So where do you get Ab ripper X from?
Do you do your yoga from a dvd, or do you attend a yoga studio?
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Yoga is off a DVD called “body shaping intensive yoga”, suppose dvds are all similar but this one does loads of posterior chain stretching which I need.
Ab Ripper X is off a collective set of workouts called P90X, I think it’s big in america but my friend downloaded the lot and gave me the ab one, its 350 reps without rest and takes about 15 minutes to do.
Nov 29
Overhead Squats
8 x 48.5kg
8 x 53.5kg
8 x 58.5kg
5 x 68.5kg
SLRDL (Single Leg Russian Deadlift)
1 x 8 x 19kg
1 x 8 x 23kg
1 x 8 x 28kg
RLESS (Rear Leg Elevated Split Squats)
3 x 8 x 68.5kg
I made a point of bracing my abs and holding my breath for the OH squats, it improved stability and the reps I did do at 68.5kg were very smooth.
I thought I was limited to 19kg in SLRDL but I split it into a dumbbell in each hand and increased the weight until it was challenging. I made a point to tense my glute and keep my leg straight as I read that a slightly bent leg does more lower back. Really felt these in my calves as well as hamstrings and glutes, jelly-legged afterwards.
Step ups with dead legs is probably dangerous so I changed to split squats. These involve my glutes and hamstrings more and the constant tension works my legs so much harder. I’m aware of the doms I get doing these so it’s straight into contrast showers after i’ve had a PWO shake. Might do abs later, certainly not capable of doing anything now.
Dec 2
Overhead Press
5 x 60kg
3 x 68kg
0 x 76kg
Alternate T-Bar Press
3 x 8 x 35kg
Weighted Pullups
2 x 8 x 7.5kg
Weighted Dips
2 x 18 x 7.5kg
I sensed a fail, wouldn’t have managed the start of the next cycle anyway so kind of relieved to repeat this one. I was 2/3 of the way up but I did use my legs slightly. T-bar press was good, changed from chin ups to pull ups and dropped the reps. I’m going to reduce the workload this week and pick things up next Saturday.
Dec 3
Staircase Sprint
3 x 3 sets
Staircase Bounds
3 x 2 x double steps
Sumo Deadlift
3 x 3 x 118.5kg
GHR
2 x 5
Sliding Leg Curl
2 x 8
Good session, feel like my legs are fresher than when I started which is the goal this week. I think the problem with my sliding leg curls was bringing my heels up too close to my bum and beyond around 90 degree knee angle. Correcting that and dorsiflexing my toes during GHR’s seemed to put my hamstring in a stronger position and I had no fears of cramping.
Dec 4
Bench Press
3 x 94.5kg
3 x 96kg
3 x 97kg
followed by Explosive pushups x 5
Alternate DB Curls
2 x 9 x 19kg
Ab Ripper X
Complete - 350 reps
Ab. Ripper. X. I could do it 100 times it’ll still kill me. Did the bonus 10 reps at the end, I feel more confident starting it when I know i’m capable of getting to the end. I did submax bench and took a set off curls, arms feel pretty strong although I missed the rack with one side of the bar and had to put in a lot of effort to lift it again on one side.
Dec 6
Back Squats
8 x 108.5kg
8 x 118.5kg
RLESS
2 x 8 x 68.5kg
SLRDL
2 x 8 x 28kg
My overhead squats aren’t really working my legs, and my core probably benefits from a heavier weight. So until my OH pressing improves i’m going back to regular squats. I was going to do 3 sets but since it’s the first ones in a while and still my light week I just did 2 x 8. RLESS and SLRDL probably needed a warm up set to get the movement right as it was more a balance issue that made them tough. Once i’m stable I can apply force more fully but before that I probably need 12 attempts to get 8 good reps.
Dec 8
Overhead Press
5 x 52kg
5 x 60kg
6 x 68kg
Alternate T-Bar Press
3 x 8 x 35kg
Weighted Pullups
3 x 8 x 7.5kg
Weighted Dips
3 x 18 x 7.5kg
I think there’s something to be said for leaving a little in the tank after each session. I felt pretty fresh today and I thought increasing the reps would only make it harder for the other sessions this week.
I’m repeating 5/3/1 for OH press due to a failure at 1+ and last time I started with 5 x 68kg so pleased to eek out a 6th rep today, although it did use some leg drive and result in some odd spasming (made it look like I was dancing) as I edged it up to lockout. It’s better for me mentally to have already made progress on the last time I tried it.
I also used my legs a lot more in the hang power clean that gets it onto my shoulders as anything that’s tiring my arms before I start repping should be minimised.
Got a few new supplements ordered this week, Glutamine (5g pre-bed), Vitamin D3 as cholecalciferol and a decent Vitamin B complex with some Vit C in there too. I read Nutrient Timing and 10 Secrets of 100% Healthy People and it’s given me another kick up the arse to get my diet in order. I’ve stopped eating so much tuna and replaced it with mackerel, lunch and dinner now have a compulsory 3-4 portions of vegetables in and my carb sources are all good.
Dec 9
Staircase Sprint
3 x 3 sets
Staircase Bound
3 x doubles
Sumo Deadlift
5 x 101kg
5 x 116kg
7 x 132kg
GHR
3 x 5
Sliding Leg Curl
3 x 8
No straps, had to grip my thumbs on the final reps to hold the bar up, comfortable at 132kg.
Does your gym have a GHR, or do you use a make-do one?
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I think technically it’s called a Nordic Hamstring Curl. I kneel on the multi-gym seat and jam my ankles under the back support. It’s only the eccentric section as it’s really tough to pull yourself back up again.
Bench Press
5 x 72kg
5 x 83kg
7 x 94kg
Alternate DB Curls
3 x 7 x 20kg
Close Grip Bench Press
3 x 8 x 78.5kg
Rotator Cuff
2 x 3 x 10
Ab Ripper X to follow later this evening.
I left a rep in the tank in bench, was practicing driving my feet into the ground away from me to use all my body for the lift and tiring as it was it seemed to help. I’m quite excited to be entering new territory in strength and will be looking ahead to mini-milestones I can tick off as new accomplishments.
I realised i’ve been over-thinking how best to get my ideal muscle size and distribution - if I want a body that looks like it can bench 125kg the best thing to do is get my bench to 125kg. If I don’t increase the weight I can’t expect to see much muscle growth.
Dec 11
Back Squats
8 x 108.5kg
8 x 118.5kg
3 x 126kg
SLRDL
3 x 8 x 28kg
Pause Squat (5 sec ISO)
5 x 58.5kg
Only 3 reps because I had a stiff back and only considered three of them to be the right depth. Once I finished the session I did pause squats, which I got years ago from an article about Maurice Greene’s training, so for anyone who can’t work it out you get to the bottom of the squat and tense your glutes etc. in a five second hold then come up. I did these in winter 2008 and when i returned to regular squatting I was in a bizarre situation where I felt more comfortable at the bottom of the squat than I did halfway up.
Also slight change of sessions
Tues: Rest → Squats & SLRDL
Wed: 5 x 200m & Bench → Rest
Thurs: Squats, SLRDL, RLESS → 5 x 200m, RLESS
Dec 13
Track Work (Real track, not shitty gravel track in my home town)
6 x 400m (~8 mins rest) 5 in 72 secs, last one in 64.8 secs
Ironman Weights (First Series 30-60 secs rest, 2 sec concentric 4 sec eccentric)
Lat Pulldown 2 x 12 x 35kg
Split Squat 2 x 12 x 10kg
Press ups 2 x 8
Hip Thrust 2 x 12
DB Pullover 2 x 12 x 13.5kg
Decline Pushups 2 x 12
DB Bicep Curl 2 x 12 x 9kg
Tricep Kickback 2 x 12 x 1.5kg
Bird Dogs 2 x 12
Side Bridge 2 x 40 secs
Front Bridge 2 x 60 secs
DB Side Bends 2 x 15 x 9kg
Press up Hand Walks 2 x 20
First things first, track. My friend is training for ironman and was doing 10 x 400m with 4-5 mins rest, and I did reps 1,3,5,7,8 and we raced the final rep. Having done that there was NO chance of me doing RLESS when I came home so instead I joined him for his weights session, which we ended up going through twice. Some of the exercises like split squat, hip thrust and bicep curls were really tough in the 2X4 (or 4X2) tempo format and as long as they don’t blunt my max. strength noticeably i’m happy to include that session every week as it’s a little something different and had me way out my comfort zone.
Dec 14
Overhead Press
3 x 56kg
3 x 64kg
2 x 72kg
3 x 8 x 48.5kg
Chin Ups
3 x 11
Dips
3 x 25
Done as a circuit. After failing to hit 3 reps in my pressing I decided i’d go back to 3 x 8 to build a strength base. I’m in no doubt that yesterdays exertions restricted my pressing ability but i’m happy to take a step back and do some higher rep work until the movement is second nature.
Dec 16
Staircase Sprint
3 x 3 sets
Pause Squats (5 sec ISO)
5 x 63.5kg
5 x 68.5kg
Sumo Deadlift
3 x 108.5kg
3 x 124kg
3 x 140kg
GHR
3 x 5
Sliding Leg Curl
3 x 8
Pause squats were a good warmup, better than running up the stairs on its own. I used the ‘weld your spine’ cue and that worked well for the first two sets but I almost couldn’t get 140kg off the floor. Put my straps on and managed three but it was very difficult. All else good, calves are tight from track on Thursday, will give them some attention tomorrow evening.
Whats the deal with paused squats?
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Just something a top sprinter used to do. He’d pause long enough to make sure he wasn’t using a stretch reflex then explode up, but I found just pausing generally helps build strength at the bottom of the lift which for most people would be a sticking point. I’m basically turning a weakness into a strength.
Dec 17
Bench Press
3 x 77kg
3 x 88kg
6 x 100kg
Alternate DB Curls
3 x 7 x 20kg
Close Grip Bench Press
3 x 6 x 83.5kg
Rotator Cuff
2 x 2 x 10
Ab Ripper X
Complete - every fucking rep
Bench was meant to be 99kg but I couldn’t resist rounding it off to triple figures. I feel pretty good having come off creatine and not plateau’d massively, though my deadlift is becoming very difficult very quickly. I’m 74kg and trying to maintain calories as best I can.
Dec 20
Pause Squats
5 x 68.5kg
5 x 73.5kg
5 x 78.5kg
RLESS
3 x 8 x 68.5kg
SLRDL
3 x 8 x 28kg
Calf Lowers
2 x 25
The pause squats should fly up in weight as i’m doing them twice a week. Was comfortable at 78kg but left something in the tank for the rest of the workout. I got VERY fucking frustrated at split squats, could not keep my balance for the life of me and I was doing 1-2 reps at a time. I dropped the height of the object I was resting my foot on and that made it a lot better, the weight is possibly too heavy when i’ve done other exercises before it to tire my legs but i’m only a week or two away from it being fine.
Calf lowers are just calf raises but the focus is on a slow eccentric section.
Dec 21
Overhead Press
3 x 8 x 53.5kg
Dips
3 x 25
Chin Ups
3 x 12
Half-Kneeling Cable Lift
3 x 10 x 5kg
Ab Wheel
2 x 15
RKC Plank
45 secs
Pressing is good but when I struggle my back over-arches and I really need to stop it doing that. Nice slow chin ups, then as I was reading Bret’s article on the activation levels in ab exercises this morning I thought i’d add in kneeling cable lifts and RKC plank. I found my ab wheel halfway through my session and decided to do both to compare them. I can probably do ab wheel from standing next week as it’s no longer a challenge from kneeling unless I do dozens and dozens of reps.
Dec 23
Sumo Deadlift
5 x 116kg
3 x 132kg
1 x 148kg
GHR 3 x 5
Sliding Leg Curl
3 x 9
I had a warm up consisting of squats, deadlifts and dynamic stretching. Got really psyched up for the final deadlift and did it reverse grip no straps and it was very smooth. I got a little nerve pain at the top of my left calf doing GHR’s, really working hard in those. Decided to get back on creatine from tomorrow.
Dec 24
Bench Press
5 x 83kg
3 x 94kg
2 x 106kg
Alternate DB Curls
3 x 8 x 20kg
Close Grip Bench Press
3 x 6 x 83.5kg
Rotateor Cuff
2 x 2 x 10
Ab Ripper X
All of it
I wasn’t hyped for bench, been a long day and i’m feeling a bit sluggish. Struggled in the ab session on several occasions, got through it though. Tomorrow morning i’m cycling about 20km round a nearby lake as my friend is running it and I fancy a bit of light cardio on my off day.