Time to get serious...

[pjb923]

BOM Intermediate
Week 11 - Phase 2 - Workout C: Friday 1/19/07

Straight Sets
Chin-Up:
80 x 10 - on lat pull down machine
120 x 8 - on lat pull down machine
BW x 6 + 2 negatives
BW x 6
BW x 4
120 x 15 - on lat pull down machine

Dead Lift:
135 x 10
225 x 8
295 x 8
325 x 6
345 x 3
225 x 12

Standing Calf Raise:
BW + 120 x 15
BW + 160 x 12

I had my evaluation visit with the physical therapist yesterday, and she gave me a general overview of what I'm going to be doing. The first focus is going to be working on my abdominal strength. She gave me a few exercises to work on.

First, lying on my back with knees bent and my feet on the floor, maintain a flat back, curl up and hold for 5 seconds while exhaling. Repeat 10 times.

Next is the same movement with my legs pointing straight in the air.

Last is single leg lowing with my knees bent. Just trying out these movements exposed the weakness I have in my abs. Holding some of these positions had me shaking like a leaf. I never really had anyone watch me so closely to ensure my back position remained constant, and it really makes a huge difference in how the exercise feels.

She also said my hip flexors seemed a little tight compared to my hamstrings and recommended a few stretches for both my hip flexors and IT band. I mentioned that I had a foam roller and she had me demonstrate how I normally use it for my legs. She wants me to keep it up, focusing on the IT band.

I will be going to PT 2x a week for up to 6 weeks, and I really think it's going to do wonders for my back health. I'm actually looking forward to it.

Now onto my workout. I love these workouts they are short but intense! I have not done BW chins in a while because I cannot do the 10 reps needed for the last stage of this routine, but I gave it a shot tonight. For the set of 8, I was able to get 6 full reps and cheated my way up for the last 2 reps.

The deadlifts felt good, but not as strong as I would have hoped. I did not have the log from my last deadlift workout with me so I kind of guessed at the weights. The set of 8 could have been a little heavier, but by the time I got up to the last set the weight was starting to feel really heavy and I didn't want to push my back too hard. It's been a while since I did a low rep deadlift set, so I guess it will come back with a little time.

I finished up with my new ab routine and then 15 minutes of intervals on the elliptical.

[Chris D]

Nice work paul. 295 for 8 is pretty awesome. Especially when I just did 3 @ 295 and thought it was pretty hard!

[pjb923]

Thanks John. I'm hoping to increase my incline press numbers again tonight. It's been a while since I touched a dumbbell over 85lbs. I'm very happy with my overhead press numbers, since I have not gone really heavy since hurting my shoulder. It feels good to get back to where I was.

Chris, thanks for the encouragement. I'm not saying 295 x 8 is a small feat, but I know I was capable of more based on my lifts a few weeks ago. I just wasn't feeling it.

[pjb923]

BOM Intermediate
Week 12 - Phase 2 - Workout A: Monday 1/23/07

Straight Sets
B.B. Seated Shoulder Press:
45 x 10, 95 x 8,
115 x 8
135 x 6
145 x 4
115 x 10

B.B. Squat:
135 x 10
225 x 8
295 x 6
295 x 6
315 x 4
245 x 10

I finished off with 20 minutes on the elliptical.

I was feeling good this week and had some minor improvements from last weeks workout. I was able to complete all 4 reps at 145 on the shoulder press, when last week I could only get 3. I also added 20lbs to the back-off set, but didn't do as many reps.

Squats felt good, but I still think I have more in me. I could not get to 8 reps on my first set of 295, so I decided do a 2nd set of 6 at the same weight. There was no way I was going home without pushing myself a little harder on the last set of 4. A few things I noticed while squatting tonight that are leading me to beleive that my glutes really need some work compared to my quads. First, I was playing around with different stances and I seem to be weaker as my feet get wider apart. Also, as I upped the weight my knees were starting to cave inward which is another indicator of weak glutes.

Since these workouts are so short, I'm going to be looking for some exercises to add in at the end of my workouts to help bring up my glute strength. We don't have a glute-ham raise at my gym, so i'll have to find some other good movements. I may try bringing in my bands and try some light squats with the band around my knees.

What is everyone's opinion on those "glute-isolator" machines ?

http://www.precor.com/comm/str-md/md618/

I have always thought they were useless, but with enough weight it could be a good supplemental exercise.

[pjb923]

I had my first physical therapy session today and it went well. Everyone remembered me from my shoulder sessions and all thought I was back because I re-injured it, or had surgery. Thankfully that is not the case.

I didn't write any of this down, so I may miss something, but my session went something like this:

Crunches(knees bent and legs on stability ball): 3 x 10
Crunches w/ twist (knees bent and legs on stability ball): 3 x 10 each side
Lying side leg raise (with ankle weights): 3 x 10
Quadruped Hip Extensions (with ankle weights): 3 x 10
Supine Hip Extensions (feet on ball): 2 x 10
Prone leg lifts over ball (with ankle weights): 2 x 10 each leg
Crunches (legs in air, ankles crossed): 2 x 10
Crunches w/ twist (legs in air, ankles crossed): 2 x 10 each side
Ball squats: 2 x 10 - Normally I would laugh at these, but after yesterdays leg workout they were not so easy.

Then I got a really good assisted hip flexor stretch and we finished with 15 minutes of heat and electrostim on my back.

It looks like I will have some of that glute work I was looking for covered during these sessions.

[pjb923]

BOM Intermediate
Week 11 - Phase 2 - Workout B: Tuesday 1/23/07

Chest Supported Row:
45 x 10
70 x 8
115 x 8 (+15lbs)
140 x 6 (+5lbs)
150 x 4 (+5lbs)
100 x 12 (+10lbs)

Straight Sets
D.B. Incline Bench Press:
55's x 10, 55's x 8 (+10lbs each)
75's x 8 (+5lbs each)
85's x 6 (+5lbs each)
90's x 4 (+5lbs each)
65's x 10 (+5lbs each)

Seated Hammer Curls:
35's x 10 (+5lbs each)
40's x 8 x 2 sets (+5lbs each)

I finished with 20 minutes on the stationary bike.

This was a great workout with increases across the board. As far as I can remember, using the 90's is a new PR for me on incline bench. I was feeling so good during the workout that I thought it was a good idea to try the 95's for my last set, but I couldn't get them moving, so i dropped back down to the 90's. Either way I am very happy with these numbers.

I was also able to increase across the board on the chest supported rows.

I forgot how much I like these low rep, heavy sets.

[Lisa~]

90s are some big ass DBs! Good for you! I bet if you could have found a spotter to help you get those 95s back, you'd have gotten them too. Low reps are fun.

[pjb923]

BOM Intermediate
Week 12 - Phase 2 - Workout C: Friday 1/26/07

Straight Sets
Chin-Up:
80 x 10 - on lat pull down machine
120 x 8 - on lat pull down machine
BW x 6 + 2 negatives
BW x 6
BW x 4
140 x 12 - on lat pull down machine (+20lbs)

Dead Lift:
135 x 10
225 x 8
305 x 8 (+10lbs)
335 x 6 (+10lbs)
355 x 3 (+10lbs)
245 x 12 (+20lbs)

I had another physical therapy session this afternoon and we did a lot of the same ab movements, but this time I had to balance on a foam roller which makes things a whole lot more difficult. . More side lying leg lifts, but this time with 20 second static holds after each set of 10. She also had me do swill ball jacknives.
I considered this my ab workout for the day.

[pjb923]

BOM Intermediate
Week 13 - Phase 2 - Workout A: Monday 1/30/07

Straight Sets
B.B. Seated Shoulder Press:
45 x 10, 95 x 8,
125 x 8 (+10lbs)
145 x 6 (+10lbs)
155 x 4 (+10lbs)
115 x 12 (+2 reps)

B.B. Squat:
135 x 10
225 x 8
275 x 8
295 x 6
315 x 4
245 x 10

This was a really good workout. Shoulder presses were feeling really strong tonight. I think 155 may be the most weight I have ever done on a strict overhead press.

I went a little bit conservative with the squats, since I noticed some form issues last time. I made sure I had a slow controlled decent and really concentrated on forcing my knees out. I still noticed a slight caving of the knees at the higher weights, but I know what I need to do to correct it.

I went through the ab routine that I'm doing in physical therapy, and finished off with 20 minutes on the elliptical and another 10 on the stair mill. My body must really not be built for running on the treadmill, because I covered 0.75 miles on the stairmill in 10 minutes, which is not far off my usual 12 minute mile pace. I would think that walking up stairs would be an order of magnitude more difficult than walking on flat ground.

[pjb923]

BOM Intermediate
Week 11 - Phase 2 - Workout B: Tuesday 1/30/07

Straight Sets
Chest Supported Row:
45 x 10
90 x 8 (+15lbs)
135 x 8 (+20lbs)
155 x 6 (+15lbs)
165 x 4 (+15lbs)
125 x 12 (+25lbs)

D.B. Incline Bench Press:
45's x 10, 55's x 8
75's x 8
90's x 6 (+5lbs each)
95's x 4 (+5lbs each)
65's x 10 (+5lbs each)

Seated Hammer Curls:
35's x 10 (+5lbs each)
40's x 8
45's x 6

Barbell Lunges:
45 x 5 each leg
95 x 8 each leg
145 x 8 each leg

Leg Extensions:
100 x 10
200 x 10
260 x 10

Pistol Squats
BW x 10 each leg
BW + 25 x 6 each leg
BW + 45 x 6 each leg

I forgot my workout log from last week yet again and couldn't remember exactly how much I had done for the chest supported rows last time. I wound up adding more weight than I would normally have and resulted in some big increases.

My numbers on the incline presses on the other hand were stuck in my head. After failing to move the 95's last week, I was determined to get 4 this time, and that is exactly what I did. 100's here I come

I know today was not supposed to be leg day, but I felt the need to get in a little extra leg work. I started out with some barbell lunges, really trying to focus on my glutes as much as possible.

Then threw in some leg extensions because I was in the mood. I deciced to see what I could do with the machine set at it's max weight of 260, and managed to squeeze out 10 reps.

Then I finished off with some pistols which I have not done in a long time. I warmed up with a set with no additional weight, and then picked up a 25lb plate for my next set. I actually find that balancing is easier while holding some weight at arms length during the pistols. For my last set I grabbed a 45 and got 6 more with each leg. I have never done pistols with this much added weight, and was very happy with the results. I'm sure I will feel it tomorrow.

There was no way I was going to climb up a flight of stairs to do any cardio after all of that. :p

[pjb923]

BOM Intermediate
Week 12 - Phase 2 - Workout C: Friday 2/2/07

Straight Sets
Chin-Up:
100 x 10 - on lat pull down machine (+20lbs)
140 x 8 - on lat pull down machine (+20lbs)
BW x 8
BW x 6
BW + 10lbs x 4 (+10lbs)
150 x 12 - on lat pull down machine (+10lbs)

Dead Lift:
135 x 10
225 x 8
315 x 8 (+10lbs)
345 x 4
345 x 4
245 x 6

D.B. Flat Bench press
55's x 10
65's x 8
85's x 10
95's x 6
I was able to add weight to my chin-ups for the first time in a long time.

The deadlifts were going really well today, but my back just started to get tired. I think it may have been because of my therapy session in the afternoon. The weight felt light and my form really felt perfect, but towards the end of the workout the fatigue in my lower back just started to set in and i had to cut back.

I threw in some flat db chest presses just for the fun of it.

Next week is another planned rest week which will be a good chance for my back to rest and to concentrate on all of my physical therapy workouts which have been getting more difficult.

Today I did, kneeling hip extensions, lifting the opposite arm. Using a 5lb ankle weight and holding a 5lb db. 3 sets of 10.

Side lying leg raises with 5lb ankle weight. 3 sets of 10 and 3 20 second static holds.

I don't know what to call these. In a kneeling position, with one leg extended straight back. 10 reps moving the extended leg side to side, and 10 reps moving up and down. 3 sets each leg, with 5lb ankle weight.

Leg Scissors, while lying on a foam roller. 3 sets of 10.
Single leg lowering while lying on a foam roller. 3 sets of 10 each leg.

Ball squats with front raises using 8lb db's. 3 sets of 10.

I think that was just about it. We finished with some hip flexor stretching and 10 minutes of electrostim on my back.

[pjb923]

It's been a while. Last week was a rest week and I got in 2 easy workouts, and 2 physical therapy sessions.

Yesteday I started stage 3 of my workout, which is week 15. Don't mind my numbering system in this log. I do a lot of copying and pasting and almost always forget to change the week number. :p

BOM Intermediate
Week 15 - Phase 3 - Workout A: Monday 2/12/07

Pull-up
80 x 10 - on lat pull down machine
140 x 8 - on lat pull down machine
BW x 6 x 2 sets

Lat Pull-down (reverse grip):
140 x 15

Lat Pull-down (neutral grip):
120 x 15

Chest Supported Row:
45 x 8
90 x 6
160 x 6
170 x 6

Chest Supported Row (reverse grip):
115 x 12

Chest supported row ("wide" grip):
90 x 15

EZ Bar Preacher Curl:
50 x 8
70 x 8 x 2 sets
40 x 15

I finished up with some ab work and intervals on the stationary bike.

This workout really mixes things up by pairing 2 movements that use similar muscles. By the time I got to the chest supported rows, the warmup sets were feeling heavy. I was fine once I got going. The reverse grip rows were starting to hurt my wrist, so I switched to neutral grip half way through the set. For the last set, I said "wide" in quotes because the grip isn't really that wide. This workout calls for B.B. Bent Over Rows but I am still avoiding those because of my back.

After all of that pulling, the workout ends with preacher curls to really fry your arms. The other 2 workouts in this stage follow the same pattern. Workout B pairs Deadlifts with Front Squats and finishes with shrugs. And workout C pairs Shoulder Press with Bench press, and finishes with lying triceps extensions. This is going to be a challenging 3 weeks.

[Lisa~]

I was wondering what happened to you!

Do you still think the physical therapy sessions are paying off? How many more are you going to do?

Have you had a chance to read Conquering Enemies of the Spine? How does that information line up with what you're doing in physical therapy and do you think it applies to you?

[pjb923]

The physical therapy sessions are going well, but I don't think i'm going to many more sessions. There isn't much that I'm doing in my therapy session that can't be done at home or in the gym. It's mostly glute and abdominal work.

I did read the spine article and have been trying to follow some of the suggestions. At work lately I have been running back and forth between my desk and the lab, so I'm not sitting in one place for as long as I usually am. When I do sit for a long period of time I have been using the seated deloading technique they show in the article. I have also been more aware of my spinal position and try to maintain a neutral spine whenever possible. The physical therapist has not really talked at all about changes in my every day habits, so that part of it will have to be done on my own.

[pjb923]

BOM Intermediate
Week 15 - Phase 3 - Workout B: Thursday 2/15/07

Front Squat
45 x 8
135 x 8
225 x 6
275 x 2 (new front squat PR)
245 x 6 x 2 sets

B.B. Squat:
245 x 10

B.B. Squat (narrow stance):
185 x 15

Deadlift:
135 x 8
225 x 6
335 x 6 x 2 sets
245 x 10

Deadlift (wide grip, standing on blocks):
185 x 15

B.B. Shrugs:
185 x 10 x 2 sets

This was the most difficult workout that I have done in this program so far. Pairing of squats and deadlifts in the same workout just uses every last ounce of energy that I have in me. The way the workout was written, the deadlifts were supposed to be performed before squats, but for some reason I felt like I needed to reverse them. I'm not sure if that was the best idea.

After all of the squats my legs were pretty tired going into the deadlifts. Next week I'll switch back to the correct order.

I was feeling really ambitious and loaded up 275 for my first work set of front squats which is 10lbs more weight than I have ever done. After 2 I was really feeling it in my upper back and know that there was no way I was going to get 6. I dropped back down to 245 and completed 2 sets without much trouble. It's been a while since I did front squats and I think I lost some of my wrist flexibility. It will take a few workouts before I'm really comfortable with them again.

Deads were feeling good during this workout. I didn't have my chalk with me and my grip was giving me some trouble. The set of 10 was supposed to be wide grip, but I just couldn't hold onto the bar. The last set was my first time deadlifting from a deficit, so I was very conservative with the weight. I used an aerobic step with no risers as my platform. The few extra inches added to the motion really makes a big difference.

My grip problems may have something to do with my front squat grip. My wrists were aching a little after I finished. Moving the deadlifts before squats should allow me to add some weight next week.