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[Luolamies]

I don't think that the smith-machine is cheating per se. You can cheat on allmost any exercise. When you are handleling some serious weights and i'm talking about STRONGMEN WEIGHTS HERE, the smith can be a usefull tool for some special technics such as ultra heavy drop sets. Of course regular BB abd DB movements are important too, but don't count out the smith, just because you don't like it...

[Rimbaud]

I don't think that the smith-machine is cheating per se. You can cheat on allmost any exercise. When you are handleling some serious weights and i'm talking about STRONGMEN WEIGHTS HERE, the smith can be a usefull tool for some special technics such as ultra heavy drop sets. Of course regular BB abd DB movements are important too, but don't count out the smith, just because you don't like it...

Agreed. I personally think people like it because it makes them look stronger (i.e. pushing more weight).

[Arnold jr]

Squats take me forever to recover from.........cortisol, the stress hormone that tears down muscle tissue.



DIV

Yeah squats can be a bitch to recover from. Personally though, if I am squatting regularly, heavy and all out pretty much on a wkly basis, my legs will be bigger then if I hadn't been. I haven't been squatting all that heavy in the past 6 or 8 months and I can tell a huge difference in the size of my thighs.

[Luv2Hurt]

Yeah squats can be a bitch to recover from. Personally though, if I am squatting regularly, heavy and all out pretty much on a wkly basis, my legs will be bigger then if I hadn't been. I haven't been squatting all that heavy in the past 6 or 8 months and I can tell a huge difference in the size of my thighs.

Me too, the sweep starts to lose size, If i back off the squats.  Hams and glutes are bigger when squatting also.

sucks cause it takes tons of wherewithal to train legs hard and proper.

As big a weight as you can move for as many reps as you can.  Legs need big weight and lots of reps with that for growth.  Hard to get pumped to face that much pain. 

[DIVISION]

Yeah squats can be a bitch to recover from. Personally though, if I am squatting regularly, heavy and all out pretty much on a wkly basis, my legs will be bigger then if I hadn't been. I haven't been squatting all that heavy in the past 6 or 8 months and I can tell a huge difference in the size of my thighs.

Between the girlfriend, the magazine and your PT schedule I have a feeling Arnold Jr. has been slacking.....

Just a hunch.



DIV

[Arnold jr]

Between the girlfriend, the magazine and your PT schedule I have a feeling Arnold Jr. has been slacking.....

Just a hunch.



DIV

Oh, your hunch is correct, no question. Still lifting regularly just not as intense and as heavy as in the past and still eating very clean just not as much. Do cardio usually 5 days a week 30-45min at a moderate pace.

Just don't have the time and ability right now to put the energy into all out insane training. My BF got too high for my liking this spring, right at about 15%...I've managed to drop it a couple points and stay at the same weight which is not easy to do but I've gotten pretty efficient with my diet over the past few years. Needless to say my strength is not what it has been, and I weighed less the past 10 months then I ever have unless I was dieted down...205.

So what will alacking do for you? If I look at my numbers from 1 year ago it's pretty amazing in a sad sort of way, lol!

Bench: 315lbs for 11 reps...now, 315lbs for 2-3 really hard reps
Squats: 455lbs for 8-10 good reps...now 315lbs is the most I've squatted in a while and 10 reps is pretty brutal
Deads: 50olbs for 8 pretty hard reps...now 405lbs for 6-7 reps nearly breaks my back but I can do it.

Body weight this time last year: 203lbs this was right after a diet...the diet ended at 194ish pounds 4.3% BF at 203lbs I was still in single digit BF, could still see things well and still vascular.

By this May I was 206lbs 14.9% BF, 3wks ago 205lbs 13% BF.

My plan: just started a diet today...going to drop around 15lbs, which should be more then enough to get me into single digit BF. Weight training schedule will have to remain like it is now just sort of maintenance. Once I lose the 15lbs I will hold there for a little while to let my body get accustomed and then shortly after begin a very mild bulking cycle/diet...will be very clean...more then anything the whole point of it will just be to fill out and create a tighter look so I can look at least half way decent for the new website and my video profile...plus I don't want to look like an ass when we start covering shows and working expos.

As of right now I have no plans on getting back to serious bulking and contest dieting. It takes so much time, money and effort and my focuses are elsewhere. However, I can pretty much guarantee you that I will do all that again at some point, I still want to...I just can't say when at the moment...I do miss the really hard training and I miss it a lot. Right now, money calls.

[Rimbaud]

This weekend I put it an new sink in the bathroom & now my fucking dishwasher takes a shit. Aaaaarrrrggghh! 

[Princess L]

This weekend I put it an new sink in the bathroom & now my fucking dishwasher takes a shit. Aaaaarrrrggghh! 

I could easily live without a dishwasher.  I hardly ever use mine.

[Overload]

I could easily live without a dishwasher.  I hardly ever use mine.

My Vietnamese girlfriend and her family refuse to use one as well and their dishes always look new.

Just checking in, been so busy i have only logged in twice the last few weeks.

Busy is such a strange word, i'm slow at work due to the housing market, i'm finally done with my Masters, i don't compete anymore, yet i have one million things to do every day. What happen?

I swear the last 2 months have been the most insane of my life in so many ways. i haven't lifted seriously in so long i can't remember the last time i pushed myself to the limit.

Arnold and I are in the same boat, after over 10 years of training like an animal, i could care less, all i want to do is get my business going, but i can't with the industry the way it is.

Someone talk some sense into me, i'm eating junk food and training like a pansy, but i still won't use the smith machine!

I hit 30 and life changes so much...odd.

[Rimbaud]

I could easily live without a dishwasher.  I hardly ever use mine.

Normally I could to but we don't have a ton of counter space. So there's not a lot of room for a drying rack.

[Arnold jr]

My Vietnamese girlfriend and her family refuse to use one as well and their dishes always look new.

Just checking in, been so busy i have only logged in twice the last few weeks.

Busy is such a strange word, i'm slow at work due to the housing market, i'm finally done with my Masters, i don't compete anymore, yet i have one million things to do every day. What happen?

I swear the last 2 months have been the most insane of my life in so many ways. i haven't lifted seriously in so long i can't remember the last time i pushed myself to the limit.

Arnold and I are in the same boat, after over 10 years of training like an animal, i could care less, all i want to do is get my business going, but i can't with the industry the way it is.

Someone talk some sense into me, i'm eating junk food and training like a pansy, but i still won't use the smith machine!

I hit 30 and life changes so much...odd.

I still have a handle on the junk food...it's the training like a 4 year old boy that's getting me, lol!

Thing is Overload, you probably have more sense right now then you ever have in the past. The way I look at it, I can put more focus into things that are going to fatten my pocket book for a little while and then I can lift like an animal all I want.

[Overload]

I've got to tell you guys how disgusted I am with the Executives in our company and just corporate American in general.  I've got a first had view since I report directly to the CEO and therefore interact with the managment team on a regular basis.  They are the most dishonest and greedy group of people I've come across.  They would do anything to line their pockets and protect their jobs, even at the expense of the other people in the company.  I could give you numerous examples that would disgust you.

They've manipulated the compensation system over the last few years to their own benefit.  Now since we are facing a liquidity crisis, they've assigned me to a team to find ways to cut costs.  Part of the initiative is to plan and conduct a "RIF" or Reduction in Force.  We have 4,700 employees and will likely get rid of about 10%.  Keep in mind that they just worked it out so they still get their bonus, but the rest of the employees will not get merit increases, bonuses, etc.  It disgusts me...we can afford to pay the execs $50MM in bonuses, but we can't afford to keep these employees?

Welcome to Overload's world! Stay a while, you will find it very similar to a root canal gone wrong!

So, the company i work for sounds like yours, but we only have 80 employees. I'm the head of my department(30 people) and times are tough, we lay off 15 people in the entire company, times are still tough, making very little profit. SO, i go over the numbers and decide to cut some high paid Engineers who do exactly NOTHING except go to meetings once a week, they charge overhead 80% of the time and make 6 figures, so do the math. I tell the owner to lay off 4 engineers and 2 guys in marketing, he agrees...WELL, the VP didn't like this idea, so instead of following my advice, he lays off 4 admin and 4 CAD Designers who had plenty of work to do and were 100% billable, one of them had a 108% utility rating...anyhow 2 months go by, times are still tough so they put ALL salaries on hold, no bonus', no company outings/golf/parties. 2 more months go by. Things have been decent since then, making more money, but still slow. well the VP thought he was such a badass for doing this that he gives HIMSELF a 30k a year salary increase WITH a 10k Xmas bonus on the way and tells me to inform my department that salaries are on hold through July 2009, including mine...talk about bullshit. i get paid to make those decisions and he overpowers me and puts the company in a horrible position, the department looks like an upside down triangle, not a pyramid. We have 4 Engineers for every Designer, it's supposed to be the other way around!

The above all happen in about 1 year, so keep that in mind.

I can't wait to start my own business!!!

[Overload]

I still have a handle on the junk food...it's the training like a 4 year old boy that's getting me, lol!

Thing is Overload, you probably have more sense right now then you ever have in the past. The way I look at it, I can put more focus into things that are going to fatten my pocket book for a little while and then I can lift like an animal all I want.

I agree with you there, even my family has commented on my more "business like" approach to everything lately.

I hate training lazy, i mean seriously, i haven't been excited to hit the weights in a while.

I just want the DRIVE back! i do have injuries, but not bad enough to keep me from moving heavy weights.

I'm going to watch some Ronnie DVD's this week, i need some motivation.

[StillTippin]

Welcome to Overload's world! Stay a while, you will find it very similar to a root canal gone wrong!

So, the company i work for sounds like yours, but we only have 80 employees. I'm the head of my department(30 people) and times are tough, we lay off 15 people in the entire company, times are still tough, making very little profit. SO, i go over the numbers and decide to cut some high paid Engineers who do exactly NOTHING except go to meetings once a week, they charge overhead 80% of the time and make 6 figures, so do the math. I tell the owner to lay off 4 engineers and 2 guys in marketing, he agrees...WELL, the VP didn't like this idea, so instead of following my advice, he lays off 4 admin and 4 CAD Designers who had plenty of work to do and were 100% billable, one of them had a 108% utility rating...anyhow 2 months go by, times are still tough so they put ALL salaries on hold, no bonus', no company outings/golf/parties. 2 more months go by. Things have been decent since then, making more money, but still slow. well the VP thought he was such a badass for doing this that he gives HIMSELF a 30k a year salary increase WITH a 10k Xmas bonus on the way and tells me to inform my department that salaries are on hold through July 2009, including mine...talk about bullshit. i get paid to make those decisions and he overpowers me and puts the company in a horrible position, the department looks like an upside down triangle, not a pyramid. We have 4 Engineers for every Designer, it's supposed to be the other way around!

The above all happen in about 1 year, so keep that in mind.

I can't wait to start my own business!!!

Does the owner not see what is happening here?  Sounds like the VP needs to be cut loose and give you a crack at it.  I know it's not as cut and dry as that but seriously I don't know how some of these people get and keep their positions.

[Overload]

Does the owner not see what is happening here?  Sounds like the VP needs to be cut loose and give you a crack at it.  I know it's not as cut and dry as that but seriously I don't know how some of these people get and keep their positions.

There is much more too it...

The current owner is the original owners son, the VP helped start the original company with the father many years ago who is now dead, so he has some senority since he actually started the company. the funny thing is the VP is getting ready to retire, so i don't understand why he is doing this, he is already filthy rich.

They paid for my masters so i could be in my position, now they won't listen and the company is sinking slowly.

I'm out soon, but i still want to turn this place around.

[Princess L]

Welcome to Overload's world! Stay a while, you will find it very similar to a root canal gone wrong!

So, the company i work for sounds like yours, but we only have 80 employees. I'm the head of my department(30 people) and times are tough, we lay off 15 people in the entire company, times are still tough, making very little profit. SO, i go over the numbers and decide to cut some high paid Engineers who do exactly NOTHING except go to meetings once a week, they charge overhead 80% of the time and make 6 figures, so do the math. I tell the owner to lay off 4 engineers and 2 guys in marketing, he agrees...WELL, the VP didn't like this idea, so instead of following my advice, he lays off 4 admin and 4 CAD Designers who had plenty of work to do and were 100% billable, one of them had a 108% utility rating...anyhow 2 months go by, times are still tough so they put ALL salaries on hold, no bonus', no company outings/golf/parties. 2 more months go by. Things have been decent since then, making more money, but still slow. well the VP thought he was such a badass for doing this that he gives HIMSELF a 30k a year salary increase WITH a 10k Xmas bonus on the way and tells me to inform my department that salaries are on hold through July 2009, including mine...talk about bullshit. i get paid to make those decisions and he overpowers me and puts the company in a horrible position, the department looks like an upside down triangle, not a pyramid. We have 4 Engineers for every Designer, it's supposed to be the other way around!

The above all happen in about 1 year, so keep that in mind.

I can't wait to start my own business!!!

There is much more too it...

The current owner is the original owners son, the VP helped start the original company with the father many years ago who is now dead, so he has some senority since he actually started the company. the funny thing is the VP is getting ready to retire, so i don't understand why he is doing this, he is already filthy rich.

They paid for my masters so i could be in my position, now they won't listen and the company is sinking slowly.

I'm out soon, but i still want to turn this place around.

I was going to say this sounds like a family owned business.  No matter what you say, you're still an outsider.  In the long run, they will not have loyalty towards you.  Look out for number one.

[Arnold jr]

There is much more too it...

The current owner is the original owners son, the VP helped start the original company with the father many years ago who is now dead, so he has some senority since he actually started the company. the funny thing is the VP is getting ready to retire, so i don't understand why he is doing this, he is already filthy rich.

They paid for my masters so i could be in my position, now they won't listen and the company is sinking slowly.

I'm out soon, but i still want to turn this place around.

I feel you. It's very hard to stay motivated in the gym if I don't have some goal in mind...at least it is for me.

I still enjoy lifting, but it has definitely calmed down a little bit.

[Luv2Hurt]

I feel you. It's very hard to stay motivated in the gym if I don't have some goal in mind...at least it is for me.

I still enjoy lifting, but it has definitely calmed down a little bit.

I find this troubling. 

Although AJ's easy days would have most mere mortals lying on the gym floor, needing to sleep from exhaustion.  So him saying he has backed off means he is still training harder than Dorian.

[Rimbaud]

I feel you. It's very hard to stay motivated in the gym if I don't have some goal in mind...at least it is for me.

I still enjoy lifting, but it has definitely calmed down a little bit.

Amen but even when I find it hard to drag my ass to the gym I find it's almost impossible to leave once I get there.

[Arnold jr]

I find this troubling. 

Although AJ's easy days would have most mere mortals lying on the gym floor, needing to sleep from exhaustion.  So him saying he has backed off means he is still training harder than Dorian.

You know Luv, for years I was "That Guy" that would spend 2 and half, three hours in the gym every day, 7 days a wk. And I don't mean just spending time in the gym, but actually lifting hard for that long every day. In the beginning it just made sense to me...do more grow more. After a few years I knew this wasn't right but I didn't care...I liked lifting so much that cutting back any just wasn't going to happen.

Anyway, the last few years I calmed down from that insanity, lol! I've still lifted extremely hard, but have tried to kill myself in an hour tops each time...sometimes less, just depends on the body part. As you can imagine the progress was a lot better this way.

However...and I am ashamed to say it on a bodybuilding board, lol, but Div was right, I have been slacking. Trying to concentrate more on work, coupled with some nagging injuries (shoulders & back) and to top it off relationship drama, I have not been at my best for the last 8 or 9 months when it comes to training. Like I said, my diet is still in check, I refuse to ever turn into a fat ass.

My plan for now is simple, drop about 15lbs, which will have me weighing less then I have in...well, honestly I couldn't tell you how long its been since I last weighed 190lbs. Just need to make sure I look decent for the video stuff, and there is not enough time to pile on a bunch of quality size before hand. I'm sure I'll get back to the Arnold jr way of life to some extent at some point...just can't say exactly when...but the desire is still there.

[StillTippin]

My plan for now is simple, drop about 15lbs, which will have me weighing less then I have in...well, honestly I couldn't tell you how long its been since I last weighed 190lbs. Just need to make sure I look decent for the video stuff, and there is not enough time to pile on a bunch of quality size before hand. I'm sure I'll get back to the Arnold jr way of life to some extent at some point...just can't say exactly when...but the desire is still there.

Video stuff?  Is that for the website that you've been working on?  If so, what are the videos about?  Are they demonstrations or just general advice?  Sorry if you've covered this already, I must have missed it.  I just remember you talking about the site you're building.

[Overload]

I feel you. It's very hard to stay motivated in the gym if I don't have some goal in mind...at least it is for me.

I still enjoy lifting, but it has definitely calmed down a little bit.

Goals always determine my drive, it has always been that way for me.

I've been thinking about competeing RAW this Feb against a fellow getbigger in Texas. I thought this would motivate me and it did, but for only a few months.

I just don't have that destroy the weights attitude like i had in the past.

Maybe i just needed a break? hopefully i will return to training hard here after the holidays when things might slow down.

You know when you hit rep 6 and it gets tough? i used to get worked up and crank out 5 more, now i just do 1 more and rack the weight...lame, i know, but i just don't have that FIRE anymore.

I'm not training too lazy, i think i still train harder than 90% of the population, but that isn't saying much. i enjoy doing higher rep stuff lately, instead of the gut busting triples and doubles.

[DIVISION]

I still have a handle on the junk food...it's the training like a 4 year old boy that's getting me, lol!

You know Luv, for years I was "That Guy" that would spend 2 and half, three hours in the gym every day, 7 days a wk. And I don't mean just spending time in the gym, but actually lifting hard for that long every day. In the beginning it just made sense to me...do more grow more. After a few years I knew this wasn't right but I didn't care...I liked lifting so much that cutting back any just wasn't going to happen.

Anyway, the last few years I calmed down from that insanity, lol! I've still lifted extremely hard, but have tried to kill myself in an hour tops each time...sometimes less, just depends on the body part. As you can imagine the progress was a lot better this way.

However...and I am ashamed to say it on a bodybuilding board, lol, but Div was right, I have been slacking. Trying to concentrate more on work, coupled with some nagging injuries (shoulders & back) and to top it off relationship drama, I have not been at my best for the last 8 or 9 months when it comes to training. Like I said, my diet is still in check, I refuse to ever turn into a fat ass.

My plan for now is simple, drop about 15lbs, which will have me weighing less then I have in...well, honestly I couldn't tell you how long its been since I last weighed 190lbs. Just need to make sure I look decent for the video stuff, and there is not enough time to pile on a bunch of quality size before hand. I'm sure I'll get back to the Arnold jr way of life to some extent at some point...just can't say exactly when...but the desire is still there.

Look at it like this....

You can suffer a lil' bit of pain now or ALOT of pain later........

The decision to cut back on training will come back to haunt you at some point later on.

You can't fool your body....

I just don't have that destroy the weights attitude like i had in the past.

Maybe i just needed a break? hopefully i will return to training hard here after the holidays when things might slow down.

You know when you hit rep 6 and it gets tough? i used to get worked up and crank out 5 more, now i just do 1 more and rack the weight...lame, i know, but i just don't have that FIRE anymore.

I'm not training too lazy, i think i still train harder than 90% of the population, but that isn't saying much. i enjoy doing higher rep stuff lately, instead of the gut busting triples and doubles.

As you get older you have to pick and choose what days you will max out and which days you will simply put in a workout.

That doesn't mean you cut back on intensity, but you won't always be able to push maxes like you did when you were younger.

It's not the strength that goes, it's the endurance in the upper strength levels that goes.......

Until you condition your body back to where it was, you won't have the desire.

Part of it is seeing the weight you are moving, the power....

I pick my spots and keep my overall health in mind, more so than I did when I was in my twenties.

Things are changing, for all of us.......we're not young anymore.



DIV

[Arnold jr]

Look at it like this....

You can suffer a lil' bit of pain now or ALOT of pain later........

The decision to cut back on training will come back to haunt you at some point later on.

You can't fool your body....




DIV

How do you figure? In the past IMO I've been too obsessed. It wasn't healthy by any means. Other things rank higher on the priority list. They have to...it's the only way you can get ahead in this life...piles of muscle do zero for me in that department. Now the years of living like I do did pave the way for the new project at probodybuilding.com, but overall it has been the fact that I have the ability to write and produce what's needed for the site.

I still train hard when I train...but if I need to skip a day I do, I make it up the next day. The biggest changes, my routine is not a routine any more...I get everything in every wk but there is no set schedule. Less sets, probably less sets then should be sometimes...can't deny this.

[abc123]

How do you figure? In the past IMO I've been too obsessed. It wasn't healthy by any means. Other things rank higher on the priority list. They have to...it's the only way you can get ahead in this life...piles of muscle do zero for me in that department. Now the years of living like I do did pave the way for the new project at probodybuilding.com, but overall it has been the fact that I have the ability to write and produce what's needed for the site.

I still train hard when I train...but if I need to skip a day I do, I make it up the next day. The biggest changes, my routine is not a routine any more...I get everything in every wk but there is no set schedule. Less sets, probably less sets then should be sometimes...can't deny this.

It's part of growing up.  You sound like you are making a good shift in your life priorities.  Now you are taking something you love (bodybuilding) and have found a way to capitalize on it (probodybuilding.com).  That's really awesome. 

Just keep the focus on your professional life because that's what pays the bills in the long run.  But, also take care of yourself physically, mentally and spiritually.  Most guys just focus on the 'physical' and neglect the other two.  As you get older, you realize that mental and spiritual health is just as important.  Don't put so much pressure on yourself in the gym that you start to hate it.

It sounds like you are getting there.  Again, congrats.