Time to get serious...

[hard_rox]

Hang tight, Paul. Hopefully its a fairly "normal" condition that can be easily managed. Keep us posted and make the best of your time away from the gym.

[pjb923]

Monday I went for my Echocardiogram. For anyone who is not familiar with the term, this is basically an ultrasound or sonagram of the heart. It allows the doctors to see the valves functioning, measure various parts of the heart, and even measure blood flow in and out of the chambers. This is all recorded in conjunction with an ECG which measures the electrical activity of the heart.

This was actually a really interesting experience being able to see my own heart beating and watch the valves opening and closing. The technician that was doing my echo was training a new doctor on how to use the machine. Normally having a trainee work on me would not be my idea of a fun doctor’s visit, but I had to stick around the office and wait for my next appointment an hour later to get the Holter hooked up. So I happily took the oppurtunity to learn a little more about my heart than I would have otherwise. The whole thing probably took around 30 minutes. The technician is not technically supposed to make any diagnosis, but she told me that my problem seems to be electrical in nature. From what she could see, physically, my heart is perfectly normal. There are just extra beats appearing where they shouldn’t.

After the Echo was finished and I got all the gel off of my chest it was time to go over to the next office and get the Holter Monitor put on. Lucky for me Holter monitors are not what they used to be. Instead of the huge machines that used magnetic tape drives, they now come in very compact sizes that take compact flash cards and AA batteries.

It is small enough to fit into my pocket and you can hardly see it which was a nice suprise. But now for the fun part. Putting the 7 electrodes onto my body, and of course I have a little too much hair in a few spots, or should I say had. What I now have is a very akwardly partially shaven chest with 7 super sticky electrodes stuck to it, and on top of that some surgical tape for good measure to make sure the wires don’t pop off of the electrodes. Once I came to the realization that these things are not coming of without a whole lot of pulling I became a little more comfortable and less careful about every movement I made. Sleeping wasn’t bad once I got into a comfortable position, and I just wore a loose fitting shirt to work today.

Yesterday I had to go back to have the monitor removed so they can analyze the data. Ripping all of that tape off was not my idea of a good time. It's going to take a few more showers to get all of the residue off of my skin. Now it’s just a matter of waiting for the doctor to get back to me with a diagnosis.

[pjb923]

It's been a while since I posted an update.

I spoke to my doctor about 2 weeks ago and she didn’t tell me much that I don’t already know.

The results of the holter monitor showed that I have a lot of extra beats in my heart rhythm and an occasional pause. She said if the extra beats were closer together it could be a more serious condition. But for now both appear to be harmless, but she wants me to see a cardiologist just to be safe.

For now I am supposed to stay out of the gym and stay away from any stimulants. This has not been easy for me. Just staying out of the gym makes me feel lazy and sluggish. The lack of exercise on top of depriving me of my morning coffee are killing me. At least I got through the headache stage of caffeine withdrawal. I guess cutting out the coffee will be a good thing in the long run, but the first week was not easy.

Fast forward to yesterday...
I saw the Cardiologist for the first time, and everything went really well. He told me that the irregular rythym was nothing to worry about. I am only 27, my blood pressure and cholesterol are very good, I have no family history of early heart disease, and everything he saw in the Echocardiogram was perfectly normal. There is nothing they would do at this point to treat this, and unless I started having serious dizzy spells or actually passed out, I have no reason to worry about it. He did another quick ECG, listened to my heart asked me a few questions and I was on my way.

So I can finally get back into the gym. And I am allowed to have my morning coffee again.

During my down time I have been spending time just about every night stretching and using my foam roller. I have also been doing rotator cuff work with light dumbbells every 2-3 days and working on my grip with the captains of crush grippers. I can now close the #1 for at least 5 reps. When I first got it I could barely close it once. I'm hoping that will help my deadlift in the long run.

I have also been reading NROL and taking the time to type up and print out some of the workout logs. At this point there has been such a big gap in my current routine that I think it's time to start something new. The NROL break-in workouts will be good to get me back into the swing of things, and then I can move onto one of the Fat loss routines. After that I should still have enough time to do a strength phase and make my deadlift goal by September, and start moving my name up the deadlift chart.

My wife has also been dealing with some medical issues, and she has another doctor's appointment on Thursday. Hopefully she will also get the OK to hit the gym again and we can both get back into our routines together.

[Mahler]

Paul,
Great news from the doc. It will be good to see you posting your workouts again. I pray the wife gets the same good news.

[hard_rox]

Glad to hear your condition was nothing too serious and you were cleared for physical activities, Paul. I'm sure you're more than ready to hit the weights.

[pjb923]

After over a month off, I finally got back to the gym. It looks like it's going to take a little while to get back into the swing of things. Today was not an easy workout.

I decided to start with the New Rules of Lifting Fat Loss II. I didn't even make it through the whole workout, and my rest times between sets were much longer than they should have been. It's not so much the strength that was lacking, but my endurance. After just about every set I did I had to rest to catch my breath.

7/3/06
NROL Fat Loss II: Workout A

Front Squat
135 x 12
185 x 12*
185 x 12*
*Due to my lack of wrist flexibility, I had to switch to back squats to for the last 2 sets. I really need to work on my front squat form.

Wide grip cable seated row
80 x 12
100 x 12
100 x 12

Supine Hip extension with leg curl
BW x 12
BW x 12

Barbell push press
65 x 12
65 x 12
65 x 12

Dynamic Lunge
70 x 6
70 x 12
My first set I did alternating legs and couln't make it to 12 reps. I switched to one leg at a time for the next set and was able to get all 12 reps, take a little break and then get 12 with the other leg.

The weight didn't feel bad, but I just kept running out of breath. I think I need to spend some more time doing cardio until I get myself back into shape. It's amazing what a month can do to you.

[pjb923]

7/05/06
NROL Fat Loss II: Workout B

Superset:
Snatch-grip Deadlift
135 x 12
185 x 12
205 x 12
225 x 12

T-Push-up
BW x 12 each side
BW x 6 each side
BW x 6 each side

Superset
Bulgarian Split Squat with overhead press
20lb db's x 6 each leg
20lb db's x 6 each leg
20lb db's x 6 each leg

Underhand grip lat pulldown
Dumbell pullovers with 20lbs
100 x 12
100 x 12

Superset
Romanian deadlift/bent-over row
95 x 12
95 x 12
95 x 12

Lower-body Russian twist
BW x 12
BW x 12

This was another tough workout, and my legs were still quite sore from the last workout. But I just about made it to the end this time. I still needed extra rest between sets, but I feel like i'm already improving from Monday.

The combination exercises in this phase are killer. It felt great to finally deadlift again. T-pushups were interesting, and I may try adding light dumbbells next time. Coordinating the bulgarian split squats with the overhead pressing takes a little bit of getting used to, and now I know why everyone curses them. The Romanian deadlift/bent of rows are really tough on the lower back. By the time I got to this part of the workout my grip was starting to give out. I guess the gripper work I have been doing does not directly translate into holding onto the bar for long periods of time. I'm sure things will continue to improve quickly. I hope to be able to add weight to all my lifts next week.

[EdChap]

Great to read that you're A-O.K! Great numbers as well!

[pjb923]

7/7/06
NROL Fat Loss II: Workout A

Superset:
Front Squat
135 x 10
185 x 12 x 3 sets

Again, my form on front squats needs some work, but is already improving The first set at 185, I was able to get all 12 reps with a very short rest in the middle. For the 2nd and 3rd set I did 6 front squats, racked the bar and did the remaining reps with the bar on my back.

Wide grip cable seated row
80 x 12
100 x 12 x 3 sets

Superset:
Supine Hip extension with leg curl
BW x 12 x 3 sets

Barbell push press
75 x 12
95 x 12 x 2 sets

Superset:
Dynamic Lunge
75 x 6 each leg
95 x 10 each leg x 2 sets

Upper-body Russian twist
10 x 12 x 2 sets

This workout was amazing compared to Monday's. I really couldn't believe the difference. I was able to get through the whole routine this time and bumped the weight on most of the exercises. At this rate I will be right back where I left off a month ago in just a few weeks.

It feels good to be back.

[pjb923]

7/10/06
NROL Fat Loss II: Workout B

Superset:
Snatch-grip Deadlift
135 x 8
185 x 8
225 x 12 x 3 sets

T-Push-up
8lb db x 6 each side
12lb db x 6 each side
12lb db x 6 each side

Superset:
Bulgarian Split Squat with overhead press
15lb db's x 12 each leg
15lb db's x 12 each leg
15lb db's x 6 each leg
15lb db's x 6 each leg

Underhand grip lat pulldown
80 x 12
90 x 12
100 x 12

Romanian deadlift/bent-over row
95 x 12 x 3 sets

This is one hell of a workout. Right now there is no way possible for me to keep the rest periods down to the recommended 1 minute, I am just getting too winded and need to take longer breaks. The bulgarian split squat/overhead press combo is a purely evil movement. There is something about the combination that makes me feel like I just ran a marathon. Doing 12 reps on each leg with no break was not happenening for me today.

The other thing about this workout is that it's really testing my grip. The snatch-grip deadlifts and tough, and I switched to a mixed grip half way through.

Despite all of these issues, these are some of the best workouts I have ever done. I look forward to pushing myself harder and improving my numbers.

[hard_rox]

Originally Posted by pjb923

At this rate I will be right back where I left off a month ago in just a few weeks.

Isn't that a great feeling?! Glad to hear you're making progress and "back in the game".

[pjb923]

7/12/06
NROL Fat Loss II: Workout A

Superset:
Front Squat
115 x 8
135 x 6
185 x 10
205 x 5 front + 5 back
205 x 6 front + 8 back

Wide grip cable seated row
80 x 8
120 x 10 x 3 sets

Superset:
Supine Hip extension with leg curl
BW x 12 x 3 sets

Barbell push press
95 x 10
115 x 10
115 x 6

Superset:
Dynamic Lunge
80 x 6 each leg
115 x 6 each leg
135 x 6 each leg

Upper-body Russian twist
4kg medicine ball x 12 x 3 sets

This was a great workout. Dropping down to 10 reps and upping the weight a bit was a nice change. It's amazing what a difference 2 reps can make.

The front squats are still improving, but I can't seem to hold on for the full set. My legs still have more reps to go when my arms and shoulders force me to stop. At this point I feel that the best way for me to get the proper leg workout is to switch to back squats in order to complete the sets.

I still working on the load for the lunges and felt that at the weight I was doing, 10 reps wasn't quite enough, so I did 12 anyway. Next time i'll up the weight even more.

[Lisa~]

This is the first time I've looked at your log and it was an interesting read. I did the Limping Series several years ago and had the best gains in 1RM for squats and deads ever in my lifting years. I also did Super Strength and, just like you, started dropping the BTN stuff partway through because it was just too rough on my shoulders. I was not nearly as happy with Super Strength.

And now, interestingly, I'm doing NROL, lol. But I'm just finishing up the Break-In Program this week and then plan to move on to Fat-Loss II.

Did you see in another thread (I think it was called front squat form, maybe? Training Forum probably) where John Sullivan said that he would never do front squats for high reps. Someone asked him why but he never really gave a clear answer except to say he'd do Olympic-style full back squats instead. So, there you have what you are suspecting right from the mouth of a very experienced lifter and trainer. And I think I agree with him and plan to do back squats during FL II when I get to it next week. Just thought you might be interested in that little tidbit.

And I'm glad your heart issues are not serious at this point. I expect that had to be pretty upsetting while going through it.

OK, if I hang around in your log and keep track of what you're doing?

Lisa

[pjb923]

Thanks for taking the time to read my log. I would be happy to have another person following my progress. There is still so much to learn and any advice for improving my routine is welcome.

I agree with you that Limping was a better program than Super strength. I was starting to see some great gains and then had to put lifting on hold. Because of the month long break, I couldn't just pick up where I left off, but I would like to start the Limping program again at some point. Next time maybe i'll find a different upper body routine to pair with it.

It is nice to know that I'm not the only one having trouble with high rep front squats. I considered switching completely to back squats, but I kind of like the mix of the 2. My front squats will never improve if I don't push myself to do them more often.

So far I am really liking NROL. I decided to skip the break-in, but in hindsight it probably would have been the perfect thing to get me back up to speed after my month off. I guess it's too late to go back now.

Good luck with Fat Loss II, some of the combo exercises are brutal.

My heart issues were a little scary for a while. The funny thing is, the symptoms seemed worse for the month that I was not working out. Since I have been back in the gym, everything has been feeling completely normal.

[Lisa~]

Can't stress aggrevate existing heart problems? Maybe the worry just made things worse and being healthier overall calms the hereditary heart problems? Just a thought anyway.

I looked at those Bulgarians w/OH press and thought, "OK, I'll try it and see, but I don't know!" I've gone more and more towards just doing the basic big lifts in the last few years and in the past have poo-pooed "combo" lifts. Women will bring me their magazines with a squat/OH press with pink dumbbells and I'll go off on a rampage of how stupid an exercise that it. So I might get some flack for doing this lift, BUT the DBs you use for a Bulgarian and an OH press are closer in weight that what you'd use for a squat and an OH press. So I'm still right, lol. :p

And I like what you said about combining the front squats and back squats. I might try that also, maybe, lol.

And as for the break-in program, well, I HATE it. I knew I hated 15 reps of anything and now I know for sure. And I'm just looking forward to the 12 reps, good grief. I think my favorite programs lately have been 5x5 types. So I'm just guessing this stuff is good for me. I can do HIIT and barbell and db complexes, but this 15 rep stuff is still just killing me. I can identify with your first workout after your lay-off and feeling like you were going to die, lol.

10 reps for you tomorrow, right? Lucky you.

Lisa

[Mahler]

Paul,
The NROL workouts are looking great. You are obviously back in the game. Nice going.