Jonathan's Old Log

[Jonathan]

thought that it was about time for me to start one of these! i have been waiting for the opportunity to get a few photos uploaded before i did so here they are.

http://photobucket.com/albums/v231/bob280784/?

this is the link to the site which hosts two pictures of me.

i want to get the video of me deadlifting up but i dont know how so i will have to come back to that one!

jonathan

[Jonathan]

i went back to my old gym today at derby university. its really basic with maybe 8 resistance machines and a set of dumbells up to 32 kg.
i stopped using the gym about 9months ago-up until then i thought that it was the bees knees! at £90 a year i wondered why anyone would wanna go anywhere else! then i went back today and felt myself yearning for a barbell, or machines that werent so easy to max out (100kg on a bench press machine is so so much easier than with a bar!!).
the gym instructor claimed that there wasnt space for a power cage but i reckon if they got rid of some of those stupid machines that they could fit one in!!

jonathan

[tylerm]

Jonathon, good pics, you look great. Nice abs and obliques, btw, wish mine looked like that

[Frostfire]

I hear you about the gyms! Darn machines are taking over everything! They have huge bulky machines (or two or three) for every tiny muscle that exists!

And great pictures. Your back shot I thought was particularly impressive (although a little dark). Your triceps looked great along with your upper back. Excellent!

[Jonathan]

thankyou!

i want to get an old picture of me from just before i started to seriously weight train-maybe a picture from when i got back from nepal in sept 2003(before that i did little bits here and there plus taekwondo). i lost about 5lbs in 7days of intense trekking-it really hard to keep the weight on eating just curry and chocolate when you are burning at least 3000calories a day trekking.

jonathan

[buzz]

Good pics man!

Are you doing any cardio, and if so what kind?? You've got a good balance of tone and bulk. Respect!

[Jonathan]

i used to do lots-when i was a home help carer, i would run and cycle between all my calls (12miles a day split with 5miles running and 7miles cycling) as well as taekwondo 3times a week. i used to eat much more but couldnt put any weight on (i was stuck at 85kg). i have since reduced it to about 30-40miles cycling a week and have been lucky enough to only put on a little bit of fat for about 10kg of extra mass.
id rather put muscle on a little more slowly, and maintain tone.

anyways, on a training note. i did back last night (but mainly lower back) and managed a new personal best of 165kg on deadlift!!! i did some rows and some higher rep sets of deadlifts too as well as some pullups but i was mainly concentrating on improving kathryns form for squats.

jonathan

[Rochellita]

congrats on the deadlift PB!

[Jonathan]

i am having a change of approach for the next 6 weeks or so.

i have been doing quite alot of powerlifting, rather than bodybuilding for the last 6weeks. i have seen most of my lifts increase quite alot. but for the last couple of weeks i have plataeued.
i am going to go back to more isolation stuff (except for my lats), in order to build up the muscles to push larger weights. im going to work specifically on my arms and individual exercises for indivual muscles. i dont know how effective this will be but what the hell-im gonna give it a go.
ive been stuck on bench for a little while now so i have a new approach to try. the guy in body active recommended that i try (by using those catchers) pushing the weight up through the last 3inches of the rep, at a higher weight, say 105-110kg. then once this becomes easy, make it 4inches. when that becomes easy take it back up to 3inches and then up the weight further.
the theory is that if your strength increases for that part of the rep, then the strength will also increase for my sticking point (which is just above my chest) too. lets see how this goes!!

ill get the specifics of the workout up asap. its based on splitting the week up into 6 workout days in the form of arms, legs, stomach, back, chest and shoulders. i know that this is alot, but i have been working out jsut about every day for a year now.

hehe-i went through my photo album from nepal and i am so so so skinny. i will scan one in when i can so you can all have a laugh. me, 6'7 1/2" and 78kg/12stone 4lb/170lb-all wrong!!

jonathan

[JP]

i know that this is alot, but i have been working out jsut about every day for a year now.

yeah, but if you looked back to a training log, you would notice that you were using only a fraction of the weights you move now. Usually stronger you get, less you do in forms of isolation and other not so useful exercises.

but of course there are exeptions, and we all hope to be one of those! You may be, i know i am not, so i have to tone down the volume a lot as the weights climb up. Who knows, you may be one of those russian powerlifters who bench 5 times a week and squat 3 times a week, and heavy

[Jonathan]

that said, i dont think that i have had a day off training for about 8-10 days now. im not going to train today though-im just a bit tired. i am lucky though-i have always had a very high capacity for exercise-i have done up to 20hours a week for extended periods before. i probably only do about 8 now and i have found it easier, even though i cant force myself to eat as much as i used to.

jonathan

[Jonathan]

yesterday was the last day of the routine that ive been doing for about 6weeks. starting an isolation routine for a little while.
anyways, finished the old routine with style!! trained with joni and max from manchester last night for a sort of back/grip session. after a short warmup i pulled a 170kg deadlift!!! i posted that older photo with me with a 165kg deadlift in the photo gallery. please, no piss taking-i know that i look like im crying!!!!
also-im thinking about getting a tattoo on my lower back. kathryn drew it on with marker pen-please could i have a few opinions on it???

thankyou!!

jonathan

[JP]

Good going Jon!!! You really are strong, looking forward to see what kinds of weights you'll move by the end of the year.

Your back looked dangerously rounded with that dead PB, so i'd suggest strengthening the base now, solidifying the gains you know and to get the form spot on. The weights are going to the category that they start being a bit more dangerous now!

congrats for that pull again!

Those pull-up ladders were tough - i can feel them in my lats today

[Jonathan]

i know that i round my back i think that it is because i have more strength in my lower lats and lower back than my legs. ive put good mornings into my new routine-ill be doing them on friday and ill let you know how they go.
the first couple of days of the new routine have gone well:

monday, triceps and biceps.

5x5x40kg canadian press (close grip barbell, lower from the elbows to the forehead, then take down to chest and press up). hurt like hell!!

3x5x12.5kg overhead tricep extension with dumbell. agony.

5x5x60kg close grip bench. not too bad

5x5 closegrip pushup. not too bad.

5x5 bicep curl with 25kg dumbells. very hard.

3x5 bicep curl with 34kg,then 39kg, last set with 44kg very hard.

21's. 2 sets with 27.5kg. agony again.

it was a really successful workout, and my triceps are still killing, two days on.

tuesday, legs

full bottom out squats 5x5x65kg. not done full squats before and it was very hard and subsequently wrecked my legs for the rest of the workout.

parrellel squats 2 reps at 80 1st set, 2nd set failed on 2nd rep, took it down to 70kg and managed 5 reps.

calf raises. 6setsx8reps. weight increased every time. 80kg x2, 100kg, 110kg, 130kg, 135kg. not too bad.

hack squats. legs well and truely buggered by now. 5x5x60kg

gotta work on my legs!!

[Jonathan]

did stomach last night.

leg raises on vertical knee raise stand. 5x10 good reps.

side leg raises. alternating each side on each rep. 3x20reps

lying on bench, bottom on the end of it, legs straight out, bend knees and kick up until bottom is 4inches off the bench. really hard. 5x15reps

side raises with 35kg dumbell. 3x15 each side.

decline sit ups 5x15reps

side plank, 3x30seconds each side.

front plank. just 1x1minute-couldnt be bothered any more!!!!

ads pretty sore today. obliques a little more sore.

jonathan