Better than great, thanks, Mday: lots to tell, as I worked pretty hard in the gym on a few different things, and mother’s home cooking; right now I am just passing through and will recap a bit in two weeks at the start of a new log.
Glad to hear that things have been going well. I will be looking for the new log in a few weeks!!
Funny training session today. I went into the gym with no real “plan”. I knew I needed to do some recovery stuff (high reps/low volume) but other than that I wasn’t sure what to expect.
A training partner was also in the gym looking to do the same thing. We started out doing sled drags to get the hips stretched out. The rest of the session was just us doing the exercises we hadn’t done in a while. This is what we ended up doing (usually 2 sets/high reps).
A. Sled Work
B. Seated Face Pulls
C. Seated Rows
D. Leg Press
E. Band Hamstring Curls
F. Standing Leg Curls
G. Standing Calf Raises
H. Seated Calf Raises
I. Ab Work
No real rest between sets or between exercises. It was a blast!!
I got a very nice message from Willy this morning commenting on my progress and how “analytical” my approach is. His comment made me realize that I am very goal orientated and that does help in the iron game. However, I need to remember every so often to just have fun with it. We all started lifting for different reasons, but deep down we all continue to lift because at its most basic level, we just love the challenge of pushing ourselves.
Today’s session wasn’t planned, it wasn’t based on a push/pull split, it wasn’t aimed at a certain weak point, it wasn’t dyanmic or max. effort…IT WAS JUST FUN!!
That does sound like high times. Good on ya, mday.
Analytical has it place, but you gotta do things to keep the juices flowing, for sure.
And that’s what it’s all about. Sometimes it’s best to just grip and rip.
When you get comfortable with your lifts and catch your groove you progress move fast.That attitude of hitting it hard and having fun takes over.Best of training to you.
08/01/08
Try that again…
08/01/08
Good session followed by bad…
A little “frayed” this morning during the dynamic squat session. From the start, I could tell that the CNS just wasn’t firing correctly. Struggled through the routine, but I am in need of a little down time.
This next week will be a deload week. A lot of different exercises with high reps/moderate weight. Probably get more GPP work in also (prowler, sled, strongman stuff). The body feels a lot better after this cycle than the first.
Made some decent progress this cycle. The weight has gone up, I got some PRs, form is improving, body feels better.
Weather is supposed to be warm and sunny all weekend. I will probably spend most of the weekend sitting by the pool with the kids…good times…
Have a great weekend everyone!!
Hey, when I’m a workout or two from the end of a tough cycle sometimes my head just isn’t in the game either. That’s OK. You’ve done your homework.
Enjoy your weekend of R&R with the family!
Cappy
mday-
I hear ya. I think I’m just coming off a bad week myself. Body was tweaky, head was cloudy, and every rep was a struggle.
The body knows best, though and you’re smart enough to listen to it.
Get ready for a kickass week my friend!
Cappy and Steely have it right. You just hit the end of the cycle a bit quick. I’ll bet ya a Pepsi Cola you take off strong during the next cycle.
[quote]SteelyD wrote:
mday-
I hear ya. I think I’m just coming off a bad week myself. Body was tweaky, head was cloudy, and every rep was a struggle.
The body knows best, though and you’re smart enough to listen to it.
Get ready for a kickass week my friend![/quote]
I’m still amazed at how my body knows things my head doesn’t.
It has been a while…
Spent the weekend taking some well deserved time off…Back at it this morning with a light deload week ahead of me.
I did all lower body stuff this morning, focusing on improving the squat. I spent about a half hour in the squat rack working on light weight/high reps technique work. I then did some back extensions, GHR, hack squats, and ab work.
Tomorrow is upper body deload. I will work again on my bench technique and then hit the back and triceps with some accessory work (chin-ups, pulldowns, rows, dips).
I’ve been struggling with some bruised ribs from last week. I am not going to admit how I injured myself…
Weather is going to be beautiful here this week (Sunny and 80 until next week). Weight is holding steady and the kitchen/bathroom remodel work is almost complete.
Deload week continues…did some upper body stuff yesterday along with some BW squats to work on form. The lats are sore today after doing chin-ups for the first time in a while.
Weight is hovering around 235 and the body is “slowly” recovering. My ribs are still bothering me but getting better. I cannot believe how long they take to heal. My recovery is a little slower this cycle as compared to five weeks ago. I haven’t gotten the energy/drive back as quickly.
This is a bad time of year for training. We have a wedding, birthday party, vacation, and work training the next couple weeks. Something is going to have to give.
Another deload session tonight and tomorrow and then back to heavy lifting on Sunday (Dynamic Squats) and Monday (Heavy Upper Body). This four week cycle should be interesting?
Struggling a little with the motivation side of the equation lately. I know some of it has to do with the rib pain but my enthusiasm is just not there yet. I will need to refocus the final twelve weeks and really keep my eye on the meet in November.
I am going to spend the weekend trying to come up with some new exercises or a new routine to try and shake things up a bit. I’m thinking seriously about designing a routine schedule around the Wendler III stuff. Might be just what I need to fire myself up.
Have a great weekend everyone…
[quote]mday wrote:
Another deload session tonight and tomorrow and then back to heavy lifting on Sunday (Dynamic Squats) and Monday (Heavy Upper Body). This four week cycle should be interesting?
Struggling a little with the motivation side of the equation lately. I know some of it has to do with the rib pain but my enthusiasm is just not there yet. I will need to refocus the final twelve weeks and really keep my eye on the meet in November.
I am going to spend the weekend trying to come up with some new exercises or a new routine to try and shake things up a bit. I’m thinking seriously about designing a routine schedule around the Wendler III stuff. Might be just what I need to fire myself up.
Have a great weekend everyone…[/quote]
ecogenx is having a great time with the Wendler book right now. He’s trying to get me to do it too. I would, but I’m on a different track right now. After September I might. It looks like great stuff. You might chat him up about it.
[quote]mday wrote:
Another deload session tonight and tomorrow and then back to heavy lifting on Sunday (Dynamic Squats) and Monday (Heavy Upper Body). This four week cycle should be interesting?
Struggling a little with the motivation side of the equation lately. I know some of it has to do with the rib pain but my enthusiasm is just not there yet. I will need to refocus the final twelve weeks and really keep my eye on the meet in November.
I am going to spend the weekend trying to come up with some new exercises or a new routine to try and shake things up a bit. I’m thinking seriously about designing a routine schedule around the Wendler III stuff. Might be just what I need to fire myself up.
Have a great weekend everyone…[/quote]
Sometimes I feel like I need a shake up after just a few weeks of a certain routine. I’m sure you’ll find that motivation you’re looking for. You training has been looking great!
Sorry about not updating the log in a few days. I’ve been in corporate meetings for the last few days with no time to update.
I spent some time this weekend thinking about where to go with my training for the last twelve weeks before the meet. After a lot of thought, I decided to switch things up to just a 3-day a week routine.
I decided to go with the beginning Sheiko program because it had a lot of volume and will give me a lot more confidence with each of the three lifts. I am also going to focus on a lot more recovery work on my off days. I will do no lifting on my off days and stick with things like foam roller, stretching, massage, and yoga. I think this will give my body more opportunity to get stronger.
I did the first session on Sunday and will do my second on Wednesday morning. I will give a more detailed report tomorrow.
Things are finally slowing down a bit after a crazy couple days.
As I mentioned, I spent the weekend thinking about my twelve weeks before the meet in November. I decided to switch my routine to a three day a week Sheiko program. I am now two sessions in to the program and it is tough but I like it.
Here is a sample of my training from this morning.
A. Deadlift to the knees
205/3, 245/3, 285/3, 285/3, 305/4, 305/4, 305/4, 305/4
B. Incline BB Bench
155/6, 165/6, 175/6, 185/5
I should have started at 185 but the shoulder needed to warm-up
C. Dips
BW+90/5, BW+90/5, BW+90/5, BW+90/5
D. Rack Pulls (just below knees)
250/4, 295/4, 340/4, 340/4, 385/3, 385/3, 385/3, 385/3
E. DB Lunges
65/5 (each leg), 65/5, 65/5, 65/5, 65/5
F. Cable Crunches
200/15, 200/15, 200/15, 200/15, 200/15
A lot of volume but it felt good and my form is getting better. I will continue to try and focus on the recovery work tonight and tomorrow and make sure I get enough calories in.
[quote]mday wrote:
Things are finally slowing down a bit after a crazy couple days.
As I mentioned, I spent the weekend thinking about my twelve weeks before the meet in November. I decided to switch my routine to a three day a week Sheiko program. I am now two sessions in to the program and it is tough but I like it.
Here is a sample of my training from this morning.
A. Deadlift to the knees
205/3, 245/3, 285/3, 285/3, 305/4, 305/4, 305/4, 305/4
B. Incline BB Bench
155/6, 165/6, 175/6, 185/5
I should have started at 185 but the shoulder needed to warm-up
C. Dips
BW+90/5, BW+90/5, BW+90/5, BW+90/5
D. Rack Pulls (just below knees)
250/4, 295/4, 340/4, 340/4, 385/3, 385/3, 385/3, 385/3
E. DB Lunges
65/5 (each leg), 65/5, 65/5, 65/5, 65/5
F. Cable Crunches
200/15, 200/15, 200/15, 200/15, 200/15
A lot of volume but it felt good and my form is getting better. I will continue to try and focus on the recovery work tonight and tomorrow and make sure I get enough calories in.
[/quote]
Interesting - I’d like to see more of your sessions in this detail going forward.