lat pulldown warmup - 5x25kg, 5x35kg
pullups -5,5,5,5 ... neautral grip - 6
leg raises + 7kg - 2x10
captains chair - 3x5
Bulgarian split squats + 20kg - 5x5
shoulder felt bizarrely much better after the cable crossovers the other day! but now has become sore again after the pullups aggrevated it. i have a GP appointment tomorrow who will refer me to a physio specialist on health insurance so thats good.
Lying pullups - 5x5 - decreasing difficulty by raising the bar on the Smith machine
1 arm pushups 5x5 - decreasing difficulty by raising the bar on the Smith machine
ab crunches + 3kg - 5x5
today my muscles feel obliterated - especially shoulders and triceps, also lats and forearms! Together with calf raises and band assisted pullups the Smith mchine has gone from my least to most favourite piece of gym equipment!
RE: shoulder injury. My GP did a rudimentary examination and thinks its adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder), so it could have started for 'no real reason' rather than me using poor technique in the gym. I have been referred to an orthopedic hospital for that and my herniated disc which is still causing me agro. Until then I have decided to work out in the gym as usual as bizarrely it seems to help the shoulder to heal!
Wednesday 12th
back hyperextensions (crap - couldn't work the right muscles and my injury started playign up)
smith machine seated calf raises (140kg) 5x5 (not worth it - even this weight was now way near enough and the bar was crushing my legs - might try 1 legged next time)
the sprints last week made me feel really good! and every muscle in my leg ached for a whole week! from my ankle to my groin!
the 1 arm pushups also caned my triceps so hard i could hardly extend my arm!
my back is really good lately, but still find it very hard to gain wieght. i am still on the primal diet - i havent really eaten any pasta, potato, rice, bread pastry or sugar since march. its great, i just eat loads of eggs, greek yogurt, salad and fish. cant ever get past 73kg in wieght though and lose it very easily.
that being part of the reason for me deciding to start Milkos spider stamina program. the other part being I redisciovered his website and thread on here and i think it's cool.
friday 28th august
chin ups + 4kg constant stamina
1 leg squats + 7kg constant stamina
(i added weight by wearing a backpack full of weights - much easier on the back than dip belts or chains)
Friday 11th September
I have been off for 2 weeks on paternity after having a baby girl, Elizabeth
back at the gym today - pullups + 4kg (constant stamina)
bulgarian split squat + 24kg (CS) (need to go heavier next time)
Monday 14th
full contact twists - olympic bar + 7.5kg. 3 x10
1st time doing this - didnt really feel it was effective at the time, but the next day got a good ache in never before used muscles in my back! nothing in my abs though
18th September
1 leg squats + 10kg (CS) - really hard but i'm quite proud I can do these + 10kg now
cable push pulls - 40kg (CS) - need a bit more weight next time - first time trying this one and I like it.
20th September
sprints - 4x100m - after 1 leg squats this hurts big time!
hanging rows - 5
pullups - 5
21st September
d/b bench press - 26kg - CS
plank - 1 min (haven't done in a while and it's noticeably harder)
sauna
1 leg squats - cracked! Can do 10 reps / 1 rep + 20kg / on bosu ball pullups - still hard! Stuck at around 7 reps and now doing 5 reps + 4kg weight - Still 72kg! Eating low carb at about 2500-3000 kcal per day and still very hard to gain any more weight!
Injuries - back injury is up and down - lots of discomfort when sitting down in the back. occaisonal nerve pain in buttock / hamstring. Some weeks pretty bad, mostly pretty good, never perfect.
also frozen shoulder injury still a bit sore but no sharp pain or loss of ROM.
seen a further surgeon for 2nd opinion on both injuries and have further physio but no surgery or other treatment as its mostly back (mechanical) pain rather than nerve pain so low success rate. Looks like thats me forever now. just need to keep my core string and hope for the best when I'm 50+
5th october
D/B shoulder press - 20kg - constant stamina
I am also doing physio exercises every day for my transverse abdominus e.g. lying face down on a swiss ball and raising 1 hand/foot at a time without bracing with my obliques. Seems to be working.
7th October
legs still really aching from sprints! back feels good. the Transverse abdominus exercise on the swiss ball really are working muscles ive never really used before! (raising 1 hand/foot whilst lying face down and sucking tummy in and clenching pelvic floor)
Pullups + 3kg - constant stamina
dips - measuring correct load for CS
- + 10kg - 11 reps
- + 12kg - 8 reps
- + 14.5kg -5,5,5
- will use + 15kg next time
TA excercises on swiss ball
progress on pull-ups is hard. read somewhere recently that doing a bunch of sets that stop well short of failure during the day as opposed to during workouts is a really good short-cut.
thanks, Ill try that if I can find a suitable bar during the day.
Wed 14th October
d/b shoulder press 20kg - CS
1 leg squat + 9kg - CS (this is actually not too hard any more...at least on my legs, but my lower back muscles feel a real strain - muscle going across the very base of the spine/top of pelvis?)
I've been off work this week so haven't gone to the gym at all, but I have been doing handstand pushups at home - about 1-2 reps, 2-3 times per day every day - just trying to get some shoulder strength with constant low reps.
also today: sprints, 5x100m, plus random primal workouts in the woods (pressing logs, pullups on trees, box jumps out of ditches etc)
Decided to start training for a planche push up! I'm really into the body weight thing right now, handstand pushups, maybe even the flag one day.
Pullups with good form (neutral head) - I used to look up and lean back - this way is harder but better form - 4x5
handstand pushup - 0.5! I seem to be using my lats a lot for this - couldn't do them after pullups and when i get down and release the tension there is a strong feeling in my lats.
frog stand (ony hands on floor, elbows resting on inside of thighs)- 60 seconds hold
hip pushups (hands at hip level) - 3x5
TA work on ball (face down hand raises and the bridge with feet on ball)
31st october
handstand pressups - 2,2,slow negative
hip pressups (on knuckles at hip level) - 4x5
'the crow' I call it - shown here for planch developemnt - held for a total 60 seconds in about 3 sets
inverted rows (hanging under smith machine) - 5x5
2nd November
handstand pressups, 2, 1, 1 negative
hip pressups - 6,4,5,5,
the crow - 45s, 15s
pistols + 8kg - 3x5 (really out of breath and sore back - havent done these in ages!)
was just reviewing page 1 of my log and i feel very pleased.
My sciatica has gone and back pain is reduced.
I have increased my pistol strength dramatically from doing 6 body weight to doing 6 + 8kg.
I have gone from doing no weights, to 20kg d/b bench press to 26kg d/b bench.
From 30s negative handstand pushups to 2.5 actual handstand pushups.
I have started a primal diet and have been on it since May - not sure the exact effect this has had (same weight, maybe slightly less bf, no blood tests taken), but I have been dedicated and feel generally pretty healthy.
This log was a good idea to help me review progress But I am still aiming to put on 3kg of muscle, get to 10 handstand pushups and 10 pullups, and now to also do a planche pressup (I give myself 5 months )
My philosophy has changed very much over time: 2001
cycle 5 miles to gym, static stretch for 20 minutes, cardio, heavy weights, stretch, cycle home
2002
very heavy weight, low reps - *Disc herniation!*
2004-2008
Only static stretch at end of workout - dynamic stretch before
cardio for fat loss
split routine (back/bicep, chest/tricep, shoulders/legs)
Eat as much as possible (ice cream, pasta, rice), then concerned about fat so eat low fat high carb foods
2009
Less static stretching and only if i feel tight
Give up endurance / chronic cardio
Foam rolling when necessary
Start sprinting once per week
Body weight compound routine (pullups, pressups, pistols etc)
Eat no refined sugars and lots of good fats and proteins
instead I did this at home:
1 handstand pushup
hip press ups - 11, 9
the crow - 30s, 30s
also had physio today and learned good swiss ball progressions for working the TA:
lying face down, lift 1 arm.
-progressions: move ball down towards shins. Lift opposite leg at same time as arm
bridge: feet on ball, raise hips and hold for 5s x 10 reps
-progressions - lift 1 leg off ball. Swing legs to left and right from hips
shoulders on ball, feet flat on floor, knees bent, raise 1 leg at a time.
-progressions - straighten leg.
16th November
handstand pressup - 3.5 - PR!, 2,1
hip press up - 10,7,3
bulgarian split squat + 32kg - 5,5,5,5 (stopped due to funny feeling in coccyx/buttock)
But I am still aiming to put on 3kg of muscle, get to 10 handstand pushups and 10 pullups, and now to also do a planche pressup (I give myself 5 months 
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