2 PR's On Lat Pulldowns

[WalkingBeast]

Nothing major, but KILLED SOME SHIT today on back. Good to see I didnt lose any strength since I missed 2 weeks in a row recently, of back training. Hit 325x10 and 300x18 on lat pulldowns. Upper back felt good enough today with little pain, so I went for it. ThanX for all the encouragement!! Heres the excerpt from my journal:

12-27-04 Monday Back,Biceps,Lower Back and Abs (15 mins cardio) KILLED SOME SHIT!!



Had a good back routine today. Upper back pain didnt seem to be much of a problem. Once I got into the routine I didnt feel much of any pain in the upper back. Its very unpredictable though, it comes and goes. For me this was more then enough reason to KILL SOME SHIT. So I hit a 2 PR's with Lat pulldowns. Pinned a 25lb plate on the stack and did 325x10 reps, driving the bar into my chin on each rep (seems to be my full range on the movement, even with light weight). Also did 300 (stack) for 18 reps before that. I do the same with alternating dumbbell curls, hit myself in the chin with the dumbbells. I left a nice bruise on my forehead once with straight bar cable curls, smacking it on my forehead. haha Love it. Also drove my lebret piercing into my gums once on curls. Fuckin memories..... Lets take a moment of silence to honor this..... Long enough! Maybe thats why my fucking jaw always locks and pops when Im eating. haha. Bodyweight was still at 201. Good to see my back didnt lose any strength even though I missed two weeks of back training prior to last week. My biceps were real tight after training back and they fatigued quickly on the biceps work. I didnt have much time to train, for all I wanted to do today, so biceps was done with dropsets mainly. Ill have to hit triceps tommorrow. I did 15 mins of cardio to keep myself conditioned and somewhat healthier, hopefully. Im looking to add it in atleast 3x a week if not more when possible. I havent done cardio consistently in years. Bicep routine wasnt the best today, but I plan to train them again with triceps later this week anyway. Heres the routine:

("Speed Stack") (201lbs before meals, clothed) (3 1/2 to 4 hours in gym RUSHED!!)

Back:

Lat Pulldowns:

150x15
210x15
240x15
270x13
300x18 (One rep PR)
325x10 (PR.Never went over 300 before. Pinned a 25lb plate to stack)

Dumbbell Rows on Flat Bench:

150x20 (Right arm)
150x20 (Left arm)
v
(counts as one set)

Low Cable Rows:

165x15
210x15
240x12

Cybex Eagle Row:

190x15
230x14
250x10-12 (lost count)

Biceps: (Had to finish quickly)

Alternating Dumbbell Curls:

35x15 (warm-up)

Dropset #1: (No rest between sets. Fatigued quick today.Counting may be off)

60x8
50x4
35x6

Dropset #2: (No rest between sets. Fatigued quick today.Counting may be off)

50x8
40x4
30x7

Dropset #3:

40x8
35x6
30x6

Double Biceps Style Cable Curls:

80 (per side)x15
100x12

*15 Minutes Cardio on stepper*

Abs:

Kneeling Rope Crunches:

190x15
190x15
190x15
190x15

Lower Back:

Hyper Extentions:

15
15
15

 

[yomama]

How old are you? Dont think I ever asked.

 

[d3track]

4 hours in the gym?
did you order in?

 

[eat big]

kneeling ab crunches worked wonders for my abs...good to hear your back in action...literally

 

[TheOak84]

4 hours in the gym?
did you order in?

i think he was dining

 

[yomama]

Beast you are out of proportion, 18arms and 26in legs. Start focusing on your legs instead of your upper body. Cuz you look like shit. Dont make me say it again.

 

[Beachbum1546]

Beast you are out of proportion, 18arms and 26in legs. Start focusing on your legs instead of your upper body. Cuz you look like shit. Dont make me say it again.

i have 16" arms and 28" legs. am i out of proportion?

 

[JohnnyCoho]

Beast you are out of proportion, 18arms and 26in legs. Start focusing on your legs instead of your upper body. Cuz you look like shit. Dont make me say it again.

Do you ever have anything constructive to say? Dont think I ever asked.

Why the beef with Beast or anyone else trying to better themselves?

 

[Synpax]

I hope you aren't pulling that bar behind your head, are you?

I actually do 2x10 with this exercise and it does go behind myhead, but I crunch over and bend my head - I would not do this exercise heavy, even pulling in front of me, because of the stress it puts on your shoulder - esp if you are pulling behind and not rolling forward.

Good luck there. I hope you are doing a Synpax Type I shake in the middle of your workout. (28g of Concentrate, 28g of Isolate, 30g of Dextrose).

 

[yomama]

Do you ever have anything constructive to say? Dont think I ever asked.

Why the beef with Beast or anyone else trying to better themselves?

Well, he threw the beef at me, and since I dont want it, I'm throwing it back at him.

Looks like he got mad and threw a bomb at me....ohhhhhhhh poor beast, did I make you cry??!

 

[psychedout]

Beast you are out of proportion, 18arms and 26in legs. Start focusing on your legs instead of your upper body. Cuz you look like shit. Dont make me say it again.

You have yet to impress me in any form.

Everyone has different goals.

 

[WalkingBeast]

4 hours in the gym?
did you order in?

The sessions were alot longer when deadlifts were added into the routine! Then Id really move slow, and the volume was much higher. KEEP KILLING THAT SHIT BROTHER!!

 

[WalkingBeast]

kneeling ab crunches worked wonders for my abs...good to hear your back in action...literally

ThanX brother!! Yes, I like them just to keep my core strong. They worked well when I was deadlifting. ThanX again brother!!

 

[BOOEY]

Damn bro, how's you get so strong at that lift - I've stalled out @ 200. (maybe b/c I do them last?) Anyway, awesome lift!

 

[WalkingBeast]

Beast you are out of proportion, 18arms and 26in legs. Start focusing on your legs instead of your upper body. Cuz you look like shit. Dont make me say it again.

You wont have a chance to say it again. Youre about to become nonexistant. Youve been warned about flaming before. Its one thing to give an opinion and critical feedback on pictures, but telling people they look like shit, and posting off topic on many threads is unacceptable. Not to mention telling everyone to go on AAS. Youve been nothing but detrimental to the site and the other posters here. Time to eat!!

 

[psychedout]

Beast, you would make my day if you banned him. I would if had the power -- he flamed me to high hell for saying that blood pressure and cholesterol of great concern to steriod users.

He recommend a depressed individual to use steroids to improve his mood.

And so on, thats only the surface of everything he's done.

 

[WalkingBeast]

I hope you aren't pulling that bar behind your head, are you?

I actually do 2x10 with this exercise and it does go behind myhead, but I crunch over and bend my head - I would not do this exercise heavy, even pulling in front of me, because of the stress it puts on your shoulder - esp if you are pulling behind and not rolling forward.

Good luck there. I hope you are doing a Synpax Type I shake in the middle of your workout. (28g of Concentrate, 28g of Isolate, 30g of Dextrose).

Hey brother! No, I pull the bar to my chin, hitting my chin. I used to do them behind and in front. Now with my back and shoulder pain, it doesnt seem like the best idea. I only do certain types of exercises now. If I feel too much pain on an exercise Ill drop it or try another grip or angle. Behind the neck would probabally be more strict too. When pulling in front my upper body and momentum comes into play. My usual ballistic style on certain movements. Strange thing is, I feel more pain on my spinal areas and back when I try to pull the bar down while sitting upright. My dangerous looking form, actually doesnt seem to irritate it. I usually have 2-3 scoops of whey or a premixed whey shake afterwards, if I miss that Ill eat my first large meal right away. Yesterday it was 5 large slices of pizza. ThanX for the feedback!! KEEP KILLING THAT SHIT!!

 

[WalkingBeast]

Damn bro, how's you get so strong at that lift - I've stalled out @ 200. (maybe b/c I do them last?) Anyway, awesome lift!

ThanX brother!! Much appreciated!! Ive been doing them for almost ten years, its one of the many movements Ive stuck with. Maybe thats why. Also, Im not pulling the weight down slow and strict. haha When the weights get this heavy some ballistics are needed! The other part of it is just mental. I get in a TRAIN OR FUCKIN DIE mentality!! haha Keep KILLING THAT SHIT BROTHER!! ThanX again!!

 

[Madcow2]

Looking at your lifts, I don't see a squat poundage and I see you are a lot stronger in the lockout than you are pulling from the floor (as evidenced by the major discrepancy is full range floor vs. rack lifts). Although his comment wasn't PC, I'm thinking he might be onto something as the pretty obvious weakness is your leg strength rather than anything upper body related (I'm guessing you also have a shorter torso and longer legged build). It might do all your lifts a ton of good to focus on some progress in your squat. You can also try pulling deads when standing on a slightly elevated platform or even a 45lbs plate under each foot to work on the low position. I'd bet your leg power is holding you back from some massive gains. Work hard on those and watch all your lifts go through the roof.

 

[WalkingBeast]

Looking at your lifts, I don't see a squat poundage and I see you are a lot stronger in the lockout than you are pulling from the floor (as evidenced by the major discrepancy is full range floor vs. rack lifts). Although his comment wasn't PC, I'm thinking he might be onto something as the pretty obvious weakness is your leg strength rather than anything upper body related (I'm guessing you also have a shorter torso and longer legged build). It might do all your lifts a ton of good to focus on some progress in your squat. You can also try pulling deads when standing on a slightly elevated platform or even a 45lbs plate under each foot to work on the low position. I'd bet your leg power is holding you back from some massive gains. Work hard on those and watch all your lifts go through the roof.

Hey brother!! ThanX for the feedback! Ive never really done much squatting. Very little. I used to do alot of leg pressing and hack squats to the point of vomitting weekly, but didnt get much out of that overall. I would hit 800 for 50+ reps as just one of my sets. Might have been too much. Not sure. Right now Im not training legs due to my back issues, Im lucky to be hitting upper body at the moment. When it eventually heals, Ill go back into some leg training. Im training calves a few times a week, but thats about it for legs now. I may not be deadlifting again in the future either, its really hard to say what will happen. Also keep in mind that when I deadlift it is mostly lower back! I dont feel my legs being used much on the movement at all. Proportion and symettry are also not goals of mine. Id like to put some extra size on my legs though. ThanX again!!

 

[WalkingBeast]

Beast, you would make my day if you banned him. I would if had the power -- he flamed me to high hell for saying that blood pressure and cholesterol of great concern to steriod users.

He recommend a depressed individual to use steroids to improve his mood.

And so on, thats only the surface of everything he's done.

I agree. Ive issued him his first and also final warning. If he chooses to ignore that hes gone.

 

[Ulcasterdropout]

You're lat strength is diesel, bro.

 

[yomama]

You have yet to impress me in any form.

Everyone has different goals.

You got pics posted up?? I'd like to see them.

I'm not out to impress anybody.

 

[yomama]

Beast, you would make my day if you banned him. I would if had the power -- he flamed me to high hell for saying that blood pressure and cholesterol of great concern to steriod users.

He recommend a depressed individual to use steroids to improve his mood.

And so on, thats only the surface of everything he's done.

I think your shorts are on too tight and are cutting off oxygen to your brains.

The subject was about depression and what I said was.... low levels of test do cause depression in males.

And what's all that about blood pressure?? I dont think I've ever commented on that in my entire life. So get your shit straight.

You wont have a chance to say it again. Youre about to become nonexistant. Youve been warned about flaming before. Its one thing to give an opinion and critical feedback on pictures, but telling people they look like shit, and posting off topic on many threads is unacceptable. Not to mention telling everyone to go on AAS. Youve been nothing but detrimental to the site and the other posters here. Time to eat!!

Exactely what is wrong with telling someone to use steroids to get big when they are eventually going to do so and are about to anyway?

Off topic posts? Really? Please point them out for me as Radar has before. Why dont you let me know I'm posting off topic instead of bombing me. Go ahead, show me where I posted off topic.

 

[Madcow2]

Hey brother!! ThanX for the feedback! Ive never really done much squatting. Very little. I used to do alot of leg pressing and hack squats to the point of vomitting weekly, but didnt get much out of that overall. I would hit 800 for 50+ reps as just one of my sets. Might have been too much. Not sure. Right now Im not training legs due to my back issues, Im lucky to be hitting upper body at the moment. When it eventually heals, Ill go back into some leg training. Im training calves a few times a week, but thats about it for legs now. I may not be deadlifting again in the future either, its really hard to say what will happen. Also keep in mind that when I deadlift it is mostly lower back! I dont feel my legs being used much on the movement at all. Proportion and symettry are also not goals of mine. Id like to put some extra size on my legs though. ThanX again!!

The injury thing is rough. People with backs that are much stronger than their legs tend to get injured due to overreliance on their back strength and not being able to recruit enough power from their legs/hips/glutes to assist in keeping their back in a good position. Has nothing to do with symmetry or proportion - the lower body is your foundation of strength. A strong back and comparatively weak lower body is like mounting a heavy duty crane on styrofoam - the crane is so strong it will rip itself out of the foundation or pull in an injurious way to avoid compromising the foundation. I'm hoping you didn't get hurt in the gym. Work on getting better and then rebuilding yourself. I had a pretty serious one years ago - walked like a cripple for months. Nearly passed out when I sneezed. Horrible shit but I came back from it over time.

Legpress isn't a substitute. That exercise is crap and doesn't result in a good translation to functional strength or much in the way of long term results (unless one takes enough drugs but it still creates a shitty imbalance in strength). It leaves a lot of the chain very weak. Full range squating of some kind (no machine/no smith/no nothing) is the key. It will balance the strength of your back with hips/glutes/etc...

Good luck with your recovery man. Do what you can in the gym and come back stronger.

 

[DaveTSI]

Beast you are out of proportion, 18arms and 26in legs. Start focusing on your legs instead of your upper body. Cuz you look like shit. Dont make me say it again.

Every time i see you post its some stupid-ass useless comment. Why dont you do everyone a favor and STFU. If i am correct beast has (or had) a back injury and cannot train legs all that well.

 

[DaveTSI]

Beast thats alot of weight on pulldowns, damn. Maybe the machines are really different, but i barely get 220x8 to my chest, and back is my best BP. Maybe its an easier angle to pull to your chin, im going give it a shot.

 

[yomama]

DaveTSI you need to stop kissing ass.

 

[DaveTSI]

Riiiight

 

[psychedout]

I think your shorts are on too tight and are cutting off oxygen to your brains.

The subject was about depression and what I said was.... low levels of test do cause depression in males.

And what's all that about blood pressure?? I dont think I've ever commented on that in my entire life. So get your shit straight.

Exactely what is wrong with telling someone to use steroids to get big when they are eventually going to do so and are about to anyway?

Off topic posts? Really? Please point them out for me as Radar has before. Why dont you let me know I'm posting off topic instead of bombing me. Go ahead, show me where I posted off topic.

I know I can win against all of your uneducated arguements, but it's simply not worth it. Good evening.

 

[yomama]

I know I can win against all of your uneducated arguements, but it's simply not worth it. Good evening.

 

[WalkingBeast]

You're lat strength is diesel, bro.

ThanX brother!! Much appreciated!! KEEP KILLING THAT SHIT!!

 

[WalkingBeast]

The injury thing is rough. People with backs that are much stronger than their legs tend to get injured due to overreliance on their back strength and not being able to recruit enough power from their legs/hips/glutes to assist in keeping their back in a good position. Has nothing to do with symmetry or proportion - the lower body is your foundation of strength. A strong back and comparatively weak lower body is like mounting a heavy duty crane on styrofoam - the crane is so strong it will rip itself out of the foundation or pull in an injurious way to avoid compromising the foundation. I'm hoping you didn't get hurt in the gym. Work on getting better and then rebuilding yourself. I had a pretty serious one years ago - walked like a cripple for months. Nearly passed out when I sneezed. Horrible shit but I came back from it over time.

Legpress isn't a substitute. That exercise is crap and doesn't result in a good translation to functional strength or much in the way of long term results (unless one takes enough drugs but it still creates a shitty imbalance in strength). It leaves a lot of the chain very weak. Full range squating of some kind (no machine/no smith/no nothing) is the key. It will balance the strength of your back with hips/glutes/etc...

Good luck with your recovery man. Do what you can in the gym and come back stronger.

ThanX for the feedback brother!! Good points. I injured myself in the gym a little over a year ago doing a 600lb "Beast Lift". Its where I would deadlift with the bar behind my legs. That was a lower back injury. I couldnt get out of bed without turning a certain way. Then 6 days later I decided to max out on flat bench, and tore something in my upper back. haha So a double injury really. Im still working around both of them over a year later. Heres a pic of the completed beast lift, never got a chance to get video:

http://www.elitefitness.com/gallery/data/500/4906203November2003_039.JPG

Id like to give squats a try when my back is ready. Could be a while. ThanX again!

 

[WalkingBeast]

Beast thats alot of weight on pulldowns, damn. Maybe the machines are really different, but i barely get 220x8 to my chest, and back is my best BP. Maybe its an easier angle to pull to your chin, im going give it a shot.

ThanX brother!! Some machines definately feel heavier then others. It doesnt usually interfere much with the weight Im using unless the machine isnt lubricated well and theres added friction. Let me know how it works out! Just hit 335x10 yesterday on the lat pulldowns. KEEP KILLING THAT SHIT!!

 

[Madcow2]

BTW - The Beast Lift is the original hack squat. Before the sled machine stole the name a hack squat was performed by pulling a deadlift from behind you. I've never used heavy weight but thinking about the physics of it, I'm betting that it's not too difficult to get your back out of alignment. It's a rare exercise so you have the honor of claiming the most weight I've heard of used in it.

 

[WalkingBeast]

BTW - The Beast Lift is the original hack squat. Before the sled machine stole the name a hack squat was performed by pulling a deadlift from behind you. I've never used heavy weight but thinking about the physics of it, I'm betting that it's not too difficult to get your back out of alignment. It's a rare exercise so you have the honor of claiming the most weight I've heard of used in it.

ThanX alot brother!! Ive heard of the hack squat but the difference is I didnt squat the weight up. It was most all lower back. Thats why I renamed it. Couldnt find my variation anywhere. Yea it seemed leaning back with 730lbs could put some strain on the back. I would do them off the rack with that weight, from the lowest setting. ThanX again brother!!

 

[WalkingBeast]

To keep this thread somewhat on topic, heres my last back routine. Another PR on the lat pulldowns. 335x10. ThanX all for the encouragement!! The exerpt from my journal:


12-3-05 Monday Back,Biceps,Lower Back,Abs (15 minutes cardio) (KILLED SOME LAT PULLDOWN SHIT!!)

Going in to the gym today, wasnt sure what I would do. I was thinking of keeping it light to let my back rehab, but it never works out that way. I cant fucking hold myself back, and once Im in the gym its unstoppable. For some reason, once Im in the gym, I dont feel the pain. Once Im a few sets deep into it. I always feel it outside the gym. But this is good, as I dont give a shit how I feel outside the gym! Aslong as it doesnt effect my time in the gym. Im thankful I can still push it hard and nothing has torn yet. I hit a PR on the lat pulldowns again. Pinned a 35 to the 300lb stack and did it for 10 reps. Also did some Iso Lateral Pulldowns on the Hammer Strength Machine up to 590lbs. But that was only good for 3 short of full reps. Was wearing down by that point too. Hit 17 sets of back work total and then biceps,abs and lower back. Some cardio too. I didnt have as much pain on my spine afterwards though. So Im guessing the exclusion of the Dumbbell Rows might be less stressful on that upper spine area. Makes sense since the dumbbell rows put so much stress and twisting on one side of the body at a time. Especially 150's for 30+ reps. Hopefully heavy machine work will bring up my back size and strength. Also, as many suggested, I have been wanting to try weighted chin-ups. I just need a belt I can strap the plates onto. Any ideas are very helpful. Heres the routine:

Back:

Lat Pulldowns:

165x15
195x15
225x15
240x15
255x15
270x15
300x11
335x10 (PR,300lb stack plus 35lb plate pinned on)


Hammer Stength Iso Lat High Pulldown:

180x15
360x15
450x10 (5 45's per side)
500x7
540x7
590x3 (12 45's and 2 25's, machine nearly maxed. Reps short of full though. Always like to send the signal. Strengthens me)
450x11
410x11
360x11

Biceps:

Alternating Dumbbell Curls:

35x15
75x4
50x13
65x5

Alternating Hammer Curls:

100x5
70x9

Curved Bar Cable Curls:

150x15
190x10

Alternating Dumbbell Curls:

45x9

Double-Biceps Style Cable Curl"

70 (per side)x15
100x9

Straight Bar Curls:

105x8

*15 Minutes Cardio On Stepper*

Lower Back:

Hyper Extentions:

15
15
15

Abs:

Kneeling Rope Crunches:

190x15
190x15
190x15
190x15



KILL THAT SHIT!!!!!