Hey it looks like we worked out at the same time. I hate being away from Oregon and can't wait to come back so I can see you limping again! LOL!!! Tomorrow I destroy my quads so when I see you on Thursday night we should be in the same shape we were in when I left for CA. Grunting and groaning like old people!
Wide-grip lat pulldown
150/7 150/6 150/5 135/7 135/6
Barbell close-grip BP
135/8 140/8 145/8 155/4 145/7
High pull
100/6 100/6 100/8 100/8 100/8
Swiss ball crunch
3x BW/15
Great workout. Lots of PRs. I started with the dumbbell incline bench press, and couldn't even get one rep with 60's in each hand. Dropped to 52.5 and popped out 9. Then worked back up to 60, where I got two sets of 7. Go figure.
I kept increasing the bench press until I failed on the last rep. Dropped the weight to finish. It kinda sucks doing bench presses without a spotter, 'cause there's no place for a failed rep to go but on your chest. The weight wasn't so much that it was scary, but it makes getting out from under it a chore.
Warmup
.25 mi @ 7.0mph
.15 mi @ 4.0mph
.25 mi @ 7.0mph
.16 mi @ 4.0mph
Squats
4x 195/10
Deadlift shrugs
4x 185/10
BSS
3x 30e/10 30e/12
Step-ups
3x 30e/10 30e/12
Reverse crunch
3x BW/15 with leg extensions
This gym didn't have dumbbells in 32.5 lbs, so I went down to 30's to focus better on form. Toward the end, I decided to push out 12 reps on the BSS and the step-ups. Another good workout. I was still a bit sore from the last leg workout four days earlier.
So are you really sore today? I was checking out those deadlift shrugs and they look really cool. My trainer had me doing shrugs all by themselves and I could hardly do enough weight to make my traps feel it. Combined with a dead that would be a very cool thing.
Good workout. The bench press weight that required help from the spotter last time was easy last night. I did this exercise first in the routine this time. Fatigue level makes a huge difference in the weight I can move.
I spent extra effort this workout moving the rows and the pulldowns slowly on the eccentric movements. Form was excellent throughout with no momentum movements. Grip was fatiguing, or I could have done a few more reps.
I PRd my body weight. The last time I was at 200 lbs, it was 20 extra pounds around my waist. This time, body fat is 13%. My bulking phase is progressing nicely.
Good work, Brent. You're going to have to update your avatar pic now that you're a 200+ monster!
__________________
"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
There is more red in this log than any other I have seen. Great work friend. I bet you are getting HUGE!!!!! Isn't 201lbs considered obese for your height?
Rob - I tried to shoot pics the other night, but the batteries died after the first one. Went out to the garage, found some more, and they died after one shot. I think I got undressed three times trying to make photos, and finally gave up. Soon...
If this is obese, the obeser the better. I wonder what a BMI of 40 would look like with <10% body fat? And I'm new here and to the whole workout thing in general. I don't know whether my logs will be so red after I've been here as long as some of these folks.
Another long workout, and PRd almost everything. I got through the BSS and the step ups through shear determination - PR there was on reps, not weight. I was beat and ready to go home, but finished them at 6 reps each. Then added hamstring curls, since I feel I need some improvement there.
Your numbers continue to be impressive, Brent. Very inspirational. LOL on the camera thing ... gotta love technology, eh?
__________________
"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
I don't care what anyone says RE using straps on lifting. For me they are essential. My goal in doing a dead is to work my hammies and back and if my grip is giving out before I hit that goal what is the point? I am sure my grip will develop over time what with all the dumbell lifting and stuff.
Karla:
In NROL they do recommend pulling without grips or anything else. If I remember correctly, they see it more as a fail safe to make sure that you aren't pulling more weight than you can handle which means that you are less likely to hurt/injure yourself. I don't think I have to tell you how much that sucks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brentv
You know, I hate the BSS and the step-ups, but not because they're hard (which they are). I hate them because I seem to hate all the exercises that work each side of the body separately. They take forever to complete.
I'll leave the weights at 50 for at least the next iteration of that workout. I get tired holding the dumbbells, and I was struggling on the step-ups towards the end. I'm stepping onto a bench in the free weights area, so it's quite high.
Brent
Brent:
Just remember that the BSS and Step-ups will help correct any imbalances you have in your muscles.
Nice work!
__________________ It all starts with the mind, but the thoughts, the intention aren't enough. Action needs to come next. Dream it, believe it, plan it, execute it, celebrate it. - Wendy
Thanks for stopping in. The BSS and Step-ups are hard for a number of reasons, including balance issues. To put all the weight on the one leg is really working my stabilizing muscles, which I know I need. I appreciate the reminder.
As for the grips, I'm only using them on the 15 rep days, and only on the deadlift. If I were using them to allow greater weights than I could do without on 1 to 5 reps, I might agree. Perhaps I'm wrong, but it seems that when my grip is failing me on the 12th rep and I have to pause in order to get in the last three because the fingers are fatigued, the aid is a reasonable solution. I'll try it without next time and see how it goes. I haven't tried the mixed grip yet.
Killer workout took all I had. It's always a challenge to push out that last rep, but I keep my log book with me and always try for something more than I did the time before. I was successful here.
I should explain my PR markings. I compare with my previous record for that workout with that rep range, and I compare the same set in each workout. So, the last time I did dumbbell shoulder presses on a 10-rep day, I did 30/15 on the first set, so no PR there this time. I did manage to get out one rep more on my last set, so I count the PR. That means I have a small goal for each set of exercises that I focus on as I work. It forces me to put out my best effort on every set.
Great workouts Brent!
If you haven't tried a mixed-grip on deads you should try it. It helped me get past the weight I'd been stuck at for a while.
Likewise, Brent. I always use mixed grip.
__________________
"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
Bulgarian split squats
20e/15e 45s 20e/15e 45s 20e/15e
Step ups
20e/15e 45s 20e/15e 45s 20e/15e
Reverse crunch
15 with leg exts 15 15
It's amazing how short 30 seconds is. I thought I would be able to stick with the 30s rest periods, but they grew to 45 through the second half of the workout. Still, this was better than last time.
I did the deadlifts using the mixed grip this time, alternating hands between sets. I didn't use my wrist grip assists, and I didn't have any problem completing my sets. I can't say for sure whether the mixed grip helped me, but it looks like it did. I'll continue to do this in the future (thanks Paula, Leah, and Rob).
This was a lunchtime workout because of work responsibilities and "team-building" events tonight. I took a longer lunch so as not to miss the workout. Gym was less crowded than in the afternoon. As usual, there was no competition for the squat cage.
Glad to see the mixed grip worked out for you, Brent. Lots of red! I hear you on the short RIs ... 30 seconds goes by REALLY quickly when you're doing 15-rep sets. You really barely have time to catch your breath. Nice workout - and congrats on being flexible with your schedule to get it in.
__________________
"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
I made a chart to track my weight progress beginning in Nov 2007 when I was trying to lose fat, and continuing through April 2008 as I continue my bulking phase. I'm still bulking, and you can see my progress in the attached chart.
My last body fat measurement was 13%, so it's staying in the 10-13% range. And I'm gaining a pound every six and a half days.
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
Ohhh... Charts and graphs. I love charts and graphs. I am afraid that I am up again in bf as well as poundage. It hasn't been quite so possible for me to gain so much as this for this go around. Perhaps the next time I'll do better... I don't know. I just know that I am ready for a cut.
Wide-grip lat pulldown
150/6 150/6 150/6 150/6 150/6
Barbell close-grip BP
145/6 145/8 150/7 150/7 155/6
High pull
100/6 100/8 100/10 110/7 110/5
Swiss ball crunch
15 15 15
Good workout. Notable is the last set of bench presses. The last time I did this workout on April 2, I failed on the 155lb bench press after four good reps. This time I completed 6 (on the last set, no less).
Bill: Thanks for dropping in. I've been in your log, too.
Karla: You know the lean gain is harder for women. I'm seeing plenty of progress in your log.
Marty: I thought I was heavy last November at 192 pounds, and lost weight. But I had no real muscle tone, either. My waist is an inch smaller now than it was then, even though I'm almost ten pounds heavier. The weight gain is mostly muscle, looks nice, and makes me feel better. I'm all for that.
Yeah the lean gain is harder but apparently not the fat gain. I seem to be managing that somehow.
I cannot believe that you had another red workout like that. I guess that is what happens when you gain a pound of lean mass every 6 days. You are going to look like the Hulk when this is all over.
Another red-letter day at the gym, and everything PRd. Added 15 lbs to my squat for 10-rep workouts, added 10 to the deadlift, and added 5 to each hand for the BSS and step-up.
Wide-grip lat pulldown
112.5/15 112.5/15 112.5/15 (+7.5 lb)
Barbell close-grip BP
95/20 100/20 100/15 (+15 lb)
High pull
70/15 70/15 70/15 (+10 lb)
Swiss ball crunch
3x 15
Dumbbell pec flyes
3x 30e/15
Pushups
3x 25
I'm out of town on business this week, but found a gym about 4 miles from my hotel. The gym in the Embassy Suites is small and had only dumbbells, benches, treadies, and ellipticals, and I needed the cables.
* There was no cable seated row station, but I found a floor level cable attach point and hooked up the bar to it. Because of the way the cable was attached to the pulleys and the stack of weights, it gave a factor of two mechanical advantage. I used the entire stack of 190 lbs to give an effective weight of 95 lbs. I might have PR'd that exercise too, but I was already using all the weight it had to give me. I felt like a stud putting the pin all the way to the bottom of that big stack, though.
Everything felt good tonight, despite my almost not going. It was raining. I was out of town and had to drive to a strange gym. It would have been so easy to just stay in, but I'm glad I went. Added 15 pounds to my 15-rep bench press, and then pushed out 20 reps to boot.
I added some pec flyes to the end of my workout to give the chest some extra stress. And three sets of 25 pushups.
Hey congrats on getting the workout in when you are out of town. I know for me it is always a struggle to go to the gym when I am on a trip. Just being on a trip is tiring enough.
I hate being away from Oregon and can't wait to come back so I can see you limping again! LOL!!! Tomorrow I destroy my quads so when I see you on Thursday night we should be in the same shape we were in when I left for CA. Grunting and groaning like old people!
Linear Mode
