**The Exercise Clinic**

[dec11]

thanks I thought it might of been a bit much and now i have confirmation a friend(polish) put me on it a few months ago got some good gains but its seriously hard work to finish. why deads every 2?because they work so many muscles or?ive been doing 6 - 8 reps 4 sets on deads do you think then id be better going max weight 3 - 4 reps every other week? if so would i increase or decrease sets also?

yes, deads are a big draining exercise plus your legs get torched every week, doing heavy deads every week will lead to burn out in no time. to put it in context, ive come back after up to 3mths not deading and been up at my max with 2wks, simple reason being that all other associated lifts keep it there or there abouts.

pyramid your deads, mine looked like this over the summer (pre toe breaking )

10 60kg
8 100
6 140
4 160
2 180
4 200
4 220
2 240
2 250

also would you alternate leg press with hack squat or just stick to leg press?

in all honesty, id junk the hack squat, ive seen more guys wreck their knees on this lift than any else, i personally cant do them without feeling my caps are going shoot off.

[testchef]

if you've been doing this consistently for this period of time then first thing in order would be a week off, then come back with this for 6wks and then back to your original prog. only two sets for small assistant groups, and warm up to three working sets for the compound groups:

mon incline dbell press
decline dbell press
shoulder press
tri extension
lateral and front shoulder raises (superset)
tri single hand extensions (2 sets overhand, 2 sets underhand)

wed abs (3 different exercise to cover all angles, your choice)

fri lat pulldown
low row
standing dbell curls
trap shrugs (up and down movement, no rotation)
stiff leg deads
standing concentration curls
dbell hammer curls


i trained not dissimilar to your original prog and also cant do legs at the moment due to breaking toes. i implicated this prog around 7 weeks ago and im growing nicely off it whilst allowing more recovery time.
listen to your body, it is most likely telling you it needs a break at the moment, come back after a week and shock it with the diff prog then another week off and back to original and so on.
another tip is to gauge how you feel by session by session, if feeling good hit it hard, if not then go light or skip that session altogether. ive never ever followed a note book, always by how i feel on the day. good luck

thanks for the quick response
if im on cycle now and i take a week off would i be wasting valuable time ?
also the 6 week plan youve set out would that be big and heavy still lifting till fail ?
in all honesty i feel completly nackered some days achy stiff but still notice myself getting stronger so always carry on
do u think im overtraining ?

[dec11]

thanks for the quick response
if im on cycle now and i take a week off would i be wasting valuable time ? not at all, and can be the opposite and give you a big spurt of growth
also the 6 week plan youve set out would that be big and heavy still lifting till fail ?i go all out on the compounds and ensure im always feeling the last few reps on the assistant stuff
in all honesty i feel completly nackered some days achy stiff but still notice myself getting stronger so always carry on achey stiff = not good, and poss injury looming
do u think im overtraining ? yes mate, i do

bolds mate

[DanB]

thanks mate will give it a go much appreciated

[DanB]

but will take a while before my deads pyramid is looking like that lol

[Blaz Kavlic]

ah, one of my favourite muscle groups! my traps are something i always get comments about and ppl ask me what i do for them, alot.

they are and you may be surprised at: 3x12 maximal heavy shrugs, that is all the direct work i do for them these days and have done for the past 4yrs, and its straight up and down with no rotation, slow and strict form with a pause at the top of the movement. some may argue, but deadlifts will play a part in building thick strong traps also. i've always trained traps on back days.

try this for 6wks or so and see if you get results, some muscle groups dont respond to alot of volume and you may be hitting them with too much.

good luck, and let me know how you get on with this, the feedback could help others mate.

Legendary Dec. I'll up the weight as far as I can go when doing shrugs. Thanks for the advice and i'll keep you posted on how I go.

[t-gunz]

honestly dec this a epic thread.

well done

[testchef]

thanks dec alot nice thread il be back here in a few weeks tell u how im feeling

[dec11]

thanks dec alot nice thread il be back here in a few weeks tell u how im feeling

no prob, have a week off, maintain your diet and you'll come back refreshed and better than ever, trust me

[dec11]

Legendary Dec. I'll up the weight as far as I can go when doing shrugs. Thanks for the advice and i'll keep you posted on how I go.

nice one mate

honestly dec this a epic thread.

well done

cheers gunz, thanks for the feedback mate

[dec11]

but will take a while before my deads pyramid is looking like that lol

keep pegging away at it mate, i was once 11st and deading 160kg 1rm

[The Bear 79]

OK, for a couple months now, I just cant seem 2 mak my upper chest sore anymor. Not with barbell or isolated movment (30* press) I'm very well developed in that area, but in my mind, if the muscle isnt sore, then I didn't work it hard enuf or the rite way.

[dec11]

OK, for a couple months now, I just cant seem 2 mak my upper chest sore anymor. Not with barbell or isolated movment (30* press) I'm very well developed in that area, but in my mind, if the muscle isnt sore, then I didn't work it hard enuf or the rite way.

try pre-exhaustion methods with pec deck or flyes etc. another thing ive noticed is that time off helps bring back 'the feeling', you dont necessarily have to take a full week off, just miss a muscle group per week

[The Bear 79]

try pre-exhaustion methods with pec deck or flyes etc. another thing ive noticed is that time off helps bring back 'the feeling', you dont necessarily have to take a full week off, just miss a muscle group per week

Yeah I've been thinkin bout some time off, I'll giv that a try 1st.

[gearbox]

I have trouble hitting my bi hard. I am never sore the next day at all. I tried seated db curls. Then preacher then straight and started cables where your pulling from both side of you into bi flecking. Using those huge cable tower. I feel decent/good when wking out.

[dec11]

I have trouble hitting my bi hard. I am never sore the next day at all. I tried seated db curls. Then preacher then straight and started cables where your pulling from both side of you into bi flecking. Using those huge cable tower. I feel decent/good when wking out.

try doing them on back day

[jimmyinkedup]

Hey Dec - Great thread. Thanks for starting it.
I have a question for you. I am injured right now so not doing lower body but when I return I have been considering the following. I really never established an all compound movement "base" if u will. I have, over the years, on and off incorporated things like deads and so on into my workouts - of course squats have been a staple and so on. I have made great porogress but have often thought maybe I robbed myself somewhat not starting off with this type of base. Do you think when im 100% it would be worth it too "start over" so to speak and utilize this type of workout? Also do you think the "step basck" in some ways as far as adapting to workout before maximizing weight would ultimately pay off enough to make it worth it? IF so - How about showing an example of a sample workout if its not too much trouble. If u have done this for someone here in the past a link would be great. Thanks Dec!

[dec11]

Hey Dec - Great thread. Thanks for starting it.
I have a question for you. I am injured right now so not doing lower body but when I return I have been considering the following. I really never established an all compound movement "base" if u will. I have, over the years, on and off incorporated things like deads and so on into my workouts - of course squats have been a staple and so on. I have made great porogress but have often thought maybe I robbed myself somewhat not starting off with this type of base. Do you think when im 100% it would be worth it too "start over" so to speak and utilize this type of workout? Also do you think the "step basck" in some ways as far as adapting to workout before maximizing weight would ultimately pay off enough to make it worth it? IF so - How about showing an example of a sample workout if its not too much trouble. If u have done this for someone here in the past a link would be great. Thanks Dec!

i wouldnt call it a 'step back' mate. ive went back to scratch many times, after plift comps and after injury etc.

you'll know the exercises yourself mate,

squats
deads
bench press
shoulder press

you could work a three day split and throw in 2-3 assistant exercises.

or you could do a squat, bench and deadlift routine at the start of the week and do assistants at the end of the week in push pull format.

gradually work your way up the weight on the compounds according to what your goal is. i personally mainly worked on a pyramid in my plifting days and it built me a solid strong base

[t-gunz]

dec looking at doing a GVT split done one before. will be still leaning out with it. with short breaks

what you think of 4 day split.

mon-chest
tues-back
wed-off
thurs-legs abs
friday= arms

all temps 4-0-2-0

chest-
flat DB press 10 x 10
30 incl fly 10 x 10

back
lat pull down 10 x 10
low cable rows v handle 10 x 10

thursday
squats 10 x 10 ( thinking this will tax me more than enough
calf raise 10 x 10
decline sit up 10 x 10

friday-
dips 10 x 10
standing BB curl 10 x 10

[JimmySidewalk]

What exercise should i do in order to make the two muscles paralel to the spine pop out ? My superior part of traps is well developed, and so is the lower back, but when it comes to the middle-upper part of the back close to the spine it looks too thin.

[dec11]

dec looking at doing a GVT split done one before. will be still leaning out with it. with short breaks

what you think of 4 day split.

mon-chest
tues-back
wed-off
thurs-legs abs
friday= arms

all temps 4-0-2-0

chest-
flat DB press 10 x 10
30 incl fly 10 x 10

back
lat pull down 10 x 10
low cable rows v handle 10 x 10

thursday
squats 10 x 10 ( thinking this will tax me more than enough
calf raise 10 x 10
decline sit up 10 x 10

friday-
dips 10 x 10
standing BB curl 10 x 10

looks good to me, agree on the squats, KILLER!!! lol

[dec11]

What exercise should i do in order to make the two muscles paralel to the spine pop out ? My superior part of traps is well developed, and so is the lower back, but when it comes to the middle-upper part of the back close to the spine it looks too thin.

close grip rows and deadlifts. squeeze the area on completion of each row rep with a momentary pause. make sure you rotate your shoulders back on finishing off deads

[t-gunz]

looks good to me, agree on the squats, KILLER!!! lol

lol

thanks for taking time to comment

[JimmySidewalk]

Thanks dec !

[black6]

Pull-overs, are they more back or chest? Started doing them b/c they are said to widen your chest frame. Feel like lats to me but IDK. Thanks

["Maximus"]

dec, thanks for the tip man; will definitely try it, as my calves are my kriptonite. Max

["Maximus"]

Pull-overs, are they more back or chest? Started doing them b/c they are said to widen your chest frame. Feel like lats to me but IDK. Thanks

Interjecting here briefly for dec, they target directly the muscles in the chest area but also do work the lats muscles (and other minor ones) indirectly.

[dec11]

Pull-overs, are they more back or chest? Started doing them b/c they are said to widen your chest frame. Feel like lats to me but IDK. Thanks

thats a myth mate, nothing will alter your bone structure. its a chest exercise but lats help to stabilise, hence the feeling in them whilst performing the exercise

[Dr Pepper]

Hey mate just wondering your views on upright flys or standing whatever u want to call it. Better bent I've on a 45 or standing straight up?

[dec11]

Hey mate just wondering your views on upright flys or standing whatever u want to call it. Better bent I've on a 45 or standing straight up?

ive never seen the point in that exercise tbh (assuming you mean with dbells), the weight load is on the delts and pulling gravity down if done standing up. go for the same angle you perform incline benchpress and ALWAYS light to medium weight and high reps, this is one exercise that can play havoc with rotators if done sloppy.

[Dr Pepper]

Whats your opinion on yoga classes, Beneficial to the training of a body builder?

[dec11]

Whats your opinion on yoga classes, Beneficial to the training of a body builder?

ive never done yoga, but the stretching would definitely be of benefit plus getting the knack of isolating and 'feeling' diff muscle groups would be beneficial.

[Blaz Kavlic]

ah, one of my favourite muscle groups! my traps are something i always get comments about and ppl ask me what i do for them, alot.

they are and you may be surprised at: 3x12 maximal heavy shrugs, that is all the direct work i do for them these days and have done for the past 4yrs, and its straight up and down with no rotation, slow and strict form with a pause at the top of the movement. some may argue, but deadlifts will play a part in building thick strong traps also. i've always trained traps on back days.

try this for 6wks or so and see if you get results, some muscle groups dont respond to alot of volume and you may be hitting them with too much.

good luck, and let me know how you get on with this, the feedback could help others mate.

Hey Dec, I gave my traps a right nailin' today doing shrugs only and farrrrkkk. Sore tonight bro! Fuggin' awesome workout. My form is good and I can really feel the traps working. Cant wait for next week.

[dec11]

Hey Dec, I gave my traps a right nailin' today doing shrugs only and farrrrkkk. Sore tonight bro! Fuggin' awesome workout. My form is good and I can really feel the traps working. Cant wait for next week.

good to hear.

[Dr Pepper]

Hey mate. Been dieting to cut thanks to the diet forum and am having great success. I have the middle four abs showing and the top two just starting to come through. Only problem is that the top two are not as thick as the next four. Not sure if it's a stupid question. But is there any exercise to isolate those top to abs or any particular exercise that brings them out?

[dec11]

Hey mate. Been dieting to cut thanks to the diet forum and am having great success. I have the middle four abs showing and the top two just starting to come through. Only problem is that the top two are not as thick as the next four. Not sure if it's a stupid question. But is there any exercise to isolate those top to abs or any particular exercise that brings them out?

as body fat lowers they will become more visible. if you want big abs then you need to train them weighted for reps of 12-15. ive gotten best results from the following:

cable mach. woodchops- chopping from pulley at head height, waist height and finally from ankle height- 1 set at each setting on each side

dbell/plate side bends 3sets each side

abs table mach- hits lower and upper 4 sets




that routine really brought mine out. deads will also develop them to a certain degree

[dtob]

Have a lagging body part?

Unsure how to set up a programme?

Or just plain clueless about the whole thing?

Post your Q's up and i'll have you on your way to glory in no time!!

(Purely for exercise only, no AAS q's please).


i will point out that advice given is within my experiences in 20yrs of training, i dont google and copy and paste. also if im stumped by a particular case i will say so rather than offer up 'guess advice' to make myself look good

Hiya Dec and thanks for doing this
Ok i gotta ? About my left inner calve to mind connection my right one is strong and developing nicely but the left inner calve is lagging, i am right leg dominant so my left leg in general is behind
However i have started working the left leg from top to botttom all by its self on its own day (off day/cardio) day
And i was wondering if you had any advice. Specific to contracting the inner calve any advise is apreciated

[dec11]

Hiya Dec and thanks for doing this
Ok i gotta ? About my left inner calve to mind connection my right one is strong and developing nicely but the left inner calve is lagging, i am right leg dominant so my left leg in general is behind
However i have started working the left leg from top to botttom all by its self on its own day (off day/cardio) day
And i was wondering if you had any advice. Specific to contracting the inner calve any advise is apreciated

train your squat normally, then do single leg on the leg press and assistant exercises (calve raises, leg extensions etc). i personally wouldnt devote a training day to one limb, lagging parts almost always come up to speed over time, unless a trauma has been experienced or there is a underlying physical condition. have you tried slight angle alterations while performing the calve exercise?

somantic motor neurons are your mind to muscle connection and are much to complicated for me to delve into mate, possibly speak to a doctor about running tests? but i will point out that there can be natural imbalances on opposing limbs. i would have sworn my left side was generally weaker than my right when i started out, all is even now.

[dtob]

train your squat normally, then do single leg on the leg press and assistant exercises (calve raises, leg extensions etc). i personally wouldnt devote a training day to one limb, lagging parts almost always come up to speed over time, unless a trauma has been experienced or there is a underlying physical condition. have you tried slight angle alterations while performing the calve exercise?

somantic motor neurons are your mind to muscle connection and are much to complicated for me to delve into mate, possibly speak to a doctor about running tests? but i will point out that there can be natural imbalances on opposing limbs. i would have sworn my left side was generally weaker than my right when i started out, all is even now.

Thanks for the info
Ive been trying to change footing but its hard to feel i think im going to devote 10 min/workout to my left calve for awhile until it smartens up
Thanks again

[bavz01]

Hi dec the problem I have at the mo is everything on the right side of my body is bigger than my left side, bigger bicep, considerably bigger lat, and bigger leg!! How could I even this out or will it happen naturally???
Cheers pal