The BodyActive Online chat forum for discussion of sports and bodybuilding supplements, sports nutrition, muscle, mixed martial arts (MMA), weight training and body building.

Good workout Alpha Male...particularly on the rows. I'm also impressed by your weighted pullups which i haven't tackled in a while, i'm determined to get better at this movement and bring it in line with my pressing strength.

Thursday 28 June

Lower body session based on defranco's 'dynamic - effort lower body' routine, which combines  jump training, a unilateral exercise, a hip extension exercise and an abdominal move. I also added in a couple of high rep leg press sets to finish off with.

Box jump
6,6,6,6

Bulgarian split squat (with barbell)
each leg - 6x20kg 6x40kg 6x50kg

Romanian deadlift
6x60kg 6x80kg 6x100kg 6x120kg

Leg press
15x200kg 15x200kg

Hanging leg raises, feet all way up above head level
8,8,8

Like the hanging leg raises, I call them 'Toes to Bar', absolute killer movement. How high you doing your box jumps ? I was looking at putting some explosive box jumps into my routine. I read somewhere that doing  them before squatting will increase the weight you can move. Although it was aimed more at the de-centric part of the movement, ie jumping off the box into a deep squat but forcing yourself to decelerate.

Al Mondz wrote:

How high you doing your box jumps ?

At about knee level, I need to find a bigger box I think as finding them too easy! After jumping off onto the floor I go down quite low and spring straight back up on to the box again which feels good. Sometimes I've seen box jumps done with not much bend in the knees and doesn't look as smooth to me when landing almost straight legged.

This is a monster of a workout journal, nice work man!

Tuesday 3 July

Upper body

Dumbbell row
each arm - 8x24kg 8x30kg 8x42kg 6x50kg

HS chest press
8x60kg 8x80kg 8x100kg 6x110kg

Pull ups
10 bodyweight 8+20kg 8+20kg

Dips
10 bodyweight 8+20kg 8+20kg

Standing dumbbell shoulder press with neutral grip
8x20kg 8x24kg 6x28kg

Nice dips and chins there, good work.

Sunday 8 July

Upper body session, bit more volume for a change and tried some incline/decline presses for the first time in ages instead of flat bench.

Dumbbell rows
each arm - 8x24kg 8x34kg 8x46kg

Incline dumbell press
8x24kg 8x30kg 6x38kg

Decline barbell press
8x50kg 8x70kg 6x80kg 6x90kg

Pull ups
Bodyweight 12,12,12,12 with different grip each set
then 2 assisted one armers

Dips
Bodyweight 15,15

HS shoulder press
15x40kg 12x60kg

Standing hammer curls
15x18kg 12x20kg

Some great number Alpha!

Wednesday 11 July

Lower body with a few addtional moves.

Deadlift
4x60kg 4x80kg 4x100kg 2x120kg 2x140kg 2x160kg

Leg press
10x160kg 10x200kg 10x240kg

Farmers walks
46kg dumbbell in each hand - 60 steps, 54 steps

20 chins

20 dips

Hanging leg raises 8,8,8

I might do some Farmers walks tomoz. Do you use strap? (I'm thinking you don't)

I'd love to do some farmers walks as well but sadly the longest 'straight' in my gym is about 2m so i'd be forever bumping into people.

100lb dumbells gotta be a grip and forearm killer for sure - especially after deads as well!

I don't use straps for anything! 

With the farmers walks, I had to walk around the gym in and out of equipment so not ideal, a long walk in a straight line would be better I think!

Worth it, for some of the funny looks you get!!

Alpha Male wrote:

I don't use straps for anything! 

THAT'S JUST HOW WE ROLL 

Do either of you guy's hand (fingers really) lock after heavy deads i.e.  you have to open your hands out physically - not just do it LOL
I do sometimes - I put it down to breaking fingers and both hands in past, helps with the grip though haha Think I might get arthritis..

Is this increase in volume planned Alpha?? Nice to see things looking excellent as usual. I think our workout structure has been really similar for a long time so I always resonate with what I read in your journal. Tbh, I think once we get over that psychological block of not building muscle on a traditional bb'ing routine, you just feel so much more efficient and better training this way. I really couldn't imagine ever returning to that way of training. Do you ever feel the same way? Maybe it's just me.

Cheers Adam, no reason for the volume increase, more of a case of just felt like it that session!

As you say we both train in a similar kind of fashion, in fact I get ideas from your journal also! Plus agree 100% with the typical BB routine not being as effective so no reason to switch back to it.

Likewise, I've stolen a good few exercises from your journal over the past couple of years lol.

I can't remember having stuck to a programme as long as this 'Power of 3' T-Nation one as I have now. Think this is my 4th cycle of it, and each one I've made very good improvements so I'll see how long I can prolong it.

Wednesday 18 July

Upper body routine last night, done with 'paired sets' which worked well.

1
Dumbbell flat bench press
8x30kg 8x38kg 7x46kg

Dumbbell row
each arm - 8x30kg 8x38kg 8x46kg

2
Dips - 12,12,15
Pull ups - 12,12,15

3
Dumbbell shoulder press
8x24kg 10x30kg

Hammer curls
10x20kg 12x20kg

Like the idea of the paired sets!

Did you get through your work out quicker or did you find you took longer to recover between the sets so about the same?

Being honest, I'd say workout was not much quicker than if doing one exercise at a time, recovery between sets was about the same as normal as well. I still found it a nice and efficient way to train though.