That would be all deadlift and zercher carry for me.
7/21/20, Tuesday
Leg press / dumbbell RDL
1pps x 15 / 50 x 10
2 pps x 6 / 60 x 10
3 pps x 6 / 70 x 8
4 pps x 4 x 8 / 70 x 4 x 8
ETA: walked 2 miles
Got to the gym 15 minutes before closing so squeezed in a reintroductory leg workout. This is my first lower body lifting since the concussion in May, and it felt really good.
Definitely sore in the hamstrings today! Tomorrow and Friday are gonna be interesting…
I sprained my wrist last week, and I don’t know which upper body lifts will work. I may be limited to cardio, abs, and legs for another week or two. I’ll figure it out tonight.
You’re having a rough stretch. Some lifting straps or wrist wraps might help.
Rows? Some type of pull down? Every so often my wrist hurts (very randomly, no injury), and all pressing hurts like hell but most pulling doesn’t bother it.
Right?! A spider tried to bite my leg off in April, I got a nasty concussion in May, and I sprained my wrist slipping and falling in July
I have a beefy ace bandage I can wrap my wrist in, good suggestion.
I’ve noticed the same - twisting and even light pushing on my wrist hurts, but pulling/gentle traction helps. Perhaps the ace bandage plus pulling movements will work. I plan to find out in a couple hours.
Sorry I’m so far behind man! You know I’m here for the bro split, though.
You can probably maneuver your way around some machines. Maybe even use the ankle cuff on the cable stack around your wrist and get some work in that way?
If all else fails, your abs and cardio plan is probably a good one. It seems to be what we all avoid working, yet desire having (or at least me)!
Do you have lifting straps? You can use one of those to take your wrist out of the pulling movements, too.
No worries! You’ve had a boatload of changes to navigate. It looks like life is calming down again for you ![]()
I didn’t think of that. Good idea. It’d enable me to at least do flyes and rear delt flyes.
Cardio always feels good to me, lately. Not the actual DOING, but I always feel healthier and even internally cleaner in some way. I’m not overly concerned about seeing my abs right now (and my physique attests to that!) but heart health and core strength are feeling right, so to speak.
I actually don’t own any. A few years back, when I started deadlifting regularly, I decided to forego straps and only pull what my grip strength allowed. I reckoned it’d help guard against back injury and also limit excessive force on the plate and screws in my tibia. While I’m exercising at Planet Fitness, it’s a bit of a moot point anyways.
7/22/20, Wednesday, back’n’bis’n’rows
Seated cable rows, wide neutral grip
100 x 8
120 x 6
140 x 8
140 x 8
110 x 12
Full contraction, slow negatives, and neutral grip felt great to the back and good on my wrist.
Pulldown, wide neutral grip
100 x 8
120 x 2 x 12
Same bar as the rows but, surprisingly, it didn’t feel great from this angle. Next time, I’ll try the Hammer Strength pulldown @Frank_C likes.
DB hammer curls
25 x 2 x 12
They felt ok on the wrist. This movement traditionally had bugged my elbows, but perhaps keeping the volume very low will limit irritation.
Rower
2,000 meters, 8:39
This was a brief but encouraging pulling workout. I still plan to bro-split next week, but this week’s push pull legs days are a nice reintroduction.
That’s a good way to put it. I feel good when I’m in shape, and I feel crappy when I’m not. I freaking hate doing what it takes to get into shape, though. It’s not awful to stay in decent shape once I’m there, at least.
Looks like your wrist held up today! I know pull day wasn’t the primary irritant, but that’s still good news.
Well said! That raises a related question - how do you define being in shape? Per recent posts, I presume we’re talking about cardiovascular shape, but we can broaden the question to all-around physical condition, too.
Thanks, it definitely is! I’m sore today, but that’s part for the current course. I might skip push day this week anyways, or try a few, very limited exercises with the ankle strap and bands.
Super sore hammies today! I’m waddling around like a penguin in the desert. My back’s just sore enough from yesterday’s lifting to let me know it was effective. Tonight will be light push and/or cardio 'n abz.
7/23/20, Thursday, little bit o’ push
Seated chest press
40 x 15
50 x 10
60 x 10
70 x 10
70 x 10
Felt surprisingly good on the wrist
Dip machine
125 x 8
140 x 8
155 x 8
170 x 8
Also felt good on the wrist. Worked well for my shoulders too, unlike normal dips, so I’m keeping em for a bit
Pec deck / rear delt deck
100 x 10 / 70 x 15
100 x 10 / 70 x 20
I placed my forearms above my wrists against the handles, removing the problem area from the movement.
Seated shoulder press machine
70 x 10, 10, 8
More tiring than anticipated!
Like the previous two, this was an enjoyable and encouraging workout. On the presses, I angled my hand out of the way, placing the pressure on the heel of my hand. This seemed to work, which I need - gotta fight the corona-moobs.
The “in-shape” question is a good one, and I know it sparks a ton of Internet debate where we have to know exactly your sport and all it’s requirements and then define every energy system, etc.
I always mean cardiovascular endurance, and just use gradations: I’m either in horrific shape, out of shape, in ok shape, in decent shape, etc.
The subjective score I give myself is relative to my goals in life. Right now, my blood pressure is not ridiculously high and I can make it up a couple flights of stairs without necessitating a conversation with the Grim Reaper, so I’m in ok shape.
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Also a good way to work on MMC and hit the desired muscles.
Being able to run, climb, or jump in case I need to for work or to escape a life or death situation. I think being able run 400 meters at 80% effort and recover in <2 minutes would be a good test. It fits the energy system.
You’re right, this is a topic that can be as complex and nuanced as one wants it to be… or not. I like how you evaluate based on personal goals/needs and keep the description straight-forward.
An IRL police officer friend of mine evaluates her physical condition in the same way - can she chase down perps, climb walls, defend herself, and save others, all while wearing 30 pounds of duty gear?
We should all try your 400-meter, 80% effort, <2 minute recovery sprint test and report back. It’d only take a few minutes to do. Care to start a thread about it in Bigger, Stronger, Leaner?
7/24/20, Friday
Stepmill
20 minutes, 63 floors, 48-57 steps per minute
My legs were only a little sore, which apparently is unacceptable. I plan to walk (ha, literally) this session back up to half-hour increments, probably once a week.
Gross.
Not yet. I need to do it first. I like the track for such a thing but I don’t have access to one. I’ll have to map something out around the neighborhood.
Kinda, yeah.
I was remembering my cardio-glory years while driving home. A decade ago, I’d do 30 minutes of sprint intervals on the stepmill, climbing 55 spm for 3 minutes and 110 spm 30 seconds. I’ve always been an awful distance runner, so I’m surprised I could maintain that pace on the stepmill.
I need to do it first. I like the track for such a thing but I don’t have access to one. I’ll have to map something out around the neighborhood.
Agreed about a track. I need to check if the tracks near me are open, too.