Well, I tried S2B with some of the other guys on the board, but not to much surprise, I've had to dump it as it was bothering both shoulders FAR too much. The more I got into it, the more I realized that I couldn't keep replacing exercises with more shoulder-friendly ones and still remain true to the program designed by MM. So, I thought and pondered. I needed a program specifically designed around my limitations (shoulders) along with a nutrition plan that would help me achieve the following goals:
Short-term:
1. Regain a 31-32 waist (although 31 would be preferable!)
2. Reach 8% BF
3. Strengthen and stabilize my shoulder girdle
Long-term:
1. Weigh 190-195 and maintain 5-8% BF
2. Overall hypertrophy
3. If possible, return to my pre-surgery fitnes levels
So, I thought about trying to create my own workout routine. But, I quickly discovered that even with help, I didn't have the expertise or the time to develop one that would be adequate. Then, I started talking with laxcdn who'd worked with Craig Ballantyne and was thrilled with the experience. I went to his website, downloaded his questionnaire, and in about 3 hours had it all filled out and sent back to him. It was literally an hour later when he responded, thanked me for my interest in his services, and told me that he'd have a routine along with a nutrition plan in my hands in 3 days. (Of course, there's fee for his services, but what you pay versus what you get and his continuous follow-up is WELL worth the investment!)
Just as he promised, 3 days (and several emails back-and-forth from him asking me more questions) later, he had the promised workout and nutrition plan in my hands.
I started this past Monday, and so far, so good!
My first 4 weeks will focus on fat loss and regaining definition.
Monday's workout was:
Superset A:
3-Board Close-grip Bench: 3x8 (3-0-1) with 115 lbs.
DB Row: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 25's
Superset B:
Close-grip DB Low-incline Press: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 30's
Wide-grip Seated Row: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 100 lbs.
Superset C:
Leaning-back Reverse-grip Pulldown: 3x8 (3-0-1) with 100 lbs.
Rear-deltoid Raise: 3x8 (3-0-1) with 10's
Superset B:
DB Split Squat: 3x8 (2-1-1) with 20's
Good Mornings: 3x10 (2-0-1) with 55 -- It's literally been years since I'd done these so I went FAR too light. I'll up it next week.
Superset C:
Bodyweight Bulgarian Split Squat: 3x20 (2-0-1) -- these were killers! I was only able to complete 12 rep on my 3rd set. I've got some work to do!
Stability Ball Ab Curl: 3x12 (2-0-1) -- Far too easy, perhaps I'll ad some weight to it next week.
Today (Thursday) I'll do some HIIT over lunch.
All in all, a good beginning to this workout. Muscles are sore without my shoulders feeling unduly painful.
My nutrition plan is starting to get where it needs to be. Monday and Tuesday were a little "light" on the required calories, but the macros were rather close. Yesterday, I think I'd gotten it all together, although I was about 50 kcals over my limit. Today, is looking MUCH better.
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As I was reading the beginning of your post here, I was thinking...Craig would be good for him. And then I read that is who you are working with. Ha...great minds think alike
Good luck reaching your goals. Those bulgarian squats are killer but oh so goooooood [img]smile.gif[/img]
Yeah, he's just the kick in the pants I needed to get back into the gym with something that I can actually DO!
Thanks for the support, TG! I actually do like the Bulgarin split squats and have done them before with much success. But, that rep range is just a KILLER! I put my right foot on the bench first and squatted with my left leg for 20 reps, then switched. I was only getting to about 10 on the right leg when the left leg would cramp up so bad I'd have to stop, walk it off, and finish off my remaining 10 reps. That was a killer!!!
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Well, I had a hectic Friday which completely fell apart and I missed my gym time. There just wasn't enough time in the day to get everything in. Sucks! Then, we had a cast party after our show that night and I blew my diet as well, although I didn't blow it until somewhere south of 3:00 am Saturday. PIZZA....YUMMM!
Saturday I woke up with a migraine and that nixed any workouts for that day....or clean eating for that matter. I really needed some "comfort" food. UGH!
Sunday wasn't much better.
But, Monday I'm back on the wagon. I did make it to the gym, and I'll post that workout and results later. The diet was also clean. I'm currently planning on trying to "catch" up on my missed workout from last week and be firmly back on track, but it's going to be a race to the finish this week to get it all in.
YIKES!
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Originally posted by Deserve: So your code word for hang over is migraine. That's good to know. I'm glad the play went well.
Yeah, you know, I wouldn't have minded the migraine if I'd had something stronger to drink than diet coke! Seriously. I have no code words for "hang over" because when I'm "hanging" it usually because I deserved everything I got!!!
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Superset A:
DB Chest Press: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 50's
Snatch-grip BB Row: 3x12 (2-0-1) with 95 lbs.
Superset B:
Close-grip 4-board/Pin Press: 3x8 (2-1-1) with 115 lbs.
Leaning-back V-grip Pulldown: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 100 lbs.
Superset C:
DB Curl: 4x8 (2-0-1) with 20's
Lying DB Tri Extension: 4x8 (2-0-1) with 25's
All-in-all, it was a great workout. I got a great pump and I was still slightly sore the following day. I could have pushed more weight on DB Chest Press & Close-grip 4-board/Pin Press, but CB did warn me to go conservatively on any pressing movements. That said, I could have (and will) move more weight on my Snatch-grip BB Row and DB Curls. That's a no-brainer. I suppose I went lighter on those two because it'd been an awfully long time since I did either exercise and I just didn't know where to start.
Now, yesterday (10/11/05) I had TKD and then went immediately to my HIIT workout. So far this week, I'm still right on track with my schedule. CB suggested that I not push it this week and dump the HIIT yesterday, but I decided to go ahead with it. I'm confident that I'll get all my workouts in through Friday. Saturdays are always a little flaky for me, so I've really got to focus on pushing for that workout. Especially with my birthday tomorrow (and the knowledge that there's a cake being baked just for me), I've GOT to get in all the gym-time I can this week. I'm gonna cheat like crazy tomorrow!! .
Thanks for all the support and props, gang! I really appreciate it!
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Nice to see you back in action, little bro. [img]smile.gif[/img] Looks like a great start to your new program, but damn do I miss comparing notes on S2B with you. We WILL do a program together one day though!
Question: what is close-grip 4-board/Pin Press. Never run across those b4.
Rob
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"Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right." - Henry Ford
"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss
"Life is no brief candle to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." - George Bernard Shaw
Originally posted by K-Court: Question: what is close-grip 4-board/Pin Press. Never run across those b4.
It's basically a close-grip bench press that limits the overall ROM by placing either 4 2x4's on your chest or pressing in the squat rack and setting the "pins" 8" above your chest.
Thanks for the props, big bro!
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So, still sticking to my schedule, here's last night's workout results:
Wednesday's Workout A:
Superset A:
3-Board Close-grip Bench: 3x8 (3-0-1) with 135 lbs. (My shoulders are feeling this just a tad this morning.)
DB Row: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 30's
Superset B:
Close-grip DB Low-incline Press: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 30's (Oooops, I inadvertently grabbed the 30's again this week. I had intended on using 35's -- oh well, there's always next week!)
Wide-grip Seated Row: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 110 lbs.
Superset C:
Leaning-back Reverse-grip Pulldown: 3x8 (3-0-1) with 110 lbs.
Rear-deltoid Raise: 3x8 (3-0-1) with 12.5's
Otherwise, I'm feeling really good about the fact that I did up almost all my weights. Although, I believe that I could have upped some more than I did. Next week, I'll get a little more aggressive with a couple of these exercises.
Like I said, my shoulders are feeling a tad bit sore today. Hopefully, that, too, will pass. Fortunately, today's workout is mostly legs, abs & low back. I'm shooting for hitting the weights at noon today, so I can get my TKD in tonight. So far, I'm still on track for my "make-up" week,and all-in-all, I'm feeling really pretty good.
And, a word about my diet. Last week I was just getting used to eating 7 meals again and dialing in the right combo of macros, then came the weekend and the last 3 shows to get through. Needless to say, I really lost control of my diet, especially when you throw in a cast party. UGH! But, I jumped back on that horse come Monday and I've been really good so far. Today's going to be an almost complete loss due to birthday cake and "other special" foods. UGH! I'm thinking though that if I keep eating every 2 hours that hopefully I won't be hungry enough or have room enough for too many sweets. Well, I keep telling myself that anyway!
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Superset B:
DB Split Squat: 3x8 (2-1-1) with 20's
Good Mornings: 3x10 (2-0-1) with 65 -- These still felt far too easy, so I'll be upping this weight even more next time around.
Superset C:
Bodyweight Bulgarian Split Squat: 3x20 (2-0-1) -- I finally got in all 20 reps for each of my 3 sets! My legs were still fried, though! OUCH!
Stability Ball Ab Curl: 3x12 (2-0-1) -- I forgot about adding weight to the exercise for this week. Crap! Oh well, there's always this week, I suppose!
I did go up in weight in many cases, so I'm pretty please with myself so far.
I went to my TKD class Thursday night and learned more than half of my green belt form and received my first stripe on my belt. 2 more to go and I'm ready to test!
Needless to say, Thursday's diet just sucked the big one. Who could blame me? I had FAR TOO much birthday cake! YUM!
I blew off Friday's HIIT. I was just starting to feel the tiredness of my "catch-up" week. I went home quite a bit early from work and took a nice nap from about 3:30 pm until sometime around 7:30 pm. Suh-WEET!!
I felt energized enough to make it to the gym on Saturday, which was a feat in itself. I typically blow off any kind of workout plans on the weekends, but I'm pretty proud of myself that I stuck to my plan, for the most part.
Here's Saturday's (10/15/05) results:
Superset A:
DB Chest Press: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 60's -- I only got 7 reps in my last set, but I worked for every one!
Snatch-grip BB Row: 3x12 (2-0-1) with 115 lbs. -- Once again, my strength failed on the 3rd set where I only got 8 reps. But I knew I was really pushing myself in this entire Superset. I still feel pretty good about the results.
Superset B:
Close-grip 4-board/Pin Press: 3x8 (2-1-1) with 120 lbs.
Leaning-back V-grip Pulldown: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 100 lbs. -- I remained fairly constant on this superset after the amount of of work I did in the first one. I could have gone up a bit more. Next week!
Superset C:
DB Curl: 4x8 (2-0-1) with 20's
Lying DB Tri Extension: 4x8 (2-0-1) with 25's -- I only got 7 reps in my 4th set on the tri extensions. My arms were literally fried after this workout.
And, since I didn't get my HIIT in on Friday, I was able to get into the dojang and practice my green belt form for about 30 minutes. I worked on speed, accuracy, fluidity & power. It was quite the cardio workout, so I'm counting that as my 2nd HIIT for the week.
All in all, last week was a huge success!
Now, for Monday's workout (10/17/05):
Superset A:
3-Board Close-grip Bench: 3x8 (3-0-1) with 150 lbs. -- I missed my 8th rep in that 3rd set, but I was still overly pleased with the weight I was able to push without any pinching or pain in the shoulder girdle. In fact, so far today, I'm still not feeling any discomfort, which is REALLY cool!
DB Row: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 35's
Superset B:
Close-grip DB Low-incline Press: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 35's
Wide-grip Seated Row: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 110 lbs.
Superset C:
Leaning-back Reverse-grip Pulldown: 3x8 (3-0-1) with 115 lbs.
Rear-deltoid Raise: 3x8 (3-0-1) with 12.5's
I upped my weights on every exercise except 2 this time. It all felt really pretty good. I could have (and should have) upped the weight on the seated row, but alas, I didn't. Oh well. And, those rear-delt raises really throw me for a loop. So far every time I've done those, when I hit the top of the move on the first rep, my entire upper back cracks worse than Rice Krispies cereal when you pour the milk on it. I must be carrying an enormous amount of stress in my upper back for some reason. Kinda strange.
My diet actually survived the weekend mostly in tact. My only drawback was that I probably didn't get enough kcals on Sat & Sun, which perhaps made up for the added b-day cake I had on Thurs & Fri.
Tonight is TKD & HIIT and I'm psyched about potentially learning the rest of my green belt form!!
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I didn't do my HIIT on Tuesday because TKD was a real killer! We must have done somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000 kicks, then we did 6 1 minute sparring sessions in rapid succession in which we were required to perform no less than 25 kicks with each leg AND we had to hot our opponent in the head at least once with a kick. If we didn't kick htem in the head at least once by the end of the match, we had to do more timed side kicks from a kneeling position in between each match. I was BEAT!
Yesterday, I didn't make it to the gym at all as I suffered from some severe insomnia Tuesday night. I was still wide awake at 4am Wednesday when I finally decided to call Wednesday a day and not go into work. I then fell right to sleep. I must be allergic to work, hmmmmm.....could that be a disability? Hmmmm.... Anyway, I'll be hitting the gym today for workout B, TKD & possibly HIIT tonight, then tomorrow I'm gonna try and get in workout C. We shall see how it all goes from here on out.
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Your workouts area looking great Jamie. I carry a lot of stress in my upper back as well. When I went to my ortho he felt it and said it was hard as a rock..only on my right side...and sent me to massage. Which did help actually and I do notice now, whenever I'm stressed, it starts to hurt in that same spot again. Guess we need to go for regular massages...lol.
I'm not at all in your league of fitness, that sounds like serious training! But it's very motivating to read your log, reminds me of long ago fencing trainings.
TG: Thanks for the props, girl! Coming from someone with a belly like that truly means a lot! [img]tongue.gif[/img] Now, if only I can convince Mrs. Bond that I need nightly back massages. . . .
Mare: I'm glad that I could be your motivation! In fact, I woke up this morning thinking that I might not hit the gym tonight because I'm feeling a little under the weather. But, now that I'm your motivation, I'm leaning more towards going! Thanks!
Well, I do realize that I've fallen behind on my log, so here's the latest updates:
Superset B:
DB Split Squat: 3x8 (2-1-1) with 25's
Good Mornings: 3x10 (2-0-1) with 85 -- I felt like I was working with this weight, but it was still a little on the light side. I'm gonna up this again next week.
Superset C:
Bodyweight Bulgarian Split Squat: 3x20 (2-0-1)
Stability Ball Ab Curl: 3x12 (2-0-1) +10 lbs. -- I really needed more weight on these than just the 10-pound plate.
Friday (10/21)
Workout C:
Superset A:
DB Chest Press: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 60's -- I stayed at 60 since I didn't get all of my reps the last time. This time I got them all, and I did work to get the last couple completed. I'm not sure if I'm going to up this weight this week or not.
Snatch-grip BB Row: 3x12 (2-0-1) with 115 lbs. -- I got all 12 reps in each set, but JUST barely got the last 2. I'm gonns stick here for another week.
Superset B:
Close-grip 4-board/Pin Press: 3x8 (2-1-1) with 135 lbs. -- I jumped up more this time around and struggled a little at the end.
Leaning-back V-grip Pulldown: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 110 lbs. -- Damn! That was still a little too easy. I've got to bump this up next week.
Superset C:
DB Curl: 4x8 (2-0-1) with 25's
Lying DB Tri Extension: 4x8 (2-0-1) with 25's -- This week I got them all. I know I'll be upping the weight on tri's, and I'm thinking about increasing the curl weight, too.
Tonight starts week 4. And, since I'd suffered a couple of setbacks in diet (the first weekend I simply blew it and the second weekend was my b-day so I kinda tossed caution to the wind at the end of the 2nd week) so, I'm planning on extending my weight-loss phase for an additional week. I'm not really happy with my body weight. I started out at 180 and at one point I'd gotten down to 175. This morning I think I was closer to 176-177. Mrs. Bond says that I appear to be thinning down, so I'm hoping that I'm burning fat stores and replacing it with some solid muscle. That would be nice.
I'm not sure how tonight's workout will be since I'm feeling sick. The last thing I want to do now is to take time off when I've made so much progress. UGH!
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Tonight's workout has been pre-empted by a trip to Little Rock to buy a microwave oven to replace ours that simply blew up Friday night. This sucks because now I'm gonna have to figure out how to make up this workout.
UGH!
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I was just thinking that I've got really good news, too. My shoulders haven't bothered me in more than a week! You can't imagine how great it feels to have both shoulders feeling so damn good!!! I'm really psyched that I finnaly just bit the bullet and hired a trainer to help design a routine with my shoulder limitations in mind.
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Gifted SmartAss Master Class Graduate
I made it up today at noon. I just need to find the time to post the results. Perhaps still tonight, if I can. I've got a ton of work that I'm doing from home. UGH!
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Originally posted by Bond007: I'm really psyched that I finnaly just bit the bullet and hired a trainer to help design a routine with my shoulder limitations in mind.
That was definatly a good I idea!
A nice way of pampering yourself.. but not a luxury if you have problems with your shoulder!
Workout A Tuesday (10/25) -- I squeezed this in at noon:
Superset A:
3-Board Close-grip Bench: 3x8 (3-0-1) with 165 lbs. -- Even though I missed my 8th rep with 150 last week, I still decided to up the weight this week...AND, I got it!
DB Row: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 40's
Superset B:
Close-grip DB Low-incline Press: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 40's
Wide-grip Seated Row: 3x8 (2-0-1) with 120 lbs.
Superset C:
Leaning-back Reverse-grip Pulldown: 3x8 (3-0-1) with 120 lbs.
Rear-deltoid Raise: 3x8 (3-0-1) with 15's
I upped my weights on EVERY exercise this time around. It really shocked me because I went into the gym feeling quite sick from a head cold I'd been nursing since Saturday. Of course, I do blame it all on the success I experienced with my very first set. That really got me pumped to up those weights and finish the entire workout.
Tuesday evening I went to TKD and had a great class. I got the rest of my green belt form down pat -- I'm almost ready to test! Then, immediately following TKD, I decided to go ahead and get my HIIT in for the day. I was still pretty pumped from my workout at noon.
Workout B Wednesday (10/26):
Superset A:
Hex-bar Deadlift: 3x8 (2-1-1) with 235 -- I upped this weight FAR TOO conservatively. I easily could have gone with 245 or 250.
Plank: 3x30 seconds
Superset B:
DB Split Squat: 3x8 (2-1-1) with 30's
Good Mornings: 3x10 (2-0-1) with 105
Superset C:
Bodyweight Bulgarian Split Squat: 3x20 (2-0-1)
Stability Ball Ab Curl: 3x12 (2-0-1) +25 lbs.
Still on a high from yesterday's workout, I went ahead and upped all my weights again for today's workout. I was really leary about doing that because I'm still sick, stressed out from work due to a HUGE presentation I had to put together for tomorrow morning, and a few people were LATE getting their information to me. Pissed me OFF!! Regardless, I still had considerable success with this workout. I am VERY pleased.
Have a great night all!
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And, come to think of it, just this past Monday, I found myself thinking that I might take the week off and recuperate from this head cold. So far, this has been my best week all the way around. The numbers I've posted have really helped me to deal more calmly with some unreasonable co-workers. Ugh!
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Thanks, Craig! I'd gotten your email, but I haven't had a chance to give answer it adequately. I'm planning on giving a well-thought-out response tomorrow.
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Gifted SmartAss Master Class Graduate
I should have gotten a referal fee
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