Tim's Journeyman Log

[Project Evo]

Balls to the time consuming thing Tim!!! I like settling down with a cup of Green Tea and reading your log. It's entertaining, informative and original. My only critisism is, it's too short!!!

Excellent session mate, good to see you're keeping form on your exercises too. Cracking read.

 

[Rocky]

Great reads man. Makes it really interesting to come in here. I know what you mean about SLDL, I've always liked them and got good results.

As for my log, well it's in hiatus at the mo as my police training is ruining both my eating plan and training (the gym on site is absolute shit - not a single free weight of any kind), so I'm stuck doing the 2 big days with Evo at the weekend and then shoulders and arms during the week with what I've got - that rational being that this is the lighter session that doesn't matter so much with regard to doing the big exercises.
Also, I'm on a deload at the mo and working my way back up to my bests so nothing of note to post yet, but hopefully within a month or so the log will be back on track! Thanks for asking man, and maybe I'll include what I'm getting up to with police training too!
Looking forward to your next installment!

 

[tim290280]

Sounds good Rocky. Sucks about work getting in the way like that. But it is good to have deloading periods just to let the body relax a bit.

Evo: I would make it longer, but I'm trying to write a few articles for the new articles page and I am also trying to finish this PhD which is due in a few months. Once I've written a few more articles though I may have to run them past people to see if they cover all bases.....

 

[tim290280]

It was a leg day like any other. Maybe it was the crap workout the day before, maybe it was the good amount of work I'd done, or maybe it was just the moon's gravitational pull, but this leg workout rocked!

I got a warmup with a happy ending done first up before heading into the backyard. Everything was still wet, but at least it wasn't raining. First up I swapped over the order of Squat and SLDL so that the pairing had SLDL's run first (I'm paying for that today). This meant an extra hammy set and more quad loading from squats. Add to this the ass-to-grass format and the extra 5kg on the bar felt like so much more.

I've noticed of late that since I've started into higher reps (anything over 8 for me is high) that my usual work sets have dropped off in the second and third, its like running out of steam. I found myself huffing and puffing with no house left, and some disgruntled homeless pigs, but several reps to go. Trying to get to the target reps goal was only making me dizzy.

I moved on to lunges and hammy curls, and break sets of calf raises.

I love lunges!

There I've said it. I don't know how my leg routine existed without them in the past. Probably explain why I've had a knee reconstruction....... With that said though hammy curls still elude me. I lay down, focus cutting through the sweat on my brow, I feel the hammy contract and pull hard. Then I swap legs and the left hammy barely gets a pump from the same set. So I add some weight and the right leg battles to move it, can barely perform an eccentric, while the right leg says "Come on girlie man give me some more!"

I'm still concerned about the patella tracking while going ass to grass. It really crackles and grinds. I'm not a fan of the supports or aids, they really do feel like a cop out. The day you have to lift a log off someone to save their life, will they wait while you wrap your knees and grab your lifting belt? Will they stop being crushed while you get your straps from your gym bag to tie onto the log? Having said that I'm contemplating a knee sleeve, one that will keep the knee warm and help keep the patella tracking properly. I just don't want to create a crutch for myself.......

 

[FOOTBALL FAN]

lol I like reading your log Tim and I also like lunges there one of my favourite leg excersises, your leg just needs a little extra work to catch up with the other one but all in good time it sounds good to me seeing as you had a knee reconstruction, keep up the good log mate

 

[Line]

Great read (and workout) Tim! I want to comment specifically on your comment about aids and crutching. I was not aware you had knee reconstruction but if the crackling remains there is absolute no shame in a knee sleave. I'm not sure of your exact procedure that you had preformed but I'm guessing it will never be 100% to how it was but anything you can do to prolong further injury is not a crutch, it's just smart training. I had elbow problems and wore a sleeve over it for awhile (the pain has since dissipaited) but for that short while it was a necessity to continue my progress. If you're ever faced with a life-saving situation you'll be able to perform just fine with all the hormones that will be corsing through you; yeah, you might hurt afterwards, but inhibiting your strength gains now because of not wanting to use a knee wrap isn't going to help anything either.

All the best, bro.

 

[tim290280]

Good point Line!

I just look around and see a lot of people using wraps, gloves, belts and straps and they are all pussies that are just faking strength. Sure there are some guys who actually need them, but most just use them as a crutch.

While I don't want to inhibit the rehab by using a crutch, I also don't want to cause more damage. So I may get some, see how they go.

 

[Peanut!!]

hey tim hows it goin?
hope u had those legs sore the next day and sore in the nicest way possible
how long ago was ur operation again? dont think u should be really worried about ur tracking amte as long as ur hitting it with some work u should be god to go

 

[Project Evo]

Hi Tim. Another excellent read. Good form with squats. You're a braver man than me for liking Lunges mate, full credit to you.

I have to echo Line's comments too mate. The last thing I, or anyone else here wants to read, is Tim bowing out because of another serious injury to your knee. Personally that crunching and grinding you hear would scare the shit right outta me and that alone would be enough to convince me to at least wear something to try and prevent another injury. Hell, I'm not your dad and you're a grown, intelligent man, but IMO it would be a wise move.

We need to see you here bro! Take care and train safe buddy.

 

[Rocky]

Line makes some good points and may be worth considering. lol at the lunges I love them but I hate them. Looked like a great session though. Hope your knee doesn't cause you too much concern over the coming months!

 

[tim290280]

Thanks guys!

I did my knee may last year, had the operation in june, and started rehab in july. I was thinking of posting some photos soon for a comparison between the leg just after the operation and now.

The patella tracking isn't serious problems, but does indicate that the knee isn't quite balanced out yet, especially through a full ROM. So I think I will go a sleeve to see if that can help.

 

[tim290280]

Well nothing amazing happened today. It was windy and rainy and while I was fired up nothing special happened. The bench didn’t take off again, the rows were a bit better, even with a slippery thick handle. The cold motivated me cut down the breaks between sets, and rain really kept me going strong just to try and keep as dry as possible.

I decided that I needed to take a few pics of me doing my chins and dips. This stretched the standard rep out to a super slow, and some holds so that the pics didn’t blur. While that isn’t a big deal to do, my arms didn’t exactly like me doing this, the holds especially. Its amazing that no-one I know can actually take a decent action photo. I managed to take some great photos of my footy team in action, where guys are actually just completing a kick (etc). But my girlfriend, my sister, and my brother all managed to either miss me in action (no record of my moments of glory on the field), and can’t take a fairly simple workout photo. I remember trying to get a decent squat photo once and had to literally sit in the bottom position for 10-15 seconds to get a photo of me hitting depth.

I finished up with some external rotations and L-flys and headed inside as it started to absolutely bucket down with rain. The only positives out of this workout is that I have good control over my movements (stop at any point and hold), I had a brisk workout compared to the other upper body day this week, and I didn’t get too wet.

 

[jornT]

I remember trying to get a decent squat photo once and had to literally sit in the bottom position for 10-15 seconds to get a photo of me hitting depth.

 

[TrueOutlaw]

another good read Tim....so where are these awful pics...the hold on the chins is where its at i always squeeze real hard at the top and take it extra slow on the way down especially the last few reps just to get that burn.

 

[Project Evo]

Something amazing did happen Tim! You got your arse into gear and came away with a lot of positives. The rows were better, the intensity was higher because your rest periods were shorter, super slow chins, as well as control over your movements.

I say, to hell with the negatives. There's always another day to turn those negatives into positives. Keep fighting for the cause mate.

 

[Rocky]

Evo's right! Even if there's only 1 positive and that you got in (or out) there and did it then that's all you need!

 

[tim290280]

Hadn't thought of it that way, cheers guys!

I suppose that highlights my mindset at the moment, just a little down with all the stress. Of course where most postgrads turn to alcohol and get a fat ass (what is actually termed "writing up ass", no joke) I'm still hitting the weights. There's another positive!

The photos I'll post after I've taken some comparison shots of my legs. I've got the old post op knee photo on my webpage, I'll take a similar shot either today or tomorrow. To give you and idea I've gained about 3 inches on my good leg and best part of 5 on the injured. Though this isn't half of it because the leg was flabby to the point you couldn't see the muscle tense at all, so a lot of muscle has been added onto them.

 

[Q80_Musclehed]

i love reading this log .. i imagine myself in Laboratory training .. awesome tim

 

[Rocky]

Looking forward to these pics!

 

[jornT]

my webpage

Which webpage, and do you have pic's of your wife there?