Cappy's TT#4 : Lean Power

[cappuccino]

Thanks russ. I hope to get to the gym today, but the slush/ice from yesterday has frozen hard overnight, and it's 18F with a high of 32...so it will be a walk most likely if I go. And this rolling paint on a celing is very similar to my push presses I'm due for today. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] we'll see

cool galya...can't wait to see how it pans out in a couple of weeks. Normally I don't crave sugar if I don't eat it, but the past several PMS weeks have been unreal. Just have to control it this time if it happens, I've done it before, can do it again. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

PS Craig's newsletter says he's on vacation this week! Wooohoo, maybe I should take the whole week off too and start with a trip to the bakery.... hahaha j/k!

[Marykaa]

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you need a home gym like mine marykaa, LOL

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LOL I was actually talking about the whole log.. not necessairly your home gym. But I guess learning not to bang my head on the unders of the diningroom table is good [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[cappuccino]

As I was washing my hair tonight I felt the sore spot and then remembered what happened. :P

spent the whole day finishing up painting the kitchen. I reallky like the color, and it's coming together. let's hope the weather allows for transporting cabinets this week. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

so lots of overhead roller painting (10ft ceilings, long pole) and grip work. Wowee, my forearms are tight.

then 3 rounds of:
db alwyn squat 8lbs each arm x 10
off set push-ups x8 each side
squats on balls of feet x 20
one leg deadlifts each side x 10
pogo jumps x 15
db chops (for cable oblique crunch)

nice workout. Funny I'm actually pretty sore from yesterday too. My back is still pretty tight, but better so far than last night.

what I ate:
1) spinach omlette & cappuccino
2) kefir, berries, walnuts
3) chicken hot dogs, mini babybel light, mustard greens + salsa
4) tuna, 1/3T mayo, mustard, tomatoes, green onion, celery, PB
4.5) last of the chocolate dipped strawberries. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]
5) PCB salmon (hehehe), banana (PWO), 1/2 oz almonds

25% c 115g / 34% 160g P / 41% 84g F 1858 cals

almonds pushed me over a bit cal wise, but I needed a little something after I had the salmon, and wasn't in the mood for scrounging for veggies. Bananas are yummy pwo, but sure take a toll on the cals and carbs.

[galya]

Painting (should be called paining)IS a workout, as far as I rememeber, good job on doing more that day
Food looks good, how often do you eat your meals?

[cappuccino]

I eat about every 2.5 to 3 hours. Thanks for the stamp of approval on the contents [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I'm feeling changes but haven't seen any on the scale. Also I feel great. I think it has to do with the extra good fats.

Painting is a pain when it's a huge project, but it's also rewarding to see a room transform. Weren't you painting your gym not too long ago?

[cappuccino]

I'm pretty worn out from my weekend of non-stop on my feet activity combined with bw exercises. Funny my grip is toast, and my legs and back too. So, new start tomorrow after a hot bath tonight.

Oh yeah, today got a functional workout by helping contractor move a kitchen full of cabinets into the house.

[cappuccino]

[ QUOTE ]
orignially posted by buk Way to get it done at home Cappy, awesome work. I am sure that the painting could use a workout break tomorrow. When I workout at home I usually skimp on the warmup, and the extra things I do before and after my workout. We got some snow, but they take good care of the roads around here - I made it to the gym and gave your deadlift workout a run today.

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I just saw this, we cross-posted. Have you recovered from two days of TT? [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] Changing things up always have a soreness impact on me.

[cappuccino]

back in the gym tonight...almost wimped out, but got out anyway

general + specific warm-up

pull-ups Max: 1,1,.5,.5;1, .5;1,.5

supposed to do these 2nd, but bench press was taken. Still wish I could get more...also not sure where to stop on the maxes here. I could do more with more time between sets

explosive bench @ 50%: 70x8 x 3 sets.

The last few reps in each of these sets weren't exactly explosive. And this is probably more than my 1 rep max, but I thought a nice starting point.

DB presses on ball: 30x8;35x8;35x8
1arm DB row: 35x6;40x6; 40x7

the 30's were too light for 8 reps so I moved up. I remembered last time that the ball presses are usually harder, so I was surprised that I did well with the 35's.

I'm assuming I was supposed to do 1-arm rows..it just said DB rows...anyway, again another up in weight..got a couple of extra reps with the 40's even. Might try 45's next time?

weighted swiss ball ab curls: 25x12;35x12;35x12
side plank: 4x8secs x 3 sets

did a little fanagling with the plates on the ab curls..25's fit just right, but are too light. Tried 35lb db and it hurt, but the weight was just right. The 35lb plate was too big

great workout. NOt a heart-pumping one, but I know I'll be sore tomorrow.

food:
1714 cals
118g C 28% / 161g P 38% / 67g F 35%

might still have some avocado or something else

[Buk]

Do you think you could use a dumbell for the weighted swiss ball ab curls rather than a plate? You might be able to get the weight you want without too much bulk in the way if you hold it/them up by your shoulders. I would think that you would want a little more volume on the pull-ups, so doing some with assistance or kipping, or adding in some negatives might be helpful. Not sure what Craig would think about this though. Unless of course you are struggling through the half reps for 10 or 15 seconds, that would provide adequate stimulus. Great work on the dumbbell presses and rows. Do you do the rows with your free hand supporting youself on a bench?

[cappuccino]

Hey Buk! Yeah, I used those huge db on the second set and it hurt becase it dug into my chest. If only he had those nice rubber hex shaped ones in 35's..but maybe I should just use 40's.

Thanks for the pointer on the volume for the pull-ups..the thought crossed my mind because when I did a prescribed rep count, I did more work. Just wasn't sure how long I was supposed to hang out to attempt maxes. And I suppose since it's not supersetted I could work at it a little longer.

And yeah, on the db rows, I was putting my free hand and a knee on a bench.

got a new workout for you to try tooo...this one was keeeeellller

[cappuccino]

aargh, must remember ctrl+c before submitting...just lost my workout post.

oh well,time for some chocolate. :P

[cappuccino]

general + specific warm-up

rack deadlifts (mid calf start): 155x8;165x8;165x8

happy with the increases. I think starting a little higher forces me to push harder with my hips and glutes, which I think are sticking points. Now I need pointers on lifting, say a sack of sand about 10lbs heavier that doesn't want to lose a bet. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

iron cross cable holds: 2x20 secs @ 10lbs

these were interesting. My arms were shaking and I felt it in my inner elbows the most.

split squat with front foot elevated on step: 35x8 x 3 sets
hamstring curls: 80x8;80x8;90x8

by this point I was muttering explicatives at the thought of the split squats. 35's are ok, I probably could move up, but my left leg I think is a bit lagging. Hamstring curls were a nice change up...had a hard time finding the machine. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

and as if I wasn't already DONE by now...

MB chops: 3 x 12 with 10lb ball
1 leg calf raises: 3 x 20

stretching...need to get on foam roller, but guess I'm going to just go to bed. Almost skipped out tonight because I was tired, but wired at the same time and just wanted to go home. Glad I went, it was kinda fun. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

oh, diet still going well. today threw in some black beans and had a well deserved banana pwo

too lazy to write it all out, but here's out it finished off:

30% c 131g / 157g 36% p /33% 63gf 1699 cals...not sure how I'm managing with few calories, even had 1/2 scoop protein pwo and my regularly scheduled 20g 86% cholate (for my heart health [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] )

[Buk]

Great job getting to the gym on one of those tired and wired days. The gym alwasy makes me feel better. Plus we would have harassed you if you skipped [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Not sure about the 175 pound sack of sand, but I think you can take it? On the iron cross holds, I like to sit down on the gound, or at least kneel, to get as much vertical loading as possible. Not sure if feeling it in the elbows is good or bad. Hamstring curls, now we are getting foreign to me. One of my fears about picking random workouts is that there will be a bunch of curls. I haven't done a curl in over a year and a half. I assume that you are split squatting with your left leg first to hit it when you are fresh? My tactic would be to: go ahead and move up next time, and force your left leg to finish it out. During my last workout I cheated and took a little mini break of a few seconds during a set so I could get it done with my desired weight. Next time I will be sure to be at that weight and will be able to run through all reps. Of course I don't know what Craig's theory is on progression, and I'm not wanting you to break his program.

[cappuccino]

I'll try that on the cross holds next time.

When I have trouble finishing a set, I do take mini breaks and finish off the last of the reps. ON the split squats, I did think to use my left leg first on the second set. Sometimes I wonder if the leg that I do last is the weaker one cause I'm a little more tired. But I do notice a bit more of a wiggle on the left side where I'm trying to engage more 'extraneous' muscles to get the weight up.

Now the sand bag tips are the most important. This bag is not the same as a barbell because it's lumpy and is activelyl trying to not let me lift it (ie. creating its own restance) Would have to try to lift it from couch level. Any tricks up your sleeve? Maybe practice with sand bags?

[galya]

Glad to know you're taking care of your heart, girl.

[Buk]

Lifting a bag heaver than your deadlift? How much do you have ot lift it, do you have to shoulder it, carry it somewhere, or just hold it off the ground? Plausability is going to depend on the material of the bag, its shape, its size, and how full it is. Sandbags are hard to deal with, but can make great training tools. I deadlifted 335 for 6 the other day, but I don't think I could get any sandbag that heavy up, but maybe from waist level. It would require a big bear hug and some major rounded back lifting for me. I have a 150 pounder that is hard enough to deal with, althoug I haven't played with it in at least 5 months. If you can't get low enough to wrap it up, you will have to basically clean it, but cleaning your deadlift weight, even with a bar, isn't common.

I think this topic deserves its own thread with pictures, explinations, training techniques, and results! We are cheering fro you!

[galya]

I second that. The topic is well worth it its own thread.

[cappuccino]

hehehe, gayla, my heart is of great importance to me. Speaking of which, my macros above was before my heart healthy dose of chocolate...new ones are 1820 cals 29% c/34% P / 36% F 4 carbs and 5 g fat from pure heart healthy indulgence. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Ok buk, now I'm worried about my bet and understanding why it's much harder to lift the sandbag than the bar. I can start from waist level, and put my arms underneath it, but the leverage is quite different. Hmmm must practice. I'll start a new thread.