SP's on/off-season log

[snowpatrol123]

Weight 244

Relatively early morning, met my friend at powerhouse for arms, abs and calves

Home eating eggs now, going to start some maintenance on mrs.SP's vehicle shortly then head out for a bike ride


Sun - arms/abs/calves

HSPL preacher curl - did these with one arm, two sets of 12 then two heavier sets of 8 reps

seated incline DB curl - both arms at the same time, picked a moderately heavy weight that I could just barely get 12 reps with

cross-body hammer DB curl - three sets of 10-12 reps per arm
+++
superset reverse-grip EZ curl - went to failure after each set of hammer DB curls, approximately 10-15 reps

CGBP - three sets here, pyramiding up...probably could've gone heavier but didn't want to aggravate my elbow
16 x 135
12 x 225
8 x 275

rope tricep pushdown - four sets of 10-12 reps
+++
superset overhead rope tricep extension - 3/4 reps to failure after each set of pushdowns, approx 10-12 reps also

HSPL seated tricep pushdown machine - three heavy sets of 15 reps each

unsupported hanging leg raise - four sets, 16/17/18/20 reps per set respectively

rope crunch - three sets of 20...heavy as possible (extra weight pinned onto the stack)

standing calf raise - four sets of 15 reps followed by a 10 sec stretch

 

[tx045]

Lookin good and solid brother

 

[snowpatrol123]

Lookin good and solid brother

Thanks man. I always feel like I look a bit fluffier/softer when I'm off hormones but that's just part of the game.


Weight 246

Back to work, trying to get into it I think I managed a bit more productivity than Friday but not as much as I should've

Fit in a nap and all my meals though, and met a friend for part of my workout at powerhouse afterwards


Mon - back/chest/abs...skipped arms (gauntlet wk6)

narrow/neutral-grip pulldown - did these instead of narrow chins, just seemed easier to control...one warmup and four work sets, fourth set to failure

HSPL pulldown machine - four sets of 8, went to failure (a few more reps) on the fourth set also

DB pullover - constant tension by stopping at forehead level, four sets of 12 reps

chest-supported row - three (or four?) sets of 8 heavy reps

shoulder warmup superset
1. side lateral DB raise - two sets of 15 reps
+++
2. superset front DB raise - 15 reps after each set of side laterals

slight-incline DB press - went heavy on these, pyramiding up with one warmup and four work sets of 8 reps
8 x 75lbs
8 x 100lbs
8 x 110lbs
8 x 120lbs...this felt pretty light so I wanted to try something
7.5 x 150lbs...had a spot that touched my elbows on the last rep, but other than that these felt ridiculously manageable, but my elbow started bugging me

incline BB press - cut these short, just did two of the four prescribed sets and skipped arms since I'd just trained them yesterday

unsupported hanging leg raise - three sets of 15
+++
superset rope crunch - did these facing away rather than towards the rope today, 10-15 reps after each set of hanging leg raises

 

[snowpatrol123]

Weight ?...forgot to stand on the damn scale, again...

Long day at work, then headed to my parents' for dinner...homemade chili, good stuff

Trained legs there with one of my cousins' classmates who just got on with the mounties

Met a friend for a coffee afterwards, home cooking eggs now


Tue - hams/glutes/calves (gauntlet wk6)

warmup - incline treadmill

seated hamstring curl - three warmup sets then four working sets of 8, full stack here which meant I was pretty close to failure

highbar ATG squat - sets of 7 here, though I pushed an extra rep on the last set...

7 x bar
7 x 135
7 x 225
7 x 315
8 x 405...this felt really solid, I wish I'd had someone video-ing it...my eyes were blood red afterwards though

HSPL incline leg press - used a moderate weight here (7 plates a side) and did four sets of 15 reps in rapid succession...just enough for the other guy to get his reps in and change the plates around

highbar squat #2 - four sets of 10 reps, only used 225lbs this time around

DB SLDL - four sets of 10 reps, increased by 5lbs each time and was pretty close to failure on the fourth set

standing calf raise - four sets of 20, full stack with extra weight pinned on

 

[snowpatrol123]

Weight 245

Tired af. Long day at work, but midway through I did get in to see someone at the sleep clinic

Unfortunately she couldn't get the damn testing machine working so I left empty handed, but she assures me it'll be a quick pick-up in the next few days once she unfucks it


Wed - back/chest/delts/abs (gauntlet wk6)

HSPL chest-supported row - did these one arm at a time, 8 reps per arm for four working sets...took the last two to failure with straps and everything

seated cable pronated row - couldn't find the D handles to do this properly so I just used a lat pulldown bar, and four sets of 10 with a 1 sec pause at full contraction

nautilus pullover machine - four sets of 10, last set to failure as usual

HSPL incline chest press - two warmup and four working sets of 8 reps with a hard lockout on every rep

flat DB press - four sets of 10, not quite locking these out

chest dip - three sets with just bodyweight to failure, focusing on keeping perfect form and stopping when it started to falter

flat BB press - pyramided up doing sets of 8, last set I only got 6 though as I was pretty spent from the first two pressing movements


That was it for powerhouse, I was hungry and beat...went home and then hit goodlife with my brother in law to finish up shoulders and abs

unsupported hanging leg raise - three sets of 15
+++
superset rope crunch - 15 reps after each set of leg raises

side lateral DB raise - two warmup sets then three heavy working sets pyramiding weight up (30/40/50lbs) for 15/12/8 reps per set, and an 8 + 8 + 8 rep dropset on the final set

front DB raise - two sets of 15 with moderately heavy DBs

bent over rear lateral DB raise - one set to complete failure then beyond with partials using the 25lbs DBs


cardio - 20-25mins walk outside since it was actually somewhat nice during the day before the rain resumed in the late afternoon/evening

 

[snowpatrol123]

Weight 245

Busy day at work, got it all done though.

Gym afterwards, then a work thing (karaoke) that I had to make an appearance at

Almost straight to bed when I finally got home...


Thu - biceps/triceps/abs (gauntlet wk6)

standing BB curl - did one set of these and it was really bugging my forearms even with moderate weight so I swapped it for the hammer strength preacher curl machine

HSPL preacher machine - four sets of 12 reps per arm

reverse-grip EZ-bar curl - three sets of 12, hitting failure on all sets

preacher EZ-bar curl - three sets of 12, also failure on each set

straight bar pushdown - one warmup and four working sets of 15-20 reps, aiming for near-failure on each set, increasing weight slightly each time

HSPL tricep pushdown machine - three sets of 15-20 also

rope pushdown - three sets of 12
+++
superset overhead rope extension - 10-12 reps after each set of pushdowns (to failure)

unsupported hanging leg raise - three sets of 15
+++
superset rope crunch - 15 reps after each set of leg raises


cardio - went for another 20-25mins walk to wake up / get some fresh air mid afternoon, it was a bit cloudy and windy but still nice to get outside

 

[snowpatrol123]

So I really don't talk a lot about 'super supps' in my log, they aren't a huge focus for me but once nutrition and training are in place they are definitely a useful (read: necessary) tool for competitive bodybuilding

I've been running low-ish doses for the last 18 months and really felt good but I wanted to change things up a bit and see what a higher-dosed cycle would do this fall in terms of helping me add the mass I'll need to be competitive at nationals

There aren't many national-level competitors using the low-dose approach, but it certainly works for guys who've already got most of the muscle they need (JonnyO for example)...

In my case I know that I need 5-10lbs in the next year and rather than hoping my previous approach(es) will cut it, I'm going to revert to a somewhat more traditional, "national-level" approach at least for my first blast this offseason

I'm happy to answer any questions, and am certainly open to critiques but it's not likely I'll make any adjustments to this particular cycle...I am open-minded, however, and a legitimate/good argument could be persuasive


Offseason Cycle #1 - Sept/Oct/Nov

September (starting first week of)

/Injects/
Test (750-1000mg sustanon/wk)
Deca (600mg/wk)
EQ (600mg/wk)

/Oral(s)/
Superdrol (20mg/d)
Proviron (50mg/d)

/Ancillaries/
Arimidex (0.5mg/d...starting week 2)
T3 (20-40mcg/d)

/Other/
GH (humatrope, 2-3iu/d...ALWAYS IM INJECTS!)
GNRH+GHRP (modGRF 1-29 + GHRP-2, 100/200mcg 10mins pre-GH respectively)
Insulin (humalog, 3iu preWO on arm training days only)

/OTC supplements/
Omega 3/6
Vit B6 + C + D
Carditone
CoQ10
Citrus bergamot
Red yeast rice
MD GDA (true nutrition)
Sugar-free metamucil


October (tentative plan)

/Injects/
Test (1.25g sustanon/wk)
Deca (600mg/wk)
EQ (600mg/wk)

/Oral(s)/
Proviron (50mg/d)

/Ancillaries/
Arimidex (0.5mg/d)
T3 (20-40mcg/d)

/Other/
GH (humatrope/serostim/aqtropin, 2-3iu/d...ALWAYS IM INJECTS!)
GNRH+GHRP (modGRF 1-29 + GHRP-2, 100/200mcg 10mins pre-GH respectively)
Insulin (humalog, 5iu preWO on arm and possibly chest training days)


November (tentative plan)

/Injects/
Test (1.25g sustanon/wk)
Deca (600mg/wk)
EQ (600mg/wk)

/Oral(s)/
Proviron (50mg/d)

/Ancillaries/
Arimidex (0.5mg/d)
T3 (20-40mcg/d)

/Other/
GH (humatrope/serostim/aqtropin, 2-3iu/d...ALWAYS IM INJECTS!)
GNRH+GHRP (modGRF 1-29 + GHRP-2, 100/200mcg 10mins pre-GH respectively)
Insulin (humalog, 5iu preWO on arm days only)

 

[snowpatrol123]

Weight 243

Friday was a pretty good day at work...didn't have many hours to clock so I went for a walk, ate meal3 outside

Weather was nice until later at night so I was mostly on the ducati which has been sidelined due to rain lately

Home afterwards, drove the inlaws to the football game then hit legs at powerhouse

Picked inlaws up really late (military appreciation night, late game) then finally got to bed around 1am...


Fri - legs (hams/quads/calves..."rest day")

prone hamstring curl - two warmup sets then three working sets of 10 reps each, on the third set I did a triple dropset followed by a 30sec isohold

cybex "heavy" incline leg press - I just pyramided weight up here, was pondering a dropset but no one was readily available so I just went really heavy on my last set and added a few rest/pause reps instead...five working sets of 10 reps here
+++
superset leg press calf raise - 10-12 reps after each set of leg press

HSPL v-squat machine - did these facing the pad to hit hamstrings harder, did four sets of 10 fairly heavy but with a really strong focus on ham engagement

DB SLDL - three sets of 10 with moderately heavy DBs, again focusing on engaging the hams so I only came up 3/4 to 5/6 of the way on each rep

seated 'donkey' calf machine - three sets of 20 here, with a heavy weight that basically meant I was going to failure


cardio - as mentioned I was outside a decent amount during the day, probably more like 30+ mins of LISS just enjoying the weather

 

[snowpatrol123]

Weight 240

Ended up helping some people move yesterday, actually two different sets of people so I was on the road at 5am and wasn't home until closer to 8pm :O

And my saturday gym session didn't fit so rather than an easy arms day, I hit upper body with mrs.SP after having lunch with some friends

Kinda figured since it's our wedding anniversary I should probably spend as much time with her as I could...

Bloodwork tomorrow...excited to get that out of the way and back on the gas, bad as that might sound...


Sun - back/chest/delts/abs (gauntlet wk6)

warmup - incline treadmill

seated low row - used a medium-width neutral grip handle, a few warmups then four sets of 12 heavy reps to failure

chest-supported row - used an underhand grip pin-loaded machine, also did four sets here, only 8 reps though but also to failure

DB pullover - the usual constant tension/reduced-ROM style, four sets of 12 leaving 1-2 reps in the tank

rack pull - four sets of 8, pretty heavy but not to failure...kept rests short in the 75-100sec range

slight-incline DB press - two warmups, then four sets of 15 reps...aiming for failure right on the 15th rep

incline BB press - straight into working sets, four sets of 8 reps with a 1-2 sec pause just above the chest...last set was a solid 8x315 (with pauses!)

incline DB flye - two sets of 15 reps with pronated grip

one-arm side lateral DB raise - leaning away from a weight tree, did three sets of 12 reps per arm

bent over rear delt DB raise - three sets of 15-20 reps to failure here

ab-crunch machine - three sets of 15-25 reps, increasing weight on each set


No cardio today, but yesterday's moving was easily my whole weekend's worth of cardio in and of itself...

 

[snowpatrol123]

Weight 243

I decided to train legs (tuesday's workout) on Monday to accommodate a friend's workout schedule on Tuesday

I was at work early, relatively long but productive day then headed straight to powerhouse afterwards and crushed a solo leg workout

I love training with people but I think I actually go a bit harder when I'm by myself because I don't remember walking (hobbling) out of the gym THIS sore in awhile


Mon - hams/quads/calves (gauntlet wk7)

seated hamstring curl - three warmup sets then six working sets of 10 reps each, aiming for failure (or nearly) on each work set
+++
superset adductor machine - one warmup and five working sets, 15 reps with the full stack of weight

highbar ATG squat - I should've gone lighter on these as the instruction was RPE 8 or 9 (1-2 reps left) but I was feeling strong (at least before I started)
12 x bar
12 x 225...last of the warmups
12 x 365
12 x 365...started to feel it
10 x 365...might've had the two reps but I didn't wait long enough between the 2nd and third set
12 x 315...dropped the weight, I wanted to have -some- gas left in the tank for the rest of the workout

front squat - did these in the smith, with 5lbs plates under my heels per instruction...four sets of 8 reps with 100% focus on quads

cybex 'heavy' incline leg press - four sets of 10-12 reps using moderate weight (RPE 8)
+++
superset sissy squat - using the ankle-grabber thing, went to failure after each set of leg press which was right around 8 reps each time

seated donkey-calf press machine - four sets of 12, ultra heavy (full stack on this thing is 400lbs and feels all of that, at least)


I'm mostly taking these pictures for my own 'monitoring' to make sure I'm not getting overly fat as the scale starts climbing again next month but figured it doesn't hurt to include them as logs without pictures aren't as interesting in my opinion

 

[snowpatrol123]

Weight 240

Had a bunch of running around to do in the morning...sleep clinic, doctor to get a (better/more comprehensive) requisition for bloods etc

Finally got into work, tried to fit as much in as possible before I headed to powerhouse to train upper body

Home briefly to see mrs.SP then met a friend at the theatre and watched the Bourne movie until wayyyy too late

Tired today....


Tue - chest/back/delts/abs (gauntlet wk7)

I omitted the bicep/triceps portion since I'm planning to train those tonight...

HSPL chest press - pyramiding weight up doing sets of 8 until I could barely get 8...approximately 3-4 working sets

smith incline press - did incline instead of decline (personal preference...sorry JM!) for three working sets of 10 reps, then a 8+8+8 dropset on the fourth set

chest dip - two sets to failure

pec dec - four sets of 10-12 reps, heavy as possible with a good ROM to really stretch the pectorals

narrow grip pulldown - four sets of 10, heavy with elbows tucked in sitting upright and pulling straight down

DB pullover - four sets of 12

wide grip pullup - four sets of 8-10 reps, each set to failure

side lateral DB raise - four sets of 15 as heavy as possible while still maintaining decent form
+++
superset rope crunch - six sets of 20


cardio - weather was nice so I went for a 20-30min walk outside in the afternoon after a client meeting, before the gym

 

[snowpatrol123]

Weight 240

Wednesday was a long one, another (hopefully final) trip to the sleep clinic to return the sleep study/test machine

Work was alright...was pretty productive yet still managed to fit a nap, walk and get out early enough to bring mrs.SP a tea before hitting the gym

My usual arms buddy plus my sister who was teaching a fitness class nearby met me there for arms

After my sister left I chatted with my buddy a bit before heading home

Late to bed though...slept well but not nearly long enough so it's going to be a long Thursday...


Wed - biceps/triceps/abs/calves (gauntlet wk7)

EZ-bar curl - three or four warmup sets to find a tough weight for 8 reps, then three working sets of 8 reps

DB pinwheel curl - three sets of 10-12 reps per arm

HSPL preacher curl machine - four sets of 8-10 reps each , as heavy as possible since the form is almost guaranteed with this machine

rope tricep pushdown - four sets of 12, as heavy as possible after a few warmup sets

smith JM press - three sets of 10-12 reps

seated overhead rope tricep extension - three or four sets of 12-15 reps each

unsupported hanging leg raise - three sets of 15 reps
+++
superset rope crunch - 15 reps after each set of leg raises

seated calf raise - three sets of 12, to failure...followed by a hard 10sec stretch


cardio - another decently nice day so I got about 20-25mins LISS walking outside after lunch at work.

 

[anzel]

Loving the log SP!
I have to tell you I been copying you work from the beginning of your log. With all the drop sets,supersets,cheat reps and pause reps.
It's my first week and I'm feeling it. Just the kick in the ass I needed!
I don't mind doing the work filtering thru your log to hunt out your workout but maybe if you can one day post up your routines for us so we can rip em off more easily!

Keep it up!

 

[snowpatrol123]

Loving the log SP!
I have to tell you I been copying you work from the beginning of your log. With all the drop sets,supersets,cheat reps and pause reps.
It's my first week and I'm feeling it. Just the kick in the ass I needed!
I don't mind doing the work filtering thru your log to hunt out your workout but maybe if you can one day post up your routines for us so we can rip em off more easily!

Keep it up!

Glad you're enjoying it! Right now the workouts change from day to day as I'm following the newest mountain dog program (Gauntlet)

But in about a month I'll probably revert to some more standard programming of my own for a change

My guess is that at that point you'll notice the workouts varying somewhat less, with more focus on things like squat, incline press and heavy rows as I'll be midway through a heavy growth phase


Weight 243

Got through another day, it ended up being beautiful so I went home, exchanged the car for a bike and went for a rip before hitting the gym


Thu - back/chest/delts (gauntlet wk7)

medium-width neutral grip pulldown - two warmup and four working sets of 10, leaning back a little and holding the contraction for 1 sec on every rep

HSPL chest-supported/single-hand row - did these one arm at a time, four heavy sets of 8-10 reps each (per arm)

meadows' row - four sets of 8 except went to failure on the fourth which meant another few reps

rack pull - omitted these as I'll be training legs Friday

HSPL incline chest press - two warmup sets the five working sets of 10 reps with a hard lockout on each
+++
superset pec dec - didn't bother with the warmups but did 8-10 reps after each working set of chest press

side lateral DB raise - four sets of 12, as heavy as possible with clean form

reverse pec dec - four sets, pyramiding weight up at the expense of reps...approximately 20/15/10/8 reps per set respectively

 

[bigben66]

Right now the workouts change from day to day as I'm following the newest mountain dog program (Gauntlet)

Do you subscribe to his website SP? - I'm guessing you get your workout programming as part of a subscription?

 

[bigben66]

Dude, I'm borrowing those legs for next year's show.... you can have my guns... fair trade?

 

[snowpatrol123]

Do you subscribe to his website SP? - I'm guessing you get your workout programming as part of a subscription?

My website subscription lapsed actually, I typically buy the 12 week programs as they come out - they certainly aren't cheap, but since I don't pay a coach I justify it to myself that it's a pretty low cost for professional level programming

Dude, I'm borrowing those legs for next year's show.... you can have my guns... fair trade?

Haha..."We can rebuild him; we have the technology"

Weight 238

Rough night last night, didn't get up until 1 or 2pm and missed a whole bunch of meals between yesterday and today

Not a great start to the weekend but I'll sort things out so that everything is in place and lined up to hit the gas when I get the greenlight from the blood tests


Sat - hams/quads/calves/abs (gauntlet wk7)

warmup - incline treadmill...10mins

prone hamstring curl - two warmup and four working sets of 15 reps, failed around 12-14 reps on the third and fourth sets

banded good morning - four sets of 20-30 reps, these were tough from about 15+ reps

seated leg extension - four sets of 25 reps, flexing hard but not pausing at full contraction, just 25 rep burn sets

HSPL incline leg press - four sets of 25 also, narrow stance with a good full ROM
+++
superset leg press calf raise - four sets of 10 reps + 10 sec iso-hold x3 (in a row) per set

seated calf raise - four sets of 10-12 full reps, 10 partials and a hard 10 sec stretch per set

unsupported hanging leg raise - three sets of 15 reps
+++
superset rope crunch - 15 reps after each set of leg raises

 

[carverelli]

Does the EQ jack with your hct levels? I haven't heard much good about EQ building muscle, mostly increases appetite and raises hct faster than any other AAS. Have you ever tried tren?

Amazing how you've gained 20 plus pounds since the comp and your bf doesn't look like like its changed much. Interesting to see if the slin can help build arm mass if only used on arm days

 

[snowpatrol123]

Does the EQ jack with your hct levels? I haven't heard much good about EQ building muscle, mostly increases appetite and raises hct faster than any other AAS. Have you ever tried tren?

Amazing how you've gained 20 plus pounds since the comp and your bf doesn't look like like its changed much. Interesting to see if the slin can help build arm mass if only used on arm days

I donate blood every 56 days when I'm on EQ especially so my levels are alright

I like tren but save it mostly for pre-contest...


Weight 236

Met my friend just after noon for our usual arms training session, then checked out one of the new gyms that's being built a few blocks away...huge and exciting to say the least

Spent the afternoon hanging out with mrs.SP...lunch, errands/shopping then went to one of her bridesmaid's husband's 'surprise birthday bbq' for burgers and icecream cake

Home afterwards for some netflix and how do they call it...chill


Sun - biceps/triceps/abs

warmup - incline treadmill

CGBP - four sets, pyramiding weight on the first three then going hard with 2.5 plates for a few 8-10 rep working sets
+++
superset EZ bar curl - did a variety of techniques here, some easy higher rep sets to warmup then a set of 21s and finally some heavy sets of 8-12

seated overhead DB extension - went pretty heavy here too, probably shouldn't have as it didn't feel great on the elbows...four sets total, 10-15 reps each
+++
superset pinwheel DB curl - four sets, triple dropset on the fourth set

rope tricep pushdown - three sets of 12 with a hard flex/lockout on each rep
+++
superset overhead rope tricep extension - 8-10 reps after each set of pushdowns, only going 3/4 of the way to lockout and reaching complete failure + some cheat reps
+++
superduperset supinated DB curl - alternating arms on each rep, four sets of 10-12 per arm

preacher curl machine - four sets, first two were 21s then two heavier sets of 10 reps each
+++
superset ab crunch machine - four sets, increasing reps on each....15/20/25/30, burned like crazy especially on the last two sets

 

[carverelli]

I donate blood every 56 days when I'm on EQ especially so my levels are alright

I like tren but save it mostly for pre-contest...


Weight 236

Met my friend just after noon for our usual arms training session, then checked out one of the new gyms that's being built a few blocks away...huge and exciting to say the least

Spent the afternoon hanging out with mrs.SP...lunch, errands/shopping then went to one of her bridesmaid's husband's 'surprise birthday bbq' for burgers and icecream cake

Home afterwards for some netflix and how do they call it...chill


Sun - biceps/triceps/abs

warmup - incline treadmill

CGBP - four sets, pyramiding weight on the first three then going hard with 2.5 plates for a few 8-10 rep working sets
+++
superset EZ bar curl - did a variety of techniques here, some easy higher rep sets to warmup then a set of 21s and finally some heavy sets of 8-12

seated overhead DB extension - went pretty heavy here too, probably shouldn't have as it didn't feel great on the elbows...four sets total, 10-15 reps each
+++
superset pinwheel DB curl - four sets, triple dropset on the fourth set

rope tricep pushdown - three sets of 12 with a hard flex/lockout on each rep
+++
superset overhead rope tricep extension - 8-10 reps after each set of pushdowns, only going 3/4 of the way to lockout and reaching complete failure + some cheat reps
+++
superduperset supinated DB curl - alternating arms on each rep, four sets of 10-12 per arm

preacher curl machine - four sets, first two were 21s then two heavier sets of 10 reps each
+++
superset ab crunch machine - four sets, increasing reps on each....15/20/25/30, burned like crazy especially on the last two sets

Superduperset had me lol. I haven't done tris and bis like that in awhile, I'll bet the pump was excruciatingly huge