Love DB RDLs. And just DBs in general with leg exercises. Weight on my sides vs weight in front is the difference between hip/back discomfort and the perfect stretch/contraction for me.
Have you tried elevating your toes on them? Stand with your toes on a 2x4 or on 5/10 lb plates and do them- the Ham stretch is much more intense.
I agree about dumbbells and the ability to laterally load (medially? ) leg movements. The trap bar is a good example of that too. I’ve never done RDLs with an increased stretch. I’ll try them next week with 5-pound plates and let you know how sorry I am for listening to your advice!! Haha
I arrived late so only did half a cardio workout. It still kicked my butt and quads and lungs and heart. I’ll do more tomorrow; gotta lose a dozen pounds.
It is. I like some of his methods, or at least the idea of them. I don’t like his communication style or treatment of people who disagree with him though, so I no longer read threads in his subforum.
Life’s going OK; I’m busy looking for a decent job at the moment. Training is settling into a consistent routine, though I’m tempted to shift focus to weight loss for some months.
I’m glad you’re back and posting again; it appears your hand numbness and its underlying cause aren’t life-threatening, thank God. How are you doing?
Warm-up
Face pulls - blue x 10, red x 2 x 12
Laterals, tri ext, curls x 10 lbs x 15
Low incline Smith bench
50 x 12
100 x 8
140 x 5
160 x 1
180 x 4, 4, 4, 4
135 x 12
one more rep on the working sets than last week; I was hoping for more. The previous two days’ stepmill, elliptical, and deadlifts had tired me out, so I’m hoping this was just a blip.
Seated cable rows, wide neutral grip / 2-hand triceps DB extensions
120 x 7
130 x 6 (oops, meant to be 150)
180 x 6 / 70 x 8
180 x 6 / 70 x 9
180 x 6 / 70 x 10
180 x 6 / 70 x 11
my back was tired from Smith deadlifts, and it showed here! No matter, just do more sets to make up for the reps, right?
1-arm cable pec flyes
30 x 8
25 x 8, 10
Hammer Strength pulldowns
80 x 10, 85 x 9, 10
45* incline lying lateral raises
10lbs x 50/arm
cable delt pulls have been tensing my neck (I overuse my traps) so I gave these a whirl. I think I like 'em.
Yes nothing serious, I’m doing absolutely fantastic at the moment, I’m feeling like the new 3 days a week + running is doing me very well, I’m not as strong as I was a year ago, but I don’t care I’ll get to my goals.
Good luck finding a job man. Hows the job situation at your place? easy’ish or is it hard work to find one.
One more rep on the working set is fine man, it’s progress.
And more sets to make up missing reps is what I’m doing, increasing volume every week for some weeks, then dialing back and increasing again
Howdy, Mort! I’m glad you’ve found a workout style that’s meeting your current needs well. I’m trying a new approach for a month or two, trying to other burn myself out.
The job situation in my state (New Mexico) is really, really hard. It’s unlike much of the rest of the States. Gotta keep looking, and I’m open to moving for sure.
Ten days off is unacceptable. The first five were a deload, which was ok, but the second half were sheer laziness and zero motivation. Not good.
I’ve stepped back my volume and duration of both lifting and cardio to keep from burning out. I’m also realizing my goals have changed, which mirrors tge equipment available at Planet Fitness. Serious strength training isn’t possible there, not on barbell lifts at least, but I’m wanting to shed fat and give my joints a rest anyways.
To that end, I’m experimenting, having fun with exercising. I’m testing out a low volume, push pull legs split, three days on, one day off, and low-intensity cardio at the end of each workout. Two days in, and I’m feeling good.
Glad to see you’ve found the motivation again. Sometimes I wish I had access to planet fitness, only BB and DB and some bands and a few old cable machines at work.
I’m cheap so a membership on P F is not gonna happen
Thankfully, PF is only $10 per month with the single-facility membership I have. Conversely, I wish I had access to a real barbell with several 45-pound (22 KG) plates! I guess we use what we have, eh?
Walking DB lunges / back raises
bw x 10 / bw x 10
10 x 10 / bw x 10
15 x 10 / bw x 10
20 x 10 / bw x 10
low weight, slowly increasing reps. Left knee said “enough” after 4 sets, so am listening to my body’s cues
Single leg press / DB RDLs
45 x 10 (pounds per side) / 45 x 10 (single leg RDL, ouch, no more)
52.5 x 10 / 75 x 8
60 x 10 / 75 x 10
70 x 10 / 75 x 10
felt good for several days afterwards so will stick with this until I get the hip pain managed
Elliptical
13:00, 10 resistance
planned to do 15-20 minutes but arrived to gym too late. Will plan accordingly next time.
My hip has been enough to force me to stop squatting and barbell deadlifting. When something interferes with deadlifts, it’s time to see a doctor and get into physical therapy! Until that’s resolved, most of my leg training will incorporate machines and unilateral movements.
) leg movements. The trap bar is a good example of that too. I’ve never done RDLs with an increased stretch. I’ll try them next week with 5-pound plates and let you know how sorry I am for listening to your advice!! Haha