My training History: I trained less than one year before competing in my first powerlifting meet as a teenager back in 1983. Before leaving the sport partially due to injuries in 2005 I achieved my elitefts status in the 198,220,242,275 & 308 weight class. Throughout these years I did have a 3 year run in the bodybuilding world. I have degenerative joint disease, have had two shoulder surgeries (right shoulder now needs replaced), one full hip replacement, knee surgery, and herniation's in all three regions of my spine, Bone spurs (all joints). I can't even begin to list the number of muscle tears I have had, surgical and non surgical. I am "The Mashed Up Meathead" and this is my story.
You can find my training log archives HERE and my most current training log posts HERE.
My best lifts are behind be but my best training is yet to come.
* Unless otherwise noted the tempo of the work sets is about 1/2 of what most would consider normal. In most cases, if I did the set with normal temp what I fail at with 8-10 reps in training I could do for 20 reps with a normal tempo. This is to keep the joint stress down while increase the stress on the muscle. I have found this to work best for me provided the conditions listed in my training history above.
Tuesday shoulder training.
Warm ups.
Same as always. Side raises and front raises. Multiple sets, 10 to 15 repetitions, until the weight starts to feel light and the joints start to feel right.
Dumbbell swings
Starting with 30 pounds, two sets of 30 reps and then work up to 40 pounds for 30 reps, 60 pounds for 30 reps and 70 pounds for 30 reps, 20 reps and a final set of 20 reps.
Side raises using the machine s/s with face pulls
This is a seated machine where the pads are on your elbows and superseded that with tsunami grip, latter, face pulls. Three warm up sets of 12 to 15 reps, four work sets of 10 reps on the side raises and 15 reps on the face pulls. One last work set with increased weight for eight reps on the side raises and eight reps on the face pulls.
Rear delt machine
two warm up sets to figure out what weight I was able to use, as in five sets of 30 reps.
Medicine ball front raises super set with front presses.
Seventy pound medicine ball for six front raises and 10 presses. At that point I knew that was too much weight for my shoulder to handle so I went to the 50 and did four sets of 10 front raises and 10 presses. On the last set, I used the 70s for five reps on the front raise, drop to the 50s for five reps on the front raise and went to a 20 for 15 reps on the front raise, went back to the 70s, did five reps on the front press, went to the 50s and did 10 reps on the front press and then went to the 20 and did 20 reps on the front press. That was it.