2010 Training Log

Training Logs
1

Well it won’t be for all of 2010 or it would get too long.

Goal: Not miss a single planned workout all year. I will strengthen my lacking willpower as much as I strengthen my lacking muscles. If I miss one workout, I will miss others.

EDIT: I have changed my routine up a bit, see my more recent posts.
What: Forums - T Nation - The World's Trusted Community for Elite Fitness
I got sick and tired of wasting time and switching around, so I wrote down what I am doing in stone, and now I am just going to do it.

Me: 21, male, 155lbs, 5’10, skinny upper body, thick fat thighs, no idea on bf%

Day 1: Did upper body & deadlifts (with rest in between of course) since my gym was closed on Christmas and I needed to do it.

Deadlift 90lb x 5, 110x5, 120x6
Chair Hold: 25s, 30s
Crunches 10 (warmup)
DeadBug Extension 2 (each leg)

Pushups 5,6
Superman 5,10 (3s hold for each rep)
Horizontal Rows 4,6
Reverse Crunch 6,12
Inclined Pushups 3,4 (used pushup bars, which was dumb since it removes half the incline, will use knuckles next time)
Inverted Hang 2,1,5 (in seconds)
Dips 1,2
Chinups 2,2
Pullups 1,2

This one done with the first set as a warmup, the second set no going to failure.

Day 3 (Today)
Leg Swings
Mobility Drills
4 sprints at maybe 80% of full out

This left me gasping for breath and was pretty enlightning about how out of shape I am (and on the opposite end, how much I toke). I mean I only ran 60% on the last sprint cause my lungs weren’t working anymore. My lower back also feels sore afterward.

I enjoyed the swings and mobility drills and they felt GREAT to do, so I’m going to do them as a warmup everyday from this point onwards, day 3 will just be for sprinting.

Tomorrow: Squats!

2

Mobility Drills for warmup

Squat 85x5
100x5
110x7

Hip Thrust 20x10
40x10

Leg Curl
30x10
50x6

Really felt it in my lower back and hamstrings, but not in my glutes. Gonna read up technique and alternatives to the hip thrust because I have a hard enough time contracting my glutes properly, much less having them blast though squats and deadlifts so I want to really blast them on squat days (especially since for me, squats are brutal on my back and core, not so much on my legs yet)

3

Pushups (bars) 7,9
Superman 10,15
Horiz Rows 7,8
Reverse Crunch 15,16
Incline Pushups (on floor) 3,4
Inverted Hang 12,14 (seconds)
Dips 4,5
Chinups 3,4
Pullups 2,3

My back is tight and tired, so I may substitute jogging with sprinting tomorrow if sprinting bothers it. Sprinting really tired out my back last time (tight hip flexors?) and they really feel like they need a couple days recovery.

4

I did two sprints at 70%, getting up to that speed felt like I was pulling my shins and the tops of my legs apart. Didn’t push it so I’ll be ready for deadlifts in 2 days.

5

Mobility warmup
Deadlift:
100x3
110x3
125x10

Apparently my form began to decay after 5 perfect reps, so next time I’ll ask for updates as soon as form begins to slip so I can try harder to maintain it (I can’t yet feel when I start to lose my arch).

Chair hold: 40 seconds, 45s

Crunches 10
Dead Bug Extensions 3,4

Next posted update on the 3rd!

6

Pushups (bars) 10,11
Pullups (stairwell ledge, no grip) 3,3
Inclined Pushups 3,4 (steeper angle)
Pullups 3,3
Reverse Crunch 20,21
Pullups 3,3

The pullups really tested my wrists, but the day after (and today) my lats are very, very sore and feel like they’re huge. Definitely going to work on increasing my upper body volume tomorrow.

Next day:
Some running in the deep snow, until out of breath. Didn’t really put much into it since I was so hungover

Today:
Mobility warm up
Front Squat 40x3, 90x3, 105x3, 120x5, 120x3
Bodyweight Glute Bridge 20, 20
Crunches 15
Dead Bug Extension 3, 4

Decided to try front squats instead of back squats since last week my back was just beat. I used the cross arm position on the last 3 sets, as I didn’t quite have the flexibility to hold it olympic style. I really enjoyed front squatting so threw in another set. I will be doing the front squat instead of back squat for now, using the same weight which seems to be pretty close to were it should be.

7

Mobility, stretching, then jogging. Out of breath and my lungs sound terrible, so I`m going to stop smoking everyday, cut way back and switch to vaporizing for when I do. Much as I hate to do it, it needs to happen.

8

This morning I did joint rotations, mobility drills and three fitdeck cards (lol!) and some stretching. My lifestyle up to this point has been ZERO activity, so I plan on doing this light activity and full range movement in the morning to get my body more active and ready for the day. My CNS feels lazy, hopefully this will help a bit.

Then, at the gym (hours later), mobility drills as a warmup, then
Deadlift 105x6, 120x4, 135x2, 150x3,2
My mid back started to round during the lift on the 150 reps, so I’d say 150x1 is my rep max with perfect form. If anyone has some suggestions for strengthening my med back stability other than deadlifts with perfect form that’d be sweet.
Chair hold 75s
One Leg Chair 10, 5s (one each leg, starting weakest first)
Crunches 15 -Pulled my feet into the floor and towards me, tightening my glutes and hams to get more ab involvement
Dead Bug Extensions 4, 4, 5
Side Bridges 25, 20, 30s
Stretches

9

Did my morning “warm up” again. In the evening did m upper body workout, where I went back to my older layout of switching between two exercises for two sets and then moving on to the next pair.

Mobility Drills
Pushups 12,13
Rows 9,9
Incl Pushups 5,5
Pullups 4,4
Shrugs* 4,4
Dips 5,6
Chinups/Pullups 4,3
Hang 20,19s

*I feel a little weak holding my body up at the top position in dips, so I’m doing two sets of shrugs to strengthen pushing downwards with my shoulders.

Doing the hang last is great, as it finishes off my grip pretty effectively. Plus an extra set of pullups which is awesome, in order to have two opposing exercises for each pair.

10

I hate running, but it’s probably because I always hate doing it because I’m weak and I can easily be humbled by some sprinting. It also hurts my lower back whenever I start decelerating from a sprint.

I will try sprinting on grass to see if that solves that problem since I’m currently sprinting on concrete since it’s close to were I live. Since it hurts from the impact when I slow down, I’m pretty sure that’s the cause.

4 parking lot sprints (lol maaaybe 50m), which left me winded but nothing near the shit I got from doing it the first time.

11

My lower back was very tight today, I had to stretch it out after every set because no matter what I did it would be completely tight after. I am replacing the next 3 running/sprinting days with some exercise bike pedaling, and I will use the deload week as a deload week. After that I’ll try sprinting on a field which will hopefully solve these issues. Got up late, so just worked out and didn’t do any morning stuff.

Front Squat
Bar x10,10, 100x5, 110x3, 125x3, 130x2,2
One Leg Hold 10, 10s
Hip Flexor Stretches
One Leg Squats 1, 2
Hip Flexor Sretches
Glute Bridge 20
Hip Thrust 10
Crunches 20
Dead Bug 6,7,6
Side Bridges 20,35

12

lol dunno what happened today, did joint rotations when I woke up and nothing else. Then when I started working out I forgot to warmup and didn’t notice until halfway through. So far I’ve gained 10lbs (I always weigh in the morning after a dump), I think half is just extra food moving through my gut and I’ve gotten a lot of muscle growth so I’m not getting fat (yet).

Pushups 15,15
Rows 9,10
Incl Pushups 7,7
Pullups 4,4
Shrugs 8,8
Dips 6,8
Chinups 5,4
Hang 25,25

I’ve felt my abs where my weak point in inclined pushups, but from the dead bug extensions and focusing on keeping my whole body tight that doesn’t feel like the case anymore, my core stayed tight through all the reps with no sagging. I also held the first 25 second hang without any “foot touching” to help hold balance, where I bump into the pullup bar to stop any wobbling and get rid of momentum. I pointed my toes upwards and focused on keeping my spine straight. Trap and wrist strength are the limiting factors in how long I can hang, but balance is always hard in the position esp since I’m upside down.

I’m going to mix the order around after next week, as well as throwing the superman and rev crunches back in, with my back tight it isn’t comfortable to my back at all to do these exercises. Last summer I got the superman reps up to 35 and felt it made my back feel great, even doing shit that normally left it stiff and sore before at work. Probably won’t push it on day 2 after deadlifts but we’ll see how I feel in a week.

13

Day 6 I did the mobility drills and rested my back, same with day 7 (no exercise). Started eating more vegetables and am trying to clean up my diet.

Today I decided to play around with deadlift forms after doing a lot of reading since I feel my form is weak. I warmed up with mobility drills, and a set of pushups and pullups, and then 90x5 but couldn’t find a groove and felt weak. Put on the 45lb plates so I could get proper starting position, did 130x3
Tried a wide sumo stance, and really felt way better getting in position and did 130x8 without failure, then 150x6 without failure, 180x3,1 200x1,1
Way more work being done by the legs instead of mostly my back, and most certainly better deadlifting! My back was beat after this. I will use 180lb as my max for the next cycle of 5/3/1 however I think I will do some more sets than I have been if I feel like it.
Did 1 leg chairs as a w/u 5,3 without rest
1 leg squats 1,1,1,2 (left leg reps then right leg reps)
I’m going to do these more often to get in practice
BW Reverse Hyper on a bench 4 just playing but it hits my glutes good. It’s to help me learn the elbow lever position so I have the strength to hold my lower torso in a straight line, I’ll add sets of it somewhere.
Crunches 15
Dead Bug 5,6,7
Side Bridges 25,30,33
Stretches

By the time I left the gym my back felt great, better than it did before I went in. A great workout for sure.

14

Joint rotations right out of bed, which tbh is as much as I feel like doing in the morning, mostly cause it feels really good to loosen up.

Mobility Drills
Pushups 16,15
Rows 11,10
Incl Pushups 8,7
Pullups 3,5
Shrugs 12
Dips 5,8
Chinups 5,5
Hang 25,20

Started taking 5000 IU of vitamin D3 and 15g creatine daily, I will decrease to 3000 and 5g respectively after 1 week.

15

Mobility Drills warmup, then 3 sets of burpees (no pushups) 15,13,12 which was as many as I could manage each time. Didn’t do a lot of sets because I’d hate to get DOMS for squatting tomorrow. I get severe DOMS if I push all out the first time I do something and I hate having my legs hurt walking around for a few days. If I don’t push it the first time I try a new and unfamiliar movement, I can push it the second time and not have to deal with DOMS.

Probably going to keep them, I’m thinking about what I want to change up for the next month. Right now, thinking about adding Good Mornings after the Front Squats, some advancement for the ab exercises, a grip training program after the upper body routine and practicing lever positions and handstands (well, learn to handstand first), otherwise the same stuff I’ve got now cause it’s working.

Also managed to balance an elbow lever today, but need to get my body straight. I need more whole body tightness to hold my body in a straight line, so I’m practicing that on the side.

16

I only felt like deadlifting today, so I just deadlifted singles, playing around with starting positions and form. The number I did was how many I felt like, went at an easy pace so I didn’t tire. Definitely prefer the wider stance though it puts more weight onto my weaker adductor muscles.

Mobility warmup
130 x 11
180 x 5
200 x 5
220 x 3
225 x 1 now this one is interesting because I added the 5lb plate to the right side of the barbell, and foolishly forgot the left side and lifted thinking it was 230. My form felt perfect and it felt lighter than the 200, so I was pretty psyched until I went to add more weight and noticed. Put on the 5lb plate and found my left grip failing and my form shaky, did 2 reps but barely. Didn’t try using an alternating grip.
Stretching

17

Tried to max on my upper body lifts, doing an easy warmup set followed by an all out set. I found after my first set of dips pushing myself further than I thought I could, I didn’t have anymore of that strength and found my arms simply not having the strength to go beyond what I was doing before.

Dips 3,12
Pullups 3,6
Incline Pushups 4,9
Body Rows 5,12
Pushups 10,15
Hang 10,40s

18

I’ve just had 2 long posts fail and disappear forever. I will try again later. Deadlifted today, new routine, not typing it out for the third time tonight.

19

Here is a quick overview of what I’m doing.

Day 1: Deadlift & Grip 1
Day 2: Upper Body & Grip 2
Day 3: Grip 1
Day 4: Upper Body & Grip 2
Day 5: Lower Body & Grip 1
Day 6: Upper Body & Grip 2
Day 7: Rest & Eat

Deadlift:
Deadlift 5 sets +/- 1 set
Suspended Leg Squat 3 sets
Dead Bug 2 sets
Dead Bug lifted leg variation 2 sets

Lower Body:
Bulgarian Split Squats (dumbbells) 4 sets
Good Mornings (barbell) 4 sets
Dead Bug 2 sets
Dead Bug Variation 2 sets

Upper Body:
What I was doing before exercise wise but 3 sets per exercise instead of 2, and with the core exercises (reverse crunch and superman) back in. Hang is advanced to Inverted Dips. Since there are 4 pulling and 4 pushing type exercise, I gave them numbers and the order of each exercise session can be rolled with an 8 sided dice while alternating pushing/pulling exercises.

Grip 1:
Single Hand Deadlift Advancement 3 sets -start with 2 fingers, advance to 3 and then 4 finger grip when near grip failure
Pinch Grip Deadlift 3 sets
Single Hand Upright Dumbbell Lift 3 sets

Grip 2:
Wrist Roller sets 3 -Rapid raising and lowering of the weight, number of complete raises = reps
Pipe Wrist Twists- this works wrist/forearm rotation 3 sets
Pipe Wrist Raises- Raising the thumb portion of the wrist 3 sets
Fingertip Pushup Hold 2 sets
Finger Band Extensions 3 sets

20

Deadlift Day:

Deadlifts 130 x16 singles, 180 x5 singles (max) beat up cause this is 3rd deadlift session in 7 days
Suspended Leg Squat 2,3,2 my left leg is weak, right leg feels strong
Dead Bug 7,7
Dead Bug var 5,4 I can’t fully extend my legs and maintain pelvic tilt so I’m pushing them as far as I can for each rep

Single Hand Deadlift -used barbell, lots of time playing around, also some holding when my legs couldn’t move anymore, so this was kinda everywhere. Also, it’s Hard.
Single Hand Upright Dumbbell Lift 10 x4,4,4 -on the last set I pulled 11 with my left hand but it felt like my finger locked around it as opposed to holding it, or something, wasn’t very hard compared to all the other sets. Also, holding a 10lb dumbbell like that is HARD lol
Pinch Grip Deadlift 20 x5,7 -one end of the barbell in a corner, weight on other end. Probably better on a bench in terms of angle, I’ll try it.

My grip stuff was more playing around to get the hang of it but was still quite challenging.

Day 2:
Rows 7,7,7
Superman 5,5,5
Inverted Dips 3,2,3
Pullups 3,3,3
Incline Pushups 5,5,7
Reverse Crunchs 11,11,13
Pushups 12,11,10

Wrist Roller -I did one 6 rep set with 18lb water jugs, broke on the 3 set for the back of the wrists. I’m going to make a tougher one out of PVC and rope
Wrist Twist 2+4, 2+5, 2+5 The first lower number is twisting with the thumb toward the body, the second number is twisting the thumb from the outside of the body (if that makes sense)
Pipe Raise 8,7,11
Fingertip Hold 20,23s
Finger Band Extensions 1 elastic 16, 2 elastics 15,20

This stuff really hits all the muscles in the forearm, a lot I didn’t know a even had.