Actually my gym has TWO GHR machines! (I <3 my gym!) but I have been holding a 45 b Plate in my arms and doing sets of 10-12 and it’s not as challenging as I would like. I have done them with a band around my neck, a barbell on my back, a plate across my chest, etc… an I know I can change the setting on the machine (i.e. tilt myself forward a bit more) or jack up the back of the machine to make it more difficult… but I like the GHRs on the Lat Pulldown b/c they seem more like a “natural GHR” or a “poor man’s GHR”… They hit my hammies more where I feel the GHR machine in my calves a lot…I have just set a goal for myself that I want to get REALLY good at them!
I still do them on the GHR machine as well… but I am doing the ones on the lat pulldown machine almost every day until I can rock them out!
Decline Pushups (feet on swiss ball)
3 x max
30 reps/21 reps/17 reps
Neutral Grip Lat Pulldown
10 reps/10 reps/9 reps @ 140 lbs (same weight same reps, +1 rep/+1 rep)
***supersetted with ***
Scarecrows (used a weird machine, weight is WAY inflated)
12 reps/12 reps/12reps @ 80 (same weight, same reps/same reps/ +1 rep)
DB Military Press
11 reps/9 reps/8 reps/8 reps @ 35 lb DBs (+ 5 lbs each DB, 10 lbs total, -1 rep/-2 reps/-2/-2 reps reps) used my lower body a little on the last 4 reps of the last set…
Instead of heavy DB Hold’s followed by HIIT… I combined then and did Farmer’s Walk with DB’s. I used 60 lb DB’s and did a hybrid walk/jog type thing down a long hallway and then turned around and came back before dropping the DB’s. It was a busy hallway. Thankfully, there were only 2 casualties =D Kidding! No one was hurt in the execution of this exercise =D
So, today’s workout was AWESOME! It was pre-hab day for me, and my friend Melissa happened to be there… who is an absolute FREAK SHOW! She is an ex college strength coach/rugby player/Pilates instructor. She is about 5’ tall, maybe 110 lbs… and she can do some of the craziest stuff I have ever seen. Her balance is amazing! She can STAND ON TOP OF A SWISS BALL AND DO SQUATS!
She can do one arm pushups on a swiss ball, she can do one-arm dumbbell presses on a swiss ball with a 45 lb DB… She can do all kinds of other freaky strong non swiss ball stuff too… but that’s just what I can think of off the top of my head.
But anyway… I think it’s always cool to talk to someone else who is very interested in training… but has a different background/perspective/experience than you. She was helping me today with different lifts… showing me little muscles of mine that are weak, and the ways that I am compensating for this weakness. She was basically SCHOOLING me and kicking my butt… it was awesome. She teaches a Pilates class at my gym that I am going to start taking. I really believe that by working with her and strengthening the little muscles in my body that are weak… all of my lifts will improve and I will reduce my chance of injury even further.
Had a KILLER Max Effort Training Session today!!! My coach was there to spot me… and I wore his Olympic Lifting shoes with a slight heel… I LOVE THEM! They allow me to squat super close stance, ass-to-calves and I get a great pop out of the bottom!
Max Effort Lower Body
Wednesday 2/4/09
Close Stance Barbell Back Squat (ass-to calves)
work up to 3 RM (BELT ONLY)
3 reps @ 205 <---- EASY! The weight FLEW up! =D
3 reps @ 215 <---- still pretty easy!
3 reps @ 215 <— first rep was EASY, last 2 were kinda hard… SO MUCH FUN! I was DYING to put 225 on there… but had to reign myself back in… =P
So I had my ME Lower Body workout yesterday around noon… and had a FANTASTIC workout. Then I went back yesterday evening (at 8:30 pm) and did some sprints. I made SURE to eat PLENTY of good, clean food today and I even took a nap between workouts. All in all, it was a BRUTAL day… but I know that with proper nutrition and rest I will recover just fine.
Tuesday 2/4/09
Sprints
30-40 yds
90-120 sec rest in between
7x
HR approx. 168
Felt AWESOME! =D I <3 sprints and haven’t done them in forever!
Got to the gym with the intent to do some active recovery/pre-hab exercises and foam rolling. I got a BAD headache right when I got there (I NEVER get headaches… knock on wood) but I was too stubborn to leave =P
I was in a bad mood and ended up doing a mish-mash of random things… whatever I could think of that sounded fun and that wasn’t too intense…
Since I was so random, I will just list everything I did in no particular order
Pushups (not to failure)
Pullups (also not to failure)
“krocs”
GHR’s
Face Pulls
Cable Y Raises with rope
Cable W Raise
Hip Flexor Stretch (2 diff kinds)
Foam rolling
Achilles Stretch
Glute stretch
Flat Close Grip Bench Press
Work up to 5 RM
1 sets of 5 reps @ 125 lbs
1 sets of 5 reps @ 120 lbs
**** dropped down on the 2nd set b/c I knew I couldn’t get 5 reps…
Still felt pretty good about this! Close grip is HARD b/c it’s mostly triceps!
Palm In Incline DB Press
2 sets of max reps (shooting for 15-20 reps)
22 reps/16 reps @ 40 lb DB’s
Seated Cable Row
12 reps/11 reps/10 reps @ 120 lbs (same weight, +1 rep/+1 rep/same reps) Supersetted with*
Face Pulls
12 reps/12 reps/12 reps @ 150 (+15 lbs, same reps on all sets…weird machine, inflated numbers =D)
***This was TOUGH! My first one ever! The instructor is awesome! (ex-college strength coach and current rugby athlete! She is strong as hell!!! =D)
I have a feeling our class is not as fast paced and “fancy” as other pilates classes… but it was a GREAT pace for me and I had to focus HARD on all the movements!
***** Ate some food and took a nap HERE****
Dynamic Lower Body (ended being pretty much a posterior chain day! =D haha…)
3:30 PM
Speed Deadlift with Chains
2 sets of 2 with 135 on bar and 40 lbs chain
4 sets of 2 with 135 on bar and 100 lbs chain
1 set of 2 with 185 on bar and 100 lbs chain
1 set of 2 with 135 on bar and 100 lbs chain
HEAVY Forward Sled Drags
3 trips - 90 yds long EACH - 180 + sled weight
I was SPENT at this point. Did some light pull-throughs just cuz =D
Pull-throughs
3 sets of 12 reps @ 37.5 lbs (50% of what I used last week… haha)
DONE!!!
I am feeling BEAT TO SHIT! I am resting a lot tonight, taking tomorrow off and eating a crap-ton of food and laying around all day. This means that by the time I lift on Monday night, I will have had 48+ hours to recuperate.
Instead of heavy DB Hold’s followed by HIIT… I combined then and did Farmer’s Walk with DB’s. I used 65 lb DB’s and did a hybrid walk/jog type thing down a long hallway and then turned around and came back before dropping the DB’s. The gym was nice and empty so I didn’t run anyone over!
Farmer’s Walk
65 lb DBs (+5 lbs each from last week, +10 lbs total)
40 yds, 60-90 sec rest
6x
Today was a Pre-hab Day… GEEZ my pre-hab day takes almost as long as my regular workouts and I still don’t even get to do everything I want to do! =(
Pre-hab Day (Shoulders, Glutes/Hips, Knees, Ankles)
Tuesday 2/10/09
Circuit 1:
Cable External Rotations (horizontal)
X-Band Walk
Band Knee Extention
Band Dorsiflexion
Circuit 2:
Vertical External Rotation with weight plates
Clams with Band
Force Absorption work (one-legged drops off box)
“Bad Girls”
Circuit 3:
Shoulder Stretch
Hip Flexor Stretch
Seated Hip Stretch
Achilles Wall Stretch
Hip Flexor Stretch with back leg bent
Doorway Stretch for Chest
Lat Stretch
Tonight was my Max Effort Lower Body Day… I was REALLY hoping to hit 250 for a single (close stance, ass to grass) but I have been feeling a little fried lately (hence my BEAT TO SHIT comment this past weekend =D) so I wasn’t sure if I would do it. I tried to think positively… but realistically too! =D
SO… I ended up getting 235, and when I went for 245, my coach had to help me a tad… It really pissed me off that I needed a little help… but whatever… it’ still the most weight I have ever FREE SQUATTED. Plus it was ASS TO GRASS… the most I have done before now was a 245 lb BOX SQUAT that was an inch ABOVE parallel…
So, all in all, I should be super happy… but I am a tad disappointed.
Max Effort Upper Body
2/11/09
Close Stance Barbell Back Squat
(ASS TO GRASS)
Warm-up sets:
45 x 8
95 x 5
135 x 4
185 x 2 (added belt here)
215 x 1
235 x 1
245 x 1 with a tad bit of help
245 x 1 with a tad bit of help
Have videos of the 235 x 1 and 245 x 1… Here they are:
Trap Bar Deadlift (only did this to appease my workout partner. She is obsessed with it and we haven’t done it in forever…)
2 sets of 8 reps @ 145 lbs
Step-Ups
2 sets of 8 reps each leg @ 145
*** Also got a video of this!!! But my camera died after 6 reps on one leg =(
(Oh yeah, the video SAYS 135… that’s a typo. It’s 145… you can see the itty bitty 5 on the side =D)
45’ Back Extension
3 sets of 12 reps @ 25 lbs + red mini and around my neck…
Thank you so much Claire! They kicked my BUTT! I actually ended up taking the last few days off of weights since Wednesday’s workout was so rough!!! =D
