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 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. Loved the training didn't like the competing aspect so I went back to my first love, powerlifting. Injuries have been a part of my life ever since I can remember and were the biggest reason for leaving the sport (I can no longer hold a squat bar on my back). I have degenerative joint disease, have had two shoulder surgeries (right shoulder now needs replaced), one full hip replacement, knee surgery, herniation's in all three regions of my spine, Bone spurs in places I didn't know you could get them, planter facetious, tendinitis and bursitis. 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.
The first exercise was one armed cable curls using the grenade balls. Three to four warm up sets of 10 to 15 reps. Increasing the weight up into a working weight where 12 sets would be challenging. I then did four sets of 10 to 12 to failure.
Second exercise. Standing dumbbell curls. The way I do the standing dumbbell curls or the way I did them for this training session, is one dumbbell at a time. Palm facing up the entire time. Three warm up sets of 10 to 15 repetitions using a real light weight, 15 pounds. I then progressed up to 40 pound dumbbells for four sets of 10 to 12 with a four count eccentric, so each one of those sets was also taken to failure.
Third exercise. Machine curls. The machine that I use for the curls is very similar to a preacher curl. I do not go all the way down, I go about three quarters of the way down to keep the strain off of the elbows. On this I did two warm up sets, because I knew the weight I was going to use wasn't going to be heavy and then got straight into six work sets of six reps, with 30 seconds between sets. Once again with a four count eccentric and holding the contraction for a two count.
Fourth exercise. Muscle Mace Pushdowns. This took me a little longer to warm my triceps up, my elbows up than what I thought it was going to be. I'm pretty sure I did somewhere between eight to ten warm up sets of 10 to 15 reps with a light weight. Just until ... I didn't start progressing up in weight until the elbows and everything felt good, and there was zero pain. Then I progressed up to a weight that was going to be challenging for eight to ten reps, and did four work sets there. After the fourth set I did one drop set of four drops of eight to ten reps, with each drop.
Fifth exercise. One arm triceps extensions on a flat bench. With this exercise I like to bring the dumbbells cross body, so I'll bring it to the side of my, the opposite side of my face to whatever hand I'm using. That way I get a greater stretch and large range of motion on the triceps and I really like to do double sets on these, so once I was warmed up. Which was three or four sets of ten reps. I use I believe 40 pound dumbbells and did 15 repetitions with the left arm. Went straight to the right arm, did 15 repetitions there. Then went straight back to the left arm again and did as many repetitions as I could to failure. Which was, which was 12 repetitions. I did 12 repetitions with the right arm. I did three work sets the same way.
Sixth exercise. Seated triceps dips, and it's the seated triceps push down machine, kind of looks like the dip machine. I bring the seat to a higher position so I'm only going about a quarter dip, so just the top part of the dip. I really didn't need any warm up sets at this point, so I just jumped to my working weight. For these I do sets of six to eight with a two second hold and a contraction, and the slowest possible eccentric I can do. It's usually around a ten count because the range of motion really isn't that big of a range of motion, so it is really slow eccentric. Then I do explode you know to get it back down again. Three sets of ten for that.
Seventh exercise was dumbbell kick backs. With my palm up the entire time. I actually hate doing these. I don't use a lot of weight. I hate the position. I hate the way it feels on my wrist, but it does work the shit out of my triceps. I also hate the way it looks. I even hate admitting to the fact that I even do them in the first place, so I'll make this quick and just say I did three sets of 12 to 15 and there to failure.
Last exercise. Dumbbell hammer curls. Four sets 12 repetitions.
That's it.
