britonarius’s mindset blog

I decided or rather had a 5 day mini cut decided for me , that i have been doing since sunday [ finish tomorrow night] and i must say that it is very successful. Over 8lbs out so far; so next comes the hard part of putting it back as muscle. Nothing new on the training , only lifting at 75% of max due to cut but its shaping nicely and allows me to tigthen the form of each exercise. Had some computer trouble but thats fixed , so i am back and still bad to the bone.

I take supplements , i mention them from time to time but the ultimate effect is by switching week in week out. For example , i alternate Armegeddon and Animal pump pre training and the same with Horsepower and Evolution X10 in training. This gives the ultimate kick and allows me the extra power when supersetting. Now why do i do that? Pure and simply , supersetting is strength and stamina sapping and at the pace i undertake it , its draining nature is rapidly heightened; so every little helps. Good news is its working and with the cut next week - i should see the beginnings of the full effect. Onething is not going to change , i am not going to shave , wax or whatever , the hairs off my chest. I ain’t no prima donna and the hair will remain.

Got a surprise at the gym last night - Wouter opted to drop back to 250 kilo deads but wanted a 210kilo Hack squat as theresting exercise. He often uses exercises that he calls resters to throw into supersets . As readers of my blog [ yes - some do read it!]well know , i hit 300 kilo dead last week for reps in a superset. He wanted to consolidate the gain by dropping back to 250 kilos but slow reps to fully strengthen the hamstrings. As this is th first blog for a few days , i ‘d better state that i did 40 kilo bicep curls with Zottmans for reps on the db’s monday night. Just finished my shoulder routine this morning , using the cables and other exercises. Training is still going well.

One week left before i cut again - though this cut is only a one week phase. So it is tie to hold he weights i am currently working with and get ready for the cut cycle and the 75% of max weight regime that that brings.Whilst i am at 220lbs [ target weight] and holding it well , Wouter wants to bring the veins totally out.They are already popping well , especially under extreme pressure but the old guy has a plan to pop them out and keep them out.Shows the bodyfat is low enough he reasons and don’t knock it , most never get to popping , so that is good. So next week we double the cardio , increase the exercise number but as he says we have a bloody good rest as its only 75% weight. This Wouter reasons is relaxing , shooting the breeze ; chilling - to put it bluntly this is Wouters sunbed on a hot beach. Vacations? Wouter ain’t never taken one - Are you fargin’mad , he screamed , go on holiday , what about the gym? the gym will still be here i said. Your fargin’muscles won’t though he answered!

I come from Wales , Got to train shortly but i like The Stereophonics [ fellow Welshmen] and especially this track Dakota. Ain’t never been to Dakota but if its as good as the track sounds - its one hell of a place.

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I went to the gym last night - well thats nothing new - but i faced my nemesis the 660lb deadlifts , supersetted for reps, having wimped out the last 2 weeks and having a pb of 605lbs. Trust me , when i say that 605lbs , hurt like a bitch and left me wasted. Let me outline it, i do 4 sets of 6 reps using 3 exercises in combination - 20 seconds rest between each set. So , 1 set of Romanian deads , 1 set of stiff leg deads and 1 set of deep hacks. The hacks are to rest with , my mentor reasons that they are a little relaxation between the deads. Still wants them deep though! I did the first 3 sets at 605lbs and 440lbs Hacks , then Wouter weighted it up and i felt everything snapping. Dang - thats a lot of weight."Just fargin’do it! "he screamed. It wasn’t easy , i don’t use straps , hooks , gloves or gimmicks only chalk. Slowly , i got it up and locked. It hurt real bad but i did it! Its my limit i think , i told Wouter that. He agreed , smiled and said until next month. I guess that means he wants more metal but at this stage i am very happy. Its more than most people can do and more than most would ever dream of. I am not strong , just mad. Leastways thats what i think.

So , having gained my title beast of the gym with sweat and physical wasting , it does have its hazards. Hijacking by the younger gym members at the end of a session being one - Asking for tips and advice , kinda get to stay an extra half hour , as i always try to help. My aged mentor [ its cool - he doesn’t use this site] is a nutcase , you’d have to be to opt for a 110lb increase in a superset exercise; but its paying results and i love it. I have got to say that i got another sample of that Evolution X10 , boldly took animal pump pre training and then the evolution during training a nd got the same effects. Its good dear and i am seriously considering using it as an alternative to Horsepower [ both in combination with pump]. Its been another good week and on tuesday , i will attempt once again the 660lbs deads. 3X my bodyweight , its possible but its gonna hurt.

Great workout and mentally stimulating. I might have failed last weight in my attempt at deadlifting 300kilos [ 660lbs]but on reflection , it was a rise in weight of 110lbs from my personal best and that was the deciding factor; leastways in my opinion. So last night , i decided to raise up by a more modest 55lbs and set it at 275 kilos ; and i nailed it. Good tight form , good repertitions and still hurting big time - and thats good. So , i supersetted Romanian deads at 275 kilos with Stiff legged deads at 275 kilos and Hack squats at 210 kilos , over 4 sets of 6 reps. I also managed to do leg pressses at 200kilos and calf raises on the press at 180 kilos but i am weak on the calf raises and need to work on that aspect of my training. The calf raises on the press still leave me unable to walk for a few minutes and always give me cramp- real bad painful cramp.

On another aspect of my training - supps - i am going to try using animal pump before training every other day [ i will use horsepower on the alternate training days] and during training , i am going to try Evolution X10. I hope that this combination will help increase lift ability and reduce the cramping on leg day. My trainer feels that the cramping is due to my 60 minute intensive cardio prior to lifting - he reasons that 60 minutes on the walker at 15 degree elevation averaging 6.6 kilometres per hour is too much , given that i only rest for 5 minutes after it.Problem is that i love the cardio and dont want to give it up. I guess we will see what we see!

Ok - so i couldn’t muster the strength or the balls to hoist 300kilos in a dead up , but i did get it around 9 inches off the ground. It just kinda surprised me how heavy the bar was! I have never encountered that and that shock is what i think allowed matter to conquer mind. It will not happen again! Next time , i will be ready for the bars tricks [ heavy - yeah right] and i will do it. It won’t be this week as i plan to tackle 275 kilos as a prelude to the 300 kilos , but it will happen.

I attempted 300 kilo Romanian deadlifts last night but that mammoth weight on an olympic bar was a bridge too far. I managed to get it about 9 inches off of the ground but that was all. I was the colour of a beetroot , damn that was heavy. I had to revert to my 250 kilo superset [ Romanian and stiff legged deads with Hack squats at 200 kilos ] and just get over my failings. Wouter , my mentor felt that it gave hope for the future [ in his world - next tuesday] and said that i should look on the bright side. "You don’t use body armour , straps , gloves or a belt "He reasoned, "Its a natural lift so without the gimmicks its tougher. It will come "Still failed though and that rankles  - real bad but such is life.