And people question the necessity of direct arm work.
3 Likes
Back to doing what I’m supposed to do…
Pull (base)
-
One-arm BB Row
Bar/20 x 2
Bar + 25/6
50/6
75/6
100/8 → 75/6 -
3-block DL
135/3
225/3
315/3
405/ tweaked the shit out of my back.
This isn’t an injury, I don’t think, but I left it there and did nothing else bent today. This is the second week I’ve regressed and these felt awful, and this time it hurt. It might be time to go to a trap bar for awhile. -
Pull-ups
BW/12
BW/10 -
HS High Row
1pps/7
1pps+25/12
2pps/8 -
Nautilus Pull-over
90/11 x 2 -
Crunch Machine
70/~10 x 3 -
DB Hammer Preacher Curl
10/8
25/14
25/12 -
One-arm Cable Curl
25/15
25/11
10 minutes of bike intervals - didn’t really kill it on these. Just trying to sit up high and straight and not hurt anything/ loosen up.
1 Like
Forgot, I started tracking calories today. I’m going to just track for the next couple weeks, without trying to make real changes (but the very process of tracking makes me change) plus not skip meals (when I skip, I get hungry, and overeat). I’ll then get consistent but a little too high on calories probably through around January, to build them up a little, then try to do a little more disciplined cut (dropping a little at a time) through spring into summer/ drinking season.
1 Like
I thought that was now?
Now is the off-season, where you ramp your volume up to prepare
2 Likes
Push (base)
-
DB Bench
25/20 x 2
40/6
55/6
70/6
85/6
100/8
100/7 → 70/7 → 55/8 -
Incline Press
135/6
185/6
195/6 -
Banded HS Incline
1pps + red band/6
1.25pps + red band/ 6 x 2 -
Dips
BW/14
BW/12 -
Rear Delt Machine
80/25 x 2 -
DB Side Raise
25/6
35/8 x 2 -
Dual-Handle Pressdown
48/8
108/12
142/12 -
DB Floor Skullcrusher
35/8
35/7
1 Like
Legs (base)
-
Lying Leg Curl
40/20
70/20
90/8
120/8
150/8
160/10 + 10 partials + 30-second iso hold -
Belt Squat
My back still feels awful, so I didn’t want to squat. These took some feeling out, but I ended up liking them. I don’t know if they’ll replace squats for me, but they may stay in the rotation.
-/6
1pps/6
1.25pps/6
2pps/8
2pps/10 -
Hack Squat
Feet low and close, which felt great/ hard
-/6
1pps/6
2pps/8
2pps/8 + 5 + 5 -
Horizontal Leg Press
2pps/6
4pps/5
5pps/10 → 4pps/10 → 3pps/10 → 2pps/20 -
Cable Pull-through
76/6
124/10 x 2 -
Donkey Calf Raise
90/10
210/10 + 10 partials + 10-second stretch → 135/10
235/10 + 10 partials + 10-second stretch → 135/10
1 Like
Pull (secondary)
-
Pull-ups
BW/10, 10, 7 -
Face/ Chest Pulls
70/6
130/12
160/12 -
C/S Row
-/6
1p/6
2p/8 x 3 -
Banded Back Extensions
2 sets of 20 -
DB Cross-body Hammer Curl
15/10
30/17
30/15 -
BB Curl
5-second eccentric
Bar/8 x 2 -
BOSU Crunch
3 or 4 sets of 15ish
10 minutes of intervals on the elliptical… like a boss
As long as you’re keeping your HR between 130-150 then it doesn’t matter what kind of cardio you’re doing. Your aerobic base will increase.
The thing is that running gets it up fast, melts the butter off and clears your head 
Here is my favorite analogy about me and running.
Have you ever ridden a horse? If you have then you know that going slow is rough. If you want a smooth ride then you have to go faster.
Running is the same for me. If I go slow then it beats me up and hurts. If I go faster then it feels better on my body. The problem is that I’m not in good enough shape to run fast. My options are 1) go slow so I can breathe but endure the beating or 2) go fast and die from lack of air.
It’s just bad all around.
2 Likes
I hear you mate. I hear you.
Running is an acquired taste. I do think however that there is a period of suffering that one has to go through before it becomes therapeutic.
I have the shortest legs ever. ‘West of Scotland’ legs as an old coach used to call them. I am not designed to run.
2 Likes
Push (secondary)
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it, but the “challenge” with the secondary workouts is the rest breaks are max 60 seconds
-
Low Incline DB Press
35/20
45/15
60/10
75/8
85/8
85/12
85/10 -
Explosive Push-ups from blocks
BW/8 x 2 -
Stretch Push-ups
BW/12 -
Machine Flye
78/15 + 15-second stretch x 2 -
Machine Rear Delt
72/25 x 2 -
Seated DB OHP
55/20
65/10 -
Dual-handle Pushdown
Couple sets of 12 -
Machine Tricep Extension
Couple sets of 10
10 minutes of bike intervals. Really pushed these. Getting in better shape
1 Like
Pull (base)
I’ll be traveling all day tomorrow, so got this done early
-
MAG Low Cable Row
2 sets of 20, then sets of 6 up to:
204/8 → 180/8 -
Trap 2-block Pull
My low back has been tweaky, so I tried these
This bar looks like a dead-squat bar with really wide handles and weighs 60#. I did these off of 2-blocks, so a little below mid-shin. Felt ok, but low back was still a little whiny.
150/3
240/3
330/3
380/10 cluster reps (5 seconds between each rep, but I stayed on the bar in the bottom position) -
Nautilus Pull-over
110/10
110/11 -
HS High Row
1pps/6
2pps/12
2.25pps/8 -
MAG Supinated Pull-down
106/12 x 2 -
Pull-up Hang
BW/40 seconds -
BB Curl
3-second eccentric
50/10
40/12
30/15 -
DB Hammer Curl
35/8 → 30/6 → 25/6 → 20/6 -
Crunch Machine
4 sets
Then I ran like half a mile on the treadmill. I am getting in much better shape, but Frankenfoot is not coming along for the ride on running. I don’t know if it’s going to do what it needs to do or not. I do better outside than treadmill, but I don’t know that I can do any real distance. I guess we’ll see how it shakes out.
1 Like
Push (base)
-
DB Bench Press
25/20 x 2
40/8
55/6
70/6
85/6
100/8
100/7 -
Rogue Football Bar Bench
135 (I guess?)/ 8
185/8
185/10 -
Cable Cross-over
50/12
50/15 -
Dips
BW/16 x 2 -
Bent Cable Rear Delt Flye
30/30ish
17.5/40 (kinda) -
Precor Shoulder Press
1pps/5
1.25pps/5
2pps/8 x 2 -
Bent Cable OH Extension
130/10 x 2 -
Floor DB Skullcrusher
30/10
30/11
1 mile run
2 Likes
Moving to the big dumbbells!
1 Like
I’ve gotten a little smarter on how I work up, and my top sets are better for it. Weird, I know.
1 Like
Yesterday I ran a couple hilly miles and it took me too long and I was pissed at myself.
This morning I ran 10 minutes of 30:30s at the track on the way to the gym and it went ok, although it took a solid lap or two of warming up before my knees were ready to start.
Pull (base)
-
Smith Machine Row
Bar/15
95/10
135/8
185/4
235/10 → 185/10 → 135/10 -
DB Pullover
40/6
60/12 x 2 -
HS High Row
1pps/6
2pps/4
2.25pps/8 x 2 -
MAG Supinated Pull-up
60/6
132/8 x 3 -
Crunch Machine
70/12
80/10 x 3 -
EZ Curl
50/20
60/10 -
DB Preacher Curl
35/4
30/8
Meh on arms today
1 Like
Push (secondary)
It snowed and we had ice, so I didn’t run outside - I am soft and weak willed.
-
Machine Press
Warm-ups, then 2 sets of 8 -
DB Hex Press
45/6
60/8 x 3 -
Pronated Incline DB Flye
20/12 x 2 -
Spider Crawls
2 sets -
Rear Delt Machine
70/25 x 2 -
Tricep Pressdown
2 sets of 12 -
Tricep Extension Machine
2 sets of 10
15 minutes of stair climber
2 Likes
I wrapped up the PPL program. I’m going back to the base split, which I like better. I keep “wanting” to do something different, but I don’t like thinking about my own workouts and the Meadows stuff gets me stronger without doing anything negative to my joints and seems to not really interfere with better endurance building.
So, anyway, new day 1 today but same concept so it still fits the end of the year stick to it run.
Back
1 mile run on indoor track
-
Meadows Row
Bar/8
25/8
50/8
65/8
75/8 → 60/8 → 50/8 -
C/S Row
1p/8
1.25p/8
2p/8
2.25p/6 -
One-arm BB Row
50/8
75/8
85/5 → 60/6 → 50/5 -
Straight-arm Pulldown
90/9
110/10
130/8 -
Decline Sit-ups
BW/11
BW/10
BW/5
BW/4
1.25 mile run
3 Likes
Push
-
Slight Incline DB Press
35/20
45/10
55/6
70/4
80/8
90/8
100/9 -
Incline Bench
45/6
135/6
165/6
195/6
205/6 -
Machine Press
Couple warm-ups
160/12 + 7 + 5 -
Machine Flye
84/10 + 10-second stretch x 3 -
Machine Rear Delt
72/25 x 3
60 seconds between sets -
DB Side Raise
20/25 x 3
60 seconds between sets -
EZ Front Raise
Bar/25 x 3
60 seconds between sets
5 hours of volunteer yard work and I don’t feel like running. I’m not fast enough yet, so this is a weak decision. I’m moving to every other day and a little more structure to it. I might try to remember to log those here too
1 Like