Shoulder and Traps

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it but be sure to wash it before you use it"



Date: 10/24/2012

Exercises
Seated BB Press: 135x8, 155x8, 135x8
Underhand BB Front Raises: 40x8, 50x8, 50x8
DB Lateral Raise: 20x8, 20x8, 15x8

DB Shrug: 55x8, 60x8, 60x8
Reverse Fly machine: 70x8, 90x8, 70x8

-Notes
-As I look back at this log, I'm starting to see that my body is responding better with slow and controlled movements (using mind+muscle connection) plus minimal rest rather than doing whatever it takes to get the db/bb numbers up (lifting for strength and a longer rest period).

When I was new to the gym and exercise in general, I was doing what I read about in books and I performed the exercises based on what I've read and mainly cared about "My numbers" (the amount I could lift) because I thought I had the form down. Now believe me, i'm not a lifting Guru but I do know some of the ups and downs of bodybuilding because I've been through them before so here's some advice to those of you who are starting out or just mainly lurking about trying to find motivation. The biggest mistake you can ever make in Bodybuilding is trusting yourself to the extent where you can't view things from other perspectives. Perspectives play a huge role when it comes to this lifestyle, without it you can only get so far in your own lane. I say this because when I first started going to the gym and saw my body grow from lifting heavy weights and eating of course, I thought that was all there was to it...It wasn't until I decided to record myself doing the exercises with a video camera and my views on my form changed completely, in my mind the form on those exercises felt like it was on point but in reality I was really half repping most of them.

I was using very little mind and muscle connection and the growth I saw back then was generally "Noob gains" which is cool but although it was painful to see how bad my form was (lol) I didn't fall into denial and started using a camera more often to see myself from a different perspective.

Go out and get a camera, use your phone if you have to. Have your friend record your lift or make a spy setup. Trust me, IT WILL feel awkward when you first do it but you will NEVER regret taking a video of your form for the first time if you learn to fail forward (Look beyond your mistake).