This is the second workout log I started here regarding about fixing my postural problems. This is because the first log is filled with my depression. The main reason I started the first log is to get some motivation from readers but after a month I realized no one would be really interested to comment on the log because my problem are kinda technical (although its pretty common in lifters nowadays). And I kinda ****ed up the whole log. Hence I decided this new log as my personal diary and also information for my apt brahs out there, which is much better than write it in a hardware (log book)
Experience:
2011-2013: started lifting, brosplits, pushpulllegs, upper lower, ****arounditis
Early 2014: tried allpro, went back to upper lower
April 2014: did Fierce 5 and bulk effectively. Best time of my life
July 2014: shoulder injury, one month lay-off, back to Fierce 5 again
December 2014: knee pain hit the toll, halt Fierce 5, decided to fix hyperlordosis
January 2015: went to state of depression, skipping gym for few times

Prior to this I run Fierce 5 with very good result. I followed the old template (squat, bench, deads, ohp) and I had since been stucked to chasing PRs and follow up powerlifters and strength trainees.

Noobie achievements (3x5):
Deadlift 315 2x5, 1x4
Squat 265 3x5
Bench 185 3x5
OHP 140 3x5

My current problem
1. Hyperlordosis which in turn produces
2. Hyperkyphosis
Since 2011 I had been hit up with lower back pain, sub-acromial injuries (rounded shoulder) and knee pains and I believe anterior pelvic tilt is the main culprit. It has a domino effect, and everything starts from the hips.
Knee pain ****ed my squats, shoulder injuries halt my ohp and bench progress, and recently lower back rounding sacred the **** outta me when doing deadlifts. Hence this postural program
One simple symptom: im not feeling the hams and glutes at all during deads and squat. They are sleeping and I must waken them up. Meanwhile my quads are too strong, I feel the quads 100% when im squatting.

Goals:
Short term:
1. Progresses on Thomas test

2. Zero tightness in quads
Long term:
1. Fix APT
2. 2 plates hip thrust



I will conduct a program which will be like upper kyphosis lower lordosis, but main emphasis will be on lower day because I believe everything starts and end at the hips. Idea kinda taken from fierce 5 postural program, with some modification. I just want to introduce as basic exercise as I could, and try to progress each of them. I want to keep it simple.

dec 2014


feb 7


probably no changes at all due to the depression in january. excessive lumbar curve is still there, belt line still has the same degree

This post has been edited by NGV22: Feb 12 2015, 11:23 PM

DIET
I will bulk at 10% surplus instead of the much successful 16% during Fierce 5. The diet is the same again nothing fancy except I omitted creatine I see no use of taking it atm

9.2.2014 lordosis lower
New beginning.

Hip thrust 130 3x10
American deadlift 130 1x8, 125 2x8
Weighted crunch 35 3x10
RKC plank 3 x 15sec

Dint really feel it in the glutes today. Have to lower the weights next session
American deadlift is too heavy too, cant perform the PPT at top of movement. Hams had DOMS for many days.
I decided to drop
1. Seated leg curl because of the limited ROM and lack of MMC
2. Lying leg curl because no matter how hard I try, my back will got to APT during movement, using low back to help the lift. This is what we want to avoid.
American/Romanian deadlift hammers hamstring much better, thanks to the DOMS

11.2.2014 lordosis lower
Hip thrust 125 3x10
American deadlift 105 4x10
Lying leg curl 20 3x10
Weighted crunch 40 3x10
RKC plank 3x15sec
After drop the weights for both hip thrust and deads I am able to MMC properly. Hams still sore from monday’s workout so it kinda affected the training. Did some pec stretch at the end using same stretching protocol. Probably will implement into home stretching routine.
As for mobility, the trigger points in quads is less painful and more bearable compared to first time doing it. Its already been nearly one week of releasing them, regretted not doing so earlier.

Still contemplating whether pendlay row is a good exercise to include into upper days or not. I needed a row variation, there is no chest supported row in ma gym, and I don’t like the fact that cable row u gonna have it seated. The only problem about pendlay row is the APT at the hip during execution, I wouldn’t worry about the lower back getting fired because I never felt it during Fierce 5, instead it destroy my hams a lil bit. Nevertheless it is a fantastic exercise for correcting kyphosis.

12.2.2014 upper kyphosis

a satisfying night gym session thanks to the introduction of pendlay rows into the routine

lat pulldown 110 3x10
pendlay rows 105 3x10
face pull 30 2x12, 1x10
bent over rear delt raise 3kg 3x12
tricep pushdown 40 3x10

similar to lower body days, light weights are used to ensure sufficient MMC especially the scapular retraction. im kinda motivated and excited to perform pendlay rows again after stopped doing them since early december. however care must be taken to avoid excessive low back engagement during the execution (anyway i always have good pendlay row form during fierce 5 days)

by the time i move to the isolations my upper back are already fried. not to mention my biceps are pretty tortured too. hence zero curl variations in this routine since i find them :

1. useless for me (or a beginner) since i hardly progress at all during fierce 5 days
2. i have rounded shoulder, performing curls encourage internal rotations which is counter-productive
3. i fuarkn hate isolations especially curls god dammit

now i have to decide whether to introduc calf raises into lower body days. i read a lot about topics regarding APT and some said to stretch calves. training them would be counter-productive but if the main culprit is rectus femoris, then why not working the chicken legs a lil bit



these few days i did some shoulder mobility. the routine is as follows:

1. scapular push ups


2. wall slides


3. shoulder dislocations


perform 1 set of these 3 exercises continously rest and then repeat for another 2 sets. i probably pushed it too hard and now my right (formerly healthier shoulder than the other one) is in pain when performing overhead activity. shoulder is a complex region, combined with the fact that it is rounded, there is high percentage of chance getting it injured. gonna omit all rotator cuff and shoulder mobility drills till it was healed

Stretching and trigger point release
My mobility work in home can take more than 1 hours itself (yes imagine all the knots in the muscle) so I try to focus on quads, hip flexors and IT Band only. Boy, there are soo many trigger points in my quads specifically rector femoris its soo painful its crazy. I started to suspect the main culprit is rectus femoris while psoas contribute a lil bit
The most effective stretching for psoas imo is this:

And the one which is most effective for rectus femoris is this:

However nowadays I only do the one on the bed using belts, coz im lazy to do the other one
Im implementing a different approach of stretching. After I release trigger points I go to stretch many sets with shorter time periods, etc 3 sets of 30 sec as opposed to 1 set 0f 90 sec

hey man thanks for the kind words.

16.2.2014 lordosis lower




Hip thrust 125 4x10
American deadlift 105 3x10
single Lying leg curl 10 3x10
Weighted crunch 40 3x11
RKC plank 3x15sec

hip thrusts too easy so i decided to increase another set, but contractions in the glutes is not there today. maybe its time to increase the weight after stucked at 125 for few weeks. recorded my working set for the first time, i was pretty relieved there is no major low back arch during execution. meanwhile i find it pretty hard to keep the PPT from starting to the end of the lift. perhaps it is just the nature of the lift itself.


there is this new interesting lever loaded machine for lying leg curl. i am able to do single leg work. as such, i am able to control lower back involvement much easier compared to double leg work. this brought up my history with leg press during my low back pain, where performing single leg press doesnt hit my low back.

massagging the tender spots around quads has been easier and less painful. although while i performing the kneeling lunge stretch the hip flexors still felt tight.

went to hometown to celebrate lunar new year for the whole week and therefore went back to the old gym. amazingly, it was renovated and has a fresh new look.




and this is 9 days worth (18 scoops) of whey protein during my holiday in hometown



This post has been edited by NGV22: Feb 17 2015, 01:31 AM

17.2.2015 upper kyphosis
As I went to different gym, there are some weight disrespencies so I decided to use same weight as last session with the exception of pendlay rows, as this gym doesn’t have 25 or 35lbs bumper plates



Lat pulldown 110 3x10
Pendlay rows 135 1x9, 2x10
Face pull 30 3x10
Rear delt raise 5kg 3 x10
Tricep pushdown 30 2x11, 1x8
3 sets of static hold at pullup bar 30,30,20 sec

I was pretty happy with my PENDLAY ROWS, although I increased 20 pounds from last session’s weights, I still able to crank 9-10 reps with MINIMAL hip involvement, but for sure my back and biceps are pretty fatigued. Pretty sure it is muscle memory since the last time I am able to crank out 145 3x10 during fierce 5, which is after the energy depleting squat and bench. I planned to use the same weight when I get back to original gym.

IMO FACE PULLS with rope attachment is a fantastic exercise for traps and rear delts, more superior than rear delt flies. It gives much burning in the muscle. I can see why it is a must for fixing rounded shoulders and other problems.

The point with STATIC HOLDS is to kill two birds with one stone

1. to decompress the spine after days of lifting and sitting down.
2. to build up grip strength. Assuming I need to use the mixed grip to perform a measly 285lbs conventional deadlift, I hope this helps in future. I am now already having fatigue in my forearms by performing a 105lbs American deads. Not to mention this static holds could help pullups a ton

For MOBILITY, I find that when I curl my hams I found that there is no tightness in quads. But this is not true when I perform stretching. This makes me scratch my heads, how tight it is actually?

A discussion about SINGLE LYING LEG CURL that I talked about yesterday. I may try one leg exercise on the previous gym’s machine although it is designed for two legs. Single leg work really take out a lot of back flexion during execution, and I can further focus on PPT before execute the movement.

This is the first time I am able to taste my mum’s food since few months ago, and I thought today’s dishes are colourful, and full of proteinz. Pork meat and veggies combined for the gainz. Minced dried sausages and sweet & sour pork.



The gym will be closed from Wednesday till Saturday, due to the lunar new year holidays. This is a huge blow, but I will focus on mobility work during these days off. And I have to watch myself not to eat like a pig since there will be many food around

22.2.2014 lower lordosis

five days out because of the lunar new year celebration. during this time i ate a lot, but not sure whether i take in enough protein. i skipped stretching and myofascial release. i became lazy whenever im back to hometown.

Hip thrust 135 4x12
American deadlift 115 4x10
single Lying leg curl 10 3x10
Weighted crunch 40 3x11
RKC plank 3x15sec
static hold at bar 30sec x 3

hip thrusts felt light today. therefore i did an extra set and increased the reps. after the hip thrust session i felt dizzy. could be due to inefficient breathing. i still not sure how to breath properly during hip thrusts. normally i do valsalva maneuver for compound lifts, but for hip thrusts doing this would causes APT which is counterproductive. maybe i should just do the standard breath in eccentric, breath out concentric but its hard to focus on breathing, PPT and squeezing the ass to finish the lift, all three at once.

after i finished hip thrusts i felt a little bit from the lower back. this could be due to
1. replacing weight plates between sets
2. tried hard to go from APT to PPT during execution, maybe used a little lower back there.

still, i tried to figure what is the best way to lockout without
1. going to APT (arched lumbar)
2. no ass squeezing
3. too much quad involvement (squatting the weight up)
3. too much hams contraction

gotta hip thrust more..

after i waited for a while i finally get through the dizziness and start deadlift. felt the weight is light, add up another set. able to focus more on PPT thanks to the light weight.

so this week will mark another new semester. i will back to uni again, therefore could focus more on diet and routine like before. and finally will start tracking my weight closely, since i started to fix this fucked up posture

ive read people had their success by stretching tights areas AND strengthening weak muscles. i recommend you to read more about my condition, or maybe research further about human postural problems.

using lifting gears is not necessary good. they have their own disadvantages

23.2.2015 upper kyphosis

lackk of sleep due to trip back to the other state.

Lat pulldown 110 3x10
Pendlay rows 135 3x10
Face pull 30 3x11
Rear delt raise 5kg 3 x10
Tricep pushdown 40 3x11
3 sets of static hold at pullup bar 30sec

surprisingly lat pulldown felt easy today. finally i can do 3x12 next session. pendlay row was brutal.

progression for the lifts in future will be as follows:

hip thrusts, american deads: 135 3x10, 135 3x12, 145 3x10
pulldown: 110 3x10, 110 3x12, 120 3x10
pendlay rows: 135 3x10, 135 3x12, 140 3x10

This post has been edited by NGV22: Feb 23 2015, 11:24 PM

24.2.2014 lower lordosis

before this i am embarassed doing hip thrusts, but now i kinda love it when people keep staring me (no homo). feels badass hip thrusting one plate above and nobody in the gym do that

Hip thrust 155 3x10
American deadlift 125 4x10
Lying leg curl 20 3x12
Weighted crunch 40 3x12
RKC plank 3x15sec
seated calf raise 25kg 3x12
static hold at bar 30sec x 3

these lifts felt pretty light. however i felt it less on glutes during hip thrusts. like the last session my low back is a little bit fatigued after hip thrusts. probably the culprit is i tried too hard focusing on PPT before ascending. i will try to decrease the PPT to see how next session.

i went to little to no stretching for the past week and felt relieved my quads dont get any tighter as felt during my tennis ball self myofasial release.

This post has been edited by NGV22: Feb 25 2015, 02:15 AM

27.2.2015 upper kyphosis

Lat pulldown 110 3x12
Pendlay rows 135 3x10
Face pull 40 3x11
Rear delt raise 5kg 3 x11
Tricep pushdown 40 x12,12,9
3 sets of static hold at pullup bar 30sec, 30sec, 35sec

everything looks good. seems like whenever i finished my pendlay row, my whole upper body was pumped as fuark.

27.2.2014 lower lordosis

Hip thrust 145 4x12
American deadlift 125 4x10
Lying leg curl 20 3x11
Weighted crunch 40 3x13
RKC plank 3x15sec
seated calf raise 30kg 3x10

today's hip thrust was terrible. the pain felt at the hip bones destroyed everything. i lost MMC at the glutes, and hams took over a few reps. lower back felt pumped, not sure why though. anyway i believe the glute pump today is at least more intense compared to other days this and last week. you will know that when u cant even sit on ur ass after the working set.

thanks to the pump this helped a lot during deads, where i can go to PPT easier. i will definitely add 5lbs into the bar next weight and see how it goes.

a year ago i can only calf raise around 10kg. i believe most of the improvement came from heavy squatting and calf raises during fierce 5 time. for me it is a huge improvement.

after messing with sets and rep range of hip thrust and american deads, i will back to the strict prescribed ranges next week. upper kyphosis workout tomorrow and we will finish our month of feb. i probably will upload progress pic, but like the one before this, there are not much visible changes.

looks like i will never able to make my quads flexible again. its like massaging and stretching them daily doesnt help. increasing the frequency and see how it goes.

This post has been edited by NGV22: Feb 28 2015, 03:13 AM

2.3.2015 lower lordosis

Hip thrust 150 3x10
American deadlift 135 3x10
Lying leg curl 20 3x12
Weighted crunch 40 3x15
RKC plank 3x15sec
seated calf raise 30kg 3x12
static hold at pullup bar 3x35sec

today's session was quite good. i found that in order to engage more glutes during hip thrust i gotta keep contract my glutes in between sets. my hams keep taking over during the lift coz its definitely stronger than my glutes.

everytime after i finish my lower body sessions and looked into the mirror my lumbar curve seems to be less than normal and the belt line is not so steep. are these mean i am doing something right? hopefully

went large cheat meal over the weekend. i eat pizza like once in three years so that day was the day again.



probably ill take a progress pic later.

yea, massive gainzzz

3.3.2015 upper kyphosis

Lat pulldown 120 3x10
Pendlay rows 135 1x11, 2x9
Face pull 40 3x12
Rear delt raise 5kg 3 x12
skipped pushdown
3 sets of static hold at pullup bar 35sec

failed pendlay rows. imo pendlay rows is not suited for high reps, same like deadlifts. form will start to breakdown and made the lift ugly

progreess pic, hardly see progress at all since last month....