Workouts look great Brent! I have 7 workouts to go for Hyp II. I really like the changes in grip on a lot of exercises in this program. It keeps things interesting.
This was a lunchtime workout because of evening commitments. I'm not reporting weight because of the unusual time of the weighing, and I've not finished calories for the day.
Barbell bent-over row (forgot to reverse-grip it)
85/25 85/25
Barbell bench press
85/25 85/25
Wide-grip cable seated row
70/25 70/25
Dumbbell incline BP
30e/25 30e/25
Dip
-80/25 -80/25
Decline bench crunch
12 12 12
This workout, more than any other, was finished due to the shear determination to work through the pain. 25 reps is just hard. The first 10 are fine. By 15, the arms were burning. 20 through 25 were agony.
I guessed pretty close on appropriate weights. I started with one set of 65 lbs on the bench press, but that was too easy, so I upped it and didn't count the first set. I could have gone more on the cable row, but with 15 lb increments on the machine, I left it at 70. More next time. The dips at the end of the workout just about killed me, but you know what they say about those things that don't kill you...
I realized this afternoon that I was at 193 lbs back in February when I set my daily caloric goal at 4200. I'm up a good 5% in weight since then, so calories should be also, since the goals are still the same. That adds about 225 to each day, or 4425. I'll call it 4400. Since I haven't gained unreasonable body fat in the last three months, but have gained significant muscle, I think my original assessment was about right. A 225 calorie per day difference works out to about a pound of muscle every 12.5 days (2800 calories/pound).
Another lunch-time workout. I struggled today with my grip in every exercise until I went back to the locker room and grabbed my wrist straps. Then, the weights jumped. Rather than worrying if I was going to drop the 225 lb deadlift bar, or dumbbells, I was able to up the weights and improve my form at the same time. I see these as a real benefit to my progress. I can now focus on the task at hand.
There's something about the intimacy of a locker room that brings out the oddities in people. For example, I'd never considered using an electric hair dryer to blow dry every inch of my body, but there was an older gentleman doing that today. He spent an amazing amount of time bent over with the hair dryer blowing up his towel, which was wrapped around his waist. I'm pretty sure everything down there was hot and dry by the time he was through. That didn't stop him from doing it again for another couple of minutes after he had finished with his feet.
Another lunch-time workout. I struggled today with my grip in every exercise until I went back to the locker room and grabbed my wrist straps. Then, the weights jumped. Rather than worrying if I was going to drop the 225 lb deadlift bar, or dumbbells, I was able to up the weights and improve my form at the same time. I see these as a real benefit to my progress. I can now focus on the task at hand.
There's something about the intimacy of a locker room that brings out the oddities in people. For example, I'd never considered using an electric hair dryer to blow dry every inch of my body, but there was an older gentleman doing that today. He spent an amazing amount of time bent over with the hair dryer blowing up his towel, which was wrapped around his waist. I'm pretty sure everything down there was hot and dry by the time he was through. That didn't stop him from doing it again for another couple of minutes after he had finished with his feet.
Brent
265x3 for snatch gril DLs? - you are a beast.
As for the old man, tell him that the air flow of the hair dryer changes directions at random.
I agree 100% with your decision to use grips. I simply do not get all the people on this board who won't use them when that causes you to not properly exercise the targeted muscles. Doesn't make one bit of sense to me....
There's something about the intimacy of a locker room that brings out the oddities in people. For example, I'd never considered using an electric hair dryer to blow dry every inch of my body, but there was an older gentleman doing that today. He spent an amazing amount of time bent over with the hair dryer blowing up his towel, which was wrapped around his waist. I'm pretty sure everything down there was hot and dry by the time he was through. That didn't stop him from doing it again for another couple of minutes after he had finished with his feet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kfisherx
And a new meaning for the "locker room blow job"
LOL
I'm glad the straps helped with the grip! I hate worrying that I'm going to drop the weights.
Nice gains, Bren. I don't use straps myself but generally don't have a grip issue. Are you doing anything to improve your grip so you won't have to be strap-dependent in the furture?
LOL on the old guy. You do see some weird sh*t in the locker room, that's for sure. At least be thankful he had his towel on!
__________________
"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
Hey, thanks for stopping by. My snatch grip is maybe not quite as wide as it could be, because I'm using the deadlift stage with the bar starting on the supports. I'm as wide as I can get without pinching fingers.
Leah, Marty, Karla: Thanks for stopping by. I'm loving Hyp II. The rotating three workouts and rep cycling makes for quite a variety.
Quote:
Originally Posted by K-Court
Are you doing anything to improve your grip so you won't have to be strap-dependent in the future?
You mean besides carrying my wife's luggage in and out to the car? I should add the farmer's walk back into my workouts, but I'm always pretty beat by the time I get through them. Maybe I'll do that on the in-between days.
The funny thing about the guy with the hairdryer is that one of my friends from work who uses a different gym said there was a guy in his locker room doing the same thing during the same lunch, except he was starkers standing in front of the mirrors, so there was more than one of him and more of him to see.
Hey, thanks for stopping by. My snatch grip is maybe not quite as wide as it could be, because I'm using the deadlift stage with the bar starting on the supports. I'm as wide as I can get without pinching fingers.
Leah, Marty, Karla: Thanks for stopping by. I'm loving Hyp II. The rotating three workouts and rep cycling makes for quite a variety.
You mean besides carrying my wife's luggage in and out to the car? I should add the farmer's walk back into my workouts, but I'm always pretty beat by the time I get through them. Maybe I'll do that on the in-between days.
The funny thing about the guy with the hairdryer is that one of my friends from work who uses a different gym said there was a guy in his locker room doing the same thing during the same lunch, except he was starkers standing in front of the mirrors, so there was more than one of him and more of him to see.
Brent
Well, I do "examine" myself in the mirror as well but not when I am unclothed! Hey, I workout so I want to see if I am getting any results at all!
__________________
"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
This was a workout from home, so I had to sub the pullup for the lat pulldown, and I had to use lower weights and higher reps for the chek press. The target for all exercises except the twist was 5 sets of 6.
Significant weakness on the left side for the cross-over biceps curl. I had to drop the reps to accommodate the left, then drop the weight as well. I couldn't complete the last reps without dropping the shoulder and using other muscles to raise the weight.
Good workout. I love the 12-rep days because I can usually add another rep or two to gain a complete exhaustion. I also like the lunchtime workouts, as there is almost never a wait for any of the equipment.
Funny ... they always make me feel like I want to barf. Oh wait, no that's the 15-rep sets!
Nice workout - a lot of volume there for a quick lunchtime w/o.
__________________
"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
Had a disappointing workout today that I ended early because of left knee pains during the step-ups. I tore a meniscus about 12 years ago, and from time to time one or the other of my knees hurts. I've learned not to push them, and so I ended the workout before I finished. It wasn't until I was in the locker room headed for the shower that I thought I could have at least continued with the hanging leg raises, and possibly even completed the step-ups on a lower step (I use the 20-inch benches in the dumbbell area). It's just as well. Even the lunges were hurting a bit.
I was pleased with the deadlifts. 25-rep days are just tough!
It is smart to listen to your body! And the 25 rep workouts are killer. I just did the 25 rep leg one on Monday and the soreness didn't let up until today.
I have just discovered (on Leigh Peele's advice) mobility drills as warm-ups, stretching, and foam rolling. Do you do those? They seem to help the pain.
I have just discovered (on Leigh Peele's advice) mobility drills as warm-ups, stretching, and foam rolling. Do you do those? They seem to help the pain.
I do some stretching after most workouts, and I'm aware of the foam rollers. For heavy exercises like squats and deads, for example, I warm up by doing a few reps of that exercise using lower weights.
Well, I will have to wait for the specific program she designs for me to find out that.
I got the book Maximum Strength by Eric Cressey and I started doing the warm-up he recommends. I have done it before my last two workouts and I was able to increase my lifts both times. He has you foam roll your quads, hip flexors, IT band, lats, and a couple other things I'm forgetting.
Then for mobility drills there are about 20 mixed into two different routines. There are a couple for ankle mobilization, glute activation, a couple lunge-type stretches and drills, a pec activation drill, and some others. The whole deal probably takes 10 or 15 minutes.
How does all this stretching and warming up mesh with what I've read before - that pre-workout stretching can actually reduce strength and increase the likelihood of injury during a workout?
I was told that stretching should follow a workout.
How does all this stretching and warming up mesh with what I've read before - that pre-workout stretching can actually reduce strength and increase the likelihood of injury during a workout?
I was told that stretching should follow a workout.
Brent
Maximum Strength (EC) advocates doing soft tissue and dynamic mobility work to warm up. I haven't read anything about static stretching although EC did mention something about that in one of his posts on this forum (thread in training forum IIRC, consult that). I know you follow NROL and the authors there advocate some dynamic mobility work (semi-specific) before lifting. I have started doing the Maximum Strength warm up before starting my lifting routine in order to get used to this routine. I feel better during the work outs (more mobility at hips for example) but then I have been doing this for the last week or so.
This was supposed to be a 6x3 day, but I struggled to find the right weights on a number of exercises. And, for chinups, I couldn't find a weight belt, so I did body-weight. Funny thing there. The second set was a set of six, until I realized I had done them as pull-ups by mistake, and had PR'd as it happened. The next set of chinups was another PR.
I don't know where the extra strength came from for the fifth set of chek presses. And I used a 10 lb medicine ball for the twists, which didn't seem to make any significant difference in the difficulty.
The crossover biceps curl was a problem for my left side again, and limited my numbers on the right. I finished the last two sets using the right arm for assist up, then doing negatives. I think the issue is a slight shoulder injury a month or so back doing DB incline presses. There is a slight pain there, and I think I'm protecting it. My goal is to keep it working with good form and hope that the strength will catch up.
I was probably someone's funny gym story today. The workout was after guitar lessons, so the guitar, in case, was with me in the gym. And in the locker room. And I was the naked guy carrying a guitar and a towel to the shower. Oh, well. You can't leave those things unattended.
My third set of bench presses, I failed to raise the 155 lbs for the sixth rep, and had to get out from under it. Damn. I hate when that happens. I push everything to the limit. If I'm doing a 6-rep day (as this day) and I have 8 reps in me, I put them out. Then I consider whether to increase the weight. Every set I demand the most from myself that I can give, and that puts me at risk with exercises like the bench press, where the weight is above me. I did end up meeting a very nice lifter who spotted me on the last two sets. Even so, I may just move a bench into the squat rack next time and use the safety there to push even harder. Why the gyms don't have safety mechanisms on the bench press stations, I don't know.
A few PRs scattered through the numbers in there. It was a good workout, and I'm still feeling it slightly two days later.
Thanks for the insight in Karla's log. It gives me something to shoot for on my next bulk. I know I underestimated my numbers and did not get as much out of it. With Hyp 3 and Strength 3 left I could continue to bulk, but with my marathon training also starting I don't think its wise. I really now see the problem of doing both at the same time. I can gain strength doing both but not mass.
I was probably someone's funny gym story today. The workout was after guitar lessons, so the guitar, in case, was with me in the gym. And in the locker room. And I was the naked guy carrying a guitar and a towel to the shower. Oh, well. You can't leave those things unattended.
Nice work on the chin-ups!
Brent, your locker room stories make me laugh out loud. Reading your log at work it not a good idea!
Well, I'm not sure I've done anything as significant for gyms and locker rooms as Mr. Ritchie has done for computing. But, hey, your flattery has made me one of your biggest fans. I did have an offer once to work for an AT&T facility that eventually became Lucent, but I went into aerospace instead.
If anything I have written inspires anyone to go workout and improve themselves, then everything is worthwhile. Have a great workout!
- you are a beast. 
but not when I am unclothed! Hey, I workout so I want to see if I am getting any results at all!
Oh wait, no that's the 15-rep sets! 
Linear Mode
