kinkoshinkai’s BodyBlog

It’s so nice not to have my back out.  It’s still tender on occasion, but a good warm-up and I’m good to go. 

Started last week on new training paradigm. After the GVT 3 weeks felt like I had some good gains, but the reading that led me to that program said 3 to 4 weeks max.  So, now, next program for muscle shock.  I’m doing a gouple warm-up sets then only one or two sets per exercise, max.  But each set is a Rest/Pause or drop set.  Normally this kind of set is done only on the last exercise or two of a body part to push the pump at the end.  But this program pushes every set, just fewer total sets.  It’s been feeling great, plus the bonus of less time at the gym.  Since my BF% is hihger than I want, I use the extra minutes saved to hit some cardio right after the training to take advantage of the fat-burning window after training. 

Yesterday, on chest, did 2 warm-up sets on incline bench, then 2 rest pause sets.  Next, 1 warm up on decline bench and one rest pause set.  Then a drop set on dumbbell flyes, and finish off with a rest pause set of dips.  I was pretty much whipped at the end and today can feel it just as much as any standard work-out.  We’ll see in a while if the program pushes my gains like the GVT did.   I have made some strength gains on all my exercises, which bodes well for the size I’m looking to gain.

Alright.  Back is pretty much returned to normal funciton.  Mostly.  Finished the 3 week German Volume Training/10 x 10 program.  I weighed in today at 211 lbs and no increase in BF %-age.  

Now to the next phase.  For the next month, I’ll be doing the one body-part per day basically.  But now that I’m not performing at night, I have a day job and so less time.  To accomodate that, the plan is low volume/high intensity training, a la Ronny Rockell and Mike Ergas.  So, M- Chest, Tu- legs, Wed- Back, Fri- Arms, Sat- Shoulders/Calves.  3 to 4 exercises per body part still, but only 1 or 2 working sets done to failure with either drop sets or rest-pause sets. 

Today, for instance, started with incline bench a couple sets to warm-up, then 2 working rest-pause sets to failure.  Since I don’t have a spotter, I use the Smith rack.  Then the same with decline bench.  Then, to be sure both sides of the chest get some equal time (since the Smith doesn’t really require the same lft-rt balanced muscle recruitement unless you REALLY focus, which I TRY to do), the last exercise was flat bench DB Flyes.

The bad news for me was that although my BF% hadn’t really changed, it was still 17%, which is about 5-7% more than I’d like to live with.  So, I’m adding some HIIT cardio to the end of each workout.  I can do 10-15 minutes of this and still get in and out in about an hour!!  Felt good.  In a month we’ll see if I keep growing.  Having gained 14 pounds in the last 5 months without increasing BodyFat is going to be a tough pace to maintain, but we’ll see how it goes. 

So, today was back workout day.  If you’ve read my previous blog, you may know that I approached today with some trepidation. 

Here’s the last week in a nutshell.  OUCH!  OUCH!  massage, ice, brace OUCH!  Well, you get the gist.  The details are that on Thursday, the day after the injury, I got a deep tissue massage.  That loosened me up a bit, but the associated bruising required continued ice and I still had shows to do in the evening.  I didn’t miss any training, but had to seriously modify to make sure every exercise was fully braced in my lower back, limiting barbell work or standing exercises.  No squats, all delt work seated, likewise with bi’s, pecs, etc.  All seated, machine, controlled, supported.  But Tuesday night’s show was getting painful, so at intermission I had our staff chiropractor tweak me.  It hurt like HELL!!!  But then was better for the remainder of the evening.

So, here we are today, a week later.  My back improved but still stiff and painful.  And it’s time to workout my back again.  I went to the Hammer machines where my motion was very controlled for rowing and lat pulls.  I did my cable lat pulls behind the neck to avoid any leaning back or swaying.  NO SEATED CABLE ROWS TODAY!!  No Dead Lift, no barbell rows, no lying hamstring curls either.  But I didn’t miss or lose the day, so I’m counting that as a victory.

I hate doctors, chiropractors, and drugs.   There are lots of great ones, but you only need to run into one not so good one to really screw up your life, and I usually know my own body well enough at my age to have a good idea what’s going on with it withour paying lots of high priced medics.  I was very lucky that we have an on-call chiropractor and he did help a bit.

So, I’m hitting my back and hamstrings last Wednesday.  I did my 10 x 10 bent barbell rows.  Went to the Hammer lat pull and super-setted with seated cable rows, switching up grip positions on the lat pull each time.  Back is feeling good.  Nice and warmed up.  Next is 10 x 10 on dead-lift.  Feeling good.  Last exercise is lying hammy curls.  I’d hit my first 2 of 3 sets and was laying on the machine for a rest, as I’d just completed about 300 reps between all the different exercises and sets I’d just done.  All of a sudden, my lower back on the right, just above my glutes seized up HARD!!!  I was frozen.  I had to roll off the machine to the floor, wincing in pain.  I got to my back, and with the help of one of the gym attendants, got my lifting belt cinched on as tight as I could and hobled to my car and home.

Now, it’s 3 PM and I have a performance at the theatre in 4 and a half hours.  I thought about calling in the understudy, but I pride myself in never having missed a show!  I iced for an hour, took the ice off, and iced again for another half hour.  Between ice sessions, I put on a brace and taught my kids karate class sitting in a chair.  After the second ice, I told my senior student to run the adult class.  I slathered on some Tiger Balm, cinched on the back brace, took a handful of Ibuprofin, and went to the theatre.  After figuring out how to modify a couple parts, I did the whole show.

Thursday, more ice, then a deep massage.  This chick sure knew the meaning of DEEP!  Then more ice, rest, supervising my adult karate class from a chair mostly, and off to the theatre.  My back was loosening up, but still hurt a lot.  But wiht the brace, Tiger Balm, and Ibuprofin, no problem.

Today I was really pissed ’cause I couldn’t go to the gym.  I squeezed out a couple things on my Bowflex where I could keep my back supported.  Same night routine at the theatre.  Finally feeling like the back is mobile.  Sore, but healing

Tomorrow, quads and arms!!!  Only 1 more week of performances and 1 more week on GVT.  I don’t want to miss the training, in order to give a real shot at seeing how it works for me.