Yeah Buddy!

[Crazy Max]

I'm starting to have phenomenal workouts. I just got into the iron game two weeks ago, and my last workout was pretty good imo. I added 40lbs to my gluteham pullthroughs, 15lbs to glute-ham raises (felt like it could have been more,) and 25lbs to calf raises, in 4 days I decided to give leg extensions a shot for the first time (as an accessory to hack squats) and did 120lbs for 3x10- I figured that was a bit of a fluke, but today was even more ridiculous.

I managed to go from 60lbs-120lbs, doing pulldowns Arnie style. Next week, I think I will be able to do the whole weight stack.Work sets on dips have nearly doubled, but it worked my shoulders pretty hard and left a weak shoulder workout. Overall though, I'm adding weight at a ridiculous pace. I can't wait to start doing back squats and deads :wicked:.

It was awesome to have all the big guys gathered watching this little skinny guy like me, doing thie weight they use for some of their worksets (on the pulldowns namely.)

I'm starting to think that maybe I was born to start moving iron. This is pretty addictive.

[compleks]

hmm... Interesting.

[JimmyKewl]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qSeVKCtprs&feature=channel

[Leo]

yes it is fun stuff when everything goes right! :good:

Though I'd recommend looking more into a starting strength or 5x5 routine if you're a beginner.

[Crazy Max]

yes it is fun stuff when everything goes right! :good:

Though I'd recommend looking more into a starting strength or 5x5 routine if you're a beginner.

I've got a more strength focused routine lined up. I'm spending the first month priming my body and working on improving flexibility and things like work capacity and grip for that purpose. I'm actually aiming to be one of the few freaks that ends up hitting major benchmarks (or pretty damn close) in certain major lifts (Squats, deads, and dips,) in about a year.

[Leo]

Good shit mang good luck!

You shouldn't have trouble gaining mass with all the munchies you must have.

[Crazy Max]

Man, the munchies is a whole different animal. After leg day, I have to exercise some restraint in eating. For example, on Saturday I had 6 tenderloin steaks, and a 16 oz steak. That's just the meat. On Sunday, I had a fajita with 3 chicken breasts, three big steaks, two bananas, whey protein, parboiled rice with the steaks,naked fries when I got lazy, and broccoli. Monday I think I had 8 chicken breasts. Today I had a steak with parboiled rice, two chicken breasts with rice and peppers, another steak with parboiled rice and broccoli, 180 grams of whey, and some boneless skinless chicken things with parboiled rice and broccoli.

I'm not trying to move scale weight x amount every week though. I am just staying a bit over maintenance and focus on muscle building and strength. I'll cut after I get to where I want.

[DarkXacreD]

I wish I had access to all that food. XD

[Lees Dragon]

Keep it up.
Its awsome to meet people who have this ability.

:good:

[Crazy Max]

I ended up adding 15lbs to my one arm rows today, taking 65lbs for 3x8. 90lbs on my chest for weighted crunches. So stoked on the rows. I love back/posterior chain day.

Fuck yeah!

[Birch]

Watch out with those leg extensions, not something you want to be doing heavy weights on if you like your knees the way they are!

[Crazy Max]

I gave deadlifts a try today, and it was awesome. I pulled 115x5, 135x3, 155x3, 175x3, 185x3, 190x3, 195x1, and 200x3. I think I could definitely pull a 225lb single next week if I wanted to, and maybe take it for reps. I think I may have 315 in the bag by the end of August, perhaps sooner. 405 by the end of 2009 would be epic, but I'll just take it 1 week at a time. Deadlifting is definitely my thing it seems. <3 deadlifts.

[Sakanem]

fuck dude, how much do you spend on food each week

[Confucius]

if you don't mind what's your PFC intake look like and your bodyweight ?

[Crazy Max]

fuck dude, how much do you spend on food each week

I don't know exactly. I'd say maybe $110.

if you don't mind what's your PFC intake look like and your bodyweight ?

I don't log at the moment. I should, but I have a pretty general idea of the calories I'd hit with the foods I eat, and it seems to be working from there. I'd say my ratio would probably be something like 50/30/20 (Protein, carbs, fats). I try to keep my protein in the 1.5-2+g's a lb range. My bodyweight seems to fluctuate between 158.5-160, depending on hydration.

The higher protein intake is definitely working for me quite well. My numbers are always going up quite well, and sometimes I just surprise the shit out of myself-like the deadlifts today, or hitting 70lb one arm rows on Thursday for 3x8, feeling like 75lbs would have been doable. I've had several people with excellent numbers and results tell me to shoot that high with protein intake, and so far, my results are seem to be proof of their advice having merit.

I'm just doing what works for me. I try to keep it simple, smart, and intense routine wise.

.

[Crazy Max]

I may have also been able to pull more. I stopped at 200lbs because it felt pretty solid, and I was getting way too much volume. I did warm ups for box squats at varying weights, pulled a single, a double, and a max set of 6 reps in addition to the deadlift work I did. I kept doing 3's because I was trying to find my 3 rep max set, but it took a while before I got to a satisfactory number. By the time I pulled 200lbs, I was feeling a bit worked (obviously) and decided that'd it be safer to call it a day, rather then try and pull with another 10-15lbs on the bar.

I did do one arm deadlifts with the The Rolling Thunder (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqEBGQLkRhg), to train my grip, and did 4x15 seated calf raises with 135lbs tio finish the day.

[Crazy Max]

I try to work on form, and flexibility, and always do a full body warm up, with joint rotations, dynamic stretching, and lighter loading to start with. I attempt to exercise caution without sacrificing results. My form probably is not perfect, but it most likely isn't horrendous either. Deadlifting seems to be a natural thing for me, but I am sure it could always use improvement.

Squats are more of a worry for me. They feel more unnatural (loading on the back,) and seem to take more conscientious effort and thought on form. With deadlifting it's all mental before I touch the bar, but once I touch the bar it just happens, and comes together. I don't have to think about it while doing it. With squats I'm always thinking and watching at the moment, and improving on things that I don't feel are right. For example, if I didn't sit back enough on one rep, or didn't create enough intra-abdominal pressure,I'd try and improve that on the next rep.

I'm used to deadlifting just because of the work I have done before. It's the safe and natural way to pick up a 100lb case. But it's not like you just start squatting shit.

That's also why I am box squatting. so I can work on form and bring up my hams, glutes, and hip flexors (my weak points in the squat), so I will be able to get out of the hole better when I just go straight into squats.

We gotta lift soon nig.

[Ashtar]

I hate the leg extension, I'd only risk growing bigger quads in presses like squats or leg-raise type movements for hip flexors or something.

[Vegetable]

Goddamn, Ashtar. You and your hip obsession.

[Crazy Max]

I hate the leg extension, I'd only risk growing bigger quads in presses like squats or leg-raise type movements for hip flexors or something.

The thing is, I moved 3890lbs on deads alone. Combine box squats and deads, and I'm knocking on 6000lbs. My posterior chain doesn't love me the next day, or the day after. So to do squatting again on Tuesday, and then murder my back on Thursday, only to lift even more heavier on my box squats and deads than last week on Saturday, is really pushing recovery. The weight is coming on the bar fast. I've doubled or tripled pretty much everything in under 4 weeks. It gets harder to recover each week when the weight is coming on that fast. It's not a viable option.

I can toss in leg presses, some sets on the hack squat machine, or even extensions, and still stimulate some growth without overtraining my back on Tuesday. If you ever add weight to the bar as fast as me, you will understand exactly what I am talking about. And no, slowing down is not an option.

[Ashtar]

Leg presses and hack squats are fine, they're compound multi-muscle movements. There's also stuff like belt squats (don't add weight to the back) or pistols/stepups/split squats (do add weight, but not so much since the unilateral focus limits).

I do understand entirely what you mean, I just don't like the leg extension. Plus it was more of a personal comment. I believe I've got quads which are too strong and hamstrings which are too weak so I don't want them getting even stronger to create a larger imbalance. Someone else with too-strong hams (probably rare) might benefit more from the leg extension.

[urbantrickerB]

crazy max is SOOOFFFFFT YO!

[Crazy Max]

I have to pull off my old back double biceps before pic off my old hard drive, but I can do a 3 week update pic with two different shit poses.

1 week in
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/3286/upperbackgrowth1week.jpg (http://img40.imageshack.us/my.php?image=upperbackgrowth1week.jpg)

Almost 3 weeks later
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/2135/latspreadattempt1.jpg (http://img507.imageshack.us/my.php?image=latspreadattempt1.jpg)

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/9312/nicebackdoublebiceps.jpg (http://img196.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nicebackdoublebiceps.jpg)











I need to learn how to pose.

Overall, 11lbs of muss added in from April 21-May 21. Most of it is probably in my legs.

[Crazy Max]

Calm down boss status!

I'm still months away from boss status. But the difference between the old back double biceps pic and this one is fucking ridiculous. I definitely have to pull it up on the weekend, after our epic lifting session.

[Confucius]

lawl your PCF ratio looks insane, like your progress. I'll try doing that when the alcohol season passes.

[Zeff]

Ya shout me some messages early tomorrow, because tonight is going to get messy for me. We should definitely hit that plan up though. I'm going to have to load on Advil because my damn left elbow/shoulder are raping me during workouts (due to playing basketball for a few hours every day this past month -- I shoot left). Gonna be good though!

[Crazy Max]

lawl your PCF ratio looks insane, like your progress. I'll try doing that when the alcohol season passes.

I don't follow it exactly, it was a rough estimate. The main things I shoot for: 2g's of protein/lb, 60'gs protein pre-workout, 60g's post-workout. I definitely sit on the higher side of protein intake. There's people that will refer to some study about x amount of protein being enough, etc. I know people that experienced better results once they kicked it up to 2g's/lb. I'm having great results in this neighbourhood-better than I would have imagined. Give it a shot, and tell me about the leveling up you pull off.

Sometimes I experience weird jumps in certain exercises that I wouldn't expect it in. For example, I have been able to add no less than 10lbs a week to my lat pulldowns every week. Last week, the jump to 120 was difficult, and I couldn't get the bar down to my chest on the last set (all neck level). This week, I ended up jumping to 140, briefly pausing the bar on my chest, on every rep. On DB rows, I couldn't do all of my sets with 80lbs, but 75lbs was too easy. I was inbetween the two weights. Next week, I'll probably be shitting all over 80lbs. Weird things like that.

Or the odd overnight growth. My biceps are noticeably bigger today than yesterday for some reason. Sometimes I just get a new slab the next morning. I can probably see some sort of noticeable growth no less than two times a week. It's clearly unsustanable, but like hell I'm not going to try and keep it up for as long as I can.

Zeff, my body feels a bit rocked. I dunno what you want to do in the gym, but I'm down for some punishing stuff after box squats and deads. I wonder if I will be able to add 35lbs, and pull 235 for reps. I think a 20lb add-on is doable for sure. 35 would be mindblowing. Who knows. If we have this session, just psyche me up, so I can level up some more.

[Ashtar]

Crazy, I am jealous, I wish I had freckles instead of bacne.