SP's on/off-season log

[snowpatrol123]

Someone asked how often I train abs, my reply:

In the offseason I train abs probably 2-4x/wk (almost always on chest and arms days, which are usually about every 4 days respectively) and sometimes on back day or even rest/cardio days.

I think unless you have unusual genetics, most guys neglect them to their detriment (thinking they get hit enough during compound lifts etc) and could have much more 'pop' when they get lean, rather than just visible if that makes sense.

Right now I'm training them 5 out of 7 days per week, the two days I don't are heavy legs and pump leg days but of course they're activated a bit during squats (not enough for BB purposes though, imo)

Last night I took some ketotifen before bed, while I was cooking an eggwhite omelette actually....FFFFF wow. I forgot how potent that stuff is...I barely got the omelette down my throat before the wheels fell off and I passed out on top of the bed.

Mrs. SP had to wake me up to make room for her awhile later and I didn't wake up again until my usual ~3am pee/pin GH/drink eggwhites (and munch a ricecake, lately) then had no problem snoozing until my gym alarm went off at 5.

Downside was/is that I am still a bit drowsy, but despite that sleepy feel I had enough energy to bang out a good back workout and cardio afterwards...I credit proper intraworkout nutrition with a lot of that to be honest.

Homemade plazma is the bomb...though based on meadows' recent move to prime nutrition and reformulation using EAAs instead of peptopro when I run out of hydrolized casein I'll be switching to an EAA/HBCD/etc mixture instead (significantly less $/serving)

Weight 214

Thu - back "light"
warmup - indoor track

meadows' row - two pyramid/warmup sets and four working sets of 10-12 reps per arm
superset regular crunches - four sets of 25-30, constant tension as usual

DB pullover - four sets of 12, slow and controlled with a shortened ROM to keep tension on the lats the entire time

various-grip bodyweight pullup - to near-failure, four sets of 10-15 with wide/pronated grip, then wide/neutral grip, supinated/chin grip and finally narrow/neutral grip
superset bodyweight hangs - about 30sec after each set of pullups, releasing all contraction of the lat and just letting gravity stretch them out

DB shrug - four sets of 15 with a 3sec hold/contraction at the top of every rep

supinated one-arm pulldown - four sets of 10 reps per arm, letting the opposite arm stretch out fully

AM Cardio:
30min LISS - stair mill

 

[bigben66]

I saw an ad for PLAZMA a while back, at the time it wasn't available here in the UK....

Any feedback on it, or anything similar you'd recommend?

 

[snowpatrol123]

I saw an ad for PLAZMA a while back, at the time it wasn't available here in the UK....

Any feedback on it, or anything similar you'd recommend?

The main (and completely valid, imo) criticism of plazma was it's cost...the primary components were extremely costly and to have any kind of margin biotest was selling it for $70-90 per 20 servings...insane considering bigger guys would use 2-4+ servings intraWO.

Meadows' split with biotest about a year ago, but carried his love and knowledge for periworkout nutrition over to prime nutrition & came out with intra MD where they replaced the expensive, and less-necessary pepto-pro (hydrolized caseinate) component with EAAs while keeping the most important, and now less-expensive low osmalarity HBCD.

The other pieces are some extra leucine (either via a special EAA blend or can be added yourself) to ensure you trigger mTOR, electrolytes, citrulline malate and taurine. I like beta-alanine, too...so I priced this out and was able to get it down to around $1.50/serving at true nutrition, with the variable cost piece being how much HBCD you would want (depends on the bodypart you will be working, amount of insulin you are or aren't using, etc) so I would pre-mix everything except the HBCD, then add that as required.

Once I run out of hydrolized caseinate and karbolyn (my current homemade "plazma" replacement) I will be replacing the former component with EAAs (which I happen to already have) and going with a copycat of prime's intra-MD

 

[bigben66]

The main (and completely valid, imo) criticism of plazma was it's cost...the primary components were extremely costly and to have any kind of margin biotest was selling it for $70-90 per 20 servings...insane considering bigger guys would use 2-4+ servings intraWO.

Meadows' split with biotest about a year ago, but carried his love and knowledge for periworkout nutrition over to prime nutrition & came out with intra MD where they replaced the expensive, and less-necessary pepto-pro (hydrolized caseinate) component with EAAs while keeping the most important, and now less-expensive low osmalarity HBCD.

The other pieces are some extra leucine (either via a special EAA blend or can be added yourself) to ensure you trigger mTOR, electrolytes, citrulline malate and taurine. I like beta-alanine, too...so I priced this out and was able to get it down to around $1.50/serving at true nutrition, with the variable cost piece being how much HBCD you would want (depends on the bodypart you will be working, amount of insulin you are or aren't using, etc) so I would pre-mix everything except the HBCD, then add that as required.

Once I run out of hydrolized caseinate and karbolyn (my current homemade "plazma" replacement) I will be replacing the former component with EAAs (which I happen to already have) and going with a copycat of prime's intra-MD

I like it... lookin at all options for when I finish this cut... keep me informed buddy.

 

[snowpatrol123]

I like it... lookin at all options for when I finish this cut... keep me informed buddy.

Absolutely. The main two things are EAAs and HBCD - both available from TN, not sure if they ship to your corner of the planet but there could be alternatives (ie. I get my HBCD in the form of karbolyn from supplementsource.ca)

Weight 215

We were wedding band shopping last night and one of the places had a nice tungsten carbide ring on sale...it fits me well (in my current state) but I'm thinking I"ll want a half-size up to accommodate for winter/off-season

I've done some research, I'm aware of the fear-mongering surrounding trying to remove it but since it basically cannot ovalize and I no longer work in the trades I'm not particularly concerned about a random finger-swelling-type injury

Other than that...it's basically scratch proof and gym-safe unless I start benching with diamond-plated barbells, can't see a huge downside but I'd like any & all (educated) thoughts/feedback on these, vs say titanium...

I'm not interested in gold, the price isn't even close to worth it for something that I might lose, will definitely scratch and just don't care that much about...for Mrs.SP though I insisted on a real (white) gold, diamond-encrusted shiny band of course.

Fri - legs "heavy"
warmup - indoor track

SLDL - three warmup and six working sets, six reps per work set with constant tension on the hams (no lockout)

leg press - two or three feeder/warmup sets to get a good 8 rep working weight, then four sets of 8 rest/pause reps (pausing just off the stops at the bottom on each rep)

highbar squat (not ATG) - these were to parallel and about 5/6 of lockout, the 'pump'-style squats that people yell "bad form" when bodybuilders are doing them with 495 for a dozen reps on youtube...

Did three feeler/test sets then three working sets of 20 reps (no pausing or locking out)
10 x bar
10 x 95
10 x 135...felt this was about right, so then:
20 x 135...good but still had some gas
20 x 185...better but had a tiny bit left
20 x 225...almost died but punched them all out explosively...lungs were on fire though

glute-ham raise (GHR) - four sets of 12-15 reps, first set was a bit sketchy as I recalled the form & watched dave tate demonstrating it then the 2nd to 4th were much cleaner

seated calf raise - two "warmup" but working sets, then three sets of 10 reps followed by a 10sec hold, 10 more reps + 10sec hold and finally 10 reps + as long of a hold as possible (usually got 5-7sec)

Crazy calf pump going on from that, hams were burnt out too so of course I made my way over to visit my friend the stair mill. Had to wait a few minutes but got one...

AM Cardio:
30min LISS - stair mill

 

[snowpatrol123]

One of my grandpas died yesterday, which was a bit of a downer. He's been in poor health for a few years after they bungled his knee replacement, so his quality of life hasn't been great and it was probably his time to go...I'm more sad for my grandma who'll have to adjust to completely (rather than functionally) single-life after 50yrs+ of marriage. Old people die, that's life but it's the people they leave behind that I feel for the most. I guess they're going to postpone any kind of memorial until September, so there's no immediate impact other than making sure my grandma is looked after while she adjusts.

Weight 215

Afternoon weigh-in, I think last night was my worst sleep in a year (since a few weeks out of my last show, actually). I probably got about 2hrs...dozed 2 more hours then read/watched shit on the internet until I decided to make some food and drag my ass to the gym. Half-heartedly lapped the track and realized a decent workout just wasn't in the cards, so I came home and half-napped for a few hours.

Re-fed myself, put on my big girl panties and went back to the gym for my workout. A bit of HG clen perks a guy right up...got a pretty solid workout in once I got my ass in gear this time around.

Sat - chest/delts/abs (heavy)
warmup - indoor track

HSPL machine press - three warmup sets, then three pyramid/work sets of 12-10-8 reps each, increasing the weight from 2->2.5->3 plates a side
superset hanging leg raise (V-ups?) - four sets, 16/17/18/20 reps as usual

reverse-band incline BB press - took me awhile to find and set up the correct bands, then did the following rep scheme
3 sets x 5 reps (explosive)
2 sets x 4 reps (heavier, so less explosive)
2 sets x 3 reps (heavy & grindy)

flat DB press - nothing fancy here, just 3 sets of 10 reps with a full ROM & quick flex at lockout on each rep

cables flyes - three sets of 12-15 reps (adjusted the weight a bit on each) bringing the pinkies together & really flexing hard for a good second on each rep...good pump here

lateral DB raise - two warmup/feeder sets that weren't particularly easy, then four heavy sets of 8 reps...bit of body language to get the DBs up but nice slow descent
superset over-and-backs with band - 5-8 reps between each set of lateral raises

rear delts/reverse pec-dec - four sets of 15 reps, I always use the vertical handles on these....
superset band pull-aparts/facepulls - 10 reps with a 1 sec flex/contraction on each rep, between pec-dec sets

front DB raise - three sets of 10-12, did two with alternating and one with DBs squeezed together
superset rope crunch - three sets, quite heavy


Went to some friends' engagement party at the Cactus Club but ate a prepped meal in the car before we went in, stuck to diet coke and chatted with a guy who was top-5 at nats last week, really enjoyed his outlook on things - he competes for fun, has many other interests and isn't fond of the new instagram/selfie BB culture


Speaking of selfies...I took these early in the morning after my sleepless night, before my failed initial gym session: Weekly update/progress pics

 

[Megatron28]

Sorry to hear about your grandfather.

You are looking awesome in the pics. Nice work!

 

[snowpatrol123]

Sorry to hear about your grandfather.

You are looking awesome in the pics. Nice work!

Thanks mega, appreciate the support as always.

Weight 217

Well I definitely haven't been overeating, yesterday was no-cardio but 2lbs isn't significant in the long run...I'm happy with the mirror lately, anyways.

Used just a bit of humalog preWO this morning and a double-dosed intraWO shake (100g HBCD)

Sun - back (heavy)
warmup - indoor track

medium-width/neutral grip pulldown - two warmup and four working sets of 8 reps, slight pause/lat squeeze at the bottom of each rep

low cable row with flat bar attachment - one feeler set then four working sets, increasing the weight slightly each time but shooting for 8 reps per set - more of a rhomboid/trap squeeze here

smith machine row - set the stops quite low, mid-shin and went four sets of six rest/pause reps...driving the elbows up but trying not to activate the arms, just lats

high rack pulls - moderate weight, four sets of 10 with a slow tempo

AM Cardio:
25min LISS - stair mill


Zzzz....slept poorly again, eating some homemade sushi right now then it's time to see about a nap...

 

[bigben66]

Sorry to hear about your grandpa buddy, at least he's not suffering now though... be sure you visit that gran of yours, she needs you more than ever now mate.

You're looking awesome in that latest pic, you're gonna storm this next show mate!

 

[Buzzbait]

Sorry bout your grandad bro. Keep killing shit brother

 

[carverelli]

Pics look great buddy! Legs look massive. How's the back?

Are you prepping for a show? I'd guess bf about 8-9 %

 

[Dirkmcgirk]

I am definitely Jelly of your legs. What is your waist measurement precut and the around showtime?

 

[Southernfish]

Youre lookin great man, a lot of progress since last set of pics......leaner and more 'pop' and fullness in the muscles. Great work brother.

 

[snowpatrol123]

Sorry to hear about your grandpa buddy, at least he's not suffering now though... be sure you visit that gran of yours, she needs you more than ever now mate.

You're looking awesome in that latest pic, you're gonna storm this next show mate!

Luckily the victoria cup is just a ferry ride away from my grandma so if she doesn't feel like coming to watch I'll visit her before I fly home.

And thanks

Sorry bout your grandad bro. Keep killing shit brother

I'm confident he's better off, my main concern is my grandma but she's a tough cookie and has been preparing for this for awhile so I think she will be alright.

Pics look great buddy! Legs look massive. How's the back?

Are you prepping for a show? I'd guess bf about 8-9 %

Thanks! Back is ok, it's up there with my legs as far as strong bodyparts go for me...my arms are easily the weakest and chest could always be bigger.

I'm going to do the victoria cup in a month, as a warmup/practice for muscle beach in october. My bodyfat is likely a bit lower than 8-9% at the moment, hams & glutes are starting to come in actually.

I am definitely Jelly of your legs. What is your waist measurement precut and the around showtime?

My waist got up to 34" when I was 244, right now at ~215 it's a hair under 31", probably about 30" flat on stage. My quads were just a cunthair below 30" circumference at 240+, sitting around 29" last I checked (probably at 220ish)

Weight 215

Took a little too much clen this morning, my tabs are 40mcg HG and tiny so rather than going from 40 to 60 the way I'd have preferred I said fuck it & went 80mcg...felt pretty strung out for a bit at the gym & didn't want to push it with cardio.

May go back tonight, but after a productive leg day I don't want to ruin recovery either so I may not...

Mon - legs (pump/optional - overall focus)
warmup - indoor track

seated hamstring curl - two warmup and four working sets, 15 straight reps each with a pretty decently heavy weight

seated leg extension - one warmup and six working sets...first three were toes curled up (to focus upper quad) and last three were toes out (lower quad dominant) all for 10 good reps
superset DB squat (ATG) - one bodyweight warmup and six working sets immediately following each leg extension set, heels on some little 10lb plates to slightly elevate, holding the DBs and going deep...10-12 reps was basically failure

adductor machine - one warmup and four working sets, pyramiding the weight slightly to the full stack and keeping 12 reps on each set

seated calf raise - one warmup and four working sets...each work set was ( 10 reps + 10 sec hold ) * 3...total of 30 reps and 30 secs of static hold for each of the four working sets
superset bodyweight dorsiflexion - immediately following each working calf raise set, reps were 50 / 45 / 40 / 35 per set, respectively...calves PUMPED and on fire holy shit

platz hack squat - this is where you come up on your toes and heels touch your butt at the bottom of the ROM to really focus your quads...did three moderate-weight sets of 12


Did a few laps with some bodyweight lunges for good measure and a bit of static stretching then showered and hit the road...


PM Cardio/arms/posing:
40-45min LISS - indoor track

Did about six sets of tris, five or six for bis ending each with a triple or quadruple dropset for a great pump

Posing - holding all the mandatories for 5-10sec each, damn...need to do this every day from here in, I know that :S

 

[bigben66]

May go back tonight, but after a productive leg day I don't want to ruin recovery either so I may not...

Man I couldn't even contemplate going back for cardio after legs... smashed mine yesterday and wrote the whole day off....

I'll aim for every day other than leg day!

Keep it up mate - you're killing it right now.

(PS: lmao @ cunthair)

 

[snowpatrol123]

Man I couldn't even contemplate going back for cardio after legs... smashed mine yesterday and wrote the whole day off....

I'll aim for every day other than leg day!

Keep it up mate - you're killing it right now.

(PS: lmao @ cunthair)

Haha the ol' tradespeak comes through even though I'm behind a desk now

I don't think I'll go kill myself on the stair mill but I may lap the track a few times and hit the pool after work here...

Thanks btw

 

[carverelli]

I'd say back off the legs a little and bring up your upper body. Proportions are pretty important.
My quads are around 27-28 with a 35-36" waist... Guess I have some work to do..

 

[snowpatrol123]

I'd say back off the legs a little and bring up your upper body. Proportions are pretty important.

There will be no backing off, but trust me I'm working on bringing up my arms I actually have been doing one solid arm workout and another two or so light/pump sessions per week when I come for evening cardio lately...

My quads are around 27-28 with a 35-36" waist... Guess I have some work to do..

I would guess that if you get your waist down your quads will be fine, they'll obviously get smaller with lower body fat but typically your waist will drop two or three times faster than legs as far as circumference goes...


As an aside, few people (competitors I know, and over at another board) figured I'm in 6-7% range which is about what I was guessing too, the number isn't as important as the mirror though at this stage...

I'll try to take a reverse (back) shot in my posing suit this time to give a better idea of my current ham/glute condition


Weight 216

As mentioned (edited) above, I did end up going back last night but took it relatively easy, probably about 120-125bpm LISS walking first by myself then joined by mrs.SP

Worked arms a bit, did some posing then home and got a half decent sleep - praise brodin

Tue - chest/delts (light/pump)
warmup - indoor track

Did something new today for the additional chest work, a triset...no rest between the next three exercises just a warmup (with no bands on the machine) and four more working sets...essentially five work sets * 3 exercises

1. HSPL chest press - warmup then four sets with bands, locking out hard with a flex on each rep for 8 reps per set
2. flat DB hex press - five sets of 8 reps, squeezing the whole way up and down with no lockout and not quite bottoming out either
3. stretch pushups - hands on some blocks for a deeper ROM...bodyweight to failure on each set for five sets...reps were about 30/20/16/12/10 respectively

Chest was pretty pumped after that, moved onto straight / regular exercises & sets for delts

reverse pec dec - three sets of thirty, pumping tempo

strict lateral DB raise - four sets of 10 reps, quite heavy on these but good form
superset hanging leg raise (V-ups) - four sets, usual rep scheme 16/17/18/20 each

band spidercrawls - three sets of three times up and down the brick wall

Noticed the stair mill opened up so scooted over there rather than doing another ab exercise...

AM Cardio:
30min LISS - stair mill

 

[bigben66]

Do you do much time under tension and peak contraction work for your guns mate?

My biceps in particular react well to some T.U.T. thrown in now and again.

 

[snowpatrol123]

Do you do much time under tension and peak contraction work for your guns mate?

My biceps in particular react well to some T.U.T. thrown in now and again.

I do, yeah - quite a few instances where I'll superset BB curls with 3 sec descents with a drop to partials for example, pump is insane from that kind of setup

My arms have improved, don't get me wrong...but 18" biceps don't look particularly impressive on a 6' fella with a 46" chest and 29-30" quads heh