The Flywheel Effect

[Clearwater47]

Lat Pulldown - Close Grip:
Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
Actual = 105 pounds x 21 reps (15/6)
Easy surpassed the goal rep range. Weight will increase 5 pounds again next time.

Dumbbell Row:
Goal = 2 sets x 12 reps
Actual = 70 pounds - 2 sets x 12 reps
This was getting somewhat close to a max. Couldn't have had more than a rep or two in reserve. This weird thing happened for the second time in a row - the first set was noticeably harder than the second. I'd think it's probably because I don't have the movement pattern down on the first set, but I did some warmups that felt just fine this time, and nothing felt any different between the warmups or either the work sets. But still, it has to be a movement pattern thing, right?...

Incline DB Curl:
Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
Actual = 30lb DB's x 17 reps (11/6)
Exactly the same number of reps (and reps per set) as last time. I probably shouldn't be surprised that these seem to get more difficult each week since I pushing closer to failure on the previous lifts. Even though those lifts aren't biceps focused that HAS to have an impact.

Wrist Curls:
Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
Actual = 60 pounds x 27 reps (15/12)
Finally went right to (or to the very edge) of failure on the second set. I'll add 5 pounds next week and plan to push both sets to failure. Between the curls and this I had the best forearm pump I've had in quite a while. Felt good.

[Bolder]

Big forearms are sort of an awesome look, tbh. I think they're cooler than bigger biceps/triceps.

Also doing wrist curl helps starve away from those elbow pain and injuries, that's also important.

[MailmanMuscle]

I think what happens when you repeat a weight on an exercise, and you’re “stronger” on the second set, is mostly neurological or nervous system related. I don’t know the technical terms, but often, if you do a set of an exercise with a challenging weight, you prime your system to handle it. So if you take a rest - not a rest-pause - and do a second set, you may very well handle it better. You “know what to expect” so to speak.

This isn’t technical or scientific, unless you count broscience. But I’ve experienced this 2nd set phenomenon plenty of times, and I think that’s what is going on under the hood.

[Clearwater47]

Big forearms are sort of an awesome look, tbh. I think they're cooler than bigger biceps/triceps.

Also doing wrist curl helps starve away from those elbow pain and injuries, that's also important.

It's kind of sad to say that forearms are one of my best (looking) muscle groups even without really training them. Nothing wrong with a nice pair of Popeye forearms though.
And yeah, I need all the help I can get when it comes to elbow health. I get a little nervous/hesitant with this training because I was pretty convinced at one point that my elbow issues started as a result of grip strain (carrying a heavy ass armoire down a flight of stairs). But strengthening the forearms/grip should only help.

I think what happens when you repeat a weight on an exercise, and you’re “stronger” on the second set, is mostly neurological or nervous system related. I don’t know the technical terms, but often, if you do a set of an exercise with a challenging weight, you prime your system to handle it. So if you take a rest - not a rest-pause - and do a second set, you may very well handle it better. You “know what to expect” so to speak.

This isn’t technical or scientific, unless you count broscience. But I’ve experienced this 2nd set phenomenon plenty of times, and I think that’s what is going on under the hood.

Makes perfect sense. I forget the term for it, but there's a protocol related to this that has you doing a heavy primer set before your main work set. So you'd maybe do a single at 90%, and then drop the weight and do your work sets. I've done this a few times before and it works very well.

Maybe next time I do these I'll try to do a few heavier reps (or even just a few reps at the designated working set weight) to prime the system and see how that goes.

[DCR]

It's kind of sad to say that forearms are one of my best (looking) muscle groups even without really training them. Nothing wrong with a nice pair of Popeye forearms though.

You should go batshit on them and get them really freaky. Unless one is aiming to be a competitive bodybuilder, I think that spending tons of time on "weak points" is ridiculous. One is far better off pushing one's natural strengths.

[Clearwater47]

You should go batshit on them and get them really freaky. Unless one is aiming to be a competitive bodybuilder, I think that spending tons of time on "weak points" is ridiculous. One is far better off pushing one's natural strengths.

I given it some thought, especially because my oldest is obsessed with forearm and grip training right now and he'd probably be happy to have me be obsessed with it too. But truth is I don't get much enjoyment out of it. I like a little be here and there, but if I were to really focus on something in particular I'd want to be something I really enjoy doing. It will be interesting just to see if/how they progress with the work I'm doing now since I've done very little for them in the past. And I'll probably do a forearm workout now and then with the young man just to have some quality time together.

[Clearwater47]

Hatfield Squat:
Goal = 4-6 reps
Actual = 265 pounds x 6 reps
These felt amazing today. This is one of the rare times that a squat has actually felt completely natural. Crushed this pretty easily after struggling with 5 pounds less last time. I made some small adjustments that just seemed to click.

SSB Calf Raise:
Goal = 15-20 reps
Actual = 155 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
I talked myself out of doing these, reasoning with myself that I should conserve energy for the SLDL's. But then I came to my senses and decided not to be a wuss.

Stiff Legged Deadlift:
Goal = 6-8 reps
Actual = 325 pounds x 6 reps
Same weight and reps as last time, but done much more strictly - with a full stop between each rep. May have had another rep or two, but on the sixth rep I slightly strained my left pec. Nothing serious but I wasn't sure in the moment.

Skiers:
Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
Actual = 20lb DB's - 2 sets x 15 reps
Tightened up the technique on this and and was much harder than last week. I'll try to maintain this technique moving forward. Will plan to do this rest/pause starting next time.

Loving the bike so far! Got in an acceptable cardio workout yesterday and used it for a warmup today. I really like having that warmup on lower body days especially. Anything I can do to get the knees moving and loosened up is good. I also bought some pedal straps online because it was missing those. They showed up today and I was able to get them installed pretty easily. The extra stability for my feel definitely helped.

[DCR]

I didn’t know you owned shorts.

Fantastic depth on those Hatfields.

[Clearwater47]

I didn’t know you owned shorts.

Fantastic depth on those Hatfields.

Haha! I live in Minnesota. It's freaking cold here. I'll definitely be wearing them more often now because of the exercise bike. Trying to keep my floor from becoming a pool of sweat, lol.

[Clearwater47]

Incline DB Press:
Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
50's x 18 reps (14/4)
Same result as last time, but less of a grind.

High Pull:
Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
95 pounds x 18 reps (12/6)
Big improvement here. Added 3 reps, and more importantly I think I finally have the basics of the movement figured out - it felt very natural today and was feeling it work the muscles that it should be working.

Single Arm French Press:
Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
22.5lb DB's x 20 reps (14/6)
4 rep improvement. I put the bench at a slight angle and noticed a huge difference. Was able to focus on the working the triceps with no elbow pain at all. Amazing how much small adjustments can affect things.

Leaning Lateral Raise:
Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
Left Arm = 15lb DB's x 28 reps (20/8)
Right Arm = 15lb DB's x 34 reps (24/9)
Not sure exactly what changes here - again just some minor adjustments. Ended up doing 8 & extra reps respectively with more weight than last time. After the first set I thought I must have used the wrong weight because it felt so much easier than I expected it to.

Strong day overall. I mentioned making small adjustments that seemed to help. I can't then overlooked some larger things that undoubtedly helped too... Since it's a weekend (and I didn't need to work today) I was able to get a great nights sleep - over 8 hours, which is a fair amount more than I normally get during the work week. And then this morning I took the 3 year old out for breakfast and we had pancakes, french toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon - so I was well nourished. And finally, I had an extra day of rest. If I'd followed my schedule I would have lifted yesterday, but it just didn't happen for a variety of reasons. So I definitely came into this session well rested and energized.

[SaviorSelf]

Leaning lateral raise - are you leaning towards the weight to get more rom? Or away to start the lift at a harder point?

I did lateral raises for the first time in forever today and these gave me a huge delt/trap pump and felt gentle on my shoulders, can't believe I haven't been doing these

[Clearwater47]

Leaning lateral raise - are you leaning towards the weight to get more rom? Or away to start the lift at a harder point?

I did lateral raises for the first time in forever today and these gave me a huge delt/trap pump and felt gentle on my shoulders, can't believe I haven't been doing these

I've seen them done both ways, but I'm doing them like this:


Also, one of the recommended vids after that one showed "Monkey Rows", which is the same lift I've been calling "Shrug Curls". Never knew this was an established exercise, or that they had a name, but now I know what to call them.

[SaviorSelf]

I'm gonna have to give those monkey rows/curls a try soon. They kind of look similar to high rows/pulls that are supposedly bad for your shoulders, but I bet the dumbbells make them safer

[Clearwater47]

Deadlift:
Goal = 4-6 reps
370 pounds x 4 reps
Added 5 pounds. Lost 2 reps.

Pullup:
Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
BW x 9 reps (7/2)
Did 6/3 last time, so basically the same result. Doing these after deads makes a HUGE different, which I guess isn't surprising.

Shrug Curl:
Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
25lb DB's x 27 reps (16/9)
Not sure how I missed this, but I should have done this with 27.5lb DB's. Ended up with the same weight and same number of reps as last time, but the reps were a bit cleaner.

Reverse Cable Curl:
Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
25 pounds x 21 reps (5/16)
Wrong weight here as well - should have used 27.5 but ended up using 25 again. I'm thinking that for both of the last 2 exercises I must have checked the wrong date (probably looked at the time before last). Anyway, I did 4 more reps than last time. It was done totally backwards though. I just could NOT grip the bar on the first set for some reason - hands kept slipping and on the sixth rep I just couldn't hold on anymore. Crushed it on the second set though. It was a good way to end a session that otherwise was a struggle throughout.

I did NOT feel like lifting today. Didn't feel like doing a darn thing, actually. Yesterday was the first real nice day of the year here and I was outside for several hours setting up a hammock, a swing, carrying bags of dirt around, etc. I was feeling the impact today - just one of those days where I'd be content to just sit on my backside all day.

I'm seeing clearly that at some point it's going to be best for me to take deadlifts out of my programming. Their inclusion really goes back to what I mentioned in DCR's log - the 'Powerlifting mindset' that's so hard to break. But I see that it's really having a rather large impact on the rest of the workout. And they're supposedly in there to help build back thickness, but there are multiple other exercises that can do this just as well with less of a negative impact. Probably the same holds true for Stiff Legged Deadlifts. But I'm stubborn so I'll probably keep them in for a while yet, lol, but I'm going to start giving some thought to what I might put in their place.

[SaviorSelf]

I’ve cut out lifts I don’t like at that time (including deadlifts) for multiple months #noregrets

Gotta do what you need to do to make lifting bearable

And as mike would say deadlifting probably is a poor “stimulus to fatigue” ratio exercise

[Clearwater47]

Walking Lunge:
Goal = 2 sets of 8-12 reps
25's - 2 sets x 12 reps
Not bad. Felt a bit easier than last time even with a weight increase.

Rear Delt Flies:
Rest Pause Goal = 17-21 reps
25's x 20 reps (13/7)

Cable Single Leg Curl:
Rest Pause Goal = 13-17 reps
Left: 45 pounds x 21 reps (14/7)
Right: 45 pounds x 27 reps (18/9)

Donkey Calf Raise (Cable):
Goal = 2 sets of 15-20 reps
105 pounds x 20/14 reps

Workout was okay today. Had good energy throughout. Not much else to say about it.

[Clearwater47]

Bench Press: Rest Pause
150 pounds x 11 reps (7/4)
Goal = 9-13 reps

Overhead Press: Rest Pause
85 pounds x 18 reps (12/6)
Goal = 13-17 reps
5 more pounds than last time - same number of reps. We'll call that a win.

Close Grip Pin Bench Press: Rest Pause
115 pounds x 27 reps (19/8)
Goal = 17-21 reps
Crushed this today. Will add 5 pounds next time

Bulldozer Lateral Raise: Rest Pause
Left Arm: 22.5 pounds x 22 reps (14/8)
Right Arm: 22.5 pounds x 26 reps (16/10)
Goal = 13-17 reps
I never quite know when to stop counting reps here because the range of motion seems to lessen just a tiny bit at a time. Still well above my goal rep range, so I'll continue adding weight.


Here's video of the second set of Bench (I somehow messed up recording the first one and it never recorded... Mostly just wanted to get a different angle to see if the bar is staying centered and level (looks pretty decent).

[Clearwater47]

Seated Cable Row: Rest Pause
120 pounds x 24 reps (17/7)
Goal = 17-21 reps
5 more pounds. 1 less rep.

Hammer Curl: Rest Pause
35lb DB's x 23 reps (15/8)
Goal = 17-21 reps
5 more pounds. 2 MORE reps. Oh yeah! Have to enjoy these little surprises when they happen.

Lat Pulldown - Wide MAG: Rest Pause
105 Pounds x 18 reps (12/6)
Goal = 13-17 reps
5 more pounds. Same number of reps. This is the best these have felt. Definitely has taken me a while to feel comfortable doing them with such a wide grip.

EZ Bar Cable Curl: Rest Pause
35 pounds x 23 reps (16/7)
Goal = 13-17 reps
5 more pounds. 4 MORE reps. The main difference here wasn't in strength. It's just taken me a few times doing them to figure out a grip that works well. I had it dialed in from the beginning today and didn't have any wasted energy fighting myself.

Video shows the second set of all exercises (except lat pulldowns).

[Clearwater47]

High Bar Squat:
195 pounds x 6 reps
Goal = 2 sets of 4-6 reps
Mis-grooved the second rep pretty badly, getting too far forward. Was able to recover and hit my rep goal for the set.

Face Pull: Rest Pause
30 pounds - 2 sets x 20 reps
Goal = 2 sets of 17-21 reps
Still not doing rest pause on these. I'm probably getting close to a weight that will put me in the target range though.

Today was supposed to be a rest day but we're hosting a party tomorrow so it was probably my only chance to get in some work this weekend. Ended up doing a very abbreviated session - only 1 set on squats, and then cut out the Leg Curls and Calf Raises altogether. Workout happened pretty near my bedtime, and I still had other things to get done.

I'm sure tomorrow will be a 'rest' day. Should be back with a session on Monday.

[Bolder]

With those numbers going up, regardless of whether they're the big or small lifts. You should start seeing some bodily changes.

Being jacked or getting jacked is pretty cool anyway.