Rilla wrote:Dude. If what you're after is lat width, the key is pullups, not ultra wide grip pullups, just loads of them at different weights.
I very very rarely do WG, I prefer CG, and close or wider hammer and last time I took a pic of my back, I found my width to be decent.
There's a good article on pullups up on T-nation just now - you should read it.

Ta mate will do. Max battered (not from behind) it into me at one stage they arent necessary...i guess i just forgot with all ze uni work. I get it with all things I cant do or cant have, i must get them lol

Close grip means more weight and more weight is good.
Read the article on T-nation - it's a very good read.

Article

Agreed good read. Shicky maybe give alternating grip a go between sets. So for e.g. first set you do wide grip facing, second set narrow grip facing, 3rd set hammer grip. Mix up the grips for each set.

In an absolute world of pain after the sevens tournament at Sandhurst on saturday. Literally about 40% of my body is bruised including both calves, both knees, right hip, entire neck and entire right side of my torso! Not to mention my arms.

Ended up finishing 4th out of 14. Pretty gutted to be honest, the winners Oxford beat us in the first game 15-10 with the last play, 2 of their tries should have easily been stopped and we had an additional 2 100% chances to score. One of which a retard didnt see me calling for a quick lineout, I literally couldn't have made it more obvious and had to run too close to the 5metre for the refs liking. Another I drew 2 men in and threw a mis-pass to the wing, he had 5metres and no opposition...he dropped the ball.

We won the rest of our games to qualify for the 3rd/4th playoff against exeter. Lost 15-10 again, unfortunately I had a major part in the loss. One of our players was isolated and the ball dropped behind him, I was offside but went for the ball anyway as I was beside 2 opposition players, I ignored the refs offside calls purposely as I figured it was a sure try however he shouted yellow as soon as I picked the ball up so couldnt clear it to touch and take the penalty. Set the ball back down and most people were simply confused and didnt react except one of their players who got an easy score from it. Shit one by me! Scored a few decent tries and sent 2 people to hospital though which is always satisfying.

I also got royally tanked that evening and basically made it my mission to cause havoc in sandhurst. Good times! I however now feel a complete tired, depressed, bruised wreck. Bad times!

Further rage, wanted to hit the gym today to get over my slump at the moment and get back on track. However got roped into playing for a mates footy team in a cup, against the top ranked side in the competition too. Despite my current physical state I was pretty up for it, I find it much easier to push myself on a sports field/situation than the weights room most times. However the arses never showed up and we got a forfeit win so I was left with no footy and no gym.

Hitting the gym early tomorrow hopefully to make up for todays lack of punishment but im back at the uni house with everyone else currently on the piss. Sleep may not be had

Bastards

Kick arse tonight...

Chest and Back

DB Incline Flyes - 4second negs - 6reps - 12.5kg
Rest 10 secs
Incline DB press - 2second negs - 12reps - 17.5kg
Rest 10 secs
Flat DB press - 1second negs - 25reps - 12.5kg
Rest 2minutes

3 Full circuits completed, no failures.

Hammer Chins - 4second negs - 6reps - BW
Rest 10secs
Yates Row - 2second negs - 12reps - 55kg
Rest 10secs
Seated row - 1second negs - 25reps - 32.5kg

Failed on chins on 2nd and 3rd circuit on last rep. Not quite what I was hoping for after basically swearing never to screw up on them again. However looking back I had to dig deep to bang the session out strangely, nearly boked in the changing rooms too. Booze well and truly out of me though!

Think I need to learn to deal with hi-cups a lot better than I currently do. A Cheat meal the other week really fucked up my mind for a day or 2, then the boozing etc at the weekend destroyed me for 4-5days. Really need to sort out how to go out without playing drunkest man in belfast, for the fanny if nothing else.

Tonight its good old uni work all night, certain to be woken up when they crash in later. Highlight of the day so far was returning from working in my labs, going for a slash in the house and walking in on 2 of my housemates doing lines of coke. Nothing major but it was fecking 4.30pm! They're having a mexican day, getting messed up on margarita's and eating nachos/burritos

Shicky, I can just read the anger you have at training at the moment. What is your current injury list? Maybe you ned to take some time out and actually let them heal up?

Or maybe stop giving yourself such a hard time. Training is supposed to be fun!

I do love my training but only when my fat ass is progressing, which it doesn't really as im so inconsistent.

Injuries aren't much of a worry at the mo, my hip hasn't reared its ugly head just yet, shoulder is the same as always really except increased 'weirdness' when doing press-ups. My only problem is the ankle but it can withstand leg work and cardio, only thing thats ruled out is proper sports as it's painful to run but an absolute killer to turn. I got through that rugby tourny on pure adrenaline, especially after it got caught badly again. Its quite funny the state of me at the minute though, 2 of the staff at my gym thought i'd been in a car crash due to all the bruising and tried to make me go home and rest! Luckily me and my rake marks were able to convince one of them it was just rugby.

The anger is just because of the chins really, but im going to address that, ordered a home portable chinning bar. Just that and my uni work spilling over, pretty worried im going to drop my first average this semester, five exams over 10days and it all starts on the 18th....I havent yet started revision as im still doing practicals and projects. At times like this when things build up I get confused how to balance things and just end up screwing all of them up.

Think after exams im really going to break my balls in the gym, photos, measurements, no cheats. I've done it before 80% for 3months and dropped 15kg. Just need to sort out my recovery after a slip up in the diet/piss up front, but ta for the concern GB, much appreciated, I just need to grow a pair of great big danglers like SimonM and punish myself in the gym till everything is right once again.

It's very easy to beat ourselves up mate and because I'm older than you and have less productive days left in my life I tend to be more focused than when i was in my 20's and had "unlimited" time.

Your goals are all achievable and you know that, so you plan will work and I think the home chinning bar is excellent.

The Pirate Salutes you!

Legs

RDL's - 4second negs - 6reps - 60kg
Rest 10secs
Seated Leg Curl - 2second negs - 12reps - 40kg
Rest 10secs
Lying Cable Curl - 1second negs - 25reps - 5kg

3 Full circuits completed, no failures.

No quads section as my knee felt a bit dodgy.

Chins

2 second negs - 4 reps - BW - 10sets

No point flogging a dead horse, might take GBs advice and just turn into a revision machine while resting up injuries. Knee is fine really but took knocks during the rugby and was getting a sharp pain at parallel, didnt fancy making it worse with my history. Ankle is recovering faster than before. As i work best in the mornings (in all forms) im going to stop training then and save it for revision, then if i've worked hard and feel angry (definately will) I can hopefully bust myself in the gym as a reward.

Cheers for the kind words Simon. Need to work out in my head how to get focused. For rugby/footy I basically zone out and im consumed for the duration of the game, I struggle to muster the same attitude for 'beating the logbook' as such in the gym. Sure sometimes I beast it but other times im left lacking. Will sort it out once these exams have fooked off!

How's the injuries mate? and whens the last of your exams??

Ello mate, good to have you back! Been keeping an eye on your journal and the rate your strength is going up is immense, 60kg fecking DBs!? Thinking of a proper HST run myself.....

The injuries are pretty much cleared up at the mo. The hip isnt causing my trouble as its been thoroughly rested, the ankle is pretty much 100% but untested so far but I reckon it'll be fine. Only thing im considered getting checked is my shoulder, its been damaged a long time (displaced AC joint) but it gets on fine really with regard to movement. Only problem is 'popping' which im simply used to and the quite large impact on posture. No real difference in it lately, i've just accepted its messed up but my friend whos a trainee physio described it as 'beyond fucked up' which is concerning lol. On pressing movements my right side does feel strange when compared with left, like im using a lot more front shoulder. Im horribly out of proportion also due to the crushing its caused my right lat basically looks like im some sort of one winged creature!

As for exams had my 3rd today, one more thursday, another monday then FREEDOM! Im slightly worried about the celebrations as people effectively want me to die through use of booze and drugs. But thanks for asking mate.

Something which has got me relatively excited (yes I am that much of a loser) is the realisation that when i've been able to train legs well, i've been busying running quite a bit for whatever reason. Both times when i've got a steady 8weeks or more under my belt i've been playing a ton of footy, rugby or just doing sprints. Hopefully some additions to flexibility stretching and continuous CV work could help me become injury free and this journal can go without 3month gaps!

You still playing footy at all mate?

Damn that injury sounds quite bad, good luck with it.

As for the celebrations go for it, I'm sure you've earned it! Drink your bodyweight in alcohol and then go make a complete tool of yourself and watch that baywatch babe you pull turn into Dot Cotton in the morning lol.... oh the joys of being young!

No football, it was too much on top of my training. My size hindered my usual game and stopped me enjoying it as much anyway so why keep suffering the injuries? Wish I'd got into rugby when I was younger tbh... lost a lot of interest in footy these days really. When shitbags like Christiano Ronaldo are revered as godlike.... you know there's definately something wrong somewhere?

To be fair im just being a fanny, my shoulder allows me to press without pain, just feels different than the other side so is weird. We'll see how pushing for a 100kg Bench treats it in the next 3months! Only thing that annoys me about it is the aesthics, it looks pretty shite and thats with a normal bodyfat, lower and its going to stick out a mile.

Know what you mean about the footy, im all about Mascherano and Alonso, though if the pool sell him i'm dropping them for Burnley! As for the rugby never too late mate, I imagine you'd be similar to Alex and Will in that you could slot in at centre fairly well with your size and fitness

You may well be right with the celebrations but luckily I dont discriminate fanny, any hole's a goal is my motto

Oh and sorry about the weekend