My Jettisoned Ponderings

Sunday we went to Water World and on one of the rides I ended up being thrown off the tube on a steep bank. End result was being flung in a way that made me hit my head first. Fortunately I didn’t get knocked out, but for a while after I was light headed and my hands were a bit numb. Felt a little better yesterday until the day started winding down. The workout was skipped in the morning and ended up not happening last night because it was throbbing and I couldn’t stay awake. We hit legs this morning and only got through half due to time, but in my case I was getting really nauseous. Top it off with forgetting my water (which has all my carbs, BCAAs, and glutaime) so I was low on fuel and it made for a crappy workout. Rest times were longer than goal, too. So… yeah, I probably got a mild concussion and am still recovering from it as I still have some swelling this morning. I hope it heals up soon ’cause this sucks and I wanna get good lifting in without feeling like I’m gonna lose breakfast, even if it is leg day.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=109419891

I have never been so happy to have my biceps and triceps so absolutely thrashed! There wasn’t any problem with weight intensity today and by the end of each exercise I was getting to where I could not hold the weight up as an isometric because the muscles were beginning to fail. Talk about a bloomin’ crazy pump, too! Veins were poppin’ out of the forearms that haven’t done so before. I’m a definite fan of this training method and will be anxious for it to come back around week 5.

Supersets: Iso-Dynamic Straight BB Curl/EZ Bar Reverse Curls (x12)
50/35, 60/45, 60/45, 60/45, 60/45, 60/35

Supersets: Iso-Dynamic Nose-Breakers/V-Bar Tricep Pushdown (x12)
55/80, 65/80, 65/80, 65/80, 65/70, 55/70

Supersets: Tempo-Contrast Preachers/Iso-Dynamic Straight Bar Pushdowns (x12)
65/80, 75/100, 75/110

This is the first time in a long while that my arms have still been a little "snug" this late in the day after an early workout!

Started the new program today and I already know I’m gonna love this week. The focus for this week is more training the CNS. Bit of a late start this morning, so we didn’t get to the last 2 sets, but I’m loving these sets! Bit of explanation first:

"Tempo Contrast" Method:The rhythm of the repetitions will vary during the set from slow to explosive:
Reps 1 and 2 = 604 tempo (down in 6 seconds, up in 4 seconds)
Reps 3 and 4 = 20X tempo (down in 2 seconds, up as fast as possible)
Reps 5 and 6 = 604 tempo
Reps 7 and 8 = 20X tempo
Work sets: 4 x 8
Rest between sets: 120 seconds

"Isometric-Dynamic Contrast" Method: On each rep include a pause at the mid-point of the exercise (halfway down). The duration of the pause will vary on each rep.
Rep 1 = 12 second pause
Rep 2 = 10 second pause
Rep 3 = 8 second pause
Rep 4 = 6 second pause
Rep 5 = 4 second pause
Rep 6 = 2 second pause
Rep 7 = no pause
Work sets: 4 x 7
Rest between sets: 90 seconds

So… with that in mind:
Tempo Contrast Back Squats: 95/115/135/155 (started too light)
Seated Leg Curls (Prone curl was in use): 90/105/120/135

There would’ve been a 1×20 back squat super setted with a wall squat to failure and also a 1×20 on romanian deadlifts, but we didn’t have time to get them done. No worries, we’ll be back to this workout in 4 more weeks and get it done then!

I will say though that the hams were not happy with me after the giant set beating I gave them last week…

Mental Note: Legs Are Lagging!

Ended up going solo to the gym this morning. I still wanted to give the Giant sets for legs a whirl, but I realized I wouldn’t be able to reserve all the machines at once given the time of day. So I warmed up a little, knocked out a couple heavier sets, then moved from one station to another waiting as minimally as possible. The few extra seconds here and there of rest proved quite beneficial as I’m realizing the sad truth that my legs have nowhere near the endurance threshold as my upper body, especially my hamstrings. Quads aren’t bad, I can beat those up pretty good but hams have always lagged comparatively. For what its worth here’s what I got through today (Everything 1×10)

Stiff Leg Romanian Deadlifts: 95/135/275
Standing Ham Curl (External Rotation): 80
Dumbell Lunges: 40s
Stiff Leg GLUTE Deads (Swing Weight Out Slightly At Bottom): 80
Prone Leg Curls (Raised Body/Arms Extended): 60
Lying Prone Curls (Knees/Heels Together): 60
Roman Chair Hyperextension: Bodyweight
Lying Prone Curls w/3 sec Squeeze: 60
Seated Extension w/3 sec Squeeze: 80
BB Deadlifts (Slight Internal Rotation, Pause at Bottom): 110
Seated Extensions: 90
Seated Ham Curls (Slow! Full ROM/Touch): 135
Reverse Hyperextensions: [Omitted]
Seated Ham Curls (Quick): 135
Adductor: 80
Abductor w/2 sec squeeze: 100
Prone Curls (Quick): 70
Lying 1 Leg Ham Curls (External Rotation): 30

Hams were totally shot by the single curls and pumped to where full range of motion proved quite difficult. The few quad exercises to let the hams recover a little bit were much appreciated. Top it off I finished with 20 minutes of cardio on the treadmill (15 incline, 2.5mph) and I was soaked by the end. I’ve grown to love leg days, so I suppose I better learn to love the cardio and do it a couple times a week.

Thinking of doing this rotation 3x through is a bit daunting. I know I’d need to start much lighter to be able to do it since they’re supposed to be progressive load rotations. I wouldn’t say my hams are necessarily in poor condition, they just have a lot of catching up to do with my quads and overall my legs are lagging behind my upper body. Definite focal point for these next few months…

My boss got his hands on half a case of the remaining stock of ACL’s MMA-3 (Boldolone precursor), which was one of the 22 supplements that was on the proposed ban list that passed not too long ago. It still hasn’t fully gone into law yet, but probably will be officially in the next week or so. So, now I have 2 bottles of Tren and 2 of the MMA-3 in reserve to use down the road. I didn’t see nearly the mass gains I wanted from the VNS-9 and MASS, but my strength did go up a lot (set a PR of 400lbs on Deadlift). I still need to give my body a little more time off the supps, but its been over about a month now, but the longer the better. I wanna get through at least the first 3 weeks of the new program and have a baseline before running anything again. Not sure how I’ll stack them, but that’ll all come later.

I’m excited to get to lifting again though and to really be able to push GJ now. She won’t have any excuses about being depleted now… *eviltrainersmirk*

Now, this was an interesting read while going through my NCSF manual. Makes perfect sense, too, considering the type of training I’ve been doing the last couple years and what it takes to get any sort of a burn at all in my muscles (that 280 rep arm Giant set was the first to do it in a LONG time!)

"Lactic acid has been blames for delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), cramping, and as an inhibitor to recovery from exercise. It is often considered to be a negative waste product from high intensity work. The reality is that none of these statements are true. Lactic acid is produced when glucose is metabolized. The breakdown leaves lactate and hydrogen ions as by-products. The hydrogen ions may build up under conditions of rapid metabolism and increase the acidity of the environment which may interfere with electrical signals from motor neurons, slow enzymatic reactions, and impair muscle contractility. To the contrary, the lactate is a treasured fuel. It is rapidly produced and easily used by the tissue. The heart, slow twitch muscle fibers, and postural muscles thrive on lactate because it is easily shuttled into the cell without insulin. Lactate rapidly moves across the cell membrane through a process called facilitated transport, enabling the body to use the lactate without detrimental effects of insulin in the blood.

Lactate is produced in greater quantities when exercise intensity exceeds 50% of VO2max. The production is linear with the rise of intensity as fast twitch fibers preferentially rely on carbohydrates as the fuel. As the lactate is produced, it is used by the muscle or transported to other tissues via general circulation. The increased blood flow with exercise effectively mobilized the lactate for use by different tissues. Liver glycogen storage is maintained in part by the gluconeogenic activity to create glycogen for lactate. Equally important, lactate in the blood maintains available energy for working tissues. Unlike the liver, muscle tissue cannot free up glycogen stores to air other working tissues due to a missing enzyme. Lactate can provide the needed assistance via circulatory delivery to muscles that need energy. The transport and use of lactate is often considered the "second wind" because more energy becomes available.

If the intensity of the exercise becomes too elevated, the hydrogen ions produced inhibit muscle contractions. With quick recovery, the production removal balance is restored and training can continue. Training in the presence of lactic acid improves one’s performance through more efficient management of the lactate and removal of the hydrogen. Intense resistance conditioning, like plyometrics and sprints, intervals, and hill climbs produce large quantities of lactic acid and stimulate the body to produce enzymes that increase the rate of lactic acid utilization.

Blaming lactic acid for cramps, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and as an obstacle to recovery is simply ignorant. Cramps are not caused by a sugar metabolite, but more likely, the over-excitation of the nerves from fatigue and intra/extracellular electrolyte imbalance. DOMS is an inflammatory response to cellular damage, ischemia, and tonic spasm, not the leftover lactic acid. Likewise, recovery is not inhibited by lactate. The body has already used the leftover lactate for fuel before the next bout of exercise has even occurred. Lactate is a friend of intensity. If there is a foe, its the hydrogen ion, and even that has been shown to be important for energy metabolism."

I had a massive pump going and holy cripe a good burn! Yeah, it was a lot of running around and quick swapping handles while the other lifted, but since we went late last night there weren’t any problems getting through it. Go ahead, count how many exercises are in this one…

Arms: Rotation 1 (10 Reps Of Everything)
Tricep Pushdown Machine (Pronated Grip): 180
Machine Curls (Light/Squeeze Top): 70
Close Grip BB Bench: 95
Seated Alt DB Curls: 30s
Cable Pushdown (Straight Bar/Close Body/Elows Out): 120
EZ Bar Curls (Standing/Stop at Bottom): 55
Seated EZ Bar Close Grip Overhead Ext: 55
Seated EZ Bar CG Preacers: 55
EZ Bar CG Nose-Breakers: 55
Assisted Dips: -80lbs (Good and warmed up, pump kicking in now)
Low Cbl Curls on Incline Bench: 75
Seated Rope Extensions (Same Bench): 85
EZ Bar Curls (Back To Wall/Pad): 55
V Bar Tricep Pushdowns: 90
Seated CG Reverse Preacher Curls: 55
Seated 1 DB Overhead Extension: 60
EZ Bar Curls Lying Prone on Incline Bench: 55 (These Hurt Good!)
Tricep Kickbacks (Both Arms Simultaneously): 20s
Seated Straight BB Curls (Pause On Thighs): 50 (Starting to burn now)
Wide Pushdowns (Longbar, hands not on angle): 90 (Used the lat pulldown)
Wide Grip Cable Curls on Decline Bench: 85
Rope Pushdowns on Decline Bench: 85
Behind Head Curls on Lat Pulldown (Keep Elbows In!): 70
Reverse Grip Pushdowns: 70
Seated Hammer Curls: 25s
Overhead 2 DB Hammer Extensions: 20s (needed a spot on last 2)
Lying Cable Curls on Seated Row: 70 (Bent legs, these are hard!)
Cable Extensions (Prone Grip): 70

If anything was too light I just make sure to hold the squeeze for a moment longer to make up for it since I didn’t have time to keep shuffling weights. I had a great sweat going by the end and was a little winded. There are 2 other rotations, both shorter and do only bicep/tricep, but we didn’t get to it. After GJ got through her turn it was late and we needed to get home, feed her, and get another coat of pro-tan on and let it dry before bed. I’ll let her post her numbers herself.

Blissfully intense workout! Didn’t get to any of the leg days since she’s off today to recover and aside from a little coffee this morning only getting additional water from iceberg lettuce… Plenty of whole food otherwise though. Ahh, the joys of day-before competition diets…

This isn’t new, but many of you may have never seen it before. Remember good ‘ol Super Mario Bros? Like, the 8-bit Nintendo version? Yeah, well, leave it to someone to make the hardest level ever and a guy with an amusing accent… How long will he last? Heh heh… Very much NSFW language in this one, folks: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6204903272262158881&q=super+mario+frustration&ei=B8V2SNiTIpHk4AKr_bmlCw