Hard work paying off!

[Kitzy]

I have a quick break here so I will respond to your back question.  Dead lifts are a staple and important compound.  Some kind of bent over row.  I like tbar row.  Lat pull downs or pull ups (hands facing away from you).  Bent over one arm dumbbell rows.  Those are some that come to mind but all have variations that are similar.

[sscully]

I keep looking at getting a t-bar adapter.
- There are ones that go under the sq tube on the half rack.

Squats, nothing more than the ones I do with 15# out in front of me, due to the total hip replacement.
- What I do for squats that used to be called a deep knee bend ??

No dead lifts either, no need to find out if I can grind that cross linked polymer into dust.

[Kitzy]

I figured that much as far as the dead lifts (and squats) were concerned.  I just had to throw it out there because I this one of the best exercise.  If you cant do them though then you cant do them.  No much else hits the lower back like that though and if if does then you risk the similar movement.  You can try hyper extensions which is body weight.  You can add weight to it by holding it in your hands.  You could also do Good Mornings which are a sort of hyper extension variation.  Both of those will hit lower back and hamstrings and have you wishing you never did them by the following morning or two.  I don't have much time to explain them right now.  This is kind of a drive by posting fitting it in where i have time.  I'll touch on it more later.

Quick edit - for that rows, research the attachment you prefer.  KT doesn't necessarily have to be a straight bar.  You can use a narrow neutral grip handle for cable rows or something if you can hook it around the bar.  The tbar machine I has has trips for both but if making do with a barbell which works awesome too then use whatever gets you the grip you like.  I've heard narrow neutral grip is best for pulling power.  Sometimes I like to hit it different and do a wide regular grip.  Usually its narrow neutral though.  But whatever.

[Kitzy]

This time next week I hope to be at my lowest weight in probably 10 years.  240 was my goal last major diet and I hit it and stopped.  I've been a steady 2# a week and weighed in at 241 yesterday for a total of 31-32# so far since January 2nd.

[sscully]

This time next week I hope to be at my lowest weight in probably 10 years.  240 was my goal last manor diet and I hit it and stopped.  I've been a steady 2# a week and weighed in at 241 yesterday for a total of 31-32# so far sing January 2nd.

That is just unreal !

You going to stick with the cutting phase activities for a bit ?
- Thought I recalled reading; through the summer ?

[Kitzy]

Unfortunately, I am going to stick with it.  Haha.  I say unfortunately because I just want to eat like there's no tomorrow.  I want to get back in to my bulking phase so that I can really start increasing my weights.  Its hard to progress on a lack of calories.  Especially an estimated 1000 calorie deficit a day.  I've been lucky enough to not lose any strength or reps.  This week has been rough though with work.  I can't tell if I'm just spent by the time I get to the gym (12 hour work days) or if its the calorie deficit.  I know the cut is important to get the physique I'm after.  Its a necessary evil.  I was originally going to cut until sometime in October or November.  Now, however, with the progress of my diet I may start bulking sooner.  Maybe September.  It all depends on my progress in the cut and if I'm happy with my body at the time or if i feel I need to lose a bit more.  The goal was 225.  At this rate I am about 8-10 weeks out.  10 if I'm being realistic and including a couple bad or slow weeks.  But 10 weeks puts me at the end of June.  I will reevaluate myself as the time gets closer.  I may post an old picture of myself up.  Its embarrassing yet motivational.

[Kitzy]

Here is the that adapter I was talking about that goes right on to a barbell.  I don't like this one particular because if you notice, its on in reverse because other wise the horizontal bar bits my chest too soon and limits my range.  Its very similar to the machine I use normally but I went to a different gym today because of my location and they don't have it.  The problem with this one is the plates hit my chest before I can pull it back far enough.  The picture is mainly for the grips though.  Gives you an idea of the narrow neutral grip. 

[Kitzy]

Picture of me from anywhere from 7-10 years ago.  Not sure of the year. 



Everyone in this picture is still in my life except the girl my arm is around.  Oddly enough that's her family but they all like me more.  Haha.  She has been substantially upgraded.

PS... I'm the fat one.

[sscully]

I hood rigged together a T bar.

I slid the bar into the loop on the 2" car strap that is under the half rack ( my leg hold down for Lats ) and into a corner made by the bench and half rack.
- Can't slide back, and it cannot come more than 2" off the ground if something goes sideways.

I used a large snap ring on my rope adapter ( pulldown and rows )  over the bar, spun down a collar on it and then loaded on some test weights.  Works well with the rope, my only other option at the house is the V bar or spend 60.00 + to get a t bar handle ??

Works well, I just need to stand on my adjustable steps to make sure I don't bottom out at the bottom.

Next I am going to try to figure out to do it on the bench set to a 45* incline.  Might be a bit tricky but I think I see how it would work.

BTW : Some reason there are problems with the tapatalk pictures are not showing in your posts. I had to click quote and copy the URL out of them
- the front img tag only has the open bracket, the rear ] is missing off the leading IMG tag ???

[Kitzy]

Weird about the pics. They loaded and showed up fine for me.  No problems to be seen on my end. 

Sounds like you managed the tbar setup  it not sure how well a rope would work for a grip.  Maybe pretty good.  Hard to imagine. 

I've seen a lot of people use this attachment or similar for tbar rows.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00132NR9A/ref=redir_mdp_mobile.  Now obviously this is only useful for a narrow grip.

[sscully]

Rope seems to do well, it is not as wide as a std t-bar adapter.
- Thought about hooking the lat bar to it to get a wider grip.

That is what I was calling the v bar attachment.
- guess the real name is double d ??

Just moving my arms and pulling my lats together when I do it I can feel the difference between double d and something in the 24" range.

I'll try the lat bar next time and see what happens.
- I'll just add a few links of chain so it is not right next to the plates, as not to smack myself in the head.

[Kitzy]

I had no idea what they were called honestly.  I doubt most people know.  I usually just call it the handle for rows.  Everyone always knows what I'm talking about.  There are all kinds of attachments that can be used and will all work similar but slightly different.  Whatever works. The gym I usually go to had a slightly different tbar grip.  Its like the one I took a picture of except its wide grip handles are bent in like a lat bar instead of completely straight.

Tapatalkin...

[Kitzy]

OK quick update.  I said I hoped to be at my lowest weight in probably 10 years around this time.  I was hoping for 239.  I weighed in at 235 this morning.  That may sound good but that's 5-6 lbs in one week.  That's too much.  I thought I was eating more so I assume its my crazy work schedule plus the gym.  I will weigh in again tomorrow or Sunday to see if it was a fluke.  If my calories are really that low it would explain why my max lifts have dropped or gotten harder. 

Tapatalkin...

[Kitzy]

So the next day I weighed in at 239/240.  It must be that my digital scale doesn't always display all of the numbers correctly that I mistook one for something else.  Kind of a relief really. 

Today was my first day back at the gym in about a week.  I have been working 12-14 hours and have not had time after work.  Its a rainy week so I'm back at it and loving it.  Maybe I needed a break to appreciate it again. 

I'm not where I want to be yet.  I may weigh in tomorrow morning for the heck of it.  I don't expect much loss if any.  It was a bad weekend for my diet.  You need that sometimes though.  Even though I'm not finished with my cut, km already looking forward to my bulking phase.  This cut has left me feeling small.  I know I'm not as small as I feel but its hard to accept that feeling.  If I could see some more definition then I would be happier.  There are a few new supplements I want to check out.  A little more research needs to be done on them and the ingredients before I take anything which is fine since I'm not bulking for months yet.  One of them isn't released yet.  Its called Clear Muscle from Muscle Tech.  It has outrageous claims so we will see.  It should be out any week now.  The product is finished and the label is done.  People will be logging it soon.  The other one is Black Lion Research's Follidrone.  Its recently released, getting rave reviews and is a little on the unbelievable side as well.  I may try Black Lion Research's fat burner soon.  It sounds promising.  Its called Incinderine.  That would be perfect for my cut.  Back to bulking, I want to start using Cellucor M5 Reloaded again.  I enjoyed it before but its pricey. 

/diary entry

Tapatalkin...

[Kitzy]

238 this morning.  I'm claiming today as the official lowest I've weighed in I think 10 years. 

I think the week off was needed.  I came back refreshed.  Feeling good.  My muscles feel like they're being hit harder than ever.  Switched up a couple exercises today for shoulders and hammered them.  I felt like I could really see some progress and definition in my shoulders today. That's the kind of motivation I need.  My girlfriend keeps telling me my back is getting huge.  That's a major goal of mine.  I want a big shredded back.

Tapatalkin...