September/23/2019
Wake Up: 5am (Only got 5hrs of sleep due to work, so felt sluggish, but powered through)
Song of the Day: Snowbird (Ann Murray)
Workout: 5:45-6:20am
- Hip Thrusts - 3x10@225/30
- Leg Extensions - 3x15@110/30 (Focused more on pump)
- Glute Machine - 3x10@70/30
- Rear Delt Flys - 3x12@15/5
Overall it was a good workout. I love leg days, and so does the GF. Eventually I’d like to workout in the garage, but I need to add some things to the home gym before I can bring the GF into the mix. I also will start trying to get the gf to lift a bit heavier because I think it will help her progress. She has been pretty linear up until now, and her trajectory has flattened a bit. We’ll see what we can do.
September/25/2019
Wake Up: 9am (went to a disturbed concert last night, so got home late. Felt tired for having a long night, but made it a productive day)
Song of the Day: Ten Thousand Fists (Disturbed)
Workout: 1-2pm
- RDL - 8RM@180/40 (I didn’t go heavier because my wrist was hurting pretty badly from holding the heavy DBs)
- KB Swing - 3x15@35/10 (I took this time to teach the gf how to do kb swings, she is doing significantly better than the last time we tried it, but she is having a hard time with her coordination. Her lack of athleticism is a hindrance, but she is already pretty close to doing some acceptable swings)
- KB Bent Row - 2x8@100/30 (We used KBs in a BB row stance)
- KB Cleans - 2x8@35/10
Her form with KBs is coming along. It will be important to nail this form before adding any weight, so I will try to be as helpful as possible
September/26/2019
Wake Up: 5am (Felt tired, but ready to rock)
Song of the Day: Photograph (Def leppard)
Workout: 5:45-6:15am
- DB Suitcase Carry - 3x25yds(ea hand)@80/1x25yds@1RM(40lb) (my initial intention was to max out and see how heavy we could go each for 25yds per hand, but my wrist was not having it. The gf did great though)
- Concept Rower - 3x50m@8s/15s (Started with a 200m warmup, then rowed 50m as fast as possible. I kept getting 8 seconds, and the GF topped out at 15 seconds. I like this type of conditioning, and I will be trying to beat these times when I train on the rower again.)
- Stretch
We are really going to focus on flexibility for now. I’m okay when it comes to flexibility, but the gf has pretty poor mobility because her hamstrings, hip flexors, claves, and low back are tight. The ultimate goal for me is to loosen her enough to do a proper backsquat. She wants to get good at that lift, but I’ve told her she needs to be able to complete the whole movement first. Going to Muay Thai tonight with some tired(ish) legs. Let’s see how this goes.
September/27/2019
Wake Up: 5am (pretty alert, ready to do some leg work)
Song of the Day: Fear is the Weakness (In Flames)
Workout:
- Leg Press - 3x20@285(Unilateral)/230
- Reverse Lunge - 2x15@115/BW
- Step Up - 2x15@60/BW
- Leg Extension - 1xClusters (CT created a finisher where you work up to 1 set of failure around 10-12 reps. Then you rest for 10-15s and attempt three more reps. You repeat these “microsets” until you can’t get 3 reps after 10-15s rest)
There is nothing better than a good leg day. I personally don’t like training just one muscle group per day, but legs are an exception. If I felt like my body could keep up with my workouts and mma, I’d do PPL, but I’d fall apart. I’ve been losing weight too, and this morning I’m around 200lb.
September/29/2019
Wake Up: 7:30am (felt “stiff”, wanted to stretch)
Song of the Day: Hot for Teacher (Van Halen)
Workout: 9-10am
- Goblet Squat - 8RM@130/3RM@45
- Pullup - 5RM@250/3RM@90 (BW-45)
- Dips - 5RM@275/3RM@85 (BW-50)
I’ve maxed out the DBs in my gym for Goblet squats, so I think I’ll have to find a new method, perhaps chains and Ropes? Idk. I’ll Figure it out. I’d like to continue that pattern instead of BB backsquat because of how the GF and I can do it simultaneously. Maybe I’ll switch to single arm squats for more stability work. Anyways, the GF was really strutting today. I was concerned that she wasn’t making progress, but today really proved me wrong. She has upped the weight in all exercises and has shown me what she is really capable of. It’s been a good few days of training this past week.
September/30/2019
Wake Up: 7:30am (felt pretty awake. Needed to study, so woke up very fast)
Song of the Day: Passenger (Periphery)
Workout: 3:30-4pm
- DB Carry - 3x50yds@190/80 (I could not go any heavier because my wrists were still acting up. This sucks man haha)
- Battle Ropes - 3x30whips (Doing reps as fast as possible instead of for time. Just to switch it up)
- Stretch
I had just eaten a panini and a bowl of chili before the workout, so I felt sub-par to say the least lol. The GF was doing awesome with her loaded carries. So I made her try DBs after using the 40lb kbs each time and the leverages made her unable to carry them. I will probably keep her on KBs anyway because they are easier for her to pick up safely.
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October/1/2019
Wake Up: 5am (got 7.5hrs of sleep so I got 5 sleep cycles in and woke up right after my last one. Boy does that feel great. The first thing on my mind was the exam and paper I have to address today, so my mind was alert almost instantly)
Song of the Day: A New Dawn (In Flames)
Workout: 5:40-6:10am
SA = Single Arm
- SA Squat - 3x16@50lb/10lb (8 reps each leg)
- SA Lunge - 3x16@35lb/10lb (8 reps each leg)
- KB Press - 3x16@50lb/10lb (" ")
- Halo - 3x10@20lb/10lb (5 reps each direction)
The GF’s mobility really needs to catch up. It is going to get her hurt if we are not careful. Also we need to get out of the house much sooner to get stuff done with more time to get ready for school/work.
October/2/2019
Wake Up: 5am (Felt pretty tired, had a late night)
Song of the Day: You Make My Dreams Come True (Hall and Oates)
Workout: 5:30-6:10am
- RDL - 3x5@180/50 (DBs)
- KB Swing - 3x10@35/10 (GF still needs to work on form, but we are making progress)
- KB Row - 3x10@100/30 (Weight of both KBs)
- KB Clean - 3x10@35/10 (GF needs to work on timing and form, but overall her cleans are probably better than her swings because it feels more natural to use her arms than her hips)
This program is pretty fun, and it has avoided killing us both. The first week is meant to gauge our progress, so it will be more doable next week when the intensity is lowered for the sake of recovery. I have been steadily losing weight but I continue to feel very strong in my workouts. One thing I noticed is that my back has been acting funny, painless small twitches while picking things up and such. Also my core has been sore in a weird way. There are spots that are more tender than others and they dont feel like DOMS, more like a strain or something. I need to take it down a notch for sure before I get hurt.
October/3/2019
This entry is different because I didn’t workout today, instead the gf went to the gym and rowed about 1000m and then stretched.
October/5/2019
Wake Up: 5am (felt tired, legs were still a bit worn from last night’s muay thai)
Song of the Day: Dogs Get Put Down (Emmure)
Workout: 5:45-6:30am
- Squat - 3x5@185/40 (I don’t know if it is my sore/tired legs or my neglecting the backsquat, but man this lift was hard. I was super weak, and the only reason I wasn’t concerned is because I do know that my legs are stronger in other lifts, so I’m not upset.)
- Step Up - 2x16@35/15 (We held KBs in only one hand to better train balance and stability. These were supersetted with the reverse lunges)
- Reverse Lunge - 2x16@35/BW (Worked on form with the GF. She has a hard time staying balanced and upright)
It was weird to really struggle with a previous warmup weight, despite doing other forms of squats. However, I do honestly feel like goblet squats will better transfer to my hobbies, but I know the GF doesn’t share some of the same goals, so I want to throw in some backsquatting to help her reach her first BW squat. We’ve also been stretching a lot to get her form perfected. I have started doing something that I think will really help her. I have her drop into the deepest squat she can do. Since she will fall backwards, I instead have her grab onto something in front of her to keep herself upright. This has opened up her hips a bit, and she has already shown a mild improvement in her squat depth. She can almost hit parallel. Also, I have switched her to lowbar because her form is much much better when doing that particular style. I look forward to getting in the gym on sunday.
ALSO, I’m super excited to watch Whittaker vs. Adesanya tonight. My money is on Whittaker, but it’s certainly gonna be close.
October/6/2019
Wake Up: 7:30am (well rested, eager to workout)
Song of the Day: Black Spiderman (Logic)
Workout: 9-10am
- Goblet Squat - 3x2@130/3x2@40 (The gf began complaining about her shoulder pain, saying it was really bad. I attributed it to her awkward lifting of the DB to the goblet squat position, so I told her to rest it on the floor and pick it up from the ground for the reps instead of holding it up. I know it changes the lift, but it saved her shoulder. Her shoulder pain is getting worse so I decided to make an executive decision that I’ll cover at the end of this log.)
- Pullup - 3x2@230/3x8@BW-80
- Dips - 3x2@275
I made the gf to some special exercises for her shoulder. Up until this point, we didn’t have bands that were light enough:
- Band Pullaparts - 3x20
- Internal/External Rotation - 3x8 each arm
- Raises - 3x8 (Since the pain is only when she performs a raise near the front of her body, I had her stand on the band and raise her arm laterally, then she would slowly swing it across her body and slowly lower her hand back down in front of her. I had her select the least painful grip.)
Well, it sucks to have her in such pain, but she is also upset that I’ve restricted her from doing any upper pressing. I’ve decided to have her do that shoulder PT 3-4x a week with the band pullaparts being done everyday. From this point forward, the only exercise she will do for chest is Incline DB Press. That exercise doesn’t even hurt her now, so after a month or so of just band work, she should be good to go. I also will have to be mindful of exercise selection for her so that she doesn’t have to put her shoulder in an awkward or painful position. She will continue to train all other muscles as we planned.
My guess is that her injury stems from our attempt at 5x5, because I didn’t realize how heavy just the empty bar was for her. It was too much too soon for someone who had never even played sports really. If this issue continues beyond this month, we will see an orthopedic doctor. On a side note, we both noticed today that her genu valgum (chronic knock knees) had been visibly reduced. That was one of her goals when starting out, so we are excited about that. We didn’t think there would be any fix for it, but her slight weight loss and increased leg strength has done a lot of good.
I cheered her up by saying that we can focus on her legs now that she can’t do any pressing.
October/8/2019
Wake Up: 5am (felt a bit tired from bjj, but ready to rock)
Song of the day: Promises (Nero)
Workout: 5:45-6:25am
- SA Squat - 3x8(ea arm)@50/35 (held between legs and squatted)
- SA Lunge - 3x8@35/15
- KB Press - 3x8@35
- Halo - 2x16@30
GF:
- Band Pullapart - 3x20
- Int/Ext Rotation - 3x10ea
I’ve been keeping the weight light to save myself for bjj and Mt. I will continue the gf in her PT, and we’ll keep plugging along.
October/9/2019
Wake Up: 5am (the constant exercise has chipped away at me, but I am still going fairly strong and trying to adjust my workouts such that I don’t wear myself thin throughout the week)
Song of the Day: F***ing Problems (A$AP Rocky)
Workout: 5:40-6:30am
- RDL - 3x6@160/40
- Pull-through - 3x8@204/60
- Cable Row - 3x5@170/3x8@50
- KB Snatch - 3x5ea arm@50
- (GF Only) - Band Pullapart (3x20) / Int/Ext Rotation 3x15 each direction/arm
This workout ran a little long, and I spoke to the GF about jumping right into the next exercise, and we’ll see if we can speed it up.
October/12/2019
Wake Up: 6am
Song of the Day: Power (Kanye West)
Workout: 8-9am
- Squat - 3x6@205
- DB Row - 3x6@80 (The weight is light because I pulled a muscle in my bicep before squatting because I braced “too hard” i guess)
- RDL - 2x12@100(50lb DB)
- Lateral Raise - 2x12@15
Overall it was a good workout. My bicep/forearm was hurting, but now it is all good. The GF couldn’t workout with me because we woke up late and she had to leave for school.
October/12/2019
Wake Up: 8am
Song of the day: Selfish (Kanye West)
Workout: 11-12am
- Leg Press - 3x20@240/3x5@240
- Lunges - 3x20@BW/2x12@BW
- Leg Extension - 3x20@70/3x12@50
- DB Deadlift - 2x15@45/2x10@20
Finshed with some stretching. The goal of today was to get a nice pump and get those legs recovered. Nothing was heavy or difficult, only light and fun. I look forward to squatting again tomorrow.
October/14/2019
Wake Up: 8am (woke up refreshed, but needed a lot of sleep last night because I had 3 hours the night before. Rode some supermoto bikes yesterday at a road course and had a blast)
Song of the Day: My Curse (Killswitch Engage)
Workout: 5-6pm (I HATED THIS BECAUSE OF HOW CROWDED THE GYM WAS. NEVER AGAIN)
- Squat - 3x3@225/BW w/ stretches between
- Pullup - 3x3@225/3x5@BW-60
- Dips - 3x3@275
It was a productive workout overall, and everything moved better than expected honestly. I look forward to tomorrows workout.
October/16/2019
Wake Up: 7:30am (woke up refreshed thanks to fall break letting us sleep in)
Song of the Day: First Date (Blink 182)
Workout: 8:20-9:15am
- Deadlift - 3x3@225 (The GF practiced her form and I did some light DLs to get back in the swing of the lift)
- DB Row - 3x5@100/25 (We both will need to up the weight since we achieved all reps)
- Lunges - 2x12@100/BW
- Facepull - 2x8@204/48
Solid workout, but I meant to do Incline DB Press instead of DB rows, so that’s what we’ll due instead on Friday. Oh well. I also need to work on my balance during these heavy facepulls because they nearly pull me back over. I don’t want to have to do them seated, but if that’s the next step, so be it.
October/17/2019
Wake Up: 6:30am
Song of the Day: Back in Black (ACDC)
Workout (GF only): 7-7:45am
- Lat Pulldowns - 2x8-10@48
- Rear Felt Fly - 2x8-10@10
- Hammer Curls - 2x8-10@10
October/18/2019
Wake Up: 6am (legs tired from Muay Thai, but worth it for sure)
Song of the Day: Stronger (Kanye)
Workout: 8-9am
- Squat - 3x6@195/BW
- Incline DB Press - 3x5@85
- RDL - 2x8@170/50
- Lateral Raise - 2x6@40
GF did shoulder band work instead of incline DB Press and lateral raises
October/19/2019
Wake Up: 5:30am (mid back was sore, but felt good overall)
Song of the Day: Power (Eptic)
Workout: 10:30-11am
Me:
- Unilateral Leg Press - 2x15ea@140+sled
- Pull-through - 2x12@210
- Leg Extension - 2x20@150
- Unilateral Calf Raises - 2x10ea@BW+95
GF:
- Leg Press - 2x8@140+sled
- Pull-through - 2x8@70
- Leg Extension - 2x10@70
- Unilateral Calf Raises - 2x10@BW+9