Offseason log

Physlifter

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Aug 15, 2018
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Today is the first day of my offseason training.  Since my show in June, i've been going at a pace where I can say it's just to maintain, just getting into the gym, trying different things out, but eventually burned out from never taking a break.  I took a full 2 weeks off in August and started back up two weeks ago with renewed focus, getting the kinks out of my muscles for soreness, and now I started my approach over the next 12 weeks.

I am doing Doggcrapp (DC) training.  

I have my three upper body, and lower body days labelled below as a start - and as I tinker with how my body feels I will adapt and replace exercises to become stronger and to stimulate more as needed.  I expect to have failures, success, shitty training days, great training days, days where i'm in limbo.  I will update the log as I do my days and thoughts and feelings and hope you guys go along for the ride. 

Currently sitting at 225 lbs; 20 lbs up from stage weight. Lost some mass, have fat on me, but look healthy anyway.  Time to get large!!


A1

CHEST – Smith Chest press

SHOULDERS – Smith Shoulder press

TRICEPS – Dips

BACK WIDTH – Pulldowns

BACK THICK – Barbell rows
 



B1
BICEPS – Ez curl

FOREARMS – Hammer curl

CALVES – db single leg standing calf press

HAMS – prone single leg hamstring curl

QUADS - squat



A2
CHEST – Hammer strength press

SHOULDERS – Hammer strength shoulder press

TRICEPS – Close grip bench

BACK WIDTH – Pull ups

BACK THICK - Deadlifts



B2
BICEPS – Preacher curls

FOREARMS – Reverse curls

CALVES – Seated calf press

HAMS – Stiff legged deads

QUADS – Smith front squats



A3
CHEST - Decline Smith flat press

SHOULDERS – Arnold press

TRICEPS – Skullcrushers

BACK WIDTH – Hammer strength pulldown
BACK THICK – TBar rows



B3

BICEPS – Seated incline dumbbell curl

FOREARMS – Cross over hammer curls (pinwheel)

CALVES – Standing smith calf press

HAMS – Seated hamstring curl

QUADS – Leg press


 
So today was my first workout A1

It takes a lot out of you!!! Holy shite!  The first two exercises you are going all rawr on trying to lift like a mother@#$#@, but then when I got to dips I couldn't believe how fatigued my triceps were and completing a few sets really went to failure quick (and my definition of failure is when unable to complete a lift with correct form).  By the time I got to doing barbell rows I was actually thankful they were just straight sets instead of the rest pause failure set.

The stretching hurts...a lot...but it's a good feeling.  

Today was a success for day 1, and on wednesday I will start my B1 program.  Onward and upward!

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So today was my first workout A1

It takes a lot out of you!!! Holy shite!  The first two exercises you are going all rawr on trying to lift like a mother@#$#@, but then when I got to dips I couldn't believe how fatigued my triceps were and completing a few sets really went to failure quick (and my definition of failure is when unable to complete a lift with correct form).  By the time I got to doing barbell rows I was actually thankful they were just straight sets instead of the rest pause failure set.

The stretching hurts...a lot...but it's a good feeling.  

Today was a success for day 1, and on wednesday I will start my B1 program.  Onward and upward!

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Looking good brother

 
Today was training B1

Jesus mother @#$*()@#$(*)#@

It seems dramatic but this program is absolutely rotten tough.  One exercise per body part doesn't seem so damn bad but when you're doing 3 rest pause sets after a proper warm up your brain begins to degrade and it takes a lot of digging to do it again...and again.  I got to the squats, did 3 warm up sets...and I thought no effing way am I going to be able to up the weight for my "widow maker" set

Widowmaker - after a few warm up sets, you do a 20 rep set, full ass to grass.  I got to 17..the pressure was so bad in my low back I thought I was going to snap in two, so I held racked it out of safety.  THEN you do the 1 minute hard stretch..OMFG (wasn't so bad with biceps and forearms)..but it felt like my quads were going to rip off my femur.  And that was it!!  Then right to hamstrings.  

The workout itself still took a solid 45 mins to get done but the intensity is just that much more jacked up.  So now I know for the next time I come around to exercise B1 I will have to increase my reps to the full 20 if i can.  Always a progression, and logged in every detail, including how I felt, what was going through my mind, and ways to improve the next time.

And now I wait for soreness..fml

 
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DC training is fucking awesome. Did it for 2 months. Weird working out 3 days a week and only one body part per wo. But with its punishment that’s all that’s required that’s for sure. I’ll be following along man. Keep up the good work 

Cheers 

 
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Finished off workout B2 last night.  The near puke fest continues.

I switched up B1 and B2 hams accidentally so last night I did prone hamstring curls instead of stiff legged deads.  

The near vomit train continued though.  Figuring out the first sets of weights are challenging, partly due to a fear of lifting so heavy and hurting myself, but also trying to figure out what's applicable for rep ranges and true failure in positive movement (not cheating movement).  It's hard where I don't have a spotter to help me grind out probably a couple of other reps to really hit it, but as I progress onwards I should be able to get something.

Now...front squats...blech


Even though this was just a plate and a half it was near murder on these legs, but that wasn't even it!  The next final set I dropped back down to "Just" a plate, and pumped out my widowmaker 20 rep set.  The razor burning and cramping and pain and pressure from that set was so severe it was like being ripped apart inside...couldn't find a position of comfort and while I was doing my intense stretch it made it even worse.  Someone tried to talk to me and I was gasping, moaning, couldn't get two words out until I was able to get the blood rush out.  It's just remarkable that only one exercise per body part can completely obliterate your muscles that way.  I'm really hoping to get some great growth from this!! Now it's just about eating eating eating but staying lean(ish).  I got a couple of pairs of pants that if I can't fit them on I have to lean up some so it's motivating to do this without going out of control.

 
So i've gone through all training days, and restarted at A1 yesterday.  I was able to get through the previous record easier and notice considerable increases in strength already, but that may account to the gear i'm on as well.  I'm also more confident, less worried about injury and the painful soreness afterwards.  Today is just cardio only, tomorrow is workout B1 again.

Diet is going well, but not as plentiful as i'd like.  There's still a mental block that's not allowing me to get the amount of carbs in I need for fear of getting fat.  Granted, i'm still plugging away probably at minimum 3000 cals a day, with 250 g of protein, but I want 300 g of that plus around 300-400 g of carbs.   I'll get over it eventually as this is long term, but there's still a strong mental game to this.

 
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238 lbs starting my 3rd rotation of DC training.

Gotta say, I love this program. New PRs all the time, and I'm "only" training 3 times a week. New ways of finding strength. It's unfortunate I have no training partner or I feel I could even push harder. If I could critique myself it's that I am not eating enough. Still having a mental block but I'm coming out of it. 

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238 lbs starting my 3rd rotation of DC training.

Gotta say, I love this program. New PRs all the time, and I'm "only" training 3 times a week. New ways of finding strength. It's unfortunate I have no training partner or I feel I could even push harder. If I could critique myself it's that I am not eating enough. Still having a mental block but I'm coming out of it. 

View attachment 475

View attachment 476
Looking awesome ?

 
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239 this morning

Stronger, bigger, snoring more (wife hates that). Eating more too. 

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232.4 today. I dropped a ton of water weight. Gonna need to get more control over sodium, estrogen likely from the cycle, whatever else.  But new pics make me look even bigger!

Nevermind the resting asshole face I have (always).  Crazy growth happening now from my training. I wish I could be this big on stage! 

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Been a bit since an update

I completed a few rounds of this and thoroughly felt my nervous system shot to hell.  It was at the point I was getting bad anxiety before every gym session, was more sore than usual, and was very restless, so I spent the last week deloading with light exercise for pump and to recharge my brain.

So today I restarted my A1 workout, so these were my final rest-pause lifts:

Smith Bench: 315 for 6, 2, 1 = 9

Smith Shoulder Press: 205 for 6, 1, 1 = 8

Dips with 55 lbs chain attached for 15

Pulldowns 120 kg for 5, 3, 3 = 11

Barbell row straight sets finished with two sets of 275 x5

Funny thing, my weight has been up and down like a toilet seat - I was 229.4 yesterday morning...i had a bad stressful week with my wife and wasn't eating as much, did a bit more cardio, so may have lost the water and perhaps a bit of fat.  But the strength gains are nutso and with all the challenges of this program the results are crazy.  I've grown 7/8" on my quads in 6-7 weeks.  So now my cold leg size is my previous pumped size.

Will see how I go with the second phase now that i'm approaching my major limits before I will likely need exercise swaps.  Another 5-6 weeks of gear left before I break for TRT.

 
So after a solid 2 months of training this style, i'm calling it quits for a few weeks to go back to conventional training.

Even on the sauce, my body is broke.  

I can't sleep anymore without waking up every hour or two, my eyes are twitching all day long, generally run down, tired, aching everywhere.  Before I would lift i'd get anxiety about beating the log or the stress imposed on my body from it.  Essentially, i'm burned out.

I was back up in weight to 238.6 yesterday and holding, but even with the training it actually crushed my desire to eat food.  So I started this log at 225 lbs and i'm up 13-14 pounds.  I consider that a success.

Will I do DC again? Absolutely!  Doing a normal arm workout last night I could feel a different intensity and strength through movements i've done previously but not on the log, and it felt really raw and powerful.  So I know going forward with normal training for a few weeks (maybe until the new year), I will be upping my intensity significantly to what I thought previously.

But this shit takes a lot out of you.  I recommend it to those who are crazy enough to do something different, and to really stick wtih it for the 6-8 weeks.

Some updated pics being all fluffy and stuff.  

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most muscular.jpg

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