mrdead’s BodyBlog

This week I’ve tried an adapted version of a Milos Sarcev routine, that was in the recent issue of FLEX magazine. Last night was legs, and I did the following:

Leg extensions: (Warm Up) 4 sets of 20

Leg press: 3 sets of 30

Leg extensions: 3 sets of 30 and 1 set of 100

Lying hamstring curls: 3 sets of 30 and 1 set of 100

Seated hamstring curls: 3 sets of 30

Calf raises: 3 sets of 30 and 1 set of 100

All done with zero to minimal rest between sets and exercises.

Follow this up with 30 min on the stationary bike, and get home to eat, push fluids and supplements, and go to bed and whimper and  dream of carbs! *L*

I went to the pre-judging of the ‘07 Emerald Cup on Saturday. It was filled with many pros and awesome competitors. I had the opportunity to meet and interact with a few people from this site, and gathered a wealth of information. Ed "Oldsuperman" Cook looked awesome! I got to converse with him for awhile. I also got to talk to Kevin and Denise James. They are two very awesome people with a lot of knowledge and enthusiasm for our sport! And I also talked to "davuk" at the Flexsolate Booth. The pros onhand were Bob Ciccherillo, Bill Willmore, "The X-Man" Toney Freeman, Shawn Ray, "The Gift" Phil Heath, Gunter, Charles Glass, and Tanji Johnson. All were very gracious in answering questions and taking photos. The free samples were abundant, with lots of new products on the market and those that are tried and true.

Sunday, I took all of this newfound knowledge and applied it. I’ve cut my carbs waaay down, and have since been in a very thermogenic state. I had one of my best workouts in ages, back and biceps. And even did a half hour of the dreaded cardio, afterwards.  

It seems that for the moment, anyhow, that my body is responding better to high and/or insane amounts of volume. My parts that were lagging more than the others are finally catching up. I changed my chest workout and am finally reaping some rewards. It went as follows:

Decline press: 1st set 20 reps, 2nd set 15 reps, 3rd set 10 reps, 4th set 10 reps, 5th set 6 reps. (Increase weight between 20-50 pounds each set.)

Incline bench: 5 sets of 15 at a weight that makes you REALLY work for 15 reps

Machine bench: Same as inclines

Cable cross overs: Same as decline bench but only adding one plate per set

Pec-deck flyes: Same as incline press.

Triceps were trained in my usual high volume routine.

I’m starting my cutting phase on May 16th, but I’m clueless when it comes to fat burners. I can’t take this, because it has this. I can’t take this, because it has that… It gets old, after a while. It seems that all arrows point towards Hydroxycut Hardcore or The Six Star equivelant. Waaaay back it was ripped fuel, but that seems to not be the way to go. I’ve already got my protein, creatine, and No2 lined up. And I’ve got a pretty good hold on my diet. But this whole cutting phase will be a new frontier. I’ve also, have one of those annoying metabolisms that allows me to drop weight quickly. I’ve had to force feed myself to get the weight that I have. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance,

Chris

Last night was legs and, out of madness, genius, or stupidity I added a little twist at the end. After doing my normal leg routine, I decided it was a good time to "shock" my muscles. Well, shock turned into annihilation. I was already wobbly from upping the weights on ALL of my sets, but I decided that wasn’t enough. I then proceeded to to a set of 100 leg extensions, 100 lying leg curls, and 80 calf raises. I barely made it back to the locker room under my own power. Today, I’m very stiff, but not sore. I figure the pain will hit, tomorrow. I hate doing legs, but love the results.For those that are interested here is my usual leg routine:

Leg extensions: (Warm-up) 4 sets of 20

Leg press: 1 set of 25, 1 set of 20, one set of 15 and 2 sets of 10 (Increase weight each set)

Hack squats: 4 sets of 10 (Increase weight on last set)

Leg extensions: (Same as for leg press)

Lying leg curls: (Same set/rep scheme)

Seated leg curls: (Same)

Adductor machine: (Same)

Abductor machine: (Same)

Calf raise (Machine): 1 set of 25 (Generally started at either 235 or 255), Raise the wieght by 2 plates for a set of ten, continuing on until the last two sets of 10 done with the stack.

I finished doing a body cleanse a week ago. This was started at the urging of co-workers and family. That same week, I started doing cardio and getting bodyfat measurements. Either the cleanse and cardio are working magic, or it depends on who is using the calipers as to what my bodyfat is now. Last Sunday, I was about 21.5%. This Sunday I was at 16.8%. I’ve noticed a little difference in my physique, but I didn’t think it was 5% in bodyfat. So, I had it done, again… 16.8%. I’m not unhappy wth it, but I’m confused.

I finally crawled back on the cardio wagon, again. I did 45 minutes on the treadmill, on an incline, and 15 minutes on the eliptical. According to the numbers on these instruments of torture I burned approximately 750 calories. The sad thing is, all I could think of was comedian John Pinette’s stand-up routine. My mantra became "Ravioli’s and a nap, ravioli’s and a nap…" Then, some delightful person had the nerve to tell me, that once I got started, that I’d become addicted. To that, I said "Nay,nay… I can quit this cardio stuff cold turkey, and eat the turkey…" My wonderful wife asked me how I felt. To this I replied "I feel that God is punishing me! If I were a better person he’d send an angel down, with some ravioli and some ice cream! " And, the fact that there’s a Coldstone Creamery right outside my gym, didn’t help!

Got an incredible pump, last night! Went very high volume on my bi’s, (spider curls 4 sets 10 reps, preacher curls 5 sets 15 reps, incline curls 5 sets 15 reps, free-standing concentration curls 4 sets 10 reps, barbell  curls 4 sets pyramid reps, and high cable curls 4 sets 10 reps). Then did my standard tricep routine, but got 10 extra pounds each set, and the same with shoulders. It was awesome!

Had a pretty good leg work-out, yesterday. I’ve started adding some hack-squats and some shaping exercises. I’m still going high-volume, and making sure I get a good warm-up. But, I still haven’t come upon the magic formula for growth. I DO get a killer pump, and my legs are spent, afterwards, but I still am not packing on any size, let alone seeing even some change in shape. I may try a few weeks of Dogcrapp, just to see if that will help. I’ve analyzed my diet and supplements, and I’m not really lacking there. But… I will overcome this obstacle and get HUGE.

The latter part of last week, had me battling the flu bug. The standard expulsion of bodily fluids, and the on fire one minute, freezing the next. Thankfully, my temp never went above 102. However… After taking one day off, from the gym, I decided to go the next day and train back/biceps. Not one of my more wonderful times, but by the end, I started to begin feeling a bit like my normal self. (It was also inspiring seeing my abs, that morning, after nothing to eat, and a serious workout of many sets of dry heaves and vomiting). But now, I’m back to myself, and am eating my normal food.