EdChap vs. Milkman: The Revolutionary War, Part Deux

[EdChap]

NROL Strength I, Lower Body;

A. Squats;
231x6 (started Strength I with 198)
253x1
220x6
253x1
132x10

Bi. BSS, 3x15; 45/hand, 38.5, 38.5 (started Strength I with 22/hand)
Bii. Step-ups, 3x15; 45/hand, 38.5, 38.5 (started with 11/hand, ha.)

Ci. Pull-through, 2x10; 143, 143
Cii. Swiss Ball Crunch, 2x10; BW

Comments: Last squat workout of Strength I, went well. My 6 rep sets have improved a lot whilst my singles, although the numbers haven't increased, feel much stronger. The superset numbers have got much better, although the first workout was a bit of a shambles, trying to keep Mr. Pukey at bay does have a negative effect on one's ability to lift weights.

I look forward to not having to do that BSS/Step-up superset...

[milkman21]

I hang my head in shame...

Great job Ed.

[EdChap]

Thanks, Matt.

I forgot to add in my front squat attempt, unsurprisngly given it was a complete write-off, of 231. I unracked the weight, waddled out into my space, popped into the hole and then realised I had been a bit ambitious in my weight selection, ha. I had to dump that bad boy and it made a massive noise, hahaha!

There's something about this squat workout that brings out the best in me...first Mr. Pukey and now this.

[milkman21]

What next, Ed? Are you going to do Strength-II? I'm thinking I might have to bail from the NROL for a while, depending on how the last 6 workouts go for me. Gotta get in shape for the beach trip which means maximum bulkage for a few weeks followed by maximum cuttage for a week or two

[EdChap]

I was thinking of going through all three Strength phases, but...what would you bail to?

[milkman21]

Possibly Hypertrophy I or HSS-100... not sure though. I'm also considering sticking with Strength II but adding some extra pull-ups, dips, and some vanity lifts to bump up the volume a bit. Thoughts?

[EdChap]

Strength II with vanity lifts sounds very appealing to me. I think I'd employ some high frequency with exercises such as curls and pressdowns in each workout, not big compound movements which would drain you, but enough to add a little extra size to the snakes and guns!

[milkman21]

Originally Posted by EdChap

Strength II with vanity lifts sounds very appealing to me. I think I'd employ some high frequency with exercises such as curls and pressdowns in each workout, not big compound movements which would drain you, but enough to add a little extra size to the snakes and guns!

Yea, this is probably what I'll go with. I feel that the pure strength training on the compounds will continue to increase my potential for hypertrophy gains, and with a little extra volume in the form of vanity lifts and isolation work, I should be good to go.

I'm probably gonna add some curls, close-grip bench press, dips, sissy squats, and glute-ham raises (not all in the same workout, of course). I don't think that any of these will be terribly draining, but the extra volume should help.

[EdChap]

At 209lbs my ass is getting rather sizeable so I think I'll avoid any extra leg work, adding in variations of bicep curls and tricep pressdowns to every workout for the next few weeks, combined with the extra calories, should add some size to my arms, especially since I haven't done bicep curls in a few months.

P.S. Yes, you read that right, bitch; 209lbs.

P.P.S. I went to see Borat last night, definitely worth the watch, especially for the naked wrestling scene where a fat guy's balls dangle in Borat's face...now that's my kind of humour!

[finboy]

Congrats on the weight gain Ed...you're moving into 'beast' territory.

I just watched the first 4 minutes of Borat-Movie online...oh, crap I have to see this too! My wife...she not for to go to movie. Must find other male friend who appreciates also the sophisticated humor.

[milkman21]

NROL - Strength 1 - Workout C2

Main Set:
Elevated Deadlifts (4-inch platform)
301 Tempo
180s Rest Between Sets
1 x 8 x 135 lbs (warm-up)
1 x 3 x 225 (warm-up)
1 x 6 x 245 lbs
1 x 1 x 305 lbs
1 x 6 x 275 lbs
1 x 1 x 315 lbs Ties PR
1 x 1 x 325 lbs PR +10 lbs
1 x 3 x 315 lbs *not elevated*
1 x 12 x 225 lbs *elevated, done as speed DL's*

Superset
Romanian Deadlift
301 tempo
No Rest
3 x 8 x 225 lbs
Front Squats Instead of Lunges today
301 tempo
90s rest upon completion
3 x 6 x 145 lbs

Superset
Good Morning
222 Tempo
90s Rest
3 x 10 x 115 lbs (these finally felt right today, I'll probably do them more often now)
Chin-Ups (Extra work on the gUnZ)
222 Tempo
90s Rest
1 x 10 x BW
1 x 9 x BW
1 x 8 x BW+10 lbs

Extra
Dips
1 x 15 x BW
1 x 12 x BW
1 x 12 x BW
BB Curls
1 x 15 x 75 lbs
1 x 10 x 75 lbs
External Rotation
3 x 10 x 10 lbs
Calf Raises
2 x Drop Set (20/20/20/20) x 235/175/115/55 lbs

Notes
*Good workout today. The DL's felt very strong again, and I got the 325 up with relative ease. My non-elevated PR is 335, and from a 4-inch elevation I'm now up to 325. I'll probably keep training the elevated ones until I can surpass 335... then I'll move back to the floor to see what I can pull. I do think that the elevation has helped my form, and it's putting more loading on my hamstrings whereas I've been doing a lot of work with the erectors in the past.
*The extra volume on the gUnZ has begun. I'll be adding 1-2 arm-dominant exercises to the mix on lower body days, all with higher reps as I did today. I think with a month of this training, I should be able to see some noticeable gains--particularly since I haven't done curls or dips in a few months now.

[CAchief]

325! NICE lift MM!! What are you using to elevate yourself?

[milkman21]

Thanks chief. (haha I love how demeaning that sounds, and yet I can say it since that's your handle)

I'm using two of those aerobic steps, one under each foot. The elevation is about 4 inches, and the surface is nice and steady.

[Steve-O-68]

Originally Posted by EdChap

NROL Strength I, Lower Body;

A. Squats;
231x6 (started Strength I with 198)
253x1
220x6
253x1
132x10

Bi. BSS, 3x15; 45/hand, 38.5, 38.5 (started Strength I with 22/hand)
Bii. Step-ups, 3x15; 45/hand, 38.5, 38.5 (started with 11/hand, ha.)

Ci. Pull-through, 2x10; 143, 143
Cii. Swiss Ball Crunch, 2x10; BW

Comments: Last squat workout of Strength I, went well. My 6 rep sets have improved a lot whilst my singles, although the numbers haven't increased, feel much stronger. The superset numbers have got much better, although the first workout was a bit of a shambles, trying to keep Mr. Pukey at bay does have a negative effect on one's ability to lift weights.

I look forward to not having to do that BSS/Step-up superset...

Nice work Ed! Keep squattin like that and your ass will have it's own area code! And yeah, 209 is awesome! 194 today.

[Steve-O-68]

Originally Posted by milkman21

Thanks chief. (haha I love how demeaning that sounds, and yet I can say it since that's your handle)

I'm using two of those aerobic steps, one under each foot. The elevation is about 4 inches, and the surface is nice and steady.

325 is pretty sweet Milk!

Funny story from the gym this weekend... there was a guy there doing his version of 'elevated' DLs. I was trying to find some 10's for my bench, but couldn't find any. So I'm walking around puzzled, wondering where in the hell all the 10's are, when I see this guy in the squat rack with a bar loaded with all the 10# plates doing his DL's. He had like 16 of them on the bar! It looked like he was DLing a pugil stick!

[EdChap]

Thanks Fin and Steve and nice work, Matt!

[gregl515]

Really great work! I want to be just like you when I grow up!