HIT Rob

Hey mate, hows it going man? Congrats on your engagement, thats Brillant:) Trainings going well aswell I see, keep it up Best Rob

Lol, purely down to improved recovery rate... diet wise, Ive limted all grains, heavy starchs and fruit, and am opting for advodos, veggies, nuts / nut butters, seeds, coconut oil, mct oil etc. Ill be honest, ive also brough organic free range eggs back into my diet, as well as a little full fat dairy and whey. The pre and post workout supplementation is whats make the biggest difference regarding my improved recovery rate, especially this use of glucose. So yeah, things are going the right way fast:)

So over the few weeks ive began to implement the training and nutrition concepts of the former mr o competitor MIlos Sarcev. Specially, pre, during and post supplementation ( glucose, ammio acids and creatine), well, whata differance this has made, my rate of recovery has improved like nobody's business, as anyone who's been following my log will know, two hit workouts per week for me is about all I could handle. However am now training 4 days per week (still hit style) and sometimes twice per day....and heres me putting down supplements all this time lol. Another interesting concept of MIlos's is one he reffers to as "iso tension", this is machine only workouts, with an emphasis on the contraction and tension on the muscle for maximal stimuation, as MIlos stated back in the 90s "if you want to merely do physical work, get a job in construction, at least you'll get paid". (watch youtube video called "milos sarcev iso tension"). Moreover, am not counting reps anymore, just focusing on going to failure, that way, I can keep my mind focused on the muscle and not a arbitrary number of reps. Todays workout was shoulders & arms 1. DB lateral raises × 2 working set to failure 2. Machine lateral raise (static hold) × one static hold to failure 3. Rear delt cable flyes × 2 working sets to failure 3. Cable curls × 2 working sets to failure 4. Technogym biceps machine (static hold) × one hold to failure 5. Pressdowns × 2 working sets to failure 6. Assisted dips (asssited purely for to keep the movement more piston like) × 2 working sets to failure - No overhead presses for direct frontal delt work, front delts receive more than enough stimulation from dips and incline presses. Diet wise, am back with a high fat, low carb approach ( just using carbs for performance and replenishment). Making better progress now than I have in years:))

Hi Chris, thanks mate:) Indeed, it was very quite, but theres seems to be a bit more traffic now:) Take it easy, and will talk soon Rob

Back again...hope everyone is well... Still trsining hit style twice a week as ever, with a wee bit more volume... Currently training with machines only and am making great progress... Today I hammered the crap outta my legs, went with... 1. Seated leg presses -worked up to the stack (250kgs) + 2 power bands were attacted to increase tension in the peak contraction range, I also had my training partner press down on the back rest to increase tension on the negative portion of the rep. I managed 9 superslow reps. -2 mintue rest 2nd working set, this time I went with just the stack, and rest paused each rep in the weakest range, got 8 reps. - 2 minute rest 3rd and final working set was a static hold to failure, held in the position of maximum motor arm.6 After a short breather I moved to the seated leg curl 1st working set was using 75kgs for 8 reps to failure + 2 self assisted forced reps, 2 set was a static hold to failure with the same weight. Finnished up the workout with static crunches preformed on a pulldown machine and using ab slings. Great workout, no need for any quad isolation work as all levels strength were taken to failure. In fact am no longer performing any isolation work for my back, chest or shoulders, just a cable curl and pressdown for bis and tris, a calf press for calves and a static crunch for the abs. Currently using a 3 way split, but as mentioned, am only training twice per week to allow for full recovery to take place, so essentially, each muscle group is only getting directly trained 3x per month...and its working like a charm:)

Hi hope, I never found hand grippers to be all that productive... For me heavy back training and a few sets of heavy DB hammer curls produce most of my growth, my forearms sit now at a little over 15". I dont believe in the theroy that forearms, calves and abs require high rep, high frequency training, their expoused to that type of work every day, what they require is seriously intense overload with suffient recovery periods. Hope this helps Rob

Lol, am actually the smallest in my family, my youngest nephew is 14 and is 6'7 and 230lbs, I recommended he stick a dumbbell on his loaf to slow his growth down lol. Never actually played rubdy, but I love ma arm wrestling and motorbike racing:)

24-4-15 BW - 237lbs Trap bar squat lifts - 160kgs x 8 reps Weighted negative dips - BW + 40kgs x 7 Weighted parallel grip chins - BW + 20kgs x 2 static holds to failure Fat bar biceps curls - 30kgs x 8 reps All were to failure bar the trap bars. On the trap bars I raised the bar of the floor by 6", at 6'4 and the floor is a long way away:) Up on all lifts, just goes to show what 9 days rest can do, the fat bar curls were great, didn't need anywhere as much weight, but I felt it a lot more. Have a great weekend Rob

Lol, well the fat would be 55.55555555555556, but I thought I'd keep it simple;) Not sure what you mean with foods based on one macro? What he's saying is, irrespective of how many calories your consuming at a given time, 50% of those calories should be derived for carbs, 25% pro, and 25%fat.

I've not actually been on that site Chris, I've been following the advice from Dr Darden's bodyfat breakthrough book (highest rate of fat loss and muscle retention/gain study ever recorded), he advocates a ratio of 50%carbs, 25%pro and 25%fat. I spoke with him about a year ago, he advised me to reduce my calories to no more than 1900 per day (@240lbs). He also advocates drinking your water ice cold. By the way, in the study, he trained all the particapitans only once or twice per week with negative accentuated training...no cardio. So going by his advice, your 2000 calories would be made up of 250grams of carbs, 125grams of pro and 55grams of fat, when/if fat loss slows down, reduce your calories down to 1900, and then down to 1800 and so on. How does that grab ya?

Good stuff, will be following:) Rob

Just one thing to keep in mind with these Chris, negatives cause more friction and thus microtruma, so there's a greater level of DOMS, and when I first used static holds, I was prone to intense cramps for 1-2 days after a workout. What I find helps is a hot bath after this kind of workout, though you may need to make like a seal to get out of the tub lol. Best Rob

I'm sure we've all been their with the bath tub dips:) Negative only/accentuated training is great Chris, there's a host of advantages, such as a higher level of stress per unit of time (thus a greater level of muscle growth stimulation), they recruit more fast twitch fibers, help with rehab. Moreover, Negatives oxidize fat-cell content at a faster-than-normal rate. Static holds have their place also, what I now prefer to do with them, is perform 3-5 reps with my 8-10 rep max first as a precursor, i then take a 10 second rest pause, and then i perform the static hold itself to failure. With static's, the goal is to obtain a sequential recruitment and exhaustion of the fibers, while at the same time, reduce wear and tear - as your not having to move in and out of positions of disadvantaged leverage that impinge on the joints and connective tissue. "Only when the intensity is increased, ie.,overload, will there be further growth" Arthur Steinhaus (regarded by many experts in the field as the father of western physiology) Negatives and statics are a great way for the advanced trainee to safely further increase intensity.

15-4-15 Gym workout BW - 240lbs 1. Leverage leg press 340 x 3 reps, followed by a ten second rest pause, followed by a static hold to failure (resistance held in the position of maximum motor arm). 2. Weighted negative dips BW + 40kgs x 5 super slow negatives 3. Parallel grip chins BW + 15kgs x 2 static holds to failure 4. BB shrugs 140kgs x 3 reps, followed by a static hold to failure 5. Calf presses 145kgs (stack) x like a billion reps, lost count (note to self- chain more weight to the stack) Cracking workout, felt like a billion bucks afterward. Shortly after, id a good soak in a hot bath, problems happened when I could barely get out due to triceps and pecs being so fatigued from the negative dips lol. Must say, the negative dips are developing thickness and density in my triceps like nobody's business, I started using negatives because of a shoulder injury/problem, but the results am seeing have been pleasantly surprising. What I may try to implement, is negative leg presses, am using a hammer leg press at the gym, so on the positive portion, I could have my training partner/nephew help me out (plus I can press of my knees), and then take a good 8-10 seconds to complete the negative portion with a heavier resistance. We shall see... Anyho, gonna need a good several days to recover and overcompensate from todays workout, time for some R&R:) Take it easy Rob

Increasing your intensity is a step in direction Chris, the greater the intensity, the greater the muscle growth stimulation:) Good luck with work, last boss that was cheeky with me got asked out for a "fair dig" lol.

8-4-15 Home gym workout Trap bar squat lift - worked up to 140kgs x 5 reps Standing military press - workout up to 90kgs x 3 reps Parallel grip chins (static holds) - bw x 2 static holds to failure 11-4-15 Gym workout Leverage leg press (accentuated negative) - 330kgs x 7 reps Weighted negative dips - bw +30kgs x 5 super slow negatives One arm hammer rows - 80kg per arm x 8 reps to failure Great workouts, albeit short, less than 15 minutes each...but super intense. As Mike Mentzer stated many times "bodybuilding is not an endurance contest, its not about seeing how you can mindlessly endure! Trigger the bodies growth mechanism into motion, then get the hell out of the gym, go home, rest, recover and grow".

First off, happy Easter everyone:) So today was my first workout in a week today, which went brilliantly, I've started training again in my father in laws garage, training with my nephew and using only free weights. I've terminated my isolation only workouts in favor of a powerbuilding schedule for the next few months, depending on how I get on ill maybe stick with it. Todays workouts was... Trap bar squat lift - 140kgs x 2 sets of 6 reps (sub failure) Incline v-grip D-B flyes - 35kg D-Bs x 1 set of 8 reps to failure Immediately followed by... Weighted negative dips - BW%+20kgs x 5 super slow negative reps to failure Lying BB triceps extension - 45kgs x 2 sets of 8 and 6 reps Loved the trap bar squat lift, no lower back issues:) also forgot how good v-grip incline D-B flyes are, for me their the best pec movement in the book Next workout will be in 3 days, it'll consist of Bill Shali style D-B high pulls, heavy rows, hammer curls and weighted back extensions. In the coming weeks ill be experimenting with hip belt squats and front squats, as well as rep ranges, at the moment am happy enough to train twice a week, I may increase the frequency depending on what strength increases are made in the coming weeks/month. Hit it hard Rob

23-3-15 1. Leg Extension - 6 cluster sets of 3 reps each (125kgs) - last cluster set to failure* 2. Seated Leg Curl - 5 cluster sets of 3 reps each (16/20 plates) - last cluster set to failure* 3. Calf Press - 1 set to failure with 2/3's of the stack (ZT style) 4. Seated Crunch Machine - 7 cluster sets of 5 reps each (45kgs) - last cluster set to failure* * 10 second rest pause between each cluster set. Legs were like jelly after this, the cluster sets are nasty, still, really enjoyable:) Its funny to me, but for years I was lead to believe that compound movements were the "mass builders", and all isolation work are good for is "shaping and defining" lol, but after 24 years of self experimentation and with a much better understanding of biomechanics, I know realise that notion is far from the truth. Nothing has added size to my chest better than machine flyes, machine and D-B lateral raises have capped my shoulders better than overhead presses or upright row variation's every have, so am excited to see what effect an all isolation only HIT program will produce on every major muscle group, so far so good:) Over the years I've met and spoke with many experienced trainer's who came to the same realization, John Martini the Mr NI BB champion being one of them. He told me it was only when he began using pre exhaustion (and HIT) did he take his physique to the next level, Mike Mentzer, Dorian Yates, Markus Reinhardt also found the same to be true (not only with themselves, but also with thousands of their clients). I've done my far share of pre exhaustion over the years, however I've recently been mulling over something that John Little said with regards to pre exhaustion, that is, once you have "directly" worked a muscle to failure, it makes the compound movement redundant / overkill. I completely agree with him. With regards to compound movements, I've came to the conclusion that they are great for "general" strength, for metabolic conditioning, but they don't release anywhere near the amount of HGH as people think they do. I've also found their a great way of frying the CNS, since eliminating compound movements from my training, I no longer have that feeling of general / systemic fatigue for days after a workout like I used to. On a side note, I don't anyone to get all butt hurt, if someone is powerbuilding and or powerlifting, that person of course needs to practice the keys lifts and salt in assistance movements, but for me, am looking to optimize hypertrophy, that being said, I've no intention of ever getting up on a stage in a pair of budgie smugglers, waxed and covered in baby oil....not my cup of tea:) I do this as its a wonderful activity in and off itself. Have a great week Rob

Same here, I get hungry out of nowhere from time to time, for example, about an hour or two after a high carb breakfast (lets say oatmeal and fruit) I'm ravenous and sometimes actually feel like am going to keel over if I don't eat something right there and then. But if I eat a reasonable amount of fat in with my breakfast or even go without breakfast am fine. I recently heard someone describe a high carb diet as like putting a sheet's of paper on a fire, they burn up real fast and you'd need to keep adding more to keep the fire alight, were as with fat, its like putting a log on the fire, it'll burn much slower and will keep you going much longer before you need to add more to the fire. For me, I've found coconut oil and MCT oil to be the best sources of fat for energy (have you tried these?), I've heard a lot of people say the same. Avocados, nuts / nut butters and seeds would be further down the line for me. Here again Chris, am the same as yourself, every now and then I get a real strong craving for something, for example am actually not a massive fan of salad's, but every now and then I get a mad craving for one (now with salsa of course:), well why would my body be crave that salad? Obviously my body must be lacking in something, whether it be roughage or maybe a certain vitamin or mineral am not sure, but its clear my body is telling me something. Listen to it, it'll keep ya right:)

Hey mate, 600 calories below maintenance should be plenty, but there's so many variables, insulin sensitivity being one, I know guys who've consumed as little as 1400 calories (high carb ratio), been well under their maintenance level of calories and still found it very difficult to drop BF. Only when they increased their fat intake and decreased their carb intake did they drop BF. After a several year layoff (after suffering a stroke), my BF went up to almost 30%, for me, keeping my carbs at around 50%, fat 25-30% and protein 20-25% along with intermitted fasting worked. Another key was eliminating cardio and steady state activity, both made me hungry, decreases my strength and caused loss of muscle. Training to failure is another key, the stimulus needs to be of a high enough order to provoke change, the flip side of that, is that you need to closely monitor the volume and frequency of your workouts. Another big factor to consider is stress, not just from intense training, but from everyday life, if your stressed, you wont build muscle and you wont be able to immobilise fat. Rob

Lol, yeah, no fibre needed:) Shouldn't be too bad Chris, its all isolation movements (a bit less systemic fatigue, but more localized), but if it takes too much I'll just take an extra rest day or two. Truth be told, I don't actually enjoy training unless its to failure (bar low back work), I feel like am missing something if I don't. When you say you might be eating too little, are you feeling low in energy? I know if my strength is negatively effected, I need eat more. Rob

Oh yeah, someone's loss becomes someone's gain's...especially when it comes to beers:)

NO BEERS?? what's the world coming to:)

18-3-15 1. Le Extension - 2 sets to failure (one set regular full range, one set zone training) 2. Seated Leg Curl- 2 sets to failure (one set regular full range, one set zone training) 3. Calf Presses - 1 set to failure in zone training style 3. Static Crunch (on a pulldown machine, using ab slings) - one set to failure 20-3-15 1. Pec Deck Flye - 2 sets to failure (one set regular full range, one set zone training) 2. Stiff Arm Pulldown 2 sets to failure (one set regular full range, one set zone training) 3. BB Shrugs - 1 sets to failure (one set regular full range with a 3 second hold in the contracted position, hat tip to B&B:) 4. Weighted Back Extension (2 working sets of 12 reps to sub failure) Happy with how the last few workouts felt (less systemically fatigue), I've decided to go with all direct isolation work for a while, for a couple of reasons, the main reason is because I want to focus on more specific strength training vs general strength training. I'll keep to the same movements for the most part, however how perform them (ie cluster sets, zone training, static holds, 1 1/4 reps, regular full range, piston reps, occlusion sets etc), rep cadence, load, volume, frequency will change from week to week to proved the muscle with a new challenge. I'm also training every other day for the time being, want to see if it has a positive effect on my overall conditioning (after all, summers just round the corner:) so I'll be keeping a closer eye on my bodyfat level, I had a trainer at my gym measure it, its... gulp...currently 18.2% (at 248lbs). Anyho, have a great weekend Rob

11-3-15 Flat V-Grip D-B Flyes Underhand Pulldowns Seated Cable Rows D-B Shrugs * One set to vanilla failure per movement 16-3-15 D-B Power Lateral Raise (slight hitch at the start of the movement) Incline D-B Curls Lying BB Triceps Extension Triceps Press-down D-B Hammer Curl *One set to vanilla failure per movement Both workouts were performed at home, no upper body pressing movements at the moment, my left shoulder has been giving me some jip for a while. The V-Grip flyes are great, they really ease the strain on the shoulder:) Rob.