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Chewy's Strength Log


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Wed 5th November 2009

 

Grub

-Buckwheat pancakes (+agave syrup) and soy milk

-Recovery drink (inc. 1 scoop vega)

-Cucumber dill salad

-Energy bar

-Curried tofu (2 servings)

-Banana chocolate smoothie (inc. 1 scoop vega)

 

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j287/chewybaws/SAM_0013.jpg

This is my dip solution for the moment...before I was using the nearest safety bar and the handle on my bass amp - not very thick and couldn't get them at same height.

What I done is got an old barbell and put some pipe insulation round for handles. Couple of problems - between the old barbell being bent and not as thick, there's still a 1cm height difference. However, this is better than before, and I can set the height of the bars now as well - knee was touching the floor before.

 

All i need now is 2 poles the same thickness...there's some copper pipe in the garage but dunno if that'd hold.

 

 

Got my new camera, need a memory card though, can only record 48s of video just now. Will have a video next week.

 

I'm getting quite a bit of money for xmas this year, I want to spend it on weight related stuff but don't know what I need - I have some ideas.

 

-Fixed dumbbell set

-More olypmic bumper plates (got 2x25kg just now, would get 20kg then 15kg then 10kg to finish collection)

-Pulley attachment for my power rack - not coming in stock till round about xmas though

-Belt (for adding weight to dips/chins etc)

 

What do you guys think?

Edited by chewybaws
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Hey mate, nice log! Stronglifts seems like a good program.

 

I'm voting for the option of spending the money on more bumpers and the belt for dips & chins.

Cheers man, I've checked into your log a good few times, you're one strong f*cker. Back picture's impressive as well.

Yeah I think that'll be the best option. I look at DB's and pulley's as more of a bodybuilding thing

 

 

Thu 5th November 2009

 

30 mins cardio (2x15 min with rest inbetween. Cycled through 30s jogging on spot, 30s of burpees, 1m jumping jacks, 1m side jumps. And running drills for last minute)

 

Had to push it to last till the end. Now that I've set strict guidelines till xmas I'm more motivated. I forgot to stretch last 2 times I done cardio, remembered today.

 

Grub

-Blueberry pancakes (w/agave syrup), soy milk and energy bar

-Almond burger and hemp pepper pesto

-Recovery drink (inc. 1 scoop vega)

-Cucumber dill salad

-Tofu + quinoa

-Banana chocolate smoothie (inc. 1 scoop vega)

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Workout #62

Fri 6th November 2009

 

Squats 8@45kg, 3x8@65kg

Overhead Press 8@30kg, 5@35kg, 4/2/3@40kg

Pull-ups 5/5/2

Deadlift 5@80kg, 4@100kg, 1@115kg

Prone Bridge 3x60s

 

My right pec was sore when I woke up today (so were both my calves, but not so important), and it affected my lifting. Felt generally sub par as well. Had no strength for OHP and generally found it hard to breathe. Pull-ups were crap too. Managed the Squats, and a semi-heavy deadlift. But it sucks, was looking forward to deadlifting today, was wanting at least 1x5@115kg.

 

Got 2 days of rest ahead even though I'll be working tonight then 9 hours sat/sun - but I don't imagine I'll be using my chest much. Depending on how fast it heals up I dunno if I'll take it easy on Monday. Was gonna start adding weight to dips...

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Hey Chewy! I vote for bumper plates too. You plan on doing some olympic lifts in the future or just prefer 'em to metal ones?

Just figured I'd get the best ones for future. At some point I'll start doing power cleans more than likely. Mind you, I need a place to do them lol. My stuff is set up upstairs, I'm already sh*ting myself about a deadlift going through the floor

 

I used to slip down to the garage for deadlifts sometimes, but my dad keeps the car in there over winter.

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Fri 6th November 2009

 

Grub

-Blueberry pancakes (+agave syrup) + soy milk

-Recovery drink (inc. 1 scoop vega)

-Almond burger + hemp pepper pesto

-Cucumber dill salad

-Tofu + quinoa

-Chocolate banana smoothie(inc. 1 scoop vega)

 

 

Sat 7th November 2009

 

Grub

-Chocolate banana smoothie (inc. 1 scoop vega)

-Blueberry pancakes (+agave syrup) + soy milk

-Almond burger + hemp pepper pesto

-Tofu

-Salad + pine nuts + soy milk

-Blueberry antioxidant smoothie (inc. 1 scoop vega)

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Sun 8th November 2009

 

Grub

-Chocolate banana smoothie (inc. 1 scoop vega)

-Blueberry antioxidant smoothie (inc. 1 scoop vega)

-Salad + pine nuts

-Tofu

-Walnut burger + hemp pepper pesto

-Chocolate banana smoothie (inc. 1/2 scoop hemp, 1/2 scoop pea)

 

What a crappy weekend it's been. As far as food goes, got lazy. Didn't make things in advance, got f*ck all food in the house so just had to go with another smoothie for last meal. Work's been sh*t, sick of people talking to me like I'm an idiot, more from staff than from customers.

 

My bodies still aching. Right pec still sore, left obliques sore. Calves are a bit better, but they don't really affect lifts I'm doing anyway. I wish my rest days were actual rest days. The truth is I work 9 hours on a saturday/sunday, I'm on my feet all day and lifting stuff quite frequently (nothing compared to workout, but may be enough to affect recovery).

 

Still gonna do a full workout tomorrow. Will go a bit lighter on bench, do 3x8 instead but that's it.

 

Won't have a memory card till wednesday at earliest so prob a bit longer before I get a video done.

 

It's times like tonight that I'm sick of having nothing in the kitchen that I can snack on, or make QUICK. After a long day the last thing you want to be doing is spending ages making stuff in the kitchen.

 

 

Here's a picture I took last week, just at ease for a change instead of a pose

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j287/chewybaws/DSC01144.jpg

Shifted a lot of bodyfat which is good, but wanna keep cutting down to get my abs showing. Need bigger chest, once it's healed I'll start hammering weighted dips. And try and get my embarassingly long bench press plateau sorted out.

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Week 23

Bodyweight=163lbs

 

Workout #63

Mon 9th November 2009

 

Squats 8@45kg, 3x8@65kg

Bench Press 8@35kg/42.5kg, 8/5/5@50kg

Inverted Rows (elevated) 10/8/6

Hanging knee raises 7/6/9

 

Yup, chest is sore. It's kinda inbetween my armpit and chest, getting annoying. I actually tried push-ups instead of dips, but they weren't happening. Done drop set of concentration curls for left arm after rows again. I actually done a few bad reps of reverse crunches before doing knee raises instead.

 

Grub

-Soy milk

-Recovery drink (inc. 1 scoop vega)

-Buckwheat pancakes (+agave syrup)

-Chocolate banana smoothie (inc. 1 scoop vega)

-Walnut burger + hemp pepper pesto

-Vegan cheeseburger sandwich (+salad/cucumber/pickled onions/beetroot/hummus)

-Tofu

 

Had a couple of glasses of fruit juice throughout the day too

Edited by chewybaws
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Vegan cheeseburger sandwich sounds good man! Haha.

 

Dude, you have the coolest Christmas list ever! I wish I could have my own weights at home. No space! Looking to get some kettle bells though.

 

Nice workouts. Been too long since I've been around on the forum. (Like 5 whole days!)

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This is my dip solution for the moment...before I was using the nearest safety bar and the handle on my bass amp - not very thick and couldn't get them at same height.

What I done is got an old barbell and put some pipe insulation round for handles. Couple of problems - between the old barbell being bent and not as thick, there's still a 1cm height difference. However, this is better than before, and I can set the height of the bars now as well - knee was touching the floor before.

 

Hey buddy, not trying to piss on your chips here but I'd be wary of using that set-up for dips due to the width of the gap between the bars (it may be that it's just a funny photo & the gap is smaller than it appears, in which case then just ignore this diatribe ). Doing dips with your elbows/hands much beyond shoulder width is bad for the shoulder joint; you might get away with it if you're flexibility is decent & your only using bodyweight for resistance, but once you start adding weight using a belt you might well run into problems.

 

If getting specific dip attachments for your rack, or even a proper dip station, is not an option then I reckon you'd be better off investing in some gymnastic rings (around £50). You can then put the ring straps over the top horizontal bar on your rack, or even just go the park & use a football crossbar. This will be a much safer option where your shoulders are concerned, plus ring dips are very difficult so you won't need to bother adding weight

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Hey man, thanks for your message. I did notice it was quite wide when using it. When I first attempted what I done earlier I set up the safety bars at the same height, put one barbell on the pegs and the other on the bar, and secured them by putting old collars on the safety bar, this stopped it from rolling about. I think I'll go back to doing that, because I had it set up with less distance, and I can control the distance that way.

 

I have that picture on my phone, will upload that later.

 

The chest pain I have just now is kinda between my chest and armpit, those dips may very well have been the culprit.

 

Speaking of, it's still sore. I absolutely hate leaving exercises out of workout, but I might have to cause this has been hanging about a while now. Might just have a squat and deadlift day, see how it goes later.

 

Tue 12th November 2009

 

Grub

-Soy milk + buckwheat pancakes (+agave syrup)

-Almond burger + hemp pepper pesto

-Chocolate banana smoothie (inc. 1 scoop vega)

-Blueberry antioxidant smoothie (inc. 1 scoop vega)

-Tofu + rice (w/tomatoes + curry paste + nutritional yeast)

-Salad (w/pine nuts + nutritional yeast + sesame seeds)

 

Glass of orange juice at some point too

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Hi, yes if you've got actual pain (as opposed to just DOMS) in the chest/armpit area then these wide dips are probably the culprit; I certainly can't see anything else you're doing that would explain it. I would definitely rest the area in question if you're in pain.

 

So if I understand what you're saying correctly, your alternative arrangment for dips would involve the bars that your hands are on being at slightly different heights? I think that, although not ideal, this is preferable from an injury preventation point of view, although I'd make sure that you turn around 180 degrees between sets so that you don't always have the same arm higher/lower which would lead to an imbalance in strength & size.

 

Cheers

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dip.jpg.9e05a88e173fc538aae3f6743ed2a7a1.jpg

Nah, they sit on the same bar so same height. To adjust the width of the bar I can just move those red collars. Should be sorted when I heal up =] Just avoid dips/push-ups/bench till then I think...maybe overhead press too.

 

Good to have another UK member, doesn't seem to be too many active ones just now!

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OK my mistake, that set up looks good.

 

I'm more of a lurker than a poster here, I tend to hang out more at veganfitness & that's where I've got my training log (username xJimx).

 

Hey I used to have that Propagandhi t-shirt too! Sadly it is no more as I ripped it in the gym.

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Nice setup chewy!

 

I have been reading a little through your forum and I noticed you have had alot of time being swore.

 

Do you take creatine or glutamine? These both are made in the lab so they are vegan, (most of them I believe).

 

Every since I have been taking them I recover alot quicker from workouts, and my pain has also greatly dimished.

 

Another reasons these supplements would help is because you do have long workdays, and this limits your amount of rest. So by taking extra glutamine (a vital amino acid in muscle recovery), your recovery will be helped greatly.

 

Like working 9 hours and lifting stuff at work, on your legs non stop, is straining and prevents recovery. So on a day where you work, right after a day where you workout, you could take 15 grams of glutamine that day, 5 grams with breakfast, 5 grams with lunch, and 5 grams before bed.

 

I am going to tell the truth, I am not trying to promote glutamine or creatine. I am in reality just trying to give you advice on what to take to speed recovery when you need it the most.

 

I have been taking glutamine from Optimum Nutrition, and micronized creatine from Higher Power, and my strength has improved greatly, in just 22 days of taking it. I plan on taking the stuff for the rest of my life, and I can image what I will look like in 10 years after taking it.

 

Good luck and I hope you all the best on your progress bud!

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Hey I used to have that Propagandhi t-shirt too! Sadly it is no more as I ripped it in the gym.

 

Mine has a hole in the armpit from putting it on once. They don't really have a high wear factor haha.

 

 

@shawnb222 - thanks a lot for your post and time man. I'd actually been toying with the idea of starting creatine after xmas. I haven't looked into it much (or glutamine). I had no idea about the recovery upsides. It's really appealing just now since I've plateaued at a couple of exercises (bench press/overhead press come to mind). I'm definitely gonna spend some time over the next week or so reading up about both of them online. Cheers!

 

Workout #64

Wed 11th November 2009

 

Squats 8@45kg, [email protected]

Deadlift 5@65kg/85kg/100kg, 3@120kg

 

What a good workout haha! I like adding weight to the Squats much slower now, I'll prob just add +2.5kg a week, instead of per workout - my legs feel great, I really don't want to have to miss squatting again. Deadlifts were fun, I love doing them so much. Will get the 1x5@120kg next week

 

I'm gonna take a bit of a rest till next week. Squats are the only exercise that don't seem to be aggravating any injuries at the moment. I'll keep them going, but for every other exercise I'm taking a break till next wednesday. My size 11 (:)) running shoes should be here tomorrow, so I'll start some light jogging too - my current cardio of jumping about and burpies won't do anything for my chest.

 

I took videos of everything today. The camera's great! I need to get a better video editing program installed than Windows Live Movie Maker - so limited! Working on getting something else just now. Hopefully have a video up tomorrow, just depends how things pan out.

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hemp pepper pesto

That sounds good, did u make it yourself?

 

I'm thinking you might want to boost your protein a bit...

It's from the Thrive Diet book =] Garlic, red peppers, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, nutrional yeast, basil, hemp oil, sea salt

 

You know I haven't really checked my protein in a while. It's about 120g/day at the moment. It doesn't seem like it, but the salad has pine nuts/yeast/seeds. Nut burger/pesto is mostly nuts/seeds. The 2 smoothies come to about 30g. It's always full pack of tofu I have, and soy milk in the morning.

 

Regardless, I need to change my diet soon anyway, replace some Thrive stuff with some cheaper and effective meals. Get some veggie burgers/sausages, quinoa/rice in there. I'll still keep the likes of smoothies and salads.

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Regarding creatine and glutamine: I def recommend creatine monohydrate to anyone who is serious about lifting. It's one of the few supplements that actually has a proven positive effect on training. Glutamine is another story and I wouldn't waste money on it. I think there's like one study that shows it can help people recover from colds or something but in double blind studies with a placebo group there is never a significant difference between groups. But go for the creatine, 5 grams per day.

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Regarding creatine and glutamine: I def recommend creatine monohydrate to anyone who is serious about lifting. It's one of the few supplements that actually has a proven positive effect on training. Glutamine is another story and I wouldn't waste money on it. I think there's like one study that shows it can help people recover from colds or something but in double blind studies with a placebo group there is never a significant difference between groups. But go for the creatine, 5 grams per day.

Cool man. Think I'll start after xmas!

 

Thu 12th November 2009

 

Grub

-Soy milk + buckwheat pancakes (+agave syrup)

-Huge tropical smoothie (2 pints, inc. 1 scoop vega)

-Salad + sesame seeds/nutritional yeast/pine nuts

Few glasses of orange juice as well

 

Slacked off today, last meal was at 4, didn't eat till 11 next day...

 

 

Fri 13th November 2009

 

Grub

-Soy milk + buckwheat pancakes (+agave syrup)

-Chocolate banana smoothie (inc. 1 scoop vega)

-Cucumber dill salad

-Blueberry antioxidant smoothie (inc. 1 scoop vega)

-Apple juice, then Almond burger + hemp pepper pesto

 

Didn't even do any Squats today, may do some tonight depending how I feel. My running shoes came yesterday and they seem like a good fit this time, lots of space around the toes =]

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Sat 14th November 2009

Grub

-Chocolate banana smoothie (inc. 1 scoop vega)

-Buckwheat pancakes (+agave syrup) + soy milk

-Salad + pine nuts/sesame seeds/cucumber/nutrional yeast

-Tofu

-Blueberry antioxidant smoothie (inc. 1 scoop vega)

-Almond burger + hemp pepper pesto

 

Sun 15th November 2009

Grub

-Chocolate banana smoothie (inc. 1 scoop vega)

-Blueberry antioxidant smoothie (inc. 1/2 scoop pea, 1/2 scoop hemp)

-Salad + pine nuts/sesame seeds/cucumber/nutrional yeast

-Tofu

-Soy milk

 

Got lazy tonight again. Seriously need to shake up my diet, just been eating the same stuff all the time.

 

Still with the chest pain, I'm not gonna do ANYTHING tomorrow. Tonight and last night, I put ice on it for 15mins a couple of times. Will do this as much as possible tomorrow, maybe help.

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