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Training For Gains - Yan Wei's Log


Yan_Wei

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Going to post a log for now. I'm mostly concerned about strength/endurance gains, but I'm looking to progress in life by continuing work, be a morally upright and a more responsible person. I pray יהוה (Yahuah)'s barak (gifts), providence and mercy be upon us all and we all not just train, but live and work safe and responsibly. HalleluYAH and Shalom.

 

Workouts For Past Week Or So (Today Included):

 

Warm Up: 12-15 Regular Pushups (Sometimes I do Diamonds, probably should incorporate that more into training days).

 

Sidewinder Pro Xtreme (This is basically a portable wrist roller if anyone didn't know):

Black Level 1 & 2 (Bottom Levels) - Wrist/Forearm Exercises (4 or so sets)

 

Pivot 80 KG Power Twister (PT):

For now, until I'm strong enough, I'm using Weighted Assistance (Weight plates hanging on middle of spring):

 

Weights Rough Estimate (DU Only)

 

1 Set (13 kg) - 12 Double Underhanded (DU) Reps 

Double Overhand (DO) Knee Isometrics: 21 Seconds (Did 10~20 Second holds in between PT Bends)

2 Sets (11kg): Reps 12-15 DU

2~3 Sets: DO Knee Isometrics 10~20 Seconds

1 Set (9kg): 12-14 Reps DU

 

I really recommend this tool for everyone (benders could benefit) out there. It really works the whole upper body, especially wrists, hands, whole arm (biceps, triceps, shoulders, forearms), middle chest, some back and very much tendons and ligaments.

 

Planks (Abdominal Isometric Exercise):

2 Sets 70 Seconds At 79.4 kg

 

Sidewinder Grip Twister (Kindof Like An IM Twist Yo Wrist, But No Need For Weights Like The Sidewinder Pro Xtreme):

Jar Grip - 3 Sets If I recall correctly.

Fat Palm Grip - More or less.

 

Multi-Set Robert Baraban Adjustable Gripper Negatives:

 

I've got 2 Heavy Springs And 2 Light Springs, and today I tried out 2 Heavy at once, but I decided to just use 1 Heavy & 1 Light.

 

Using Calculations From This Chart.

Untitled.png

 

175 Right Hand (RH) - 15s

Wrists were shocked by this, gotta be careful...

170 Left Hand (LH) - ~10s 

165 RH - 10~20s

160 LH - 5~15s

145 RH - 20s

140 LH - ~15s

115 RH - 15s

115 LH - 15s

125 (H4.5) RH - 25s

125 (H4.5) LH - 17~19s

 

No Set Reps On RBA (Some were less than 1mm from being shut, very close, I was fatigued):

RH (75): 15

LH (75): At Least 5

 

Total No Set Reps On GD Iron Grip 80:

RH (36kg): 28

25kg - 49

 

LH (36 kg): Around 21

25kg - 49

 

Bullworker Steel-Bow:

Isometric Holds With Various Exercises

Edited by Yan_Wei
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I plan to just eat today and workout tomorrow night as I've been sore from using the Bullworker Steel-Bow and haven't been getting much food in the past 2 or so days. It seems isometrics (not just using the RBA) is becoming more of a preference in exercise.

Not sure where the quote came from, but it states "If you can't hold it, you can't lift it". While it may seem so simply it would be foolish not to know, many lifters (including myself) develop a bit of pride and do ego-lifting where we use too heavy of weights or something and while we might have the strength to lift it, the endurance isn't there and because of that we cannot progress.

So I'd like to thank @ZFJango (though he might be gone from GB), @Roger Roberson as and a few others who've inspired me (indirectly) to train volume and isometrics (negatives, holds and the rest), the gains I find to be satisfactory to say the least.

Goals For Next 30 Days:

Get back into long distance running and run at least 20 miles a week (I was in Cross Country and Track and Field back in High School). Longterm goal is to get a 5 minute flat mile time and descend from there.

Be able to get 20 unassisted reps (DO/DU) on the Pivot 80 KG Power Twister.

Be able to perform 10 bodyweight (I weigh 79.4 kgs or about 175 lbs) pull/chin-ups.

Be able to get negatives with my RBA at 200 lbs rgc, handles touched for 20 seconds RH and LH (missed this with 175 by about 2 centimeters or 3/4").

No Set Close my RBA at 140 with both hands.

No Set Close my GD Iron Grip 80 at 80 kg (both hands) and certify for the contest.

Flat Bench 100 kg or 225 lbs (last time I flat benched, I did about 72 kg or so for a couple of reps).

Dumbbell Curl 25 kg for a rep or more (I can rep 18 kg a few times with RH, LH maybe once or twice).

And other things.

 

I think I'll just do to weekly/periodic updates.

 

May יהוה (Yahuah)'s providence, barak (gifts) and mercy be upon us all. HalleluYah and Shalom.

Edited by Yan_Wei
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Tricep/elbow area sore from Bullworker workout from 2 days ago, got some reps on my HindaWi 50 kg (mainly DO, but some DU) and Pivot 80 kg Power Twisters (DU with roughly 11.34 and 7.9 kg assistance for leverage), but sores arose so I ceased that exercise.

Then I thought of doing some rubber band extensor work and that eased the pain much. I guess I'll have to be extensor training a lot so I don't get tennis/golfer's elbow.

Edited by Yan_Wei
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How's the spring thing working for you? I've thought of getting the theraband or cando twist bar things but they seem to be very light resistance. Do you have a link to the spring yi are using?

The sidewinder grip twister always gives me a unique soreness when using thumb and fingers only (not palm) grip, if I don't cut my fingertips on the super sharp knurling first.

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48 minutes ago, wobbler said:

How's the spring thing working for you? I've thought of getting the theraband or cando twist bar things but they seem to be very light resistance. Do you have a link to the spring yi are using?

The sidewinder grip twister always gives me a unique soreness when using thumb and fingers only (not palm) grip, if I don't cut my fingertips on the super sharp knurling first.

Which tool? Besides the RBA, my Bullworker Steel-Bow and my Power Twisters I think are the only things I've got that use springs.

Edited by Yan_Wei
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@wobbler

This is the Pivot (or iHuniu) 80 kg Power Twister (PT) I use. You can get these on Amazon (cheapest) or ebay ranging from about $20 - $52.99, but my seller sold me this for $45.99.

20170112_015432.jpg

It's a heavy duty tool, many weight lifters like with the CoC 1 can't close a 40 kg or roughly 7mm (cylinder diameter for spring) PT unless they've got strong biceps, triceps, wrists, back and chest. My 50 kg model is fairly easy to bend DO/DU (the blue one below), while the 80 kg one is tough so I hang weights on the middle of the spring until I can do reps unassisted. 

20170112_021335.jpg

I think the guys bending big bastards, red nails or closing grippers a CoC 3 or above could handle the 80 kg PT for sure, I'm just building up to the level where I don't need to use weight plates for leverage.

Here is my Bullworker in case anyone were interested, it's adjustable via 3 different compression spring with diverse tensions. 

20170109_151914.jpg

Edited by Yan_Wei
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It seems that I've got the strength to lift heavy and grow, but endurance is lacking; so I'll incorporate that more into training. In 2 or so days I'll update my workouts and progress for the past week.

Edited by Yan_Wei
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I'll try to post the past week's workout sessions, today I'm just eating/resting like I did a few days ago.

 

I ate today just about 5~600 Calories of Oats (or Oatmeal I guess) which together had about 90 grams of Carbohydrates, which I didn't think much of until I just did some test reps on my 50kg HindaWi Power Twister (suprisingly easy DU bend) and my GD Iron Grip 80 (despite yesterday's high volume workout) felt mostly okay. There's a bit of bit of sores (couldn't really do any DO, or rather didn't want to stress my body too much), but might go for some RBA Negatives and Sidewinder work included with my other plan tomorrow. 

 

So we'll see how tomorrow goes.

Edited by Yan_Wei
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I usually try to conduct some type of exercise at least 5 days a week (but if shortage of food then probably less or no workout) as I'm atm not with a job and only recently was discharged from a temporary one that lasted 3 weeks (still looking and waiting for replies from employers). All Weights Are Estimated. A bit of a rough start in the week, but let's see how this goes:

Last Week:

Wednesday Night ~ After Midnight Thursday (Before Dawn) 

More of me testing myself (which maybe I shouldn't have) rather than a serious workout.

Might have done work with the HindaWi 50kg Power Twister  (supposed to be a warm up), but this is what I deem more important:

Pivot/iHuniu 80kg PT (DU Estimated Weighed Assistance | 2~3 Rep Sets)

1 Set (12.5 kg) 
1 Set (5.7 kg) A Personal Best (PB)

Might have done another Test Set, but was very pleased with that PB. If well rested and fully recovered, I might be able to get some reps with just 2.5 kg or even unassisted, we'll have to see.  PT bending has become a preferential exercise along with my RBA Negatives/Isometrics, but I shouldn't have favorites or be biased towards anything, so I don't end up overworking myself or idolizing the pump feeling (likely how I injured myself in the past).

After this my triceps were aching, as I mentioned the day before, first workout with Bullworker is what I think got me sore (I'm sure I'll get used to it like with the Power Twisters). But at least I got a PB on the Pivot 80.

Spent the rest of the day sleeping, fasted for about 15 hours and studying world religion and their similarities, some politics and The Hebrew Scriptures (or aka the Bible).

_____________________________________

Friday:

Power Twisters:

Triceps were so sore that my warm up was basically my workout.

HindaWi 50kg PT (What should have been my warm up...) Double Overhand Only:

1 Set - 10 Reps
1 Set - 20~25 Reps (Somewhere between)
1 Set - 8 Reps

During this struggle, I tried using the Pivot/iHuniu 80kg PT with roughly 12.5 kg, I might have gotten 2 reps, but  also failed attempts (which was a bit of a shock but also no wonder as the triceps too sore).

Sidewinder Pro Xtreme:

Typical Wrist Roller Twists:

Warm Up Set Black Level 1 (BL1) - 49 Reps

4 Sets BL2 - 15 (Min) ~ 35 (Max) Reps

2 Sets BL2.5 - 10~Somewhere In The 20s

I'm estimating the levels as you could twist the resistance knob and make very small advancements (like turning it a few millimeters), but the resistance grows a lot. Level 1 to maybe half way between 1 and 2, is like adding 2 kilos or like 5 lbs to a wrist roller which like a wrist roller or even for things like dumbbells, that can be the difference between success and failure. I should have documented this workout as conducting it.

The Sidewinder Pro Xtreme has 7 Levels, 5 Black and 2 Red (from the very bottom before the 1st Black Line or Level 2, up to the top passing the 2nd Red Line).

Sidewinder Pro Xtreme Wrist Curls:

1 Set BL2 - 42 Reps

I did a workout with just SPX WCs the other day, I mainly worked around Black Level 2 for at least 30 reps per set.

_____________________________________

Saturday:

Did mainly isometrics/negatives, wrists and hands are now sore.

Dumbells Both Hands (Mostly Same Results):

Curls:

1 Rep with RH before starting.

3 Sets 18 kg - 7~15s

1 Set 15.75 kg - At Most 15s

1 (might have been 2) Set(s) 13.5 kg - 
RH: ~35s

LH: ~30s

Wrists were aching a bit during both exercises.

Bench:

1 Set 18 kg - At Least 50s

1 Set 22.5 kg - 42s 

Wrists aching here so I dropped to 20 kg.

2 Sets 20 kg - 63s~70s

I really think isometrics is a good thing for gains, but my main issue usually is food. I pray I can get at least 3500 calories (I had around 5000 once in a day, lots of macros there).

_____________________________________

Monday (This Week):
GD Iron Grip 80:
No Set Reps Total:

357 At 25 kg Both Hands (Took Anywhere Between 15~30 Minutes, Maybe Longer)

Goal For Next Week: Get At Least 420 Reps Each Hand At Same Resistance (Somewhere around GHP1 or a weak CoC Trainer).

In a few days, I'll try doing this with my RBA, if not try for a Negative Personal Best and see how that goes.

Bullworker Steel-Bow:v

Bunch of Sets with White Spring (Easiest), while I can do many exercises and get max holds (120-0 on strength scale) with the intermediate spring (Grey), but I lack endurance so I'm building a foundation with the White one to get at least 70 second holds on all the exercises I do. An example is a Cable Pulling exercise (Elbows definitely involved here, a bit of a new feeling for me along with heavy PT Bending), I get 110, but can only hold it for around 20 seconds while Back Compression (Like a Chest Crush, but behind your back) I get only 90 or so for about 14 seconds.

So I think half week will be isometrics and the other repetitive sets; High Volume, Low Intensity and then Medium Volume and Higher Intensity (I like to at least get 12 reps on heavy lifting or I personally don't feel accomplished unless I'm doing a test set for Personal Bests etc. As I generally like to at least get 12 reps in a set, but lowest I'll do (if I can handle the intensity) is 7 reps. All as a means for getting endurance since mine isn't personally satisfactory.

Sidewinder Pro Xtreme (Level 1.75ish):
^Close to Level 2:
Typical Wrist Roller Twists:

5 Sets - 49 Reps

2 Sets - 21 Reps

SPX Wrist Curls (Level 1.75ish):

2 Sets - 49 Reps

1 Set - 105 Reps

Planks (Abdominal Isometric Exercise):

3 Sets - 105 Seconds (1 minute, 45 seconds)

Next time I do these, I might add 5~10 kg for more resistant. I'm pleased with the results (I didn't really expect much, but a 35s improvement on 3 Sets I think is really good).
_____________________________________

Wednesday:

21 Pushups and some No Set reps on my RBA (60~75 lbs rgc)

Wrists aren't feeling 100% and hands (whole body actually) feel weak and trying to go for heavy negatives I thought would not be a good idea, so this was just a workout I quit and took about a 3 hour nap. 

 

More rest might be needed...

 

There's an issue (others exist but this one is the central one) that I've been irresponsibly avoiding for a long time; and in response, I've degenerated morally as a person and likely health wise too as I've not been eating or sleeping as well as I should be. I plan to share it here in some time after I try to get my life offline in order. I've had much mental conflict with this issue for a while now (at least a year, I assume longer).

I can only, like everyone else, fulfill what I can and make a genuine effort regardless of selfish interests and/or any opposing force trying to do what's right and stop (good to do so permanently) making excuses, even when I might not initially see why/how my way(s) of doing things is/are wrong and to remember who truly cares for not just me, but us all in life.

May יהוה (Yahuah)'s providence, barak and mercy be upon us all; HalleluYah and Shalom.!

Edited by Yan_Wei
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So here's the story on how I started my grip training:

About 7 or so years ago, back when I was in middle school; I had a Gold's Gym Medium Resistance Gripper (rgc might be between 10-25 lbs) that a relative of mine gave to me so I would build a strong grip. I used it and over time built strength/stamina to close it 70-80 times (don't remember exact number). But when I was a sophomore in high school, a peer in weight training had told me of stronger hand grippers with "more pressure", wasn't too interested at the time and I ended up taking a break and sporadically used it. Fast forward about 3 years and a few months, my GG gripper came to mind and I began using it again. I exceeded 100 closes to around 120 and was doing negative closes for 3 or more minutes by around January 2016.

So remembering what my peer told me in weight training, I looked for heavy grippers or grippers with more pressure into Google or some search engine, and I found Heavy Grips. This was before I knew about CoC, GHP, RB and the rest. At the time I was an unemployed college dropout with only a handful of cash/change on me and spend at least a week researching them and trying to figure out where I should start.

Now I thought I was at least average and maybe even above average in general strength for a guy my age (19 at the time) so I skipped the HG100, bought an HG200 and got an XFitness 150 Gripper off Amazon. But then I came across a guy on YouTube who was maybe 2x my size (looked kind of like a body builder) preform strong reps on an HG100, but for some reason couldn't close (maybe he was joking.?) an HG150, not even to parallel if I recall correctly. I had thought I messed up badly because this was literally hours before the grippers were supposed to arrive in the mail, but to my surprise, I closed the XF150 like 3/4 of the way and the HG200 1/2. I was so proud and confused at the results but wondering how could I possibly be stronger than the guy in the video.? At the time, wasn't as informed about muscle groups, strengths and weaknesses and the rest.

So I used the grippers pretty much everyday striving to close them. I forced closed both of them eventually, got some reps on the XF150 and maybe 2-3 reps on the HG 200 by March and injured myself and took about 1 1/2 weeks off of training. Then after coming to know about CoC, I bought a 2.5 and did slightly worse than when I first got my HG200 (might have moved it 1/3 of the way). Later I was looking for anything to help me bridge the gap between an HG200 with a CoC2.5 and bought a Vatiz Adjustable Gripper and IronMind Tug 2 Finger Utility Grippers (throughout the year, I got the 2, 4, 5, 6, 7). Of course, by this time (May 2016) I found a job in contracting (landscaping and general labor). I also bought a GHP7 (154), Silvis T-Rex (Preset to 125) and an RB400 (224, a goal I had to close) from CPW, ordered other Gripper, but later cancelled, then bought an XF350 (this was in March, later sold and told it felt like a CoC 4) and later a Tetting World Class and Super Elite (was told this rated at 206), GHP10, Zenith 4 and a CoC 3.5.

When I sold my HG200 (this was like 3 months or so ago), I was told it rated at 90 lbs, but my XF150 when compared to my RBA, GD Iron Grip and other grippers before selling them, I'd say it's between 55-70 lbs rgc.

So since February of 2016 when I first started this journey making strength gains, I've been experimenting much with diet and training. I later learned different muscles contribute to general strength and how poor of a method it was to train only grippers (brachial muscles, wrist and other things contribute to grip, not just extensors).

So I sold all my torsion spring grippers mainly for space, preference towards my RBA and GD Iron Grip and to scrap some cash. I bought other tools such as the Sidewinder Pro Xtreme and Grip Twister, a Bullworker, my 50 and 80 kg Power Twisters, Resistance Bands (very versatile equipment, can get a full upper-body workout with these), a barbell, some dumbbells and a bunch of weight plates are what I've got. The internet I can search for home training programs. I'm am also very interested in the David Horne Wrist Developer for my wrists.

But I currently am working out at my residence and just trying to make gains. A gym membership where I live isn't economically preferable, so I just use what tools/resources I have to grow. A 1 time investment of about $500 or so on portable equipment, verses a monthly/annual payment of a scheduled trip by automobile to a gym for the weights, when they're open and worry about gas a and other things. I could run to the gym, but I'd rather not.

In terms of negatives, I can hold 175 on my RBA for about 20 seconds with my right and, and 170 for 15 seconds with my left. My best no set close was with my T-Rex Preset to 125 (I think I had an adrenaline rush then), but on a typical day, I can no set close around 100 lbs with no warm up on my RBA and almost did so today with an attempt at 115 (around parallel).

Tomorrow or Wednesday I plan to update this log with the past week's training results and plan to do negatives or more high gripper volume (I think I should probably do that).

I pray everyone is doing well; and as always, may יהוה (Yahuah)'s providence, barak and mercy be upon us all; HalleluYah and Shalom.!

Edited by Yan_Wei
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