Tryintorebuild finally admits how weak he really is...

[tryintorebuild]

Okay, it's time to start a work out journal. I've been carrying one to the gym, but I keep losing the old pages, so I'll put it on the web.

I started working out again around the beginning of April 2012. Couldn't bench 125 for more than a couple of reps. I started deadlifting about 135 and curling 65. Those are the only starts that I remember the weight on. I'll just have to start the rest from here. I had injured myself a few years back, so I've been taking it slow.
Monday:
Dumbbell OH Press: 7x45, 5x50, 3x50

Weighted crunch (machine): 10X185, 10X185, 8x185

Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 6x35, 4x45, 8x30

Standing Front Dumbbell Raise: 10x35, 8x40, 6x50

Face Pulls (machine): 7x110, 8x110, 6x110

Hanging Leg Lifts: 10, 20, 10

[tryintorebuild]

Bench Press: 4x185, 3x205, 3x215, 3x185, 3x175, 6x155

Tricep Cable Push: 8x140, 6x140, 8x140

Dumbbell Incline Flys: 6x55, 6x60, 3x65

Skull Crushers: 8x70, 8x80, 6x90

[tryintorebuild]

Wednesday is a rest day. Or cardio if I feel like it. I never feel like cardio

Walked/Jogged 1.1 miles. Did a few leg lifts. Called it a day.

Hey.... What good's a journal if you aren't going to tell the truth.

[tryintorebuild]

Barbell Curl: 6x85, 3x95, 5x90

Deadlift: 6x205, 4x235, 5x255, 3x275

Shoulder Shrugs with dumbbells: 8x80, 5x85, 6x85

One arm Dumbbell Row: 6x90, 4x100, 5x90

Hammer Curl: 6x55, 6x60, 10x45


Editor's Note: My forearms are torn up. It's a good thing I am typing this, because I'm not sure I could grip a pencil that long.

[tryintorebuild]

Last weight day of the week.

Squats: 8x165, 6x205, 5x225

Weighted Crunch: 10x185, 10x185, 10x185

Leg Press: 10x270, 10x360, 10x450 (plus the weight of the machine, but I don't know what that is)

Hanging leg lifts: 16, 16 (just thrown in for rest between sets)

Lunges: 10x50, 7x50, 7x40 (got pretty tired by the end of the lunges. I've only been doing these for about 3 weeks)

[tryintorebuild]

Product review:

Got a new stack from BB.com yesterday. Thought I'd give a try today. It's their advertised $59 dollar special. 2lbs Cellucor Whey, Muscle Pharm Amino 1 and ON Planinum Pre.

First off price: I don't think you can beat 59.00 for a months supply of all that.

Aminos: Taste incredible. I don't know if they work or not, but they are awesome in taste. I could drink that stuff all day.

Pre Workout: Not sure yet. I didn't feel any great boost, but 1 day is not a good judgement. I woke up pretty tired today anyway. If you go off the "tingly feeling", it is definitely there. But this product is nowhere near Jack3d or Nutrex HemoRage, those two products won't let you have a down day. At least not for the 30 minutes I workout.

Whey: I ordered the Cookies and Cream just for something different. Looks like I'm a vanilla sort of guy. The c&c doesn't taste bad, but vanilla is something that you can easily work with. I think a month of c&c would burn me out big time. On the other hand... Looks like the kids may get some protein packed cookies or pancakes this weekend. When life hands you lemons make lemonade, but when it hands you cookies and cream make dessert.

[tryintorebuild]

Rearranged my schedule this week because I won't be near the gym on Friday. That means I won't be taking Wednesday off (I hope). This may be a permanent change other than that I plan to use Wednesday as a rest day and workout out on Friday most weeks.

Preacher Curls: 6x85, 10x65, 8x75 (I didn't like my form on the 85lb set but 65 was a little too light)

Dead Lift: 5x225, 5x255, 3x275

Shoulder shrugs: 9x90, 6x90, 10x80

Pullups: 6, 6, 5 (did these inbetween deads)

One arm Rows: 6x85, 5x90, 6x90

Dumbbell Curl: 5x35, 5x40, 3x40

[tryintorebuild]

Product review:

Got a new stack from BB.com yesterday. Thought I'd give a try today. It's their advertised $59 dollar special. 2lbs Cellucor Whey, Muscle Pharm Amino 1 and ON Planinum Pre.

First off price: I don't think you can beat 59.00 for a months supply of all that.

Aminos: Taste incredible. I don't know if they work or not, but they are awesome in taste. I could drink that stuff all day.

Pre Workout: Not sure yet. I didn't feel any great boost, but 1 day is not a good judgement. I woke up pretty tired today anyway. If you go off the "tingly feeling", it is definitely there. But this product is nowhere near Jack3d or Nutrex HemoRage, those two products won't let you have a down day. At least not for the 30 minutes I workout.

Whey: I ordered the Cookies and Cream just for something different. Looks like I'm a vanilla sort of guy. The c&c doesn't taste bad, but vanilla is something that you can easily work with. I think a month of c&c would burn me out big time. On the other hand... Looks like the kids may get some protein packed cookies or pancakes this weekend. When life hands you lemons make lemonade, but when it hands you cookies and cream make dessert.

Day 2 with ON Pre workout: Still have that strong tingly feeling. I didn't really feel any incredible energy, but I notice my lifts are still improving. So it may be working, but if you want to feel the boost I still say Jack3d original or Nutrex HemoRage.

I passed the whey on to my son. Nothing bad to say about it, I just like my vanilla.

I'm not really sure how you know if aminos are working. I will say I wasn't sore Saturday, but then I don't normally get sore from working out, but then I normally take aminos. So who knows.

[tryintorebuild]

Another routine changeup. I usually work out at lunch, but I have a business meal today. So I came in to work out before work. That's a big change up for a guy who generally doesn't do anything until his 4th cup of coffee.

Bench Press: 10x155, 7x165, 4x185, 3x205

Tricep Pulldown: 8x140, 8x140, 8x140

Dumbbell incline flys: 6x50, 6x55, 6x55

Skull Crushers: 8x80, 10x80, 8x90

Tricep Kickback: 6x40, 6x45, 6x40


Time for coffee

[tryintorebuild]

Leg day. (Moved from Friday due to strange scheduling this week.) I prefer to be more rigid with my workout schedule, but you do what you have to.

Squats: 10x155, 8x185, 5x215

Weighted crunch: 10x185, 8x185, 12x185

Leg Press: 12x360, 10x450, 8x520

Hanging Leg Lifts: 20, 16, 12

Dumbbell Lunges: 9x50, 6x60, 5x65

[tryintorebuild]

Dumbbell OH press: 6x50, 6x45, 3x45, 4x50

Vertical Row: 8x150, 6x150, 6x150 (used a row machine)

Dumbbell Lateral Raise 6x35, 6x40, 5x40

Standing Front Dumbbell Raise: 8x40, 5x50, 6x50

Face Pulls: 8x120, 8x120, 8x120

Weighted Chin ups: 5x30, 5x30, 5x30

[tryintorebuild]

It appears my schedule will stay jumbled up for a few weeks. Kind of funny, I've worked out on the same schedule every day for almost a year and when I start keeping a journal, I'm all of the sudden hopping all over the place trying to get in a workout.

Hit chest today. I think that will be a permanent change. Mondays are now officially "chest days". Figured I'd be a little groggy this morning. I usually work out at lunch. But actually I was pretty awake and ready to lift.

Dumbbell Bench: 10x50, 8x70, 1x85, 5x75 85 was with terrible form so I decided it was too much, put it down and went after the 75s

Tricep pushdown: 10x140, 10x140, 8x140

Incline flys: 8x55, 6x60, 3x65

Incline bench: 6x135, 6x145, 4x155

Skull Crushers: 10x80, 8x85 Ran out of time. I guy has to go to work every once in awhile.

[tryintorebuild]

From Tuesday. Didn't have time to enter it yesterday. Today was a rest da

Curls: 8x85, 5x95, 3x95

Deadlift: 5x205, 4x255, 3x285

Pullups: 5, 4, 5 (not a lot of rest time. Had to rush between sets on all workouts)

One arm Dumbbell Row: 8x90, 5x90, 5x95

Hammer Curl: 6x50, 6x50, 5x55

[tryintorebuild]

Still recovering from a weekend of binge eating, as always happens the bellyfat is just now starting to show up. Wouldn't controlling our bodyfat be easier if it would show up immediately?


Dumbbell Overhead Press: 5x55, 5x50, 5x50

Weighted Crunch: 12x185, 8x200, 6x200 (machine)

Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 6x35, 6x30, 6x40

Standing Front Dumbbell Raise: 10x35, 6x40, 5x45

Face Pulls: 6x130, 8x130, 6x130

Hanging Leg Lifts: 24, 18, 16

[tryintorebuild]

One week after my "permanent change" of chest to Monday, and I've hurt my wrist. Nothing bad, but I decided not to push it today, besides I missed legs on Friday. So today is legs and if my wrist is better I'll switch do shoulders tomorrow. Wrist doesn't like the pulling or pushing, so tomorrow my just be jogging.

Squats: 6x205, 6x225, 3x255, 8x135

Weighted crunch: 10x185, 12x185, 9x200

Leg Press: 8x360, 8x450, 8x450

Leg Lifts: 14, 12, 15 (resting on forearms, legs straight, lifting in front of me)

Leg Curls: 12x50, 5x95 (haven't done those in a decade, so I really had no idea what I could or couldnt do)

[tryintorebuild]

Excuses, excuses. Didn't feel at the top of my game today. But life's like that. We have our ups and downs.

Overhead Dumbbell Press: 7x50, 5x50, 7x50

Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 6x35, 6x40, 6x40

Standing Front Dumbbell Raise: 8x35, 6x40, 6x35

Face Pulls: 8x130, 6x130, 6x130


Note: Must not be eating enough, my weight is slowly declining. That is my subconscience being driven by the fear of gaining back the weight I've lost. Funny that I feel fat at 183, there was a time when I would not have believed I could weigh this little without being on my death bed.

[tryintorebuild]

From 3/25/13

Bench Press: 7x185, 4x205, 3x225, 4x175

Cable Tricep Pushdown: 20x100, 8x130, 8x130

Incline dumbbell Flys: 6x55, 6x60, 3x65

Skull Crushers: 8x85, 6x90, 8x85


Felt like a good workout. Feel a little tension in the muscles this morning, but no bad aches.

[tryintorebuild]

**** Rant Warning ****

Last week I was out of town so I took the opportunity to workout in a different gym. It's good to do that some, it gave me a whole new perspective.

I've often read new posters griping about feelings of insecurity in the gym. Worrying that some of the regulars might judge them. This isn't something I've experienced since I was a freshman in high school. I've never been one who worried much about other's opinions of me. I've roller coastered on my workouts all through life. I lift awhile and then life changes and I find myself going weeks, months, years without lifting weights. So I've never been the strongest guy in the gym. But I've never found anybody to be really offensive when I'm in the gym. It seems that just like me, most people are there to workout and don't really care what anybody else is doing.

But this week I saw things from a different view. I now know why newbies can feel judged. No I wasn't the one everyone was disturbed at. Or at least I don't think I was, but then I don't care about that, so if I was being judged I wouldn't have noticed it anyway.

How not to be disliked in the gym:

1. Realize that's not your piece of equipment. It isn't mine either. We are renting it. Everybody in the world is on a time constraint, so do your workout and move along.

2. More importantly... That bench isn't a lounge chair. Really? You tired yourself out so much benching the bar that you have to lay there for the next 2 minutes? Walk it off man, and oh do you mind if I work in a set while you do?

3. Dropped your weights? No big deal, occasionally we all bite off more than we can chew. But if you can throw them your just trying to draw attention to yourself. So we stare at you like you're and idiot... You invited it.

4. Go ahead and grunt. I'm not the nervous type. I get the need for the extra psychological push on that last rep or two. But then again... do you really need that loud grunt through all 12 reps of all 6 sets? Yeah we're staring, again you invited.

5. Oh and most important... Put the weights up when your done. I'm not your mom. Why should I have to clean up your mess? Besides how am I gonna know you're through. Well I mean other than that you took your book and walked away from the bench.

Ok. I'm done ranting.

[tryintorebuild]

So this is the point of working out that I've come to so many times in my life. It's that point where things start hopping in the way and you have to make choices and set priorities. Sometimes I've worked through them, but often I fail and end up going weeks/months/years without hitting the gym. Last week I only worked out once. Having a week off isn't necessarily a bad thing. But it's easier to keep doing nothing than to get back in the gym. At least it is for me.

But I made it there today.

Bench Press: 8x155, 5x185, 4x205, 3x225

Cable Tricep Pushdown: 20x90, 6x130, 8x130

Dumbbell Incline Flys: 6x55, 5x65, 5x65

Skull Crushers: 8x80, 10x85, 8x85

Just about time to start cutting for summer. My jeans are feeling a little tight around the waist. But it's been so much fun to increase my lifts on my weights that it's kind of hard to make myself cut. Maybe next week. I don't need to cut much, so I can wait a little while.

This keeping a journal kind of feels like talking to yourself. If I was doing this outloud folks would think I was nuts.

[tryintorebuild]

My knee woke me up last night to tell me it was going to rain. It was right, so my lifts were a little light and not full range today. The smaller muscles around the kneecaps (or are the ligaments, maybe joints IDK) weren't ready for the stress.

Squats: 6x175, 5x225, 5x245

Weighted Crunch: 12x170, 10x185, 10x185

Leg Press: 12x270, 20x270, 20x360 (This is where I chose to back off the weight and push slower to hold more tension on the thigh muscles on the extraction.) Yeah, I just made that idea up as I went along, it might not have been worth anything. But I felt more stress on the thigh muscle.

Front Leg lifts: 12, 12, 12 Supported on elbows, legs kept straight. I had bent my knees all I wanted to during the other lifts.

Chose to skip lunges. I don't think the stress on my knees is particularly a good thing. It's all weather related and lifts should be normal next week.

This isn't the result of being over 35. This is the result of 20 years of pounding my knees on pavement with bad support on my arches and carrying 20 - 50 lbs of excess weight. I've lost the weight, but that stuff doesn't fix itself overnight.

[tryintorebuild]

Overhead Dumbbell Press: 7x50, 5x50, 7x50

Weighted Crunch: 10x185, 12x185, 8x200,

Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 6x30, 6x35, 6x30

Standing Front Dumbbell Raise: 7x40, 6x45, 5x45

Face Pulls: 8x130, 9x130, 8x130

Dumbbell Upright Rows: 8x35, 12x35, 10x40

[tryintorebuild]

Didn't get a chance to log down last week's workout. Busy week. Not too busy to workout, just to busy to log on the computer.
Sure, I'm not so busy that I can't spend 5 minutes making a log, but who gets on BB and just puts their logs in?

Today:

Bench Press: 15x135, 4x205, 2x225, 4x185

Cable Tricep Pushdown: 12x130, 8x140, 8x140

Dumbbell Fly: 5x60, 6x65, 5x65

Skull Crushers: 8x80, 7x90, 8x85

Felt like a successful workout. Muscles felt tight at the end, but not hurting.

[tryintorebuild]

Back at with the journal. Maybe I can keep it updated for awhile.

Deadlift: 5x205, 4x275, 3x275, 4x255 (Hit a personal best of 305 last week.)

Dumbbell Shrug: 8x80, 8x85, 8x80

One arm DB Row: 8x80, 5x85, 6x85

Preacher Curl: 6x85, 5x90, 4x90 (Strained a muscle in my forearm 2 weeks back and the preacher curl seems to put less strain on that muscle and yet keep the strain on my biceps.)

[tryintorebuild]

Wednesday I jogged a mile and walked a quarter. Tread mill.

Today

Dumbbell Overhead Press: 5x55, 7x50, 7x50 (Second set was a fail trying to get 55 again. So I had to drop back to 50)

Weighted Crunch: 10x185, 10x185, 8x200

Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 6x35, 8x30, 8x30

Standing Front Dumbbell Raise: 7x40, 6x45, 5x45

Face Pulls: 10x130, 6x140

Hanging Leg Lifts: 24, 12, 20

[tryintorebuild]

My goal routine has been Mon - Chest/Tris, Tues - Back/Bis, Wed - Cardio, Thurs Shoulders/some abs,
Fri - legs/more abs

Since Saturday and Sunday are rest days, I've decided to add a small amount of everything on Friday. It still gives me Sat/Sun to heal up before I start back again.

So here is today's workout:

Squats: 7x135, 8x205, 6x255, 5x305 (that's the most I've had on my shoulders in a long time. Of course like everybody else, I was much stronger and a jock back in high school. That was back when I had to walk uphill to and from school in 3 feet of snow without shoes in a T shirt.)

Leg Press: 10x360, 8x450, 8x540 (that's plus whatever the sled is. First time in a long time to put six plates on a side on the press too)

Incline Bench: 8x135, 6x155, 4x165 (haven't inclined bench in a couple of months, so felt good to do that again too.

Dumbbell Curls: 7x40, 6x40, 5x40

For me, this was a good workout day. I am limited on time, but hopefully next week I can add a back routine in also.

[RT1957]

Nice journal...keep up the good work....

[tryintorebuild]

Nice journal...keep up the good work....

Thanks. Using this has pushed me more than I've pushed myself in a long time. I probably ought to find a work forum like this Maybe I'd end up a CEO some day. No... Probably not.

[tryintorebuild]

Busy day at the gym today. Must be getting close to swimsuit season.

Bench Press: 5x185, 4x195, 5x205, 5x225

Tricep Cable Pushdown: 8x140, 8x140, 8x140

Dumbbell Flys: 8x55, 5x65, 6x55

Overhead Tricep Extension: 8x75, 8x75, 7x85

[tryintorebuild]

Today was back and bicep. I'm trying to increase my deadlifts so yesterday I ate big. I increased my protein and decreased my carbs. This morning I added a snack (Greek yogurt) about 40 minutes before I went to lift. Somehow I still weighed a pound less right before workout than I did yesterday right before workout. Go figure....

Preacher Curls: 6x85, 4x85, 6x35

Deadlifts: 8x205, 4x275, 1x325, 3x275, 6x205 (Beat my PR by 25lbs. Think I still have more in me, but I'm still working on not being afraid of deadlifts. I've never had a back injury and I'm kind of happy about that.)

One arm Dumbbell Rows: 6x85, 8x85, 6x90

Dumbbell Curls: 6x35, 6x35, 7x35

Ran out of time before I ran out of steam. 30 minute lunches don't give a lot of workout time.

[tryintorebuild]

Jogged a mile (9 minutes). Walked a half today.

This is a rest day.