What ever dude. I also worked construction for 17 years after highschool. We used to laugh at work and say “workout…we get paid to every day”.
I pulled miles of wire ranging from the size of a pincil lead to the size of your wrist. The big stuff weighed a pound a foot and had 4 wires in a pull. Bending that shit to land it…took a man.
I’ve run 4” ridgid overhead by myself. That shit weighs close to 100lbs a stick and screws together. While you were throwing down 12” curls in college, I was working my ass off in the elements. I could eat damn near anything I wanted to and never gained a pound.
I can remember telling my wife I would like to be 225lbs. If I could just get to 225 I would be a man sized dude. 225 is way too thin for me. Now if I could get down to 250ish. I would be a happy old man.
Incline Bench 95, 135, 185x8, 205x4, 225x1.5 (spotter touched bar the second rep)
Decline bench 135 3x20
Incline DB 50s, 65s, 80s x10
High incline DB burnout 60x13, 50x8, 40x12, 30x15
Crossovers 3x20
Lateral Raises 6x15 with the 20s
I wish I could decline bench - it’s super easy and I know strength wise I could probably get 225x10 but I get shoulder impingement from all damn decline exercises, dips included. Even with such light weight I just felt uncomfortable for the rest of the workout due to the supraspinatus pain.
Also, I may need to rest soon. I’ve been dealing with minor elbow pain on pulling exercises with my right arm. Probably came from all the weighted pull-ups I was doing. It’s making me so less pulling and more pressing but I’m worried that’s going to fuck with my shoulders soon, so the best thing I can do is give myself some rest. Now, following through on that is tough.
Worked as a tender (laborer/“assistant”) at the masonry company my dad works for a summer. That was pretty frickin tough. Basically deadlifts, farmers carries, and overhead presses all day. 50-60lb buckets of mud, and a couple thousand 30-50lb block being carried up scaffolding and thrown to each other all day long…makes me tired thinking about it.
I actually chose the job hoping it would help my deadlift go up due to the increased back and grip strength
Felt super weak and achey, should have just done conditioning.
Single Leg Curl 50 3x20 ea
Sumo deadlift 135, 225, 275x10, 315x5, 225x20
Leg Extension 70 2x50
Goblet Squat heels on board 90 2x20, 1x10
Stair master 10 min
So, failed to get 3x20. I’m sure the sumo dead’s didn’t help but I was just tired the whole time and on the third set I just couldn’t breathe with the DB in front of me, and hand started slipping around rep 8. Will do it again next time with the 90.
I failed to log two workouts and a conditioning workout in here, but I also had to take 3 days off (gasp) because my elbow pain was getting worse. It’s only on pulling exercises, ESPECIALLY anything underhand. Might be elbow tendinitis. Anyhow, after a few days off did the following yesterday:
Upper Day
SUPERSET
Paused pull-ups with 5 second eccentric 4x8
Straight arm pull downs 4x15
GIANT SET (sort of)
Holding 10 lb DBs and an exercise band handle in each hand while stepping on the band:
10 lateral raises with both
Drop the band, 10 lateral raises with just DBs
Drop the DBs, pick up the band, 10 handed lateral raises
SUPERSET
Plate loaded hip thrust machine! Gym just got one. Love it. 1 plate each side x20, 2 plates each side 2x10, Burnout 3 plates x10, remove a plate each side 2 plates x15, remove a plate each side 1 plate x20. Had the wife remove the plates while I held the top position.
RDLs 225x5 immediately after every set with toes on board
Front squats, heels on board
95x10, 115x10, 135x10, 185x5, 95x20, 50 lb DB goblets 1x20
Leg extension 90, 110, 130x20
Here’s the machine. No sliding bench, or hip discomfort, better upper back support.
Even the angle is friendlier- you’re not applying force to the spine at a direct 90 degrees (which it’s technically not made for), and your legs and knees are also more comfortable. Definitely a win for non-deadlifters everywhere. Between these, RDLs, front squats, goblets and rows, my posterior chain is well taken care of.
I probably only like it as a machine so much because its plate loaded. They’re the only machines that make you not feel like a huge pussy for basing your workout around them. If there was a plate-loaded thighmaster, there might be some men on it.
I use the regular one (when it’s available). The one at the gym has an adjustable back way I can lie back and make it more like standing hip abduction and adduction. It feels better than using a cable attached to your ankle.
Single Leg Curl with Paul Carter’s 10-6-10 method, 50 lbs, 4 sets
Plate loaded hip thrust
1 plate a side x10, 2 plates/side x10, 3 plates/side x10
Burnout 3 plates and a 25 per side x12, 3 plates/side x7, 2 plates/side x15, 1 plate/side x18, 1 plate x22
Held the top position while my wife took off plates, miserable.
Hack Squat, 5 second negatives, explosive concentric and stopping just short of lockout
1, 2, 2+25 plates per side 3x8
SUPERSET
Leg extension 5x20 50, 70, 90, 110, 130
Bodyweight ass-to ankles squats, heels touching each other and on a board, I.e. super quad focus and heavy knee flexion 5x10
No rest.
Going back to the goblet squats next week, just took a few workouts after I hit failure on a set of them. They’re very heavy on knee flexion which I have been a fan of recently but as you start loading it more, its Obviously more wear and tear on the knee joint despite significantly strengthening the surrounding muscles. Still seeing leg growth.
My knee pain has improved since training my knees with lighter weights and greater flexion, plus lots of high calf work for support from the back. However, they’re certainly not for everyone.
In any case, having heels elevated is less hip flexion. Toes elevated is more hip flexion. The more elevated the heels, the less the hip flexion. It’s hip friendly, as would be buying a pair of lifting shoes with an elevated heel for any squatting work.
