Okay will take a note of that, rack pulls ive figured out I just needed to be a bit higher and will keep ya updated

Can you do t bar rows with just your hands and is it safe?

You can for sure. Just isn't optimal for lifting as heavy as you possibly can. 😀 ðŸ’ª 

Alright and update i can now flex my chest a bit and but not a lot of muscle there and inner chest is lagging

I've been trying drops sets so first set heaviest 6 reps second set 8 reps last set 10-12 reps tho i don't usually get them i just want more volume since i only go 3x a week

i do 5 sets and within those sets are 3 drop sets if that makes sense

i may do the same for other muscles groups

My routine

chest

barbell bench 5x9 - to activate

DB bench 5x 3 superset on each set recently hit 24 kg db for 3 reps

DB fly 5x9

Triceps

barbell close grip press 8x 8-10

seated tricep press 4x9

rack pulls 5x5

Back

assisted pull up/hammer grip 8 x6-8 reps hopefully to just bands soon

barbell row or cable seated row 8x 8-10 reps

racks pull 5x5

biceps

barbell curl 8x6-8 reps

hammer curl 4x8-10 reps

Legs

leg press 8x8-10 200kg on both do i go higher?

leg press machine 8x8-10

calf raise 5x6-8

squats is no for me

@RilwanG Nice to see you took my advice about doing MORE sets of fewer exercises man!

Everything looks pretty good here.. but are squats a no for you?

It depends i did squats for a bit but had to stop cause lower back and yesterday i tried barbell rows and my back was like nope but I've done them before with no problem. i have sciatic nerve i think after doing some lower back stretches no weird achy feeling for a few days but comes back when i stop usually my left lats/lowerback seem to be the problem recently.

@RilwanG So it could be a form issue with your squats that is causing the pain? Maybe post a video here of your form so we can give you some advice. Try to fix the problem instead of just skipping the exercise altogehter 😊 

Its definitely not form it's my lower back. i did some bent over rows today and i was fine,

i think the fact that i usually never do a lot of stretching caught up with me, also when i change over ill film my squat as ive been focusing on leg press,

i just really like it hit 210 trying to reach 220kg again

also is the trap bar good for traps development?

lastly pulls up since I'm bulking and gaining weight wouldn't pull up be harder to reach until i cut back down but i have to say I've seen the results of just doing the assisted pull-ups/hammer grip

@RilwanG Well, if you didn't have issues with your bent-over row, but you had a sore lower back after squatting, that suggests it probably is form. But stretching could help a lot too. I'll link you to a video.

The trap bar isn't too bad for developing your traps, but I wouldn't just rely on that. Still target the traps with things like heavy rack pulls, upright rows and shrugs.

Just because pull-ups are harder doesn't mean you should stop doing them. If you can do pull-ups when you're heavier, that means you're getting stronger. So challenge yourself to still do them.

Little update,

im seeing some serious progress now- in my profile picture

bench-70kg

deadlift- 180kg

squat-100kg

Trapbar-170kg

ive been weight in between 89-91kg now

and im able to pullups not many but a couple will keep using bands.

@RilwanG That's awesome to hear man! You are doing great, making so many gains! Keep up the good work!

Bulk is reaching its end next month then will cut, tho this was kinda rough took me abit to really get into it

Also did a caliper test

leans mass 73.9%

fat 26.1%

fat in kg 23.6kg

lean mass in kg im not too sure off

@RilwanG It's definitely getting to the point where you want to end the bulk. If you are over 25% body fat it's probably a better idea to end it now to be honest. If you go until the end of January that might be OK, but if you go until the end of February you might be closer to 30% body fat which is just going to make it harder for you to cut.

Could i stay on maintanaince whilst doing intermittent fasting lean mass has went up and bf is now around 25% also i seem to be hitting prs every session now

@RilwanG If you stay at maintenance while Intermittent Fasting, you will still maintain your weight (unless you still have newbie gains to be used). Intermittent Fasting (IF) is only a tool to use for weight loss - you still need to be in a deficit overall in order to actually lose weight and fat while using IF.

Glad you are making progress though! That's great!