Tim's Journeyman Log

[Deathmaggot]

Glex: It's amazing what impresses some people too. If you bench a decent weight, everyone stand about staring, if you do a deadlift though they just think you are stupidly trying to hurt your back.

only a serious guy in my gym did DL and i copyed him
he is much more impresive than me but we only do it, people stare at us, but they dont think "they will hurt theirselves" they think "what the fuck is that thing?"

 

[Rocky]

Nice work Tim. Bench is strong. lol - I did glute ham raises on the pulldown machine when I was doing police training and got some funny looks. Good for you for doing them. My hams are pretty strong and I find them damn hard.

 

[tim290280]

Deathmaggot: It seems that deadlifts are the serious trainers exercise. You only do them if you are the real deal. I've only seen one gym where deadlifts and Cleans (etc) are done by normal gym attendees, but they do them for reps, not properly at all. Hell C&J's and Snatches have to be done for low reps to get the technique correct due to the high level of HTMU involvement!!!!

Rocky: I'm looking forward to next weeks bench session. It's been a long while since I've easily handled +120kg without shoulder impingement problems. I was actually suprised how good I was at glute-ham raises when I found a proper GH. But doing ones on a pulldown may rank with natural GH raises, FUCKING HARD!

Todays session was legs.

Warmups:
Leg swings
Butt kicks
Knee-to-chest's
BW squats
BW RDL
BW Lunge
11.5kg Leg ext with lateral rotation of foot (VM activation)

Squats
60kg x3
100kg x3
120kg x2
130kg x1

SLDL
50kg x3
90kg x3
110kg x2

Work sets:
Squat
137.5kg x3
117.5kg x6
137.5kg x1
117.5kg x3 (Repeating next week, was hoping next week would be 140kg for my gym visit)

SLDL
120kg x3
100kg x8
120kg x2
100kg x6 (repeat)

Pistol squats
5
5

BW Squats
10

Hammy curls
19kg x6
19kg x8

 

[tim290280]

Did a really half arsed workout last night.

Work trip + long day + lack of energy + stress = half session + pedestrian effort

Of course: Lack of energy = pedestrian effort

According to this equation we can surmise that
Wt + Ld + Le + S = Hs + Le

Wt + Ld + S = Hs

But usually Ld + S = Gw
Gw: Good workout

And Hs = 1/2xGw

So Wt + Gw = 1/2xGw
or Wt + 2Hs = Hs

2Hs = Hs - Wt

Wt is a negative itself

Therefore Wt = Hs

 

[Rocky]

^Perfectly clear.

 

[tim290280]

Followed up last night with something a little different tonight. Decided to toss the normal leg workout and do deadlifts for a change. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my deadlift is still +180kg despite not having deadlifted in a good 4 months.

Cleans
60kg x4
80kg x3
100kg x2
110 (failed to catch, was using arms instead of traps and legs)

Deadlift
140kg x2
160kg x2
170kg x2
180kg x1 (easy, probably good for 185-190)
140kg x4

Lunge
70kg x5
70kg x5
BW x10

Donkey Calves
32.5kg x12
32.5kg x10
32.5kg x8

 

[Rocky]

Nice work Tim as always. I really should persevere with cleans and oly lifts. When I've done them on occassion I still don't get into the habit of the form and end up relying on arm and shoulders rather than legs.

 

[Big04pimpin]

I'm jealous here, you and your cleans, My gym won't let us because they are "Too Dangerous". Nice workouts though.

 

[tim290280]

Rocky: I thought it was a good explanation using algebra of how my recent few weeks of training have been. It will probably continue over the next few weeks too, as I am moving house again and will be all over the state for meetings and training.

Tim: Thanks for the update on the great gym work! That's impressive to still pull 400lbs after not having done deadlifts for so long. You'll be good for 200kg in a few weeks!

Rocky: Definitely give the cleans and jerks a pride of place early in the week, preferably a leg day. Remember to keep the reps low and not go anywhere near failure. They are very worthwhile and make you look really hardcore in an ordinary gym.

Big04pimpin: Thanks dude. This is the advantage of training at home! I'm such good mates with the owner that he lets me do whatever I want. Although next week I'm away from home for training for work, so I will probably take this routine into a commercial complex. I'm just waiting for someone to tell me that weightlifting is dangerous!!

 

[Hypocrisy86]

Nice Deads man, if you saw the way i do mine you'd laugh
but i love the extra stress on my arms
you'll easily get that 190...

 

[tim290280]

Hypo: Having the arms bent when doing deadlifts is a great way to tear the bicep, or the bicep tendon. Heavy loads in the deadlift done in this manner essentially create an overload at the insertions, so you will most usually tear the tendon straight off the bone!!

I know Ironslave recommends pronated grips and straps for this reason rather than a mixed grip and straight elbows. I think he is wrong to recommend straps for this reason, but the injury potential of a bent arm deadlift is very real. Strongman competitors often have this injury due to the style of lifting they do.

 

[tim290280]

My report card on Fuller Fitness gymnasium.

Gym: Fuller Fitness (formerly Titan Fitness)
Location: Carlisle, Perth, Western Australia
Day Cost: $20 (Aust)

No. Squat racks: D
Inadequate number for size of gym, relies on 2:1 smith machines ratio.

Quality of Squat Racks: C
Standard non-adjustable rack.

Weight of Dumbbells: -A
Could have a higher grade if increments were more regular. Went up to 65kg.

Number of Benches: -B
Enough for the size of the gym, but lacking room between them, and tend to clutter squat racks.

Cable machines: B+
Adequate, well maintained, lacking heavy plates or ability to add plates.

Eye Candy: -D
Only two decent looking women there.

Music: F
Crappy commercial radio.

Change Rooms: -C
Small, cramped, clean, only one toilet.

Useless equipment: -C
Plenty but not over present.

Interesting equipment: F
Gym manager looked at me funny when I asked if they had a glute-ham-raise. When I explained what it was he asked if it was like a leg curl.

Gym Dorks: +C
Not too many posers, or mirror men. One patron was doing SLDL's with a rounded back, and a PT was encouraging an old guy to do bench dips.

Overall I was expecting a better gym for the money. I got my workout in, squatted 140kg and 120kg combo, plus did some leg presses and seated calf raises and leg curls. One leg SLDL's raised a few eyebrows, and I finished off with 1000m on the rowing machine in intervals.

I won't be going back there in a hurry/ever, tomorrow I'll review/use a Fitness First.

 

[Pickle]

I won't be going back there in a hurry/ever, tomorrow I'll review/use a Fitness First.

LOL!

If you can come out of a fitness first experience without having a membership/personal training/ gay man shoved down your throat ill give you a nickel. Save yourself some time and skip the fitness first experience

 

[tim290280]

^^ Maybe I want some loser PT trying to hassle me so I can tell him to fuck off, maybe I want a membership salesman to try and sell me a membership and I then proceed to tell them all the things wrong with their gym, maybe I want a gay guy (not bloody likely!)

I'll give the Fitness First a go, its only a stop gap measure, and it'll be fun to add a review of a major commercial chain gym.

 

[Rocky]

Nice review. If I reviewed my gym I wouldn't get past using the letter 'F' for every grade.

 

[Glex]

My gym would get a series of G's and H's.

 

[Pickle]

^bump where is ur review

 

[tim290280]

The highly anticipated review of a major commercial chain gym.

My report card on Fitness First gymnasium.

Gym: Fitness First (formerly a Zest Fitness, the other major chain)
Location: Cannington, Perth, Western Australia
Day Cost: $15 (Aust)

No. Squat racks: D
Inadequate number for size of gym, only 2.

Quality of Squat Racks: C
Standard non-adjustable rack.

Weight of Dumbbells: +B
Good increaments, and went up to 50kg. This would limit me very quickly (like two weeks time)

Number of Benches: +C
Surprisingly few for the size of the gym. It wasn't even chest day (being Tuesday) and I found it hard to get one.

Cable machines: +B
Adequate, well maintained, lacking heavy plates or ability to add plates.

Eye Candy: +A
Plenty, and good quality, unfortunately all on the cardio equipment out of eye line of the weights areas.

Music: F
Crappy Fitness First selection. About as inspiring as musac (elevator music)

Change Rooms: +B
Clean, huge, steam rooms, no gay dudes parading around in thongs. But lockers weren't accessible to non-members easily.

Useless equipment: +D
Plenty overly present, and utilised by far too many. Weight plates were too small to actually use to do deadlifts and weightlifting moves, plus their rubber rims tended to come off if you grabbed them in one hand to carry them to a station.

Interesting equipment: F
Nothing novel aside from a selectorised donkey calf raise.

Gym Dorks: +D
Were absolutely everywhere. One group that I worked in with on the chest supported row were discussing car mods while performing their "two man" sets. There were some decently built guys there, and decent female eye candy that raised this from an F.

Overall it was better priced, better facilities, and less cluttered than the previous gym. On its own, however, I thought it lacked atmosphere, decent weights (dumbbells were good), and had too many training hacks there. When there are two trainers with "BOOT CAMP TRAINER" t-shirts on getting people to do busu ball one legged bicep curls, you know that the gym has got it all wrong. Pickle will be pleased to note that I didn't get raped (or propositioned), no one hassled me about a membership (yet), and the PT's were too busy catching their clients as they fell off the busu balls to bother me.

I would go back there and train again, but not if I was wanting to do any floor based work like deads, cleans, or snatches.

 

[tim290280]

The highly anticipated review of my own home gym.

My report card on Tim's Gym.

Gym: Tim's Gym (formerly a sunroom or back patio)
Location: Varies within, Western Australia
Day Cost: $0 (Aust)

No. Squat racks: +A
Perfect for the current number of members.

Quality of Squat Racks: A
Adjustable power rack, but could be more versitile like an open rack.

Weight of Dumbbells: +B
Good increaments, goes as heavy as I like, except on pressing exercises.

Number of Benches: A
Always able to get one, but would have scored better if it didn't wobble quite as much.

Cable machines: C
None, but that isn't always a bad thing.

Eye Candy: F
None, the missus doesn't count.

Music: +A
Always exactly what I want to hear.

Change Rooms: +A
Clean, huge, all of my stuff easily accessable, no gay dudes parading around in thongs, but there may be the missus parading around in one instead.

Useless equipment: +A
None.

Interesting equipment: +C
Only some thick grips, and a thick bar wrist roller. Although management assures me that a glute-ham raise is being designed as we speak, and a plate loaded gripper may also finally be added.

Gym Dorks: +A
None.

While this gym can lack the motivation of some larger gyms, it does have many upsides. The day visit price is exclusive to me (though a training partner may be able to have a similar deal), but startup and upkeep don't figure into that price.

Overall it is easy to see why I don't like training in commercial gyms.

 

[Rocky]

Gym Dorks: +A
None.

You sure?