Pastorgbc's 2007 Journal

[pastorgbc]

I decided new year, start a new journal. I have several goals for this year:

1. Be a good testimony in the gym and on this forum.
2. Reduce my bodyfat below 15%.
3. Up my bench to 355.
4. Get my reps for squats above 300.
5. Rehabilitate my ankles so I can run outside again.

For the first 3 months of the year, I am going to remain on the each bodypart twice a week program.

The split will look like this:

Day one - Chest and back
Day two - Legs, shoulders, and biceps
Day three - rest, cardio only
Day four - Chest, back, biceps
Day five - Legs and shoulders
Weekend - rest

I will do 30 minutes of cardio each day (usually the stepper), except for Wednesday, which will be 40 minutes. In addition, on Monday and Friday for the first three months, I am going to add some treadmill work as part of strengthening the ankles.

This is a shorter week for me, so I will workout all four days this week.

The workout - Back and chest

1. Wide grip chins - 3x8, bodyweight.
Strength and coordination are coming back on this movement for me.

2. Flat Bench - 1x12, 225; 1x8, 245; 2x3, 295
I am going to start adding reps before moving from this weight.

3. Barbell bent over row - 3x8, 205
These were exhausting today. I feel the back working and growing here.

4. Incline db press - 3x12, 75
I will start adding reps as I cannot add weight (75 is our max).

5. Seated cable row - 1x12, 180; 1x10, 190; 1x8, 200
This was at little lower intensity, but the rows really took a lot out of my back today. With the pre-exhaustion from the rows, though, these felt awesome.

6. Weighted dips - (45 pound plate) 1x8, 1x7, 1x6; 1x9, bodyweight
I did a lot of work today, and with the layoff over the holidays, some fatigue reared its head. These felt great and I was way pumped when all was said and done.

Ray

[Bob45]

Good luck in 2007 Ray! Those are good goals. Your program is interesting. I never tried going from one body part to another like that without supersetting. What kind of rest periods are you using?

[dbx]

Very realistic goals, Ray. I have no doubt that you'll meet each one.

So, you going to come join me for the 07' annual 5K down here? :) I tell ya, if you don't use it, you lose it. Just running .75 these past weeks is killing me.

Best wishes in 07' :)

[pastorgbc]

Very realistic goals, Ray. I have no doubt that you'll meet each one.

So, you going to come join me for the 07' annual 5K down here? :) I tell ya, if you don't use it, you lose it. Just running .75 these past weeks is killing me.

Best wishes in 07' :)
Give me the date. It would give me a goal and I would love to hook up with you.

Ray

[pastorgbc]

Good luck in 2007 Ray! Those are good goals. Your program is interesting. I never tried going from one body part to another like that without supersetting. What kind of rest periods are you using?
I am not a stickler for monitoring rest, but probably I rest 90 seconds between sets of the same bodypart. When I transition to the next body part, I do my first set as soon as I get the weights set up, so the rest period can be short, or it can be a little longer (going from incline db presses to seated cable rows is a very short duration; going from seated cable rows to weighted dips is a bit longer).

I like this alternating between body groups as it allows me to hit each movment on each group harder.

Ray

[pastorgbc]

The resolutionists were out in full force today. Every cardio machine was filled by 1130 (and we have quite a few). I had to wait for the squat rack as there were three guys there I had never seen before doing some kind of strange exercise--sort of a squat, but I do not think their legs broke 45 degrees. Anyway they did not re-rack the weights after they were done, and I gently explained that it is good gym etiquette to do so.

The workout - Legs and Biceps

I will be doing another leg day on Friday, so I did not want to burn out today.

Squats - 3x8, 205
I felt strong here as my legs had a week's rest since my last squatting day. I am working hard on form and substance here and will try to increase by 20 pounds each week at 8 reps for 3 sets (twice a week) until I cannot do that anymore.

Leg extensions - 1x12, 120; 1x10, 130; 1x8, 140
These felt great today. I am getting some nice pumps and definition in the quads, so thesd are becoming tons o' fun.

Leg curls - 1x15, 130; 1x12, 140; 1x8, 150
Rest must have helped these leg movements because I felt strong and fluid here as well. The high reps put some burn on the hammies. Again, very fun.

Alternating db curls, seated - 2x6, 45; 1x6, 50

Lower volume here as I ran the biceps through their paces a bit with the heavy back routine yesterday. I am doing back again tomorrow, though not as heavy. I'll make a decision on more curling on Friday.

I'm on my way to meet the beautiful Mrs. Pastorgbc for lunch. A chicken frittata made with egg whites is on the menu.

Ray

[scienceteacher]

Nice work Ray. Maybe your "gentle" message worked. If not a slight show of force may be in order.

[justtryn]

Great looking goals, Ray. Good luck in '07!

[Chubby Mom]

Happy New Year Ray :D

[pastorgbc]

It was great to be in the gym today. I was feeling some DOMs in the chest today, but it was a great feeling. I love working out with a hint of DOMs. It feels like...VICTORY (apologies to Robert Duval).

The workout - Chins, Dips, and Shoulders

1. Chins - 3x8, bodyweight

These went solid. I am pulling the sternum to the bar, and I am really feeling it in the lats.

2. Dips - 2x8, bodyweight, 3x8, 45 pounds added

It was a bit different doing these early in the workout, so I had extra energy to throw at these guys. I had a great feeling in the inner chest and my tris got a very nice full pump.

3. DB shoulder press - 1x8, 50; 1x8, 55; 1x8, 60

Nice and steady. These felt great.

4. DB lateral raises - 3x8, 30

Very strict form...and slow. I really felt these working and the pump was great.

5. Barbell Shrugs - 1x20, 295; 1x15, 295; 1x6, 385; 1x15, 295

I decided to throw some volume and a heavy set at the traps to confuse and spur some growth. This was fun and the traps were pumped to my ears by the time I was done (hyperbole).

Ray

[scienceteacher]

It was great to be in the gym today. I was feeling some DOMs in the chest today, but it was a great feeling. I love working out with a hint of DOMs. It feels like...VICTORY (apologies to Robert Duval).

The workout - Chins, Dips, and Shoulders

1. Chins - 3x8, bodyweight

These went solid. I am pulling the sternum to the bar, and I am really feeling it in the lats.

2. Dips - 2x8, bodyweight, 3x8, 45 pounds added

It was a bit different doing these early in the workout, so I had extra energy to throw at these guys. I had a great feeling in the inner chest and my tris got a very nice full pump.

3. DB shoulder press - 1x8, 50; 1x8, 55; 1x8, 60

Nice and steady. These felt great.

4. DB lateral raises - 3x8, 30

Very strict form...and slow. I really felt these working and the pump was great.

5. Barbell Shrugs - 1x20, 295; 1x15, 295; 1x6, 385; 1x15, 295

I decided to throw some volume and a heavy set at the traps to confuse and spur some growth. This was fun and the traps were pumped to my ears by the time I was done (hyperbole).

Ray

Nice job Ray. I also enjoy working that little bit of soreness out. New dip belt getting a workout!

[pastorgbc]

Fourth straight day of working out and I am feeling some DOMs in my pecs and back. This is good. I wanted to get in a second day of legs and some biceps today, and that is what I did.

The workout - Legs and biceps

1. Squats - 3x8, 205

Starting here to lay the foundation for moving up by 20 pounds for 3x8s twice a week. My hammies were a little sore and I felt them on the warm-up sets. Once I started on the working sets, though, the hammie pain was gone. Slow and deep. These felt great.

2. Leg extensions - 3x8, 120

These felt great the the legs were pumped.

3. Leg curls - 3x8, 140

Same as above

4. Concentration curls - 1x8, 30; 1x8, 40; 1x8, 45

I had great endurance here. These were very good sets for me.

Ray

[Hibiscus09]

I decided new year, start a new journal. I have several goals for this year:

1. Be a good testimony in the gym and on this forum.
2. Reduce my bodyfat below 15%.
3. Up my bench to 355.
4. Get my reps for squats above 300.
5. Rehabilitate my ankles so I can run outside again.



Very cool!

1. Good thing you're not responsible for the results. :D ;) Just teasing! That's a good goal for us all.

2. You can do it.

3. Not a problem.

4. Piece of cake.

6. Don't do it. It's hard on the joints. :p


Seriously, good luck to you Ray! I'm sure you'll do a great job of achieving your goals for 2007.

[pastorgbc]

Very cool!

1. Good thing you're not responsible for the results. :D ;) Just teasing! That's a good goal for us all.

2. You can do it.

3. Not a problem.

4. Piece of cake.

6. Don't do it. It's hard on the joints. :p


Seriously, good luck to you Ray! I'm sure you'll do a great job of achieving your goals for 2007.
Thanks for the encouragement, Hibby.

I should add that part of my running outside includes being able to play in a over-40 basketball league this spring. I just want one more shot at glory...

Ray

[Spitfire-1]

I didn't realise you had started a new journal!

Whats your body fat at present ray? and how do you measure it (calipers etc)

Strong start to the new year ray, keep it up mate!

[alkell]

Hello Ray,

I love DOMS, makes me feel like everything is working the way it should.
Good luck for 2007, you have set some good goals and inspired me to set some for 2007.

[Chubby Mom]

Looks like you got a great start on the New Year Ray

I am wondering about you doing biceps again on the 4th day instead of doing them again on the 5th this won’t give you 2 days for them to recoup is it because of time constraints?

Day one - Chest and back
Day two - Legs, shoulders, and biceps
Day three - rest, cardio only
Day four - Chest, back, biceps
Day five - Legs and shoulders
Weekend - rest

[dbx]

Nicely done today, Ray!

Did you mean you were going to go up 20# in squats twice per week?

[pastorgbc]

I didn't realise you had started a new journal!

Whats your body fat at present ray? and how do you measure it (calipers etc)

Strong start to the new year ray, keep it up mate!
My bodyfat now is about 21%. I had it measured by the gal who manages the gym I work out. She used both calipers and the hand held device. The hand held tends to give a higher measurement.

I have much work to do.

Ray

[pastorgbc]

Looks like you got a great start on the New Year Ray

I am wondering about you doing biceps again on the 4th day instead of doing them again on the 5th this won’t give you 2 days for them to recoup is it because of time constraints?

Day one - Chest and back
Day two - Legs, shoulders, and biceps
Day three - rest, cardio only
Day four - Chest, back, biceps
Day five - Legs and shoulders
Weekend - rest
My thinking here, Roseanne, is that I want to hit the bis twice a week, but I do not want to run the risk of overtraining them with the back work I am also doing twice a week. By doing them on the "leg" day, I give them a fresh hit, then doing concentration curls after my "back" work on Thursday, I can also hit them some when they have some fatigue. I then will have four days to rest the bis before hitting them directly again.

Ray

[pastorgbc]

Nicely done today, Ray!

Did you mean you were going to go up 20# in squats twice per week?
I am going to perform the same weight twice per week. This week I did two sessions at 205. Next week, Lord willing, I will be performing 2 3x8s at 225. The following week, 245, and so on.

Ray

[dbx]

I am going to perform the same weight twice per week. This week I did two sessions at 205. Next week, Lord willing, I will be performing 2 3x8s at 225. The following week, 245, and so on.

Ray

Ah, I see. For a minute there, I thought you were getting a bit too ambitious :). But heck, 20# increase per week is ambitious enough!

[pastorgbc]

What a weekend! The temp reached 70 degrees here in Webster, MA. I actually went out and mowed my lawn (when I am old and cantankerous...in like 5 years...I can say "I remember the winter of 07! I was a-mowin me lawn in January! You kids don't know from global warmin!"

We also had some great news concerning our church as it looks like we may have the opportunity to lease and then purchase a vacant church building a few miles from where we are meeting. I was busy all this week and this weekend meeting with people and trustees, but it does look like we have the large details worked out. Its not a done deal and we are still praying about it, but it looks good.

I am fighting a bit of a head cold, so I cut down on some of the volume today.

The workout - Chest and Back

1. Chins - 3x8, bodyweight

Again dropping down to full extension and pulling up to the sternum.

2. Flat Bench - 1x8, 225; 1x8, 245; 2x3, 295
I pulled back a bit on the reps on the first set to keep from getting winded. I felt strong on the last two sets and think I could have gone for a fourth rep on my first set with 295.

3. BB Bent over Row
1x6, 225; 1x5, 235; 1x8, 205
These felt good and strong. 235 for 5 is a PB for me. Again I dropped the reps back to keep the faitgue down.

4. Incline DB Press - 2x12, 75
I only did two sets here. These felt good.

5. Seated cable row - 1x10, 200; 1x10, 210
Again only two sets. I did these slow and strong with a hold and spreading of the lats in the contracted position.

6. Dips, weighted
1x8, 50 pounds; 1x6, 50 pounds
These felt good, but I did not want to push things.

Hopefully this cold passes quickly.

Ray

[Chubby Mom]

Get well soon Ray and good luck with the church:D

[scienceteacher]

What a weekend! The temp reached 70 degrees here in Webster, MA. I actually went out and mowed my lawn (when I am old and cantankerous...in like 5 years...I can say "I remember the winter of 07! I was a-mowin me lawn in January! You kids don't know from global warmin!"

We also had some great news concerning our church as it looks like we may have the opportunity to lease and then purchase a vacant church building a few miles from where we are meeting. I was busy all this week and this weekend meeting with people and trustees, but it does look like we have the large details worked out. Its not a done deal and we are still praying about it, but it looks good.

I am fighting a bit of a head cold, so I cut down on some of the volume today.

The workout - Chest and Back

1. Chins - 3x8, bodyweight

Again dropping down to full extension and pulling up to the sternum.

2. Flat Bench - 1x8, 225; 1x8, 245; 2x3, 295
I pulled back a bit on the reps on the first set to keep from getting winded. I felt strong on the last two sets and think I could have gone for a fourth rep on my first set with 295.

3. BB Bent over Row
1x6, 225; 1x5, 235; 1x8, 205
These felt good and strong. 235 for 5 is a PB for me. Again I dropped the reps back to keep the faitgue down.

4. Incline DB Press - 2x12, 75
I only did two sets here. These felt good.

5. Seated cable row - 1x10, 200; 1x10, 210
Again only two sets. I did these slow and strong with a hold and spreading of the lats in the contracted position.

6. Dips, weighted
1x8, 50 pounds; 1x6, 50 pounds
These felt good, but I did not want to push things.

Hopefully this cold passes quickly.

Ray
El Nino is really rearing his ugly head. Nice work Ray and best of wishes and prayers on the church.

[Bob45]

Nice workout Ray. We got 71 degrees here too. Normal high is 30 for this time of year. The bulb flowers are starting to pop up. I wonder what will happen to them when it gets below zero.

[Spitfire-1]

Good news with the church! unusual to have one become vacant i would have thought, a "one off" opportunity.

I have been off training through feeling ill, it is so frustrating reading everyone elses workouts, knowing i should be entering my own achivements....lol

Good to see you working through it ray

Keep it up :)

[pastorgbc]

Good news with the church! unusual to have one become vacant i would have thought, a "one off" opportunity.

I have been off training through feeling ill, it is so frustrating reading everyone elses workouts, knowing i should be entering my own achivements....lol

Good to see you working through it ray

Keep it up :)
It is very rare to see a church building as nice as this one be unoccupied. Along with the timing, we feel this is very much the Lord's will for us to make this move. It is always exciting to see how He works out things for those who are willing to wait upon Him.

I am sorry you are not feeling well, Paul. I am going to take a day off myself to let the head clear a bit before hitting things again tomorrow.

Ray

[Bob45]

Get better soon Ray!

[pastorgbc]

This cold is still bugging me. I am very congested in both the head and chest. I took yesterday off, but I had to get after things today.

The workout - Legs and Biceps

1. Squats - 3x8, 225
I add the 20 pounds here today. These went well, except that I had difficulty breathing, so I was winded after each set. I took my time and rested about 2 minutes between sets to make sure I was breathing normally.

2. Leg extensions - 3x10, 140
A little sluggish on these.

3. Leg curls - 3x10, 140
I took it a bit easy here. Nice flush in the hammies after these.

4. Scott curls - 3x8, 75
I used a wider grip and it felt great. I did not want to push things, but I could have gone up in weight here.

5. Seated alt. db curls - 2x6, 50
I did 2 sets at this weight. I was sweating much and a bit winded, so I just decided that this was a good place to stop.

Ray

[IdahoViking]

Minotaur and Sean Casey could use some inspiration, got any recomended reading for them?

[Spitfire-1]

Nice steady w/out ray

I think its good to keep your hand in when you feel under the weather, it sets you back too much if you cease training altogether.

get well soon and hammer those squats!

[pastorgbc]

My nose and chest are feeling a bit clearer today. Because of the odd day I took off (Tuesday), I decided to change the split just a tad to make sure that I do get some recovery in.

The workout - Chest and Shoulders

1. Flat Bench - 1x8, 225; 1x3, 295; 1x6, 275; 1x8, 225
A little different protocol today. I felt good and strong.

2. DB Shoulder Press - 3x8, 60 pounds
I followed the benches with shoulder presses. These went very well and my front delts were pumped.

3. Weighted dips - 3x8, 45 pounds
I did these leaning forward for the chest emphasis. They felt great.

4. Side laterals - 2x8, 30 pounds
I had a great pump in the front delts, so I just did a couple of sets here to the side. Balanced the pump nicely.

5. Barbell shrugs - 3x10, 275
Another day, another sequence, another weight. I find that the traps respond well to lots of confusion. And confusion is my middle name.

Ray

[scienceteacher]

Looks good Ray. How much warm up do you do before your bench?

[Chubby Mom]

Glad to hear your feeling better impressive numbers on the bench How am I ever going to catch up to you :D only in my dreams LOL

[Bob45]

I'd love to be benching that much again. Looks good!

[pastorgbc]

My usual warm up is like this:

Many reps using the bar alone - I use this to set my breathing and pacing.
1x5-135
1x12-155
1x12-185

Working sets after that.

[dbx]

1. Flat Bench - 1x8, 225; 1x3, 295; 1x6, 275; 1x8, 225
A little different protocol today. I felt good and strong.



Glad to hear you're feeling a bit better, Ray.

Okay, while others marvel, I have to push you :)...... you seem to be sticking with 295 for 3, these past weeks (I think). The 275x6 is awesome (and taxing, I'm sure).....but damn, I know I'd be tempted to add that 5# to the 295 to call it three even :). And I know your goal for this year! :cool:

Your friend and motivator,

dbx

[pastorgbc]

How about 305 x 3 next week?

Thanks for the kick.

Ray

[namtrag]

Ray

You are one strong dude! Gives a new meaning to the term "strong Christian."

I am glad I read the above post about warmups before benching. I have been going right into my working weight, and it's tweaking up my shoulder a little.

Tomorrow I will do a few light sets first to warm up.

Learn a lot by stopping by other people's logs

[45BIG]

nice workouts numbers looking good... good luck on the New Year's goals.

[scienceteacher]

How about 305 x 3 next week?

Thanks for the kick.

Ray

We must see 305.....Don't make us come up there.

[pastorgbc]

Ray

You are one strong dude! Gives a new meaning to the term "strong Christian."

I am glad I read the above post about warmups before benching. I have been going right into my working weight, and it's tweaking up my shoulder a little.

Tomorrow I will do a few light sets first to warm up.

Learn a lot by stopping by other people's logs
Warming up is very important for me, especially as I am not as young as I used to be.

I would also visit dbx's log and check out his warmup style. A little different from mine, but his has been very effective for him.

Ray

[Bob45]

305 x 3 soounds great. Your very close to putting 3 45's on each side which looks very cool!

[powerman2000]

Good lifting in 2007 Ray.

Here's to us having an injury free year. :)

[Spitfire-1]

The new dipping belt is getting some good use i see...

Good w/out

[pastorgbc]

To reply to a few posts:

Bob: I can get 315 for two reps if I only do that lift. I have hit 325 in the past year and I am fairly sure I can jack 335. I am not a fan of singles, though, unless I have specifically trained for a lift. I would love to have three wheels on each side for a working set of 3. And your right; it does look cool.

Paul: I seem to respond well to weighted dips. My chest has gotten freaky in the three weeks since I started adding weight to the dips again. My daughter is a peach.

PM: Injury free; what an answer to prayer that would be. To be honest, pain has been such a part of my life for about 30 years. I do not know what it would be like to wake up pain free one day. I probably have to wait until Glory.

The lovely Mrs. Pastorgbc and I are off for the airport tomorrow morning early for our power run into Pittsburgh. My parents anniversary party is at 6 tomorrow evening. After dinner we are heading over to my brother's house for an after-party. Our return flight leaves Pittsburgh at 1130. We get into Boston at 1:30 and that gives us three hours to get home and get parked in front of the TV for the Pats game. A good friend of mine is filling the pulpit for me on Sunday, so the church is in very good hands.

The workout - Back and Legs

1. Chins - bodyweight, 3x8
I felt very energetic getting into these at the start. The first set was the best set of chins I have done in years. I actually banged my sternum on the bar on the first rep.

2. Barbell bent over row - 1x8, 225; 2x8, 205
I decided start heavier so that I could row the 225 for 8 reps. I loved the way these felt.

3. Leg press - 3x12, 540 pounds (6 plates each side)
We have gotten some more plates at our gym, so I rounded them all up and hit some leg presses here. These felt great and the legs were screaming by the time I finished.

4. Wide grip front pulldowns - 2x8, 190; 1x8, 200
I did these a little faster than I usually do so that I could bring the blood northward again. I really loved hitting the 200 for 8 reps, which was a pb (as was the 8 reps at 225 on the row).

5. Superset - leg extensions and leg curls; 3x10, 130 each station
I do not usually superset these, but I was feeling good, so I went for it. They felt great.

6. Concentration curls - 2x6, 45
I finished the day by hitting the biceps one last time for the week.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Ray

[dbx]

How about 305 x 3 next week?

Sounds great. I'll be looking for it :)

[Chubby Mom]

Another great WO Ray, Happy Friday and have a safe and enjoyable trip :D

[pastorgbc]

After an exhausting weekend, it is back to the grind of work, and the fun of the gym.

Mrs. Pastorgbc and I had to attend a wake on Friday evening in Bedford, MA, leave for Logan Airport at 0600, fly into Pittsburgh, check into our hotel, then get ready for the 53rd anniversary party for parents. The party went great and they were very surprised. We flew back to Logan and arrived at 1400. This allowed us to get our bags, our car, and drive the 65 miles to get a good seat for the Pats game.

Yesterday was my oldest daughter's 20th birthday. We celebrated by going to dinner and coming home to ice cream cake from Coldstone Creamery. Then, at about 11:30 last night my daughter Hannah calls me and tells me she slid into a ditch. By the time the tow truck got her out, it was 0100.

Egad.

To the work! To the work!

The workout - Chest
This will be a four-day workout week for me, so I am hitting each bodypart once for this week and back to the twice a week schedule next week.

Bench - 225, 1x8; 305, 1x3 (for dbx); 275, 1x6; 245, 1x8; 225, 1x8
A different protocol that felt great today. First time in a long time that my chest was truly exhausted simply by benching.

Incline DB presses - 2x12, 75
After the bench, I was pushing and squeezing the last few reps of each set on fumes. Had a great burn going in the upper pecs.

Flat flyes - 2x8, 60
I added flyes for the first time in a few months. With the pecs fatigued the stretching was great. I contracted and squeezed at the top for a few counts. The pump was great.

Weighted dips - 2x6, 45 pound; 1x8, bodyweight
I was fried by this point. I couldn't get to 8 on the weighted dips, so 6 did well. I just decided to rep out 8 good ones for the third set.

BTW, Hannah is fine. I feared some rear end damage on her car, but I just got a call that everything is fine.

Ray

[scienceteacher]

Good news everywhere Ray and a very good workout to boot.

[IdahoViking]

... Then, at about 11:30 last night my daughter Hannah calls me and tells me she slid into a ditch. By the time the tow truck got her out, it was 0100.
...
BTW, Hannah is fine. I feared some rear end damage on her car, but I just got a call that everything is fine.

RayIcy roads?

[Spitfire-1]

Hey ray, thats some busy weekend you had! Hope the car wasn't damaged too bad,the ditches in england take no prisoners. They are deep , and full of tree roots and rocks.

Nice bench-work! and great dips as usual.

Is the 305 a p.b. ?

[pastorgbc]

Hey ray, thats some busy weekend you had! Hope the car wasn't damaged too bad,the ditches in england take no prisoners. They are deep , and full of tree roots and rocks.

Nice bench-work! and great dips as usual.

Is the 305 a p.b. ?
I have hit 305 before, but I want to make sure I am hitting things for 3 reps before moving up in weight. I would like to build to 3x3, 305, before moving up to 305x3.

We have gruesome ditches over here as well. Perhaps that is why they call it New England!

Ray

[pastorgbc]

Icy roads?
The roads were wet and she may have been going a bit too fast for the conditions.

Ray

[justtryn]

Glad to hear your daughter is ok. Good looking work going on, Ray. I bet your chest will be telling you about it tomorrow!

[Chubby Mom]

Great Job on the 305 Ray. I’m glad to hear that your daughter is fine. I am not looking forward to my kids driving Worry, Worry, Worry :)

[Bob45]

305! Now do 315 for me. It is scary when the kids get in accidents and go off the road. I got a call 2 years ago from my son. He called and said he got in an accident. He had my younger son with him. When I got to the scene he had flipped his car over twice messing around on the ice. They were both fine thank God. The car was totalled. He is my expensive son! He couldn't get his coat off because a fishing lure he had in the back seat had fallen into his jacket somehow.

[dbx]

Bench - 225, 1x8; 305, 1x3 (for dbx); 275, 1x6; 245, 1x8; 225, 1x8
A different protocol that felt great today. First time in a long time that my chest was truly exhausted simply by benching.

:cool: That's awesome, Ray. Heck, you jumped right to it after 225, and you even went 5# over! And then, to still do the 275x6? Awesome.

Glad to hear your daughter is okay. Sounds like you had a busy schedule this past weekend.

[Hibiscus09]

Hi Ray! Sounds like you had a happening weekend. :p Glad you enjoyed the party. Happy birthday to your oldest daughter! Oh, to be 20 again. :) Sorry about the daughter who ended up in a ditch. Children are happening at times, but wonderful blessings. I don't know what my parents were thinking having 14 "blessings."

I hope you're feeling 100% again after your cold.

Nice job on the workouts!

[pastorgbc]

As of yesterday, I have two kids in college, and much less money in the pocket. Later this week, my son will be applying to Duquesne, Robert Morris, and Nichols College. That will make three, starting next year. I wonder if Bodybuilding.com will sponsor a car wash for us?

A change to my supplementing habits. I received a free bottle of 5-Tetra from my local health food store. I have been taking it for a week, about an hour before my workouts. I am noticing a little bit of an improvement in endurance, especially in bicep work. This week, I started to add creatine (Storm) at the end of my workouts. I'll record how this goes over the next several weeks.

The workout - Back

1. Chins - 3x8, 1x6, 1x5
Since I am only doing back today, I decided to add some more chin work here. The lats felt great and I felt really lubed and warm heading into the bent over rows.

2. Barbell bent over rows - 1x8, 205; 1x6, 225; 1x4, 235; 1x8, 205
Nothing like going heavy on these. By the time I was finished, the back was flushed and worked, and I felt great.

3. Seated cable row - 1x12, 200; 1x8, 220; 1x8, 240
I still had a lot of energy working, so I went heavy here. I love the way you can feel the back working when you go slow and strict on these.

4. Underhand pulldowns, close grip 1x12, 150; 1x8, 140
I finished up with a movement I don't do all that ofter but I felt would continue to hit the central back, while frying the bis a little. After all the heavy work thus far, my grip started to fail me on the first set. I dropped down on the second set to make sure I maintained grip and form for a good 8 reps.

Ray

[scienceteacher]

As of yesterday, I have two kids in college, and much less money in the pocket. Later this week, my son will be applying to Duquesne, Robert Morris, and Nichols College. That will make three, starting next year. I wonder if Bodybuilding.com will sponsor a car wash for us?

A change to my supplementing habits. I received a free bottle of 5-Tetra from my local health food store. I have been taking it for a week, about an hour before my workouts. I am noticing a little bit of an improvement in endurance, especially in bicep work. This week, I started to add creatine (Storm) at the end of my workouts. I'll record how this goes over the next several weeks.

The workout - Back

1. Chins - 3x8, 1x6, 1x5
Since I am only doing back today, I decided to add some more chin work here. The lats felt great and I felt really lubed and warm heading into the bent over rows.

2. Barbell bent over rows - 1x8, 205; 1x6, 225; 1x4, 235; 1x8, 205
Nothing like going heavy on these. By the time I was finished, the back was flushed and worked, and I felt great.

3. Seated cable row - 1x12, 200; 1x8, 220; 1x8, 240
I still had a lot of energy working, so I went heavy here. I love the way you can feel the back working when you go slow and strict on these.

4. Underhand pulldowns, close grip 1x12, 150; 1x8, 140
I finished up with a movement I don't do all that ofter but I felt would continue to hit the central back, while frying the bis a little. After all the heavy work thus far, my grip started to fail me on the first set. I dropped down on the second set to make sure I maintained grip and form for a good 8 reps.

Ray

I know how you feel about college Ray. I have 2 in and one driving as of 1 hour ago and a wife that has been out of work for a year.

Nice back work.

[Spitfire-1]

Nice back work ray!

You can't beat chins and b/b bent rows, everything else seems lame after these two :)

Three kids in collage...wow. I've got a couple of years left before mine are at the collage stage.

I've not herd of 5-tetra,what sort of suppliment is it?

[pastorgbc]

Nice back work ray!

You can't beat chins and b/b bent rows, everything else seems lame after these two :)

Three kids in collage...wow. I've got a couple of years left before mine are at the collage stage.

I've not herd of 5-tetra,what sort of suppliment is it?
Hi Paul,

Its an adenosine triphosphate, pyruvate, and cordyceps combo, with yohimbine thrown in. It is supposed to directly affect the ATP cellular levels. I am not excited about yohimbine, but the supp was free and I agreed to try it. So far, I seem to be feeling good in my workouts, and seem to have some increased endurance, but that can be attributed to several factors.

Ray

[jaguarr]

Looking strong as an ox in here, Sugar Ray!!

jag

[pastorgbc]

We got some great news that our church will be moving to a real church building down the road from us. It is a building that is over 100 years old, and it has all the great nuances of a building that old. We are about one family away from outgrowing our present location, so the timing is great. Lord willing, we should be holding our first services in the new location on March 3rd. Everyone's invited!

This is my third day in a row, and I do plan on working out shoulders tomorrow, so I decided to hit legs, up the intensity a little, but still not push things too much so that I do not tax the body all that much.

The workout - Legs

1. Squats - 1x10, 225; 1x8, 245; 1x6, 245
I was at that decision point after the 6th rep on the third set as to whether to keep going, but I decided to stop there. I could have kept going. Still, I will be squatting twice next week at the same weight, but I think the reps will up a bit. I am trying to be patient here as I know my legs respond when I put an emphasis on reps. The legs felt really good here.

2. Leg extensions - 3x10, 130
By the time I finished here, the quads looked great.

3. Leg curl - 1x12, 140; 2x10, 150
I can't see my hammys, but they felt great after these sets.

The thing that is always interesting to me is how my biceps get a pump when I squat.

Ray

[IdahoViking]

...
2. Leg extensions - 3x10, 130
By the time I finished here, the quads looked great.
...How can that not tear up the knees?

Great job Ray!

[Bob45]

March 3rd it is! I'll have to book my tickets. :D What state or country would that be in? The church sounds good!

I get a good pump all over from cardio.

[pastorgbc]

March 3rd it is! I'll have to book my tickets. :D What state or country would that be in? The church sounds good!

I get a good pump all over from cardio.
Our church is in Millbury, MA, just down I-90 from upstate.

Ray

[Hibiscus09]

Very cool about your new church home, Ray! :) You'll have to show us pictures!

[Chubby Mom]

Great WO Ray and CONGRATULATIONS! on the Church :D

[Bob45]

Our church is in Millbury, MA, just down I-90 from upstate.

Ray


It sure would be fun to meet people from here or any forums. You get to know people pretty good.

[pastorgbc]

I went to the gym not really sure what I was going to do to day. I was planning on some chest, some back, some shoulders and biceps, but I just did not feel comfortable with that. As I was walking down to the gym, I thought I would forego weights and do cardio. Once I got dressed and hit the floor, I just gravitated to the bench and decided to do a chest and back workout.

The workout - Chest and Back

1. Flat Bench - 1x5, 225; 1x5, 275; 1x5, 285; 2x5, 275
I felt very good here despite some DOMs from Tuesday workout. I had a high amount of energy. I left a little in the tank on each set, and this felt on this day.

2. BB Bent over Row - 1x5, 185; 4x5, 205
Same as above. I left a little in the tank on each set. This seemed to help me maintain very strict form and to really concentrate on each rep.

3. Dips - bodyweight, 1x12, 1x15, 1x17
I only used bodyweight today and went for high strict reps. My chest and tris felt great after these.

4. Front lat pulldowns (wide grip) 3x8, 170
Strict, slow, and strong on these. I had a great flush and my lats felt very wide after these.

5. BB Shrug - 3x8, 295
These finished the day nicely.

This workout really felt great. Beginning next week, I will incorporate this protocol as my second workout of the week for chest and back.

Ray

[Spitfire-1]

hey ray,

Try some drop sets on legs if you respond to reps, i love this on the squat.

Chest and back look strong as usual ray, a good mix of compounds

[pastorgbc]

It was not a dream...the Pats did lose. Say what you want about dropped passes, penalties, and luck, the bottom line is that when the game was on the line, with a little over 3 minutes left, the Pats began their most important drive of the season with a penalty of disorganization (too many men in the huddle). Had they converted two first downs in that possession, the win the game. The couldn't execute and the Colts did. Wait'll next year!

I changed the sequence this week due the funky sequence of last week. It will be legs days 1 and 4, chest and back days 2 and 5.

The workout - Legs and biceps

1. Squat - 1x8, 225; 2x8, 245
These felt great today. I will go through the same sequence on Thursday and look to move up in weight (and add another set) next week.

2. Leg extensions - 3x8, 140
The legs were tired from the squats so the first set of these felt very heavy. The subsequent sets felt great and less lethargic.

3. Leg curls - 3x8, 150
I felt very strong here.

4. Scott Curls - 1x8, 75; 2x8, 80
The biceps felt very strong and reacted well to this movement.

A note on the 5-Tetra supplement. I don't like to get too supportive of a supplement, but my body seems to be responding well to this. As I have mentioned, I take four tablets (the recommended dose for my bw is 8), and then take one scoop of Storm after my workout. What I am finding out in doing my movements is that I will start to feel fatigue towards the end of a set, but the muscles seem to be able to continue to bear the load; i.e., I do not have to "cheat" to finish the sets. This has allowed me to move up in weight on several movements as I can remain strict with the higher weights. This could just be a breakthrough point in my training, but it is coincident with using this supp. I will give some further updates.

Ray

[Chubby Mom]

Happy Monday Ray Great WO and thanks for the update on the Sup. :)

[pastorgbc]

We finally had an appreciable snowfall up here in Mass. We had about a half-inch. I guess winter has finally arrived here.

My rhythm was thrown off today by an emergency meeting; a meeting to determine when and if we should schedule additional meetings. I had to workout about an hour later than normal, which also compressed my workout window. This just threw me off as I am a frail puppy.

The workout - Chest and Back

Flat Bench - 1x8, 225; 1x3, 305; 1x6, 275; 1x8, 225

Wouldn't you know it, I am pressed for time and the chinning station is encumbered by a group of people who seem to be having a contest. I decided to forego chins, rather than deal with them, and I started this workout with flat benches. I had to work in with two other guys who were working much lighter. I felt a little stronger on each stage here in this protocol. I think I may add another set at 305 next week.

BB Bent over Row - 1x8, 205; 2x6, 225

These went well and I felt strong on them.

Incline DB Press - 2x12, 75 dbs

I wish we had more weight. I stopped at 12 reps out of boredom.

Wide grip lat pulldowns - 2x8, 170

Two good solid sets here.

Time was pretty much out, so I stopped here. I now owe my chest and back more punishment on Friday.

Ray

[Spitfire-1]

Hey ray

Know the feeling with the bells, i had that until recently. Try pre-exhausting with another exercise first.

Interesting reading on the supplements. do you get a pump type effect like you do from creatine as well?

Good work ray.......... keep it up

[pastorgbc]

I think the creatine pump is a little hype; everytime I work out I get some sort of pump, with or without creatine.

However, it does not inhibit the pump.

Ray

[dbx]

My rhythm was thrown off today by an emergency meeting; a meeting to determine when and if we should schedule additional meetings.

My favorite kind of meeting :). At one company, I used to joke, "We might not be the best in the industry, but by God, we're leading the industry in meetings."

And great job on 305x6! Very strong there, Ray.

[pastorgbc]

Actually, I only got it three times. But it felt good. 6 maybe in a few weeks.

Ray

[dbx]

Actually, I only got it three times. But it felt good. 6 maybe in a few weeks.

Ray

Ah, read it wrong. I was thinking that was one hell of a jump from 2x3 with that weight. Still, I know you're on your way to it :)

[Bob45]

You should have outdone them all on the chins! The 305 is great! I wish I was there.

[UCANDOIT]

Hi Ray, I have found you....LOL

Great goals and I see some really good WO's and some sniffles. It is a heat wave over here up to 113 F at some places just an hour up the coast. Thank goodness the gym is air conditioned:D

Marcos

[powerman2000]

We finally had an appreciable snowfall up here in Mass. We had about a half-inch. I guess winter has finally arrived here.


Oh man, if snow is what you're looking for come to Colorado for a visit. :)


BP looking very solid Ray.

[pastorgbc]

Oh man, if snow is what you're looking for come to Colorado for a visit. :)


BP looking very solid Ray.

Thanks for stopping by, brother. Things are feeling good in the BP department. Tomorrow will be a good gut check.

We are busy at work and meetings on top of meetings are long and taxing. However, I was able to get down to the gym and get my workout in. Very glad I did.

The Workout - Legs and Biceps

1. Squats - 1x8, 225; 2x8, 245
These went well. Next week, I will add a third set of 8 at 245, then look to move up again the following week.

2. Seated Alt. DB Curls - 1x8, 35; 2x6, 50
I felt tired after the squats, so the first set of these felt very sluggish. However, I felt strong on the last two sets.

3. One legged extensions - 2x12, 60 pounds. Focused on one leg at a time on these. Very nice burn and pump.

4. One-legged leg curls - 2x12, 60 pounds
Same as above.

5. Concentration curls - 2x8, 40 pounds
I finished the biceps off with some very strict movements here. The guns were charged.

As I am writing this, my legs are very warm and pumped. This twice a week stuff: I like it! I like it!

Ray

[UCANDOIT]

Hi Ray, I always enjoy you inivations on the WO's. Great ideas to use and abuse:D

Have a fun day of lifting
Marcos

[pastorgbc]

I feel absolutely great today, despite the fact that it was -5 when I woke up. I had a great meal last night, a great night's sleep, and this is one of those rare days where I do not have a great deal of pain somewhere.

Anyway, I wanted to commit this workout to bench pressing today.

The Workout - Chins, Bench, shoulders, (and little tris)

1. Chins - 1x6, 25 pounds added; 3x8, bodyweight.
A little different approach to chins today as I want to start adding some ballast to the movement. I did my first set with a 25 pound plate on the belt. These were a bit sloppy, but I got six in. I did the next three sets at bodyweight. Adding the weight certainly made the second set feel lighter, let me tell you.

2. Flat Bench (here's the whole protocol, including warmups as I want to capture this) 1x5, 135; 1x12, 135; 1x8, 185; 1x5, 225; 1x1, 275; 1x1, 315; 1x2, 315; 1x6, 275; 1x3, 285; 1x3, 295; 1x1, 305
I really liked the way these turned out today. I will practice the protocol twice next week and see where it leads.

3. Overhead DB Press (seated) - 1x12, 60; 2x8, 65
These felt great after the benching.

4. Bench dips - 3x12, feet elevated.
I through these in just to see how they would feel. I have a wrist problem that has prevented me from doing these in the past. I was able to hit the three sets today without any problems.

5. BB Shrugs - 3x10, 275
I finished up here a little lighter than normal, but I figured the benching had taken a bit of toll on the body as a whole, so I backed off the weight just a bit and did the reps with 3 second holds at the top. The traps seemed to like this approach.

Ray

[Spitfire-1]

hi ray

wow , 315 on bench! I can't get near anyone on benching at the moment...... LOL

Never seen working sets like this...im interested in how this works out.

Like the idea on chins too, i can't wait to get back to chins

[dbx]

Hey buddy, 315#, eh? Good job. I forgot if you moved the goalpost, but is it still 335 for the year? I'm glad you included the warm-up scheme...it looks very similar to the MAX -OT method...in basic principle. Looks like a few of us had a stellar day on BP. The rest of your routine looks strong, as well!

[pastorgbc]

Hey buddy, 315#, eh? Good job. I forgot if you moved the goalpost, but is it still 335 for the year? I'm glad you included the warm-up scheme...it looks very similar to the MAX -OT method...in basic principle. Looks like a few of us had a stellar day on BP. The rest of your routine looks strong, as well!
Thanks...maybe we were all pumped up because of the weightlifting talk earlier:)

I am shooting for 355 this year. That would be a lifetime PB.

Ray

[Bob45]

Thanks...maybe we were all pumped up because of the weightlifting talk earlier:)

I am shooting for 355 this year. That would be a lifetime PB.

Ray

355 is a good goal. My best ever was 325 when I was 25 and eating like crazy. If I ever get lean I will eat clean and a lot and shoot for it again. The food sure makes a difference.

[Gunn27]

That is some impressive bench work indeed! Looking at that workout I'd say your goal of 355 is in your sights.

Have a great weekend, Ray! :)

[pastorgbc]

Very interesting weekend. I only had to do a couple of chores record one TV program, so Saturday was light. On Sunday, just when I thought I had gone through it all, something new under the sun pops up. We have had a squirrel problem in our church for about the last month. I told our landlord and he undertakes to get rid of the squirrels. Prudently, he does not seal up the opening, but sets hav-a-heart traps on the roof. He catches a couple, but we still have the pitter patter of little feet scurrying about on the dropped ceiling tiles.

Two weeks ago, he decided to try and smoke them out with moth balls. The odor is unbelievable and several older people in our assembly have been unable to keep coming as they cannot breath. The good news is that our woolens stand a good chance of being remmarkably preserved.

Apparently, our landlord decided to install kill traps in the ceiling. During our service yesterday, one of the squirrels hit one of the traps. For the next 45 minutes, while I was teaching, we heard the sound of the poor squirrel flopping around, other squirrels scurrying to his rescue, and the horrible sound of a squirrel in distress.

After the service, me and another man lowered some of the tiles and found the poor squirrel in the trap. The poor thing was badly hurt. We took the animal outside and freed it from the trap. The resourceful guy hobbled away. Sigh, the things we pastors have to deal with. Thankfully, we only have 5 weeks left in our present buidling.

The workout - Legs and shoulders

1. Squats - 1x8, 225, 1x8, 245, 1x7, 255
Things felt heavy today. I have been doing lots of legwork recently, so I may back off to a 4x5 day at 225 on Thursday. Still the legs felt good once these were done, and as I am writing this, I have a nice warm feeling in my legs.

2. DB overhead shoulder press - 2x8, 65
I worked the shoulders on Friday and they were on the schedule again today. I figured since I will be hitting them again later this week, two sets here was fine. I went slow throughout this movement and felt the shoulders working well.

3. Leg extensions - 3x8, 140
These felt good. The weight felt heavy, but the motion remained smooth and constant. I had a nice pump and flush in the quads after these.

4. Leg curls - 1x8, 150; 2x8, 160
My hammies felt strong, so I added a bit of weight and went after them. Keeping this movment fluid is always a challenge, but I was able to do that for all reps.

5. Face pulls - 1x12, 50, 2x10, 60
This was my first time doing these. I am not sure how much I like them; I will have to do them a few more times before reaching a decision. I did feel them in my rear delts and rhomboids, but the balance issue when the cable pulled back felt a bit awkward.

6. Upright rows - 1x8, 135; 1x8, 145
I finished with two strong sets here. These really hit my traps, which may have been a result of doing them right after the face pulls. These two movments seem to form a pretty good combo.

Ray

[Bob45]

Great story Ray.

[scienceteacher]

Squirrel dumplings are gooood. Nice work Ray.

[Spitfire-1]

Hey ray

I take it you have got the go ahead for the new church. 5 weeks....thats good news!

I wouldn't worry too much about squats feeling heavy, I get that sometimes.
Where do you put your hands on the bar when you squat? I find moving my hands in so the grip is narrow, braces the back/torso in place, and makes the whole movement seem more controlled.

Good w/out ray :)

[pastorgbc]

Hey ray

I take it you have got the go ahead for the new church. 5 weeks....thats good news!

I wouldn't worry too much about squats feeling heavy, I get that sometimes.
Where do you put your hands on the bar when you squat? I find moving my hands in so the grip is narrow, braces the back/torso in place, and makes the whole movement seem more controlled.

Good w/out ray :)
Yes Paul, we did get the go ahead. Our first day of services in the new building will be March 4th, Lord Willing.

I have a narrower hand position, just outside of my shoulders. Interestingly, I find that when I am warming up with lighter weight, I find it harder to keep my hands narrow, and naturally widen them. As the weight gets heavier, the narrow hand position feels much better.

Ray

[jaguarr]

Watch your back, Ray! That squirrel's going to want revenge! :eek:

http://www.worth1000.com/entries/83500/83761NSUR_w.jpg

Looking strong as always, man!
jag

[dbx]

Excellent session today, Ray. Very strong on curls and upright rows. And as you know better than most, we all have those "heavy" feeling days.

Funny story, thanks for sharing :).

[Chubby Mom]

Great WO Ray, so glad you only have 5 weeks left untill you are in the new Church :D

[pastorgbc]

Another one of them there meetings that ran over into my workout. I decided to just do chest today and I will back tomorrow, with Thursday as an off day.

The workout - Chest

Flat Bench - (protocol, including warmup) 1x5, 135; 1x12, 135; 1x8, 185; 1x8, 225; 1x1, 275; 1x1, 315; 1x2, 315; 1x1, 325; 1x7, 275; 1x3, 295; 1x1, 305
I added the single at 325 to this workout. It went up very nicely. I probably could have hit a second rep, but I did not really trust the guy spotting me, so it was on my mind. The 7 rep set at 275 really felt great and my pecs were really humming.

Incline DB Press - 1x15, 75; 2x12, 75
As John Proctor says, "More weight".

Flat flyes - 2x8, 75
I was very vocal on these. The first set was all over the place, but I really got a great rhythm on the second set, with the movment, the breathing and the flexion all where they needed to be. The best set of the workout.

Dips - 1x8, 45 pounds added; 1x6, 45 pounds added, 1x8, bodyweight
This old man was pretty much done at this point. Still I got a great stretch in the pecs and some needed tricep action to finish off the workout.

My PC was being worked on, so I feasted on grilled salmon, tomato slices, and a half cup of cottage cheese pwo.

Ray

[dbx]

Nicely done, Ray. If you felt like you could have gotten a second rep, you're probably only 20-25# away from your goal :)

[scienceteacher]

Strong Work Ray. Looks like things are coming together all the way around.

Our sermon this weekend was about worship. Our Pastor was telling us about a man that woke up on Sunday morning and just didn't want to go to church. His wife insisted he go but he was stubborn. He finally told her to give him just one good reason for him to go that morning. She said, "Because you're the Pastor."<=That was NOT about him. The whole point Sunday was that the building doesn't make the church.

[pastorgbc]

:)

I sometimes feel like that myself.

It is the people, their love of the Lord, and their commitment to the Word that make the church. Thanks for sharing that.

Ray

[pastorgbc]

After a good run of workouts, I was bound to hit one like today. I had been resting during the most recent Wednesdays, so maybe that had something to do with it. It was one of those workouts where nothing seemed to go or feel right.

I hit the chest very hard yesterday, and I was feeling some nice DOMs in the pecs and tris today. Since I went hard on the chest, I split back out until today.

The workout - Back

1. T-bar rows - 1x12, three plates
I decided to throw some variety at things today. I set out to do T-bar rows. We do not have a rig, so I went old school by placing one end of the BB up against the base of the bench. I usually like to use a wall corner, but we have too much glass (windows and mirrors), making the use of a corner too risky. I did warmup sets, then went to three plates and pumped out a great set of 12. When I put the fourth plate on, the bar would not remain stable and kept pulling off of the base. After a couple of tries, I gave up. It is a shame too as I was feeling this movement well.

2. Front wide grip pulldowns - 190 - 1x10; 200, 1x8; 210, 1x6; 170, 1x8
The first set went well, but the middle two sets found me using too much momentum to get the last few reps to the sternum. I dropped back to 170 and did 8 slow and strict reps.

3. Hammer grip pullups - 3x8
Again a little diversity to the workout. These just did not feel good, although I hit 8 reps each time. The good news was the biceps got a great pump from these.

4. One armed rows - 1x12, 75; 2x8, 75
I just felt tired at this point, so I finished up with these sets and called it a day. The whole thing was lackluster.

Rest tomorrow. Maybe I'll try back again on Friday.

Ray

[scienceteacher]

That's still good work Ray. Rest and come back strong Friday.

[Spitfire-1]

Nice workout ray, we don't have a t-bar in my gym either. Its on of those forgotten about exercises, which is a shame as they really hit parts of the back that conventional rowing dosen't.

The point is, you still did the workout :). this , i feel, makes the difference in the long run, with the big picture.

[dbx]

My son asked me about T-bar rows, as his new program calls for them. He was surprised when I told them what they were. I've never done them, but I've read about them here. I thought they'd be fairly controllable as long as you have another plat at the base end? I recall reading that forgetting to put a plate on the base end has caused some embarrassing moments :).

[Bob45]

I use to love doing T-Bar rows. I'll have to do them again. They are good. As the bar gets shorter with more plates it does make the other end more unstable. I'm sure they sell something to stick the bar in that pivots. I imagine too much weight on one end would also bend the bar a bit. I think that happened at the YMCA.

[jaguarr]

Looks like a solid workout, Ray! I like to mix the T-bar rows in every now and again. They're a very good lift. On those Hammer Grip Pullups, it sounds like there was some mind-muscle connection that may have been missing for you if your biceps took the brunt of the workout from those. Maybe it just needs a few weeks of practice to get that on track? Keep up the hard work, my friend!

jag

[pastorgbc]

It was good to be back in the gym after a mini-rest. The short break was just what I needed. I took Thursday off as scheduled. I was away at a Bible conference as a speaker this weekend, and since the weather in RI where I spoke was inclement, I took Friday off and arrived at my destination earlier to beat the snow/ice. The conference went well. I went straight to the church from RI on Sunday morning and did not actually get home until Sunday PM where I settled in and watched the TiVo'ed Super Bowl. I like it that way as I was able to FF through the commercials and the half time show.

The mini-break also gave me a chance to kick off a new routine, which I began today.

The workout - Squats, cleans, and shoulders

1. Squats - 2x8, 225; 1x8, 245; 1x6, 265; 1x3, 275
Interesting thing that during my warmup, when I was just using the bar, my knee hurt. I was thinking "uh-oh", but once I added plates, the pain was not there. My legs were farily well rested, so this workout went very well.

2. Power cleans - 1x5, 135; 2x5, 155;2x3, 175; 1x2, 185
This was a brand new movement for me, so I was not sure what to expect. I held up well. I do have a little bit of pain in the wrists, but that could be expected. I felt strong here.

3. Hang cleans - 3x5, 135
Different dynamic here, but I felt strong. I did feel tired when these three were done. I can do more weight here.

4. Arnold presses - 3x8, 50 pound dbs
This was a nice finish to the workout. I really felt these in the front deltoids.

Ray

[scienceteacher]

Nice work Ray. I've never done hangs or powercleans but I know they add to explosiveness in athletics. We have all our kids do them.

[pastorgbc]

The second day of my new routine found my wrists a little sore from the cleans I did yesterday. I was really looking forward to the workout as I was eager to see how I was going to handle the new bench pressing workload. While the past few weeks I have been focussing more on singles, these next 8 weeks or so will have me focussing in the 3-rep range.

The workout - Back and Chest

1. Chins - 3x8, bodyweight
These felt good. I got a full extension and I was able to stretch at the bottom and flare my lats at the top. This made for a slower execution, but it was well worth it.

2. Flat bench press - 1x3, 275; 2x3, 295; 2x3, 285; 5x3, 275
I borrowed this protocol from one of the workouts I saw in the database. This is going to be a fun baseline to build from

3. BB bent over row - 3x8, 205
My traps were a bit sore from the clean work, so I felt them all the way thorugh this movement. My back felt very strong here and I got much out these sets.

4. Dips - bodyweight, 3x12
I finished the workout with bodyweight dips. I will be looking to add weight in the coming weeks, but today bodyweight at 12 seemed sufficient.

Ray

[Chubby Mom]

Hi Ray,Great job on the chinups. Good luck with the new WOs. :)

[dbx]

Looks like the rest did you some good. I am also considering doing some 8 rep routines this time around.

[scienceteacher]

I like the triples on the Bench Ray, they always seemed to help me.

[pastorgbc]

After a day off, I was back at things again today. My legs felt great as I set out to squat for the second time this week.

The workout - Legs and Shoulders

1. Squat - 1x8, 185; 1x6, 225; 2x6, 275; 1x6, 225

The 275 turned out to be a nice jump for me. This will give something to build on for next week. Leg pump was great.

2. Behind the neck press - 3x8, 155

I haven't done these for a while, so it was good to get under the bar with these. I definitely will be moving up next week.

3. Leg extensions - 3x12, 140

These felt great and re-invigorated the pump.

4. Leg curls - 3x8, 160

Again, these were great.

Face pulls - 3x12, 70 pounds

The jury is still out here. I did feel them hitting the rear delt and the traps some.

BB shrugs - 3x10, 275

Lighter weight given the work to this point today, but I got a great stretch and hold with these.

Ray

[scienceteacher]

As always looks like you had a great workout Ray. How many days apart are you working the legs?

[pastorgbc]

As always looks like you had a great workout Ray. How many days apart are you working the legs?
Three. I am on a 4 day split,

Day 1 - Legs and shoulders
Day 2 - Chest and back
Day 3 off
Day 4 Legs and shoulders
Day 5 Chest and back
Days 6 and 7 off

[dbx]

Yes, that appears to be a very big jump on squats. Well done!

I just realized....you're not doing any type of isolation exercises for tris, bis, calves with this new split?

[pastorgbc]

Am going to do bicep work on Tuesday and Fridays. I get enough tricep action between the benching and the dips.

I cannot work my calves directly because of my ankles. I am doomed to a life of skinny calves...please don't hate me!

Ray

[IdahoViking]

Am going to do bicep work on Tuesday and Fridays. I get enough tricep action between the benching and the dips.

I cannot work my calves directly because of my ankles. I am doomed to a life of skinny calves...please don't hate me!

RayToo bad there aren't any grip exercises that you can do with your feet.

[dbx]

Am going to do bicep work on Tuesday and Fridays. I get enough tricep action between the benching and the dips.

I cannot work my calves directly because of my ankles. I am doomed to a life of skinny calves...please don't hate me!

Ray

I saw the chins & dips, but wasn't sure when I saw the split you listed in your reply to ST.

Considering the skinny calves, I will have to rethink our friendship.

[dbx]

Too bad there aren't any grip exercises that you can do with your feet.

I try to do toe curls as often as possible :cool:

[pastorgbc]

Too bad there aren't any grip exercises that you can do with your feet.
Actually, there are.

Back in my karate days, we used to do exercise where we would pick up wet towels with our toes and pass them to our hands. In some very advanced kata, there are moves where you stop an opponent with your foot, grab their clothing with your toes, and pull them out of center.

I still have the ability to pick up objects with my toes.

Ray

[pastorgbc]

I try to do toe curls as often as possible :cool:
How about if I wear long pants?

Ray

[dbx]

How about if I wear long pants?

Ray

I will ponder this.

[Chubby Mom]

That’s OK Ray I don’t work my calves either .
But you know if you would wear high heal shoes that works them while you walk ;)

[pastorgbc]

Well it was a great week. Our company is doing well, we all got pay raises and bonuses, and it is Friday. This weekend is shaping up as a nice one, so I am looking forward to it.

The wokrout - Chest and Back

1. Chins - 3x8
Again very nice stretch at the bottom by holding and pausing before each rep. My lats were feeling a bit of a burn by the end of the third set.

2. Flat Bench - 1x10, 225; 1x3, 315; 1x8, 245; 1x6, 275; 1x4, 285
This protocol seems to be working very well for me. I like doing the heaviest set of the protocol as my second working set. It generally means that I hit all of my heaviest reps with something in the tank. It sets a great tone for the other sets and removes that pressure of knowing there is a heavy set still looming. All sets went very smoothly and I hit each rep strongly.

3. BB Bent over row - 3x12, 185
I dropped down in weight a little here and upped the reps to 12 on each set. The back felt great after these.

4. Weighted dips - 3x8, 45 added.
These felt super.

5. Seated DB curl - 3x6, 45 pounds
My wrists are still a little sore from the cleans earlier this week. I decided not to push things here as my wrists and forearms hurt a bit on the curling movements. Still, I was able to really focus on the bicep on these, doing each rep slow, including the negs. These felt great.

Ray

[scienceteacher]

Congratulations on the week at work and the fine numbers you put up at the gym. Hope your weekend is just as good.

[Bob45]

Pay raises, bonuses and benching 285 x 4 is always nice.

[jtroster]

Pay raises, bonuses and benching 285 x 4 is always nice.
I'd say thats a hat trick.

[pastorgbc]

Another excellent weekend. Mrs. Pastorgbc and I had a great dinner at an old inn in Spencer, MA. I had one of the most deliciously prepared salmon dishes I ever had. Church was great yesterday and we had several visitors out with us, so it looks like we will be adding a few families to our roles, Lord Willing.

The only thing was that I was sleepy all weekend, despite getting adequate rest. It seemed any time I sat down to do nothing, my eyes would become very heavy. Ah, to be young again...

The workout - Legs and shoulders

1. Squats - 1x8, 185; 1x8, 225; 1x8, 275; 1x5, 285; 1x3, 295

This was just a great day of squats for me, maybe my best ever. The form was good...no back pain...and good energy before and after the lifts. My legs were swole and they felt warm and strong.

2. Arnold presses - 1x10, 40; 3x8, 50

I felt these throughout the shoulders. Nice yeoman-like sets.

3. Leg press - 3x12, 6 plates each side

I did these without a lockout. My quads were screaming at the end of these.

4. Giant set - Face pulls/Lateral raises (2x12, 70/2x8, 25)
I decided to try something new here. The shoulders were really feeling it after two sets, as were my traps.

5. Overhead shrugs - 1x12, 135; 1x8, 185

This was the first time ever that I did these. I will have to try them again as I did not feel them when I was doing them, but the traps felt some exhaustion after the sets were completed.

6. Leg curls - 2x10, 160

The quads got much work today. I figured 2 sets of legs curls would balance the hammies out.

Ray

[scienceteacher]

Congratulations on the increased numbers yesterday Ray.

[Spitfire-1]

great to see the squats going up ray. theres no feeling like a good leg w/out, especially if you get a P.B. as a bonus.
Lets see you build up on those reps on the 295lb, ready for another P.B. in a few weeks time. :)

nice one ray

[pastorgbc]

Thanks for the encouragement, Paul. I'm riding a wave right now. My squats feel stronger with each workout. I think that my patience with getting the reps under me is paying off somewhat. I would love to be living over 300 in a couple of weeks.

Ray

[dbx]

Bump to the great squat session today! I noticed the numbers were larger than normal before I read your comments. Great job, Ray!

[Chubby Mom]

Wow! Ray some outstanding WOs and a pay raise to boot :D

[powerman2000]

Congrats on the squats Ray. :)

[pastorgbc]

Tuesdays are bugging me. It seems to be the day that people decide to schedule meetings and things that interfere with my workouts. Anyway, for about the 4th straight week, I was pressed for time on both sides of my workout. I was ready to blow off the lunchtime workout as I only had about an hour to get down there, workout, shower, eat something and get back to the grind. However, I had taken my 5 tetra and I did not want to miss out on the supp which has been doing me right. I went down and worked out chest and biceps. Back will come later this week.

The workout - Chest and biceps

Flat Bench - 1x3, 225; 1x3, 275; 1x3, 315; 1x3, 295; 2x3, 275; 4x3, 285

Things felt heavy today, until the last four sets. I seemed to find my rhythm and groove on the final four sets at 285. I was quite fatigued after this session.

Incline DB Press - 2x12, 75 pounds

With the fatigue, these felt just right.

Alt. DB Curls (standing) 4x6, 50 pounds

My arms were fried once I finished these sets. Huge pump going on.

I lunched on left-over moo goo gai pan. Yum-O.

Ray

[dbx]

Strong bench work, as usual. It's great that you pushed yourself to do it, as many people would need much less for an excuse not to hit the gym. WTG!

[Bob45]

Things felt heavy today, until the last four sets. Ray

I feel different all the time. Sometimes I feel like I can lift anything. Others my warmup sets feel heavy.

[tatdawg]

just dropping by to say the lord has blessed you with some power as those are some pretty good numbers your putting up. keep up the good work and the testimony to others. who said christians were weak? lol
god bless

[scienceteacher]

Nice work Ray. It was heavy because that's a lot of weight:D

[Spitfire-1]

Nice benching ray...i wish i could hit those numbers

As brad says, theres a reason it felt heavy! it was :)

[UCANDOIT]

Hi Ray, just stopped by to say hi and see you are doing great on the squats, bench and pay increase. Cannot get any better:D

Keep it going on the roll.

Marcos

[Chubby Mom]

http://www.csdf.k12.ca.us/student_life/events/05/valentine's%20party/valentine's.png

[pastorgbc]

We finally got hit with a storm yesterday. We did not get the 8-12 inches they first reported, but we did get about 3 inches of snow and about 5 hours of sleet on top of it. It made for extremely treacherous driving and shoveling the frozen junk was a pain. Thank God for my 17 year old son, who helped his old dad with some of the heavy shoveling. I worked from my home yesterday, which was fine considering the terrible weather.

The workout - Back

I decided to hit my back hard and in some new ways today.

1. Chins - 3x8 bodyweight
2. Chins to the back of the neck - 2x8
I haven't done these in a while. When I was younger these were harder to do than front chins. Today these seemed a little easier.

3. BB Bent over Rows - 2x8, 205; 1x6, 225

I did these slow and strong, allowing a big stretch in the lats before pulling up.

4. Yates Row - 2x8, 135

I remember the first I saw these in a magazine, Dorian Yates--a hulk of a man, was introducing this movement. I thought they looked impossible to do. I actually did them today for the first time in my life. I sandbagged on the weight a little to see what it felt like. I can do more weight here. I like the effect it had on my inner forearms.

5. Rope front pulldown - 3x12, 90 pounds

This is like a face-pull except you pull your hands to the sternum and then out as far as possible, trying to touch the metal sleeve of the rope to the chest. This really hits the upper lats and rhomboids.

6. Stiff-armed pullover - 2x12, 80 pounds

With the upper lats cooked a little, I finished them off in a strict manner. Excellent burn by the end of these sets.

7. Seated cable row - 1x8, 220; 1x6, 250; 1x12, 200

This really hit the rest of my back hard. I really get the most out of this movement when the lats are fatigued, and I have to recruit the middle back muscles to finish these sets.

Ray

[scienceteacher]

Be safe in that ice Ray.

Now my back is sore from your lifting and shovelling. Good thing your 17yo doesn't have a back and just grissel.

[dbx]

The workout - Back

I decided to hit my back hard and in some new ways today.

Well, I guess you did hit your back in new ways....shoveling snow!




5. Rope front pulldown - 3x12, 90 pounds

This is like a face-pull except you pull your hands to the sternum and then out as far as possible, trying to touch the metal sleeve of the rope to the chest. This really hits the upper lats and rhomboids.

So, kinda like tri rope pulldowns, only completely different? :D
Ahem...but seriously....same principle except pulling it toward you in a horizontal fashion...kind of?

[pastorgbc]

Well, I guess you did hit your back in new ways....shoveling snow!





So, kinda like tri rope pulldowns, only completely different? :D
Ahem...but seriously....same principle except pulling it toward you in a horizontal fashion...kind of?
You use the rope attachment for a tricep pressdown, but in this movement, you are seated like you were going to do a lat pulldown. You pull the rope narrow to your sternum, but when you get there, you pull the hands in opposite directions across your chest as far as you can. Its an oldie but a goodie.

Ray

[dbx]

You use the rope attachment for a tricep pressdown, but in this movement, you are seated like you were going to do a lat pulldown. You pull the rope narrow to your sternum, but when you get there, you pull the hands in opposite directions across your chest as far as you can. Its an oldie but a goodie.

Ray

That's how I pictured it. I do the same thing with the rope (pulling it out from both sides) at the bottom of the tri pressdowns.

[pastorgbc]

BTW, Darren came through with a very nice tee-shirt.

Thanks,
Ray

[dbx]

BTW, Darren came through with a very nice tee-shirt.

Thanks,
Ray

Excellent :cool:

[ChocoChick]

Hi Ray - I don't miss ice one bit! Hope it melts soon.

[pastorgbc]

We are in a deep-freeze until Sunday at the earliest. It looked like we were going to make it through the whole winter without any snow or ice. Still if this is the only storm, then we can't complain too much.

Ray

[pastorgbc]

My son and the rest of his state champ soccer team got to meet Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday. I may not see eye-to-eye with him on just about anything, but my son said that he as a great guy. He joked with the kids quite a deal, cancelled a photo session to spend more time with them, and when the pizza came for their lunch, he was flippin the boxes open, and serving it to the guys. it was a great experience for the kids I'm sure.

I added a couple of supps to my repertoire today: beta alanine and L-acetyl-carnitine. I took them about a half hour before my workout (b-a, 1.5 g; carn, 700 mgs; I bought them in bulk). I did notice the b-a tingle that I had heard about. It kind of feels like someone has just gone over different parts of your body with steel wool. On me, it was popping up in different spots: first behind my neck, then on my forearms, behind my knees, etc. It lasted for about 3 minutes then subsided.

I did back yesterday. Today I did chest and shoulders. I have a three-day weekend, then it will be squats on Tuedsday.

The workout - chest and shoulders

Flat Bench - 1x10, 225; 1x8, 275; 1x6, 275; 1x4, 285; 1x2, 295

I felt very strong on the bench today. The 8 reps of 275 was a personal best. I was pleased as punch with this sequence.

Overhead DB Press - 3x8, 65 pound dbs

Again I was feeling strong. I pumped these out without much trouble.

Weighted Dips - 3x8, 45 pound plate added

My chest felt very full when I finished these. Again the strength was at a high level.

Upright rows - 1x10, 135; 1x8, 145; 1x8, 155

My traps were yelping by the end of the third set. I had a great trap pump when these were done.

Concentration curls - 2x8, 40 pound db

I finished up the routine with some bicep action. It was a good place to stop.

Ray

[scienceteacher]

A state championship is something he will never forget. We won one(baseball) my senior year and we were like celebrities.

Great workout. Those upright rows are HUGE.

[Spitfire-1]

I've never heard of this b-a Tingle. What is the suggested benefits of the new supp's ?

Well done on the benching ray. I can't get anywhere near those numbers.

[pastorgbc]

Beta-alanine is a precursor to carnosine. Carnosine is key component of the drebs cycle. Carnosine is extremely expensive and less efficient when it is supp'd by itself. Supping with beta-alanine allows the body to manufacture carnosine (similar to how citrulline malate manufactures arginine). Beta-alanine is prevalent in red meat, but since I cannot eat red meat, I am trying a cheap fix to get it into my system.

Carnitine is an amino that is manufactured by the body. It is necessary for fat metabloism and seems to lead to a healthy and functional nervous system. Again, prevalent in red meat, which I cannot eat.

Paul: I'll trade you my bench for your squats. Deal?

Ray

[Hibiscus09]

I take Liquid L Carnitine before cardio. :)

Happy Friday, Ray! I hope you have a wonderful weekend! :)

[pastorgbc]

See: great minds think alike.

You have a wonderful weekend yourself Hibby.

Ray

[dbx]

Congrats on the 8x275! Strong BP, once again.

That's cool about your son meeting the Governor.

NO Shotgun gives me the same kind of tingle you described. Have a great weekend, Ray.

[UCANDOIT]

Hi Ray

Really huge numbers there, great to see nothing holding you up now.

Quick question are your upright rows on BB or eazi bar? Also do you pull your shoulders back at the end of each motion? Is your grip close or shoulder width?

Thanks in advance
Marcos

[pastorgbc]

Hi Ray

Really huge numbers there, great to see nothing holding you up now.

Quick question are your upright rows on BB or eazi bar? Also do you pull your shoulders back at the end of each motion? Is your grip close or shoulder width?

Thanks in advance
Marcos
I use an Olympic barbell on the upright row. I do not throw my shoulders back, but I lift my elbows as high as I can and bring the bar to my nose. I vary my grip, but I get the most out of grip where I extend my thumbs and touch them in the middle of the bar.

[Gunn27]

Excellent bench numbers, Ray! Congratulations on a very impressive PB and a fine looking workout all round.

Hope you are having a great weekend! :)

[UCANDOIT]

I use an Olympic barbell on the upright row. I do not throw my shoulders back, but I lift my elbows as high as I can and bring the bar to my nose. I vary my grip, but I get the most out of grip where I extend my thumbs and touch them in the middle of the bar.

Thanks
Marcos

[pastorgbc]

I was on the road this weekend. I spoke at a conference Rhode Island on Saturday, then taught at three services at my former home church in Warwick, RI. It was great to see a lot of people that we had not seen in a while, and the Lord blessed the whole time.

I took it very easy yesterday (a holiday) and played with my new toy, a laptop running the new Vista program. Now I can take my study materials and presentations with me wherever I go.

Back to the grind today.

The workout - Legs

I will be hitting legs twice this week, with back tomorrow and chest on Thursday. I wanted to work the legs hard today, but I did not want to totally exhaust myself given I will be working out 4 straight days.

1. Squats - 2x8, 225; 1x8, 275; 1x5, 285; 1x2, 300

The 8 reps at 275 where great, but it took a little out of me. I wanted 6 at 285 but only had 5. I used the 2.5s to get to 300 and I hit that weight for 2 reps. I would have liked to have gotten 3, but such is life.

2. Leg extensions - 3x10, 140

The quads were feeling things after these sets. I did these slow and strict.

3. Leg curl - 1x8, 180; 2x8, 150

I got the set at 180, but my hams were feeling like toast. I dropped the weight down to make sure I didn't cramp and that I got my reps in.

Ray

[UCANDOIT]

Hi Ray

Nice figures for a light day of legs:D

Something I have noticed about doing this 3 day split, obviously hitting body twice a week, is that I do not suffer with DOMS as much. If I take time off like I did for a cold then the DOMS hit real bad on the 2nd day off? Let me know how you go with the legs and DOMS if you are hitting them twice in a week?

Cheers
Marcos

[pastorgbc]

I am getting the DOMs less and less, but I still feel them a little. I find one of the best cures for DOMs is to work the muscle hard when it is due.

Ray

[scienceteacher]

You seem to be making GREAT progress Ray!

[tatdawg]

strong leg workout there.

[UCANDOIT]

I am getting the DOMs less and less, but I still feel them a little. I find one of the best cures for DOMs is to work the muscle hard when it is due.

Ray
Hi Ray, yep that is what I am also finding. Well the moral to this is that we need to wo more:) Not a bad thing, maybe we need to rename DOMS to Remember To Work Out RTWO. :D

Later
Marcos

[pastorgbc]

Well, I don't know if I can work out any more than I already do, but your point is well taken. I learned a long time ago that a little muscle soreness is no reason not get into the gym.

Ray

[ChocoChick]

Morning, Ray! I also find that when I work a part 2x per week, I get much less doms than when it's once a week.

[pastorgbc]

Slow day at work. Last night, me and Mrs. Pastorgbc hung new curtains and rearranged furniture a tad. She likes to do things like that.

The workout - Back

1. Chins - 3x8, bodyweight

The first set was tough, but once I was warm, the next two sets felt better.

2. BB Bent over rows - 3x8, 205

I felt sluggish on these. Still, I hit 8 sttict reps on each set. I had originally planned on adding more weight, but I stayed here.

3. Yates Row - 1x12, 155; 1x8, 185

These were tough on my wrists, and the feeling I was getting there dulled my sensation as to how these were working the back.

4. Lat pulldown, behind the neck - 1x10, 160; 2x8, 170

Switched up here to pulldown behind the neck. The change in the dynamic brought a different feeling to the back.

5. Rope crunches - 3x20

I am going to do these each day in addition to the ab/core workout I do at home.

6. Seated cable row - 1x8, 260; 1x12, 220

I am going to add weight on the first set each week until I am pulling the stack, 300 pounds.

Ray

[ChocoChick]

Nice work on the chins, Ray. :)

[dbx]

5. Rope crunches - 3x20

I am going to do these each day in addition to the ab/core workout I do at home.

What kind of weight are you using for these? I use between 100-110, and that's all I can manage before I feel like I'm being lifted off the floor (as a pastor, I'm sure you do them kneeling also? :)). I see guys doing much more, who don't weight that much more, but I can't see how, unless they're somehow being weighted down. Just curious.

Btw, nice session today! Ambitious goal for 300 on seated rows!

[pastorgbc]

What kind of weight are you using for these? I use between 100-110, and that's all I can manage before I feel like I'm being lifted off the floor (as a pastor, I'm sure you do them kneeling also? :)). I see guys doing much more, who don't weight that much more, but I can't see how, unless they're somehow being weighted down. Just curious.

Btw, nice session today! Ambitious goal for 300 on seated rows!
I did them today with 100. I get a nice workout with that weight, and I don't feel wicked uncomfortable trying to maintain balance (although I have more ballast than you do!). I do them in the seated position as the cable is not long enough to do them kneeling, which would be my preferred position (pastoral role aside). We are supposed to be getting a cable station in our gym within the next few weeks, so that will allow me to do them kneeling.

My goal is to row the stack for 6. Then I think my heart will blow up.

Ray

[dbx]

My goal is to row the stack for 6. Then I think my heart will blow up.

:eek:

[tatdawg]

good tough back workout. big numbers on them rows.

[UCANDOIT]

Hi Ray, great WO again.

What is the Yates Row??

Cheers
Marcos

[UCANDOIT]

Hi Ray, great WO again.

What is the Yates Row??

Cheers
Marcos

[UCANDOIT]

Hi Ray, great WO again.

What is the Yates Row??

Cheers
Marcos

[Hibiscus09]

Marcos really wants to know about Yates Rows. :D This forum is acting crazy, crazy!

Morning Ray!! :) My dad's name was Yates. Great job on the workout!

[pastorgbc]

A Yates Row is named after Dorian Yates, a mountain of a bodybuilder who specialized in this lift.

It is similar to a bent over row, however, you use an underhand grip on the barbell as if you were going to curl it. With this grip, you bring the bar to your lower ribcage as you would in a bb bent over row.

It takes a little getting used to, but it is a great strength and size builder throughout the back.

Ray

[scienceteacher]

WOW on the row numbers. I hope someday to get to that point. I would probably tip over.

[pastorgbc]

We had a family come to our church last night and they brought 9 children with them. 6 were there's and 3 were their neighbor's. They had heard our radio program and they wanted to come out and see things. The kids were very well behaved, but the best part was that they sang like angels. Apparently they do a lot of singing in their home and on some songs they even did some harmony. It made for a very joyous night.

The workout - Chest

Flat Bench

1x8, 225; 1x5, 275; 1x1, 315; 1x3, 275; 1x3, 285; 1x3, 295; 1x3, 305

Nothing spectacular here today as I just went slow and deliberate as this was my third training day in a row.

Incline Bench
1x8, 225; 1x5, 235; 1x5, 245; 1x5, 225

I hadn't done BB inclines in a while, so I am glad these went well.

Rope crunches
3x12, 100 pounds

Dips, bodyweight, 3x12

I felt a little tired so I did these just at bodyweight.

Overhead cable tricep extensions
3x12, 70 pounds

My elbow has been a little sore so I have been avoiding direct tricep work for a while. I decided to try these at a lower weight to see what would happen. The went well and the elbow was pain free, albeit at a lighter weight. I will tack on some poundage and see if I can repeat the pain-free performance next week.

Ray

[ChocoChick]

We had a family come to our church last night and they brought 9 children with them. 6 were there's and 3 were their neighbor's. They had heard our radio program and they wanted to come out and see things. The kids were very well behaved, but the best part was that they sang like angels. Apparently they do a lot of singing in their home and on some songs they even did some harmony. It made for a very joyous night.

This sounds wonderful. What kind of music did they sing?

[pastorgbc]

This sounds wonderful. What kind of music did they sing?
Wednesday is our prayer meeting/Bible study. For the first half hour, we sing whatever favorites people request (and that I know as I lead the singing). Our singing is traditional hymns and choruses. If I remember correctly we sang "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms", "Jesus is all the World to Me", "Be Thou My Vision" and a few others. They did not put on a peformance, they just blended very nicely with us and kicked our usual singing up a notch.

Ray

[UCANDOIT]

A Yates Row is named after Dorian Yates, a mountain of a bodybuilder who specialized in this lift.

It is similar to a bent over row, however, you use an underhand grip on the barbell as if you were going to curl it. With this grip, you bring the bar to your lower ribcage as you would in a bb bent over row.

It takes a little getting used to, but it is a great strength and size builder throughout the back.

Ray
Hi Ray,
Thanks, will not try them yet until my wrists come right.

9 Children and a glorious night, wow you guys obviously have better control than me. At my daughters birthday party last year there were 12 8year olds and I dod my nut:eek:

Sorry to hear about your elbow, hope it comes right soon.
Marcos

[Hibiscus09]

Morning, Ray! :) Sorry about the elbow. Mine acts up every once in a while.

That sounds like a nice time with the children. :) That's great they came to visit and shared their singing with you guys. I have thirteen brothers and sisters, but we would have made a scary singing group! :eek: :D

Happy Friday!

[scienceteacher]

Sounds like a great time Ray and the workout looked good too.

[Spitfire-1]

Hey ray

b/b rows at 205lb is impressive stuff!

[pastorgbc]

Sort of a mini-layoff from the gym. Today was my first day back after four days out. My tummy did not feel right on Friday (still doesn't; bad peanut butter?). I took the weekend off. Yesterday I was at Mass General for my secular job, so I had to be there early and did not get out until late. So it was back to the grind again today.

The workout - Chest and Back

1. Chins - 3x8, bodyweight

The first set felt very strong. The next two sets felt a little sluggish.

2. Flat Bench - 1x8, 225; 1x5, 275; 2x5, 285

I kept the volume down a little today. Each set went very nicely.

3. Bent over row - 1x8, 205; 2x8, 215

I went up by 10 on sets 2 and 3. I was pleased with the progress here.

4. Incline bench - 2x5, 245; 1x3, 255

I bumped up the last set by 10. I wanted 5 but three was a good stopping point.

5. Behind the neck lat pulldowns - 2x8, 170

The second week in a row I did this variation. Feels great in the upper lats.

6. Rope crunches - 3x15, 100 pounds

7. Seated cable rows - 1x8, 270; 1x12, 200

270 is a pb for me. I will be shooting for pb each week until I top out at 300 for 6. The set of 12 at 200 really put a nice burn and fatigue on the back.

Ray

[FatherOfThree]

Great WO, congrats on the PB!

[dbx]

Nicely done, Ray. Congrats on getting closer to your row goal! Incline also looks very strong. Not bad at all, after a mini-break and not feeling 100%!

[Chubby Mom]

Ray, Really, really good WO feeling well or not. Hope you get over it soon :)

[Spitfire-1]

Hey Ray,

Nice workout!

Do you always do your pulldowns to behind the neck?

Hope you feel right soon mate

[UCANDOIT]

Hi Ray

Great news on the PB's, keep going. I hope you did not eat the peanut butter.

Later
Marcos

[pastorgbc]

My stomach symptoms have gone from free-flowing to jammed up and jelly tight. I can't win I guess. We are thinking that it was some tainted peanut butter. Egad! What would G.W. Carver say?

The workout - Legs

1. Squats - 1x8, 225;1x5, 275;2x5, 285
I did a lighter volume today, owing to the fact that I will be working out four days in a row. These were just some straight-forward squats.

2. Lunges - 1x12, bodyweight. 1x8, 30 pound dbs.
I have never done lunges before, so I figured it was time to give them a go aas I am looking to add another leg movement. My legs were quite fatigued after these two sets, so I either really need to do lunges, or I am more of a sissy-pants than I thought.

3. Leg extensions - 150- 3x8
My quads were really pumped after these.

4. Leg curls - 3x10, 150
I did htese nice and slow and smooth. Nice feeling in the hams when these were through.

Ray

[ChocoChick]

Lunges and bulgarian squats are the two toughest leg movements, imo. The are good to do and will keep your glutes perky. ;)

[pastorgbc]

Lunges and bulgarian squats are the two toughest leg movements, imo. The are good to do and will keep your glutes perky. ;)
Well, I am after the perky glute look, so I guess I am on the right track.:)

[batteryrequired]

Hey, good leg workout Ray! Leg day for me too! That was a light workout? Looked pretty intense to me!

[pastorgbc]

Hey, good leg workout Ray! Leg day for me too! That was a light workout? Looked pretty intense to me!
Well I had been doing a little more volume as of late, but with the tummy feeling awful and the 4 days straight, I kept the intensity up but reduced the sets and reps a tad.

I hope you had a great leg workout.

Ray

[dbx]

What would G.W. Carver say?

Probably not, egad! :)

Nice leg workout. I agree with dbfl on the lunges. I suspect you WILL have DOMS from doing these alone. You did well on the following leg ext! I haven't done lunges in quite some time, but must remember to do them. Soon after I joined here, I thought I had torn my quads after doing these aggressively. The next day at work I knelt down to pick something up and ...whoa!!! It was very painful.

[Spitfire-1]

Hey Ray,

You say straight forward squats like you cheated or something LOL

I think its the only way TO squat! Nice weight too.

Lunges are very taxing, did you do static or walking lunges?

[Hibiscus09]

Nice workout, Ray! :)

Sorry about the bad peanut butter. Yikes!

[pastorgbc]

Hey Hibby.

I was thinking abou tyou today; We just made some vacation plans to come down to Myrtle Beach in August.

Ray

[Bob45]

Sorry about the stomach. Was it from the Peter Pan recall?

[pastorgbc]

Happy National Health Month!

My tummy is still feeling off, but I such is life. I do think we got bad peanut butter at a restaurant last Thursday. Only me, my son, and his buddy have gotten a stomach problem, and we had the peanut butter.

The last two evening have been very hectic. I have been getting things setup at the new church building for our first service this Sunday. I am bringing things over each evening, with some more things to bring over tonight. We are all very excited, though.

The workout - Back, Chest, Shoulders, Arms

With the week a short week for me, and since I am working out 4 days in a row, I decided to hit everything upper body today.

1. Chins - 3x8
I felt very strong on these today.

2. Weighted dips - 1x8, 45 pounds; 1x6, 80 pounds; 1x8, 45 pounds

The 80 pounds added was a pb for me. I didn't plan on adding the weight; I just saw a 25 on the floor and before I know it I was strapping it on the dipping belt.

3. Overhead db press - 1x10, 65; 2x8, 70

PB on the 8 reps at 70. I was really pumped when I hit the second set of 70.

4. Seated alt. db curls - 3x6, 45

Slow and controlled. The biceps loved the attention.

5. CGBP - 3x8, 225

It has been a while since I did this old standard. These felt great.

6. BB shrugs - 3x8, 295

Slow and controlled, with a varied grip. The upper body was very swole after these.

Ray

[dbx]

Congrats on the PBs, Ray. I'll bet your chest will really feel those 80# dips by tomorrow.

[pastorgbc]

Congrats on the PBs, Ray. I'll bet your chest will really feel those 80# dips by tomorrow.
I'm feeling them now! However, I realize I miscounted. It was only 70 pounds (45+25). Still a pb, though.

Thanks for the tip. I can't believe how much I just saved.

Ray

[dbx]

I'm feeling them now! However, I realize I miscounted. It was only 70 pounds (45+25). Still a pb, though.

Thanks for the tip. I can't believe how much I just saved.

I've skipped dips for a couple of weeks now. I might try them again next week. I started off great on them, too....but it caught up quick.

And you're quite welcome.

[scienceteacher]

Strong as usual Ray. I hope everything goes well in your new building.

[batteryrequired]

Good workout Ray! Great job on the overhead DB presses. Doing my shoulder work tonite. Ya got me motivated now! Those are a killer arn't they? Glad you have the workouts to help with the stress. I am sure there is plenty of it with moving into the new building. Good luck.

[pastorgbc]

The things that gets me on the overhead presses is getting the dbs in position. I have never been good at using my legs to kick them up, so I need to muscle them into position. Once they are there, the pressing seems like the easy part.

I do enjoy the workouts as they really alleviate stress.

Have a great weekend. Let me know how the shoulder workout goes.

Ray

[pastorgbc]

Utterly crazy day on the highways up here today. I did not leave my house until 9 because things were frozen solid in my neighborhood. It is now raining hard and the rain has nowhere to to go, so localized flooding is a concern. 19 days till spring. YAY!

Today is the best I felt in nearly two weeks, so I was very psyched that a meeting was cancelled and I was able to get to my workout in at the normal time.

The workout - Legs

1. Squats - 3x8, 225
Since there was only one day of rest between leg workouts for me, I kept the intensity down a bit. Still, the legs felt great after these.

2. Sumo squats - 1x8, 135; 1x8, 155; 1x8, 185
It has been forever and a day since I did these last, so I was very conservative on the weight. I can handle more. The inner thighs and glutes felt the bolus of the work on these.

3. Leg extensions, one leg at a time - 3x8, 90 pounds
These fried the quads.

4. Leg curls, one leg at a time - 3x10, 90 pounds
Further frying of the hammies.

5. Rope crunches - 3x15, 100 pounds

Ray

[Spitfire-1]

Hey Ray

I have never done sumo squats. I must give them a go, I have read of these in a lot of journals.
You say the inner thigh, is that like the thigh rod that runs the length of the inner thigh, if so I will have to think about adding some. The only other exercise I know of that hits the thigh rod is leg extensions in the lying position. (not seated)

Good w/end Ray :)

[UCANDOIT]

Hi Ray

Nice WO and mixing up the WO's. I am glad to hear no more complaints about your stomach:)

I will look at those sumo squats, sound good.

Have a good day
Marcos

[dbx]

Nice job on the leg workout. It looks like you were really trying to change things up considering the sumos and single leg work.

I'm curious: When doing rope crunches, do you ever feel your spine "give"? I mean, the last few times I've done them I can actually hear and feel what I think is a "separation" or expanding of the spine....like people might use inversion tables for....or those gravity boots. It feels weird, but doesn't hurt or anything. It didn't so this when I first started doing them. It is felt when changing from the upward part of the movement to the downward part of the movement.

[pastorgbc]

I think I know what type of feeling you are talking about, but I am do not recall feeling that when doing rope crunches. When I was taught to do rope crunches, I was taught to arch my back and to feel the crunch into the serratus muscles. This causes me to do them in a very controlled manner. I don't know if that prevents the feeling you are talking about or not.

Now, depending upon whether I have done any back stretches prior to doing the crunches, I do feel some "cracking" in the back, which actually feels good.

Ray

[pastorgbc]

What a weekend we had. Mrs. Pastorgbc and I spent most of Saturday getting the new church building ready for services. My chores were to dust the horizontals and the pews, then vacuum the whole church. Mrs. Pastorgbc took care of cleaning the kitchen and the bathrooms and organizing things. We finally got home about 10 PM.

The next day we had our first services in the new building. Everything went swimmingly. We had several first time visitors, and everyone was very excited. The building has great acoustics so the singing sounded great, even with me leading. I taught from Nehemiah 8 and 1 Cor. 3, and everything went well. No one wanted to leave and we had fellowship until 3. And we get to do it again next week!

The workout - Chest and Back
1. Chins - 3x8

2. Flat Bench - 1x8, 225; 1x5, 275; 1x4, 295; 1x3, 305; 2x5, 275
I felt strong here. I did not work to failure on any of the sets, but kept a little in the tank on each set.

3. Bent over rows - 1x8, 205; 1x8, 215; 1x8, 225
205 felt light and I went through that set quickly. Adding the weight on the ensuing sets slowed things down and I really hit the mid back and lats hard.

4. Incline Bench - 255, 3x5
These went very smooth and well.

5. Behind the head lat pulldown - 2x8, 180
Upper lats felt these well. With chest fatigued, I also gave the chest a stretch with the wide grip.

6. Seated cable rows - 1x8, 280; 1x12, 210
Marching onward with the rows. I was completely exhausted after these two sets.

Ray

[dbx]

Ray, great bench work there. Those inclines are getting up there.

I'm glad everything went well for the service on Sunday. It's nice when your planning and dedication pay off.

Btw, I will try arching my back tomorrow on cable crunches and see what happens.

[Spitfire-1]

I think, I would fall over if I rowed 225................LOL

Glad it went well at the church ray, all that effort is starting to pay off :)

205 on seated too........nice

[FatherOfThree]

Great work(s) both in and out of the gym!

[Hibiscus09]

Great job on the workouts, Ray! :) I'm glad to hear you're in the new church building!

[powerman2000]

What a weekend we had. Mrs. Pastorgbc and I spent most of Saturday getting the new church building ready for services. My chores were to dust the horizontals and the pews, then vacuum the whole church. Mrs. Pastorgbc took care of cleaning the kitchen and the bathrooms and organizing things. We finally got home about 10 PM.

The next day we had our first services in the new building. Everything went swimmingly. We had several first time visitors, and everyone was very excited. The building has great acoustics so the singing sounded great, even with me leading. I taught from Nehemiah 8 and 1 Cor. 3, and everything went well. No one wanted to leave and we had fellowship until 3. And we get to do it again next week!

The workout - Chest and Back
1. Chins - 3x8

2. Flat Bench - 1x8, 225; 1x5, 275; 1x4, 295; 1x3, 305; 2x5, 275
I felt strong here. I did not work to failure on any of the sets, but kept a little in the tank on each set.

3. Bent over rows - 1x8, 205; 1x8, 215; 1x8, 225
205 felt light and I went through that set quickly. Adding the weight on the ensuing sets slowed things down and I really hit the mid back and lats hard.

4. Incline Bench - 255, 3x5
These went very smooth and well.

5. Behind the head lat pulldown - 2x8, 180
Upper lats felt these well. With chest fatigued, I also gave the chest a stretch with the wide grip.

6. Seated cable rows - 1x8, 280; 1x12, 210
Marching onward with the rows. I was completely exhausted after these two sets.

Ray

Sweet chest and back w/o

[scienceteacher]

Inclines are HUGE Ray. Wonderful news about the new church building.

[Chubby Mom]

Hi !Ray gosh haven't been over to vistit you for a while. Your WOs are outstanding and congratulations on getting into the new church :)

[pastorgbc]

I was antsy about getting into the gym today. I really felt good and had a good head on me about what I wanted to do today. My regular Tuesday meeting ran a bit over, so as soon as that finished, I ran down to my desk, fixed my whey/Xtend blend, and ran to the gym like a kid on Christmas.

The workout - Legs and Shoulders

1. Squats - 1x8, 225; 1x5, 275; 1x3, 295; 1x2, 315; 1x12, 225
Once I got into my working sets, I was really feeling good. I wnated to hit 315 twice today, so everything I did was geared to making sure I was working the legs but keeping enough in the tank to hit 315. I felt fresh and strong on each set. The last set after the 315 was exhilirating.

2. Arnold Press - 3x10, 50 pounds
I really felt these today in my front delts.

3. Walking lunge - 1x10, 30 pound dbs
I need to work on these, so I will do 1 set at each workout until I get my lunge legs under me, then I will up the volume.

4. Leg ext/Leg curls superset 120/150, 2x10
I decided to superset these guys today. Nice flush and pump in the legs.

5. BB shrugs - 3x10, 315
These felt very strong.

Ray

[dbx]

Strong work on the squats, Ray. I've got to remind myself to do lunges again, starting Friday.

Your gripping power is awesome, considering the weight/reps on those shrugs. Do you pause at the top and/or bottom? I'm trying to increase my grip strength by sticking to what I can handle, which is currently only 220# for sets of 5-6 reps.

[FatherOfThree]

To me that's a real strong workout right there. When I get done with my squats I'm done!

[pastorgbc]

I will shrug to the full rom, then hold it for a sec. I then lower slowly and let my shoulders completely sag and then shrug back up explosively. I try not to rest at the bottom but have "continual" motion on the return (if that makes sense).

I am horrible at lunges. I want to get good at them though cause I can really feel the benefit.

Ray

[UCANDOIT]

I was antsy about getting into the gym today. I really felt good and had a good head on me about what I wanted to do today. My regular Tuesday meeting ran a bit over, so as soon as that finished, I ran down to my desk, fixed my whey/Xtend blend, and ran to the gym like a kid on Christmas.
Ray

Hi Ray, great to have that kind of enthusiasm for anything now a days. Not many people are can say that especially for something that is doing us so much good:)

I see you have your protein before leg day, I have heard this does not agree with everone, sometime coming back up again with the heavy lifts?? I assume no issue with you:D

Great WO

Have a great day
Marcos

[pastorgbc]

Hi Marcos,

I sip the protein/Xtend blend during my workout. I have not had any problems with it coming back on me.

Ray

[scienceteacher]

Nice leg and shoulder work Ray. I too need to add the dreaded lunge.

[Spitfire-1]

Thats some fine squatting ray! You'll be catching me up no problem.
Walking lunges really hit the legs after squatting, and a superset finish....YAY

[pastorgbc]

No other way to say it than I felt young today. Everything kind of came together for one of those workouts where the weights felt light, the pumps were sweet, and there was a sense of euphoria about the whole thing.

The workout - Back, chest, and biceps

1. Chins - 3x8.
The first set felt great. I was sternum to the bar and very fluid. The second two sets didn't feel as pretty, but I felt the lats and brachs working hard.

2. Flat Bench - 1x5, 225; 2x5, 295; 2x6, 275
This sequence just felt really good. I wasn't going to make the jump from 225 to 295 today, but I just felt so loose and strong on the first set that I just went for it. I think that not working to failure is paying off for me. Maybe rethinking things in my old age is a good thing.

3. BB bent over rows - 3x5, 225
I changed the rhythm on these today. I pulled up quickly and explosively, but lowered the bar to the count of three. At the full stretch at the bottom, I pulled up again without any pause. I felt the whole back working.

4. Weighted dips - 3x8, 45 pounds
These felt great in this sequence. I really felt these in the middle chest, and my tris were flushed and pumped after these sets.

5. Alt. DB Curl - 1x6, 55; 1x4, 55 - drop set to 40 pounds, 4 reps; 1x5, 55 - drop set to 35 pounds
I still had a lot of energy, so I went heavy here with the drop sets. My biceps really responded well.

6. Concentration curls - 2x8, 35 pounds
I hit the first set for all 8 reps. I did a partial 8th rep on the right, and two partials on the left. This was great fun.

7. Rope crunches - 3x12, 100 pounds.
I was feeling these from the day before, so I cut the volume down.

I will be doing 20 minutes of cardio later before I go and tape our radio program tonight.

Ray

[pastorgbc]

Thats some fine squatting ray! You'll be catching me up no problem.
Walking lunges really hit the legs after squatting, and a superset finish....YAY
I've seen pictures of your legs and read your workouts, Paul. I have quite a ways to go to hit your level...but it is a good level to shoot for!

Ray

[scienceteacher]

Gotta love these kind of days Ray. I hope to have some like that soon.

[FatherOfThree]

What a great WO, nothing like feeling young and strong :)

[jaguarr]

Man....lookin' strong, Sugar Ray! Keep up the hard work!

jag

[dbx]

I will be doing 20 minutes of cardio later before I go and tape our radio program tonight.

Hmmm...perhaps running? :)

Nice workout, as usual!

[pastorgbc]

Hmmm...perhaps running? :)

Nice workout, as usual!
I wish...I will be doing 10 mins on a new machine called the "Nu-Step", and 10 mins on the elliptical.

[UCANDOIT]

Hi Ray

Great WO and squats. Don't you just hate all those cardio machines....I just prefer to run, the machines just bend and twist me in funny ways:D

Have a great weekend
Marcos
:D

[pastorgbc]

This has been a great week for me in the gym. As they say, I may not be as good as I once was, but I can be as good once as I ever was.

Again, I was keyed up about getting into the gym and hitting the legs and shoulders. I did decide today to reduce the volume on my movments just to keep the overtraining bug-a-boo from biting me.

The workout - Legs and Shoulders

1. Squats - 1x8, 225; 2x3, 315; 1x12, 225
I loved this sequence. I am going to add a set of 2x3 at 315 each week until I reach five sets, then see if it makes sense to move up in weight and repeat the protocol, or add more reps at 315. The 12 reps at 225 were fun and really had my legs in a tizzy.

2. DB shoulder press - 1x8, 70; 1x8, 75
It felt good to get the set at 75.

3. Leg extensions - 2x8, 140
I used continuous motion on these. They felt great.

4. Leg curls - 2x8, 180
These hit the hammies hard today. I loved it.

5. BB shrugs - 2x8, 315
Lower volume here, but still a nice pump.

I am done with my workouts for the week. I have a very busy weekend ahead of me, but there will be much fun.

Enjoy yourselves.

Ray

[dbx]

1. Squats - 1x8, 225; 2x3, 315; 1x12, 225
I loved this sequence. I am going to add a set of 2x3 at 315 each week until I reach five sets, then see if it makes sense to move up in weight and repeat the protocol, or add more reps at 315. The 12 reps at 225 were fun and really had my legs in a tizzy.

That sounds like a good plan, Ray. Reps @ 315 is really getting up there! Looks like we both had a great day with squats.

Have a great weekend!

[FatherOfThree]

That sounds like a good plan, Ray. Reps @ 315 is really getting up there! Looks like we both had a great day with squats.

Have a great weekend!


Great squatting! I have been working at this awhile too, 315 is the highest I have gone this time around and my goal is 3 sets of 10 reps past parallel with it before adding more weight. On my last WO during the third set I was too beat to get to 10 reps. I just feel that reps is somehow safer than going heavier weight for less reps -might be mental safety I guess.

Were you guys both have me beat is that after squats I am completely shot, I just do some calves and hobble out of the gym, lol. I am thinking your great endurance is because you have been at it for awhile now.

Thanks for letting me pipe in Ray, have a great weekend!