterday, Bicep seems much more recovered although I can still feel it.
I really don’t want this to continue to get worse so the plan is to drop some pressing volume to see if I can speed the healing process.

Chest and Arms session was as follows:

High Incline DB Press – 50×10,9 48×8
Hammer Pin loaded Incline Press – 60×8, 55×9,8
Pec Dec – 50×15, 45×15,15
Cable Pressdown – 22.5×14,15,15
Step back Curl – 2×12,12,12
Standing Alt DB Curl – 15×9,10,10

Next time I will switch the Hammer Press to the gym80 Machine Press. Really struggling to find another press that doesn’t cause me pain atm.

IG - @gymwithhym

[Hym]

Saturdays back session was as follows

Gym80 Row – 23×10, 24×10, 25×10, 21×10
Assisted Chin – 18×9, 15×8, 13×10, 12×10
DB Lateral – 17.5×18,14,14
DY Row – 50/sx19,15,13
HS Pullover – 30/sx17,17,16
Cable Ext Rot – 1×12,12,12
Shrugs – 120×18,15,15

Cable Ext rotations and assisted chins are now in on this rotation. Been stalling a bit on the single arm LPD, so it was time to make the switch, In the past I have never really liked chins for my back development, but looking at controlling the eccentric a bit more and the focus on this exercise is the lengthened position of the lift.
Cable ext rotations are in as I need to work on my ext rotation for shoulder health and I know if at some point I want to progress my pressing further my ext rotation strength needs to also go up. Haven’t placed them into my workouts since my powerlifting days back in 2014, so I look forward to keeping these in and seeing if it will help my presses like it did before. Using the cable ext rotation over the poliquin version, where I am much much more stable and can really produce a lot of force from the rotators. A far superior variation over the DB on the knee.

IG - @gymwithhym