How sytennison un-plateaued himself

[Stenn]

My foot has been feeling much better today. I hardly limped at all walking to the gym. I'm still very careful about how I use my left foot and how I distribute my weight on it. That seems appropriate. Just because folks get their arms, legs, or whatever out of casts 6 weeks after breaking them doesn't mean that the bone is 100% after that. I found that out the hard way when I was a teenager and decided I could resume skateboarding the day after getting my arm out of a cast...

The gym was pretty deserted today, but there was this one guy who I see almost every time I work out. He's not real big and not very thin. He's quiet, doesn't talk to others, and works out like a beast. Even if I never talk to this guy or even make friendly eye-contact, I like him anyway. Effort and persistance deserve respect.

Time In: 9:05 am
DB Row: 60x8, 70x5, 80x4, 90x5,4,4
DB Shrug: 90x8, 100x8, 110,8,8,8
Weighted Hyperextension: 80x8,8,8
DB Curl: 30x8,4,3 Dropsets down to 10 lb
Time Out: 10:05 am

I finally felt like I was making some progress on my rows. My reps weren't pretty, but they were there. I'm thinking about maybe strapping in for my rows. If only it didn't take so long to pass the dumbell from one hand to the other while using straps.

I really poured myself into my shrugs today. It was my first time with the 110 pounders and I made my reps slow, controlled, and with several seconds of squeeze at the top. That had me squinting, gritting my teeth, and growling like a dog. Seems like a lot of effort just make my shoulders scoot up an inch or two. :) I got all my reps so it's up to 115 lb next time. It's staring to get scarry getting them suckers off of and on to the rack.

The hyperextensions were a breeze today in spite of the weight increase. Maybe if I go to 90 lb next time they'll be even easier! It seems kinda strange doing hyperextensions with that much weight, but it's the best I got for lower back exercise untill I get back to deadlifts.

It was my first time doing 30 lb curls and I managed to make a decent show of it. Once I petered out on my last set, I grabbed the 25's and drop setted my way down to 10 lb.

[Stenn]

I had to skip my usual Wednesday workout to do some on-site work. I hate when that happens. But, I managed to squeeze in a good workout today and only got called briefly by one of my business partners toward the end.

I hit the showers after my workout and found that only 3 or 4 of the 20 shower stalls were working. The one I had to use had no hot water and the water was so cold that a muscle in my upper back/neck went into spasm and has been sore now for hours.

I just heard that the sole maintenance guy for this huge university gym just quit. I can't believe they only had one guy maintaining this whole facaility. No wonder nothing ever got fixed. No wonder he quit.

Time In: 9:05 am
DB Flat Press: 45x8, 50x5, 55x5, 60x5,5,2
DB Shoulder Press: 30x8, 35x4, 40x4,2,2
DB Incline Press w/ Pushups: 40x5, 10, 40x5, 10, 40x4, 3
Dips: Drop Sets from BW
Tricep Push-Down: Drop Sets from 60 lb
Time Out: 10:05 am

I finaly made a respectable showing with my flat presses, although that's only after lowering my weight from 70 lb to 60 lb. Oh well, at least I got some decent volume in today.

I probably shouldn't have done 8 warm up reps at 30 lb for my shoulder presses because I was feeling a bit wimpy by the time I got to my working sets.

I rocked on my incline presses supersetted with pushups! I put a lot of effort into my pushups, sometimes taking several seconds to complete a rep while fighting exhaustion.

The dips were OK. I'm startng to figure out how to target different muscles by holding my posture differently. I look forward to experimenting with this more next time.

I got good and pumped up from the push-downs. I really love this finishing exercise.

[dartol]

I'm glad to see that the foot is doing better! Squats, cool! Good idea taking care of it. A guy at work broke his, got cleared, then immediatly broke it again playing softball.

Darren

[Stenn]

I'm glad to see that the foot is doing better! Squats, cool! Good idea taking care of it. A guy at work broke his, got cleared, then immediatly broke it again playing softball.

Uh oh... So maybe it wasn't such a good idea doing deadlifts today? :)

[Stenn]

I thought I wasn't gonna get a chance to get out to the gym today, but an opportunity presented itself and I took it. Boy am I glad I did. I finally got the gumption to try out some deadlifts and they went great!

Then, while doing my squats, a guy named Pat congratulated me on my form and full range of motion. He said he thought he was the only one at the gym who did ATG squats. I shook his hand and said, "I'm with you, brother!" We chatted a while and found that we're both Rippetoe fans. Cool!

Time In: 8:30am
BB Deadlift: 45x10, 95x8, 135x5, 185x5, 225x5,5,5
Leg Extension: 200x10, 250x8, 300x5, 347x5,5,8
BB Squat: 45x10, 95x10, 135x5,5
Decline Weighted Situp: 30x10,10,5
DB Curl: 30x8,8,5 Dropsets down to 10 lb
Time Out:10:05am

I started out my deadlifts with just the bar which felt a little goofy. But, it was good practice and my foot felt fine. So, I upped the weight. That felt good too. I upped the weight again. I had no trouble keeping the weight off the outside of my foot. I had to make myself stop adding weight at 225 lb to keep from overdoing it. Heck, if I'd a had my belt I might have gone all the way back to 300 lb. Ever since I injured my foot, I've been doing weighted hyperextensions and weighted declined situps to keep my core and back solid for the day I finaly got back into deadlifts. Today, my form and lower back were as solid as a rock so I guess I did the right thing.

The leg extension machine is still a bit screwed up. I complained about it
again to the staff while getting yet another personal best on the dang thing. I had to hang a 25 lb plate from the weight stack with an extra pin. I don't think I can add any more weight this way so I guess I'll have to move over to the leg press instead. I think my foot is ready for that.

My squats were kinda messed up today. I got multiple calls from my wife and had the chat with Pat and that all messed with my pacing. I gotta remember next time, squats and personal interractions don't mix.

The situps were brutal. I had a stack of three 10 lb plates on my chest and my navel hurt from the very first rep. Failing on the third set was no fun at all.

My bicep curls felt good today. I can feel that I'm finaly getting stronger in my arms. It's a welcome change.

[jmc53]

Then, while doing my squats, a guy named Pat congratulated me on my form and full range of motion.
Did he invite you out for a fruity cocktail or two after the workout (not that there's anything wrong with that) :)
Nice deadlifts Steve.

[Stenn]

Did he invite you out for a fruity cocktail or two after the workout (not that there's anything wrong with that) :)
Nice deadlifts Steve.

Pat didn't seem like a fruity cocktail kinda guy, although I've been known to be oblivious to such distinctions. He's a kinesiology major at the university who, like myself, has seen more than his fair share of nonsense in the squat rack at our gym. But, if he keeps commenting on my form and how my ass comes tantalizingly close to the ground then perhaps I can get a free drink out of him after all. :D

[Stenn]

It's been a trick getting into the gym lately. Me and some buddies of mine are buying an apartment complex and the process has me pretty busy. Today I thought I had an opportunity and ended up being half right. After a few sets of deadlifts the phone call came...

Time In: 9:00am
Eliptical Machine: 10 mintues, interval training
BB Deadlift: 135x5, 185x5, 225x5, 275x5
Time Out: 9:30am

The time on the eliptical was the first cardio (other than karate) that I've done since breaking my foot. I gotta get more cardio. My middle is getting a bit thick.

My deadlifts felt rock solid with no compromise whatsoever in my form. I thought about stopping at 225 lb when the phrase, "No guts, no glory!" drifted through my brain. I slapped on the 25's and went for another set. 275 lb is not too far from my PB of 300 lb which I hit before breaking my foot. 275 lb felt like a challenenge, but a managable one. Sadly, I only got in one heavy set before I had to go.

[Stenn]

It's been a challenge squeezing in a workout these past couple of weeks. So, knowing I'd probably only get in one or two workouts this week, I chose to do deadlifts. If I was stranded on a desert island with only one exercise to do, I'd choose deadlifts. :) I actually did this workout yesterday and only had time to log it today. That's the kind of life I'm living lately...

Time In: 9:00 am
BB Deadlift: 135x8, 185x5, 225x5, 275x4, 225x5, 185x5, 135x15
DB Curl: Drop sets from 35 lb
Time Out: 9:45 am

I only got 4 reps at 275 lb which is a bit off from last time, but I wasn't feeling at the top of my game. I think I'm coming down with a stress-induced cold. I exhaled early on the way down during my 4th rep (thus loosing my valsalva doo-hicky) which was a real bad idea but I seem to have gotten away with it.

Nothing special to say about the curls except that ever since the workout I've been having involuntary muscle spasms in my left forearm near the elbow. Wierd...

[dartol]

*knock knock* anyone home? Did you ever get healed up?

Off doing deadlifts on a desert island with no computer access? LOL

Darren

[Stenn]

*knock knock* anyone home? Did you ever get healed up?

Off doing deadlifts on a desert island with no computer access? LOL
I wish... :)

One of the real estate partnerships I was in finally purchased a 176 unit apartment complex and I've spent the last three weeks helping to get the business stabilized. As a result, the only exercise I've gotten has been my kid's karate class. Pathetic, eh?

It hasn't been all bad, though. Out at the property I got to help extinguish a dumpster fire, helped a tenant search for the source of their maggot infestation, and I'm learning way more about air conditioners and how to fix them than I ever thought I would.

We're at the point now where I can probably spend a little less time on the property and a little more time in the gym. That's good because I'm feeling the lack of exercise. I feel OK physically, but my attitude always craps out when I don't get regular exercise. I need to get back into the gym before I turn (back) into a semi-depressed, cranky old fart.

[dartol]

Yeah work stuff can easily get in the way of gym time, I have been fighting that too. Get back at it when you can! Gotta take care of ourselves. The foot is good now?

Darren

[Stenn]

The foot is good now?

Yeah, the foot is doing pretty good now. I've even considered putting calf exercises back into my workouts. The only thing I'm still avoiding is kicking wih my left foot in karate.

[dartol]

Cool, glad to hear that is pretty well healed up. Probably best to err on the safe side for a while!

Darren

[Stenn]

It's been three weeks since I purchased an apartment complex and it's also been three weeks since I last worked out. The two are definitely related. But, things are starting to seem somewhat under control a the property so I took a chance and hit the gym this morning. I managed to get all the way through my workout without receiving any calls.

Since I hadn't worked out in a while, I decided to try a simple, all-legs workout to get back into the swing of things.

Time in: 9:00am-ish
Stair Climber: 5 minutes, slow pace.
BB Deadlift: 135x8, 185x5, 225x5,5, 135x10
Hammer Strength Leg Press: 90x8, 180x8, 270x8, 360x4,3
Hammer Strength Calf Press: 90x20, 180x20, 180x20, 180x20
Time Out: 10:00am-ish

Ah, deadlifts, my favorite! Everything went well till my first set at 225. When I was done, my whole upper back was in pain even though my form was fine. I think that either I wasn't warmed up enough or it may have just been that I hadn't done deads in a while. I flopped down on my back on a bench and did my best to relax before my next set. All went well after that, but I'm still a little sore at the base of my neck this evening.

I got some good work done on the leg press machine. I used the same stance as my ATG squat stance with toes out and went as low as I could. I couldn't finish my last set of eight at 360 lb so I rested briefly after four reps and then did three more. On my last rep, I had to shove on my knees with my hands and yell a little. Yelling always helps. :)

The calf exercise I did today was the first I had done since breaking my foot about three months ago. I stayed relatively light and went for high reps instead. I forgot how much fun (NOT!) it is to do calves. My foot felt just fine, but DOMS tomorrow is gonna be a bitch, I'm sure. :)

[dartol]

Congrats on getting a workout in! :)

Darren

[Stenn]

Congrats on getting a workout in! :)

Thanks Darren, it feels great to be back. Well actualy, as I predicted, I have DOMS from hell in my calfs. Every time I sit down, when I get up again I almost can't stand up because of the pain. It's incredible. I've never had DOMS this bad before. That and my uppper back still being a little messed up from the deadlifts has me being somewhat less than a happy camper today. I almost didn't go into the gym. Fortunately, I'm a glutton for punishment and dragged my ass (and my calfs) in anyway.

Time In: 9:00 am
StairMaster: 10 minutes, slow-ish
DB Row: 60x8, 65x5, 70x5, 75x5,5,5
DB Shrug: 90x8, 95x8, 100x8,8,8
Weighted Hyperextension: 45x8, 70x8, 90x8,8,8
Time Out: 10:00 am

I wanted to do some cardio and the only machine I could stand to get on with my aching calfs was the StairMaster. Some times I did one step at a time some times I did two steps at a time. It was a good warm up.

I recall doing 90 lb rows a while back, but I don't recall doing them well. I decided to start light and settled on 75 lb as my working weight. Most of my reps were good but toward the ends of my 2nd and 3rd working sets I did a couple of weenie reps. I think I'll stay at 75 lb for a little while.

I know I've done more than 100 lb on shrugs, but decided to take it easy here too, especially since my back was still a little out of sorts. I worked up a good sweat doing slow reps. I held the weight for several seconds on the last reps of each set. Mmmm, mmmm good! I suspect I may have some more severe DOMS to deal with tomorrow...

After wimping out on my rows and shrugs, I just had do get in at least one PB so I tried 90 lb weighted hyperextensions. They were petty intense. After my last set I got dizzy and had to sit down for a while to catch my breath. It seems that the muscles in my lower back are pretty strong these days. I don't have to worry about throwing my back out, unless it happens while doing weighted hyperextensions. :)

I was supposed to do bicep curls, but I ran out of time. That's OK, my biceps got a good workout from holding the two 45 lb plates during the hypers. Instead, I grabbed me a high-protien smoothie and boogied on outta there.

[jmc53]

Nice session Steve.
I know what you mean about killer calf doms.
Once, not having had a day off work for years, and had to cancel with the excuse - "calf doms, can't stand up".

[widebody195]

nice comeback after a long layoff. LOL at your calf DOMS. Are you walking funny today? You've got guts going in so hard after time off. I'm also back after a month off but didn't go nearly as hard as you did, didn't want to be bedridden with severe DOMS.

[Stenn]

Nice session Steve.
I know what you mean about killer calf doms.
Once, not having had a day off work for years, and had to cancel with the excuse - "calf doms, can't stand up".

That's funny! I don't know what it is about calf DOMS that makes it OK to be sitting, standing, or sitting down but torture to stand up.


nice comeback after a long layoff. LOL at your calf DOMS. Are you walking funny today? You've got guts going in so hard after time off. I'm also back after a month off but didn't go nearly as hard as you did, didn't want to be bedridden with severe DOMS.

I'm walking fine today, but yesterday was killer. To others, I probably looked like a man twice my age with arthritis in both knees. I finally took a couple of Alieve in the evening so I could sleep.

If I had been thinking straight, I would have taken it easy like you. But, once I got into the gym I lost all self-restraint and attacked the weights like a man half my age. I've been lifting weights for less than two years now and clearly there are still some hard lessons for me to learn. :)

Tomorrow is chest and tricep day. Maybe I'll stick with the pink weights... :D

[dartol]

Calf DOMS, wow! Glad you are back at it! Just maybe take it a bit easy on yourself for a few days. LOL


Darren

[Stenn]

It had been too long since I had slaved away in the squat rack so that was my goal today. I dug out an old Rippetoe workout that had squats, presses, deadlifts, and dips that looked good. In fact, I'm toying with the idea of getting back into a Rippetoe program. I've been floundering for a while with the broken foot and work distractions and Rippetoe might be a good way to gain back some of the strength that I've lost.

After today's workout, I went by the Smoothie King in the gym's atrium and found that, although the place was open, there was no employee behind the counter. I ended up leaving and resorting to emergecy rations that I had stashed in my gym bag and car. So, instead of having a high-protien smoothie, I had to settle for a Clif bar and a small, warm can of V-8 vegetable juice. I'm lucky I didn't barf.

Time In: 9:15am
BB Squat: 45x12, 95x8, 135x8, 185x5,5,5
DB Bench Press: 45x8, 50x8, 55x5,3,2
Assisted Dip: Drop Sets from BW
Time Out: 10:15am

My form was not bad for my squats. I was a little unstable and leaned too far forward on some reps. Also, I had the bar sliding slowly down my back during one set. I've never had THAT happen before. A narrower grip solved the problem. In spite of all that, I got in some great work at 185 lb considering my PB is 200 lb and that I haven't done squats in, like, forever. I was actually feeling faint on the final reps of my last two sets.

I sucked at bench presses today. I used to be struggling with 70 lb and just barely managed 55 lb this time. I need to start getting serious about my chest.

After the presses, I looked down at my workout routine and saw that I was supposed to do deadlifts next. But, I felt in no condition to do deadlifts. I wondered how I had ever survived doing a workout that had both squats AND deadlifts. So, I skipped the deads and did my dips instead. They were challenging enough, especially since I was doing them right after the bench presses.

[widebody195]

Glad to see you getting serious about squats again. I hear you on doing squats and deads the same workout. I did that for a while last fall on the 5x5 intermediate program. It was a killer, burned me out pretty good after about 2 months. No way you could sustain that over the long term.

[dartol]

Squats! Excellent! Glad to see you back at it. :)

Darren

[Stenn]

Glad to see you getting serious about squats again.


Squats! Excellent! Glad to see you back at it. :)

Yes, indeed, I'm back to squatting. Actually, I'm back to deads and squats. I don't seem to be able to get back into a regular workout schedule these days so whenever I go into the gym I try to do some sort of significant work. Squats and deads fit the bill.

[Stenn]

Only in the gym once a week? Only have time for a short workout? What would you do for exercise under these circumstances? This week, I've chosen to do deadlifts and bench presses.

Time In 9:00am
BB Deadlift: 135x8, 185x8, 225x5, 275x5, 225x5, 185x5, 135x10
DB Bench Press: 45x8, 50x8, 55x8
Time Out 10:00am

On my first set of deads at 225 lb I felt like a deadlifting machine. My reps were smooth and easy. At 275 lb, I felt my lower back round just a little. The problem was a familiar one. When I get tired, I tend to not bend my legs enough when lowering the weight and end up in a bent-over lifting position for the next rep. Fortunately, I caught this little problem before it caught me. On my second set at 225 lb, I could really feel the effort in my spinal erectors. I don't usually have that kind of muscle awareness while lifting. It was cool.

I was dog-tired after the deads, but managed to squeeze out a few sets of presses anyway.

Not lifting regularly has not only affected my strength, but my endurance as well. Dang! I'm fairly certain I can get in two more workouts this week. Wish me luck!

[widebody195]

Good luck and nice work. I hear you on getting into the gym. These days, I'm lucky to get in twice a week.

[Stenn]

These days, I'm lucky to get in twice a week.

If I could look as good as you by working out twice a week, that would be fine by me. :) We're the same age, same height, and same weight. Now if I can just achieve your % body fat...

[Stenn]

We had a woman from the garbage collection company visit us at the apartment complex today. While we were discussing contracts, bins, frequency of visits, and fuel surcharges, all I could think was, "Damn, that woman has a nice set of biceps!" Every time she moved an arm you could see the muscles ripple in her biceps, ticeps, and forearms. She had large veins too. I wanted to ask her to strike a pose, but decided that wouldn't be proper business ettiquette. :) After she left, I asked my business partner if he had noticed her arms. He replied, "Duh, yeah!"

[Stenn]

Woo hoo! I got in a whole nuther workout this week, and it was a good one too. I decided to get back to a Rippetoe routine. I like Rippetoe because it's simple, yet brutal. As I walked into the gym, I found that there was some sort of young girl's cheerleading workshop going on. There were about 500 of them hooting and hollering out on the basketball courts. Not exactly the ambiance I was expecting...

Time In: 9:00 am
BB Squat: 45x5,5 95x5 135x5
BB Squat/Calf Press: 185x5 180x20 185x5 180x20 185x5 180x20
DB Bench Press: 50x5,5 55x5 60x3,3,2
BB Deadlift: 135x5,5 185x3 225x2 275x0,0
Time Out: 10:00 pm

The squats went great. I warmed up with some light stuff before getting into my working sets. I saw in Widebody's journal that he was supersetting squats and calves so I had to try that for myself. I supersetted my working sets of squats with some high reps on the calf press machine. Wow! After my last set of calves, I was a sweaty mess and ready to go home already.

I held up well on the pressing bench considering all the leg work I did before.

I got a call from my business partner who was stressing out over some stuff. I needed to finish my workout in a hurry and get to the office. But I had deadlifts next and if there's one exercise that shouldn't be hurried, it's deadlifts.

My warm up sets went like clockwork as I tried to maintain a brisk pace. My working sets, unfortunately, went nowhere. I tried twice to lift 275 lb and could only budge the bar an inch. I was just too damn tired from rushing the warm up to do any real work. I didn't have time for a proper rest so I grabbed my towel in disgust and headed for the showers. Oh well, at least I didn't injure myself.

[Stenn]

The last time I did Rippetoe, I messed with the routine a bit. This time, I want to stick closer to the real deal. That means that I finally have to learn how to do power cleans. I just got through reading the power clean chapter in Starting Stength and I must say that they look kinda complicated. I hope I don't look like a squid under the bar at the gym tomorrow...

[widebody195]

Wow, the garbage woman's biceps must come from lifting all those heavy sacks of trash.

Glad to hear the squat/calf superset worked for you. It saves a lot of time and keeps your heart rate up between squat sets; although if you have cheerleaders in the gym, you won't need that kind of help! :P

[Stenn]

Wow, the garbage woman's biceps must come from lifting all those heavy sacks of trash.
What do you want to bet that she's heard that one before? :)

Glad to hear the squat/calf superset worked for you. It saves a lot of time and keeps your heart rate up between squat sets; although if you have cheerleaders in the gym, you won't need that kind of help! :P
The cheerleaders were back again today. This time, I think they were having some kind of competition. They're a bit young to be much to look at, but some of the stunts they were performing over that hard gym floor made me cringe with apprehension.

[Stenn]

This was an exciting workout for me. It had squats, which are always fun, BB presses, which I hadn't done in months, and power cleans, which I'd never done in my life. I had lots of good challenges, and got plenty tired and sweaty.

Time In: 8:30am
BB Squat: 45x5,5 95x5 135x3 165x2 190x5,5,5
BB Press: 45x5,5 65x5 70x5 75x5,5,5
BB Power Clean: 45x? 45x? 95x5,5,5
Time Out: 9:30am

My squats were pretty good. I bumped my working weight up from last time's 185 lb. I was a little less worried about form and more focused on powering the bar up. The result was some instability and I was more stooped over than usual. This had me focused more on my hips which is probably a good thing. I've heard that the key to good squats is to drive with the hips. One way or another, I got all my reps so it's up to 200 lb next time.

The presses went OK too. I'm pretty sure I was at 75 lb the last time I tried them months ago and was pleased to be able to do 75 lb this time. I still have wee-little shoulders so I'm just going to 80 lb next time.

I thought the power cleans would be awkward, but I took to them like a duck to water. I started off with a couple of sets with an empty bar just to get the form right from the thighs up. Once that felt good, I slapped on a couple of 25 lb bumpers and went to work from the floor up. I had everything working right from the deadlift start, the jump up, and the elbow snap to rack the bar on my shoulders. The motion felt very natural and think I'll have no trouble with the 35 lb bumpers next time.

The cool thing about power cleans is dropping the bar. On every other lift I do in the gym, dropping the weights is taboo. Not so with power cleans. Once I let the bar down to about waist high, I let it drop. Fortunately, my gym has bumper plates and an Olympic lifting platform that makes this sort of behavior acceptable and even enjoyable.

[Stenn]

It's Monday morning and I get to do squats AND deadlifts! Woo-hoo!

I did a little grocery shopping last night. I got some more oats, which is my morning carb of choice. I also got some no-fat milk, no-fat yogurt, and some eggs to hard-boil. I took this all to the office so I'd have some good protien to drink and munch on throughout the day. I also bought a box of green tea bags. I brewed all the green tea (about 90 floz) at once and added 100g maltodextrin and 100g dextrose. This with some creatine and BCAA mixed in is now my pre-workout drink of choice. After drinking 12 floz of this stuff, I had so much energy I didn't know what to do with myself. I was a squatting, deadlifting fool. After the workout, I had my usual 32 oz high-protein almond-mocha smoothie from Smoothie King. For those who care, the smoothie has the following:

Calories: 600
Fat: 20 g
Carbs: 60 g
Protein: 45 g

That may seem like a lot of protein at a sitting, but it takes me about half an hour to finish the smootie so I'm hoping that most of it gets absorbed, especially after a workout. I don't mind the carbs because I'm post-workout. The fat is from almonds (which contain arginine!) so that's cool too.

Time In: 8:30 am
BB Squat: 45x5,5 135x3 185x2
BB Squat w/ Calf Press: 190x5 180x20 190x5 180x20 190x5 180x20
DB Bench Press: 45x5,5 50x3 55x2 60x5,5,3
BB Deadlift: 135x5,5 185x5 225x3 265x2 275x5
Time Out: 9:30 am

I was much more stable on my squats today than last time. The only issue I had was a little lateral tremble in my right knee. I had to focus on keeping that knee pointing out where it belonged. Once again, I supersetted my working sets with moderate-weight, high-rep calf presses. Fun stuff! If I can hit 195 lb on Wednesday, I'll be on track to do 200 lb by Friday. That'll put me back into the 200+ ball-park I was in before breaking my foot.

I felt a bit wobbly on the bench presses, but I made a respectable showing at 60 lb anyway.

Everything was rock-solid and groovy today on deadlifts. 275 lb was very, very hard. I made a lot of noise squeeking out my five reps. On the last couple of reps, it was all I could do to not sream out obsenities. It feels good to be lifting heavy again. :) I'm thinking 285 lb next time...

[Stenn]

I just had a nice experience. My wife was good enough to give me a massage this afternoon. After the massage I was all oiled up and headed for the bathroom to shower the gunk off. I paused at the mirror and struck a pose or two. Dang! I look pretty good in oil! I lift weights not so much to make others see me differently but to make myself see me differently. Although I've gone through a major transformation over the last two years, I still think of myself as the skinny computer geek that I was. Seeing myself in the mirror just now was a pleasant surprise and an acknowledgement of all the hard work I've put in at the gym. It makes me want to do more!

[widebody195]

Congrats. Nice to see that your hard work is paying off, eh? Still really impressed by your deadlifts.

[Stenn]

Congrats. Nice to see that your hard work is paying off, eh? Still really impressed by your deadlifts.

Thanks Widebody!

Well, I had another workout posted yesterday, but the bb.com server seems to have eaten it. I don't have a lot of time this morning to put it back up so here are the highlights.

No Belt: I haven't even considred using a lifting belt these days. I think that has to do with how hard I worked my back while my foot was broken. When you can do three sets of eight reps of weighted hyperextensions at 90 lb, you can (almost) forget about injuring your back during 200 lb squats and 300 lb deads.

BB Squat: 45x5,5 95x5 135x3 185x2 195x5,5,5
BB Press: 45x5,5 60x5 75x3 80x5,5,5
BB Power Clean: 45x5,5 95x3 115x5,5,5

Squats were solid except for right knee wobbling a bit. Will go for the big 2-0-0 next time.

Presses went fine. I have some soreness in my shoulders today. Will try 85 lb next time.

Power cleans were fun, but I'm not getting the power I want in the jumping phase of the lift. I'll stick with 115 lb till I get things figured out.

[Stenn]

I've had crappy sleep these past couple of nights and woke up this morning feeling less than fully motivated. I think it's time to hit the GABA again. I got to the gym and noticed that they're masking the place off to re-paint the walls, which is absurd. The gym is only about thee years old and the paint is fine. Instead of wasting their time and money painting over a few scuff marks on the walls, they should repair all the stuff that's broken like the sauna, showers, weight machines, lockers, etc. It's as if the place is run by the government...

I weighed myself this morning and found that I'm at 171.5 pounds which is two or three pounds lighter than I was when I re-started my Rippetoe routine. Strange... I guess I'm making some muscle while losing fat at a slightly faster rate. I do feel stronger and less chubby, which is nice. :)

Time In: 9:30 am
BB Squat: 45x5,5 95x5 135x3 185x2 200x5,5,5
DB Bench Press: 45x5,5 50x3 55x2 60x5,5,4
BB Deadlift: 135x5,5 185x5 225x3 265x2 285x5
Time Out: 10:30 am

I'm back at 200 lb squats! Woo-hoo! I had no trouble with my knee wobbling this time. I did, however, have some trouble with inhaling my own spit after the first rep of my first working set. The resultant coughing really messed with my remaining reps. I was able to cough only between reps, but I probably should have just stopped the set and sorted myself out before continuing. Next time I'll try 210 lb which I think is where I was before I broke my foot.

I very much wanted all my reps and sets of bench presses today, but it was not to be. At least I did a little better than last time, which was only on Monday, so I guess I should be happy with that. Grrr... :(

I'm back in heavy deadlift mode and remembering what real effort feels like. My first working rep took a long time and caused me to make lots of noise and funny faces. After each rep I couldn't believe that I could possibly do another rep, but I did it anyways. Although my last rep wasn't pretty, it went all the way up and all the way back down before I staggered over to a nearby bench, flopped down onto my back, and put my towel over my face. Mission accomplished! Next time, I'll try 295 lb and hope that it doesn't kill me. :)

[jmc53]

Hi Steve, that rippetoe program seems to be working well for you.

[Stenn]

Hi Steve, that rippetoe program seems to be working well for you.

Yeah, the Rippetoe routine keeps me motivated and generates results and all I have to do is three exercises per workout.

Hmmm... That sounds like something you could sell on late-night televison. :)

[Stenn]

I missed Monday's workout which is probably for the best. My legs were starting to get persistently tired. Today they felt great and I got all 5's on my working sets. Time to bump up the weight!

Time In: 9:30 am
BB Squat - 45x5,5 95x5 135x5 185x2 210x5,5,5
BB Press - 45x5,5 60x5 75x2 85x5,5,5
BB Power Clean - 45x5,5 95x5 115x5,5,5
Time Out: 10:30 am

I was a little spastic on my squat form today and found myself leaning way forward on a couple of reps. My back seems to have survived it, but I really need to stop that nonsense. I'm gonna shoot for 220 lb next time. If I get it, it'll be a new personal best.

The presses were oh-hum. I suspect they'll get more interesting when I try 90 lb next time.

I felt like I finaly established a good rythem with the 115 lb power cleans so I'm going to move up to 135 lb next time.

[Stenn]

I got to the gym a little later than usual. I haven't been getting to sleep on time lately and it's messing with my daytime schedule. Apparently, getting to the gym an hour late buys you a lousy parking space and a more crowded gym. On the plus side, there was a guy at the olympic platform doing clean & jerks. That was way cool to see.

I usualy buy a high-protien, almond-mocha smootie at the Smoothie King at the gym, but today I forgot my wallet. To get something into my system during that critical 30 minute window after working out, I choked down an old Clif Bar that I had in my gym bag in case of emergencies. Blech!

Time In: 9:30 am
BB Squat: 45x5,5 95x5 135x5 185x3 205x2 220x5,5,5
DB Bench Press: 45x5 50x3 55x2 60x3,5,5
BB Deadlift: 135x5,5 185x5 225x3 265x2 295x5
Time Out: 10:30 am

I felt a little more in control of my squat form today and managed to get a new personal best. Woo-hoo! Next time, I'll go for 225 lb which will finally get me up to four whole plates. I can't wait. :)

I have no idea what happened on my bench presses today. During my first working set, my left arm just collapsed on the 4th rep and I had to put 'em down. My 2nd and 3rd sets went just fine. The only thing I did differently was to eliminate one of my 45 lb warm-up sets. I can't imagine that making a difference... WTF? I guess I'll keep it at 60 lb till I get it right. :(

On my first set of deads I tried a slightly wider stance and found that to be very awkward. I went back to my fairly narrow stance and everything was back to groovey. My working set had me in that mental no-man's-land of just breathing and lifting. I had no trouble at all with my grip. At the end of the set, I collapsed onto a nearby bench, wiped my sweaty brow, and threw my towel at the bar in defiance. Take that you bar! :) Next time, I'm going for 305 lb. Hot dog, I'm getting close to six whole plates!

[BergMuscle]

Great job. Big numbers on the dead lifts. Something I've got to go after.

Don't sweat the bench. Happens sometimes, but if you got off clean sets after then you're doing OK. Keep pumping.

[Stenn]

Great job. Big numbers on the dead lifts. Something I've got to go after.
Thanks! The nice thing about deadlifts is that you really feel like you've done something special when you're done.

Don't sweat the bench. Happens sometimes, but if you got off clean sets after then you're doing OK. Keep pumping.
Yeah, I guess I'm doing OK. I'm just getting tired of looking at the same damn 60 lb dumbells week after week knowing that I used to lift the 70's.

[dartol]

I just had a nice experience. My wife was good enough to give me a massage this afternoon. After the massage I was all oiled up and headed for the bathroom to shower the gunk off. I paused at the mirror and struck a pose or two. Dang! I look pretty good in oil! I lift weights not so much to make others see me differently but to make myself see me differently. Although I've gone through a major transformation over the last two years, I still think of myself as the skinny computer geek that I was. Seeing myself in the mirror just now was a pleasant surprise and an acknowledgement of all the hard work I've put in at the gym. It makes me want to do more!
What is your secret to get your wife to do that? LOL
Glad to hear you are seeing results! That is great motivation.


Yeah, the Rippetoe routine keeps me motivated and generates results and all I have to do is three exercises per workout.

Hmmm... That sounds like something you could sell on late-night televison. :)

Yeah you are selling me on it, maybe I will give it a try sometime!

Darren

[Stenn]

What is your secret to get your wife to do that? LOL
Incessant whining. :)

Seriously, she was getting ready to leave for an extended trip to Ireland. I think she just wanted me to think well of her while she was away. It's working!

Yeah you are selling me on it, maybe I will give it a try sometime!
I can't speak highly enough about the Rippetoe routine and the book it came from. However, it's not a "body building" routine and that's probably why it's not as popular on bb.com as some other approaches. The routine is specifically designed to quickly increase the functional strength of young atheletes (i.e. high school football players). I find that it also works for quickly increasing the strength of old farts like myself. Once I plateau with the Rippetoe routine, I'll switch to a more traditional body building routine with lots of isolation work and hypertrophy-specific goals.

[Stenn]

It was so hard to get outta bed this morning that you woulda thought it was a Monday. Wait a minute, it was a Monday! I wanted very much to be lazy today, but I drug my ass to the gym anyway and managed to get new PB's on everything I did. Not bad for a Monday, eh? :)

On the down side, my right elbow is starting to bug me again. I called my doctor's office and they said they could schedule me for an appointment in a couple of weeks. I'm thinking it may be time for a new doctor. :(

Time In: 9:30 am
BB Squat - 45x5,5 95x5 135x5 185x3 205x2 225x5,5,5
BB Press - 45x5,5 75x3 85x2 95x5,5,5
BB Power Clean - 45x5,5 95x3 115x2 135x5,5,5
Time Out: 10:30 am

My squat form was perfect for all but my last two weights. At 205 and 225, I started to lean forward a bit when I got into trouble. I wish someone could watch me during my heavy squats and tell me how bad this looks. I feel fine afterwards and have had nothing but occasional, slight aches in my lower back. I've had no problems with my knees. Still, I'm worried. But hey! I squatted with four whole plates for the first time in my life! Woo-hoo! I think I'll do 225 lb again next time just to make sure it wasn't an accident.

I had ment to do 90 lb on my presses, but after my first working set I looked at the bar and realized that I had accidently set the bar at 95 lb. How embarassing... Next time, I'll accidently set the bar at 100 lb.

The power cleans are starting to feel serious at 135 lb. I ended up bashing the bar into my right collar bone on one rep. Dang, that hurts! I need some bigger delts to catch the bar. Anyway, next time I'll try 140 lb and see if I can't kill myself. :)

[Hibiscus09]

I think she just wanted me to think well of her while she was away. It's working!

Ha,ha -- I'm glad your wife's wily ways are working. :) Heck, you don't have to whine for massages -- I'm sure she likes giving them to you.

For those of you who don't know -- just bring a single pretty flower home to her, some chocolates or mail her a card. These small things work wonders. ;)

I'm sorry about the elbow! I hate when mine flares up.

Great job on the workout!

[Stenn]

Thanks Hibi! And thanks for reminding me of the secret trick to winning a woman's heart. I've been forgetting that one too much lately. That might account for the infrequent massages. :)

I called my doctor's office about my elbow today and asked for an appointment. His receptionist told me to go to hell and wait, or words to that effect. My business partner says he'll hook me up with his sports medicine doctor tomorrow. If I can get an appointment reasonably soon, I'll sign up for a testosterone check too. I've been dying to know where I stand with my man-juice levels.

[Stenn]

Wow, that was fast! I called the new doctor's office this morning and scheduled an afternoon appointment. Cool! No more, "I'll try to squeeze you in some time next month" crap.

At the doctor's, I whined about my sore elbows and asked for a testosterone level check. I got pretty much the same answer about the elbows as what I got from my last doctor. It's tennis elbow. He perscribed naproxen, recommended ice at the end of the day and after workouts, and showed me a few stretching exercises.

He also said I could try a tennis elbow band for my forearm. I've always been sceptical about the bands, but he explained their purpose well enough to me that I decided to give one a try anyway on my more troublesome elbow. The band is supposed to take the stress off the end of the tendon where it anchors to the bone (the part that hurts). I don't wear the band when I'm working out. I just wear it around the house and office to give my sore tendons a break from every-day use. We'll see...

I should get the blood work results by the end of the week. I told Doc that I was lifting weights, trying to gain mass, and not seeing much progress. He said, "OK, we'll check out your thyroid too." Smart man!

[dartol]

Oh crap... not another injury!

I hate tennis elbow. It takes a while to get rid of it. The good news is maybe yours has not gotten bad and will go away quickly. It is easy to re-injure if you are not careful after the pain goes away though. Just do your best not to reinjure it!

Do the stretches often. I start stretching mine as soon as I feel a hint of soreness there.

I did physical therapy for mine, which included putting on some meds and using an ultrasound to warm it up.

Wearing a wrist stabilizer brace (like for carpal tunnel) when on the computer helps... the same muscles move the wrist on the other end.

Oh yeah that elbow band does really help too.

Darren

[Stenn]

Oh crap... not another injury!

Nah, not another injury. It's just an old one that's come back to re-visit. I first got tennis ebow about ten years ago when I was playing raquetball. It came back about five years ago when I was rock climbing. Most recently, I've had it on and off again for a whole year while weight lifting. This time I went to the doctor before things got too painful. The last time had it, the pain was so bad that it was hard to pick up a protien shake with my right hand. Now it's just annoying.

Thanks for the good advice. I wore the forearm band for a few hours and it seemed to help. Now I've got my ice pack on. What fun... Not!

[dartol]

Yep, there ya go, nip that thing in the bud! I do remember you having trouble with that a while back now that I think of it...

Darren

[Stenn]

I think I drank too much green tea this morning. I had the jitters on my drive to the gym. Or, maybe I was just excited to be doing deadlifts today.

Before my last set of squats, I was greeted by Jason who I had met earlier this year in the martial arts room after a karate class. We got to talking back then and he invited me to do some mixed martial arts training with him. That sounded pretty cool but I haven't had the time for it. But, now that my wife and child are out of the country, I have an opportunity to try out this new (for me) sport. I'm going to call Jason this weekend and see if I can't get him to kick my ass across the mat a few times. After my squats, I saw Jason incline benching the same amount of weight that I was just squatting. Yikes!

Time In: 9:30 am
BB Squat - 45x5,5 95x5 135x5 185x3 205x2 225x5,5,5
DB Bench Press - 45x5 50x3 55x2 60x5,5,7
BB Deadlift - 135x5,5 185x5 225x5 275x3 290x2 305x5
Time Out: 10:30 am

This was my second time ever squatting 225 lb. I wore a belt this time and I guess it helped. I got all my reps without a hitch. Next time, 235 lb.

My bench presses were much more solid today. On my last set I got my 5 reps and kept going to make up for all the reps I couldn't do in prior workouts. :) Next time, 65 lb.

Everything was good with the deads until my working set. I got all my reps at 305 lb and I think that might be a personal best. I got to 300 lb before I broke my foot, but I don't know if I ever got past 300 lb. Anyway, during my working set, I kept fiddling with my grip between reps. This was a very bad idea because I ended up tearing three of the callouses on my hands. I usually get my grip and keep it till the end of the set. I don't know what I was thinking this time... Also, my last two reps were not pretty. I was solid as a post from my feet to my middle back, but from there up I was suffering. My upper back was rounded with my shoulders forward. I ended up with a slight twinge in my upper-right back which has since subsided, thank goodness. I'm going to stick with 305 lb and see if I can't do it right next time.

[Stenn]

I got the results of my blood work the other day.

Testosterone 349 (norm 240-820)
Thyroid (TSH) 2.2 (norm 0.3-5.5, the higher the number, the lower the total thyroid level).

Doc said that although I'm "normal" I'm on the low side of normal. He asked (via email) if I've had any other symptoms of low testosterone. I gave him an ear-full including crankiness and sexual underperformance (damn, I hate to admit that one). I haven't heard back from him yet. He may be on vacation. I know I am. :)

When I have the time, I think I'll post these results on the >35 forum and let my comrads-in-iron give me their sage advice.

[Stenn]

I called Jason this morning to see if he wanted to get together for a MMA workout. He was busy writing a college paper so it was a no-go. It's a good thing too. I went to the gym and lifted weights instead and got myself three new personal bests.

In the middle of my workout when I was walking back from the water fountain, I noticed a guy who had pulled two benches up beside a decline bench. He had a dumbell resting on each side bench. He noticed me staring so I commented, "That sure does look complicated!" He said, "Yeah, it's the only way I can do decline dumbell presses without a spotter." The more I studied his contraption, the more I had to admit what a good idea it was. The only alternative would be to throw the dumbells to the floor at the end of a set.

Time In: 10:00 am
BB Squat - 45x5,5 90x5 135x5 185x3 225x2 235x5,5,5
BB Press - 45x5 75x5 85x5 95x2 100x5,4,3
BB Power Clean - 45x5 95x5 115x5 135x2 140x5,5,5
Time Out: 11:00 am

I'm now officially a 4+ plate squatter, but not by much. I felt a little stupid putting on just two 5 lb plates and probably could have done more. Oh well, best to progress a little at a time. My reps were all good except that I had a problem with spitting at the top. When I let my air out, stuff and noise just came flying out with it. Next time, 245 lb.

Wow, the presses got hard all of a sudden. I guess 100 lb is where the real work starts.

I was a power cleaning machine today. I don't yell during power cleans like I do during squats. Instead, there's this little "squeek" that comes out when I rack the bar on my anterior deltoids. It's kinda funny. Next time, 145 lb.

[SR800]

Is that "BB Press" a Standing Military Press? If so very strong work (oh and at your weight I definately would be wearing a belt on the 100lb sets), and great progress on your squats, don't go to quickly, I remember when you broke 200lbs not that long ago!

[Stenn]

Thanks for the compliment, SR800! I remember the first time I broke 200 lb too. That was a great day. Then I broke my foot and had to re-break 200 lb all over again months later. I'm at 235 lb now which puts 300 lb tantalizingly within reach... :D

The press I'm doing is as described in Mark Rippetoe's, Starting Strength. He just calls the exercise, "the press" or "the two-hands press". From what I understand, it's like a standing military press, but I get to lean back a little. At 100 lb, I was also concerned about safety but not in my lower back where a belt would go. I seemed good and stable there. I did a lot of weighted situps and hypers in my prior workout routine before I started pressing regularly. However, I noticed some odd straining in my upper back that may have been left-over aggrivation from the last time I did deadlifts with less-than-perfect form.

All of my weights (except for DB bench press) are as high or higher than they where before I broke my foot. I'm getting back to that realm where I'm walking a fine line between progress and injury. So, I need to start progressing more slowly. And, even if I get all my reps at a weight, I don't increase the weight unless my form feels good too.

[Stenn]

I was supposed to workout Monday morning but decided not to because I was going to go rock climbing with a friend of mine that evening. Rock climbing with DOMS is a bitch. Shortly before leaving for the rock gym, my friend called and cancelled climbing, the bum. So, I got another rest day and hit the iron first thing Tuesday.

The gym was a mess. There were plates, dumbells, bars, and collars everywhere on the floor. It looked like my kid's bedroom except instead of stuffed animals everywhere, it was weight lifting equipment. And what were the gym employees doing? They were wandering around with spray bottles and rags making sure the benches and seats were dust-free and disinfected. :rolleyes: A couple of the young, female employees stood around within six feet of my bench while I was resting for my last working set of DB presses and started chatting excitedly about their work schedules. When my rest period was up, I turned to them and asked, "Excuse me. Could you please go somewhere else for a bit? Thank you." They both giggled nervously, gave me their best, "Whatever..." looks, and moved on. I guess I blew my chance for an interesting date, eh? :D

Time In: 9:00 am
BB Squat: 45x5,5 95x5 135x5 185x3 225x2, 245x5,5,5
DB Bench Press: 45x5 50x5 55x3 60x2 65x5,5,3
BB Deadlift: 135x5,5 185x5 225x5 275x5
Leg Press: 180x5 270x5 360x5 450x5,3
Time Out: 10:00 am

My squats felt great today. 245 lb was hard, but not unmanagable. I had a couple of close-calls where everything stopped moving. Next time, 250 lb. By the way, I've started using my belt on my working sets of squats.

I've had a hard time getting my weights in place to start on DB presses lately. Today, I just about lost my left elbow trying to force the issue. I figured out that it's best to keep the DBs as close to my chest as possible as I rock back and lay on the bench. I thought I was going to get all my sets and reps at 65 lb when my left arm gave up on me. That was odd. Usually my right side is the weakest.

I was feeling a little vulnerable with my deadlifts. I still have a little twinge in my upper-right back from the last time I deadlifted. I now understand that my problem was not keeping my shoulders back. This time, I focused on keeping my upper back tight and quit at 275 lb when things started getting spooky. I need to figure out how to strengthen my upper back.

Since I wimped out on my deads, I decided to redeem myself on the leg press. I haven't done leg presses in months. I started light and ramped up to 450 lb. With the weight of the sled, I probably got to an even 500 lb. That made me feel a little better. :)

Between leg presses, I observed a guy squatting in the rack I was in earlier. His stance was wide, feet were parallel, and his knees caved in with every 1/4 rep. It looked real bad. To top it off, he was using lifting straps. That's when I knew it was time to leave the gym...

[BergMuscle]

Great job.
Too bad about gym employees with attitudes like that.

[Stenn]

Great job.
Too bad about gym employees with attitudes like that.

Yeah, usually the employees at my gym range somewhere between mildly helpful and useless. They're students and not terrible motivated by their work. This was the first time they actually got in my way.

[SR800]

Yeah, usually the employees at my gym range somewhere between mildly helpful and useless. They're students and not terrible motivated by their work. This was the first time they actually got in my way.

Unfortunately you have just described the vast majority of workers I encounter in all aspects of life :)

[Stenn]

My elbows are giving me an increasing amount of trouble and my left shoulder just started getting a little quirky too. Can you say, "overtrained?"

I have a new theory about why I'm having elbow and shoulder issues. When I was into rock climbing, I heard that lots of begining climbers pop tendons in their fingers because the muscles in their hands grow much faster than their tendons. They quickly gain the strength to grasp small, precarious holds but their tendons aren't up to the task and give way... "plink!" I started lifting weights at the age of 40 having never lifted before. My lower body has always been sorta strong because of skateboarding, bicycling, etc. but I've never done much with my upper body. So, when I start pushing the envelope on my weights, my lower body raises to the challenge, but my upper body keeps getting into trouble because of weak, unaccustomed tendons.

What's the solution? For starters, I need to take a break from my upper body training. Then, I need to be a bit less aggressive in the rate at which I increase my weights for upper body exercises. I need to give my tendons time to toughen up without beating them up. I've got an appointment with my doctor on Monday. I'll run this theory by him and see if he laughs at me or not.

Today's workout was a bit surreal. There was a major basketball event going on with TV cameras and officials with clipboards. I think it was some sort of scouting event. Anyway, it created a hell of a lot of noise. There was also a major swim meet going on at the pool. I wanted to use the hot tub after my workout to soak my sore elbows. To get there, I had to wade through a huge crowd of young girls in bathing suits. I was a tired, sore, bearded old man tip-toeing through a whole field of the flower of youth. Back in the locker room, I saw a young boy laying on the floor with a buddy of his standing over him. When I got closer I noticed the one on the floor had his head on a scale and his buddy was reading how much it weighed. His buddy, being a clever lad, had his toe on the scale unbeknownst to his friend. "Dude, your head weighs, like, 20 pounds." "No way!"

Time In: 10:15 am
BB Squat: 45x5,5 95x5 135x5 185x5 225x2 250x5,5,5
BB Press: 45x5 75x5 85x3
Declined, Weighted Situp: 10 lb to 35 lb
Weighted Hyperextensions: 25 lb to 75 lb
Time Out: 11:15 am

My squats felt great and I managed to get yet another personal best. I keep expecting to fail on squats, but it just aint happening. I got stuck once this time, but my stubbornness got me through the rep. :D

I really shouldn't have even tried presses. I got to 85 lb when my left elbow told me, in no uncertain terms, to rack the bar and give up.

I was sure that clean and presses would be a bad idea so I decided to do a little ab work. I managed to ramp my weight up to 35 lb on sets of 10 reps. I also tried a drop-set by holding onto three 10 lb plates and dropping them off one at a time as I fatigued. That didn't work so well. I should have used 5 lb plates.

I did 8-rep sets of hypers till I just got bored of them and left with a good burn in my spinal erectors.

[BergMuscle]

Good job of adapting your training "on the fly". Too many people keep pushing when they shouldn't and end up hurting.
Let us know if the doctor laughs or not (or you really may be on to something :rolleyes: )

[dartol]

You're right about the tendons, so it probably is a good idea to slow down a bit. Maybe just do the same weight for a little while and up the reps instead if you must.

Your numbers are really impressive. What is your goal? Are you trying to get to a certain weight?

Darren

[Stenn]

Good job of adapting your training "on the fly". Too many people keep pushing when they shouldn't and end up hurting.
I think I'm one of those people. I can tell because I'm hurting. :rolleyes: Still, things would have turned out MUCH worse if I had suffered though the presses and then did the power cleans.

You're right about the tendons, so it probably is a good idea to slow down a bit. Maybe just do the same weight for a little while and up the reps instead if you must.
I think I'll lay off the upper body completely for at least a week while continuing with the squats. I've got some good momentum going with the squats and I don't want to lose it.

Your numbers are really impressive. What is your goal? Are you trying to get to a certain weight?
That's a good question. Before I broke my foot, my big goal was to squat 200 and deadlift 300. I hit that goal and then wanted to do 225 (4 plates) and 315 (6 plates) on squats and deads. Before I got there, I broke my foot. Once my foot was healed, my goal was to get back to 200 and 300. I'm now at 250 for squats and 305 for deads so that goal is a done deal as well as blasting well past 4 plates on squats. My current goals are:

300 lb squats
315 lb deads

Unfortunately, I don't think I can progress much farther on deads right now with my crappy shoulder and elbows. I also felt warning signs in my upper back the last time I did deads. I may do as you suggested and do some lighter, high-rep deads for a while.

So, all my lifting goals lately have been centered around weight lifted during squats and deads. I just keep shooting for the next even multiple of 50 or the next even number of 45 lb plates. Eventually, I'll get tired of this power lifting game and start focusing on body weight and body part circumference. Although I'm getting stronger, I'm not getting bigger either in girth or weight except that I'm seeing my 6-pack abs turning into a power lifter's gut because of my lifting style and complete lack of cardio. I can't see myself letting that go on for much longer.

[SR800]

Yes you have been upping your weights very quickly, which is cool, but as you have noticed can also put your tendons in a precarious position. I have been working on rep increases with the big lifts to save my tendons. In fact on my current program I am working up to 12 reps before a weight increase and my entire body is feeling better. I was just working up to 6 or 8 reps and then upping the weight 5%. As an example I maxed at 238 x 9 reps (dead lift) yesterday and that equals a 1RM of 306 pounds. By the time I get to 12 reps, which should be in 2 or 3 sessions that will be a 1RM equivalent of 340lbs which was my personal best when I was lifting before in my late 20's/early 30's. It is certainly something to consider.

[Stenn]

Yes you have been upping your weights very quickly, which is cool, but as you have noticed can also put your tendons in a precarious position. I have been working on rep increases with the big lifts to save my tendons. In fact on my current program I am working up to 12 reps before a weight increase and my entire body is feeling better.
Sounds like you and Dartol are on the same page. Ordinarily, I'd work up to 12 reps before increasing weight but the Rippetoe workout I'm on has you increasing the weight after only five reps. It's a great way to get real strong real fast, but it's also a workout that was designed for teenagers, which I aint. :rolleyes: I'm going to miss getting multiple personal bests per week, but it beats being doped up on NSAIDs and begging my doctor for cortizone shots.

[dartol]

Well, we aren't teenagers anymore... LOL

I am eyeing that Rippetoe workout though, I sure could use some strength increase! Maybe I should give that a shot for a while... :)


Darren

[Stenn]

Way back when I started this journal, I quoted the following stats regarding my body's change in 2006:

Over the months of Sept - Dec, here's what has happened to my body and performance:

Thighs: +1" (22.5 to 23.5)
Waist: +1" (34 to 35)
Weight: +2.5 lb (170 to 172.5)
%BF: +3 (16 to 19) (measured by Navy method)
All other body parts: +0

Squat: 155 lb to 185 lb
Deadlift: 185 lb to 285 lb
In January 2007, I made the following observations:


Height: 5'10"
Weight: 172.5 lb
Bodyfat: 19% (by Navy method)
Chest: 40.5"
Arms: 13"
Waist: 35"
Thighs: 23.5"
Calves: 14.5"
Forearms: 11.5"
Shoulders: 46"

Squat: 185 lb
Deadlift: 285 lb

Here's my progress compared to my 1/2007 numbers:

Height: +0 (Thank God)
Weight: +4.5 (172.5 to 177 lb)
Bodyfat: -1 (19% to 18% by Navy method)
Chest: -0.5 (40.5" to 40")
Arms: +0 (13")
Waist: +1 (35" to 36")
Thighs: +0 (23.5")
Calves: +0 (14.5")
Forearms: -0.5 (11.5" to 11")
Shoulders: +0.5 (46" to 46.5")

Squat: +65 (185 lb to 250 lb)
Deadlift: +20 (285 lb to 305 lb)

Now I have ask myself, am I on the right track? Is this progress? Considering this covers a 6-month period during which I spent 2 months recovering from a broken foot (recovery being defined as the time I didn't do squats and deads), I have to say that it'll do.

My weight and waist size are both up, but my %BF is down. That's a little confusing. I'm guessing that the %BF measurements are just plain wrong, as usual. I can see in the mirror that my emerging 6-pack has submerged and been replaced by a beer keg. The rest of my measurements have changed so little that the changes may simply be measurement error. The one bit of undeniable progress is in my weight lifted for squats and deads. I can't believe I used to squat 155 lb and deadlift 185 lb less than a year ago. I've added about a hundred pounds to each lift in less than a year while taking time off to heal a broken foot. Awsome!

I guess it shouldn't surprise me that my main (only?) progress has been in my squats and deads. They've been my two favorite exercises ever since reading Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe and my goals have all been about upping my weights on those two lifts. I'm just surprised to see that with all the progress I've made in my squats and deads that I'm not also seeing some sort of more obvious progress in my body shape. I'm guessing that if I started doing some cardio (shudder...) and lost some body fat that I'd get a better look at what my squats and deads are doing to my body.

[dartol]

It is very cool to have data that you can compare and look back on. I guess it kinda makes sense though... squats and deads are classic powerlifter moves, but powerlifters don't tend to look like bodybuilders in general.

Now I need to go back and look at my numbers again...

I am so impressed with those squats, and adding so much in a year is incredible! I just started squatting and broke 100 lbs... think I can hit 200 in a year? :)

Darren

[Stenn]

I guess it kinda makes sense though... squats and deads are classic powerlifter moves, but powerlifters don't tend to look like bodybuilders in general.
Yup.

I just started squatting and broke 100 lbs... think I can hit 200 in a year? :)
Most definately! A 100 lb increase in a year is an increase of just 8.3 lbs a month or 2 lbs a week. Also, since you just started squatting, you've got lots of newbie gains to make.

[Stenn]

I had a follow-up appointment with my new doctor today. It's been about two weeks since he prescribed naproxin to sooth the inflamation in my elbows. The naproxin has had absolutely no effect on my elbows. Doc said that he could give me a cortisone shot, but he was reluctant to do so. I agree with him. Cortisone is a quick fix, but it's my understanding that cortisone injections weaken tendons and I really, really don't want that. So, Doc referred me to a physical therapist instead. I'm not sure what the PT is going to do other than show me the stretches that Dartol keeps telling me about. :) We'll see...

Doc also told me that he still didn't think that my symptoms and blood work warranted testosterone supplementation, but he thought I might benefit from thyroid supplementation. HUH? I had to do a little research later to understand why he thought that. It turns out that the symptoms of low thyroid are similar to the symptoms of low test. However, I'm getting ready to go on an extended trip to Ireland and wouldn't be available for reglar monitoring so we agreed that now wasn't the time to start any course of treatment. Crap!

Oh well. It's probably for the best. I now have plenty of time to look into natural testosterone and thyroid boosting methods. Here's some stuff that I've heard increases testosterone:

ZMA - A supplement containing zinc, magnesium, and B6
Gaspari Novadex XT - A supplement. Baldsnake mentioned it, I think.
Broccoli, Cabbage, Garlic - To make you smell bad on both ends?
Squats - I've got this one covered!
Heavy Compound Lifts to Failure - Oooh, baby!
Cholesterol - Go figure...
DHEA - An over-the-counter androgen.
Sex and Sexual Arousal - Like I needed another reason to have sex...
Tribulus - Supposed to up your leutinizing hormone. Sounds kinky to me.
EFA - Another good reason to eat FAT!

Here's some stuff that can decrease testosterone:
Crappy Sleep - Can nearly halve your testosterone.
Alcohol - Damn, damn, damn, damn!
Crappy Moods - No whining!
Emotional Stress - Just relax, dude...
Over Training - Another reason to spend less than an hour in the gym.

I've already started taking ZMA since most folks agree that it at least provides a good night's sleep. And it does! I've started to voluntarily eat broccoli and I'm back to getting some flax seed oil every day. The sex part is going to be tricky since my wife is out of town. I'll think of something... :D

[Stenn]

Here's the scoop. I've gotten about as far as I can go with Rippetoe for now. I've increased all my weights dramatically and landed myself in the doctor's office with sore elbows, shoulders, and upper back. I've received recommendations here, in articles, and from my doctor to lay off the heavy weights for a while and go for more repititions instead. The theory (which is still just my own) is that my muscles have grown stronger than my tendons can handle. High rep workouts will allow me to get the volume I need to grow while being easier on the tendons and should allow my tendons to catch up so that I can lift heavier later. So, what do I consider to be high-reps? Well, I've been doing just 5 reps per set so I'm thinking 12 reps per set should do. Instead of doing three working sets, I'll just do two.

I also want to naturally increase my testosterone levels. According to articles I've read, heavy compound lifts to failure will help. So, my workouts will all start with either squats or deadlifts, at high reps, to failure. If I'm able to do more than 12 reps, I'll just keep on pumping till I poop out and then up the weight for next time. In fact, I plan to go to 12 or failure on all of my lifts.

Finally, I'm going to stick to a tried and true 3-day split strategy to give my body parts time to more fully recover before hitting them again. My exception to this rule will be to do either squats or deads every workout. I've never felt over-trained from squats and deads and I want the t-boost with every workout. And besides, squats and deads are my good buddies and I just can't stand not doing one or the other every workout.

Warm up sets will all be 5 reps each.

So...
High reps for stronger, happier tendons. Check!
Squats and deads to failure for more testosterone. Check!
Split routine for better recovery. Check!

Here's what I have in mind:

Workout 1 - Chest, Shoulder, Tricep
BB Squat - Warm up starting at 45 lb and ramping up by 50 lb per set till I reach my working weight and then do two working sets of 12.

DB Bench Press w/ Pushup - Warm up with just bench presses and then superset two working sets of 12 bench presses with push ups to failure.

BB Press - Start warmups at 45 lb and then do two working sets of 12.

Dip - Body weight only (to save my shoulders), 2 sets to failure.

Workout 2 - Back, Bicep
BB Deadlift - Warm up starting at 135 lb and ramping up by 50 lb per set till I reach my working weight and then do two working sets of 12.

T-Bar Row - My gym got a new t-bar row machine! Warm up and then two sets of 12.

DB Shrug - Warm up and then two sets of 12.

DB Curl - Warm up and then two sets of 12 then drop sets down to 10 lb.

Workout 3 - Leg, Ab
BB Squat - Same as above.

Leg Press w/ Sissy Squat - Warm up with just leg presses starting at two plates and ramping up by two plates per set till I reach my working weight and then do two working sets of 12 suppersetted with sissy squats to failure.

Decline Situp - Body weight only. Two sets to failure. Twist on each rep.

Calf Press - No warm ups. Just slap the working weight on and get busy with two sets of 12.

That's it! It's a routine that's designed to make me fail. :D

[IdahoViking]

Wow, your still lifting with a vengence aren't you?!

[Stenn]

Wow, your still lifting with a vengence aren't you?!
Yeah, I haven't crippled myself yet (at least, not very badly) so I guess I must be doing something right. I'm in the middle of shifting gears right now. I'm changing from a "LIFT HEAVY OR GO HOME!" attitude to something that I might actually survive in the long run.

I hope that you're doing well yourself. I haven't been over to your journal in while and I'm curious to see what you've been up to, but not tonight because it's past my bed time.

Good night!
Steve

[dartol]

Most definately! A 100 lb increase in a year is an increase of just 8.3 lbs a month or 2 lbs a week. Also, since you just started squatting, you've got lots of newbie gains to make.
I need to focus more on these, that would be a good goal to add. :)


I'm not sure what the PT is going to do other than show me the stretches that Dartol keeps telling me about. :) We'll see...
They might do an ultrasound with medicine as well... that is what they did when I went to PT for mine. The ultrasound warms it up deep inside, but they also use it to help deliver the meds inside. Not sure what med they used, maybe some sort of steroid?



Here's some stuff that I've heard increases testosterone:

ZMA - A supplement containing zinc, magnesium, and B6
Gaspari Novadex XT - A supplement. Baldsnake mentioned it, I think.
Broccoli, Cabbage, Garlic - To make you smell bad on both ends?
Squats - I've got this one covered!
Heavy Compound Lifts to Failure - Oooh, baby!
Cholesterol - Go figure...
DHEA - An over-the-counter androgen.
Sex and Sexual Arousal - Like I needed another reason to have sex...
Tribulus - Supposed to up your leutinizing hormone. Sounds kinky to me.
EFA - Another good reason to eat FAT!

Here's some stuff that can decrease testosterone:
Crappy Sleep - Can nearly halve your testosterone.
Alcohol - Damn, damn, damn, damn!
Crappy Moods - No whining!
Emotional Stress - Just relax, dude...
Over Training - Another reason to spend less than an hour in the gym.

I've already started taking ZMA since most folks agree that it at least provides a good night's sleep. And it does! I've started to voluntarily eat broccoli and I'm back to getting some flax seed oil every day. The sex part is going to be tricky since my wife is out of town. I'll think of something... :D
Yeah I did ZMA for a long time and definately noticed a deeper sleep, especially at first. I didn't know broccoli helped, but I usually eat a lot anyway. I just ran out of EFAs... I usually take flaxseed as well as fish oil, they have different kinds of EFAs. Nature Made Odorless fish oil usally doesn't make fish burps.

Yeah I have trouble with a few things on the bad list there too...


Instead of doing three working sets, I'll just do two.

If I'm able to do more than 12 reps, I'll just keep on pumping till I poop out and then up the weight for next time. In fact, I plan to go to 12 or failure on all of my lifts.

Finally, I'm going to stick to a tried and true 3-day split strategy to give my body parts time to more fully recover before hitting them again. My exception to this rule will be to do either squats or deads every workout.

That's it! It's a routine that's designed to make me fail. :D

Looks like a good replan, but I would suggest a couple of tweaks. I think 3 sets of 12 would be fine, you are going for high reps anyway. You can drop the weight if needed for the last set...

And what about maybe adding a military press? :) I guess pullups or lat pulls are out because of the elbow... :(

Darren

[Stenn]

Looks like a good replan, but I would suggest a couple of tweaks. I think 3 sets of 12 would be fine, you are going for high reps anyway. You can drop the weight if needed for the last set...
Yeah, I wasn't sure about doing 2 or 3 working sets. Before, I was doing 15 working reps total (and only 5 for deadlifts). Three sets of 12 would have me doing 36 working reps. That seemed high to me. I guess it depends on what working weights I settle on for my 12 rep sets. If I'm close to my old working weights, I'll just do 2 sets. If I do way less than my old working weights, I'll bump it up to three sets. I gotta play that one by ear initially but ultimately I want to do roughly the same work as I was doing before.

And what about maybe adding a military press? :) I guess pullups or lat pulls are out because of the elbow... :(
BB press and military press are almost the same thing except for the stance and you get a little more wiggle room with regular presses. Ooh, I forgot about lat pulls. Hmmm.... I think my elbows would be fine with lat pulls, but not my shoulder. I'll have to experiment with that one. Pullups would be a great addition to my routine except that I HATE them. Sorry. :)

[dartol]

BB press and military press are almost the same thing except for the stance and you get a little more wiggle room with regular presses.

Oh I thought you meant bench here, sorry! :)

Darren

[Stenn]

This was my first workout with lower weights and higher reps. I decided to start with my legs workout to give my elbows and shoulder a little more time to cool down before trying them out in the gym.

I found out very quickly that there is a world of difference between a low-rep, high-weight workout and a high-rep, low-weight workout. After my first set of 12 squats I thought I had died and gone to hell. Trying to squeeze out 12 reps instead of the usual 5 was so freakin' hard. With 5 heavy reps, there's a lot of effort, but not much exhaustion. With 12 light reps, the effort is all in fighting exhaustion. I found myself needing to pause between reps just to take an extra breath so that I could keep going.

At the end of the workout I had to take the elevator down to the 1st floor because I didn't feel safe taking the stairs. I was nauseated, dizzy, and had wobbly legs. I honestly felt that I was in danger of throwing up in the showers. It's been a long time since I've had a workout affect me that way. I think I may have been suffering from accute lactic acid poisoning. I bought my usual high-protein smoothie on the way out of the gym and within a half hour I felt fine although I kept wishing that I could curl up somewhere and take a nap.

Time In: 10:00
BB Squat - 45x5,5 95x5 135x5 185x12,12
Leg Press (warmup) - 90x5 180x5
Leg Press w/ Sissy Squat - 270x15 7 270x12 6
Decline Situp - 3 (Duh-oh!)
Calf Press - 180x25,21
Time Out: 10:40

I know I said I'd squat to failure, but when I got to my 12th rep I was in such bad shape I had to get out from under the bar no matter what. 12 reps was torture enough. I'm going to leave the weight at 185 lb and see if things get any easier.

Leg presses with sissy squats turned out to be a great idea. After destroying myself at 270 lb on the press, I could still do a half-dozen sissy squats to drive my quads even deeper into failure.

I found out pretty quickly that my abs were still sore from my last abs workout. I decided not to push through my pain to keep my belly button from flying off and putting someone's eye out.

I surprised myself with my calf presses. When got to 25 reps on the 1st set, I was sure that I must have spaced out and miss-counted. Then I got 21 reps on my second set and all I could think was, "Damn!" I gotta try 270 lb next tme. I'm pretty sure my foot can take it.

[Stenn]

My left shoulder and right elbow are still giving me trouble so I've been avoiding the gym lately. Still, there's no reason why I can't get in at least one leg workout per week, eh?

The Hammer Strength leg press is out of commission. The staff removed the torn seat back, to have it repaired I presume. It would have been nice if they would have just ordered a new seat back to replace the torn one. But noooooo! They can't resist turning a 5 minute repair into a multi-week experience.

This is the second workout where I've tried to do high-rep sets and it affected me just the same as last week. I left the gym exhausted, dizzy, and near unto puking. I wonder if I'm either working out too soon after eating breakfast or not getting enough fluids before working out. Both are possibilities.

Time In: 9:00am
BB Squat: 45x5,5 95x5 135x5 185x12,12
Leg Extension: 100x5 200x5 300x5
Mangum Leg Press & Sissy Squat: 250x12 7 250x12 6
Decline Situp: 4
Calf Press: 270x19,16
Time Out: 10:00am

The squats felt good and solid. I'm finding that one of the challenges of high-rep squats is not losing my breath. If I take one deep breath at the top of each squat, I start to feel oxygen starved. I have to stop every few reps to take two or three deep breaths to keep from getting dizzy.

The Hammer Strength leg press was busted so I wandered over to the Magnum leg extension machine as a substitute. I almost got to my working weight when I realized that there was also a Magnum leg press. Abort!

I first tried 300 lb on the Magnum leg press and got nowhere. 250 lb seems like a good working weight for now. Add the sissy squats to failure right after a set of presses and I'm in businesses. BTW, failing on sissy squats is bad for the ego. :(

The decline situps were still a no-go. I must have really stressed my abs bad the last time I did weighted decline situps. They're still sore after two weeks!

The calf presses went well. 270 lb is a good weight here. I didn't push too hard because the nausea was starting to kick in.

[widebody195]

wow great workouts. High reps are a killer, I'm too much of a wimp myself to go past 10 reps. I see from your stats that you've officially passed me in the bodyweight category. Great job, though I haven't weighed myself in a few weeks (the bathroom scale is still packed up somewhere).

[dartol]

LOL, I am glad to see that I am not the only one that struggles with higher reps... :)

Low reps is good for strength, high reps for endurance... you will be building up your endurance now, so soon it won't be so bad I predict. I have been reading articles about switching betwen strength, endurance, and hypertrophy (middle rep range) workouts is really good.

I tend to do more low and middle reps though, I am starting to try to work in the higher ranges too.

Looks great, keep it up! I hope the pains go away quickly.

Darren

[Stenn]

wow great workouts. High reps are a killer, I'm too much of a wimp myself to go past 10 reps. I see from your stats that you've officially passed me in the bodyweight category. Great job, though I haven't weighed myself in a few weeks (the bathroom scale is still packed up somewhere).

Thanks widebody. I'm pretty happy with the weight increase, but it came at the cost of my emerging 6-pack. Oh well. I know it's there, I just need to find it again someday.

Good luck finding your scale. I moved about six years ago and there are still boxes in the attic that I haven't opened yet.

[Stenn]

LOL, I am glad to see that I am not the only one that struggles with higher reps... :)

Low reps is good for strength, high reps for endurance... you will be building up your endurance now, so soon it won't be so bad I predict. I have been reading articles about switching betwen strength, endurance, and hypertrophy (middle rep range) workouts is really good.
Yeah, I've heard that in general it's good to keep the body in adaptation mode by trying new things. I'd been doing low reps for so long that high reps make me feel like a beginer all over again.

Looks great, keep it up! I hope the pains go away quickly.
Thanks Darren, I hope so too.

[Stenn]

I'm visiting my parents in Corpus Christi this weekend because it's my birthday. (Hooray for me!) On Saturday morning, my 66-year old mom woke me up saying, "Come on, let's go to the gym and get in a workout before breakfast!" What a strange reversal of roles! I groaned, "I didn't bring any clothes for working out..." "No problem, you can wear your father's stuff!" So, out the door I went in an over-sized pair of Nikes and a t-shirt that proudly stated, "Friends don't let friends drive Chevys."

Mom works out at the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station gym. It's a great facility with just about everything you could want crammed into a small, clean, well-kept building. I wasn't feeling up to a full-blown workout so I tagged along with Mom as she did her circuit on the Cybex machines. She was doing a routine that consisted of two sets of 18 reps at ultra-low weights which, according to her doctor, is supposed to help her combat osteo-perosis. I did a few light sets to figure out each machine and then did a couple of 8-rep working sets. I didn't go full-blast on anything. I completely avoided the bicep curl machine because I knew it would be torture on my elbow. My shoulder held up just fine.

The gym was a little more crowded that we expected and there were young folks hanging out on the machines socialising. Mom came up with a strategy whereby she'd workout on one machine while sending me forward to the next one to get started and to "reserve" it for her. This worked well and we only had to re-arrange her usual workout just a little to avoid the young-uns.

Here's roughly what I did and in roughly the order I did them in. I have no idea what weights I used except that I maxed out the leg extension machine at 300 lb. Mom was concerned that the amount of effort I put into my lifting looked dangerous. I told her not to worry and that I was actually taking it easy. She also said that my butt looked good. Awww, Mom! :)

Time In: 9:00 am
Glute Push Thingy
Leg Extension
Leg Curl
Leg Press
Lat Pull-Down
Deltoid Raise
Tricep Push-Down
Ab Cruncher
Time Out: 10:00 am

[Stenn]

If you're thinking that it's gotten kinda quiet here, you're right. I've been preparing for an extended trip to Ireland. That and attending bon-voyage parties has kept me very occupied lately. Also, I just started getting a cold so don't expect any workout postings from me for a while...

On a positive note, the soreness in my left elbow and shoulder has disappeared. My right elbow has gotten a little better, but not much. I was supposed to go to physical therapy but the referral from my doctor's office got lost somhow and I haven't had the time to straighten that stupid situation out. I've now resigned to just taking it easy and letting the elbow heal in its own good time.

[BergMuscle]

Enjoy Ireland. My wife's sister lived there for 25 years so we visited a few times. Beautiful place - just got to be ready for it to rain ... and rain.

[Stenn]

Beautiful place - just got to be ready for it to rain ... and rain.
Yeah, Ireland doesn't stay green just because of all the little green leprechauns running around. :D I've got myself a good rain jacket and plan to spend as much time in the gyms and pubs as possible.

[dartol]

plan to spend as much time in the gyms and pubs as possible.

What a combo! LOL
I wouldn't mind visiting there one day, I have some Irish ancestors.
Have a blast!

Darren

[Stenn]

Have a blast!
Thanks Darren, I will. I've been searching around on the internet for interesting stuff to do while in Galway. They've got a couple of gyms and the university has a rock climbing wall that I'm hoping to sneak onto. There's also some good climbing within an hour's drive of town. That'll be worth checking out if I can hook up with a local climbing club. Once I've seen all the tourist sights in town, I'm thinking about buying a used motorcycle so I can take day trips into the country. I haven't ridden a motorcycle since I was a teenager so that should be an adventure all to itself. There are a couple of decent looking riding schools in town to help me get back in the saddle. And, of course, I need to investigate the commonly held belief that Guiness on tap in Ireland is much better than Guiness from a bottle in The States.

[dartol]

Wow, cool. How long are you going to be there?

I bet the beer there is good. I hae verified that the wine in Italy is much better than what you can get here... :)

Darren

[Stenn]

I'll be in Ireland for about a year although I'll come back to Houston from time to time to check up on my house and my investments. My wife is an internationally renown Irish literature scholar and she managed to wrangle up funding to spend a year in Ireland while she writes her second book. Nice work if you can get it, eh? My daughter will start kindergarten in Ireland. So, while she's in school and my wife is rummaging through the library stacks at the National University of Ireland, I'll be out and about looking for some kind of interesting trouble to get into. ;)

[dartol]

Sounds like a fun gig! :)

Darren

[Stenn]

Getting preped for my up-coming Ireland trip has left me with no time for the gym, but I'm getting some exercise anyway. I spent all of yesterday working around the house including re-arranging my entire office, furniture and all. At the end of the day I was a sweaty, stinky mess so I'm going to count that as cardio. Also, for the first time in my life, I picked up a completely full, two-drawer filing cabinet without taking the drawers out first. Woo-hoo!

Today, I purchased a fire-proof safe. My locksmith had some used ones so I got a bargain on a big one. I'm guessing the thing weighs about 200 lb so you can chalk me up for several reps of 200 lb deadlifts getting the thing out of the shop, into and out of my car, and into the house. I'm tellin' ya, weights are a lot easier to lift when they've got handles!

On the health scene, my right elbow continues to improve but at a snail's pace. However, my cold is getting worse. I pity the poor fool who will be forced to sit next to me on the long flight over the Atlantic.

[widebody195]

Good luck on your move to Ireland. Moving from one country to another is very stressful and wreaks havoc with your diet/training plan, but you're very fortunate to be the "trailing spouse" in expatriate terms. You'll have a great time. Don't forget to travel!! I think on Ryanair you can fly almost anywhere in Europe for just a few bucks. Paris one weekend, Rome the next...the possibilities are endless.

Just don't let all that beer go to your belly. Good luck and keep us posted on your adventures.

[Stenn]

Thanks for the tips! My plane leaves this afternoon. When I arrive in Ireland my first priorities will be to establish food and shelter. After that, broadband internet access and gym membership.

I haven't given much thought to travelling beyond Galway except to visit Dublin and the Guiness brewery and to drop in on a former collegue in London. If flights are as cheap as you say, I wouldn't mind checking out Rome.

Anyway, I gotta shut up and do my last minute packing. See y'all on the other side of the Atlantic!

[dartol]

I'll be looking forward to hearing about your adventures in Ireland. Sounds like you have your priorities right there. LOL

Darren

[Stenn]

Well, I've been in Ireland for five days now. It's taking me a little longer than I had expected to get settled in, but I'm getting there.

My food intake is way down to just three skimpy, carb-laden meals a day because I only just figured out where to shop. There's a Tesco about three quarters of a mile from the house that has all the good stuff. They have turkey rashers to replace my turkey bacon, but no egg whites. As a bonus, I get to carry everything in two tote bags as I walk all the way home. The rainy Irish drizzle ensures that I maintain a brisk pace. Near Tesco is a health food place that has stuff like almond butter and soy milk. They also have a great supplement section that includes WPI, BCAA, creatine monohydrate, and gainer shake powder. Their prices are incredibly high so I'll continue to order from bb.com, but it's good to know where to go in emergencies. Eating out at restaurants has been a disaster. The Irish seem to like their food fried and with mayonaise.

Other than lots and lots of walking, I haven't gotten much exercise. I've walked by the NUIG gym, but haven't attempted to weasle my way in there till my wife gets established at the university. I went to a Peak Physique Gym near Tesco. They have a huge cardio section and a wee-little free weights area. They wanted 190 euro for three months but, no power rack, no membership.

[Stenn]

I had some time away from the family today, so I trudged out to the Galway City Gym and got in my first Irish workout. GCG is great. The staff are mature, friendly, and helpful. The equipment is all there. The music is loud and energetic. The guys in the free weights area are big and serious. They have bumper plates and an Olympic lifting platform which is a major bonus. It means I can do power cleans. Also, this is the first gym I've ever been in where they have and allow chalk. I can tell already that I'm going to miss this place when I go back to Houston.

I hadn't worked out since I don't know when, so I tried to take things easy. I was also getting used to all different equipment and metric weights. So, no personal bests today. As before, the high rep sets completely kicked my ass. It took me a while to get my shower and get out of the gym because I was so exhausted and queezy.

In Metric:
Cardio - 2.4 kilometer brisk walk to gym
Squat - 20x10,10 40x10 60x10 80x10,4
Leg Press/Sissy Squat - 100x12 7 100x12 3
Decline Situp - 17 8
Calf Raise - 20x24 40x9
Cardio - 2.6 kilometer slow walk home

And now in stupid old English units:
Cardio - 1.5 mile brisk walk to gym
Squat - 44x10,10 88x10 132x10 176x10,4
Leg Press/Sissy Squat - 220x12 7 220x12 3
Decline Situp - 17 8
Calf Raise - 44x24 88x9
Cardio - 1.6 mile slow walk home

The walk to the gym is slightly up-hill because I'm starting near the River Corrib which is nearly at sea level.

Ahhh, squats at last. The last time I did squats was on the long flight from Chicago to Shannon. I went to the stewardess station and did body squats and sissy squats to keep from going stir-crazy. My squats today went well although my form was a little wiggly from being out of practice.

The leg press had two 50 kg plates on it and someone had written on them, "Do not remove." Ordinarily I'd warm up a bit lighter, but I ended up being OK jumping straight to 100 kg.

I felt good on my first set of situps, but not so good on the second. I suspect a pre-workout nutrition problem. I was starting to run out of gas.

There's only one calf machine in this gym. Not even the leg press machine will do. It's the one where you sit down on a seat and then raise a pad that rests on the knees. Not my favorite calf machine, but it did the trick. It seemed to work my tibia too. This machine was so old that the part that you put your foot on was a wooden log. No kidding!

The walk home was all down-hill. Hooray! I took a detour down Woodquay street to take a mental inventory of the pubs there. It's information I'll need for later...

[Stenn]

Well, I messed up. I started the week with a legs workout so I got to do today's workout with some significant DOMS.

Cardio - 1.5 mile brisk walk
BB Squat - 20x8,8 40x5 60x5 80x12,6 (176 lb working weight)
Misc. Flat Bench - Blah!
BB Press - 20x8 25x6,6 (55 lb working weight)
Dip - BWx5,2
Cardio - 1.5 mile slow walk

By the time I had walked to the gym, my DOMS was greatly relieved.

I felt much better than last time on my squats. I'm getting my rythem back. I did fewer warm-up reps and managed to get quite a few more working reps this time. Yay! Next time, I want to do a final warm-up set at 75kg. The 20kg jump to 80 is a bit much.

I sucked eggs on the bench today. It's been a long time since I've done upper body work because of my elbow. I started out with 22.5kg dumbells and did a couple of short sets. Then, I noticed that my new gym has my favorite bench machine, the iso-chest. They have it in both flat and inclined flavors. Cool! So, I did a couple of sets on the flat machine to find a good working weight for next time. I settled on 30kg.

The presses went well considering how long it's been since I've done them. The elbow gave me no trouble at all.

I didn't have much left in me for dips, but I gave it all I had.

I got rained on a lot during the walk home.

[dartol]

Cool, DOMS already! And with metric weights... LOL
Glad that you found a cool place to work out there.

Darren

[Stenn]

Cool, DOMS already! And with metric weights... LOL
Glad that you found a cool place to work out there.
Yeah, I've got DOMS to spare these days. That's what I get for taking such a long break. The house we're renting has two storeys and it's a bitch getting upstairs the day after legs day. I haven't decided what hurts the least, taking the steps one at a time or two at a time. :)

I LOVE metric weights. The bar weighs 20kg and the most common plates are: 20kg, 10kg, and 5kg. When I'm doing squats or deadlifts, I only mess with the 20 and 10kg plates. What could be simpler?

Here's how the weight progresses as I add plates to an English vs metric bar:
English: 45lb, 95lb, 135lb, 185lb, 225lb, 275lb, 315lb
Metric: 20kg, 40kg, 60kg, 80kg, 100kg, 120kg, 140kg

The only problem with metric weights is that when I (some day) brag to my buddies back home about deadlifting 140, they'll think I'm a limp-wristed fruitcake. :D

[Stenn]

Yippie, another rainy walk to the gym! I'm told by locals that this is the raniest summer they've ever seen in Ireland. This is after leaving one of the raniest seasons I've ever seen in Houston. What's up with this crazy planet?

When I got to the gym, Adrian and another guy were trying to set up a collapsable ladder to do some cleaning near the ceiling. They were having trouble setting up the ladder and I attempted to help but the ladder never did cooperate. I ended up getting oil on my hands which I was careful to wash off before doing my deadlifts.

Cardio - 2.0 miles brisk walk
Deadlift - 60x6,5 80x5 100x6,6
T-Bar Row - 10x12 20x12 30x12 40x7
Machine Shrug - 120x10,10 80x10
EZ-BB Curl - 10x12 15x12 20x9
Cardio - 1.5 miles brisk walk

I put in a medium effort on my deadlifts. I haven't done them in a while and I was working with all new equipment. For starters, there was chalk. I've never been in a gym that even allowed chalk much less make it available. So, I chalked up and got busy. Also, there's a mirror right in front of the Olympic lifting platform. I kept getting distracted and losing my count during sets as I admired/critiqued my form. I've decided on a working weight of 100kg for deadlifts. Let's see how long it takes me to do two 12 rep sets.

The t-bar row machine at this gym is as old as dirt and has a chest pad that you lay on. It worked great! No wonder they haven't thrown the thing out. They apparently lost the pins to adjust the pad height long ago and have replaced them with a couple of machine bolts welded to chains.

There's no shrug machine at this gym and their dumbells are a bit chaotic. They're all poorly labled and racked at random. But, I saw one of the old-timers use the iso chest machine for shrugs so I took the clue. The grip was a bit wide for shrugs, but it worked well enough. I tried to shrug as much as the old dude (120kg) and just about killed myself trying to get 12 reps. I did a final set at 80kg which seemed light. I'll settle on 100kg for now.

The curls went well. I had no trouble with the elbow. I need to be careful here, though. I'll stick with 15kg for now and do 3 sets of 12 reps if I have to. I DO NOT want to piss off my elbow again.

[BergMuscle]

Sounds like a great old gym - and a great workout. Enjoy the metrics, and the wonderful Irish weather. My sister-in-law lived there for 25 years and from what she told us gray rainy skies over green, green grass where what she saw just about everyday. :)

[Stenn]

Yeah, the new gym is great. They play some pretty cool music too. They have your usual high-energy, thumping gym music, but I've also heard Brazillian big-band and today they were playing some kind of airy, acoutical new-age stuff. Groovy! :cool:

I'm learning to tolerate the rain. I have a great rain jacket with a hood and shoes that can stand the occasional puddle. After a hard workout, the rain actually feels kinda good on the walk home.

[dartol]

Sounds like you are having fun over there. :)

And you got out of Houston just before the first hurricane chaos starts to begin... and the darn thing is not even in the Gulf yet! Holy cow.

I went to Sam's on the way home because I had to drop off a payment... I thought I would pick up some water while I was there and avoid the weekend crowd. And they were almost out of the sport bottles I usually buy already!

Then I stopped to fill up the diesel after that so I wouldn't have to fight lines later in the week if things got ugly... I got diesel but the station was out of gas. Madness. LOL

Darren

[Stenn]

I'm so glad to be missing that nonsense. Some of the panic is understandable considering the trouble caused by Rita and Katrina. However, I suspect the media of being a prime mover of public distress whenever there's a hurricane anywhere on our side of the planet. Every weatherman on TV harps for weeks on how deadly the storm is and its probability that it will strike their home town. In reality, no one realy knows where a storm will hit until it's just a day or two away and those few who die in hurricanes usually die in flood waters. So, if your property is secure and you're on high ground (and not below sea level like a damn fool) you'll probably be just fine.

To avoid the panic myself, I prepare well in advance and I ignore the TV weathermen. Instead, I get my storm info straight from the source, the National Hurricane Center, at www.nhc.noaa.gov.

Good luck Darren! I hope you're well prepared and on high ground. If you decide to evacuate, either leave very early or very late (24 hours before storm fall). Don't get stuck in the mass histeria that occurrs 2-3 days out.

[dartol]

Yep, exactly!

I do have flood insurance. As far as high ground, well I am in League City, I think I am good unless we take a 4 or 5 hit. At least I am on the west side of 45. :)

Yeah I definately won't be getting caught in the mass exit. I figured it was going to be bad for Rita... so I boarded up the house the night before. I finished at 2 AM with a neighbor's help and we hit the road at 3 AM. My daughter was almost a year old, I wasn't taking any chances getting stuck in traffic! We stopped at a motel in Conroe to get a little sleep and of course my daughter woke up about that time. Oh well, we made it to Dallas in good time anyway! :)

Oh and I always use noaa.gov as well. I like getting my info straight from the source!

Darren

[Stenn]

I wasn't taking any chances getting stuck in traffic!
Oh, man! Don't get me started...

When Rita was on the way, I was all for staying put. But, my wife paniked and threatened to take our daughter and leave without me. So, we all piled into the car and spent the entire fecking day sitting in traffic. We only got as far as Spring where we spent the night at the house of a friend of a friend. In the morning, I convinced my wife that we were no better off weathering the storm in Spring so we piled back into the car and were home in half an hour. What insanity!

Almost the same thing happened when I was kid. My father decided to evacuate our home in Corpus Christi. We barely got out of town when we finaly pulled over to sleep on the side of the road. In the morning, my father wisely decided that it would be better to weather the storm in the comfort of our own home than in the cab of his Ford pickup truck.

My home is on high ground. It's a good, strong house built in the 1930's when a 2x4 was a 2x4. It's seen many a storm and I'd rather be in it than elsewhere no matter what may come.

[Stenn]

I just got through reading Derek Charlebois' E-book, Bulking for Ectomorphs. It reinforced a lot of stuff I already knew and reiterated the importance of pre- and during workout nutrition. I've been noticing a lot of fatigue in my workouts lately which results in sluggishness on the bench as well as inability to focus or concentrate. Derek claims that low glucose levels are directly responsable for these symptoms. I agree. In Houston I was doing pretty good with my pre- and during workout shakes. In Ireland, I've been going to the gym with nothing but breakfast in my belly. That's about to change. I've got some whey and creatine on order and I'll pick up some BCAA, dextrose, and maltodextrin at the local health food store.

I also want to try Derek's meal replacement shake. It looks pretty good and will be a lot cheaper than ordering gainer powder from bb.com and having it shipped internationally.

By the way, I just did a huge order of supplements from bb.com and paid almost $90 to have it shipped to Galway. Doing this saved me $100 compared to ordering from the leading Irish on-line store and having the order shipped for free. Ain't that amazing!

[Stenn]

What an interesting morning. I got to the gym and found the free weights area packed with large young men all wearing the same colors. Adrien explained, "They're the South African team. They're playing a game in town and dropped by for a workout." I presume they were soccer players. "Oh, that's great!" I replied, while thinking, "How in the heck am I going to get in a workout with a whole freakin' team of guys here?" I sat quietly at the edge of the gym until I saw a clear path to the power rack and made my move...

The South Africans turned out to be a friendly bunch. We jostled around each other and occasionaly got in each other's way, but all in good spirits. I managed to catch a testosterone contact high and put in a stellar performance on my squats.

I was hoping to come to the gym with a during-workout drink. But, when I went to local health food store my conversation with the proprietor went like this, "Do you have dextrose?" "No." "How about maltodextrine." "No." "Waxy maize starch?" "No." They did have BCAA though, but at a price fit for a king.

Cardio - 2.4km brisk walk to gym
Squat - 20x10 40x5 60x5 70x5 80x12,7 (176 lb working weight)
Iso-Chest - 20x10 40x5 60x10,4 (132 lb)
BB Press - 20x5 25x9,6 (55 lb)
Dip - BWx3,3
Cardio - 2.4km brisk walk home

I blasted through my warm-up sets of squats pretty quickly because I didn't want to appear to be loafing in the midst of all that South African activity. I finaly got 12 reps on my first working set. I didn't actually fail after 7 reps on my second set. It just seemed wise to stop at seven because my form was getting too sloppy.

I tried to keep my elbows in and my grip narrow on the iso-chest machine. I think that might be better for my elbow and shoulders.

The presses went great, but not great enough. I'll stick at 25kg.

Dips were a joke. Due to the South African effect, I had quickly blasted through my workout and didn't have much gas left for dips. I did what I could and got the hell out. In hind-sight, I should have done negatives by jumping up and lowering myself down. Next time...

[dartol]

Oh, man! Don't get me started...

When Rita was on the way, I was all for staying put. But, my wife paniked and threatened to take our daughter and leave without me. So, we all piled into the car and spent the entire fecking day sitting in traffic. We only got as far as Spring where we spent the night at the house of a friend of a friend. In the morning, I convinced my wife that we were no better off weathering the storm in Spring so we piled back into the car and were home in half an hour. What insanity!

Almost the same thing happened when I was kid. My father decided to evacuate our home in Corpus Christi. We barely got out of town when we finaly pulled over to sleep on the side of the road. In the morning, my father wisely decided that it would be better to weather the storm in the comfort of our own home than in the cab of his Ford pickup truck.

My home is on high ground. It's a good, strong house built in the 1930's when a 2x4 was a 2x4. It's seen many a storm and I'd rather be in it than elsewhere no matter what may come.

Yeah I can't think of a reason to evacuate if you are north of BW-8 on the south side. The only reason I would leave would be for fear of flooding. My house is in the Cat 4 or 5 flood plane, not sure which.



Dips were a joke. Due to the South African effect, I had quickly blasted through my workout and didn't have much gas left for dips. I did what I could and got the hell out. In hind-sight, I should have done negatives by jumping up and lowering myself down. Next time...

Nice workout! I found myself unable to do dips at all after my chest workout, so I have done negatives. The dip machine is good at that point too. :)

Darren

[Stenn]

Nice workout! I found myself unable to do dips at all after my chest workout, so I have done negatives. The dip machine is good at that point too. :)
Good thinking! I'm pretty sure I saw an assisted dip machine at the new gym. Another good option would be bench dips. There's more than one way to skin a cat, eh? (Not that I'd ever skin a cat. There ain't much meat on 'em.)

[widebody195]

[QUOTE=sytennison;70743443]I just got through reading Derek Charlebois' E-book, Bulking for Ectomorphs. It reinforced a lot of stuff I already knew and reiterated the importance of pre- and during workout nutrition. I've been noticing a lot of fatigue in my workouts lately which results in sluggishness on the bench as well as inability to focus or concentrate. Derek claims that low glucose levels are directly responsable for these symptoms. I agree. In Houston I was doing pretty good with my pre- and during workout shakes. In Ireland, I've been going to the gym with nothing but breakfast in my belly. That's about to change. I've got some whey and creatine on order and I'll pick up some BCAA, dextrose, and maltodextrin at the local health food store.
QUOTE]

Hey, I just read that book too. Great minds thinking alike, again! Good tips. I followed his advice and started taking whey immediately after the workout (like, in the locker room). Sounds like you've got a challenge with the supplement thing. I feel for you. Anyway, be sure to stock up on your trips back to the US.

[Stenn]

Hey, I just read that book too. Great minds thinking alike, again! Good tips. I followed his advice and started taking whey immediately after the workout (like, in the locker room).
Yeah, I learned a little about post-workout nutrition way before I was into weight lifting. A guy I knew who was a dietician told me, "Always eat something after you exercise. It gives your body something to repair itself with." He went on to recommend eating a bagel. Not exactly what I'd recommend today, but he had the general idea. These days, I don't leave the gym till the whey shake is down.

Sounds like you've got a challenge with the supplement thing. I feel for you. Anyway, be sure to stock up on your trips back to the US.
My supplement situation just took a turn for the better. Yesterday I received about 50 lb of stuff that I ordered from bb.com. It only took 5 days! I know have a few month's worth of the basics at a fraction of the cost if I had purchased them in Ireland.

I accidently walked past an genuine, dedicated sport nutrition store yesterday near the town square so I just had to check the place out in spite of my wife's protests. They had lots of name-brand stuff, but at incredibly high prices. I asked the woman at the register about dextrose, maltodextrin, and waxy maize starch and got a series of clueless looks from her. My summary impression of Ireland and supplements is that:

Lots of places have them.
They're very expensive.
No one knows what they do.

To be fair, the Galway City Gym sells supplements. They're probably as expensive as everyone else (been afraid to ask) but I'll bet they know what they do.

[Stenn]

Oops, I was supposed to log this workout yesterday when it actually happened. Oh well...

My wife came with me to Galway Ciy Gym and got in her first workout in Ireland. Since she was just testing the place out, they let her in for free. I showed her around the place and how to use a few of the machines. Then, I headed over to the lifting platform and got busy.

Cardio - 2.5k brisk walk to the gym
Deadlift - 60x5,5 80x5 90x5 100x9,7
T-Bar Row - 10x5 20x5 30x12,12
Shrug - 100x12,12
EZBar Curl - 15x12,12,12
Cardio - 2.5k moderate walk home

The deadlifts went great! Before starting, I replaced the new bar and it's aggressive knurling with the old, worn-out bar with smoothed over knurling. I didn't want to be running a 100kg cheese grater over my shins. I came away with a pair of bloody shins in spite of the switch. I didn't get all the reps I wanted, but if you multiply the weight lifted by the number of reps, I managed to lift 3,050kg (6,710 lb). That's gotta count for something!

As I did the T-bar rows, one of the staff members offered my wife a whip to ensure I put my best effort into it. I got all my reps so next time I'll do 35kg.

Shrugs went good too. I got all my reps, but the last ones weren't pretty. I think I'll add another set instead of upping the weight.

The 15kg curls ended up being a walk in the park. I'll try 20kg next time. I'm assuming that the Olympic EZ bar weighs 10kg. That seems to make sense considering a regular Olympic bar weighs 20kg.

[Stenn]

Oh man, what a great legs workout today! Let's cut to the chase...

Cardio - 2.5k moderate walk to gym
BB Squat - 20x5,5 40x5 60x5 70x5 80x12,12 (176 lb working sets)
Leg Press/Sissy Squat - 100x5 120x12 5 120x12 4 (264 lb)
Decline Situp - 14,8
Calf Raise - 40x13,13 (88 lb)
Cardio - 2.8k moderate walk home

I was absolutely IN THE ZONE with my squats today. Right when I started my second working set, the gym started playing Maynard Ferguson's Gonna Fly Now on the sound system. There was no way I wasn't going to get all my reps with that kind of encouragement! So, I did! Bam! Next time, I'll do it all again at 90kg.

On the leg press I was starting out with a serious burn from the squats. Even so, I managed to get all my reps anyway. For each rep, I let the weight down slow and then drove it up as hard as I could. Things got a little noisy toward the end. After each working set, I did my sissy squats to failure. It didn't take many. Next time, I'm throwing 140kg onto the press.

I made a fairly decent showing on the decline situps considering how depleted I was after the squats and presses.

I didn't realy get all that enthusiastic with the calf raises. I just don't care for this gym's calf machine. After my workout while I was convalescing and forcing down a protein shake, I saw a guy do standing calf raises on the smith machine using a little portable platform. I think I'll try that next time.

[dartol]

I didn't realy get all that enthusiastic with the calf raises. I just don't care for this gym's calf machine. After my workout while I was convalescing and forcing down a protein shake, I saw a guy do standing calf raises on the smith machine using a little portable platform. I think I'll try that next time.

Nice as usual! Another option might be calf raises on the leg press machine, but that does not let you go 'negative' and really get the stretch. The platform and smith sounds like a good setup.

Darren

[Stenn]

Nice as usual! Another option might be calf raises on the leg press machine...
Thanks!

Ya know, I thought about using the leg press, but for some reason I ruled it out. I forget why. I'll have to take another look at that leg press. Even if it still looks problematic, I just found that there's another leg press among the stacked-weight machines. Maybe that one'll work better.

[Stenn]

I've been logging my workouts using Excel on my PDA/Phone thingy, but today the stupid thing crapped out on me. So, this workout description will lack some details. I guess it's time to get a pencil and notebook and stop acting like such a computer geek at the gym.

In the changing room after my workout, a gentleman struck up a conversation about trouble he's had getting supplements into Ireland. He had some DHEA shipped to him and it didn't make it through customs. One customs guy he talked to said that creatine might get banned in Ireland too. Apparently it's aready banned in France. WTF?

I struck a pose or two in the locker room while no one was around and had one of those, "Damn!" experiences. I looked pretty good! Nothing like a good chest and tricep pump to show off the meat on your bones.

Cardio - 2.5km quick walk to the gym.
BB Squat - 20x5,5 40x5 60x5 80x5 90x12,10 (198 lb working weight)
Iso-Chest/Pushup - 20x5 40x5 60x12 8 60x5 Dropsets down to 20kg (132 lb working weight)
DB Pullover - light x 10 heavy x 10,10,10
Cable Tricep Push-down - Lots of these...
Cardio - 2.5km slow walk home.

Wow, I can't believe I got through as many squats as I did considering I had just increased my weight from 80 to 90kg. Awsome! I failed in the hole on the 2nd set so I let the pins take the bar and plopped my ass onto the floor. Power racks can be very comfortable places to relax if you're in the right mental/physical state. :D

Not much to say about the bench presses. I never seem to feel my pecs when I bench press. Maybe it's time to get back into flys. I was peased to be able to do more than just a few pushups after my first working set. I didn't try pushups after the second working set to avoid making a fool of myself while trying to do 1 pushup. Instead, I started peeling off 10kg plates to do a few drop sets.

Since I didn't have my log, I decided to have a play day and wandered over to a bench to do pullovers which I haven't done in many months. The dumbells weren't labeled so I had to choose my weight by looks alone.

Another thing I hadn't done in a while were tricep push-downs. I found a vacant cable station and went to town. I started heavy and did drop sets down to light. Then I switched my grip from over-hand to under-hand and kept going. The light weight was refreshing enough that I was able to go back to over-hand and ramped the weight back up till I finally got bored and headed to the locker room with my massively pumped triceps.

[Stenn]

My phone/PDA thingy started working again so I'm back to logging my workouts like a computer geek. Yippie! :)

I went to a pub last night, had a couple of pints of Guiness, and got to talk with the local folks about everything from stupid sports announcers to world politics. Unfortunately, I felt like crap in the morning. A couple of pints in Ireland is not the same as a couple of beers in America. The long walk to the gym helped to clear my head and had me ready for some good work.

After you read my reps below, you know what I mean when I say, "It was a 12-8 kind of day."

Cardio - 2.5k quick walk to gym.
BB Deadlift - 60x5,5 80x5 90x5 100x12,8
T-bar Row - 10x5 20x5 30x5 35x12,8
Machine Shrug - 100x12,12,8
EZBar Curl - 15x12,12,20+cheaters
Cardio - 2.5k moderate walk home.

To get more deadlifts per set, I tried taking several deep breaths between my last few reps to get me through the set. This only helped a little because pausing between deadlifts is NOT very relaxing. I failed on my second set but felt like I put in a pretty good effort. I think I'll get all my reps at 100kg soon as I figure out how to breath better during long sets.

I need to drop the 10kg set of T-bar rows. It's so light that it's not even a warm-up, especially after deadlifts.

This was my first time trying to get three sets of shrugs. I almost got it!

15kg on curls is way below my ability, but I forced myself to slap two teeny-weenie 2.5kg plates onto the bar in the hopes of sparing the tendons in my elbows. It seemed to work and I was able to milk that 15kg for all it was worth by doing short rests between sets and then doing cheater reps after a super-long third set. If my elbows still feel good tomorrow, I'll up the weight to 20kg next time.

Before walking home, my wife and I ate at the restaurant across the parking lot from the gym. They were still serving breakfast and one of the specials was scrambled eggs and salmon. Perfect! :D

[Stenn]

The Galway City Gym has lots of pictures and trophies around the walls and in display cases. I hadn't studied them much till the other day when I noticed a familiar body up on the wall. It was an autographed photo of Lou Ferrigno made out to Galway City Gym. Hot damn! So, now I'm looking with more interest at the photos. Today, I saw one of a former mayor of Galway City. It looks a lot like a younger version of one of the guys who runs the gym and who was doing 300+ lb deadlifts today. Interesting...

I bought a bicycle yesterday. I've been getting tired of it taking all day to get places and my feet have been killing me at times. Not fun! So, today I rode to the gym instead of walking since my wife wasn't going with me. I got to the gym in, like, 10 minutes.

Cardio - 2.5km quick, up-hill bicycle ride to gym
BB Squat - 20x10,5 40x5 60x5 80x5 90x10,8 (198 lb working weight)
Leg Press/Sissy Squat - 100x5 120x5 140x12 5 140x12 3 (308 lb)
Decline Sit-up - 18,9
Smith Machine Calf Press - 20,17+,15+
Cardio - 2.5km slow coast home

I did 12 and 10 reps the last time I squatted 90kg so you can imagine my frustration at getting just 10 and 8 today. Two sets of sub-par squats to failure is not a pleasant way to start a workout. My concentration and form were both crappy due to a slightly grumpy middle back. To top it off, there was a young guy doing high-weight box squats to my right and there was an old guy doing 300+ lb deadlifts to my left. I just wanted to crawl off somewhere and suck my thumb.

There was no thumb sucking on the leg press. I got all my reps and still had a little umph left over for a few sissy squats between working sets. I guess I gotta bump it up to 160kg next time.

I made a decent show on the situps getting a few more reps than last time.

I tried a new and wonderful way to tourture my calves today. I stood on the edge of a small wooden platform placed under the bar of a smith machine. I started out with just the bar weight but that ended up being enough for some blazing high-rep sets. Toward the ends of my 2nd and 3rd sets, I did bouncy reps. That is, I'd bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce my way up and then bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce my way down. I hobbled off to the men's room with calves that looked like they belonged on an over-weight high school gym coach.

[Stenn]

Blah, calf DOMS! I took two naps in a row today just to avoid having to come downstairs. I wish there was a refridgerator up here...

[dartol]

Blah, calf DOMS! I took two naps in a row today just to avoid having to come downstairs. I wish there was a refridgerator up here...

YEAH, calf DOMS! :)

Darren

[Stenn]

Damn, I can't believe my calves are still so friggin' sore!

My wife and I walked to the gym together today. I went to the men's room, got changed, and when I walked out my wife was waiting for me and looking out into the free-weights area. "Have fun playing with the other boys!" she said, and walked away. I looked into the free-weights area and there were two young, tattooed, slabs of meat crashing around over there. I didn't mind, though. They were in isolation mode and all I wanted was the power rack.

As I was doing my squats, there was another guy over on the Olympic lifting platorm doing, of all things, Olympic lifts. We chatted a little bit. He's a competitor, but there's not much interest in Olympic lifting in Ireland right now. Watching his form gave me some good pointers that I hope to use for my deads and power cleans later.

Cardio - 2.28km walk to gym (according to my new pedometer)
BB Squat - 20x5,5 40x5 60x5 80x5 90x11,7
Iso-Chest - 20x5 40x5 60x11,4
BB Press - 20x5 25x12,9
Dip/Tricep Push-down - (See Below)
Cardio - 3.22km walk home

I've been getting a bit wiggly on my squats lately so today's motto was, "Focus on the form and let the wieght take care of itself." I did better than last time, but still not as good as before. Mr. Olympic lifter surprised me by spotting for me and giving a light assist on my last couple of reps while offering words of encouragement such as, "Come on, drive it up!" I thanked him and he replied, "I know what it's like being a small guy in a big guy's gym." Sure enough, he and I were the smallest guys in the gym.

The chest presses were, like, whatever... I need a better chest routine. Presses and dips alone aren't doing it for me. I need to add pullovers and flys.

The BB presses went great! Mr. Olympic's moves all ended in presses over the head and I was inspired by his form. However, I did not try to replicate his collar-to-collar grip. Although it's not that impressive to lift a bar with a 2.5kg plate dangling from each end, my form in the mirror looked great and I felt great.

I met my wife over at the assisted dip machine where she and I traded sets. Each of my sets were drop-sets. When I pooped out on dips, I went next-door to the tricep push-down machine and started all over again. I got me a nice pump.

[Hibiscus09]

Nice workout!! :) I feel like I haven't visited you in a while and there's no reason except I'm not keeping up well! :p

It was nice of the guy to spot you. I really appreciate a spot when I squat and there is hardly ever anyone in my gym that would have a clue as to squat spotting.

I hope you guys enjoyed the walk to the gym and back also!

Happy Labor Day!!

[Stenn]

Thanks for dropping by Hibi. It's always a pleasure to hear from you.

The spot on squats was an unexpected pleasure. I don't know how he did it, but he was somehow able to give me an assist on my last couple of reps without getting in the way or throwing me off balance. I guess I should look into how that's done so that I can offer a spot to someone else some day.

The walks to the gym with my wife are a mixed blessing. I enjoy spending time with her, but it can be a challenge when she wants to talk about "The Relationship" when all I want to do is get mentally geared up for the battle under the squat bar. :)

[Stenn]

I just got back from a bicycle ride to the central post office to pick up some packages. We keep missing the mail carrier at our house because he instinctively shows up when my wife and I are at the gym. It's happened four times now and I'm begining to suspect a conspiracy...

The trip to the central post office from my house is 4.9km (3 miles) and I tend to be an agressive bicycler; charging up hills, hopping curbs, and using speed bumps as jumping ramps. So, for the first time in months, I got some significant cardiovascular exercise. Whew! I'm glad I got THAT out of the way. :)

[Stenn]

I'm tired all the time,
all of my muscles are sore all the time,
I'm having a hard time sleeping,
my upper back is starting to feel cranky,
I think I may be catching a cold.

Can you say, "overtrained?"

It's time to shift gears again. I'm done with the 12-rep routine. I'm going to take a couple of slack days at the gym, maybe even skip a day, and come up with a new program. Two options I've been considering are going back to the Rippetoe workout or getting into HST.

I like Rippetoe for the simplicity and quick strength gains, but doing squats three times a week and deads 1 or two times a week will likely get me overtrained again in a hurry. HST is cool in that it involves starting with high reps and low weights and working toward low reps and high weight and has rest and de-loading built in. What I don't like about HST is that it has you doing full-body workouts three days a week.

I dunno... I'll have to think about this some more.

[Stenn]

As promised, I mostly took it easy on this workout. The old guy I always see at the gym asked me how I was doing. I said, "I'm overtrained!" and he knew exactly what I was talking about. It turns out that the old guy is named Cliam (or was that Liam?) He's 74 years old and competes in powerlifting. I had just done deadlifts when he told me that he does his deadlifting on Tuesdays. I asked him how much he lifted and he said, "Oh, about 150kg." That puts his off-season, just-keeping-in-shape weight about 30 lb heavier than my personal best.

There was another elder gentleman at the gym who had just finished busting ass on the trap bar when he gave an enthusiastic grunt. Liam, who was relaxing on a bench, grunted back in response. This started a grunting contest which left me laughing out loud between sets of rows. :)

Toward the end of my workout a young, tattoed guy showed up and started his deadlifts. He worked his way up to doing multiple-rep sets of 180kg (almost 400 lb) but his form sucked. He started his lifts with his ass way in the air and his back almost horizontal. As he lifted, his lower back was hunched over till he got the weight up past his knees. Then he'd jocky the weight up the rest of the way by bouncing and shruging. I hope to some day lift that much weight, but not that way.

Sorry about the inacurate logging. That's what happens when I'm just messing around.

Cardio - 2.5km brisk walk to the gym.
BB Deadlift - 60x5,5 80x5 100x5 120x5 (264 lb working weight)
DB Row - I have no idea.
Misc. Shrug - 90kg, 40kg, 80kg
EZBar Curl - 3 sets at 20kg
Cardio - 2.5km moderate walk home.

I stayed super-vigilant about my deadlift form because I didn't want to upset my upper back. Even though I was supposed to take it easy, I couldn't help but try a set at 120kg and was surprised at how easy that weight came up even though it's only 36 lb away from my personal best.

The weights of the dumbells are hard to tell at this gym so I just grabbed whatever looked good and got going with my rows. I did sets of 5 and they messed with my elbows a little. Damn! I guess I should stick to T-bar rows.

The shrug machine was occuppied so I had to improvise. I tried to do DB shrugs but I couldn't find my straps so it was useless since I couldn't hold on to enough weight. I did a set with a couple of 20kg plates, but that was way too light. Finaly, the shrug machine opened up and I got in a couple of good sets there.

I put in a pretty good effort on the curls. I need to up the weight again. We'll see if my tendons can handle 25kg.

[widebody195]

I hear you about the overtraining. Although judging from your deadlifts, it looks like you can still hit 'em heavy for a while.

[Stenn]

I hear you about the overtraining. Although judging from your deadlifts, it looks like you can still hit 'em heavy for a while.
Yeah, it was fun yesterday going for that extra 20kg, but today I feel like I've been rolled downhill in a barrel. :( I plan to go to the gym tomorrow, but I need to try very hard to stay away from the squats and deadlifts. Just for one day... :)

[Stenn]

Toward the end of my workout a young, tattoed guy showed up and started his deadlifts. He worked his way up to doing multiple-rep sets of 180kg (almost 400 lb) but his form sucked. He started his lifts with his ass way in the air and his back almost horizontal. As he lifted, his lower back was hunched over till he got the weight up past his knees. Then he'd jocky the weight up the rest of the way by bouncing and shruging. I hope to some day lift that much weight, but not that way.
Ok, I just spent the entire morning reading and watching videos about deadlifting. (I'm such a party animal...) Here's what I've learned:

1. Ass way in the air ain't necessarily a problem. It all depends on an individual's body. The key points to starting position are to keep the bar at the shins, the back straight, and the scapula over the bar.
2. A hunched lower back still doesn't seem right to me, but there are guys out there lifting some scarry-huge weights with rounded lower backs. Who am I to argue with them?
3. Bouncing and shruging the weight up is just plain wrong in my opinion.

It wasn't very honorable of me to rag on another lifter's form behind their back, but at least it inspired me to learn a little more. I hope next time to do the learning without the ragging.

[Hibiscus09]

Some of the powerlifters at my old gym rounded their lower back while deadlifting and they deadlifted scary amounts of weights. They also ended up having some major back issues.

Here's a good article on them which also discusses what you're describing -- see issue #5:

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1582703

This article also says rounding the lower back is a problem:

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459744

Happy Friday!

[Stenn]

Here's a good article on them which also discusses what you're describing -- see issue #5:

http://www.t-nation.com/readArticle.do?id=1582703
Wow, I've only just read issue #1 and I've already learned a very valuable lesson. Now I know how I'll spend the rest of my day. I've been in bed with a cold, sucking down liquids and reading up on Rippetoe, squats, and deadlifts. Thanks Hibi, you really know how to make laying around in bed an enjoyable and educational experience. :)

--Edit--

Ok, I just got to #5. I had to watch the video several times before I understood what I was seeing. Eric was rounding his thoracic spine, which he claims is OK for some people. But, when I see a rounded thoracic spine, it makes it hard for me to tell if the lumbar spine is correct. So, I could be mis-judging lifts because of that. Still, weather it's visable or not, rounding the lumbar spine is definately a no-no.

[Stenn]

This article also says rounding the lower back is a problem:

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=459744
Good stuff! Again, rounding the lower back is a no-no. Sadly, this article by Dave Tate directly contradicts Mark Rippetoe's teaching on a couple of points.

Mark says: Start with the shoulders in front of the bar (scapula over the bar).
Dave says: (repeatedly) Start with the shoulders behind the bar.

Mark says: Start with the bar on the shins.
Dave says: It depends on your body type. Skinny yes, big no/maybe.

Well, I'm sticking with the bar on my shins because I'm nowhere near big. As far as the shoulder issue goes, I'll have to experiment.

[Hibiscus09]

I'm glad you enjoyed. Rest up and get better this weekend!!

[SR800]

I can't think that much when I am dead lifting, i just generally try not to fart to loud on my first heavy set:D

[Stenn]

I can't think that much when I am dead lifting, i just generally try not to fart to loud on my first heavy set:D
Yeah, me too. I do all my thinking out of the gym and during my warm-up sets. But, when it's time to lift the heavy stuff my brain shuts down and about all I can do is lift and count. My brain doesn't turn back on till I'm walking home from the gym which is why I keep forgetting soap, razors, etc. in the shower. :)

[Stenn]

I've decided that my next workout program will be Rippetoe. I was hesitant to go back to Rippetoe because it's essentially a beginner's program with full-body workouts. After 2+ years of lifting, it's possible that I'm not a beginner anymore. FB workouts are great for beginners because they can't lift more weight in a session than they can recover from in a day or two. But, a person on Rippetoe starts to bog down as the weights go up because there's not enough time to recover from the increased work. I may be close to that point, but I want to try just to make sure. The allure of fast strength gains is too great for me to not try. :D

I think I can make progress with Rippetoe because of a comparison I made between the weekly workload of my current program and what my workload would be under Rippetoe. The workload (reps x sets x weight) of my current program is 13,112 lb when you just look at the squats and deadlifts. The workload at my PBs on a Rippetoe program would be 13,613 lb. So, even though I'd be squatting three times a week and deadlifting 1.5 times a week, the workload wouldn?t be that much different from what I'm already doing.

The last time I did Rippetoe, I didn't know about deloading. When I stalled on a weight, I just kept banging my head against the bar until either I gave up, injured myself or prevailed. After reading kethnaab's thread (http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=998224), I've found that there's a better way. The trick is to lower the weight by 10% and then start over. After doing this a couple of times, there are other deloading strategies for keeping the program going. So, I'm looking forward trying Rippetoe again now that I?m armed with new knowledge.

Here's the program:

Workout A
Squat: 3 sets of 5
Bench Press: 3 sets of 5
Deadlift: 1 set of 5
Bicep Curl: 3 sets of 12

Workout B
Squat: 3 sets of 5
BB Press: 3 sets of 5
Pendlay Row: 3 sets of 5
Decl. Situp: 3 sets of 12

This is not exactly how I did Rippetoe in the past. I'm doing BB bench press instead of DB bench presses because I'm now at a gym with reliable spotters. This will be huge for me. I've avoided the classic bench press because I got tired of getting stuck under the bar.

On kethnaab's recommendation, I?m substituting Pendlay rows for power cleans. I love power cleans, but their function in the original program was to add "explosive" power to my athletic performance. I'm not exploding much these days, but I could benefit from a little extra back work if my elbows will tolerate it. I'm hoping that my elbows will be happier with Pendlay rows than regular rows because of the rest pause between reps. If not, it's back to power cleans.

The bicep curls are a carry-over from my previous program. I hadn't done curls in months because of my elbows until I started doing them with high reps and low weights. I can't give up my curls, dude. I want my gunz! ;) The situps are there because, well, why not?

Allrighty, that's enough thinking. Let's start lifting!

[Stenn]

As promised, here's my first Rippetoe workout in my new program.

BB Squat: 20x5,5 40x5 60x3 80x2 90x5,5,5 (198 lb working weight)
BB Bench Press: 20x5,5 40x5 50x5,5,5 (110 lb)
BB Deadlift: 60x5 80x5 100x4 120x4 140x5 (308 lb, a new PB!)
EZ Curl: 25x12,12,12 (55 lb)

Squats were no trouble. I tried a narrower grip with my hands but it felt very uncomfortable so I gave up. Need to increase the weight for next time.

There were four of us in the pit and everyone wanted to do bench press. Go figure. :rolleyes: I waited a while and then grabbed the 10kg dumbells to do my 20kg warm up sets. Finally, a bench opened up and I dove for it. Got all my reps and will be upping the weight for next time.

I was planning on doing 120kg as my working weight on deads but, at 100kg, the testosterone took over and I decided to make a run for 140kg. It was pretty stupid of me to make a 20kg (44 lb) jump to my working weight, but I seem to have gotten away with it. 140kg = 308 lb = new PB for me. :) The first four reps went up like fluffy clouds. The last one was a squeaker, but not unmanagable. Looks like I gotta up the weight. Man, I can't wait to do deads again! Woo hoo! :D

I sorta got all my curl reps. They were good, honest rep for the first two sets. The last set was half honest, half cheaters. I think I'll stick at 25kg for now. I'm not doing the Rippetoe progression on my curls.

[SR800]

Going to the EZ curl bar cured all of my elbow problems. Now I use it for all my curling and reverse curling movements.

[Stenn]

Going to the EZ curl bar cured all of my elbow problems. Now I use it for all my curling and reverse curling movements.
I'm glad to hear it. Hopefully the EZ bar will be kind to my elbows as well. I'm also using an open-handed grip on my curls and that seems to help too.

[Stenn]

Well, I felt pretty good starting out this morning, but as I walked to the gym I realized that I'm not completely over my cold. I didn't feel terrible, just not great. My workout went fine, I just wish I could have enjoyed it more.

Cardio: 2.5km walk to gym.
BB Squat: 20x5 40x5 60x5 80x3 90x2 95x5,5,5 (209 lb working weight)
BB Press: 20x5 25x5 30x5,5,5 (66 lb)
Pendlay Row: 60x1 40x5 50x5,5 (110 lb)
Decl. Situp: 12, 12, 12
Cardio: 2.5km walk home.

Squats went fine although my form wasn't as good as it could have been. I actually twisted a little on one rep. Wierd... I'll go for 100kg next time which will put me within 30 lb of my PB. I think I'm gonna start wearing my belt at 100kg (220 lb), just in case.

Presses went great. I think I started too light on this one. Next time, 35kg.

I tried my first rep of Pendlay rows at 60kg and my right elbow said, "NO!" I backed off to 40kg and that seemed ok. 50kg was good too. I think I'll stick at 50kg for next time.

The situps were too easy so next time I'm gonna grab a 5kg plate and see how much trouble that causes.

[Hibiscus09]

Nice job! :) Maybe that workout made the rest of that cold sweat out of you.

Happy Wednesday!!

[Stenn]

Nice job! :) Maybe that workout made the rest of that cold sweat out of you.

Happy Wednesday!!

Thanks Hibi! You may be right about the sweat. I do feel better now.

[Stenn]

On a lark I decided to try out Fitday on-line. I haven't been logging my calories for months and usually when that happens my caloric intake goes right into the toilet because of my inherent dislike of eating. But, I've been working hard in the gym lately and eating just about everything sight. Here's how today's intake (after diner) broke down on Fitday:

Calories: 3715
Protein: 324 (37%, 1.8g/pound of bodyweight)
Carbs: 434 (44%)
Fat: 75 (19%)

What a pleasant surprise! I'm not starving myself, I'm getting plenty of protein, and my fat intake is reasonable. My largest source of fat is from whole eggs. How did I accidently end up eating so well? :)

I'm not that impressed with Fitday so I'm going to continue to use CalorieKing. Or, I may just continue with my "eat everything in sight" plan and see where that takes me. I'm getting tired of being stuck just shy of 180!

[Stenn]

While getting dressed in the locker room today an older gentleman, Paddy, told me that he was just 5 weeks past having two stints put into his heart. This was his first day back at the gym for some lite cardio. I opened my bag and, much to my dismay, found that I had forgotten to bring my gym shorts. Paddy happily offered me his sweat pants and I gratefully accepted them. "Just give 'em to Clem when you're done." he said. (The guy I thought was named Liam is actually named Clem.) So, I did all of today's workout in Paddy's pants. :)

Mr. Olympic lifter was there again and we chatted a bit. There was also a young, novice powerlifter who was overly willing to give me advice on how to deadlift and how to pace my training. It was nice of him to offer advice, but he's a competitive powerlifter and I'm not. Also, he just wouldn't shut up. Finally he turned to Clem and said, "Two times a week deadlifting is too much, don't you think?" Clem asked me, "Are you competing?" I said, "No." Clem said to Mr. Powerlifter, "Ah, he's fine, leave 'em alone."

After my deadlifts, Mr. Olympic told me that my form looked good. "You have a good, strong arch in your back." This was great news. I haven't had any feedback on my deadlifting form in about 100 lb. I take Mr. Olympic's opinion seriously because he lifts like a machine. His speed, power, and precision are mesmerising.

Cardio: 2.5km walk to gym.
BB Squat: 20x5,5 40x5 80x5 90x3 95x2 100x5,5,5 (220 lb working weight)
BB Bench Press: 20x5,5 40x5 50x3 55x5,5,5 (121 lb)
BB Deadlift: 60x5 80x5 100x5 120x5 130x3 145x2 (319 lb)
EZBar Curl: 25x12,12,12 (55 lb)
Cardio: 2.5km walk home.

Squats today were not much trouble. Mr. Olympic congratulated me on my depth and form. He said that the toes out stance was a more compete exercise of the leg and that it's what you see in Olympic lifting. I wore my belt on the work sets and got all my reps so next time it'll be 105kg.

I got all my sets and reps on bench today without much trouble. Next time, I'll do 60kg. The guy on the next bench was straining and lifting his feet off the floor. This got Clem's attention and he gave the boy a good, fatherly lecture.

I started getting light-headed half way through my deadlifting warmup and I wished that I had eaten a banana or something on the walk to the gym. I was running out of gas fast. I skipped my last warm-up set of 140kg and jumped straight to 145 while I still had some tiger in my tank. My second rep went up way too slow. I could hear, "Come on!" in the background. On the third rep I let out a gasp and dropped onto the floor. Clem said, "Ah, ya gotta let out a roar!" After a rest I tried again, but that bar wasn't going anywhere till I took the plates off. The tiger had left the tank.

I was very strong on the curls and got all my sets and reps. I put a little back into my last reps, but not enough to feel like I cheated. Next time, 30kg.

[dartol]

I'm not that impressed with Fitday so I'm going to continue to use CalorieKing. Or, I may just continue with my "eat everything in sight" plan and see where that takes me. I'm getting tired of being stuck just shy of 180!

Hey man! Check out sparkpeople.com too. I have tried all three and settled on sparkpeople. It is really designed as a whole integrated food/workout/chatboard type thing but I like the way it logs things and you can set up your own daily goals for fat/protein/carbs/whatever.

Awesome work on the deadlifts! I am going to add regular deadlifts to my routine soon. I am really liking SLDLs but those have a different purpose.

My Rippetoe books should show up soon!!! :D

Darren

[Stenn]

Hey man! Check out sparkpeople.com too. I have tried all three and settled on sparkpeople. It is really designed as a whole integrated food/workout/chatboard type thing but I like the way it logs things and you can set up your own daily goals for fat/protein/carbs/whatever.
Thanks Darren, I'll give it a look. I could use an alternative.

I don't like CalorieKing because it assumes you're eating Breakfast, Lunch, Diner and two snacks. It gives sub-totals on the meals which is great. That allows me to see macronutients on a per-meal basis. But, five meals a day isn't enough. I need 6 to 8.

Fitday just lumps all your food into one list so I can't see macronutrients per meal. Not cool. Also, I prefer CalorieKing's food database. It seems a bit more organized, complete, and easy to search.

Awesome work on the deadlifts! I am going to add regular deadlifts to my routine soon. I am really liking SLDLs but those have a different purpose.

My Rippetoe books should show up soon!!! :D
I'm excited for you, man! I can't wait to see those rapidly raising deadlift numbers!

[Stenn]

I saw Paddy in the locker room today and thanked him again for loaning me his pants on Friday. I told him that I was able to deadlift 145kg in them and he was suitably amazed.

Between squat sets in the power rack, I saw a tall guy next to me in the squat rack doing some kind of over-head presses with 60-80kg. On one rep, he locked the weight out too far back and needed to take a step backward, and then two, then three, four... I watched in horror and said, "Uh oh..." as he backed into the deadlifting platform and dumped the weight over his back and onto the floor. Thank God no one was in the way. I couldn't help but think that I was deadlifting on that very platform last Friday while someone was doing over-head stuff in the squat rack. I can't imagine what it would be like to have some bozo dump a bar on my back while I was pulling.

Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk to gym.
BB Squat: 20x5,5 40x5 60x5 80x3 100x2 105x5,5,5 (231 lb working weight)
BB Bench Press: 20x5,5 40x5 50x3 60x5,5,6 (132 lb)
BB Press: 20x5 25x5 30x3 35x5,5,5 (77 lb)
Pendlay Row: 40x5 50x5,5,10 (110 lb)
Wtd Dcl Situp: BWx12 BW+5x12,12 (BW+11 lb)
Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk home.

I was a squatting machine today. My form was dead-nuts on and everything just clicked. I got all my reps so next time it's 110kg (242 lb). That'll put me just a hair under my PB.

I wasn't supposed to do bench press today because it's a Part A exercise. Oops. :rolleyes: No biggie, my weight on bench press is so low that I shouldn't have any trouble doing them an extra time this week. Heck, it might even help. I got a spot from a burly, tattoed powerlifter guy who recommended a wider grip to hit the chest more. Good advice! I got all my reps so next time it's 65kg.

The BB Presses went OK except that I was doing them in the squat rack and wondering what I'd do with the bar if I had to dump it over my back. Hmmm... Got all my reps so next time it's 40kg.

The Pendlay rows were strange today, and not because of my elbow for a change. I was feeling light-headded after every set to the point where I had to squat down to get the blood back into my head. Tony and I talked about this problem and decided that I was pinching off an artery to the head in my vertebra by looking into the mirror while I rowed. I got all my reps and then some so next time I'll 60kg while looking at the floor.

I forgot I was supposed to be packing weight on my first set of situps. Oops! I grabed a 5kg plate and got through my other two sets without trouble. Next time, I'll grab a 7.5kg plate.

[Stenn]

It was an uneventful day at the gym today except that I realized that I had forgotten my lifting belt in the locker room on Monday. I asked Clem about it and, sure enough, he had it for me at the front desk.

Once again, I felt drained about half-way through my workout, just before my deadlifts. I need to try a high-carb workout drink next time. The banana 20min before starting isn't doing it for me.

Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk to the gym.
BB Squat: 20x5,5 40x5 60x5 80x3 100x2 110x5,5,5 (242 lb working weight)
BB Bench Press: 20x5,5 40x5 50x5 60x3 65x5,5,4 (143 lb)
BB Deadlift: 60x5,5 80x5 100x5 120x3 135x2 145x0 (319 lb)
EZBar Curl: 30x12,6/6,2/7 (66 lb)
Cardio: 3.0km walk home.

Once again, I squatted like a champion. Everything felt light till I hit 100kg and 110kg was a challenge which included some motivational grunting. I got all my reps so next time it's 115kg (253 lb). That'll be a new PB for me if I can get it up. (I know I will.)

65kg felt challenging for me on bench presses today so I bothered someone for a spot on my working sets. He had me spot for him first so I didn't mind bugging him. I only missed my last rep so I'll go for 67.5kg next time. My current understanding of Rippetoe is that if you get most of your reps, it's OK to progress as long as the progression is small.

I started to feel a little drained as I put my first 20's on the bar for deads. Not good! Still, I put on a good show all the way up to 135kg. I was able to break 145kg off the ground, but I could not make it go up. I walked away from the bar dizzy from the effort. I tried another pull after resting a couple of mintues, but all I did was make a lot of noise. :( I'll try 145kg one more time on Monday.

I'm starting to look more respectable at curls with 30kg. :) I got 12 clean reps on my first set. I got half and half clean and cheaters on the second set. The last set was two clean and seven more cheaters. So much for looking respectable. :rolleyes: But hey! I actually saw a vein in my left bicep! How cool is that!?

[widebody195]

great job! gotta love those veins. I used to use a lifting belt, but read on T-Nation that unless you're going for a personal best, leave the lifting belt off.

[Stenn]

I used to use a lifting belt, but read on T-Nation that unless you're going for a personal best, leave the lifting belt off.

That's the way I use my belt. I originally got it for squats and deads but found that my belt got in the way for deadlifts. Now I only use it for my heaviest sets of squats and I take it off between sets.

[Stenn]

Sonofabitch! I just realized that I left my jacket at the gym. Jeez, every friggin day I'm in there it's like, "Did you find my belt?" "Did you find my bottle of soap?" "Did you find my jacket?" "Did you find my head? I think I left it in one of the lockers, but I can't remember which one."

Maybe I should just buy a new jacket... :(

[egoatdoor]

great job! gotta love those veins. I used to use a lifting belt, but read on T-Nation that unless you're going for a personal best, leave the lifting belt off.


Everyone has an opinion on this, but I wear it throughout my entire workout and Charles Glass in his column in Muscular Development says he does too and recommends this. Its a safety thing and its better to be safe than sorry. You can get hurt even on a light weight set, so why take the chance?

To me its akin to a motorcycle rider saying I'll leave my helmet off until I reach 50 miles per hour.

[Stenn]

Everyone has an opinion on this...

Yup, everyone has an opinion on this and I've read and considered many of them. The opnion that made the most sense to me was that of Mark Rippetoe who said, basicaly, wear a belt if you feel like you need to.

[Stenn]

I got to the gym and didn't mention my jacket to Clem. I just waved hello and marched back into the men's room and, lo and behold, there was my jacket still hanging there on the wall, although not on the wall I had left it on. :)

My wife got lazy on me this morning and decided to skip work so she could get an early start at the office. She claimed she was going to workout in the afternoon instead. I'm guessing that's not gonna happen. :rolleyes:

Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk to the gym in the rain. :(
BB Squat: 20x5,5 40x5 60x5 80x3 100x2 115x5,5,6 (253 lb working weight)
BB Press: 20x5 25x5 30x3 35x2 40x5,5,5 (88 lb)
Pendlay Row: 40x5 50x3 55x2 60x5,5,5/4 (132 lb)
Wtd. Decl. Situp: BW+7.5x12,12,9 (17 lb)
Cardio: 2.5km slow walk home in the sunshine. :)

Woohoo! New PB in squats! Granted, I only exceeded my old PB by 3 lb, but I got all my reps in style including a victory rep at the end. Next time, 120kg. As the weight has gotten heavier, I've noticed a tendancy to lift the hips up a bit before the bar goes up. A little of that is OK, but I need to keep an eye on this.

I did my presses on the Olympic platform today and started each set from the ground using a power clean. I think this is safer than pressing in the squat rack because if I lose control of the bar I can just dump it onto the platform. The squat rack doesn't provide as many escape routes and, because of where it's at in my gym, may cause me to ruin someone else's day with my dropped bar. It also just looks cooler. :cool: Got all my reps so next time it's 45kg.

I now know why I get dizzy after Pendlay rows. My blood pressure is on the low side of normal to start with. When I row, my torso is parallel with the floor causing more blood flow to the head. When I exert myself, my blood pressure goes up causing even more blood flow to the head. Then, all at once, I stop exerting myself, I stand up, and the blood pressure in my head takes a major dive. Dude! Anyway, I got all my reps plus four weenie reps (not all the way to my chest) so next time it's 65kg and I'm going to try sitting down instead of standing up at the end of my sets.

The situps went well even though I didn't get all my reps. I'm gonna go ahead and do 10kg next time.

[Stenn]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I had a little help with today's workout. Lately, I've been running out of energy half way through my workout. Previously, I'd had good luck creating my own simple carb workout drinks from dextrose and maltodextrine, but I've had no luck finding dextrose and maltodextrine in Ireland. Fortunately, I noticed that the top three ingredients of Powerade are: water, dextrose, and maltodextrine. Perfect! So I grabbed a bottle of the stuff at my corner store before my walk to the gym, chugged half of it (250ml) in the men's room, and had a great workout without running out of gas.

[dartol]

Hey great stuff on the workouts! I just answered your post on my journal, I will be working on squat form for a while. LOL

Thanks again for the Rippetoe book recommendation, check out his other book if you haven't! It is more about how to build a program for any level of athlete... it shows how your time between increases gets longer as you reach higher levels. I have only read the first 1/4 of the book so far and I am impressed. Since it was a smaller book, it was easier to read on the plane. I have not getten that far into Starting Strength yet. :)

My mother-in-law is going to have a talk with me about squats when she comes to visit next weekend... LOL She is a dance teacher and has messed up knees... she blames it mostly on too many squat-like moves. Though she does not regret it... she is going to explain to me how it is better to use light weight if you only do it once a week. :rolleyes: I am going to make her read Chapter 1 of Starting Strength first.... then have a chat with her about her smoking. :D

I commented on your picture with your daughter, that is cool! How old is she? Mine is 3, I need to teach her that. :)

Have a good one!

Darren

[Stenn]

Hey great stuff on the workouts! I just answered your post on my journal, I will be working on squat form for a while. LOL
Hah! I just answered your post in your journal too. I think we're getting cross-threadded. :)

Thanks again for the Rippetoe book recommendation, check out his other book if you haven't! It is more about how to build a program for any level of athlete... it shows how your time between increases gets longer as you reach higher levels. I have only read the first 1/4 of the book so far and I am impressed. Since it was a smaller book, it was easier to read on the plane. I have not getten that far into Starting Strength yet. :)
It took me a long time to get through Starting Strength. I had to stop to think a lot and also to try out everything, first at home with a broom stick and then at the gym. I studied one exercise at a time untill I was sure I had it down before moving to the next.

My mother-in-law is going to have a talk with me about squats when she comes to visit next weekend... LOL She is a dance teacher and has messed up knees... she blames it mostly on too many squat-like moves.
I think there's a whole page or three in the book of just Rippetoe debunking the whole "squats are bad for your knees" myth. I'm guessing that dance is tougher on the knees than squats because there's no strict form to dance. But, if she had done ATG squats to strengthen her knees she might have held up better in the long run.

I commented on your picture with your daughter, that is cool! How old is she? Mine is 3, I need to teach her that. :)
Jerilyn is 5 and a ball of fire. She's absolutely fearless when it comes to climbing and always amazes the parents at the playground. I sometimes joke that she has a self-esteem problem, that it's too high. :)

[dartol]

Yeah I want to approach the book like that too. I will get them one at a time. :)

I have read the debunking part and I get it now. It is all about balance. But I am not sure if I am going to be able to keep going past parallel given my particular knee situation. We'll see what my knees say. I am doing SLDLs for the glute/hamstring which is probably not as good as doing it all together, but it is something anyway. At least I am working that side of my legs and not just doing partial squats thinking that is getting everything.

I agree that dance is a whole different ballgame. Jumping around on hard floors all day can't be good. She has had a hip replacement too...

That is cool about your daughter! My daughter Cassie climbs on everything too. She has been going up the playground stuff, walking up the slides, etc. We bought her a Little Tikes playset that has a rope ladder one one side for her 2nd birthday, she never had any trouble going up it. LOL

Darren

[Stenn]

At least I am working that side of my legs and not just doing partial squats thinking that is getting everything.
You learn well. Your knees will thank you in the long run.

That is cool about your daughter! My daughter Cassie climbs on everything too. She has been going up the playground stuff, walking up the slides, etc. We bought her a Little Tikes playset that has a rope ladder one one side for her 2nd birthday, she never had any trouble going up it. LOL
There's a rock climbing gym in League City that I used to go to a couple of years ago. You should take your young'un there some time to check it out. I'm not sure if they have little kid's harnesses. If not, they still have a large boulder with climbing holds mounted all over it for younger climbers.

[Stenn]

I don't know how much longer I can keep doing squats 3x per week and deads 1.5x per week. I just came off my 2-day break and my legs and back still don't feel like they've recovered from Friday. In spite of that, I got a new PB on squats. Go figure... Maybe this whole rest and recovery thing is over-rated. ;)

Today was one of those days when I really, really, really didn't want to go to the gym. I slept crappy last night and my legs felt tight and like they were 10 degrees warmer than the rest of my body. But, I just got through telling someone on the forum that, "Any day in the gym is better than a day not in the gym." So, I had to go. :(

Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk to the gym.
BB Squat: 20x5,5 40x5 60x5 80x5 100x3 110x2 120x5,5,5 (264 lb working weight)
BB Bench Press: 20x5 40x5 50x5 60x3 65x2 67.5x5,5,4 (149 lb)
BB Deadlift: 60x5,5 80x5 100x5 120x3 135x2 145x0 (319 lb)
EZBar Curl: 30x12,8/2,3/3 (66 lb)
Cardio: 2.5km walk against the 60mph wind home.

I am most definately getting into The Struggle Zone with squats. My first couple of reps were OK. After that, I had trouble keeping my form and if I hadn't been holding my breath I would have blown chunks of breakfast onto the wall in front of me. My last couple of reps were very slow. But, I got all my reps so I get to go back on Wednesday and do 125kg (275 lb). Woo hoo!

My spotter friend from last time was at the gym again and helped me out with my bench presses. His name is Aric (Eric?) from Bonn. For some reason, I seem to be befriending Germans while in Ireland. Anyway, with Aric's help I got all but 1 of my reps so next time I'll give 70kg a try.

There was no running out of gas before my deadlifts this time, thanks to the half bottle of Powerade that I drank before my workout. I think I'm on to something there. Sadly, gas was not what I needed for deadlifts today. I once again failed to get 145kg up more than a few inches. So, I've officially stalled on deadlifts. I need to reset my weight by subtracting 10% which puts me at 130kg (286 lb) for next time. That should be easy! :)

The curls went OK. I got a few more real reps this time but didn't do as many cheat reps. It's just as well. After two failed attempts to deadlift 145kg, my back was in no mood for cheat curls.

[widebody195]

sweet weights on squats and deads. 2x & 1.5x per week, you're an animal. I couldn't keep that up when I was on 5x5, it burned me out.

[Stenn]

sweet weights on squats and deads. 2x & 1.5x per week, you're an animal. I couldn't keep that up when I was on 5x5, it burned me out.
Dude, don't sell me short, I'm at 3x and 1.5x not 2x and 1.5x. :) You're right about this being a tough routine. The last time I did Rippetoe, I got to 250 lb squats and 300 lb deads and then hit a brick wall. I'm now up to 275 lb squats and 319 lb deads and as long as I keep making progress I'll keep at it. The workload is taking its toll though. I'm fortunate that I'm able to take naps in the middle of the day.

[Stenn]

I got a great night's sleep and felt mostly recovered this morning. What a relief! My body was starting to feel very cranky.

Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk to the gym.
BB Squat: 20x5,5 60x5 80x5 100x3 120x2 125x5,5,2 (275 lb working weight)
BB Press: 20x5 30x5 35x3 40x2 45x4,5,2 (99 lb)
Pendlay Row: 40x5 50x5 60x3 65x5,5,5/1 (143 lb)
Wtd. Decl. Situp: BW+10x12,12,11 (22 lb)
Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk home.

I asked Clem to watch me on my working sets of squats to make sure I wasn't doing anything stupid. I told him, "I don't think so well when the weight gets heavy." Clem advised, "It's best not to think." My first two sets went slow but OK. On my first rep of the third set, I dropped like a stone but was still able to get back up. On the second rep, my ass went WAY up in the air before the bar started to move. Bad dog, no biscuit! Getting my ass in the air may feel like progress because my hips go up and my legs straighten, but it turns the squat into a Good Morning. If I tried to do Good Mornings at 125kg, I'd break like a bread stick and I probably would have broken on that last rep if I hadn't strengthed my back with heavy deads. I'm sticking with 125kg next time and I don't care how few reps I do, I'm going to do them right. (On the positive side, my hamstrings feel like they've gotten the workout of a lifetime. :D)

The presses went OK. I'm still doing a power clean to get the bar up and I'm finding that I get a little dizzy from the power cleans. I suspect the same phenomenon that I experience with Pendlay rows. It's the sudden change in blood pressure in my head. Anyway, I got my first two sets on a wing and a prayer but got shot down on my last one. So, no progression here either.

Nothing special about the rows today except for the usual dizziness. I'm making it a habit to either sit down or stand up and be still for a few breaths before moving after a set. I did one extra weenie rep at the end just to show the bar who was boss. Next time, it'll be 70kg.

With 10kg, the situps are starting to feel like real work. :D They should feel even more fun at 12.5kg next time.

[Stenn]

Nothing too special happened during my lifting today, but I got some good schooling from Tony and Clem at the gym. Clem is 72 and I'm guessing that Tony is about 60 but it's hard to tell because he's bald. Together, they've got over a hundred years of lifting experience and I got a good dose of it today. We talked about everything: squat form, my bum shoulder, supplements, stretching, warm-ups, and other stuff. It's great to be working out in a gym with older guys. At my previous gym, I was the older guy and there was no one around to learn from.

I found out today that Galway City Gym sells supplements. I was able to get WPI for about 10 Euro cheaper than at the local health food store. 55 Euro ($78) is still high for 5 lb of WPI, but the price is at least within Earth's gravitational pull. You guys back in The States don't know how lucky you are to be able to order stuff cheaply from bb.com.

Cardio: 2.5km walk to the gym.
BB Squat: 20x5,5 60x5 80x5 100x3 120x2 125x5,5,5* (275 lb working weight)
BB Bench Press: 20x5,5 40x5 50x5 (110 lb)
BB Deadlift: 60x5,5 80x5 100x5 120x3 125x2 130x5 (286 lb)
EZ BB Curl: 30x12,5,2 (66 lb)
Cardio: 2.5km walk home w/ heavy gym bag in tow.

I got all my reps at 125kg, woo hoo! But, the little astrisk up there is to indicate that I got some help from Clem. He spotted for me and gave me some assist on most of my reps. Standing behind me, he'd grab my chest and pull up, like lifting a baby to show the grandparents. All the while, he'd encourage me with, "Come on, Steve! Look up!" to que me to keep my chest up. I'm going to try 125kg again next time to see if I can get the bar up with just the yelling and not so much hoisting.

It was a sad time on the bench today. At 20kg, my left shoulder hurt a little. At 40kg, it hurt a little more. At 50kg, it hurt enough for me to call it quits. I described my pain to Tony and he recommended an anti-inflamatory medicine. Depending on how my shoulder feels, I'll either shoot for 70kg next time or fall back and do some high-rep work to strengthen my tendons.

My deadlifts were no great trial today. I had stalled at 145kg (319 lb) earlier so I reset my progression at 130kg to see if I can get past 145 on a new progression. I've never tried this technique before, so I'm curious about how it will work out. Next time, it'll be 135kg.

I was a weenie on curls today. My back was tired from the deads and my shoulder hurt from the bench presses so I wasn't into pushing myself too hard. This was my third attempt at 30kg so I guess I'll reset back to 25kg for next time.

[SR800]

You are putting a hell of a strain on your CNS. Since you are making such good linear progress with that schedule I really think you should consider dogg crapping for a while. There is a significant volume decrease. Remember the body can regulate for intenisty, it just quits lifting the weight. It can not regulate for volume, that takes the brain. You are cranking out a hell of a lot of volume. You still get to lift 4 days a week, do big compound movements, keep deads, and get the do some variation of squats 2 days per week but don't repeat an excerise for 10 days. That really helps with the mental game and prevents volume overload. You still have to have increases in weight or reps every workout but it seems easier when it is rotating between front squats, ATG squats and power squats for instance.

[Stenn]

You are putting a hell of a strain on your CNS. Since you are making such good linear progress with that schedule I really think you should consider dogg crapping for a while.
Yes, I can certainly feel the strain, but as long as I can keep making progress, I'll keep plugging away. What is "dogg crapping?" It sounds messy. :)

There is a significant volume decrease. Remember the body can regulate for intenisty, it just quits lifting the weight. It can not regulate for volume, that takes the brain. You are cranking out a hell of a lot of volume. You still get to lift 4 days a week, do big compound movements, keep deads, and get the do some variation of squats 2 days per week but don't repeat an excerise for 10 days. That really helps with the mental game and prevents volume overload. You still have to have increases in weight or reps every workout but it seems easier when it is rotating between front squats, ATG squats and power squats for instance.
Forgive me for being dense, but I can't tell the difference between what you think I'm doing currently and what you're recommending that I do. Can you please clarify?

I'm lifting 3 days a week, not 4. I do plan to change things up soon and I like your idea of splitting the squats up into different squat variants. In particular, I've been considering front squats since I've heard they're useful and I've never done them before. Also, I plan to get out of the 5-rep strength-building range and get back into the 12 rep mass-building range. Other than that, I'm not sure where I'll go when I run out of steam on my current program, but I'm reading Rippetoe & Kilgore's "Practical Programming" for clues.

[SR800]

Just google up "dogg crapp". Lots of stuff to read. It is a good logical approach. It will appeal to your analytical nature. Even if you don't use it now it is certainly something for later. At some point I will be doing riptoe again :D Basically it is an A1/B1 A2/B2 A3/B3 where you do one rest pause set to failure for each body part, but do a different exercise each time. When you can no longer add reps or wt you drop that exercise and add another. A basic schedule could be Mon A1, Tues B1, Wed off, Thu A2, Fri B2, Sat off, Sun off, Mon A3, Tue B3, wed off, Thurs A1 again. or you could do a M-W-F etc. So the frequency is about the same but it is just one rest pause set after warmup.

For example lets takes quads. A1 ATG Squat, A2 Front Squat, A3 Power Squat(just past parallel)

Hams could be A1 leg curl, A2 romanian dead lift, A3 stiff leg dead lift

Chest A1 Dips A2 Flat Bench A3 Decline or dumbell or incline etc

[Stenn]

Just google up "dogg crapp".
I'd rather Google it than step in it. :D

But seriously...

Thanks SR, that actually sounds like a pretty good program and I will certainly look into it. I need to get through Rippetoe and Kilgore's book first. There's some very fundamental information in there that I want to absorb before choosing my next workout program, whatever it turns out to be.

What would you consider to be the definitive source of info on dogg crapp? (I can't believe I just said that.)

[Stenn]

Today was one of those, "Mommy, don't make me go to the gym!" days. But, once I got out the door and started walking I felt a little better. After doing a few warm-up sets of squats, I was feeling groovy and ready to make stuff happen.

I chatted with Clem a little after my workout. He said that Galway City Gym is a non-profit gym that's run by its members. Any time the gym makes a profit, they either fix something or buy new equipment. Tony is the only person who earns a salary as manager and everyone else volunteers. That's how GCG became the one and only hard-core gym in the city favored by serious lifters and professional athletes. They don't really cater to the general fitness crowd. Clem said that when new people arrive to see the gym he tells them straight up, "All we have to offer you here is hard work."

Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk to the gym.
BB Squat: 20x5,5 60x5 80x5 100x3 120x2 125x5,5,5 (275 lb working weight)
BB Press: 20x5 30x5 35x3 40x2 45x5,5,2 (99 lb)
Pendlay Row: 40x5 50x5 60x3 70x5,5,6 (154 lb)
Wtd. Decl. Situp: BW+12.5x12,10,7 (27.5 lb)
Cardio: 2.5km slow walk home.

This was my 3rd try at 125kg. The first time I got 5,5,2. The second time I got 5,5,5 but Clem helped a little. This time I got all my reps without needing Clem to hoist me up by the armpits. So, next time I'll shoot for 127.5kg. I'm still making progress, but things are starting to slow down a bit. Clem reminded me yet again that squatting 3x per week is a bit much and I'm starting to agree with him and everyone else who's told me the exact same thing. :)

I enjoyed my presses today although I was wary of my shoulder. I got one more rep than last time, but not enough to progress. I'll give 45kg one more go. I think I have it in me.

The Pendlay rows were a challenge. My first two or three reps came up high enough to touch my chest, but the rest didn't. That's the problem with rows. The definition of a full rep is open to interpretation. I'm gonna declare them all good and move on to 72.5kg for next time.

I finaly met my match on the weighted decline situps today. I think I'll stick at 12.5kg for a while longer.

[Stenn]

I thought I'd keep on the Rippetoe program till I stopped making progress, but I decided to quit early. I've managed to add 25 lb to my squats and 19 lb to my deadlifts. I also have managed to make myself chronicly sore, tired, sleep-deprived, and de-motivated. I could probably stick it out a little while longer and make a little more progress, but it would come at the expense of losing my enthusiasm for lifting. So, like a good poker player, I'm going to take my winnings and go home.

I just read Rippetoe & Kilgore's second book, Practical Programming, which explains where to go from the Starting Strength workout. I have a new workout in mind which I'll post later. For now, I'm taking it easy and getting some well-deserved down time. I went to the gym today but only for a light workout and to try out some new stuff. I'll probably skip Friday's workout and then come back slugging on Monday.

Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk in the rain. :(
Front Squat: 20x5,5 40x5 50x5,5 60x5 (132 lb Working Weight)
Bench Press: 20x12,12 30x12 40x12,12,12,12,7 (88 lb)
RDL: 40x12 60x12,12,12 (132 lb)
Dip: BWx9,5,3
Cardio: 3.0km slow walk home in the sunshine. :)

This was my first time ever doing front squats. I like 'em! I was warned that the form would be awkward, but I took to them like a duck to water. I like how front squats take the load off the back and put it all on the legs.

I wanted to see how high-rep sets of bench presses would affect my shoulder. They felt great! If I stick to high-rep sets and slow weight progression I think my shoulder will be just fine and I'll finally get the chest workout I've been needing so badly. I kept my rests down to 1 minute and went to failure on my last set.

The high-rep Romanian deadlifts went fine except that my grip almost failed toward the end of my last set. Three sets of 12 with 1 minute rests really set my lower back on fire (in a good way). Hey, wasn't I supposed to be taking it easy? :rolleyes:

I was pleasently surprised by the number of dips I got after the high-rep sets of bench presses. My right elbow was crunchy to the point of distraction, but at least it didn't hurt.

[dartol]

So what did you think of the book? Make sense as to why the beginner program tops out for you?

I'm waiting to see what your new plan looks like. I am still on an R&R break while I finish getting over this sinus mess. I almost went back to day but decided to take off until Saturday so I didn't stress my system again too soon. Then I plan on starting with some of the Rippetoe basics and working my way up from there. I could really use some strength increases, my weights suck for my bodyweight.

I really like SLDLs, I started slowly with them but ended up having to keep increasing to keep them challenging. I will try front squats but I really need to perfect the back squat first. :)

Have a good one!

Darren

[Stenn]

So what did you think of the book? Make sense as to why the beginner program tops out for you?
Yeah, I got that message loud and clear. I weigh about 180 lb, I squat 275 and deadlift 319. That makes me an intermediate lifter and a good candidate for moving from linear progression to periodization programming. But, one is supposed to stall repeatedly before progressing to periodization and that never happened for me. Instead, I kept making small progress while simultaneously over-training my ass into the dirt. I'm sure I would have stalled eventually, but I'd be one sore, cranky mo-fo by then.

I plan on starting with some of the Rippetoe basics and working my way up from there. I could really use some strength increases, my weights suck for my bodyweight.
Rippetoe's linear progression program will definately help your strength. I recently graphed my squat weights from all of my workouts since the begining of the year. During this time, I've been on the Rippetoe workout twice. Looking at this graph, it's OBVIOUS when I was on Rippetoe because there are two places on the graph where I make progress faster and more consistantly than at any other time in the year.

I really like SLDLs, I started slowly with them but ended up having to keep increasing to keep them challenging. I will try front squats but I really need to perfect the back squat first. :)
I can never tell RDL from SLDL. They're both good in my book.

[Stenn]

After a lot of thinking and reading, I finally got myself a new workout based on Rippetoe & Kilgore's book, Practical Programming. In a nut-shell, I'm not a beginner anymore and full-body workouts with squats 3x a week and deadlifts 1.5x a week are more than I can recover from now that I'm squatting 275 and deadlifting 319. The solution is to start periodization. That means that I won't be killing myself for PRs every workout. Instead, I'll vary the intensity of my workouts over the week and strive for one PR per week rather than the usual three. I can live with one PR per week, can't you?

The goal here is to continue to improve on my basic lifts while catching up on my chest development. My chest has been lagging because I keep messing up my elbows and shoulders when the weights get heavy. Lately, I've found that high reps and lower weights are less injurious and also have the happy side-effect of being ideal for hypertrophy. Yippie!

I'm keeping my core lifts: squat, deadlift, bench press, and press. I'll be adding front squats, RDLs, and power cleans for fun and to vary intensity across the week. In addition to the core lifts, I'm adding some isolation and assistance exercises, most of which focus on chest and arm development where I'm lagging. I'll do the assistance stuff last, after the real work is done.

For squats and deadlifts, the program works like this:
Monday - High volume but with moderate weights to force adaptation.
Wednesday - Light intensity but related work for recovery.
Friday - Low volume, heavy weights, and PRs.

On Monday I do RDLs instead of deadlifts to target the lower back and hamstrings because my quads are likely to be fried after the squats. On Wednesday I do front squats, press, and power cleans which are all lower intensity exercises. I'm new to front squats so I'll stick with light weight for a while. The press mainly targets the delts with relatively light weight. Power cleans are a more technical movement requiring lighter weights and fewer reps per set to avoid losing form. Friday will be PR day. I'll do 5 rep sets for squats and deads because that has been my benchmark for progress in the past and because 1RMs still scare the tar out of me.

Bench press uses a similar periodization model except that there's no joint-destroying heavy stuff on Friday, just more high-rep sets. There's no particular layout to the assistance work except that I've tried to keep it from interfering with the core exercises in subsequent workouts.

With that said, here's how it all shakes out:

Monday - High Volume, Moderate Intensity
Back Squat 5x12
Bench Press 5x12
RDL 3x12
Fly 5x12
Dip 3x12

Wednesday - Easy Day
Front Squat 2x5
Press 5x12
Power Clean 2x5
EZ Bar Curl 3x12
Ab Stuff 3x15

Friday - Low Volume, High Intensity
Back Squat 1x5
Bench Press 5x12
Deadlift 1x5
Pullup 3x12
Dip 3x12

[widebody195]

Hey, looks like a good new manageable routine. Did you think about putting the heavy weight, PR workout on Monday and the high volume stuff on Wednesday? Your muscles might be more ready for the heavy weights after 2 days of rest. Anyway, that's from my own experience, normally fresh and rarin' to go on Monday, fatigued and ready for a 2-day break on Friday.

[Stenn]

Did you think about putting the heavy weight, PR workout on Monday and the high volume stuff on Wednesday? Your muscles might be more ready for the heavy weights after 2 days of rest. Anyway, that's from my own experience, normally fresh and rarin' to go on Monday, fatigued and ready for a 2-day break on Friday.

Let's see... You'd have:

M - Low Volume, High Intensity (PR Day)
Tu - Rest
W - High Volume, Moderate Intensity (HV Day)
Th - Rest
F - Easy Day
Sa - Rest
Su - Rest

That doesn't look like enough rest before HV Day. I need to be fresh for HV Day because that'll be the day that drives adaptation so that I'm able to get a PR later. Or, as Rippetoe puts it, "[HV Day] should be stressful enough to cause homeostatic disruption." If I were to start of with PR Day, I I'd rather do it like this:

M - Low Volume, High Intensity (PR Day)
W - Easy Day
F - High-Volume, Moderate Intensity (HV Day)

But, this just flips PR Day and HV Day and either way you flip them, you still get plenty of recovery time between these two taxing days. The way I have the days ordered is what Rippetoe calls, "The Texas Method" and, being a Texan myself, I'm thinking that'll work best for me, partner. :)

[Stenn]

Yes, it's true. I'm slacking off. The most strenuous thing I've done all day is sleep till noon followed by a walk to the grocery store to stock up on chicken, eggs and milk.

Not only am I giving myself a well-deserved rest, but I'm also recovering from last night's teleconfrence with a meeting in Houston. I was on Skype from midnight till 5:30am and when my head finaly hit the pillow, the sun was just starting to raise. Needless to say, I was in no shape for my usual morning workout.

I'll be starting my new workout on Monday. I'm looking foward to the high-rep squats. The high-rep bench presses from Wednesday really hit my chest good. My entire pecs are sore from top to bottom and side to side.

[Stenn]

Today was the first day of my new workout. As explained above, Monday is the day when I hit my body with high rep sets to force adaptation. In essence, I kick my ass on Monday so that I can get new PR's on Friday. Man, did I kick my ass...

After my high rep squats, I spent the rest of my workout dizzy and nauseous. Between sets I'd sit on a bench, stare at the floor like a zombie, and try not to throw up. Many times I considered walking back to the men's room to leave an offering at the porcelain altar. This was a very unpleasant experience and I need to find a way to fix or cope this situation. :(

Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk to the gym.
Back Squat: 20x5,5 40x5 60x5 80x12,12,9,12,6 (176 lb working weight)
Bench Press: 20x5,5 30x5 35x5 40x12,12,12,12,8 (88 lb)
RDL: 60x5,5 65x12,12,12 (143 lb)
DB Fly: 5x5 7.5x5,12,12,12,12,12 (16.5 lb)
Dip: BWx6,4,3
Cardio: 2.5km moderate walk home.

The squats started out nice and cozy but then rapidly degenerated into BRUTAL. I'm used to a volume of between 4,000 and 6,000 pounds. Today's volume was almost 9,000 (that's right!) 9,000 pounds. And if that wasn't enough, I've changed my rest periods from 2-3 mintues to 1 minute. The new volume and rest periods turn squats into a whole new exercise for me. After the set of 9, Clem noticed I was doing something new and we chatted about my new routine of which he approved. That gave me a little extra rest time. On my last set, the 6th rep went up painfully slow so I went ahead and racked the bar and then dropped to the floor like a jellyfish. On the way down, I grabbed the safety pins with both hands to cushion my fall. Both pins slid backward and I ended up badly pinching the karate-chop part of my hands between the pins and the rack. I sat on the floor quietly complaining to myself like a cat wanting to be let out of the house.
"Oooooooww... oooowwwch... ooooww."
Clem noticed that I was in trouble. "Did you get a pinch?"
"Yeah, I'll know never to do THAT again!"
I now have a large moon-shaped blood blister on each hand. Sonofabitch, that's gonna hurt in the morning!

The bench presses were a less surreal experience. It felt good to be laying down after the squats. Clem spotted for me on my last set when I was starting to poop out. Again, I tried to stick to just 1 minute rests.

I got through all my Romanian deadlifts, but I'm not sure how. Each set left me with my head and stomach spinning and there was no way I could stick to 1 minute rests without loosing my breakfast. I dropped the bar after my last set, which I don't usually do, and plopped down onto the closest bench to collect my wits. It took a long time, maybe 10 minutes, before I felt well enough to get back up and strip the bar. Fortunately the gym was not crowded at the time so I wasn't in anyone's way.

I took it relatively easy on the flys and it felt good to be laying down again.

I felt a little foolish attempting dips after the presses and flys, but I got in just enough reps to make the effort feel worthwhile.

[BergMuscle]

My head spun just reading that. You're really pushing it hard, Steve.

[Stenn]

My head spun just reading that. You're really pushing it hard, Steve.

Yeah, that's the way Mondays are going to be for a while. Wednesdays will be easy days so that I'll be fresh enough on Friday to try for some PR's. This whole scheme sounded great in theory and looked even better on paper. In practice it's a bitch, at least on Mondays.

[Stenn]

I was a little spooked by my body's reaction to the intensity of today's workout. The nausea was particularly disturbing. So, like a good bb.com user I searched through the relavant articles and forum posts for info. The verdict seems to be that nausea and even puking are a common reward for doing high-rep sets of compound exercises like squats and deadlifts. Some even get a little green on the leg press. Folks as reputable as bodyhard, oldsuperman, and ctgblue accept this condition as a fact of life. So, if I choose to stay the course on this particular workout program, I gotta just man-up and deal with the nausea.

I've heard two reasonable sounding theories on why one gets nausea at the gym. The first is dehydration. This may have been my situation since I don't recall drinking all that much before going to the gym and I got a bad case of cotton mouth during my workout. I had a cup of coffee which probably didn't help. And, to top it off, I had my usual pre-workout creatine monohydrate. The second theory is that when you do heavy leg exercises, blood leaves the stomach and heads for the legs. If there's still food in the stomach when this happens, nausea occurs. I typically eat a large breakfast 1 to 1.5 hours before hitting the gym. So, in addition to simply sticking with the workout to get more accustomed to it, I should drink more water before my workout and possibly eat less. It looks like I have some experimenting to do. If there's no escaping the nausea, I may have to ask Tony or Clem if there's a wastebasket that I can move to the power rack when I'm busy in there. I may never end up using it, but I'll feel better having it there.

[widebody195]

Wow, Steve, you're really going hardcore on us. Reps for the determination. Nausea is no fun, try for a lighter breakfast next time about 2-3 hours prior to workout, then take in some complex carbs about 1 hour before workout.

[Stenn]

Wow, Steve, you're really going hardcore on us. Reps for the determination. Nausea is no fun, try for a lighter breakfast next time about 2-3 hours prior to workout, then take in some complex carbs about 1 hour before workout.

Yep, play time is over. :) Thanks for the reps!

Today, I'm sore in my quads, glutes, and pecs. My pinched hands are sore too, but they don't count. :) I've got nothing going on in my hamstrings which is a mystery. You'd think that after all those ATG squats and RDL's that my hammies would be barking at me.

I like your eating suggestion, but it messes with my schedule. I will try a lighter breakfast, but it'll still be 1 to 1.5 hours prior to workout. My usual breakfast is mostly eggs and oats so I'm getting complex carbs. I need to pay more attention to fluid intake before working out. I probably only get one or two glasses of water. Four would be better.

[Hibiscus09]

Ouchies on the pinched hands!! Sounds painful! :eek:

You're doing fantastic with your workouts, Steve!

[Stenn]

Ouchies on the pinched hands!! Sounds painful! :eek:

You're doing fantastic with your workouts, Steve!

Thanks Hibi!

Ouchies, indeed! :) My hands feel and look a lot better today. I'm hoping that they'll be mostly healed by the time I have to do dips again.

[dartol]

I will also give reps for a workout like that! I am sure I owe you many anyway. Nausea definately deserves reps. :)

Love the new routine! It is going to be interesting to see how that works for you over a few weeks.


Darren

[Stenn]

I will also give reps for a workout like that! I am sure I owe you many anyway. Nausea definately deserves reps. :)

Love the new routine! It is going to be interesting to see how that works for you over a few weeks.
Thanks Darren! Yeah, I expect this workout to do great things for me if it doesn't kill me first. :)

[bodyhard]

wow! Things are looking great in this journal!!! Nice lifts and great meal plan as well

[Stenn]

wow! Things are looking great in this journal!!! Nice lifts and great meal plan as well

Thanks BH, I appreciate your feedback!

[Stenn]

Since Monday's squat extraveganza, I've had some chart-topping DOMS. To make matters worse, I had a very hard time sleeping Monday and Tuesday night. So, as you can expect, I was no happy camper this morning on my way to my workout. The 2.5km walk to the gym seemed unusually long and I winced with pain every time I stepped onto or off of a street curb. According to Rippetoe and Kilgore, if I'm truely an intermediate lifter, Monday's workout should take until Friday to recover from. I can now safely say that I'm an intermediate lifter because I managed to kick my ass all the way into Wednesday and I suspect that it'll still be flying, bouncing, and rolling through much of Thursday.

When I got to the gym, I saw that Clem had his knee wraps on and he had a bar set up with a scary amount of weight. I'd been looking forward to this, Clem's squat day. I watched with sincere admiration as this 72 year old guy squatted 120kg (264 lb) for multiple reps. When he was done I asked, "You gonna go for one more?" He said, "Sure, why not", put another 10kg on the bar for a total of 130kg (286 lb), and cranked out one more rep. The maximum that I've squatted is 125kg and I'm pretty sure Clem knows this, the old show-off. :rolleyes:

Cardio: 2.5km slow, painful walk to the gym. :(
BB Front Squat: 20x5,5 40x5,5 60x5,5 (132 lb working weight)
BB Press: 30x12,12,10,8,8 (66 lb)
Power Clean: 30x5,5 (66 lb)
EZ Bar Curl: 25x12,10/2,6 (55 lb)
Wtd. Decl. Situp: 12.5x10 10x10,6 (27.5 and then 22 lb)
Cardio: 2.5km slow, painful walk home. :(

The last time I tried 60kg front squats, they were easy. This time, with blazing DOMS, they were not easy. :eek:

The presses felt great and I could really feel them affecting my upper body. My arms actually looked good in the mirror.

30kg for power cleans is too light. The bar almost hit my chin on one rep because it came up so fast. Next time, 40kg (88 lb).

The lack of sleep was starting to rob me of my motivation by curl time. 1st set was perfect. 2nd set had 2 cheat reps. 3rd set was just blah, whatever.

On my very first sit-up it occurred to me what a fool I was to be hitting abs hard on the workout before Friday's squats and deadlifts. I dropped some weight and reduced my reps to spare my abs. I may need to swap Monday's dips for Wednesday's situps.

[Stenn]

Can you believe I still have DOMS from Monday's workout. Sheesh! :eek: So, I approached today's workout with some fear and trepidation. I'm supposed to do PR's today and I'm still sore from Monday. That just didn't seem right.

Well, I didn't get any PR's today. This was my first week on the new program so I didn't want to get too wild with the weights. I just resumed from where I left off with my last program. I should have gone for more. In spite of the slight soreness leftover from Monday, I felt good and strong on all my lifts. I think I'm going to like this new program and I'm definately going to get some PR's next Friday.

Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk to gym.
BB Back Squat: 20x5,5 40x5 60x5 80x5 100x3 120x2 125x5 (275 lb working weight)
BB Bench Press: 20x5,5 30x5 35x5 40x12,12,12,12,12 (88 lb)
BB Deadlift: 60x5,5 80x5 100x5 120x3 130x2 135x5 140x3 (308 lb)
Pullup: BWx6,4,3
Dip: BWx9,6,4
Cardio: 3.0km brisk walk home.

When I showed up at the gym, Clem was in the power rack doing 100kg (220 lb) BB shrugs. I waited my turn and then started ramping up through my warm up weights. My form wasn't great, but it was good enough. I got all my working reps without much trouble. Next time, I'll do 130kg (286 lb).

The last time I benched 40kg, I failed on my last set. This time I got all my sets and reps so next time I'm going for 42.5kg (93.5 lb). I'm increasing the weight by the smallest amount possible because I bench twice a week and I need to baby my shoulders and elbows. So far I've had no problems and I want to keep it that way.

I quickly ramped my deads up to my working weight of 135kg and got all my reps. I thought, "I can't quit now, that was too easy!" So, I slapped on another 5kg. Clem wandered by and recommended that I get rid of my small collection of 2.5kg plates and put on some 5kg plates instead. Whatever... We performed a quick platectomy on the bar and Clem looked at it again and noted that if we got rid of all the small plates that we could replace them with 20kg (44 lb) plates. Whatever... We did a second platectomy and got the bar down to just 6 plates. Somehow it looked heavier that way. I got the bar up reasonably well but after the third rep my lower back was starting to feel tight so I decided to call it a day. Next Friday I'll head straight for 140kg and see if I can get 5 reps.

The pullup bar is part of the cable machine which is very popular, especially with Clem. The power rack is very unpopular so I did my pullups there instead. I hadn't done pullups in a while but I didn't suck as bad as I thought I would.

The dips felt good today. For the first time in my life, I felt them in my pects instead of just in the triceps. I got more reps on each of my three sets than what I got on Monday. But then, I was a dead man by the time I did dips on Monday. Oh, and my pinched hands felt fine during the dips this time.

[dartol]

Awesome man, sounds like that new program is just what you needed. :)

Darren

[widebody195]

Sounds like you're back on the 5X5 intermediate train. What fun! Keep it up, it looks like your poundages are increasing so great job!

[Stenn]

Awesome man, sounds like that new program is just what you needed. :)


Sounds like you're back on the 5X5 intermediate train. What fun! Keep it up, it looks like your poundages are increasing so great job!

Thanks guys! Yeah, I think this new program is going to work well. It's Saturday morning and I don't feel too wiped out by Friday's workout even though it was PR day. That's because I kept the volume low and took longer rests. I should be completely recovered in time for Moday's high intensity squat-fest.

[Stenn]

I was a little nervous about today's volume day since the last one caused me to injure both hands, nearly loose my breakfast, and gave me severe DOMS for most of the week. To address the nausea, I pared my breakfast down to the essentials: 4 whole eggs and a half cup of oatmeal. I also drank plenty of water and skipped my creatine. It worked! I was exhausted when I finished my squats, but not nauseated.

I can't go a week without forgetting to bring something to the gym. This week I forgot to bring a clean shirt. Clem bailed me out by giving me a Xyience t-shirt that he had in the office. It was a bit large for me, but at least I didn't have to smell like a hobo at the restaurant where I always eat my 2nd breakfast after working out.

Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk to the gym.
BB Back Squat: 20x5,5 40x5 60x5 80x12,12,12,8,5 (176 lb working weight)
BB Bench Press: 20x5,5 30x5 35x5 42.5x12,12,12,12,8 (93.5 lb)
RDL: 60x5,5 70x12,12,5 (154 lb)
DB Fly: 5x5 7.5x5 10x12,12,12,12,12 (22 lb)
Dip: BWx7,5,4
Cardio: 2.5km slow walk home.

I got 2 fewer reps than last time on my squats, but I also didn't get a long rest between my 3rd and 4th sets like last time. All rests were 1 minute. Also, last time I only got 2 sets of 12 before I started to fail. This time I got three. So, I'm going to call today's performance an improvement over last week in spite of the slight drop in reps. Today's squat volume was 8,624 lb. Woo hoo! About half way through my sets, I could hear Clem shouting, "C'mon Steve!" It was good inspriation because I wanted SO badly to quit. I eventually did quit, but only because my lower back was starting to fatigue. I didn't see that one coming. These high-rep squats are exposing some new vulnerabilities.

Bench presses went well. If I had gotten just a couple more reps I would increase the weight. Oh well... Clem pointed out that my feet were too far forward and too far to the side. He claims that it's possible to use the ground to assist in the bench press, but you have to have your feet positioned correctly. I'll experiment with that next time.

Romanian deadlifts are supposed to work the hamstrings but I almost never feel them there. So, I did them on a 4" platform, touching the plates to the floor each time. I felt it a little more in the hamstrings, but not much more. I quit the 3rd set at 5 reps because my back was done. I think I'll keep the platform on this exercise. It should help me on the initial pull of my regular deadlifts and that's where I need the help.

The DB flys were no big deal. I gotta try 12kg next time.

I got fewer dips than last time, but more than on my last high-volume day. I'll take that as improvement. My triceps were way pumped after these.

[Stenn]

My first high-volume workout left me sore for most of the week. Last Monday's high-volume workout left me sore... not at all. Does this make any sense? From one Monday to the next my level of DOMS went from a 9 to a 0. I find it hard to believe that I adapted that quickly. I guess I shouldn't complain, but I can't help but be suspicious.

Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk to the gym.
BB Front Squat: 20x5,5 40x5 60x5,5 (132 lb working weight)
BB Press: 30x12,12,12,10,8 (66 lb)
Power Clean: 40x5,5 (88 lb)
EZ Bar Curl: 25x12,12,9/3 (55 lb)
Decl. Wtd. Situp: 10x10,10,10 (22 lb)
Cardio: 2.5km briks walk home.

No problem with the front squats today except that the bar felt uncomfortable sitting on top of my arms. I found the bar pad after I was done. :rolleyes: Next time, I'm going to do 70kg WITH the bar pad.

I'm really enjoying my presses these days. I did a little better than last time, but still not good enough to progress.

I still haven't hit a good weight for my power cleans. Next time I'll try 50kg.

I felt much stronger on my curls and saw some improvement. I only did three cheaters on my last set. I'm almost ready to progress, but not quite yet.

I'm just doing maintenance on my abs for now. I touched elbows to opposite knees on most reps. Between my 2nd and 3rd sets I messed around a little on the hyperextension chair.

[Stenn]

My attitude today was less than par and my head just wasn't in the game. All I could think was, "Whatever, let's just get this over with." As a result of this crappy attitude, I managed to get a PR on my squats, progressed in bench press and deadlifts, and got more reps than last time in pullups and dips. I wonder if there's a supplement I can take that will help me to have a crappy attitude before all of my workouts. :D

Remember the guy whose deadlifting form I was unjustly criticising? Well, he came over to me for advice between my sets of bench presses. He complained of having terrible headaches when he lifts heavy. I knew exactly what his problem was because I've had it too. I told him all I knew about exertion headachs. By the way, the guy's name is Mel and he's up to 183kg (403 lb) on this deadlifts. Mel is one of the hardest working guys at the gym and I was honored to have him ask me for advice.

Back in the locker room I was all alone with my pumped up muscles so I had to strike a pose or two in the mirror. It looks like I'm making progress. I'll have to take some measurements soon to see if it's for real or not.

Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk to the gym.
BB Back Squat: 20x5,5 40x5 60x5 80x5 100x3 120x2 130x4 (286 lb working weight)
BB Bench Press: 20x5,5 30x5 35x5 42.5x12,12,12,12,18 (94 lb)
BB Deadlift: 60x5,5 80x5 100x5 120x3 140x5 (308 lb)
Pullup: BWx7,4,3
Dip: BWx10,7,4
Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk home.

I got a new PR on squats! Woo hoo! 300 lb, hear I come! On my last rep I went into the hole and couldn't get back out so I had to lay the bar onto the safety bars. I didn't get all 5 reps so I'm gonna stick with 130kg for next time.

I breezed through my bench presses like I was lifting an old broom, probably because I was resting 2 minutes instead of the 1 minute I rest I get on Mondays. Still, the 6 victory reps on my last set mean that it's time to up the weight. My shoulders and elbows are still feeling OK and that's the best news of all.

My deadlifts felt heavy today and I was never quite comfortable with my form. After 120kg I decided to skip the 130kg set because I was running out of steam. I jumped straight to 140kg and got all my reps. The last rep gave me a little more bend in the back than I liked, but all worked out in the end. Next time it'll be 145kg (319 lb) which will put me back at my previous PR. I need to make some progress on my deads before my squats catch up to them.

I got exactly one more rep on my pullups than last time. I'll take it! A couple of other reps were so close to the top that I was tempted to count them. My rule for a good rep is when I can see my own eyes over the bar in the mirror.

I got two more reps on dips. A modest yet worth-while gain.

[Hibiscus09]

Ha,ha -- they probably have a video camera in the locker room and we'll be seeing you on youtube. :D

Great job on the workout! Crappy attitude days usually end up great at the gym! :p

Happy weekend!

[Stenn]

Ha,ha -- they probably have a video camera in the locker room and we'll be seeing you on youtube. :D

Great job on the workout! Crappy attitude days usually end up great at the gym! :p

Happy weekend!

Hah! That would be just my luck! But you know, for once in my life I'm not threatened by such a posibility. As I looked into the mirror at myself I was thinking, "Hey, I'm starting to look like some of those bb.com guys!" :)

Anyway, thanks for the encouragement and have a happy weekend yourself. I'm a single-dad for the weekend while mommy is in Dublin delivering a paper at a conference. So you know I'll be having fun. :rolleyes:

[dartol]

I wonder if there's a supplement I can take that will help me to have a crappy attitude before all of my workouts. :D


LOL I don't know but if I drink SoBe No Fear, everyone had better hope I go work out or I am ready to rip someone's head off. LOL

Congrats on the increases, nice work! So the new plan is working out better for you it sounds like? Have a great weekend!

Darren

[Stenn]

LOL I don't know but if I drink SoBe No Fear, everyone had better hope I go work out or I am ready to rip someone's head off. LOL
Sounds like me when I was taking NoXplode. If I couldn't get to the gym in a half-hour, I'd start compulsively lifting things around the house. :D

Congrats on the increases, nice work! So the new plan is working out better for you it sounds like?
Yeah, I think so. It's good to finaly feel rested between workouts. It remains to be seen how my progress holds up. Two weeks is too short a time to pass judgement. I'll feel better if things still look good next Friday.

[SR800]

How are you holding the bar with your front squats? Just based upon your awesome back squat and dead numbers I figured you would be doing a little higher weight. I have tried all the variations and feel that by using the underhand or "chinup" grip with my hands a couple of inches apart, at most, and my knuckles just above my clavicle and the bar resting on my shoulders is the most comfortable. I think that some type of wrist wrap is also very helpful and I won't do them w/o mine.

[Stenn]

How are you holding the bar with your front squats?
The bar rests across the top of my chest and anterior deltoids. I cross my arms and place my hands on top of the bar with my elbows held up. The grip looks kinda like Barbra Eden from I Dream of Genie just before she casts a spell. In other words, I look like this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv1byrccCeY only I'm smaller and don't lift near that much weight.

Just based upon your awesome back squat and dead numbers I figured you would be doing a little higher weight.
My high squat numbers are part of the reason why my front squats are light. I was squatting MWF but when the weight got heavy I started getting chroniclly overtrained. I started doing light front squats on Wednesday to give myself a little more recovery in the middle of the week while still doing squats 3x a week. I plan to increase my front squat weight, but not very quickly.

I have tried all the variations and feel that by using the underhand or "chinup" grip with my hands a couple of inches apart, at most, and my knuckles just above my clavicle and the bar resting on my shoulders is the most comfortable. I think that some type of wrist wrap is also very helpful and I won't do them w/o mine.
I don't think I've seen that one before. I should probably try some variations myself. I chose the cross-armed grip because it just seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

[dartol]

The grip looks kinda like Barbra Eden from I Dream of Genie just before she casts a spell. In other words, I look like this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv1byrccCeY only I'm smaller and don't lift near that much weight.


Somehow I just can't compare you to Genie man, sorry! LOL

That video though... holy hell!!! :eek:

Darren

[Stenn]

Somehow I just can't compare you to Genie man, sorry! LOL
We would look more alike if she had a barbell under her chin...

Hey, that would be a cool Photoshop spoof! Edit a picture of Genie to make it look as if she's doing 300 lb front squats.

[Stenn]

My deadlifts felt heavy today and I was never quite comfortable with my form. After 120kg I decided to skip the 130kg set because I was running out of steam. I jumped straight to 140kg and got all my reps. The last rep gave me a little more bend in the back than I liked, but all worked out in the end.
Well, not quite... Yesterday and today I've had some pain in my lower back, and it's not the good, post-dead, spinal erector pain. It's right in the middle of the spine near the hips. It's not a sharp pain, thank God. It's just a dull ache. For the integrity of my journal I felt it necessary to 'fess-up.

The way I see it, a few things went wrong.
1. My mind-body connection was off and I was finding it hard to settle into proper form.
2. Since my form was iffy, I shouldn't have jumped from 120kg to 140kg no matter how drained I was feeling.
3. That pesky little bend in my back. When I started the pull, I'm fairly certain that my back was OK. When the bar left the floor my back was not OK and I knew it before the bar got to my knees. I should have aborted, but since my back felt strongly locked I thought I could get away with completing the lift. I was almost right. :)

The moral of the story is, good posture saves your back during deadlifting, not a locked back. Or, it's not the static tension of your back muscles that saves you, it's the position of the vertebre when they come under load.

I'll probably feel fine by Monday and you may think that I'm making too much fuss over such a minor injury. But, I'd rather learn from small mistakes than big ones.

[dartol]

We would look more alike if she had a barbell under her chin...

Hey, that would be a cool Photoshop spoof! Edit a picture of Genie to make it look as if she's doing 300 lb front squats.
LOL yep, you should get right on that!



The moral of the story is, good posture saves your back during deadlifting, not a locked back. Or, it's not the static tension of your back muscles that saves you, it's the position of the vertebre when they come under load.


Good point. I almost did something similar during SLDLs yesterday, I lost concentration. I hope all's well by Monday.

Darren

[SR800]

The wednesday light break makes sense. That video was feaking nuts!

[Stenn]

Well, my back wasn't completely OK this morning, but it was good enough. I was able to get through my RDL's without much worry. I tried to schedule a massage today but no one could take me on short notice. Oh well...

Once again, I had no motivation this morning. I feel like I may have half a cold. My nose is a little runny and my energy is down. But, I didn't feel bad enough to skip the workout so off I went into the cold, morning drizzle of Galway for my long trek to the gym.

Cardio: 2.5km brisk wet walk to the gym. :(
BB Back Squat: 20x5,5 40x5 60x5 80x12,12,12,10,4 (176 lb working weight)
BB Bench Press: 20x5,5 30x5 40x5 45x12,12,11,7,5 (99 lb)
RDL: 60x5,5 70x12,12,7 (154 lb)
DB Fly: 7.5x5 10x5 12.5x12,12,8,7,5 (27.5 lb)
Dip: BWx9,5,3
Cardio: 2.5km brisk wet walk home. :(

This 5x12 squat routine with 1 minute rests is probably the meanest thing I've purposely done to my body since drinking mescal. And like with the mescal, my body broke into a sweat so suddenly that it was somewhat startling. I racked the bar after my second set, stepped back, and all of the pores on my body opened simultaneously causing a warm, prickly feeling on my skin. My stomach turned, not so much from the effort, but from the realization that I had three more sets to go. I only got one more rep than last time, but I also nearly completed all 12 reps of my 4th set. I'll take that as progress.

My bench presses with the new weight went well but I could have gotten a couple of extra reps if I had a spotter. I'm starting to get a feel for bench presses that I've never had before. I used to only feel them in my triceps. Today I had muscle awareness in my chest and shoulders as well. It felt good.

The Romanian deadlifts were quite a chore since my body was starting to bog down. I stood on a raiser and tried to touch the plates to the floor on each rep. Because my left arm is longer than my right, the left side touched first causing an interesting rhythm effect with my grunting: clank-clank "Ugh!", clank-clank "Ugh!", clank-clank "Ugh!" I got two more reps than last time. Good enough!

Not much to say about the flys except that, at the new weight, they put a strain on the inside of my elbows. I'll need to keep an eye on that.

I still feel a little stupid doing dips after all the above. I can't do many reps, but I keep doing more than last time and that's what counts.

[dartol]

This 5x12 squat routine with 1 minute rests is probably the meanest thing I've purposely done to my body since drinking mescal.

LOL well at least your back is not too cranky! I'd say if you could do RDL's you are in pretty good shape. :)

Darren

[widebody195]

Good job on the benches. Read my new post in the "stupidest things you've ever done at the gym" thread. Now I know how your hands must feel!

[Stenn]

LOL well at least your back is not too cranky! I'd say if you could do RDL's you are in pretty good shape. :)
Yeah, I think the RDL's were good for my back. I feel all better today. It was a practical application of the "Hair of the dog that bit you" principle of medicine. :)

Good job on the benches. Read my new post in the "stupidest things you've ever done at the gym" thread. Now I know how your hands must feel!
Uh oh, this doesn't sound good. I'll go find the thread. At least you're well enough to type.

[Hibiscus09]

Nice workout! Your description of the squats/rest time does not make me want to go out and try it. :D

Happy Tuesday!

[Stenn]

Nice workout! Your description of the squats/rest time does not make me want to go out and try it. :D

Thanks Hibi! Yeah, the high-volume squats with little rest are adding a new kind of dread to my Mondays. If I don't get good results from this routine, I'm gonna be pissed. The one good development that I've noticed already is that I no longer have to look at my watch to tell when it's time to eat. An hour and a half to two hours after my last meal, I'm hungry for my next.

[Stenn]

Once again, I arose this morning feeling semi-crappy and under-motivated. I think I'm coming down with a cold but instead of taking me out quickly like an honorable disease, it's lingering just below my threshold of awareness and dragging me down like a soaking-wet overcoat. Even so, I got to the gym and performed fairly well. Although my reps stayed pretty much the same, I kept them that way while increasing my front squat, power clean, and curl weights. If I can do that while half-sick, I can't wait to see what I can do when I'm fully functional. :)

Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk to the gym.
BB Front Squat: 20x5,5 40x5 60x2 70x5,5 (154 lb working weight)
BB Press: 30x12,12,12,10,8 (66 lb)
Power Clean: 40x5 50x5,5 (110 lb)
EZ Bar Curl: 27.5x12,12,9 (60.5 lb)
Wtd. Decl. Situp: 10x12,12,10 (22 lb)
Wtd. Hyper: 5x12,12,12 (11 lb)
Cardio: 3.0km brisk walk home.

It was the first time with the new weight on front squats an they were hard. The cold and DOMS from Monday weren't helping. I tried a new grip. It's the one where you rack the bar on the anterior delts as if you were doing power cleans. I didn't like this grip so I switched back to the Genie grip.

I got goofy on my presses, sometimes finishing the movement with the bar up and sometimes with the bar down. Finishing with the bar down is the preferred method. I got exactly the same number of reps as last time. :(

I had no problem with the power cleans at the new weight except when putting the bar down. The 10 and 5kg bumper plates at my gym are narrow and kinda wimpy looking so I'm reluctant to drop them from shoulder high and let them slam into the platform for fear that they might break. So, I've been slowing the bar's decent to the ground but it's putting my back and elbows at risk. Next time I'll do 60kg. I'm sure I can handle the weight and the 20kg bumper plates look like they can take a beating.

I got the same number of curl reps with 2.5kg more than last time except that I wasn't in the mood for cheaters. How in the hell do you set up a 27.5kg curl bar you ask? That's a 10kg bar and then two each of the 5, 2.5, and 1.25kg plates. When I use the thick, rubber-coated plates, it looks like a LOT more weight than it actualy is.

I supersetted situps and hyperextensions just for fun. I don't think I'll do that again since the situp thingy and the Roman chair are in different areas of the gym. I run the risk of loosing one while useing the other.

[dartol]

I no longer have to look at my watch to tell when it's time to eat.
Humm, I never have that problem! LOL


Once again, I arose this morning feeling semi-crappy and under-motivated. I think I'm coming down with a cold but instead of taking me out quickly like an honorable disease, it's lingering just below my threshold of awareness and dragging me down like a soaking-wet overcoat.

DOH, I hate that kind of stuff! I tend to keep working too hard when I get like that and end up bringing on a full blown infection. Just take care of yourself and get plenty of rest before it does.

Darren

[Stenn]

DOH, I hate that kind of stuff! I tend to keep working too hard when I get like that and end up bringing on a full blown infection. Just take care of yourself and get plenty of rest before it does.
I'm trying... I skipped going out tonight and will try to take it easy tomorrow. I hope to make Friday's workout, but we'll see. I'm supposed to attend a 3-day zen meditation retreat this weekend and I want to be in good health for that. Zen and head colds don't mix well. :(

[dartol]

I'm trying... I skipped going out tonight and will try to take it easy tomorrow. I hope to make Friday's workout, but we'll see. I'm supposed to attend a 3-day zen meditation retreat this weekend and I want to be in good health for that. Zen and head colds don't mix well. :(

I just got a mental image of a quiet dark room filled with people meditating... and a loud sneeze. I could see that would not be a good mix. I hope ya feel better!

Darren

[Stenn]

I just got a mental image of a quiet dark room filled with people meditating... and a loud sneeze. I could see that would not be a good mix.
Yup, it's like farting during communion except that there's no organ music to mask the disruptive utterance.

[Stenn]

I had to walk to the gym in the rain today, but I don't care. I still have my half-cold, and my lower back still doesn't feel quite right, but that's just fine because any day when I get PR's in both squats and deadlifts is a good day. :)

The only thing that didn't go well with today's workout was getting hungry just before my deadlifts. I need to eat a bigger breakfast and I may need to go back to eating a banana during my walk to the gym. It's not cool stepping up to the bar with no tiger in the tank.

Based on some discussions in the >35 forum, I decided to try again to use a belt during deadlifts. I did my experimenting during my heavier warm-up sets. The last time I tried, the belt felt awkward. My powelifter belt, once again, got bound up between my hips and ribcage and also nearly caused me to project my breakfast onto the mirror in front of me. I tried a bodybuilder's belt with a narrow front and I felt like it just about cut me in half when I pulled. So that's it, no more belts for my deadlifts, thank you very much. I did today's 145kg (319 lb) pull sans belt and I felt great doing it that way.

Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk to the gym in the rain. :)
BB Back Squat: 20x5,5 40x5 60x5 80x5 100x3 120x2 130x5 (286 lb Working Weight)
BB Bench Press: 20x5,5 30x5 40x5 45x12,12,12,12,13 (99 lb)
BB Deadlift: 60x5 80x5 100x5 120x3 130x2 145x5 (319 lb)
Pull-up: 7,6,4
Dip: 9,8,7
Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk home.

Last Friday I squatted 130kg but only got 4 reps. This time I got all 5. When I exhaled after my 3rd rep, something wet and semi-solid dislodged from my respiratory tract and stuck in my throat. I had to pause and clear my throat with all that damn weight on my back before I could decend again. Not fun! The last two reps went up very slowly, like heavy deadlifts. It's rare that I spend that much time on a squat but I may have to start getting used to it. Next time, 135kg (297kg). Woo hoo! 300 lb, here I come!

My bench presses went up like fluffy bunnies, not bad for my second time at the new weight. I got all 60 reps plus one victory rep at the end so next time it's gonna be 47.5kg (104.5 lb). My shoulder still feels fine.

I got all 5 deadlifts at 145kg (319 lb). Woo hoo! The last time I tried 145, I only got two reps and the two times I tried after that I couldn't get the bar up AT ALL because I had over-trained myself into a hole. This was my first attempt at 145 since then so you can imagine my glee when I got all 5 reps in good style. I'll say it again, Woo hoo! Next time, 150kg (330 lb).

Pullups went fine. I got three more reps than last time.

Dips went well too. I got 24 reps total compared to 18 last Monday and 21 last Friday. I probably could have gotten more, but my form was a little wonky on the first set.

[Stenn]

Today I take off for my 3-day meditation retreat. I'm pretty sure they're going to try to feed me tofu and rice or some such fare. I'm used to getting about 3,000 calories from 6-8 meals a day and they'll probably feed me 1,500 in 3 meals. To retaliate, I'm going to sneak in some almonds and dried apricots. I'm not sure when I'll manage to eat them, but I'll find a way.

I'll be missing Monday's high-volume workout. I'm not too bumed out about that. As good as Mondays have been for me, they're about as much fun as a trip to the dentist.

See y'all in a few days!

[dartol]

Nice workout sy! Seems like tofu and meditation might not mix well either. LOL

Have a good trip and try to go for double helpings of tofu! ;)

Darren

[Stenn]

Nice workout sy! Seems like tofu and meditation might not mix well either. LOL

Have a good trip and try to go for double helpings of tofu! ;)

Thanks Darren. Well, I'm back and managed not to sarve to death. Man, I am so not used to eating like a normal person. There were only three meals a day at the retreat. Breakfast was a reasonable size, but lunch and diner were HUGE. I had to choke down as much food in one sitting as I would ordinarily eat at two. Sure enough, there was tofu and rice, but also a good assortment of veggies that I usually miss out on when I'm fixing my own food. So I ate well except for the low calorie intake and odd distribution of calories troughout the day.

[widebody195]

Welcome back! I know what you mean by "eating like a normal person." I can't down the huge portions either anymore. Just thinking about those all-you-can-eat buffets makes me want to gag.

[Stenn]

Just thinking about those all-you-can-eat buffets makes me want to gag.

What if it was an all-you-can-eat buffet where you could stay for four to six hours? :)

[Stenn]

I missed Monday's volume day. Oh well. :rolleyes: It was probably for the best because I'm still feeling like I have half a cold. Today's easy workout seemed just right considering my condition. I'm probably going to miss Friday's PR day because I'm flying from Ireland to Houston on Thursday (tomorrow). I'll be so jet-lagged that I'll be lucky if I'm able to get out of bed on Friday.

I told Clem and Tony that I was leaving and wouldn't see them at the gym for a while. Clem said he'd miss seeing me working out in the mornings. I'm hoping that it's the inspiration and hard work he'll miss and not the entertainment. :) Tony gave me a Galway City Gym t-shirt which I will wear with pride.

I'm not sure when I'll get my next workout, probably next Monday. I'll try to workout at the University of Houston if my membership is still good there. Otherwise, I'll see if I can get a month pass at the Houston Gym.

Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk to the gym.
BB Front Squat: 20x5,5 40x5 60x2 70x5,5 (154 lb working weight)
BB Press: 30x12,12,12,12,10 (66 lb)
Power Clean:40x5 50x2 60x5,5 (132 lb)
EZ-Bar Curl: 27.5x12,12,7/3 (60.5 lb)
Decl. Wtd. Situp: 10x15,14,5 (22 lb)
Wtd. Hyper.: 10x12,12,12 (22 lb)
Cardio: 2.5km brisk walk home.

Damn, front squats are hard! Still, I got my reps twice in a row at 70kg so I should up the weight. I just don't know by how much yet.

The presses felt easy today and I got almost all my reps. Time to up the weight!

I got all my power clean reps, but they weren't pretty. I seem to be having trouble getting my legs to generate the right power early in the lift. This leaves me struggling to get under the bar late in the lift. I'm gonna stick at 80kg and see if I can't do a better job next time.

I did almost the same number of curls this time as last time. Oh well... Last set was 7 real reps and 3 cheaters.

I decided to up the reps on my situps instead of upping the weight. I started out strong but died like a dog on the last set.

I don't like the hyperextension bench at GCG. It seems to put a lot of pressure on my quads. If the Roman chair in Houston is better, I'll keep the hypers. If not, I'll drop them or replace them with something else like good mornings.

[Hibiscus09]

Great job on the workout! :) I hate front squats.

Happy Halloween!

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c288/hibiscus09/Hallowee.jpg

[Stenn]

Great job on the workout! :) I hate front squats.

Happy Halloween!

Thanks Hibby, and thanks for the cartoon! We got no kiddies at our house, but when my daughter went trick-or-treating here in Ireland she brought back loads of awsome goodies. We sat together in front of a warm turf fire watching TV and gorging ourselves on Toblorone, Cadbury, and some kinda semi-dark chocolate from Venezuela that was indescribably good. Cheat meals are fun when they're all-chocolate. :)

I can certainly see how you might hate front squats. They're a little awkward and they make you look like a weenie because you can only lift about half your back squat weight.

[Hibiscus09]

I'm kind of goofy I guess because I didn't notice until today that you are in Ireland. How cool! :) Brian has been there on a 10 day golfing trip, but I've never been. I would love to visit Ireland.

The last time I tried front squats I felt like it was tweaking my back. I suppose my form was off. I remember doing them years ago and they burned the dickens out of my quads. :p I think they work well. I probably need someone to show me form again.

[Stenn]

I'm kind of goofy I guess because I didn't notice until today that you are in Ireland. How cool! :) Brian has been there on a 10 day golfing trip, but I've never been. I would love to visit Ireland.
Yeah, and just to further confuse my reading audience, I'm now back in Houston. I came back home to check on my house and to re-connect with my family, friends, and business partners. I'll be back in Ireland in a few weeks.

If you ever do get to Ireland, visit Galway. It's a great little town and they have the best gym ever, Galway City Gym. I just nominated them for the next bb.com Gym of the Month.

The last time I tried front squats I felt like it was tweaking my back. I suppose my form was off. I remember doing them years ago and they burned the dickens out of my quads. :p I think they work well. I probably need someone to show me form again.
I feel that front squats enforce better form by default than back squats because the back is more up-right making it easier to keep a proper lumbar arch. I'm surprised to hear that they gave you trouble. Did you feel the tweak in your upper or lower back?

Front squats definitely hit the quads harder than back squats. I'm not sure why that is. It may have something to do with the larger hip angle when in the hole.

[Stenn]

So, as I mentioned to Hibi, I'm back in Houston for a few weeks. The flight over was terrible. I got food poisoning and spent most of the flight queezy, bloated, and with a headach. After about 12 hours of misery, I finaly staggered back to the toilets and lost my lunch, diner, and breakfast somewhere over the American mid-west. Needless to say, my diet has been pretty off these past couple of days. :(

I skipped Friday's workout because I was still pretty jet-lagged and weak from the food poisoning. I'm still planning to make Monday's workout at the University of Houston. If they won't let me in, I'll head over to Houston Gym which just received bb.com's Gym of the Month award. How cool is that? :cool:

[dartol]

I can certainly see how you might hate front squats. They're a little awkward and they make you look like a weenie because you can only lift about half your back squat weight.

:( My back squat has almost caught up with your front squat. LOL

Sorry about your flight and the food poisoning! Ouch that would make for a horrible long flight. Hope you are back up to speed soon!

Welcome back to H-town. It's a good time of year to be in Houston. The weather has been perfect lately.

Darren

[SR800]

Trans atlantic flights just suck no matter how you slice it. Period! Hope you feel better soon.

[Stenn]

:( My back squat has almost caught up with your front squat. LOL
LOL I woldn't worry about it. You're in a good groove right now and making great progress. Your back squat numbers are gonna grow much faster than my front squat numbers.

Sorry about your flight and the food poisoning! Ouch that would make for a horrible long flight. Hope you are back up to speed soon!

Welcome back to H-town. It's a good time of year to be in Houston. The weather has been perfect lately.


Trans atlantic flights just suck no matter how you slice it. Period! Hope you feel better soon.
Thanks for the condolences guys. I'm feeling much better. Or at least I was till I stepped on the scale this morning. Food poisoning is like kryptonite for anyone trying to build a super body.

The weather in Houston is great! It was a refreshing surprise to step off the plane in Houston and not immediately regret it. :) I spent yesterday hacking down some over-grown giant timber bamboo with a machette and barely broke a sweat. This morning I removed a bunch of vines that had grown onto my house and onto the roof in my absence. Again, no sweat. I wish the weather was like this all the time.

[widebody195]

Sorry to hear about the food poisoning. Airlines these days are pretty much terrible all around. Looking on the bright side, food poisoning is a way to cleanse your system (works better than Ex-Lax) and lean out. Way to get ripped!

[Stenn]

Sorry to hear about the food poisoning. Airlines these days are pretty much terrible all around. Looking on the bright side, food poisoning is a way to cleanse your system (works better than Ex-Lax) and lean out. Way to get ripped!

Thanks WideBody. I hate food poisoning. I once lost 15 pounds from food poisoning and that was back when I was skinny. It's not as bad this time, but I'm still down a few pounds.

The airline I flew in on was Aer Lingus and I found them to be much better than any other airline I've been on. The plane was modern and each seat included a video screen and remote/game controller in the hand rest. I got to play several games of computer chess, watch a few episodes of popular TV shows, and a cheezy Bruce Willis movie while flying over the Atlantic.

[Stenn]

After realizing that I couldn't workout at the University of Houston because I no longer had a valid parking permit, I made my way over to Houston Gym. I met Cedric who asked me, "Did you plan to workout today?" "Yes" I replied. "Go ahead and get your workout in. When you're done, find me and we'll figure out your membership situation." Cool, eh? :cool:

Houston Gym hadn't changed a bit from a year ago except for all the personal trainers running around with clients doing funky Swiss ball exercises. I guess they're courting the main-stream fitness crowd these days. :rolleyes: That was OK by me. It left the power and squat racks wide open. :)

The only problem I have with Houston Gym is that they don't have a lifting platform or bumper plates. That means no power cleans. :( The owner said that I could go ahead and do power cleans, but I had a hard time taking him seriously. Can you imagine dropping 135 lb of iron from shoulder height onto a concrete floor? :eek: I'm gonna substitute Pendlay rows for my power cleans on Wednesday.

So, after a little bit of time at the front desk, I quickly converted my routine from metric to pounds and finally got busy. I found out just how miserable a workout can be when you've still got half a cold, are recovering from food poisoning, and haven't worked out much in a week or two. I must have looked pretty bad because Melissa from the front desk asked me, "You doing all right?" All I could do was give her a half-hearted thumbs-up.

BB Back Squat: 45x5,5 95x5 135x5 175x12,12,10,4,5
BB Bench Press: 45x5,5 65x5 85x5 100x12,12,12,5,5
RDL: 135x5,5 155x12,6,6
DB Fly: 15x5 20x5 25x12,12,7,8,7
Dip: BWx6,4,2

I didn't quite go to failure on the squats because I was getting light-headed first. I'm very reluctant to drop into the hole with a head full of wool.

I put a reasonable effort into my bench pressing. I got three solid sets before the bottom fell out of my bucket.

As usual, I used a raiser for my RDL's but the raiser at Houston Gym is taller than what I'm used to. I had to be careful to keep from trapping my feet under the bar when I set it down. I got some good work initially, but once I starting getting tired, things went down-hill fast.

The flys whent well except that I felt them more in my triceps than anywhere else. Go figure...

I embarassed myself on the dip bars. My consolation was that I was the sweatiest guy at the gym and I got through my entire workout without using a Swiss ball. :D

[Stenn]

Jeez, I can't believe how sore I've been today! Almost everything I worked yesterday is mad as hell at me today: quads, hams, glutes, and pecs. Only my back triceps are giving me a break. I wasn't expecting this after having such a crappy workout. Clearly I'm being punished for missing a few workouts.

[Stenn]

I had hoped that by today I'd be over Monday's DOMS but no dice. :( But once I got started on my workout, I didn't feel much DOMS. About an hour later it all came back.

Before my workout, I drank down some kinda majic Labrada pump-it-up, turn-you-on, dial-you-in, pre-workout supp that came with a shaker bottle I bought last week. From the promises on the label, I should have felt like Superman, Bat Man, and The Green Hornet. Instead, I felt NOTHING during my workout and then had an overwhelming desire to sing in the shower. How's that for kooky?

BB Front Squat: 45x5,5 95x5 135x5 155x5,5
BB Press: 70x12,12,12,8,9
Pendlay Row: 135x5 155x5,5
EZ-Bar Curl: 60x12,9,5
Decl. Wtd. Situp: 20x15,15,12
Wtd. Hyper: 20x12,12,12

My front squats aren't getting eny easier. The bar pad came off during my first heavy set so I threw it into a corner in disgust and wrapped my towel around the bar. That worked well.

I was pressing a new weight so I didn't quite get all my reps on the last two sets. No biggie. I'll get them all next time.

I hadn't done Pendlay rows in about a month so I had to hunt for the right working weight. I found it pretty quickly and got all my reps, but not in style (bar touches chest).

To be honest, I have no idea how much I curled today. I assumed that the Oly EZ bar weighed 20 lb. When I was done with my curls, I noticed that Houston Gym has fixed-weight EZ curl bars. Doh!

Something about doing declined situps with two 10 lb plates on my chest while most of the other folks in the gym were being led through light-weight drills by their personal trainers made me feel like a stud today. Maybe it was the Labrada drugs starting to kick in.

Houston Gym has the most uncomfortable Roman chair on the planet, especially if you're a man. There's one pad to make sure your testicles get crushed. There are two more that make sure that your quads receive maximum pressure on the least amount of area. To escape the testicle crusher, I had to be on my tip-toes to get the boys past the pad. Then, I had to adopt an extreem toes-out stance to rescue my sore quads. Once I was properly contorted, all proceeded well.

[Hibiscus09]

Before my workout, I drank down some kinda majic Labrada pump-it-up, turn-you-on, dial-you-in, pre-workout supp that came with a shaker bottle I bought last week. From the promises on the label, I should have felt like Superman, Bat Man, and The Green Hornet. Instead, I felt NOTHING during my workout and then had an overwhelming desire to sing in the shower. How's that for kooky?



It doesn't sound any worse than things going on with me lately. LOL You are so funny! :D



Houston Gym has the most uncomfortable Roman chair on the planet, especially if you're a man. There's one pad to make sure your testicles get crushed. There are two more that make sure that your quads receive maximum pressure on the least amount of area. To escape the testicle crusher, I had to be on my tip-toes to get the boys past the pad. Then, I had to adopt an extreem toes-out stance to rescue my sore quads. Once I was properly contorted, all proceeded well.

Good thing you escaped the testicle crusher! :eek: Since you're a superhero, don't you have balls of steel anyway? :D

Great job on the workout!!

[widebody195]

Testicle crusher! LMAO!

[Stenn]

It doesn't sound any worse than things going on with me lately. LOL You are so funny! :D
Pray, tell! What's going on with you lately and what supplement did you take to make it happen? :)

Good thing you escaped the testicle crusher! :eek: Since you're a superhero, don't you have balls of steel anyway? :D
When I was struck by the radioactive meteor from outer-space, I was wearing a lead-lined athletic supporter which kept me from gaining that particular super-power.

[Hibiscus09]

Pray, tell! What's going on with you lately and what supplement did you take to make it happen? :)

You have to read the novel in my journal to understand and the only supplement I need is Valium. :D


When I was struck by the radioactive meteor from outer-space, I was wearing a lead-lined athletic supporter which kept me from gaining that particular super-power.

LOL -- you're certainly quick witted. :D

[dartol]

Hey SuperBatGreenHornicle man!

ROFL I am dyin here. I should not read this at work, it's hard to hold tha laughter in! :D

And I am gonna try to work out with this guy on Saturday? If we decide to do it at the Houston Gym, you are not getting me near the testicle crusher!

24 Hour Fitness does not have one of those... LOL

Darren

[Stenn]

Hey SuperBatGreenHornicle man!

ROFL I am dyin here. I should not read this at work, it's hard to hold tha laughter in! :D
From what I've heard, your workplace could use a little laughter. If someone catchest you chuckling, just tell them you were thinking about the company's mission statement. :)

And I am gonna try to work out with this guy on Saturday? If we decide to do it at the Houston Gym, you are not getting me near the testicle crusher!

24 Hour Fitness does not have one of those... LOL
Yup, it looks like we're on for Satuday at your gym and testicle crushers are off the menu unless you drag one on the ground while doing squats. That would be a TTG squat.