Bulking - Week #5
NOTICE: This is article #5 of this series. Click HERE for the front page.
I did something to my wrist over the weekend. It hurts when I put pressure
down onto it. I could still workout. It only bothered me on a few chest
exercises.
Monday, September 30th
Bench Press (2 X 4-6) 225 X 4, 135 X 10
Incline DB press (3 X 4-6) 80 X 4, 3
Machine Press (3 X 4-6) 160 X 8, 6
Incline cable Flies (2 X 8-10) 40 X 12, 10, 8
Dips (2 X Failure) 6, 10 @ 50, 10 @ 100
Leg Raises (3 X Failure)
Ab Machine (3 X 12-15)
I wrapped up my wrist before I started lifting. This helped some, but it
still hurt when pressing. So
I dropped the weight from 225 to 135 to see what I could do. Incline Cable
Flies felt like crap. I
won't be doing those again. All in all, this workout sucked!
Tuesday, October 1st
Chin Ups (3 X Failure) 12, 4, 4
Bent Over Row (3 X 4-6) 185 X 5, 5, 4
T-Bar Row (3 X 4-6) 130 X 5, 5, 4
Pull Down (3 X 4-6) 140 X 6, 5, 4
Standing calf (1 X 20, 1 X 6-8) 200 X 30, 300 X 10. 400 X 6
Seated Calf (1 X 20, 1 X 6-8) 90 X 30, 135 X 16, 8
Leg Press Calf (1 X 20, 1 X 6-8) 90 X 50
Wrist didn't bother me at all. My back strength continues to climb. The
execution of each other
feels great. I love working calves! The burn and pain is what it's all about.
Wednesday, October 2nd
DB Press (3 X 4-6) 75 X 5, 3 65 X 5
Bent Over Cable Lateral (3 X 8-10) 40 X 8, 6 30 X 6
Side Lateral (3 X 4-6) 25 X 19, 8, 6
Upright Row (3 X 4-6) 100 X 9, 6
Shrugs (4 X 4-6) 225 X 6, 6, 6
DB Shrug (2 X 4-6) 105 X 6
I haven't been feeling the trap exercises lately. I'm gonna try a lighter
weight to increase my range
of motion and number of reps.
Thursday, October 3rd
Barbell Curl * Skull Crusher (4 X 4-6) 125 X 5, 4, 5, 4/125 X 8, 6, 4, 4
Reverse Curl * Reverse Press Down (4 X 4-6) 75 X 6,6,6,6/140 X 6,6,6,4
Tricep Dip 210 X 12,8
Grip Work
This setup continues to work well. I am going to try using the double hammer
curl bar for the last
two sets of reverse curls to see how it feels.
Friday, October 4th
Squats (2 X 4-6) 275 X 6, 4
Stiff Leg Deadlift (3 X 4-6) 185 X 12, 8, 4
Leg Curl (2 X 4-6) 160 X 8, 6
Leg Press (3 X 4-6) 200 X 12, 6, 6
Leg extensions (2 X 4-6) 140 X 12, 10
Seated Leg Press (2 X 4-6) 210 X 15, 10
Lower back (2 X 10-12) 210 X 15, 12
Squats have not felt right since I started lifting in this gym. My strength
on this exercise has
dropped and it feels like crap! I'm going to switch to 20 reps squats next
week. When I used the
20 rep range for squats, my strength as well as size went up.
Weekly Reflections
This week started off bad because of my hurt wrist. I can never get a break.
Some good things do
come out of misfortune though. I continue to learn which exercises I like
and what rep range
works for me. By keeping this journal, it is easy to recall what I liked and
what worked.
Measurements
| Start | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 |
| Weight | 194 | 195.5 | 196 | 199 | 201 |
| Waist | 33 | 33 | 33 | 33.5 | ?? |
| Chest | 43 7/8 | 45 | 45 1/4 | 45 1/2 | 46 |
| Shoulders | 49 | 49 3/4 | 49 | 49 3/4 | 50 1/2 |
| Lats | 45 7/8 | 48 1/4 | 47 1/2 | 47 1/4 | 47 3/8 |
| Neck | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | ?? |
| Biceps unflexed | 14 3/8 | 14 9/16 | 14 3/4 | 14 7/8 | 15 1/4 |
| Biceps flexed | 16 | 16 1/8 | 16 1/4 | 16 1/2 | 16 5/8 |
| Calves | 16 3/4 | 17 | 17 1/4 | 17 1/2 | 17 1/2 |
| Thighs | 24 1/2 | 24 1/2 | 25 1/4 | 25 1/4 | 24 1/4 |
Weekly Topic
I decided to add a weekly topic to add more flavor to this series. This
week's topic: Weight vs
Range of Motion.
One aspect of exercise execution that I always stress to range of motion.
One reason is, the more
a muscle is stretched, the harder it can contract. Time after time I see
people throwing 500 lbs. on
the leg press, then only moving the stack an inch at most. THAT IS
RIDICULOUS! What are
they working... their hip flexors maybe. I guess it makes them feel strong,
but what's the point if
you are not stimulating the muscle you are trying to target. By choosing a
weight that you can
actually work with, your results will be much better.
There are also the people who choose a weight they can handle, but
still limit their ROM.
The example I see most often is with barbell curls. The person will curl the
bar all the up then only
lower the bar half way down. By doing this, you are not getting the
stimulation that you could be.
It is important to always choose a weight you can handle while still going
through the full range
of motion of the exercise.
P.S. I will have pics for next week.
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