dmw

[liftintexas]

my back was jacked for almost a week after a deadlift injury. Good luck on finding the cause and healing it

[dmw]

Originally Posted by liftintexas

my back was jacked for almost a week after a deadlift injury. Good luck on finding the cause and healing it

Thanks, it's actually feeling better. I'm getting good at stopping short of really hurting myself. I may end up going in and doing something in the morning, but nothing too strenuous.

[dmw]

Well, another deep tissue massage from the greatest wife in the world, two advil, and three glasses of wine last night. This morning the back was still tight, so the smart and necessary thing to do was to skip this morning.

But I didn't. Still had to take my daughter to school and had an hour gap before the earliest I usually get to work, so I went in and did my first and probably last arms-only workout of 2008.

EZ bar curls @ 95 or 105, depending on how much the bar is. 5 x 5

EZ bar skull crushers, same weight 5 x 5.

Alternate dumbell curls, 25 pounds on incline bench, 3 x 10

Tricep pushdowns with 120 3 x 10

Hopefully tomorrow I can do something substantial. The back is doing better and I know I'm being to antsy, but I'm hard-headed.

[liftintexas]

an arms day every now and then isn't a bad thing.

any thought on having a doc check out the back?

[dmw]

Originally Posted by liftintexas

an arms day every now and then isn't a bad thing.

any thought on having a doc check out the back?

Nah. I asked my family doctor about it a couple of years ago and he said I'm getting small strains in the muscle that runs to the right side of my spine. It just spasms and locks up in a knot sometimes. It used to be bad, but the more back work I do the better it gets. And, it's nowhere near as bad as it used to get - it would lock up and I literally couldn't turn my head. I can tell when it's coming now, so I seem to be able to stop short of messing it up badly now.

What I have right now is nothing that even bothers me in daily activity, just when I try to go "heavy" I can feel it start to spasm. I'll test it tomorrow and hopefully it'll be ready to go, though I won't do deadlifts until at the earliest Monday. If I had better form last Monday this wouldn't have happened.

[dmw]

Saturday, January 26 2008

A little better today, but not enough to go crazy.

Stiff legged deadlifts

5 x 5 @ 135

Squats

5 x 135
5 x 135
5 x 185
5 x 205
5 x 225

These were fast and it would have been fun to push it upward, but I didn't want to take any chances. Box squats are helping, as I think I've found a good stance for me and I was going down and firing back up fast. Calves and Hamstrings were actually touching at the bottom.

Some seated calf raises.

Some abs.

[dmw]

Off today and the back is feeling good. Hamstrings are "good sore" from the SLDLs. I also think the SLDLs loosened up my middle part of my back as it just keeps feeling better. Tomorrow I will probably bench if my partner shows and squat if he doesn't, or doesn't want to bench. Plus, if the hammies still have DOMS I may bench in that case. Either way, whatever I don't do tomorrow I'll do Tuesday.

[dmw]

Monday, January 28 2008

Box squats - box real low and did these for speed

some warmups without box, then

3 x 135
3 x 155
3 x 175
3 x 185
3 x 185
3 x 185
3 x 185
3 x 185
3 x 185

calf raises in between most sets.

Looking back, numbers don't show improvement on my box squats, but they are way, way better. I've lowered the box (I use those step squares and put a 25 pound plate on top- today I only used two of those things, so its gotta be somewhere around 8 inches off the ground). I also sit completely on it for all reps on this day, as opposed to moving the weights up and going "touch and go". Then I try to go up as fast as I can.

[dmw]

Tuesday, January 29 2008

Bench Press

5 x 135
5 x 135
3 x 225
3 x 235
3 x 235
3 x 235
2 x 245
3 x 225
17 x 135

abs

[liftintexas]

good solid bench work, man. and squats sound like you're gaining ground there, too.

[dmw]

Wednesday, January 30 2008

Clean and Press

2 x 135
2 x 135
2 x 155
2 x 185
2 x 185
2 x 155
2 x 155

seated calf raises in between

6 chinups
6 pull ups
6 chinups

[liftintexas]

nice on the clean and press. I have to figure out if my form is right. I can't seem to progress at all. Maybe I just have weak shoulders. Nice work though.

[dmw]

Originally Posted by liftintexas

nice on the clean and press. I have to figure out if my form is right. I can't seem to progress at all. Maybe I just have weak shoulders. Nice work though.

Thanks.

I'm not sure how my form is- I don't get under the bar much on the clean.

[dmw]

Thursday, January 31 2008

Squats

6 x 135
6 x 135
6 x 185
5 x 225
5 x 245
3 x 275
1 x 295
5 x 225

None of these reps were forced- all were deep and smooth.

abs

I'm really encouraged by squat depth and form. I'm going real low and doing so helps me make these reps more of one smooth motion. Again, the numbers are not great, but 3 x 275 is a PR for that depth and reps and the 295 was probably a PR at that depth. It's not like I didn't go down hardly at all before, but I was trying the real wide stance- these "olympic" type squats just fit me better right now. Perhaps when I can handle bigger weights on my back I can move the stance out- I do still have some aprehension with the weight on my back- I need to keep handling what are heavier loads for me to get used to "holding the weight on my shoulders".

[liftintexas]

nice squats and admit it ... you're all into abs now ... working on your 6 pack

[dmw]

Originally Posted by liftintexas

nice squats and admit it ... you're all into abs now ... working on your 6 pack

hahahahaha. I swear, I've been reading that stronger abs help with powerlifting. Seriously. I swear.

[dmw]

Friday, February 1 2008


Bench press - slightly closer grip and for speed

5 x 135
5 x 135
5 x 135
3 x 185
3 x 185
3 x 185
3 x 185
3 x 185
3 x 185
3 x 185
3 x 185

overhead barbell press (strict)

5 x 95
5 x 95
5 x 95

real close bench press

8 x 135
8 x 135
8 x 135

(having serious lactic acid buildup in the fronts of my shoulders already)

[liftintexas]

how long do you training sessions generally last each day? three exercises but with a lot of reps. (of course, you're probably too shamed now to list the crunches and ab machines on here. )

[dmw]

Originally Posted by liftintexas

how long do you training sessions generally last each day? three exercises but with a lot of reps. (of course, you're probably too shamed now to list the crunches and ab machines on here. )

Ha, I almost put a note about 'no abs today'!

I take about 45 minutes or so, sometimes longer, seldom shorter, but not by much either way. When you see a day where all I do is deadlift, squat, bench, or clean and press - I'm taking long breaks in between sets. Oh, I may do seated calf raises in between sets on leg days, but I don't really count those.

Days like today, where I do more exercises, I shorten the breaks quite a bit.

I've made my own template, but I find myself incorporating some of the philosophies of the elitefts guys since my main focus is own bigger numbers in squat, bench, and deads.