Warm-up
BPAs- 2x red x 4 x 20
Curls, tri ext, laterals x 8 lbs x 15
OHP
65 x 10 (strict)
105 x 5 (strict)
135 x 2 (push press)
150 x 3 (push press)
160 x 3 (push press)
170 x 3 (push press)
55 x 7 (strict DBs)
BB rows, supinated grip
115 x 8
135 x 8
155 x 8
170 x 8
185 x 6
185 x 7
165 x 11
Push-ups on handles / rear delt flyes
40 x 3 x 10 / 25 x 8, 8, 10
I missed the gym so did a backyard workout. I’m still aiming for a bodyweight OHP, and it appears doing strict standing DB OHPs will help build overall strength at the movement.
Warm-up
Single leg glute Bridges - 2 x 9, 2-sec pause at top
Treadmill “hip walk”
Smith deadlifts
160 x 10
200 x 5
230 x 4
260 x 2
300 x 3
320 x 3
340 x 3
340 x 3
Leg press, plate loading machine
Single leg (pounds per side)
45 x 12
57.5 x 12
70 x 2 x 13
Double leg (plates per side)
3.5 x 15
4 x 15
4.5 x 15
Suitcase carry, aka lazy man’s obliques
50 x 35 yards x 4 carries per side
Toes to bar / standing band crunches
bw x 2, 2, 1 / black x 3 x 15
Gotta strengthen the abs!! The toes to bar showed just how weak my anterior core has become.
In other news, the Smith squats and deads have been bugging my hip and lower back. Sadly, at least one has to go for a while. I’m hoping I can ditch the squats and save the deadlifts.
I saw your comment about hip and back pain. How often are you squatting? I see you’re doing single leg work and some SL hip thrusts.
My hip has flared up again but I’ve changed so many variables that I can’t pinpoint the cause. Increased deadlifts or decreased RFESS? One thing I can say for certain is that I didn’t have any hip pain while I was doing RFESS. Time for me to suck it up.
I was squatting once a week and deadlifting once a week, both on the Smith machine. Because of the past injury, my hip’s subject to compensatory patterns and related pain, such as my aborted attempt at thrice-weekly front squats. I think the Smith machine’s forced movement track locks me into a sub-optimal bar path. Over time, my hip flares up, so I’m dropping the Smith squats and deadlifts for a while.
I hear you about not being able to ascertain the specific cause of (recurring) pain. Sometimes, the culprit is a constellation of factors. I’ve not read logs in a few days; have you added RFESS’s? How’s your hip feeling now? Speaking for myself, it seems some of us just aren’t made to deadlift and/or squat several times a week.
Oh yeah, congrats on your potentially non-torn shoulder! At least, as of a few days ago…
Warm-up
BPAs - blue x 4 x 16
Curls, tri ext, lateral raises - 10 lbs x 15
Low incline Smith bench
45 x 12
95 x 8
135 x 4
155 x 1
170 x 4 x 6
Time to move up!
Seated cable rows, wide neutral grip / 2-hand DB triceps ext
120 x 8 / 65 x 10
150 x 6 / 65 x 12
180 x 7 / 65 x 12
180 x 7 / 65 x 15
180 x 7
140 x 10, pause + 3-second negative
Double DB rows
75 x 12
Cable pec flyes / Chest supported rear delt flyes
30 x 8, 8, 10 / 20 x 8, 8, 10
Straight bar cable curls
72.5 x 4
80 x 4
87.5 x 3
72.5 x 6
1/13/20, Monday, Smith machine bench (again. Because I can)
Warm-up
BPAs - blue x 3 x 17
Laterals, tri ext, curls - 10 lbs x 15
Low incline Smith bench
45 x 12
95 x 8
135 x 5
160 x 1
180 x 4, 4, 4, 3
I increased the weight by 10 pounds, which I’m sure is why i missed the last rep. No matter, I should get it next week.
Low incline DB press
75 x 10, 9, 8
These are much more effective after doing their low-rep barbell counterpart. I’m replacing pec flyes with these for a month or two.
Seated cable rows, straight bar, pronated
60 x 7
75 x 4
90 x 6, 7, 6
75 x 10, pause + 3-second negative
My usual rower was taken, so I called an audible instead of waiting. This machine has different numbers attached to its plates, but I was using a similar number. The straight bar lends itself more readily to heavy rows, which I may keep for a little bit.
Hammer Strength pulldown machine
90 x 8
80 x 10, 10
This machine has a supinated grip and feels like the baby of a row machine and cable pulldown. It was refreshingly same-but-different, so I’m going to keep it while I do DB presses.
Standing 2-hand DB triceps ext / EZ cable curls
70 x 10, 10, 11 / 80 x 5, 5, 5
The EZ bar is much more comfortable on my elbows. No wonder it was invented.
1-arm cable cross-body lateral raises
15 x 8
10 x 10, 12
I’m at a crossroads for my routine so am gonna blather a bit.
I’ve mostly done an upper-lower, four times per week split for the last couple months, plus a couple lengthy LISS sessions each week. However, I found I wasn’t recovering fully and have drifted back to alternating lifting and cardio days, still on an upper-lower split like last spring/summer. Since I’m exercising at Planet Fitness, my focus has changed from strength at a few barbell lifts to GPP, with an emphasis on cardio and joint health. Questions about program type and frequency necessitate goal evaluation, so here’s a rundown:
keep improving my pathetic bench pressing strength
continue OHP strength training
find a leg routine that doesn’t flare up my QL joint / psoas/ SI joint / whatever it is and makes my stubby thighs meatier
LISS 2 or 3 times each week, because it feels fantastic right now. I crave LISS like a good steak
maintain upper body pressing and pulling ratios to keep my shoulders happy
I’m almost tempted to pull an @flappinit and drop to one lower body lifting session for a month or two. He wrote about only doing leg presses, extensions, and curls when he returns to his race training, and it resonated with me. One weekly lower body lifting session plus two hour-long LISS sessions (as well as mobility work and stretching) should help my hip relax, improve my endurance, and at least maintain overall strength.
Seeing my goals and current needs typed out inclines me towards
2 upper body lifting sessions per week, one with Smith bench focus and the other with DB OHP focus (aka stay the course)
1 joint-friendly lower body lifting session, probably revolving around machines, lunges, and hip rehab movements
2 to 3 LISS sessions
1 or 2 days off each week
Which leads to two questions -
what are y’all’s thoughts?
I’m sticking with 4 x 4-6 for the Smith bench; should I do DB OHP in a higher rep range for a couple months (3 x 6-8 or 8-10) or stay with 3 x 4-6? I like the idea and feel of both, but the idea of the higher rep range is mentally refreshing.
Absolutely. Surgery impacts the entire body. I think it’s best avoided when possible. You’ve been understandably frustrated, and I can empathize! There’s light at the end of the tunnel, as long as you ride the Patience Train.
BUT - DB OHP is sketchy to do for 4-6RMs. Do 8-10. Just kicking them into place for your first press while Seated is a bit sketchy, then pressing what might be your 4RM overhead is just going to detract from the rest of your set. You could just do an 8-12 progression, where if you hit 12 on the first set you can go up. Or the first two sets, whatever.
Good point. I’d stopped doing low-rep DB OHP for that very reason. I’ve only done standing OHP for years now, but your advice still stands. When I joined Planet Fitness, I started doing lower-rep DB OHP again, ignoring good sense. I think your idea of an 8-10/12-8 rep scheme, or at least 7-10-10-7, is a smarter way to go.