Negative neutral grip pull-ups
+0/8 reps
Bent over dumb bell row 67.5 x 8 reps (-5 reps +2.5 lb)
Wood Chop 112.5 lb x 8 reps +2.5 lb
Shoulder press 82.5 lb x 9 reps +2.5 lb
Cable triceps 107.5 x 9 reps +2.5 lb
Rotator Extensions all four exercises (two for each arm) at 30 lb x 10 reps +2.5 lb
Felt great afterwards.
I think I’m about to dump the dip belt and go back to the machine to make some progress, then try to come back to the belt.
Abduction, new method 320x12 +5lb
Adduction, new method 310x12 +5lb
Cable Fly 22.5x10 +2.5 lb
Dip Belt +27.5 x 6 -2 reps, +2.5 lb
Seated Row, gassed.
Body weight dips, x8 +1 rep
Cable Curl 110x10 +2.5 lb
Cable High Row (pull rope handles, one to either side of face) 155 x 8 +5 lb
Abdominals, +25 x 10, +5 lb
Back Extension 340 x 10 +5 (still off of peak, but gassing out the Row made the back machine easy).
The seated row, doing it as a seated row instead of a row, to hit the upper back, I’m going to cut the weight down a little, but I like it.
But I’m just not happy with the slow/lack of progress on the weighted dip. Maybe I’m just impatient and need to give it another month or so.
Otherwise a good workout, I’m still improving on my shoulders with the stretches and rehab.
[quote]Elaikases wrote:
I think I’m about to dump the dip belt and go back to the machine to make some progress, then try to come back to the belt.
Abduction, new method 320x12 +5lb
Adduction, new method 310x12 +5lb
Cable Fly 22.5x10 +2.5 lb
Dip Belt +27.5 x 6 -2 reps, +2.5 lb
Seated Row, gassed.
Body weight dips, x8 +1 rep
Cable Curl 110x10 +2.5 lb
Cable High Row (pull rope handles, one to either side of face) 155 x 8 +5 lb
Abdominals, +25 x 10, +5 lb
Back Extension 340 x 10 +5 (still off of peak, but gassing out the Row made the back machine easy).
The seated row, doing it as a seated row instead of a row, to hit the upper back, I’m going to cut the weight down a little, but I like it.
But I’m just not happy with the slow/lack of progress on the weighted dip. Maybe I’m just impatient and need to give it another month or so.
Otherwise a good workout, I’m still improving on my shoulders with the stretches and rehab.[/quote]
Guess I don’t understand your point of view, from my POV: upping the weight but not getting the same number of reps is progress, come back next time on the dips and get 8 reps.
And when you say “I’m o.k.” over and over? That’s code for “getting on my nerves”? I’m thinking that’s a YES…! Anyway, been catching up with your workouts a bit. I’ve recently been hooked by weighted dips, as you know, I’d stick with them. Unless I’ve miss-read it, your doing face-pulls pretty heavy, so your shoulder/rotator issues seem to be in check right?
Weighted dips really pump my tri’s, chest and shoulders all together, plus, no else around me does them, ever. In my book, that’s a great reason to keep it up.
Look forward to reading up on you some more. God speed.
What is the frequency of your chest training?
Mine always stalls or goes backwards if I don’t do enough of it. It’s one of the muscles that isn’t really used for anything in day to day efforts, if you think about it…unless you fall on your face a lot.
Since my frequency is once per 6 days, I try to get in extra work on the one day such that I can’t “over-recover” from it - i.e. get weaker. The body rids itself of any muscle tissue it doesn’t need (read: isn’t used) as soon as possible.
And soldog is correct. Usual progression is to raise weight and drop reps temporarily, so the body has some extra capacity to handle and then adjust to the new stimulus. So no worries there.
[quote]skidmark wrote:
What is the frequency of your chest training?
Mine always stalls or goes backwards if I don’t do enough of it. It’s one of the muscles that isn’t really used for anything in day to day efforts, if you think about it…unless you fall on your face a lot.
Since my frequency is once per 6 days, I try to get in extra work on the one day such that I can’t “over-recover” from it - i.e. get weaker. The body rids itself of any muscle tissue it doesn’t need (read: isn’t used) as soon as possible.
And soldog is correct. Usual progression is to raise weight and drop reps temporarily, so the body has some extra capacity to handle and then adjust to the new stimulus. So no worries there.[/quote]
Thanks skidmark and soldog. I needed to get a grip and some perspective and realize that at some point the easy improvements of the past few years were going to slow down.
I think I need to add some chest flies back in. I was doing some machine flies and dropped them from my Tuesday work-out. I think I’ll replace them with dumb bell flies on Saturday mornings.
Otherwise, all my chest work is indirect (from dips, pull-ups, etc.).
Another vote for the dips. On a related note, I recently discovered for myself how more chest focused wide-grip dips can be, if you have the opportunity. It is like, um, you know, a completely different exercise.
Hey Elaik, you sent me a message that I can’t get to…What I thought was the other person in the gym was getting on YOUR nerves. Your story read like that to me at least. Like when the only other person in the locker room is right to me and their stuff all over the place?
[quote]zildjianman wrote:
Hey Elaik, you sent me a message that I can’t get to…What I thought was the other person in the gym was getting on YOUR nerves. Your story read like that to me at least. Like when the only other person in the locker room is right to me and their stuff all over the place? [/quote]
That makes sense, I was afraid I was getting on your nerves 
[quote]1Geech wrote:
Another vote for the dips. On a related note, I recently discovered for myself how more chest focused wide-grip dips can be, if you have the opportunity. It is like, um, you know, a completely different exercise.[/quote]
Hmm, I’ve got that setting available. In a while I may switch my second set of dips to wide grip. Thanks for the thought.
So I think you’ve said that your shoulders are better, as in, alright for dips. Another favorite of mine is flat hammer DB. presses. This is a two-for-one in my book. chest and tri’s get really worked over, and it’s a nice pairing with dips or without. Flat bench, dips, hammer press, hish-incline press, flat fly to finish. Pure nastiness.
By the way, anybody ever go to Ironscene.com? Lot’s of great videos ect…saw a 185lbs. dude doing dips with 185lbs. on a chain ! May have been a prison yard, couldn’t really tell, but he was BANGING them out. Good luck Mr. E.
I’m going to visit Ironscene.com
BTW, with thanks to leads from Soldog, I’ve updated:
[quote]Elaikases wrote:
I’m going to visit Ironscene.com
BTW, with thanks to leads from Soldog, I’ve updated:
[/quote]
Thanks for the credits E. But it was just a few links…
I’m on a Tuesday/Saturday (sometimes Friday morning) split.
Saturday:
Neutral Grip Pull-ups, 8 negative. I’m going to switch to 30 lbs of assist and see where that takes me and drop the negative only.
Bent over dumb bell, 67.5 x9, +1 rep
Wood chop 115 x 8 +2.5 lb
Shoulder press (warm-up) 85 x 9, +2.5 lb
Cable Triceps, 110 x 9 + 2.5 lb
Rotation (rotator cuff exercises, internal and external, both arms, four exercises, each with 32.5 on the cable, ten reps each). +2.5 lb.
Cable Fly (bend over and pull down, fly motion), 50 lb each side, pulled at once, x 8 reps. Decided to add this in for my chest.
Felt good. Watched a guy superset cable flies and decided that I’d try that instead of the dumb bells. Had a 7:00 a.m. meeting, depositions at 9:00 at 1:00 (with my daughter’s soccer game during the break) and the work out squeezed in afterward.
Felt good. I’ve now got a full slate on both sides of my split.
Also got to renew my membership before the rate increase. Means I’ve been working out at the Plano recreation center for a year.
Darn, I’m glad to keep doing it. My wife can see the improvement in my upper body. That’s nice, her opinion means more to me than just about anything else I can think of.
And soldog, you deserve the credit for all the inspiration you provide.
[quote]Elaikases wrote:
Had a 7:00 a.m. meeting, depositions at 9:00 at 1:00 (with my daughter’s soccer game during the break) and the work out squeezed in afterward.
[/quote]
That’s getting it done with authority, E-man.
Busy and still getting the family stuff and work out in. Good Man.
I’m seeing some outstanding time management skills here.
Free Weights-Machines, as long as your training and working out, you’ll feel and look better than most guys on the street.
Keep-up the good work. Welcome to a cool site.
Thanks for the encouragement guys. Today was a rough day, but reading these posts gave me the lift I needed to get out and hit the weights.
Tuesday part of my weekly split work-out
Abduction 325 lb x 12 rep +5 lb
Adduction 315 lb x 13 rep +5 lb +1 rep
Shoulder
Cable Fly* 25 lb x 10 rep +2.5 lb
Dip Belt body weight + 27.5 lb x 7 rep, +1 rep
Seated Row 275 x 7 reps, will do 270 or maybe 265 next. No more low back/lat Row – I’m going to use this to hit the mid back.
Body weight Dip x 9 +1 dip (natural cadence)
Cable Curl 112.5 lb x 10 reps +2.5 lb
Cable Row, High/Face Pull 157.5 lb x 8 rep, +2.5lb
Abdominal slant sit up, +30 lb dumb bell x 10, +5 lb
Back Extension 345 x 10, +5 lb (headed back towards my prior max of 350).
Good workout. Most on pulse up, one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, one thousand count negative, except for the body weight dip set.
Bicycled there with my daughter, and then to the park afterwards where she played until it was too dark, then bicycled home on the sidewalks.
Feeling much better.
*that is the rotator cuff strengthening exercise you see a lot of where you raise the extended arm from your side to 45 degrees. You can do it laying down with a dumb bell or standing with a cable fly. I do it both sides. I tried doing both at once and went back to one side at a time.
I was doing a lateral raise machine, got to where I was moving a lot of weight, but I don’t think I was hitting the right muscles or I’d be moving more with the flies.
My rotator cuffs are doing so much better. It is a miracle.