Christal's Log Book

Training Training Logs
61

2/21/15 BW: 164.8

High Step ups (24" box) 5 x 10 @ BW, 30, 40, 50, BW
Bench Press 1 x 5 @ 95, 5 x 3, 6 , 3 (paused), 3, 3 @ 135, 1 x 11 @ 115, 1 x 21 @ 95 lbs
CS Rows (w/ Handles for extra ROM) 3 x 10 @ 45, 70, 90, 2 @ 115, 5 @ 90, 3 x 10 @ 70, 2 x 10 @ 45

I got in the gym this morning feeling like Frankenstein’s monster. Muscle soreness has been accumulating for the past few days. I just didn’t have any power in my bench today so I decided to do lots of reps instead! Yay, reps! haha We decided to do the same thing with rows. Tomorrow is our day off though so we should be recovered by Monday.

62

[quote]Babypowerlifter wrote:
2/18/15 BW: 165.2

Walking Lunges 3 x about 24 steps @ BW, 40, 50 lbs
Skin the cat 2 x 1
Dips 5, 5
My husband’s booty camp: Reverse Lunges 3 x 10 @ 25 lbs, Goblet Squats 3 x 10 @ 40 lbs, Slider Leg Curls 3 x 10 @ both legs, tons of ab work.

We basically took today off from lifting. My husband wasn’t feeling it at the gym, so we decided to take a walk and worked out a little at this adult playground in town. It has rings, a parallel bar, chin-up bars, and a bunch of other stations. It’s pretty cool. We used to go there all the time in the summer back when we didn’t have a gym membership. Besides that, I joined my husband for his booty camp class. [/quote]

Nice. It’s good to mix it up and get out of your routine sometimes!

63

[quote]Powerpuff wrote:

[quote]Babypowerlifter wrote:
2/18/15 BW: 165.2

Walking Lunges 3 x about 24 steps @ BW, 40, 50 lbs
Skin the cat 2 x 1
Dips 5, 5
My husband’s booty camp: Reverse Lunges 3 x 10 @ 25 lbs, Goblet Squats 3 x 10 @ 40 lbs, Slider Leg Curls 3 x 10 @ both legs, tons of ab work.

We basically took today off from lifting. My husband wasn’t feeling it at the gym, so we decided to take a walk and worked out a little at this adult playground in town. It has rings, a parallel bar, chin-up bars, and a bunch of other stations. It’s pretty cool. We used to go there all the time in the summer back when we didn’t have a gym membership. Besides that, I joined my husband for his booty camp class. [/quote]

Nice. It’s good to mix it up and get out of your routine sometimes!
[/quote]

Yep, I agree! The body and mind need variety from time to time. :slight_smile:

2/23/15 BW: 166.0

Back Squats 2 x 5 @ 95, 135, 2 x 3 @ 155, 185, 4 x 5 @ 205 lbs
Military Press 5 x 5 @ 45, 65, 85, 95, 105 (PR), 2 x 7, 6 @ 95
Hammer Strength High Row 6 x 10 @ 90, 140, 180, 180, 180, 180 lbs
Decline Abs 4 x 20, 15, 10, 10 @ BW
Fat Bar Reverse Curls 4 x 10 @ 45 lbs
Lots of stretching

Felt nauseous today with some lady cramps. I got through my workout, but it was pretty uncomfortable. Still got a military press PR though. I’ve never hit 105 for 5 before. The next goal is to get 5 sets of 5 at that weight.

64

2/24/15 BW: 164.8

BB Reverse Lunges 5 x 8 (per leg) @ 45, 65, 85, 85, 65 lbs
Single Leg BB Deadlifts 3 x 5 @ 45, 65, 85, 1 x 4 @ 105, 1 x 5 @ 85 lbs
Chin-ups fail @ 65 lbs, 1 @ 63 lbs (PR), 3 x 8, 7, 7 @ BW
Incline Press 1 x 5 @ 95, 5 x 9, 8, 7, 6, 5 @ 115 lbs
Extreme Decline Abs 2 x 10
Cable Curls 3 x 10 @ 39, 41, 41 lbs

Good session today. The single leg work was a lot more difficult than I expected. Those reverse lunges worked my adductors in a way I haven’t experienced in a while. Also, 105 got squirrely for single leg deadlifts, so I only got 4 reps per leg. I’ll keep working on these and will include them in more of my workouts.

I got a weighted chin-up PR. :slight_smile: The video is coming soon. For the first attempt, my husband told me to try for 63 lbs and not 65, but I didn’t listen haha. He was right. I only got my nose to the bar and couldn’t finish it. I got 63 on my second attempt, but just barely. That rep would have been a lot smoother if I had been more conservative. :stuck_out_tongue: Oh well. Still a PR.

I attempted to get 10 reps on incline press at 115, but couldn’t lock out the 10th rep. I still got in a bunch of volume though, so I’m happy with that.

Right now I’m trying to decide whether or not to compete in a meet in April. Because I can’t go to the May meet, I looked up other ones this year and there’s one in the middle of April. I don’t think I’ll have the state deadlift record by then, but it could still be some good experience for me.

65

I can’t wait to see your chin-up video!

As for the April meet, give it a whirl; you can only learn from it.

66

[quote]Seachel_25 wrote:
I can’t wait to see your chin-up video!

As for the April meet, give it a whirl; you can only learn from it.[/quote]

Here it is. :slight_smile:

Yeah, you’re right. I’m not going to go backwards from competing. It would be a good learning experience. Now, I just have to eat less to make it to the lower weight class. :stuck_out_tongue: haha

67

Okay, it’s not working apparently. I’ll try it again.

68

2/25/15 BW: ?

My husband’s booty camp class.

We also put in our 2 weeks notice at our gym. Long story, but management has been bad for a while and an event happened that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It’s clear to my husband and I that we do not have the same values or mission statement as the gym and need to go elsewhere.

2/26/15 BW: 164.8

At home workout today:

Squats: 12 x 10 @
BW
10 lbs
20 lbs
30 lbs
40 lbs
50 lbs
25 + 30 lbs (dumbbells in a rack position)
30 + 20 lbs (switch arms)
40 + 50 lbs
50 + 40 lbs (switch arms)
40 + 50 lbs + 40 lb vest
50 + 40 lbs + 40 lb vest (switch arms)

Single Arm DB OH Press: Whatever weight is on the dumbbell, use the same number for reps. (Touch shoulder with each rep.)

10 @ 10 lbs
15 @ 15 lbs
20 @ 20 lbs
30 @ 30 lbs
17 @ 40 lbs

DB Rows: Whatever weight is on the dumbbell, use the same number for reps. (Bent over, single arm.)

10 @ 10 lbs
20 @ 20 lbs
30 @ 30 lbs
40 @ 40 lbs
50 @ 50 lbs

Furniture Slider Leg Curls: 3 x 5 @ Single Leg, 2 x 10 @ Both Legs

69

2/27/15 BW: 163.6

Push ups (close grip with handles for extra ROM) 4 x 10
Body rows 10
Rear delt flys 2 x 10 @ 15 + 20 lbs (we only have 1 DB of each weight), 20 + 15 lbs (switch sides)
Back Squats 1 x 10 @ 95, 1 x 5 @ 135, 2 x 3 @ 155, 185, 4 x 6 @ 205 lbs

I worked out at home for the first part of the workout and then finished my workout at a Rec Center nearby that has a squat rack. My biceps were extremely sore from holding heavy dumbbells in a rack position during my squats yesterday. I ended up doing a lot less pulling work today because of it. It seems that when it comes to back work, my back can go all day, everyday, never gets injured or really sore even. It’s always my biceps that can’t handle the same amount of volume. I probably need stronger biceps to correct this. I don’t think that they are really weak, but they are weak compared to my back and that’s probably why I run into problems.

70

2/28/15 BW: 163.6

Goblet Squats 10 @ 10 lbs, 20 @ 20 lbs, 30 @ 30 lbs, 40 @ 40 lbs, 2 x 10, 8 @ 40 + 50 lbs
Push ups 5 x 10 @ wide grip, narrow grip, wide, diamond, wide
Body rows 4 x 10
Archer rows - a few per arm (these were challenging. Especially after a bunch of rows.)

71

3/3/14 BW: 164.0

Deadlifts 4 x 5 @ 95, 135, 185, 225, 2 x 1 @ 275, 341, fail @ 373
DB Single Arm OH Press 3 x 5 @ 40, 50, 50 lbs
Hammer Strength High Row Machine 4 x 10 @ 90, 140, 180, 180
Cable Rows 3 x 10 @ 110, 120, 140 lbs
Walking Lunges 2 x about 27 steps @ 40 lbs, BW
Roman Chair Leg Lifts

I’m out of my training groove. The time off has not done me well. I think I actually perform worse when I take time off. Deloading is not a thing for me. I need to be overtraining all of the time haha. I should have had 373. 341 felt super slow and grindy, but I attempted a max anyway. Should have left it there. I’ve been pretty stressed with leaving my job which happens to also be my gym and my happy place. I need to get my head back in the game. I have a little over 1 month left until my next meet. Also, my husband and I are now freelance trainers. We’re stepping out on our own and are training clients wherever we want. It’s a scary prospect, but also an exciting one.

72

3/5/15 BW: 163.6

Squats 4 x 10 @ BW, 90 lbs (dumbbells in rack position), 130 lbs (40 lb vest + 90 lbs in dumbbells), 150 lbs (40 lb vest + 60 lb vest + 50 DB), 1 x 5 @ 170 lbs (40 lb vest + 60 lb vest + 70 lbs in dumbbells)

Push-ups (all chest to ground) 10 @ close grip, 5 @ close grip w/ handles, 2 x 4, 5 @ +50 lb resistance band, 2 x 10, 15 @ close grip w/ handles

Chin-ups (neutral grip) 9, 8, 7, 6, 5

Rear delt flys 3 x 10 @ 10s, 12s, 15s

Steep Decline Abs 3 x 15, 12, 12

I’m in a better mood today. Those squats were kinda ridiculous. Adding various weight vests and dumbbells becomes challenging really quickly. I’d say the way it’s loaded might be equivalent to a front squat, except worse in a way because you can’t breathe very well and your biceps, upper back and abs all have to work super hard to stabilize dumbbells in front of you. Either way, good stuff.

73

Look at you with the weighted chins!! Nice. And getting so creative with your squat training. It’s fun for me to see people doing unconventional stuff.

Good luck with going out on your own with your business! Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say.

74

[quote]Powerpuff wrote:
Look at you with the weighted chins!! Nice. And getting so creative with your squat training. It’s fun for me to see people doing unconventional stuff.

Good luck with going out on your own with your business! Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say. [/quote]

Thanks! Yeah, it is fun getting creative. :slight_smile: Life is already looking better. We’ve gained some more outside of the gym clients so that’s good. It just takes time to build up a client base. Working for others can be super frustrating, especially when you don’t see eye to eye on things. Our old bosses essentially believed in keeping people where they are and not getting them any better and we thought differently. Anyway, turning over a new leaf. :slight_smile:

3/6/15 BW: 163.6

Single Leg Deadlifts 3 x 5 @ 60, 80, 100, 1 x 2 @ 120, 1 x 5 @ 100 lbs

DB OH Press (touch shoulders w/ each rep) 4 x 10 @ 30s, 40s, 40s, 40s

Bent over DB Rows (both arms at once) 3 x 10 @ 30s, 40s, 50s, 1 x 5 @ 60s, 1 x 10 @ 50s

Body Curls 3 x 10

German Hangs 2

We just bought a set of powerblocks. They’re awesome!!! It’s a very convenient way to change weights quickly and they don’t take up a lot of space. They’re a little pricey, but I think they’re going to be worth it. And it’s still a lot cheaper than buying each pair of dumbbells separately. The ones we bought go up to 90 lbs and can go up from 5 lbs dumbbells to 90 in 2.5 lb increments. Pretty sweet. Our home gym is coming along.

75

[quote]Babypowerlifter wrote:
Our old bosses essentially believed in keeping people where they are and not getting them any better and we thought differently.[/quote]
How sad is that?

Great log you have here. Really enjoy it.

76

[quote]Babypowerlifter wrote:
We just bought a set of powerblocks. They’re awesome!!! It’s a very convenient way to change weights quickly and they don’t take up a lot of space. They’re a little pricey, but I think they’re going to be worth it. And it’s still a lot cheaper than buying each pair of dumbbells separately. The ones we bought go up to 90 lbs and can go up from 5 lbs dumbbells to 90 in 2.5 lb increments. Pretty sweet. Our home gym is coming along. [/quote]

I always found that when you’re heavily invested in something, like martial arts/gymnastics/weightlifting/etc, paying up doesn’t seem as bad. Better to buy pricier equipment you know you are going to use regularly, than to skimp and get the shitty stuff that’ll break.

And it’s great that you’re getting new clients! Gratz!

77

@kpsnap - Yeah, I’m not really impressed with what I’ve seen that counts as “personal training.” So many trainers seem to stick people on machines, don’t have people train through a great range of motion and never log any of their clients workouts so there is really no improvement over time because the client and trainer have no clue what the client has done in the past. The body will not adapt unless you force it to through adding volume or intensity. Anyway, I could rant on this for a while. There are a few good trainers out there, but they seem to be the minority and that’s sad and frustrating to me. People are entrusting their health to these people and paying them to help them and a lot of times it seems that they are either ineffective or doing things that could be down right damaging.

Also, thank you for the compliment! :slight_smile:

@Seachel - Yeah, you’re right. Weightlifting is a big part of our lives, so it definitely is worth getting some weights that we like and we’ll use. :slight_smile: Also, thanks! It’s exciting seeing our business start to grow. :slight_smile:

3/7/15 BW: 163.2

Ladders w/ limited rest
Chin-ups 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Pull-ups 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Chin-up 1 @ 40 lb vest
Dips 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Short workout today. Just got a bit of upper body volume in. My husband has been telling me for a while that my dip form is weird and that I’m way too upright. For a while, I couldn’t really figure out how to correct it. It seemed like my body always wanted to go back to that position. I finally figured out today how to lean forward more and bring my knees up more and dips seem easier now. I have no clue why it’s taken me this long to get my dip form down, but whatever. I’m just glad my dips are getting better. :slight_smile:

78

3/9/15 BW: 164.6

Back Squats 2 x 5 @ 135, 4 x 3 @ 185, 225, 225, 225, 1 x 10 @ 185 lbs
Bench Press 1 x 8 @ 95, 4 x 3 @ 115, 135, 135, 135, 1 x 12 @ 115 lbs
Cable Rows 6 x 10 @ 120, 130, 140, 150, 170, 160 lbs
Leg Lifts 3 x 15 @ BW
Bicep Curls 3 x 10 @ 30s
Leg Curls 3 x 10 @ 60, 80, 100 lbs

We got a new gym membership today. It’s more of a drive from our old gym, but it’s a no frills, real gym. The owner is awesome and is very old school. I think we’re really going to like it there. My back squats felt good today. I think I’m just going to build up some volume at 225 for a bit and see how that goes. My bench press wasn’t great today. I have the hardest time with that stupid lift. If I’m not really focusing on making it climb, it’s easy for me to stagnate. Rows and bicep curls were good today. This is the first time I’ve gotten sets of 10 with the 30 lb dumbbells. Yay! :slight_smile:

79

3/10/15 BW: 163.6

Box Jumps - jumped onto 24" box from up to 51" away
Vertical Leaps - worked up to 16"
Handstand P/U work - onto 4" block 2, 4, 7
Pike P/U 4, 7, 8
6" deficit P/U 12, 10, 10
Toes to bar 5, 9 (PR), 7, 6
Goblet Reverse Lunges 4 x 8 (per leg) @ BW, 30, 50, 30 lbs
DB Concentration Curls 3 x 5 @ 20, 25, 30 lbs

Today was mainly a bodyweight training day. I used to be able to vertical leap 18" with just a little bit of light plyo work, but I haven’t jumped in a while so it wasn’t there today. I really want to get a handstand push-up so I spent a lot time working on that. New PR for toes to bar. I’m really liking those. They really stretch the heck out of your lats and I feel it a lot in the longhead of my tricep. It’s an interesting exercise.

80

3/11/15 BW: 164.2

Back Squats 1 x 5 @ 135, 2 x 3 @ 155, 185, 1 @ 205, 3 x 4 @ 225 (volume PR), 1 x 10 @ 185 lbs
Single Leg Hypers 3 x 5 @ BW, 25, 25 lbs
German Hangs 10 sec, 15 sec, 10 sec, 10 sec
Military Press 3 x 5 @ 45, 65, 85, 4 x 7, 7, 6, 5 @ 95 lbs
BB Rows 7 x 10 @ 45, 65, 85, 95, 95, 95, 95 lbs
Decline Sit-ups (w/ DB on neck) 4 x 10 @ BW, 20, 15, 15 lbs

I got in some good work today. My squat has clearly improved over the last few months. I have tennis shoes that I like to wear for squatting and wore the wrong ones today. The ones I had on have too much of a heel and are narrow. Whenever I squat with those shoes, my balance is off and I tend to fall forward if I bounce out of the bottom at all and my weight isn’t centered just right. In order to avoid this from happening, I basically slowed down each squat and a few of my reps ended up becoming paused squats. So my session got a lot harder. It’s nice to know that I can always hit 225 for reps.

Other than that, I got in some good volume on everything else. I really like gymnastics work for conditioning, strength, flexibility, etc. German hangs seem like a very valuable movement to add to a strength training program.

Also, I’m liking our new gym a whole lot. There’s 7 or more squat racks, 7 platforms, tons of free weights and people who are actually doing some real work. It makes me very happy. :slight_smile: