Essential Random Gym Thoughts Revisited...

phcitywarrior

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6:50 am PST. Decent leg day done. It was DLs that really hit for me, legit felt like I was gonna pass out on the last set. Goblet squats were good for adding volume.

Chat GPT gotta tweak some exercises though. Hip thrusts aren’t really for me.

Ideally both. But if you can’t do both then I would do a combination of pronated/supinated (shoulder width) lat pulldowns. Get some nice progression going there for several weeks then when you stall switch to assisted pull-ups.

I would probably say lat pulldowns though I would need to know what your goal is. I would probably do as many regular pullups as I could, hit some barbell rows, and then lat pulldowns towards the end of my workout.

Current goal is cutting weight while preserving strength and recomping my physique. I know pull ups separate the men from the boys so to speak and to me, is one of pinnacles of fitness.

I think I’ll take a hybrid approach that both of y’all mentioned. Good looking, dapped + repped.
 

xXMASHERXx

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6:50 am PST. Decent leg day done. It was DLs that really hit for me, legit felt like I was gonna pass out on the last set. Goblet squats were good for adding volume.

Chat GPT gotta tweak some exercises though. Hip thrusts aren’t really for me.





Current goal is cutting weight while preserving strength and recomping my physique. I know pull ups separate the men from the boys so to speak and to me, is one of pinnacles of fitness.

I think I’ll take a hybrid approach that both of y’all mentioned. Good looking, dapped + repped.
I was huge on them either but once I started squatting heavy again, they were real beneficial. I try to do a few sets at least twice a week now.
 

phcitywarrior

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I wasn’t huge on them either but once I started squatting heavy again, they were real beneficial. I try to do a few sets at least twice a week now.

It was my first time doing them so I’m sure my form was a bit off. That might be why I wasn’t so crazy about them. I’ll try again next week.
 

dtownreppin214

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6:50 am PST. Decent leg day done. It was DLs that really hit for me, legit felt like I was gonna pass out on the last set. Goblet squats were good for adding volume.

Chat GPT gotta tweak some exercises though. Hip thrusts aren’t really for me.





Current goal is cutting weight while preserving strength and recomping my physique. I know pull ups separate the men from the boys so to speak and to me, is one of pinnacles of fitness.

I think I’ll take a hybrid approach that both of y’all mentioned. Good looking, dapped + repped.
My lats started blowing up when I added unilateral work, specifically the first exercise in this video. Exact same technique, kneeling on the ground.



 

Ryze

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Feels good being able to fill out shirts now as a former twig, I kinda feel like a whore these days when I wear fitted collared shirts. Must be how busty women feel. My problem is I don't have the pecs to match the arms and frame. They're pronounced but they aren't massive. Any pointers on gaining large pecs?
 

phcitywarrior

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5/5 on my week “back”.

After Q1 I think I’ll do 4 days in the gym then add another day of heavier cardio, something like boxing or another day of soccer.

My cut has been progressing but some of these fluctuations the past week or two got me wanting to reassess.

Definitely can track calories better, but no reason I should weigh in at one weight on Monday then have it gradually move up until it’s 6lbs heavier by Friday.

I know it’s likely water retention and some inflammation from weight lifting but still. I feel I’be been cycling the same 5-6lbs the past three or so weeks…

Anyway, we move. It’s a process and the process is still working. Let me do the work and finish out Q1 first.
 

dtownreppin214

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Feels good being able to fill out shirts now as a former twig, I kinda feel like a whore these days when I wear fitted collared shirts. Must be how busty women feel. My problem is I don't have the pecs to match the arms and frame. They're pronounced but they aren't massive. Any pointers on gaining large pecs?
What equipment do you have available?
 

dtownreppin214

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5/5 on my week “back”.

After Q1 I think I’ll do 4 days in the gym then add another day of heavier cardio, something like boxing or another day of soccer.

My cut has been progressing but some of these fluctuations the past week or two got me wanting to reassess.

Definitely can track calories better, but no reason I should weigh in at one weight on Monday then have it gradually move up until it’s 6lbs heavier by Friday.

I know it’s likely water retention and some inflammation from weight lifting but still. I feel I’be been cycling the same 5-6lbs the past three or so weeks…

Anyway, we move. It’s a process and the process is still working. Let me do the work and finish out Q1 first.
How is your sleep/stress? Poor sleep and high cortisol levels can lead to retention too. Like clockwork, I drop a few lbs once I get a great night's rest and/or finish a work deadline. If stress from work/life compiles, weight gets sticky.
 

phcitywarrior

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How is your sleep/stress? Poor sleep and high cortisol levels can lead to retention too. Like clockwork, I drop a few lbs once I get a great night's rest and/or finish a work deadline. If stress from work/life compiles, weight gets sticky.

Stress has been fine but sleep this week has definitely been less than ideal, a couple days at work where I was groggy AF.

I’m already razor thin aiming for 6hrs of sleep a night but a few nights this week I’ve gotten closer to 5.5hrs.

@trap101-ETHout-Allegri-In actually mentioned the sleep thing to me when I first started crafting my plan. Said I’d probably need to shoot for closer to 6.5-7hrs.

I’ll need to modify my schedule.
 

dtownreppin214

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Stress has been fine but sleep this week has definitely been less than ideal, a couple days at work where I was groggy AF.

I’m already razor thin aiming for 6hrs of sleep a night but a few nights this week I’ve gotten closer to 5.5hrs.

@trap101-ETHout-Allegri-In actually mentioned the sleep thing to me when I first started crafting my plan. Said I’d probably need to shoot for closer to 6.5-7hrs.

I’ll need to modify my schedule.
Yeah sleep is incredibly important. Bodybuilders nap 2-3x a day when in prep. Poor sleep fuks with your hormones and increases your cortisol - both affect fat oxidation and water retention.

Calories in/out is most fundamental, but hormones are a driver too.
 

The ADD

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Reading some of these replies makes me realize I shouldn't be so hard on myself. I was upset cause I wasn't sure I was going to be able to hit 500 on DL next week:russ::russ::russ::russ:
That was my goal for this week but I had to go out of town for business. Totally threw off my program…….

Going to ramp back up next weekend then go for it the following weekend.
 
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