Sam King
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Choc ice is literally my childhood at summer in a nutshell. If the ice cream man played his chime, then that meant he was sold out, but we had choc ices. Definitely using that in my parenting.
Sometimes we’d have ice pops but made with Robinson’s squash. They were put into lolly moulds that we got free from a Rice Krispie cereal promotion. More ice than flavour, but still appreciate what my mum could provide us ☺️
How about yourself?Instagram: samking104
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No need to thank me Dan. You provide plenty of motivation and your approach to bodybuilding just resonates. Just the focus on your goals and the necessary steps + no bull attitude. Standing by your morals and not being shaped by an ideal persona on social media.
Learning to disconnect is a massive step. Bodybuilding is important, but do you know what else is- other people, their happiness, being there but in equal spades they respect you and what is important to you.
That’s incredible news Dan, must be really chuffed. Thing is you can’t just gain 80lbs and fly under the radar.
Your gym setup is looking incredible. Literally like a Temple Gym/Dragon’s Lair setup as you cherrypick each piece of equipment to fit your specific requirements. When ‘normality’ returns, I assume this will be your Homebase with the odd session at Ripped or maybe Muscleworks?
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Hey @clare Thanks for the well wishes. Great question. So, I have loved and breathed bodybuilding since 14. I would read and then re-read all the literature I could my hands on. Piles of Flex magazines piled up on the sofa at my mum’s as a teen. Bodybuilding first and foremost was my being. There would be excitement and anticipation before every session. After one session was done, the next was already in my brain.
I noticed at the start of this year that My mind was tired, my enthusiasm gone. Nothing could motivate me. In all seriousness, I kept thinking what the hell was wrong with me? From going to being absorbed to actively avoiding it, I can’t explain and still can’t looking back. It may have been a subconscious anticipation of the upcoming op.
During my recovery, lockdown had kicked in so there was a lot to consider and process. Initially I felt sorry for myself and took the time to rest, almost detaching myself from this identity and ultimately who I was. I channeled that enthusiasm and purpose into those I love, reading, writing and playing music. I now and then would check bodybuilding content, but more out of habit than active desire.
As time crept on, I noticed my desire was returning and the itch, the obsession began to manifest. I actively sought out bodybuilding motivation and literature as well as educating myself further and applying what I have been taught/learnt.
That short time away allowed me to recharge and reconnect with myself. Now that desire and drive is back, as is my passion to where it once was.
Long answer I realise and think I have answered your question within my ramblings. Ultimately I used the time to further myself so that I can continue to apply to all aspects of my life.
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As Clare said, rest days are important and ultimately depends on your goals. Now I’m an old fuddy duddy, I welcome them and look forward to them as much as training days.
Sure, increased frequency may yield some results if used for a small block and top up work occasionally can be beneficial. However, cumulative fatigue will likely set in and eventually detract from your recovery capabilities.
With the current climate and generally slower pace of life at the mo, it is generally easier to recuperate while stress may be lower than normal.
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Another cracking session in the bag and lifts still progressing, would be worried if they weren’t to be honest after only four weeks. Upper A as follows:
Seated crucifix raise: 2 sets of 10-15, last set into triple drop
Pull down, overhand: 2 x 10-12, 1 x 15
High incline press: 80kg x 10 (+10kg, -2reps), 90kg x 5 (+20kg, – 6reps), 70kg x 12 (+2reps)
Machine row, single arm: 60kg x 11 (+7.5kg, -2reps), 62.5kg x 9 (+7.5kg, -2reps), 55kg x 15 (+5reps)
Incline machine press: 110kg x 10 (+10kg, -1rep), 120kg x 6.5 (+20kg, -3.5reps), 100kg x 11 (+2 reps)
Pec dec (cluster set): 6 x 4
Underhand pulldown (cluster) 6 x 5
V bar press down: 2 x 12-15
Single dB curl: 2 x 10-15
Rear delt cable: 1 rest pause
DB shrug: 1 x 20
Abs: 3 setsEnded up being an extremely busy day today. Managed to clock up 20,000 steps – oops! Good to be out and about though. Saw my heavily pregnant sister, 8 weeks to go and I’ll have a nephew. Uncle Sam is fast becoming a reality. It was good to see her though and all things considered, she’s doing well. Getting a bit excited myself to meet the fella. I make a general rule that I don’t like holding other people’s babies. Don’t know why, just never something I’ve done. No fear of dropping them or them expelling some form of snot, drool or vomit. No idea why. However, I’ll make an exception depending on what the rulings are. It may be I don’t hold him until his fifteenth birthday haha.
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Hiya. No probs.
Yeah, you could do full body every other day if volume was low and you planned the exercises out so the CNS and lower back aren’t battered. Also a case of working out how many rotations you have and planning out primary focuses for each session.
Upper lower works pretty well at the mo for myself as 4 days one week and 3 the next. Frequency isn’t as high in terms of sessions, but working everything every 3 days. I have never looked at frequency in terms of days, it has always been whatever day it falls. In terms of current set up, one lower session is ham dominant focused around the RDL and leg press, the other hack squat and different form of leg press. Aside from having the RDL in lower, my leg sessions are the same as my usual PPL setup. Upper based around the usual compounds, except no hip hinge or lower back dominant exercises.
Ultimately try full body out and see if it works for you. Look back at the golden era and people like Reg Park did full body. Worked for them pretty well. Olympians train full body several times a week as well.
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Hi Elliot
I wish I could kick myself when I was younger and start with FBW, then Upper/lower before a PPL. This generation doesn’t recognise how lucky they are with the amount of info available.
Back to your question, it all depends on several things really and how you split your exercises. Other factors to include are lifestyle, frequency, availability of gym time (if it is based on time slots), if you have trained during lockdown, how much muscle you carry, your current lifts and so on. As you can see, very difficult to determine an exact answer.
Apologies if it sounds cryptic but it all depends on you. Personally I had 13 weeks off all training due to a shoulder op and decided to opt for upper/lower split, frequency of 1 on, 1 off. That works perfectly for me as everything is worked every 72 hours. The problem with FBW is time as working the whole body takes slightly longer obviously. If your gym offers 60-90 min slots only, could be tricky to get everything done. Also, depending on day your barbell squat strength it may take 30-40 mins to warm up properly. Just an example so you may not program them.
There are tons of resources on the site for FBW and upper/lower. Forums have lots and plenty in the education section.
Ultimately choose what best fits you and if it doesn’t feel right, then it likely isn’t. You then evaluate from there.Instagram: samking104
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Hello mate. Thought I’d drop by. Absolutely incredible post show rebound – intensity, mindset, adherence, determination and obsession on a completely new level. By no means is that meant in a bad way as you were all of the above before. Just somehow on a new level, but that’s necessary with your ambitions.
As a post above mentions, really reminiscent of JPs biggest push up. All the cues, both negative and positive, are reminiscent but in your own way I.e. not a wannabe.
How’s the enforced rest treating you? Absolutely guilty of avoiding deloads or rest myself. Usually if I had a niggle, destroyed or was ill, that was time off. By then it’s usually too late.
Definitely for the best this rest. The physique, while still very impressive, looks tired especially the legs. Bit of water retention accumulated from the necessary stress.
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Weight has risen since last week and performance has increased so no real need to increase food at the mo. Currently sitting at 86.35kg.
Back has some lovely DOMs today, the kind that only deadlifts can provide. No lower back loading in tomorrow’s upper session either. Absolutely knackered today though so should pass out by 9-9:30 no probs. Friday night plans are lit!
Last of Us 2 came out today and was extremely tempted, but I just can’t pay 40-50 for a game. I’ll wait for now and work my way through the back catalogue. Back in my days you had a handful of blockbuster games a year, but now there’s too much choice. They’re also full of so much content and you don’t really have the same time as an adult. Well, I might if I didn’t bodybuild ????
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Absolutely smashed from today’s session. A combination of nausea and feeling like I needed to pass out. That was after the first warm up. Haha, nah it was partway through but my ass was being kicked royally and felt good to be pushing it again. Didn’t realise how much I missed that feeling and look forward to many more instances of it. Anywho, Lower A went as follows. Going to start to list progression now as getting into the swing of it now:
RDL: 170kg x 8 [+10kg,-2reps], 160kg x 10 [+2reps], 140kg x 12 [+20kg,-3reps]
Leg press: 400kg x 12 [+50kg,-3reps], 430kg x 11 [+60kg,-3reps]
Lying leg curl: 30kg x 12, 30kg x 11
Barbell sissy squat: 110kg x 12 [+30kg,-8reps]
Split squat: 80kg x 12 [+10kg,-3reps], 80kg x 11 [+10kg,-4reps]
Leg extension, cluster set: 65kg 6×4
Single leg curl, cluster set: 20kg 6×4
Adductor: 75kg x 14, 65kg x 17
Standing calve raise: 3 sets, one min rest between sets followed by DC stretch
Horizontal leg raise: 2 sets of 25Ok then, some big jumps especially on the leg press. Riding them newbie muscle memory gains fo sho. If anything, today’s sets felt better than before as previously could feel my back getting a tad tight. So now more weight, better execution, less back tightness – no negatives aside from unloading the machine afterwards. Didn’t factor LISS cardio and farmers walks in today. RDLs felt good warming up so decided it was there for the taking. Three fantastic sets and a bucketload of sweat after. 180kg for working sets should be back on the cards again in the next few sessions and hopefully be back up to 200kg relatively soon. The only exercise that I found to be a waste was the sissy squat tbh. It didn’t really add anything to the session and likely in the long run, it would just detract from recovery.
Rest day tomorrow and will be evaluating weight again. Now intensity, exertion and output are rising my appetite has skyrocketed. I’ll evaluate weight and look again tomorrow, then possibly increase food a smidge. Again, may not be necessary but will see.
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Hello mate. Everything seems to be going along smoothly and look is on point. Your upper profile is looking fantastic, even chest and shoulders. By no means is that derogatory, just typically the best squatters and deadlifts are poor pressers (excluding Ronnie Coleman, Branch Warren – actually any Metroflex bodybuilder). Jack Richardson for example is a behemoth of a presser. With his t-Rex arm length, deadlifts come much more difficult I bet but pressing is perfect for his type.
Used a similar hack to the one you have and failed in the hole, really not fun as you can’t get the plates off.
Looking forward to following this prep matey. Whether it transpires to stage or not this year, a good trial run that’s for sure.
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Rest day ticked off and thoughts are already turning to tomorrow’s lower session. Always get excited about deadlifts, whichever form they take – rdl, stiff legged, conventional, Yates style, banded, snatch grip, trap bar, deficit and I’m sure there are others I have done along the lines. Aside from Sumo of course as that’s cheating hahaha. Actually, never tried it to be fair but doesn’t look comfortable. I squat relatively narrow, well shoulder and same with the leg press really. Hmmmm, am I missing out on a new stimulus perhaps… High and wide leg press feels good as does narrow/wide hacks. Basically it is like mini cluster sets, but you you try to 3 sets narrow and 3 wide without rest, alternating between the stances. Example – 5 reps narrow set, adjust to wide then 5 reps, back to narrow and repeat the process until 30. No reasoning for 30, just settled on it. You’d be surprised how much further you can push with that quick stance adjustment.
So back to RDLs then. Thinking of aiming for 165kg or 170kg depending on how everything feels warming up. Logbook and mind say one thing, but if body says no then I’ll hold back a wee bit. It’s knowing the difference between legitimately needing to hold back due to risk/reward ratio being way off versus just a bad mindset or rushing the warm up. In any case just need to identify the reason, try to resolve it then and there where possible and if not, reflect on what the problem is. So many people get wrapped up in the pre workout ritual and the workout itself, however no love is given after the last rep has been completed. Sure, a protein shake has been chugged down or meal consumed but I use that time to look back on the session determining if it was a success. If not, why and does anything need to change. Sounds easy and simple enough, but in that moment you can put the required measures in place rather than relying on memory for the next session. What happens if you have another bad session next time the rotation crops up? That’s potentially another wasted session and then frustration kicks in. Don’t get me wrong, just because you had a post workout debrief doesn’t mean the next one will automatically be amazing. It is possible to have a string of bad sessions, but if you have a running commentary of why then you can reflect on it int he future and account for those periods. Plus, if you notice issues in the future you can refer back.
That’s enough Sam-isms for today. Time to go and play a real man’s game with the lads – Farming Simulator. You boys can keep your Call of Duty, real men plough the fields.
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Back is crap and you’re a weed – spot on Corinne haha. The weed philosophy is more akin to a scenario related to the eye of the beholder. A Sycamore tree for example is considered to be a weed, but they are massive and look like a tree but alas are weeds. Daisies, while considered beautiful, can be considered weeds as well to some avid gardeners. If you wish to identify as a weed now, which is perfectly acceptable these days, you’ll be one of my favorites hahaha.
Anyway, the overall message stands – carry on being Corinne.
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Well then, upper session this morning and sure enough not much sleep the night before. Random thoughts as usual but alarm goes off, spring out of bed and get going. Pre workout meal down the hatch, around an hour of work and then time to roll.
Today’s session as follows:
Lying cable raise: 2 x 10-15
Incline machine press: 120kg x 6.5, 110kg x 10, 100kg x 11
Chest supported barbell row: 80kg x 12, 85kg x 10, 75kg x 16
Flat hammer press: 80kg x 11.5, 100kg x 6.5, 90kg x 9
Plate loaded pulldown, individual arm: 40kg x 14, 45kg x 11, 50kg x 8
Incline cable flye: 2 x 15
Low machine row: 110kg x 14, 120kg x 11
Dual machine curl: 25kg x 14, 25kg x 12
Overhead db extension, one arm: 10kg x 18, 10kg x 15
Abs: 3 setsWell then, another splendid session in the bag. Strength is absolutely flying up and best of all my shoulder is playing ball. Considering I started with 60kg on the flat press 3 weeks ago for a shaky set of 10 for the first exercise and now it’s jumped up in weight, but second in the session. Decided to substitute the dual db row as it’s an ok exercise but remember during prep the chest supported row felt horribly delightful. Memory served me well and I’ll stick with it as avoiding lower back loading where possible on upper days. As mentioned previously, volume will come down eventually but for now it’s just enough to get everything going.
Rest day tomorrow and then lower day centered around RDLs and leg press. Looking forward to progressing those again. Spark for training is well and truly back. Just need to hold a little back on pressing movements and look at this phase as setting the foundations to progress optimally.
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Hah, need to check in and make sure you’re not slacking. I can confirm you’re not.
Always up for a natter. People think I’m strange because I ask them about their lives, interests etc. Like being kind and manners, conversation is one of the few free delights we have as humans.
Your back is only a weakness in comparison to your strengths, you know that. Give someone else that back and it would be great. Don’t get me wrong, not perfect but great – got to bring to you back down, can’t be too complimentary. Then again, if you gave Ryan your legs maybe he’d get his pro card haha.
Exactly, great points. Some people are beyond that point, whether it’s stubbornness/unwillingness or plain ol’ stupidity. Waste of everyone’s time which is sad. However, what is said is forgotten by said individuals while the recipient lives with it long after.
Different is great, I love it. Sure I love similarities and sharing traits with others, but I enjoy learning about someone else’s interests. Had this conversation with my friends and none of us are normal in our group. Where’s the fun in that? Eccentric, quirky, unique – all examples of adjectives that make up the best kinds of people. Your love of flowers is a good example – dandelions are weeds, which while a general consensus among the populace would agree some may argue they have their own beauty. Btw not saying you’re a weed although you grow like one.
Spot on, you be you. Which we all know you do awesomely anyway.
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