HIT Rob

Looken good mate, and they say vegans cant build or maintain muscle lol. One of the best physique ive seen here:) Rob

Been training every day this week, did legs today, back and chest tomorrow. Still kicken it max contraction style, working a treat, size and improvements are taking place, hit a 450kg leg press today for 3 ten second max holds. LOL, when in the gym today, one gym "instructor" said to me in quite an ignorant tone "your suppose to unlock the leg press as you lift off", I replyed "I keep the lock on, I statically hold the resistance an inch or two from the lock so as when I fail it doesnt drop on me", he said "oh right, and looked at me like id horns" he then said "why just hold it, why not ligthen the load and go deeper", I replied " physiologists discovered a long time ago that time and metabolic tension are whats important, not how many times you lift, swing, throw, or jerk something up and down" I finnished by saying "now, havent you got some kettlebells to swing, your cramping ma style". Ive had this before, when doing max contraction pulldowns a week ago, someone said "whats that for, your grip?", he was a bit nicer and seemed sincere, so I explained the theroy, he came up to me a few days later and said "here mate, I tried that static stuff, its f**ken awesome, wish id of knew about it years ago". Im just amazed with people in the gym these days, why would anyone want to spend hours in the gym everyday when BETTER results can be had in less time and with a lot less wear and tear on your body? I can only imagine its out of boredom.

11-5-16 MAX CONTRACTION UPPER BODY 1. V-Bar Pulldown (resistance held in the position of maxuim motor arm of the lats) 140kgs x 1 static hold to failure 120kgs x 1 static hold to failure* 2. Converging Chest Press Machine (resistance held in the position on maxuim motor arm) 130kgs x 1 static hold to failure 110kgs x 1 static hold to failure* 3. Machine Lateral Raise 95kgs x 1 omega set to failure 4. Machine Curl 80kgs x 1 omega set to failure *Drop set Took an extra rest day after the last leg workout, afterwards i'd some BCAA's and glucose. Lunch was battered onion rings and chickpea battered mushrooms with a creamy cashew dip, washed down with coke....mmmmm:) Breakfast / pre workout was a strong black bulletproof coffee and 3 homemade protein oatmeal and raisin cookies + an omega 3 supplement. Dinner was great, sat out on the patio basking in the sun, had sweet chilli wedges, spicy chickpea burgers and strawberries with whipped coconut cream (powdered sugar mixed in) tasty tasty tasty:))) Love cooking on my day off work.

Large gravity circuts is precisely focused overload. It requires minimal to zero motion / joint dynamics and no momentum / interia. I was always told "thou must lift weights through a full range of motion", well, as it turns out, we have the ability to contract our muscles against far greater resistance / overload than we can lift through a full range of motion, given that were limited by how much we can move through the weakest range, I.e. positions of disadvantaged leverage. If we do or must use a full range of motion, for whatever reason, use a slow, controlled cadance with smooth turnarounds. I take as long as I need between sets / holds, enough to get my breath, resist both physically and physiological. 2 max holds is my limit or one omega set, any more results in diminishing return for most, it only takes a little of the right type of exercise:) Best Rob

Indeed mate, shorter workouts with heavy weights. When training with maximal intensity, nature dictates the workout be short. Guess my body has become adpated over the last 20+ years HIT, Every now and then a i'll invite a sceptical friend (some of whom have had years ofmtraining experience) for a workout, within 15-20 minutes their usually spending some quality carpet time lol. When you avoid the none productive aspects of training, such as poistions of disadvantaged leverage, momentum / inertia, balance / skill development etc, and focus your efforts into large gravity circuts of resistance directed at a muscle...its a whole different ball game man, size and strength follow fast. Best Rob

Hi Hobbs, The problem i and many others found with high volume training, is that wear and tear issues dont manifest until years down the line, by which stage...the damage is irreversible. When it comes to the shoulder, their reffered to by surgeons as "delicate articulations" which give up stability for mobility, their involved in some shape or form on every upper body movement. Anyho, which ever path you pick, best of luck:) Rob

8-5-16 Max contraction LEGS 1. Leverage leg press 400kgs x 6 slow controlled non lockout reps to failure 2. Calf press machine 250kgs x 6 reps to failure (5 second hold in the contraction position each rep) 3. Seated calf machine 70kgs x static hold to failure 6-5-15 Max contraction Back & Biceps 1. Parallel grip pulldown (held in the position of maximum motor arm of the lats) 130kgs x 2 static holds to failure 2. Hammer shrug 180kgs x 5 reps to failure ( 2 second hold in the contraction position ) 3. Rear delt reverse pec deck flye 65kgs x 2 static holds to failure 4. Preacher curl machine 65kgs x 2 static holds to failure 4-5-16 Max contraction Chest, Shoulders & Triceps 1. Pec deck 155kgs x 1 omega set to failure 2. Machine lateral raise 90kgs x 2 static holds to failure 3. Power pushdowns 60kgs x 8 reps to failure supersetted with 4. Machine dips 130kgs x 6 reps to failure Went back to a 3 way split so that intensity and overload can be maximised. Each workout was completed in 15-20 minutes (damn plate loaded machines:) Current bodyweight is 235lbs @ 6'4, bodyfat is id say in the early teens....continue to eat whatever the hell I like:) Was listening to a cracker David Landau interview over on coperate warrior the other day, heard one of the BEST pieces of dietary advice ive ever heard, he said "Whenever you hear a word or phrase before the word diet, put one hand on your gun, one hand on your wallet, then run for your life". Brilliant advice!!

29-4-16 Max contraction legs Leg extension 125kgs x 3 cluster sets of 5 reps 152.5kgs x one omega set to failure Prone leg curl 65kgs x 3 cluster sets of 5 reps 82.5kgs x one omega set to failure Abduction machine 120kgs x 3 cluster sets of 5 reps 145kgs x one omega set to failure Adduction machine 125kgs x 3 cluster sets of 5 reps 152.5kgs x one omega set to failure Calf presses 160kgs x 1 set of 5 reps 200kgs x 1 static hold to failure 1-5-16 Max contraction upper body Static parallel grip chins BW x 3 cluster sets of 3 reps BW x 2 static holds to failure Machine shrugs 120kgs x 3 cluster sets of 5 reps 160kgs x 2 static holds to failure Pec deck flye 125kgs x 3 cluster sets of 5 reps 152.5kgs x one omega set to failure Machine lateral raise 70kgs x 3 cluster sets of 5 reps 90kgs x one omega set to failure Preacher curl machine (placed the handles on my wrist for better biceps isolation) 55kgs x 3 cluster sets of 5 reps 72.5kgs x one omega set to failure Pushdowns 55kgs x 5 cluster sets of 5 reps (last cluster to failure) *10 second rest pause between each cluster ** omega set - hold the resistance in the fully contracted position, once you began to fail the weight will slowly drop, when it drops a few inches, you training partner helps you back into the fully contracted position, this is repeated 3-4 times. *** Trained in a fasted state both workouts What I ate today... wake at 8.30am 2pm Subway black coffee w/ 3 oatmeal cookies 6pm Spanish rice and mixed beans / bottle of coke 9pm Morroccan dish with sweet potatoes, raisins, vegetables and chickpeas / non dairy coconut gelato ice cream All told, it was just under 3000 calories

27-4-16 1. Seated leg press machine Stack (500lbs) + manual resistance applied by training partner x 2 static holds to failure 2. Seated chest supported row machine 130kgs x one set of 8 reps failure, 10 second rest pause, the a static hold to failure 3. Chest press machine 140kgs x 7 rest pause reps to failure (5 seconds between each rep) + 2 superslow negatives 4. BB Curl 40kgs x 5 cluster sets of 3 reps (10 seconds between each cluster) 5. Pushdowns 55kgs x 10 reps to failure 6. DB SLDL 2x50kgs x 10 reps to sub failure Took a 5 day layoff, due to working long hours and a f**ked up sleeping pattern. Todays workout was a gym that had Life Fitness equipment, probably the worst equipment ever made. But hey, I guess all that matters is the intensity of effort put fourth. Diet wise, things are going well,, I fast 16hrs daily with an 8hr feeding window. Eating a lot of crap at the minute, I tend to do that when working long hours, but its causing no issues, am actually getting leaner lol. Anyho, hope everyone is doing good Best Rob

22-4-16 Leverage leg press Inverted TRX rows Weighted dips DB SLDL 19-4-16 Leverage leg press Chins Superslow push up bars DB SLDL Abbreviated training, after a low rep warm up set or two, each movement was preformed for one set to vanilla failure, with the exception of the stiff legged deadlift. On chins and dips, ill toss in some negatives with I reach positive failure. Diet wise, same old, same old, nothing fancy. Started intermittent fasting here and there again, eating light throughout the day then feasting at night. Back being feeling a lot better thankfully, however am still wary to be careful. Anyho, have great weekend:)

The basic fundamental principles for increasing ones size and strength have not changed since they where discovered by physiologists over a century ago.... 1. Results are proportional to the intensity of effort put forth, 2. Intensity and volume coexist on an inverse ratio 3. Enough rest time must elapse for both compensation and over compensation to take place. Now, heres was I seen over the last 2 and a half decades in gyms... - People do not train with anywhere near enough intensity required for stimulating a meaningful response - People use too much volume - People train too frequently Whats the first thing people blame for their lack of progress? THEIR DIET! With regards to vegans having a harder time building muscle, i recently re-read Dr Dardens last book, the bodyfat breakthrough, the study in that book (which had the highest percentages of fat loss with muscle gained on record) took 114 individuals and had them perform just one or two supervised high intensity workouts per week that emphasised negative accentuated training. Several of the participants were vegans, guess what... the vegans did just as well as any of the meat eaters, moreover, Dr Darden stated "vegans have a better knowledge and understanding of nutrition than meat eaters". So yes, vegans can indeed increase their muscular size and strength as well as any meat eater...provided they properly fulfill the first requisite. Rob

According to the paper, the barbell row provide the stress symmetrically across the entire back, the inverted row on the other hand focused more on the lats...plus cause a sufficient amount of less stress on the spine itself. The other row that was tested was the standing one arm cable row, with it the lat activation was much lower due to the limitations of torsion. Goggle Waterloo University Canada, inverted row, the head researcher involved in the study Dr Mcgill is regarded as one of the worlds leading experts in spinal biomechanics.

Thankfully my back has eased up a good bit over the last few days, got back to training this morning...yeppeee:) Took things real easy, slow and controlled cadance with smooth none explosive turnarounds. 1. Hip belt squats 2. Hip belt calf raises 3. Glute and ham raises 4. TRX inverted rows (hat tip to Chris for his recommendation) 5. BW Dips 6. BW negative only palms facing chins 7. Push up bars (bars shoulder width apart) After warm ups I performed two working sets just shy of failure, zero back issues:))))) on an interesting side note, I was reading some research carry out in Canada with regards to barbell rows vs inverted rows, in conclusion, the researchers found there was 60% more lat activation with the inverted row over the BB row, not to mention a great deal less spinal stress with the interved row to boot. Enjoyed todays workout, weighted bodyweight movements look like the direction ill be moving in. Ill probably experiment with some splits. Movements ill focus on... Chest / shoulders / triceps - dips - push ups Back / rear delts / biceps - chins - inverted rows - weighted back extension Legs - hip belt squats - hip belt calf raises - bulgarian split squats - glute and ham raises

Hi Chris, Go with the most productive movements, the ones that offer the biggest bang for your buck, performing a less productive version of a "father" exercise is not the correct variable. Intensity, volume and frequency are the correct variables. I know guys who've stuck with the same 6-8 movements their entire training career and their massive, drug free. There again, theres people in parks doing nothing but chins, dips and sprints and theyve better development than many bodybuilders lol. Hope this helps Chris, best of luck Rob

Yeah I took a risk with them, tried a different way of doimg them - kept the hips low, didnt pay off. Id done them previously with the hips high relying more on the rear chain, which caused no issues, but going forward id rather be safe than drugged up and sorry lol. Bought a copy of Drew Baye' project kratos (high intensity bodyweight training program), youve opened up a new can of worms now:))

Yeah its such a small range of motion it can barely be called an exercise lol. Actually, I like the look of those TRX straps, be good for rows and chest flyes etc, time to speak nicely to the misses;) Cheers bud.

I honestly believe one or two movements is more than sufficient for stimulating a given muscle....as long as the appropriate intensity is employed.

Dam, you must have legs like tree trunks man, dems good lifts. Do you every train your calfs directly or do you feel they dont need it? You know, I was gonna start using machines again due to this messed up back of mine, but youve got me thinking about bodyweight training. Dips, push ups, chins, horizontal rows, static hip belt squats etc = zero spinal compression....hmm, you have indeed got me thinking my friend:)

Hey Chris, thanks buddy. Oh man the drugs lol, I hate them, I think the only thing thats helping is the hot water bottle at my back lol. Might try some dead hangs today, try and loosen things up a little:)

Well, spent all of today drugged off my tits, painkillers, anti inflammatory's, muscle relaxants and heat patches, can barely walk with the pain. Went to my doctor this morning, he thinks ive aggravated one of my 3 herniated dics. Rest and drugs was the recommendation. Frustrated as hell, especially since my back had been feeling really good. As soon as it begins ease ill do a little walking, then on my return to training am definitely going to go back to my all machine workouts, focusing on iso tension with moderately heavy weights. The barbell training will just have to be put on ice for a while. Diet wise, am going to go with intermittent fasting, aids recovery better and helps with inflammation, drinking lots of water aswell. Only ate 2 small meals today (the drugs are making me feel sick and lethargic). Anyho, time to hit the hay.

Spoke too bloody soon, on the second rep of my first working set of deads today, my low back decided to go, I dropped the bar and abandoned the workout. That was several hours ago, backs killing me and am walking like a duck lol, ive had to take some strong pain killers for the first time in a long time for f**k sake. Should have known better, I dont have the structure for deadlifts. Oh well, looks like the machines will rise up again.

Yeah, Mike Mentzer taught me a long time ago that theres no such thing as super nutrition...only optimal:)

Hi Jon, Good stuff, will follow:) Trained in Wing Tsun for several years myself, very efficient system, also found the forms a good way to de-stress. Best Rob

Bench day.... 60kgs x 5 reps 80kgs x 5 reps 110kgs x 8 sets of 5 reps (3minutes between each set) Then pec deck flye machine One main set to failure Thats all she wrote, enjoyed a change of pace today with the higher volume / lighter load on the bench. Felt it mostly in the triceps though, not surprising really given that the main function of the pecs is to draw the arm across the sternum, hence the need for a flye movement. A few weeks back I began wrapping my thumbs around the bar and with that began to develop shoulder pain, today I went back to using a thumbless grip, low and behold, no shoulder pain:) Yesterday's workout was squats, worked up to 8 sets of 5 reps @130kgs (3minutes between each set), followed up with one main set of leverage leg presses and calf presses to failure. Diet, much the same, just need to lay off the fecken coke, love that shit:( Tomorrow's workout, Deadlifts, chest supported rows and weighted pull ups:)

And we're back... Been training 4 days on and one day off of late, focusing on the squat one workout, then bench, then deadlifts and then standing military presses. Been adding a little assistance work after each of those main lifts. Still shooting for just the one main set of 5 with a back off set of 8-10 reps. My back is the strongest its been in years, still get mild pain now and then but its miles from where it was, if 2 years ago I had have put 155kg barbell on my back I would have collapsed on the floor, yet last night I squatted that weight for 5 good deep reps. Good times:) Up on all lifts at the momment, however ill deload when a plateau is reached. Diet is much the same, 3 monster sized meals a day + a snack. Today is me and my wifes 19 wedding anniversary, so we're heading out to a vegan restaurant I like, hopfully soon am bloody Hank Marvin:) Hope everyone had a good Easter Rob