My training History: I trained less than one year before competing in my first powerlifting meet as a teenager back in 1983. Before leaving the sport partially due to injuries in 2005 I achieved my elitefts status in the 198,220,242,275 & 308 weight class. Throughout these years I did have a 3 year run in the bodybuilding world. I have degenerative joint disease, have had two shoulder surgeries (right shoulder now needs replaced), one full hip replacement, knee surgery, and herniation's in all three regions of my spine, Bone spurs (all joints). I can't even begin to list the number of muscle tears I have had, surgical and non surgical. I am "The Mashed Up Meathead" and this is my story.
You can find my training log archives HERE and my most current training log posts HERE.
My best lifts are behind be but my best training is yet to come.
* Unless otherwise noted the tempo of the work sets is about 1/2 of what most would consider normal. In most cases, if I did the set with normal temp what I fail at with 8-10 reps in training I could do for 20 reps with a normal tempo. This is to keep the joint stress down while increase the stress on the muscle. I have found this to work best for me provided the conditions listed in my training history above.
Sunday ... Leg training.
Seated leg curls. Six warm-up sets of 10 to 15 reps, using a plate per side, and then progressing to a plate and a quarter per side. Six work sets of 10 reps, progressing between two and three plates for 8 to 10 repetitions; all sets to failure. The way this was done was to try to get between 8 to 10 repetitions, but if after the first three or four repetitions it seemed like 10 repetitions was going to be too easy, then I slowed the tempo down and increased the contraction and increased the eccentric, so I would fail sooner.
Yoke bar, box squats, 8 to 10 warm-up sets of 5 to 10 reps, weight ranging between the bar and 3:15 ... Three plates per side. Work sets were sets of 10 repetitions with three plates and a quarter per side, four plates per side, four plates and a dime per side, and four plates and a quarter per side.
Leg presses, using a slower tempo than I would normally use. Four sets of 20 repetitions; nonstop with constant tension. This was after two warm-up sets of 8 to 10 reps, to try to gauge what weight would be needed for the work sets. Next exercise: hack squats using a plie stance. It's a wide stance, with the toes pointed very far outward. These were all three-quarter reps, so no lockout at the top. The way the repetitions were performed: take it as low as my groin could possibly handle it, and then come to a three-quarter lockout, flex, and then drop back down again. Three sets of six to eight reps; each set to failure. This, again, was performed with a very slow, constant tension tempo.
Hip abduction, and hip adduction. It's the same machine, so I list them in the same grouping. Two sets of 20 for each exercise; all sets to failure.
Leg extensions, three sets, 20 reps. No warm-up sets were needed, the way this movement was performed. 10 full reps, immediately followed by 10 partial reps out of the bottom position.
Glute press. One set of eight reps ... And at that point my hamstrings and groin started cramping, so training session was over.