The T-Man Chronicles: 1.0

[ironwill2008]

Also, I reviewed my workout while I was away from the gym and decided to make a couple of minor adjustments in order to fix a few issues I was having. In order to place more focus on what's important, I cut back on a couple of the isolation exercises in order to limit my exercises to no more then six per session. This will give me time for proper rest between sets and to not feel like I need to race through my workout to "get everything in" before I have to go. I also separated my shoulder workout from my bench so that I can really hit them hard without pre fatigue since they have been a sticking point for me lately.

Good deal.

Plan your work, work your plan.

[terman1]

September 7th, 2012

Last Session -----vs.----- This Session

Lat Pulldown
140 x 8 ------------ 150 x 8
200 x 6 ------------ 210 x 6
280 x 5 ------------ 285 x 5
290 x 5 ------------ 295 x 5
300 x 5 ------------ 305 x 5

Standing Overhead Press
50 x 8 ------------ 60 x 8
60 x 8 ------------ 80 x 6
90 x 8 ------------ 100 x 5
100 x 8 ----------- 110 x 5
110 x 5 ----------- 120 x 5
------------------- 125 x 2

Reverse Cable Crossovers
20 x 8 ------------ 20 x 8
30 x 6 ------------ 30 x 8
40 x 8 ------------ 40 x 8
50 x 8 ------------ 50 x 8
60 x 6 ------------ 60 x 4

Upright DB Rows
n/a ------------ 20's x 8
n/a ------------ 30's x 8
n/a ------------ 40's x 8
n/a ------------ 50's x 5

SUPERSET - Trap Bar Shrugs & Deadlifts

Trap Bar Shrugs
170 x 10 ------------ 180 x 8
210 x 8 ------------- 215 x 8
260 x 8 ------------- 265 x 8
270 x 8 ------------- 275 x 8
280 x 8 ------------- 285 x 7

Barbell Deadlift
140 x 5 ------------ 140 x 5
190 x 5 ------------ 190 x 5
245 x 5 ------------ 250 x 5
275 x 3 ------------ 280 x 3
305 x 1 ------------ 310 x miss
n/a ---------------- 310 x miss

_____________________________

I originally wasn't going to post my whole workout today because Wednesday and today were basically to be just reacquainting days after an extended amount of time off however it was a pretty good session (and we're pretty slow at work right now)

I added 5 pounds to the sets on the lat pulldowns and managed to complete all reps. I'll add another 5 pounds next week and see how it goes.

Standing overhead press went very well, especially so now that I have them separated from other pressing exercises. I got my target 5 reps across so I added 5 more pounds to the bar and got 2 reps. I may have gotten all 5 reps with the 125 if I wasn't already my fourth working set so next week I eliminate the extra working set and make the 125 my new top set to see if I can get it.

I lost two reps on the reverse crossovers so these will be repeated next time.

I been wanting to add upright DB rows for a while so I introduced those into my workout today. I wasn't sure how much weight to do since I haven't done them for a while and they are a little different mechanics from the barbell variant however I made it up the 50's for a few reps. It looks like this will be my top set weight until I can get a solid 8 rep set out of them.

I added a little weight to the trap bar shrugs and missed the top set by one. These can stay the same next week.

I also bumped my working sets on the deads 5 pounds today and was doing well however I missed my single after two attempts. I just did Romanians on Wednesday and was still feeling the effects of those today so I think with a little more recovery time I should be able to get it. Starting next week I have barbell deadlifts on Monday's and Romanians on Friday's so I expect the extra day in between should help.
_____________________________

That's my workout for today. My journal may look a little odd but the way I have everything worked out I actually have this workout scheduled again for Monday but these were exercises I really wanted to get in before the weekend because I haven't done them for quite a while. I'll rest over the weekend and see if anything moves up on Monday.

[terman1]

Good deal.

Plan your work, work your plan.

Yep, so far so good Bill. I been talking about moving those overhead presses away from the bench for a few weeks now so I figured this would be as good a time as any to do so. I did a test run with it today and the results were everything I could have hoped for and everything moved right up for me.

[terman1]

September 11th, 2012

Last Session -----vs.----- This Session

Leg Press
240 x 8 ------------ 250 x 8
340 x 6 ------------ 360 x 6
420 x 5 ------------ 430 x 5
450 x 5 ------------ 460 x 5
480 x 5 ------------ 490 x 5

DB Bench
40's x 8 ------------ 45's x 10
60's x 6 ------------ 65's x 8
80's x 5 ------------ 80's x 6
85's x 5 ------------ 85's x 5
90's x 3 ------------ 85's x 4
-------------------- 65's x 10 (backoff set)

DB Row
50's x 8 ------------ 60's x 8
70's x 6 ------------ 80's x 6
95's x 5 ------------ 100's x 5
95's x 5 ------------ 100's x 5
100's x 5 ----------- 100's x 5

Tricep Pushdowns
130 x 8 ------------ 140 x 8
170 x 8 ------------ 180 x 8
210 x 8 ------------ 220 x 8
220 x 8 ------------ 230 x 8
230 x 8 ------------ 240 x 7

Close Grip Lat Pulldown
90 x 8 ------------ 90x 8
130 x 6 ----------- 130 x 8
170 x 6 ----------- 150 x 8
180 x 6 ----------- 160 x 5
190 x 3 ----------- 170 x 3

Trap Bar Shrugs
180 x 8 ------------ 180x 8
215 x 8 ------------ 215 x 8
265 x 8 ------------ 265 x 8
275 x 8 ------------ 275 x 6
285 x 7 ------------ 285 x 5

_____________________________

This was my workout from yesterday but I got busy and didn't get a chance to post. I missed Monday's workout because I wasn't feeling well but I felt better yesterday so I decided I will do two heavy sessions this week, one on Tuesday and one on Thursday. Yesterday was my Wednesday workout and I plan on doing my normal Friday workout on Thursday this week.

Leg Press went well yesterday after adding weight to each set. I'll try adding a little more next time.

DB Bench felt a little heavy so after my second working set with the 85's I decided to use the 85's again for my top set, rather then the 90's, and managed 4 good reps. I decided to add a backoff set with the 65's and got 10 more good reps out of it.

DB Rows went really well and today was the first time I was able to work all three working sets with our top DB weight in the gym, the 100's. I completed the 3 x 5 so now it's time to work on adding reps. I'll try a 3 x 6 next time and see how it goes. My long time goal would be to work up to a solid 3 x 10 with this weight.

I bumped all the weight on the tricep push downs and came just short of getting reps across. I'll give it another try using the same weights next week.

I have a goal to do sets of 8 on the close grip lat pulldowns so I lowered the weight a bit however I was only able to get 8 on my first working set, 5 on the middle and 3 on top. I may need to drop the weight a little lower but I'll keep it the same for now and see if progress can be with this weight next week.

Trap bar shrugs felt like a ton of bricks and I came up a little short vs. last week. I think I just had an off day on these so they can stay the same next week and I'll see if things improve.

_____________________________

That's it for this day. I'll be back on Thursday with BB Rows, Machine Press, Romanians, Skullcrushers, Hammer Curls & Cable Crossovers.

[ironwill2008]

I did a test run with it today and the results were everything I could have hoped for and everything moved right up for me.

Good deal on making small adjustments to your routine, and then seeing the effect. That's the way to continue gains in both mass and knowledge.

[terman1]

September 13th, 2012

Progress was made in some areas and lost in others however overall it was a pretty good session today. Also, I decided today to start adding a backoff set following my top set in order to add some additional volume and to try keeping things moving in the right direction.

Last Session -----vs.----- This Session

Barbell Row
100 x 8 ------------ 100 x 6
140 x 6 ------------ 140 x 6
190 x 6 ------------ 180 x 5
210 x 6 ------------ 200 x 5
215 x 6 ------------ 220 x 5
-------------------- 180 x 6

Hammer Strength Press
100 x 8 ------------ 100 x 6
160 x 6 ------------ 160 x 6
205 x 6 ------------ 210 x 5
215 x 6 ------------ 220 x 5
225 x 6 ------------ 230 x 5
-------------------- 180 x 6

Romanians
100 x 8 ------------ 100 x 6
140 x 6 ------------ 140 x 5
190 x 5 ------------ 190 x 5
220 x 4 ------------ 210 x 5
250 x 2 ------------ 220 x 3
-------------------- 160 x 6

Skullcrushers
30 x 10 ------------ 30 x 8
40 x 8 ------------- 40 x 8
50 x 8 ------------- 50 x 8
60 x 8 ------------- 60 x 8
70 x 7 ------------- 70 x 4
-------------------- 50 x 8

Cable Crossovers
20 x 8 ------------ 20 x 8
30 x 6 ------------ 30 x 8
50 x 8 ------------ 50 x 8
60 x 8 ------------ 60 x 8
70 x 9 ------------ 70 x 4
------------------- 50 x 7

_____________________________

I made some progress on the Rows today and completed all planned sets however I feel that there was a bit too much "English" being used to complete the lift on the last rep or two on my top set. I'm going to try cleaning these up a bit before bumping them again so weight will remain the same next week.

Hammer Press also went well today so I'll give these a small bump next week and see how it goes.

I lowered the weight a bit on the Romanians today since I felt that I originally started a little too high and was hoping to get at least reps across however I lost a little ground on these today due to grip issues. It's funny because I never though I had grip issues until I started adding Romanians to my workout since I can do regular deadlifts and have never had issues holding the bar. I really have a huge amount of respect for people like Ironwill2008 and others who are actually moving some big weight on these.

A couple of reps were lost on the Skullcrushers today however I figured that might happen since I moved a couple of exercises around and now doing them on the same day as a bench press. I'm sure they will get back to where they were in a week or so.

I lost a few reps on the Cable Crossovers today as well however it's likely the same deal as with the Skullcrushers coming up a little short. It would have been nice to match last week's reps there was no big surprise here either. As long as I stay consistant I'm sure they will start picking back up again next week.

That's it for today. All in all I feel like I had a really good day and tomorrow I get to spend the day helping to get a graduation party together. I'll rest up over the weekend and be back on Monday with Lat Pulldown, Shoulder Press, Deadlift, Leg Curls, Calf Raises and Reverse Cable Crossovers.

[terman1]

September 17th, 2012

After a nice, but very busy weekend I was feeling good today and a fair amount of progress was made.

Last Session -----vs.----- This Session

Lat Pulldown
150 x 8 ------------ 160 x 8
210 x 6 ------------ 220 x 6
285 x 5 ------------ 290 x 5
295 x 5 ------------ 300 x 5
305 x 5 ------------ 310 x 5
-------------------- 260 x 6

Standing Overhead Press
60 x 8 ------------ 65 x 8
80 x 6 ------------ 85 x 6
100 x 5 ----------- 105 x 5
110 x 5 ----------- 115 x 5
120 x 5 ----------- 125 x 3
------------------- 105 x 5

Barbell Deadlift
140 x 5 ------------ 140 x 8
190 x 5 ------------ 190 x 6
250 x 5 ------------ 250 x 5
280 x 3 ------------ 280 x 3
310 x 0 ------------ 310 x 0
-------------------- 250 x 6

Leg Curl
30 x 8 ------------ 30 x 6
50 x 8 ------------ 50 x 5
70 x 8 ------------ 70 x 8
80 x 8 ------------ 80 x 8
90 x 7 ------------ 90 x 8
------------------- 60 x 8

Reverse Cable Crossovers
20 x 8 ------------ 20 x 8
30 x 8 ------------ 30 x 8
40 x 8 ------------ 40 x 8
50 x 8 ------------ 50 x 8
60 x 4 ------------ 60 x 5
------------------- 40 x 8

Barbell Calf Raise
90 x 8
140 x 8
180 x 8
250 x 8
300 x 8
250 x 10
____________________________

I'm still moving right along with the Lat Pulldowns. After a small increase this week I was able to work through all my sets with no problems. I'll try adding a dime next week and see if I can keep these rolling.

Shoulder presses got a small bump this week and are moving right along. I finished up with 3 reps on my top set and will keep everything the same next week.

Deadlifts have been stubborn for the past couple of weeks and I missed on my top set again. I'm not looking to do anything drastic since my lower sets are moving without any issues so I am going to try a slight deload on only the top set next week. I will try reducing the weight about 10 pounds and go for two singles with that weight. If all goes well I'll decide how much to adjust it from there.

A tough rep was gained on the Leg Curls today and I finished up with reps across. I'll give these a five pound bump next week and try working up from there.

One rep was gained on the Reverse Crossovers today as well. I don't plan on making any major changes here for a while.

Barbell Calf Raises were added in today and I was able to match my former set weights. As long as everything is still feeling good tomorrow I'll consider leaving them in here as a regular part of this day.
_____________________________

That's it for today's workout. I'll rest up tomorrow and be back again on Wednesday's workout of Leg Press, Flat Bench Press & DB Rows. Secondary exercises will be Tricep Pushdown, Close-Grip Lat Pulldown & Trap Bar Shrugs.

[terman1]

September 19th, 2012

I had a super day today and although progress has begun to slow it was still made all around.

Last Session -----vs.----- This Session

Leg Press
250 x 8 ------------ 250 x 8
360 x 6 ------------ 360 x 6
430 x 5 ------------ 440 x 5
460 x 5 ------------ 470 x 5
490 x 5 ------------ 500 x 5
-------------------- 450 x 8

DB Bench
45's x 10 ----------- 45's x 8
65's x 8 ------------ 65's x 6
80's x 6 ------------ 80's x 5
85's x 5 ------------ 85's x 5
85's x 4 ------------ 85's x 4
65's x 10 ----------- 70's x 8

DB Row
60's x 8 ------------- 60's x 8
80's x 6 ------------- 80's x 6
100's x 5 ------------ 100's x 6
100's x 5 ------------ 100's x 5
100's x 5 ------------ 100's x 5
--------------------- 70's x 8

Tricep Pushdowns
140 x 8 ------------ 140 x 8
180 x 8 ------------ 180 x 8
220 x 8 ------------ 220 x 8
230 x 8 ------------ 230 x 8
240 x 7 ------------ 240 x 7
-------------------- 200 x 7

Close Grip Lat Pulldown
90 x 8 ------------ 90x 8
130 x 8 ----------- 130 x 8
150 x 8 ----------- 150 x 8
160 x 5 ----------- 160 x 6
170 x 3 ----------- 170 x 3
------------------- 140 x 6

Trap Bar Shrugs
180 x 8 ------------ 190x 8
215 x 8 ------------ 215 x 8
265 x 8 ------------ 265 x 8
275 x 6 ------------ 275 x 8
285 x 5 ------------ 285 x 6
-------------------- 235 x 8

_____________________________


I added 10 pounds to my sets on the Leg Press today. I was able to complete all reps today and scored 8 more on the drop set. Since I got the ball rolling pretty good on these I’ll try adding 10 more pounds next week and see how it goes.

DB Flat Bench remains the same from last week although I just can’t seem to push through that 4th rep on top lately. I did decide to bump my back-off set a little today and squeezed out 8 more good reps. I’ll give these one more week and if nothing is gained then a slight deload may be in order.

A rep was added on my bottom set of DB Rows today and a drop set was added today as well. My only change for next week is to up the weight 5 pounds on my first two warm-up sets. I’m already using the max DB weight for this gym on my true working sets so no major changes will be happening there, other then continuing my pursuit of adding reps to my sets every week.

Tricep Pushdowns remain as-is from last week however a drop set was also added here today which allowed me to push out a few more reps. I’m hoping that this slight increase in overall volume should be enough for me to continue to make slow but steady progress on these.

I picked up a rep on the bottom set of the Close-Grip Lat Pulldowns today. I would have liked to see my middle set move today as well however progress is progress so I’ll take it.

A few reps were gained on the Trap Bar Shrugs today and I came pretty close to reps across. These will remain the same next week as I take another run at them.

_____________________________


That's it for today. I'll rest tomorrow and be back on Friday for Barbell Rows, Hammer Press, Romanians, Skullcrushers, Cable Crossovers & Seated Shoulder Press.

[ironwill2008]

Also, I decided today to start adding a backoff set following my top set in order to add some additional volume and to try keeping things moving in the right direction.

This is a good move to use on an otherwise mostly-low-rep routine. The added workload will help to keep things moving.

[terman1]

This is a good move to use on an otherwise mostly-low-rep routine. The added workload will help to keep things moving.

Yep, and you can guess who I learned that one from

I'm already feeling the results from the slight increase in volume. I'm not one to chase DOMS but the feeling after that little additional work tells me that I'm definitely doing somethingthat I'm responding well to. That and I noticed that "the pump" seems to be showing up in the right places afterwards so it also seems to be one of those little things that is helping me determine whether or not my form is where it needs to be. I think I may eventually reserve it for just my main compounds but for now I continue to monitor my progress and keep track of my results.

[ironwill2008]

Yep, and you can guess who I learned that one from

I'm not one to chase DOMS but the feeling after that little additional work tells me that I'm definitely doing somethingthat I'm responding well to. That and I noticed that "the pump" seems to be showing up in the right places afterwards....

And while it's been (rightfully) stated many times that neither DOMS nor a 'pump' are indicative of future growth, both are valuable indicators of positive things happening. They're both forms of feedback, and if we learn to interpret them correctly, can go a long way in helping to move things forward.

DOMS is an excellent gauge of exactly where a particular exercise is putting the work. And a muscle pump can indicate that work is being done.

Most of us have certain muscle groups that pump up relatively easily. If one of those groups doesn't respond as usual, it can be a good indicator that nutririon, rest, or simply the workout itself is 'off.'

[terman1]

September 21st, 2012

This was my workout from Friday but I got busy over the weekend and didn't get a chance to post. Everything went well overall and it was a fairly productive session.

Last Session -----vs.----- This Session

Barbell Row
100 x 6 ------------ 100 x 8
140 x 6 ------------ 140 x 6
180 x 5 ------------ 180 x 5
200 x 5 ------------ 200 x 5
220 x 5 ------------ 220 x 4
180 x 6 ------------ 180 x 6

Seated Bench Press
100 x 6 ------------ 100 x 8
160 x 6 ------------ 160 x 6
210 x 5 ------------ 215 x 5
220 x 5 ------------ 225 x 5
230 x 5 ------------ 235 x 5
180 x 6 ------------ 185 x 6

Romanians
100 x 6 ------------ 100 x 8
140 x 5 ------------ 140 x 6
190 x 5 ------------ 190 x 5
210 x 5 ------------ 210 x 5
220 x 3 ------------ 220 x 5
160 x 6 ------------ 165 x 6

Seated Shoulder Press
50 x 8 ------------ 65 x 8
75 x 6 ------------ 85 x 6
95 x 5 ------------105 x 5
105 x 5 -----------115 x 5
115 x 5 -----------125 x 5
--------------------105 x 5

Skullcrushers
30 x 8 ------------- 30 x 8
40 x 8 ------------- 40 x 8
50 x 8 ------------- 50 x 8
60 x 8 ------------- 60 x 8
70 x 4 ------------- 70 x 6
50 x 8 ------------- 50 x 8

Cable Crossovers
20 x 8 ------------ 20 x 8
30 x 8 ------------ 30 x 8
50 x 8 ------------ 50 x 8
60 x 8 ------------ 60 x 8
70 x 4 ------------ 70 x 6
50 x 7 ------------ 50 x 8
_____________________________

For the third week in a row I haven't made progress on the Barbell Rows. The form on my top set was bad and my fourth rep looked more like an upright row, rather then a barbell row. I decided at that point that forcing out that fifth rep would hold no benefit for me so that's just where I left it. Next week I am going to deload the weight by about 10% and take another run at them.

I added some weight to the Seated Bench Press and and got reps across. I'll give them another 5 pound bump next week and see if I can keep it going.

Progress was made on the Romanians and I picked up the two reps on the top set that I fell short on last week. I'll add five pounds to these next week.

I added Seated Shoulder Press back into my workout and they went well. I haven't done the seateds for a while and I felt like it may be a good time to bring them back. I wasn't sure where I was on them but I felt confident so I tried adding 10 pounds onto my last session's weights and was happy to see that they went right up. I'll add five pounds to them next week.

I was able to pick up two reps on my top set of Skullcrushers so a little progress was made. I keep everything as-is and continue to work towards my goal of 8 reps across on these.

Two reps were also gained on my top set of Cable Crossovers so these will also remain the same next week and I'll continue to try inching forward with them.
_____________________________

That's it for my Friday workout. I'll enjoy continuing to eat, relax and watch football today and I'll be back on Monday with Lat Pulldowns, Standing Shoulder Press, Deadlifts, Leg Curls, Calf Raises & Reverse Cable Crossovers.

[terman1]

September 24th, 2012

Last Session -----vs.----- This Session

Lat Pulldown
160 x 8 ------------ 160 x 8
220 x 6 ------------ 220 x 6
295 x 5 ------------ 300 x 5
300 x 5 ------------ 310 x 5
310 x 5 ------------ 320 x 4
260 x 6 -------------260 x 8

Standing Overhead Press
65 x 8 ------------ 65 x 8
85 x 6 ------------ 85 x 6
105 x 5 ----------- 105 x 5
115 x 5 ----------- 115 x 5
125 x 3 ----------- 125 x 4
105 x 5 ----------- 95 x 8

Barbell Deadlift
140 x 8 ------------ 140 x 5
190 x 6 ------------ 190 x 5
250 x 5 ------------ 250 x 5
280 x 3 ------------ 280 x 3
310 x 0 ------------ 300 x 1
310 x 0 ------------ 300 x 1
250 x 5 ------------ 250 x 5

Leg Curl
30 x 6 ------------ 30 x 8
50 x 5 ------------ 50 x 8
70 x 8 ------------ 75 x 8
80 x 8 ------------ 85 x 8
90 x 8 ------------ 95 x 7
60 x 8 ------------ 65x 8

Reverse Cable Crossovers
20 x 8 ------------ 10 x 8
30 x 8 ------------ 20 x 8
40 x 8 ------------ 40 x 8
50 x 8 ------------ 50 x 8
60 x 5 ------------ 60 x 6
40 x 8 ------------ 40 x 8

Barbell Calf Raise
90 x 8 ------------ 90 x 10
140 x 8 ----------- 140 x 10
180 x 8 ----------- 180 x 10
250 x 8 ----------- 250 x 10
300 x 8 ----------- 300 x 8
250 x 10 ---------- 250 x 10
____________________________

Had a fairly productive day today. I added 10 pounds on to my Lat Pulldowns and worked straight through, only missing my top set by one rep. These can be repeated as is next time.

The Standing Overhead Press is slowly moving forward and a rep was gained on top. I dropped the backoff set 10 pounds in order to increase the volume a little and got 8 good reps out of them. I think I can close enough today that I should be able to manage reps across next week.

A slight deload was done with the top set of Barbell Deadlifts today and I got two singles out of it. I tried using a mixed grip today and was happy with the results. I also matched my previous backoff set of 5 reps. I'll bump my top set up to 305 next week and see if I can get back on track.

Weight was added to the Leg Curls today and good work was done; only missing my very last rep on top. I'll try picking that last rep up next week and if the backoff is matched I'll look to bump them again.

A tough rep was added to the Reverse Cable Crossovers today and the backoff set was matched. No major changes to be made here, I'll just keep marching forward with them the best I can.

I increased the reps on the Barbell Calf Raise today and picked up a few reps here. From past experience, I do better with higher rep work vs. weight with the calf raises so my goal is to keep increasing the reps every week and leave the weight as-is for now.
_____________________________

That does it for today. I'll rest tomorrow and return on Wednesday with Leg Press, DB Bench Press, DB Rows, Seated Tricep Pushdowns, Close-Grip Lat Pulldown & Trap Bar Shrugs.

[terman1]

September 26th, 2012

Last Session -----vs.----- This Session

Leg Press
250 x 8 ------------ 260 x 8
360 x 6 ------------ 370 x 6
440 x 5 ------------ 450 x 5
470 x 5 ------------ 480 x 5
500 x 5 ------------ 510 x 5
450 x 8 ------------ 460 x 8 (backoff set)

DB Bench
45's x 8 ------------ 50's x 8
65's x 6 ------------ 65's x 6
80's x 5 ------------ 80's x 5
85's x 5 ------------ 85's x 4
85's x 4 ------------ 85's x 3
70's x 8 ------------ 75's x 8 (backoff set)

DB Row
60's x 8 ------------- 65's x 8
80's x 6 ------------- 85's x 6
100's x 6 ------------ 100's x 6
100's x 5 ------------ 100's x 6
100's x 5 ------------ 100's x 6
70's x 8 ------------- 75's x 8 (backoff set)

Tricep Pushdowns (Plate Weight Only)
140 x 8 ------------ 140 x 8
180 x 8 ------------ 180 x 8
220 x 8 ------------ 220 x 8
230 x 8 ------------ 230 x 8
240 x 7 ------------ 240 x 6
200 x 7 ------------ 200 x 8 (backoff set)

Close Grip Lat Pulldown
90 x 8 ------------ 90x 8
130 x 8 ----------- 120 x 8
150 x 8 ----------- 150 x 8
160 x 6 ----------- 160 x 7
170 x 3 ----------- 170 x 4
140 x 6 ----------- 140 x 8 (backoff set)

_____________________________

I added some more weight to all the Leg Press sets today and got reps across, including an additional 8 on the backoff set. I'll continue bumping these every week if I can and see how long I can keep the ball rollin'.

Got all my reps on the DB Rows today too, picking up my two missing reps on the middle and top sets this week. I also added a little weight to the backoff set and pulled through an additional 8 reps. Next week's goal will now be 7 rep sets.

The DB Bench didn't go so well today. I lost more reps on my middle and top sets today. This has been the trend every week for the past three weeks so it may now be time back off a bit and consider a deload. Next week the weight will be reduced approximately 10% as I try to get things moving the right direction again.

Perseverance has paid off and I finally got the Close-Grip Lat Pulldowns moving again for me today. This would have been my third week with no progression on these however this was turned around today by a rep being added to both my middle and top sets as well as 2 added to the backoff set.

I lost a rep on the Tricep Pushdowns today however this is only the second session I had with them since bumping al the set weights 10 pounds the week before last so I don't think it's anything to be concerned about right now. I'll keep everything the same next week and see if I can get them moving. Good news is I did pick up 2 reps on the backoff set today so perhaps this is a sign that I may be getting ready to progress.
_____________________________

That's everything I got for today. I'll rest well tomorrow and be back for another good day on Friday. On the list are Barbell Rows, Seated Bench Press, Romanians, Seated Shoulder Press, Skullcrushers and Cable Crossovers.

[ironwill2008]

gj using your head as well as your muscle.

[terman1]

gj using your head as well as your muscle.

Thanks Bill, I'm doing my best to use everything I learned along the way to help keep things moving in the right direction.

[terman1]

September 28th, 2012

Last Session -----vs.----- This Session

I had a nice productive day today and some good progress was made.

Barbell Row
100 x 8 ------------ 80 x 8
140 x 6 ------------ 120 x 6
180 x 5 ------------ 160 x 5
200 x 5 ------------ 180 x 5
220 x 4 ------------ 200 x 5
180 x 6 ------------ 160 x 8 (backoff set)

Seated Bench Press (Plate Weight)
100 x 8 ------------ 100 x 8
160 x 6 ------------ 160 x 6
215 x 5 ------------ 220 x 5
225 x 5 ------------ 230 x 5
235 x 5 ------------ 240 x 5
185 x 6 ------------ 190 x 6 (backoff set)

Romanians
100 x 8 ------------ 100 x 8
140 x 6 ------------ 140 x 6
190 x 5 ------------ 195 x 5
210 x 5 ------------ 215 x 5
220 x 5 ------------ 225 x 5
165 x 6 ------------ 170 x 6 (backoff set)

Seated Shoulder Press
65 x 8 ------------- 70 x 8
85 x 6 ------------- 90 x 6
105 x 5 ----------- 110 x 5
115 x 5 ----------- 120 x 5
125 x 5 ----------- 130 x 5
105 x 5 ----------- 105 x 7 (backoff set)

Skullcrushers
30 x 8 ------------- 30 x 8
40 x 8 ------------- 40 x 8
50 x 8 ------------- 50 x 8
60 x 8 ------------- 60 x 8
70 x 6 ------------- 70 x 5
40 x 10 ------------ 40 x 10 (backoff set)

Cable Crossovers
20 x 8 ------------ 20 x 8
30 x 8 ------------ 30 x 8
50 x 8 ------------ 50 x 8
60 x 8 ------------ 60 x 8
70 x 6 ------------ 70 x 6
50 x 8 ------------ 50 x 8 (backoff set)
_____________________________

Today was my first day doing the Barball Rows since slightly deloading the weight. I worked through all sets and got reps across while maintaining good form throughout. These were also followed up with 8 additional near perfect reps on the backoff set. I'm glad I took a slight step back from these because I realized today that the feeling I had through the exercise was one which I was missing while working at the higher weight. I'll add a nickle to these next week and work hard to maintain that same form and MMC (mind-muscle connection).

All working sets on the Seated Bench Press were bumped again today and once again I was able to get my reps across plus and additional 6 on the drop. I'll add another 5 pounds again next week and see if I can keep the train a rollin'.

Reps across were had on the Romanians as well today after a slight increase in weight. Now that I'm feeling in the groove on these I'm going to try bumping my sets 10 pounds next week and see if I can do it again.

Seated Shoulder Press also went very well after a slight increase in weight this week. I was also able to add 2 more reps on the backoff set so increasing these again should be no problem. I'll add another 5 pounds on again next week.

The Skullcrushers came up one rep short on the top set today but I'm good and still feel "ahead of the game" since I just picked up two reps on top last week. I also learned that with the higher the reps range exercises a rep or two swing either direction is actually quite normal and pretty much par for the course. Unless it becomes a trend and reps are lost for multiple weeks in a row I'm learning now that it's really nothing to panic about and I'll just try my best to get them back next week.

Cable Crossovers went ok for me today. I didn't gain anything here today however I didn't lost anything here either so I'll take it. I believe that right now I'm at my true limit on these (for now anyway) so I don't expect a gain on these every week anymore. I'll just keep working hard every week and I have no doubt that reps will be gained again when I'm ready.

That's it for this week. I'll rest up over the weekend and return on Monday with Lat Pulldowns, Standing Overhead Press, Deadlift, Leg Curls, Reverse Crossovers & Calf Raises.

[terman1]

October 1st, 2012

Last Session -----vs.----- This Session

Lat Pulldown
160 x 8 ------------ 160 x 8
220 x 6 ------------ 220 x 6
300 x 5 ------------ 300 x 5
310 x 5 ------------ 310 x 5
320 x 4 ------------ 320 x 5
260 x 8 -------------260 x 8 (backoff set)

Standing Overhead Press
65 x 8 ------------ 65 x 8
85 x 6 ------------ 85 x 6
105 x 5 ----------- 105 x 5
115 x 5 ----------- 115 x 5
125 x 4 ----------- 125 x 3
95 x 8 ------------ 105 x 7 (backoff set)

Barbell Deadlift
140 x 5 ------------ 140 x 5
190 x 5 ------------ 190 x 5
250 x 5 ------------ 255 x 5
280 x 3 ------------ 285 x 3
300 x 1 ------------ 305 x 2
250 x 5 ------------ 250 x 5 (backoff set)

Reverse Cable Crossovers
10 x 8 ------------ 10 x 8
20 x 8 ------------ 20 x 8
40 x 8 ------------ 40 x 8
50 x 8 ------------ 50 x 8
60 x 6 ------------ 60 x 6
40 x 8 ------------ 40 x 8 (backoff set)

Barbell Lunge
50 x 5
100 x 5
120 x 5
140 x 3
160 x 3
100 x 5 (backoff set)
____________________________

Today was a productive session and some additional gains were had. I got my reps across today on the Lat Pulldowns, finding my final rep on the top set and my backoff set was matched with 8 reps at the end. I have a deload scheduled next week however when I return back to my normal working weights the following week I plan on adding 5 more pounds to each set.

A rep was lost on my top set of the Overhead Press today however after adding 10 pounds to the backoff set I managed to rep out 7 more with the increased weight. IMO, progression was still made although it appears to be more in the form of endurance on the lower end. I believe that as long as I can continue to maintain the volume at the lower end everything should continue to move forward for me. For now I'll leave everything as-is and see if I can pick up that last rep or two on top next time.

Deadlift went well and backing off the weight a little last week seems to be what was needed to move them forward again. A few pounds were added to each working set and I was also able to gain an additional rep on the top set. My backoff set was also matched from last week. For the sake of adaptation to the increased load, I feel that I should leave the weight where it is for now until I can get a third good rep on top.

Reverse Cable Crossovers were matched from last week so at least nothing was lost here today. I am considering a slight increase in the drop set next time since I am hitting all 8 reps, which is my current goal on the set. Perhaps the additional load will create the push necessary to get the top set moving again.

I did not do the leg curls today but instead opted to try some Barbell Lunges. I haven't done them in a while and I have been considering adding them to my routine for a while now. They felt pretty good although I'm thinking that doing them on the same day as the deadlift may not be optimal. I think I should put the leg curl back here again after my deload and move the lunges to my Friday workout as my primary leg exercise on that day.

That wraps it up for today. I'll take tomorrow off and return on Wednesday with Barbell Rows, Seated Chest Press, Romanians, Seated shoulder Press, Skullcrushers and Cable Crossovers.

[terman1]

October 4th, 2012

Last Session -----vs.----- This Session

Leg Press
250 x 8 ------------ 270 x 8
370 x 6 ------------ 380 x 6
450 x 5 ------------ 460 x 5
480 x 5 ------------ 490 x 5
510 x 5 ------------ 520 x 5
460 x 8 ------------ 460 x 8 (backoff set)

DB Bench
50's x 8 ------------ 40's x 8
65's x 6 ------------ 55's x 6
80's x 5 ------------ 70's x 6
85's x 4 ------------ 75's x 6
85's x 3 ------------ 75's x 6
75's x 8 ------------ 65's x 8 (backoff set)

DB Row
65's x 8 ------------- 65's x 8
85's x 6 ------------- 85's x 6
100's x 6 ------------ 100's x 7
100's x 6 ------------ 100's x 7
100's x 6 ------------ 100's x 7
75's x 8 ------------- 75's x 8 (backoff set)

Tricep Pushdowns (Plate Weight Only)
140 x 8 ------------ 140 x 8
180 x 8 ------------ 180 x 8
220 x 8 ------------ 220 x 8
230 x 8 ------------ 230 x 8
240 x 6 ------------ 240 x 8
200 x 8 ------------ 200 x 8 (backoff set)

Close Grip Lat Pulldown
90 x 8 ------------ 90x 8
120 x 8 ----------- 120 x 8
150 x 8 ----------- 150 x 8
160 x 7 ----------- 160 x 8
170 x 4 ----------- 170 x 6
140 x 8 ----------- 140 x 8 (backoff set)

Cable Crossovers
20 x 8 ------------ 20 x 8
30 x 8 ------------ 30 x 8
50 x 8 ------------ 50 x 8
60 x 8 ------------ 60 x 8
70 x 6 ------------ 70 x 6
50 x 8 ------------ 50 x 8
_____________________________

Today was a rare Thursday workout for me. This was my normally scheduled Wednesday workout however I did not feel well and wasn't able to make it in. I gave myself an extra day of recovery and got my workout in today since I was feeling better. I been doing my best to keep working hard and progressing over the past five weeks so I think my body is starting to let me know that it's time for a little break.

Today's session actually went really well. I bumped the weight on the Leg Press again today and completed all reps and sets. When I come back to my normal working weight I'll be bumping the weight on these again.

This was my first day with the deloaded DB Bench weight and focus was heavy on form. I lowered everything 10 pounds and got reps across with sets of 6. I'm going to keep the sets basically the same next time however I do believe that I'll try bumping my top set up 5 pounds and see if how that goes.

DB Rows are still moving for me and I added another rep to each set again today. Next time I will try for sets of 8.

I finally got my reps across on the Tricep Pushdowns today and picked up the final two reps on top. I'll bump these 5 pounds next time and see if I can keep pushing them forward.

Close-Grip Pulldowns also finally moved for me today. I got my rep in the middle set and picked up two on top. These will stay the same until I get all 8 reps across.

Although they are normally done on Friday, I added Cable Crossovers today just to get them in before the deload. I didn't pick up anything here today but I was happy to match last weeks reps and not lose any ground.

That concludes this weeks workout. I am going to rest up over the long weekend and get back into the gym on Tuesday to begin the first of next weeks light sessions.

[ironwill2008]

I'm doing my best to use everything I learned along the way to help keep things moving in the right direction.

FWIW, even after 20 years, I'm still doing this as well.

[terman1]

October 10th, 2012
Deload - Part 1

Lat Pulldown
80 x 8
120 x 8
160 x 8
160 x 8
160 x 8

Standing Shoulder Press
50 x 8
50 x 8
60 x 8
60 x 8
60 x 8

Barbell Lunge
50 x 8
65 x 8
85 x 8
85 x 8
85 x 8

DB Bench Press
20's x 8
30's x 8
40's x 8
40's x 8
40's x 8

DB Row
30's x 8
40's x 8
50's x 8
50's x 8
50's x 8

Romanians
60 x 8
90 x 8
120 x 8
120 x 8
120 x 8
_____________________________

Today was day one of two light deload sessions I have scheduled for this week. For the most part I just took the weight of my normal top set and divided it in half. Even though I bumped the reps up on all sets to 8 across, the whole workout only took about 35 minuets today from start to finish.

I'll be back in on Friday for another deload session which will include Leg Press, Barbell Row, Seated Chest Press, Incline Shoulder Press, Tricep Pushdown & Leg Curl.

[terman1]

Friday, October 12th, 2012
Deload - Part II

Barbell Squat
50 x 8
70 x 8
100 x 8
100 x 8
100 x 8

Barbell Row
50 x 8
75 x 8
100 x 8
100 x 8
100 x 8

Chest Press
60 x 8
90 x 8
120 x 8
120 x 8
120 x 8

Leg Press
130 x 8
200 x 8
260 x 8
260 x 8
260 x 8

Tricep Pushdown
60 x 8
90 x 8
120 x 8
120 x 8
120 x 8

Leg Curl
25 x 8
35 x 8
50 x 8
50 x 8
50 x 8

Incline Shoulder Press
50 x 8
50 x 8
70 x 8
70 x 8
70 x 8
_____________________________

This was my Friday deload workout however I got a little busy and didn't have a chance to post until today. Just like my other deload workouts, I basically took my working weights and cut them in half. I enjoyed this active deload week but now I'm ready to get back to putting some real work in. During this week I also took the time to reflect back over my past workouts from the last 90 days in order to see where I have progressed so far.

Coming up in my next post I will be laying it all out and posting my average numbers per exercise over this past 3 months in order to show where progress has been made and/or lost in order to help me determine what direction I want to take my journey going forward.

[terman1]

My Progress Over the Past 90 Days


I have put all the numbers together in order to see how things have come along over the past three months. Something to note is that these are not my max weights per exercise, those numbers are actually higher then these. Instead, I actually did the math and found my average working weights and reps per exercise because I feel a person's max lift does not tell the whole story and this holds more value when it comes to the big picture of reviewing real progress.

_____________________________


These are my primary go-to exercises which I have consistently done since day one. Although I have made minor changes to the rep count and/or order of the following exercises from time to time along the way, these are the staple exercises which I personally feel like I cannot do without:

Exercise ---------------- 90 Days Ago ------------ 60 Days Ago ------------ 30 Days Ago ------------ Today

DB Flat Bench ------------- 75's x 5 ---------------- 85's x 4 ------------------ 85's x 4 ------------- 80's x 6

Chest Press --------------- 180 x 5 ---------------- 190 x 7 ------------------- 220 x 5 ------------- 230 x 5

Cable Crossover ----------- 40 x 5 ------------------ 60 x 8 -------------------- 60 x 6 -------------- 60 x 8

Tricep Pushdown ---------- 170 x 5 ---------------- 190 x 8 ------------------- 220 x 8 ------------- 230 x 8

Barbell Row --------------- 180 x 5 ----------------- 200 x 6 ------------------ 200 x 5 -------------- 190 x 5

Lat Pulldown -------------- 270 x 5 ----------------- 280 x 6 ------------------ 295 x 5 -------------- 310 x 5

DB Row ------------------- 85's x 5 ----------------- 95's x 5 ----------------- 100's x 5 ------------ 100's x 7

Close-Grip Lat Pulldown --- 180 x 3 ----------------- 180 x 5 ------------------ 160 x 5 -------------- 160 x 7

Deadlift -------------------- 230 x 5 ----------------- 250 x 5 ------------------- 280 x 4 ------------- 280 x 5

Leg Press ------------------ 380 x 5 ----------------- 425 x 6 ------------------- 450 x 5 ------------- 490 x 5

Leg Curl -------------------- 90 x 5 ------------------ 100 x 4 ------------------- 80 x 8 --------------- 85 x 7

Reverse Crossover --------- 40 x 5 ------------------- 60 x 4 ------------------- 50 x 6 --------------- 50 x 7

Romanians ----------------- 100 x 5 ----------------- 130 x 8 ------------------ 210 x 4 ------------- 215 x 5

Skullcrushers --------------- 50 x 6 ------------------ 70 x 5 -------------------- 60 x 6 -------------- 60 x 7

Standing Shoulder Press ---- 90 x 7 ----------------- 100 x 5 ------------------- 110 x 5 ------------- 115 x 5

_____________________________

The next set of exercises are ones which I have included from time to time but for the most part do not do any more for various reasons. This is not to say that they are not quality exercises and should not be included in a well planned program, they are just ones which I either replaced at some point along the way in favor of other exercises, had to discontinue due to injury or simply felt that they were not the right fit for my program at the time.

DB Incline Press ----------- 65's x 5 ----------------- 70's x 8 -------------------- N/A ----------------- N/A

Barbell Curl ---------------- 80 x 5 ------------------- 80 x 6 --------------------- N/A ----------------- N/A

Upright Row --------------- 90 x 5 ------------------- 90 x 7 --------------------- N/A ----------------- N/A

Facepulls ------------------ 67.5 x 5 ----------------- 72.5 x 6 -------------------- N/A ----------------- N/A

Shrugs -------------------- 190 x 5 ------------------ 240 x 8 ------------------- 275 x 6 -------------- N/A

Barbell Squat -------------- 180 x 6 ------------------ 200 x 5 -------------------- N/A ----------------- N/A

DB Shoulder Press -------- 45's x 7 ------------------ 55's x 6 -------------------- N/A ----------------- N/A

_____________________________

And there you have it. These's been some good, and a little so-so, but for the most part progress was made in either the rep or the amount of weight lifted. Of course, the amount of change shown is not necessarily as dramatic as it would be if I was listing a six months or one year of progress but for now it is good enough for me to see where I came from and where I am going in order to help me formulate my game plan.

This Monday begins a new chapter for me and I have some plans for something slightly different. Taking the knowledge I learned about myself along the way and based on my future goals I will be posting my new plan in detail in my next post. Be sure to stay tuned!

[terman1]

So, a new season is almost here and I feel like it's time to switch gears for a while. For several months I have focused on mostly low rep work in order to get some of my main lifts up a bit and this has gone fairly well for me. As planned, the weights have gone up in the gym however the general lack in overall volume work hasn't done much to pack on much size and, as I sit today, I am now about 15 pounds lighter then I was at this time last year. I decided now that my strength has gone up a bit I am going to run a bulk for the fall/winter and work on packing on some size for a while.

I worked hard to get to where I am now and believe it to be counter productive to throw out the baby with the bathwater so I will not be making any major changes to the exercises that I currently do and have no plans of lowering the weights I currently use. Instead, I am simply planning to progress by focusing more on adding reps to the exercises I do now. I also learned that my body responds well to hitting each muscle group more then once per week so I am just going to reorganize the exercises a little by doing a push/pull type split.

I considered a push/pull/legs split at first but I like the balance of work and recovery I get from my Monday, Wednesday, Friday workout and don't feel like I am nearly advanced enough to even consider only working legs one day per week. Instead, this version of a push/pull actually includes some type of leg exercise on every session. I'm also a big believer on keeping my workouts centered on mostly compound movements so I am still going to be sticking with mostly primary compound movements, as I do today.

So here is what I have planned for my push pull workout. It contains two distinct push workouts which I will alternate between two distinct pull workouts and my workout days will continue to be as they are today, Monday, Wednesday & Friday. I feel that it is well rounded, heavily focused on compound lifts and should offer plenty of work for each muscle group:

Push #1
Standing Shoulder Press
Barbell Squat
DB Bench Press
Skullcrushers
Cable Crossovers

Pull #1
Lat Pulldown or Weighted Pull-Ups
DB Row
Deadlift
Tricep Pulldown (v-bar or rope)
Reverse Cable Crossover

Push #2
Incline Barbell Shoulder Press
Leg Press
Seated Chest Press
Barbell Lunge
Tricep Pushdown

Pull #2
Barbell Row
Romanians
Close-Grip Lat Pulldowns
Leg Curl
Preacher Curl

Other then increasing the reps and reorganizing the days on which each exercise is done, the only other change will be making my three working sets into straight sets across, rather then ramping the weight up on every set as I do now. I like ramped sets and I believe they are fantastic on low(er) rep strength-based routines when the main focus is pushing that top number forward however since I am now looking to add volume I actually want come as close as I possibly can to getting those 8-10 reps on all three working sets. I will however continue to ramp up my warm-up sets as I currently do because I feel strongly that these acquisition sets are beneficial for the sake of muscle/tendon health. I will be keeping my backoff sets as well because I have seen good results when I incorporate this technique.

That's pretty much it. Again, not really a total night and day change from what I am currently doing but I think it will be just enough to help me work towards my new goals for the next couple of months.

[terman1]

Monday, October 15th, 2012
Push Workout #1


Today was the first day of the updated workout and everything went exceptionally well. Switching from a strength workout to a higher volume workout without compromising previous strength gains can be a little tricky however as long as you know yourself, and what you are capable of, it can be done rather easily while minimally compromising previous strength gains.


My workout today consisted of Standing Shoulder Press, Barbell Squats, DB Bench Press, Skullcrushers & Cable Crossovers. Although I definitely got some work to do, my numbers were right about where I expected them to be. This workout was completed in approximately 1 hour and 15 minuets.

_____________________________

Standing Shoulder Press
50 x 8
70 x 8
110 x 8
110 x 6
110 x 5
80 x 8

Barbell Squat
50 x 8
100 x 8
140 x 8
140 x 8
140 x 8
100 x 8

DB Bench Press
30's x 8
50's x 8
75's x 8
75's x 6
75's x 5
60's x 6

Skullcrushers
30 x 8
40 x 8
60 x 8
60 x 7
60 x 6
50 x 8

Cable Crossovers
30 x 8
30 x 8
50 x 8
50 x 8
50 x 8
40 x 8

_____________________________

Overhead Press went well and I was happy to complete an 8-6-5 on the work sets and and additional 8 on the backoff set. I believe this to be a good starting point for these. As expected, I am lacking in the endurance department a little from doing the lower rep workout for a few months however I'm excited and motivated by the thoughts of watching these move forward with time.

The Barbell Squat was introduced into my workout again today after a couple months of utilizing the Leg Press as my primary pressing exercise. As I normally do, I started these very, very light today just to make sure that I re-learn proper form. I have made the mistake of cheating myself on the rom due to chasing numbers on these in the past and I'm determined to not let that happen again.

My DB Bench Press followed similar fashion to my Shoulder Press and I once again ended up pushing a 8-6-5 on the work sets. I expect my reps will move up relatively quickly on these once I become accustomed to the slightly higher rep range. If I couldn't at least get the 8 reps on the first set I would have considered dropping five pounds from the sets however since I did get my 8 with good form today I am confident that it is just a matter of conditioning so I feel that I'm right where I need to be. I'll have fun watching these go up over the next couple of weeks.

The Skullcrushers were right on the money today and I came close to reps across without getting them all today. I'm actually happy about that because it kind of tells me that I didn't start too low and I have a nice goal to work towards. Only thing that needs to be done is continue to do work and that's just the way I like it.

Cable Crossovers went well and even though I go reps across on these I feel like I didn't necessary start too low because I did work hard to get those last two reps on top and my chest was really feeling it on the backoff set. I want to work toward 10 good reps per set before bumping these and that's exactly what I'm going to try for next week.

I had a few moments left at the end of the workout before hitting the showers so I though in a couple of sets of body-weight dips and then called it a day. One thing that was immediately apparent after today's workout is that although I always worked hard previously I was feeling muscle fatigue today in a slightly different way today, in a satisfying and, dare I say, refreshing kind of way. I am really happy that I chose to go this route for a while and think this is what I needed to rejuvenate my workout routine. I actually can't wait to get back in there on Wednesday and see what I can do.

That's it for a successful workout today. I'll be back on Wednesday for my pull workout and will be doing Lat Pulldowns, DB Rows, Deadlift, Tricep Pulldown and Reverse Cable Crossovers.

[terman1]

Wednesday, October 17th, 2012
Pull Workout #1


Lat Pulldown
160 x 8
220 x 8
310 x 8
310 x 5
310 x 6
270 x 6

Deadlift
140 x 5
190 x 5
240 x 5
290 x 5
290 x 5
290 x 5

DB Row
65's x 8
85's x 8
100's x 8
100's x 7
100's x 7
85's x 7

Tricep Pulldown
37.5 x 8
37.5 x 8
67.5 x 8
67.5 x 6
67.5 x 6
47.5 x 8

Reverse Cable Crossover
30 x 8
30 x 8
50 x 8
50 x 6
50 x 5
40 x 6

_____________________________

Today was my first pull workout and results were good and not too different from my results on Monday. I was concerned that grip may be an issue since everything was some type of pull however, to my surprise, it didn't hold me back in the least.

First exercise today was the plate loaded Lat Pulldown and they went fairly well. Following the theme from my first push workout, I was assured that the weight was appropriate after hitting my goal of 8 reps on the first working set. As expected, on the second set I was only able to manage 5 due to expending the energy to get the first 8 but after a few moments of rest my "second wind" and actually picked up a rep and got 6 on top. The set was finished by scoring another 6 on the backoff set. I got some work to do here but I'm certain that additional reps should gained steadily after a good session or two as I become more accustomed to the workload.

I did my Deadlifts next and upped my overall volume today compared to the 5-3-1 that I was doing previously. Unlike most other exercises, this is one that I am still choosing to keep the reps per set relatively low on and I'm not likely to go more then 6 reps unless I consider adding a backoff set at some point. For now, I'm happy to have gotten today's goal of 5 reps across. Next week I'll try adding a rep to each set and if all goes well I'll decide how much to add to the bar from there.

After the deadlifts I was feeling the need for an exercise with a little more supported so I did my DB Rows. I had a slight advantage here since I have already been working within a higher rep range on these for several weeks. My goal today was 8 across and I was able to get it on the first work set and my next two sets I got a 7 & 7. I dropped down to the 85's from the backoff set and was able to get 7 more. I'm pretty satisfied with this overall considering I had just done two fairly heavy (for me) pulling exercises immediately before doing the rows.

These three exercises felt like a sufficient workout today by themselves, and I could have considered this to be a good day as-is, however I had two accessory exercises lift before calling it a day, Tricep Pulldowns and Reverse Cable Crossovers, so I wanted to make sure I at least followed my plan as written to give it a chance before deciding to make any changes on the fly. I went to the cable machines, added the "V" bar and completed my warm-up sets. I then moved into my first work set and, to be completely honest, I asked myself half way through the set why I added these on this day.

Although adding the tricep "pulldown" sounded like a reasonable addition to add to my pull day, I quickly realized that my tris were still fried from Monday's push day and, more importantly, it was about the furthest thing from a pull that I could have added here, lol. I may still keep these by possibly adding them to the end of one of my push workouts but between now and next week I will be looking to find something to add here which will be a little more appropriate on this day.

Last exercise of the day were the Reverse Cable Crossovers and I discovered that it didn't take a whole lot of weight to challenge me on these after doing the previous exercises. My work sets were only 50 pounds however it felt like it could have just a well been 500. I pulled off a 8, 6, 5 on these, followed by 6 on the backoff set and was more then happy to call it a day.

That does it for today's good, and challenging workout. I'll enjoy a recovery day tomorrow and return again on Friday for my second push workout of the week. My plans include the Barbell Lunge, Incline Shoulder Press, Leg Press, Seated Chest Press and Tricep Pushdown.

[terman1]

Friday, October 19th, 2012
Push Workout #2


Barbell Lunge
60 x 8
90 x 8
140 x 6
120 x 6
120 x 6
100 x 7

Incline Shoulder Press
60 x 8
60 x 8
120 x 8
120 x 8
120 x 8
90 x 8

Leg Press
270 x 8
380 x 8
460 x 8
520 x 8
520 x 8
460 x 8

Chest Press
100 x 8
160 x 8
230 x 7
230 x 5
230 x 4
190 x 6

Tricep Pushdown
90 x 10
140 x 10
230 x 9
230 x 8
230 x 6
190 x 8
_____________________________

Today was #2 of my push workouts and a good amount of work has been done. I started the day off with the Barbell Lunge and after about 4 reps into the first work set I realized that the weight wasn't appropriate for me today because I quickly noticed I was lacking depth and my balance was feeling off. I finished the set then decided to drop the weight a little for my middle and top sets. After lowering the weight a bit my legs felt a little more solid under the weight and form felt much better so I worked through a 6 & 6 and finished up with 7 more on the backoff set.

When I decided to add these to my regular routine I underestimated the amount of coordination necessary to get the form right on these while balancing the bar. These are still very new for me however I'm certain that once I get accustomed to them they should start moving forward at a decent pace for me. For now, I'll take these slow and continue to practice while using this weight until I feel a little more sure about them. Even though the weight is relatively low, I'm already feeling good things from doing these so I believe that they are worth the time and effort necessary to get them right.

I moved over the the Incline Shoulder Press next and warmed up with a couple of light sets then got my reps across followed by 8 more on the drop. I'm going to see if I can get sets of 10 on these next time.

Leg Press was next and reps across were had although they were feeling pretty heavy after doing the barbell lunges prior. I was feeling like I lacked a little range of motion by the last rep or two of my final work set so I'll keep the weight the same and see if I can get 10 reps across next time before adding more weight to them.

The Chest Press was next and after my first set I realized I may have started these too high since I missed my goal of 8 reps on the first work set today and only managed 4 tough reps on the top. I will try lowering the weight a little next time by about 10 pounds to get closer to my desired rep range.

I finished up the day with the seated Tricep Pushdown with a goal of 3 good work sets of 10 across. I came up one rep short on the first set, followed by an 8 & 6 followed by an additional 8 reps on the drop. This is another one which I may consider adjusting slightly between now and my next session.

And that does it for today's workout. The effort was put fourth and a fair amount of work was done. Although I used the same formula and percentages for converting the weights for all exercises on this program, I find it interesting how some muscle groups naturally respond better to the higher range while others seem to be more stubborn and naturally want to protest the higher range a little more.

I plan to take all of this information into consideration while working out my sessions going forward. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how things are going so far and looking forward to next weeks workouts. For now, I'll rest up over the weekend and get back to it on Monday with my #2 Pull session. I will do Barbell Rows, Romanians, Close-Grip Lat Pulldowns, Prone Leg Curls and Preacher Curls. Have a good weekend everyone!

[terman1]

Monday, October 22nd, 2012
Pull Workout #2


Barbell Row
100 x 10
150 x 10
190 x 10
190 x 9
190 x 7
160 x 9

Romanians
110 x 8
150 x 8
200 x 8
200 x 8
200 x 8
160 x 8

Close-Grip Pulldown
80 x 10
120 x 10
150 x 10
150 x 9
150 x 8
130 x 9

Prone Leg Curl
30 x 10
50 x 10
80 x 8
70 x 8
70 x 7
50 x 10

Preacher Curl
30 x 10
30 x 10
50 x 10
50 x 10
50 x 10
40 x 10
_____________________________

Had a good productive workout today. Lots of work was put in and I'm already feeling the effects of the higher rep sets, especially from the Romanians. I noticed as I was picking my shoes up from the floor tonight that combining these with the Leg Curls was a very good move and things are definitely getting hit in all the right places. With the completion of today's workout I have officially gone one round since switching things up back on the 15th and so far I'm liking how things are going.

Tomorrow is a rest day then I'll be back on Wednesday with my Push Workout #1 and I'm eager to see how progress will go. I'll be doing Standing Barbell Press, Barbell Squats, DB Bench Press, Skullcrushers and Cable Crossovers.

[terman1]

Wednesday, October 24th, 2012
Push Workout #1

Last Session -----vs.----- This Session

Overhead Press
50 x 8 ------------ 50 x 10
70 x 8 ------------ 60 x 10
110 x 8 ---------- 100 x 10
110 x 6 -----------100 x 9
110 x 5 ---------- 100 x 6
80 x 8 ------------ 80 x 9

Barbell Squat
50 x 8 ------------ 70 x 10
100 x 8 ----------- 80 x 10
140 x 8 ---------- 150 x 10
140 x 8 ---------- 150 x 10
140 x 8 ---------- 150 x 10
80 x 8 ----------- 120 x 10

DB Bench Press
30's x 8 ---------- 30's x 10
50's x 8 ---------- 40's x 10
75's x 8 ---------- 70's x 10
75's x 6 ---------- 70's x 7
75's x 5 ---------- 70's x 6
60's x 6 ---------- 55's x 7

Skullcrushers
30 x 8 ------------ 30 x 10
40 x 8 ------------ 40 x 10
60 x 8 ------------ 60 x 10
60 x 7 ------------ 60 x 8
60 x 6 ------------ 60 x 6
50 x 8 ------------ 50 x 7

Cable Crossovers
30 x 8 ------------ 30 x 10
30 x 8 ------------ 30 x 10
50 x 8 ------------ 50 x 10
50 x 8 ------------ 50 x 10
50 x 8 ------------ 50 x 9
40 x 8 ------------ 40 x 10

Weighted Crunch
30 x 10
30 x 10
60 x 10
60 x 10
60 x 10
40 x 10
____________________________

Had a good workout today and everything was feeling good. I did a slight reduction on the Overhead Press in order to get a little closer to my desired rep range and results were good and as expected, reps were increased on every set. Endurance still seems to be the deciding factor with these because even though there was a fair increase on the first two working sets, fatigue always seems to set in fast by my third set. Although progress is slower then I would like I think I'm slowly becoming more accustomed to the higher range so next week I'll leave everything as-is and keep plugging away.

Barbell Squats went double well today since weight was added to the bar and I also managed to increase the reps at the same time. A good thing about leg training is it doesn't seem to take very long for me to get accustomed to higher rep ranges. They felt good and I'm satisfied with how these are going. I'll bump these 10 pounds next week and see if I can keep the momentum going.

I reduced the weight 5 pounds on the DB Bench today and reps increased a little although not quite as dramatically as I was hoping for. Looking back, I'm not certain that the trade-off was totally worth it however I believe that I may have been having an "off" day on these today. I'll leave these where they are for now.

I repeated the weight on the Skullcrushers today and progress was made. Reps increased on the first two working sets and last weeks reps were matched on the top. I'll repeat the weight on these next week and keep working to push these forward.

Cable Crossovers went well today and I almost got reps across after increasing the reps on each set. I'll keep these the same for one more week to further solidify my sets before bumping the weight.

I had a little time left over today so I added in some Weighted Crunches at the end of my workout today, just because I haven't done any direct ab work in a long time. Although my abs do get work during my major compound lifts I feel that I should occasionally try to work some in. I always enjoyed weighted ab work and would like to try and keep these as a regular exercise on this day although I think it will ultimately be something that I add in as time allows so days may differ.

That's it for today. I rest tomorrow and be back on Friday for a pull day. I'll do Deadlifts, Lat Pulldowns, DB Rows, Preacher Curls & Reverse Cable Crossovers.

[terman1]

Friday, October 26th, 2012

Lat Pulldown
160 x 10
220 x 10
290 x 9
290 x 7
290 x 6
250 x 7

Deadlift
150 x 5
200 x 5
250 x 5
300 x 5
300 x 5
300 x 5
250 x 5

DB Row
65's x 8
85's x 8
100's x 8
100's x 8
100's x 7
85's x 6

Straight Arm Pulldown
37.5 x 10
37.5 x 10
57.5 x 10
57.5 x 9
57.5 x 8
42.5 x 10

Reverse Crossover
20 x 10
20 x 10
40 x 10
40 x 10
40 x 9
30 x 10

Preacher Curl
30 x 10
30 x 10
55 x 10
55 x 10
55 x 8
45 x 10

____________________________

Finished up the week on a good note today. Lat Pulldowns went well and were feeling good. Reps have increased a little from last week. Deadlifts went really well today and after adding some weight to the bar I was able to get reps across. My work capicity for these seems to be getting better. I plan to add an additional working set to these next week and see how this goes.

I matched last weeks weight and reps on the DB Rows so I'll try again next week. Straight Arm Pulldowns were added to the workout today and they seemed to have really finished the lats off nicely by adding some additional work. Cable crossovers were good and I came up just short of reps across. I'll keep these the same next week. I bumped the Preachers today and only missed the last two reps on the top work set. These can stay the same next week as well.

That does it for this week. I'll rest up over the weekend and be back on Monday to do a push workout. I will do Overhead BB Press, Incline BB Shoulder Press, DB Shoulder Press, Barbell Lunge and Leg Press.