1/2/08 RE upper
dyn warm up
band pull aparts
face pulls green band
v grip pull downs 10010 12510
invert lat bar 12510 15010
clings/side raise 2010 3010
dumbell row 805 1005
chins 3 sets 5 reps
reverse band bench
13510
2253
2753
33515
5 board presses
4055
49511
barbell shoulder press off pins
9510
13510
185*10
tri push downs strip sets, dumbbell curls down the rack.
Today was a good work out we have a couple of the high school senior foot ball players training with us now. It is good for us old guys trying to push our selves to stay ahead of the kids. These kids never get tired. Lots of volume today felt really strong. Next meet april 12 th time to get strong!
I think 3 weeks of DL’ing in a row with the belt took it’s toll. I basically just muscled up the 495x3. I felt like my head was going to pop, my hips came up quicker than normal, and I basically SLDL’ed it. I dumped the belt, dropped back to 405 for a few more reps, and squeezed out 12, although the last couple may have had a minor hitch. DL’s are out of the rotation for a while, next week starts a new cycle.
While I was setting up for Zercher’s, I think I stepped on a piect of dust or lint, and rolled my ankle (about the seven millionth time), and decided that squatting wasn’t the best idea. It’s very minor, and won’t effect next weeks training, but decided to do a bunch of other stuff instead.
A. Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
50 x 4 sets x 8 reps
B. Bradford Press
95 x 4 sets x 3 reps
C. Incline Bench Press
135 x 8
145 x 6
145 x 5
145 x 5
D. Pull-Up
BW x 6
BW x 5
BW x 4
BW x 4
E. 1-Hand Dumbbell Preacher Curl
30 x 4 sets x 8 reps
I had stuff that came up over Christmas break and finally am able to get into the gym today. It was a long lay-off and I’m excited to be able to train again. I don’t like vacations since it throws off my training.
Add on top of that, my eating throughout the vacation has been crap. Not only did I eat a lot of junk food, I also consistently under-ate. Going into the vacation, I weighed around 187.5. At one point this past week, my weight dropped to 182. I need to get back to work regarding food and keep stuffing myself like I should.
Anyhow, today’s session was just to get my feet wet. It feels good to move some weight around again, but nothing really to make note of.
I’ve caught up on the logs that people have posted. Looks like you guys have been making progress while I was gone!
[quote]Tony Hsiao wrote:
Add on top of that, my eating throughout the vacation has been crap. Not only did I eat a lot of junk food, I also consistently under-ate.[/quote]
I hear you, man. My dad made a comment to me about eating to much and gaining five pounds over Christmas. I just laughed and said that I hadn’t been able to eat nearly as much as I should have. Plus, what I was eating was crap.
[quote]AlphaDragon wrote:
Tomorrow is my first DE Upper. NO problem.
However, I want to hit my chest more as my tris and shoulders seem to get hit the most.
I’m thinking of doing an isolation chest movement (flies or whatever) right after the DE.
Any thoughts?
AD[/quote]
First, I would still squat on DE days. I do both speed squats and speed dead every DE lower day. If I am feeling slow on the squats, I will reduce the weight. If I am feeling slow on deads, I might only do 3-5 sets instead of 8-10. If you form goes to shit on any set just stop. Speed work should be done with close to perfect form. If it breaks down then the weight is too heavy.
The whole point of speed work is train speed not strength. However, you should take a few heavy singles every couple of weeks on DE days. NOT a max effort. If you miss then you fucked up.
Flies are dumb. Don’t do them. My chest usually gets a pretty nice pump from DB work…inclines more than flat.
any help from you guys will be great
i never been really strong… i used to lift around 225 on bech for 5 or 6 reps when i was more serious, hopefully in 2008 …i will
im currently taking,whey proteins,powergain(wheight gainer) and creatine musclefuel
Max effort upper, 2008-01-03
A-Bench
barx10
135x8
155x5
175x5
185x5
205x3
215x2 (ouach maybe a 3rd rep with spotter,didnt feel secure)
bench 225x1
squat 285x1
deadlifts 285x1
[/quote]
Welcome to the thread, Rampage. Seems like you’re doing quite well with the upper body stuff. Keep working on the lower body stuff (esp. deadlift) and you’ll be able to up your total significantly.
Notes: Energy was low today. Thought that it’d be relatively easy looking at the workout, but it was clear that the volume from the last few weeks has been accumulating in terms of fatigue.
My knees were aching pretty badly once I started squats at 80%. Walking and even standing were both painful, but not completely unbearable. Elbow felt fine however, possibly due to the Blue Heat that I’ve been using on them almost ever session, haha. Knees felt fine once I got into benching and are okay now too.
Sleep was a bit more off than usual, but mostly due to stress with non-training related issues.
I tried facing my upper body towards the cold water in the contrast shower today and my bean bag tightened up so fast I felt like I pulled my testicular levator. I might have to easy my way into that, haha.
A. Conventional Deadlift
135 x 8
225 x 5
315 x 1
365 x 1
415 x 0
415 x 0
385 x 1
B. Angled Leg Press
590 x 4 sets x 8 reps
My pulling is definitely off for some reason. This is the second time that I failed at 415. On the first pull, I broke the ground for a couple of inches before dropping it. On the second pull, I barely broke the ground. My grip is one of the issues. The bar was slipping out of my left hand. I’ve also been doing conventional deads for a while now, even though they’re not on consecutive weeks. I’m gonna switch it up next Friday and do either some sumos or deficits. Maybe I’ll make some progress doing those.
The leg press was interesting today. I was so annoyed with myself after the deadlift disaster that I loaded an extra 25 on each side. By the end of the second set, it almost felt like I was going to pop a vein in my ear. The grind on the last couple of reps of the third set was just painful. I took like 5-10 minutes just to get my breath back and my feet under me before getting into the machine to finish the last set.
I don’t think I actually hit full depth on the last set and I was doing breathing singles by the end. Is there such thing as breathing leg presses? Leg presses sure beat me fun by their fun. I bet I’ll feel it this weekend.
DE Bench
165+SM+Mini 3x3 (pinkie inside ring)
165+SM+Mini 3x3 (middle finger on ring)
165+SM+Mini 3x3 (index finger outside ring)
Seated Overhead Press
115x5
145x5,4,5 (Lower back was twanging by the third rep of each set on these)
Pullups
BW+50x6
BW+60x5,5
Close Grip Lockouts
197.5x3
185x5,5,4
1Arm DB Rows
85x10,10
Seated Hammer Curls
50’s x8,7,6
No PR’s today. Just lucky I can train…
No MRI till Next Wednesday, So I don’t know what I can get away with on lower body. Been doing body weight squats with no pain, but the Rows and OHP were kinda iffy-feeling. Right leg is throbbing a bit from the nerve action. Doesn’t hurt, but I can feel the nerve irritation down in my calf and big toe.
Something clicked today. I now complete understand the whole keeping your elbows forward thing. The funny thing is that my problem was not keeping my elbows forward. It was how I was griping the bar. Apparently my hands were rotated too far back. This caused me to cock my wrists real bad and I think I was keeping my elbows back to relieve some of the stress. Today, I rotated my hands so that my fingers were more toward the floor and my wrist weren’t cocked back as much. What do you know…those elbows just came forward by them selves. I felt much tighter.
Speed-Pulls
345x10x1 - These felt great. I might up the weight a little. My grip was all fucked up from Wednesday’s DB rows. Apparently, I haven’t been holding on to heavy shit lately. Even today, it hurt to make a fist and every movement of my wrist made me very aware of my forearms.
I think that speed-pulls are one of my indicator lifts. Every time they feel light, I am usually good for a big pull.
SLDLs
245x5x8
Ab-Pulldowns
115x15
120x15
125x15 - serious ab pump.
Just as a note. I need to be more cautious of how much lower back stuff I am doing. I pretty sure my lack of a Squat PR has been because my lower back has been fried.
1/4/2008 ME Upper
Bench
bar x lots - played with bar path
95 x 5
135 x 3
185 x 3
225 x 1
255 x 1 x 5 (form)
2 board
255 x 3
275 x 3 285 x 3 PR 295 x 2 PR
DB bench
70 x 18, 13, 15 PR (set/reps)
chins neutral
BW x 5, 5, 5, 5
overhead tri ext w/rope
60 x 20, 20
80 x 12
hammer curl
30 x 10, 10, 10
ext rotation
10lb x 15 both arms inside and outside
Form keeps improving. My singles full range were some of my best so far. Was losing tightness on some of the board presses, but was able to recover. I think I was just getting tired and running out of air. Wanted to try the chins for my shoulder and see how bad it hurt. First set had a pop and kinda hurt and after that felt much better. Hoping these might help the shoulder.
Recovery
sore as hell from the last two work outs. sat is my 27th birthday suppose my age is starting to catch up with me.
got a massage, hot cold contrast showers, epson salt bath.
gonna get ready to train saturday going to deload on ME upper, just some light dumbbell presses back and tris, pull the sled, I have to get my gpp up and my weight down. Starting my masters degree monday, joy! I would rather get my ass beat than have to go back to school. Have to get in better shape gona be getting less sleep and have less time to train.
