-III----III- ProtienandIron's training journal -III----III-

[ProtienandIron]

I have decided to start a workout log on here to make myself accountable, and keep my training on track. I've spent the past sixteen months out of proper training due to shoulder inpingement (both shoulders) in as well as bicep tendonitis. The problems were caused from overtraining, and job related stresses. At one stage I could barely lift my right arm above my head. I have since had 2 cortisone injections which seem to have gotten rid of most of the pain and the mobility is starting to come back.

Once training ground to a halt, I quickly put on excess bodyfat, and slowly lost a lot of muscle mass. Its been a depressing year as I have lived for training in one form or another since the age of 15, but this has fueled my training motivation like nothing before. I'm going to take the recovery slow on all my pushing exercises (bench, press, dips etc.) but my back has been hit hard for the past few months without bicep pain.

My aim is to come back strong, hit all my previous PRs, and then surpass them.

Previous PRs;
_______________

Deadlift: 1 x 172.5kg /380 lbs
Squat: 1 x 140kg / 308 lbs
Bench: 1 x 130kg / 286 lbs
Standing press: 2 x 80kg / 176 lbs

This is my home gym where the majority of the work will take place, but I also have access to a gym at work which I may use from time to time for a little variety. Workouts are generally basic with an emphasis on barbell training. I've got plenty of olympic plates, quality texas power bars, spinlock dumbells, trap bar, GHR, and a few other bits n pieces.




First logged workout takes place tonight, I can't wait to get the ball rolling on this. I thank you all for your time and motivation you have all given me since I joined. I welcome any critisism, advice, or even general banter.

Cheers

Andy

--------------------------------
A big shout out has got to go to Ironwill, Fittofattofit, IIIDBOIII, fishpat86, Bo_flex, hardnheavy, and blkbelt for the motivation your workout logs have given me. Joining in/lurking them has really kept my head in the game over the past year. Thanks lads, you've got a follower for life.
--------------------------------

[ProtienandIron]

Warm up:

Step ups
Star jumps

Deadlift:

8 x 65kg /132 lbs
5 x 100kg /220lbs
1 x 145kg /319lbs
5 x 135kg /297lbs
5 x 135kg /297lbs
5 x 135kg /297lbs

Completed as a circuit to save time and allow each body part to rest.

GHR crunches:

2 x 15reps

GHR dorsal raises:

2 x 15reps

Rolling Thunder holds:

2 holds for approx 7 seconds each hand. 65kg /132lbs

Cooldown and stretch


Total time 1:20
----------------------------

The random single rep was because I was trying to lift what I was doing a month ago when a virus knocked me out for a week or so. It was about the same time I bought my texas power bar so I think both could be to blame as my previous deadlift bar could have been as much as 5kgs lighter and more flexible (meaning shorter pull). The TPB has thrown my deadlift form out a bit recently due to the knurl gripping my legs on the way up, but tonight it seems to be coming back, so I'll be aiming to add a kilo every workout or so until I climb back to 3 plates comfortably again. Not a great workout but its never good going over old ground. That said, my back feels good for all the work tonight.

Post workout meal is usually something cooked, but tonight I just grabbed some convenient food out of the fridge. Glass of whole milk, 2 eggs, apple, and a handul of almonds. Sorry its a bit boring and cliche tonight, I will get better.

[Img][/Img]

[fittofattofit]

First in Andy


Strong deadlift volume for the first post and I love your home gym set-up .... mirin' all those plates and chains
I'll keep close track of what you're doing for your shoulder rehab
It's great to see you in here logging and thanks for the shout out

[ProtienandIron]

First in Andy


Strong deadlift volume for the first post and I love your home gym set-up .... mirin' all those plates and chains
I'll keep close track of what you're doing for your shoulder rehab
It's great to see you in here logging and thanks for the shout out

Thanks for visiing Andrew. The home gym has taken a while to build but its finally getting how I like it...apart from the junk in the background. Theres about 600kg of oly plates, so I shouldnt run out any time soon lol. My shoulder rehab generally consists of band work, stretching, and a little gadget I can't remember the name of right now but I'll get a pic for you when I post up the sessions.

No worries on the shout out mate, I appeciate the effort that goes into the logs here.

Cheers.


EDIT: Here you go mate, have a look at 1:23 on this vid of Rich Franklin rehabing his shoulder. Its called the bodyblade or some cr*p like that, and its usually sold for aerobics style classes as a full body workout. For that it is a complete joke, but when i saw it on this video, I decided to buy one just for my shoulder rehab. I've got to say, for that purpose it is fantastic. Your rehab may be well past this now, but then again it may be of some benefit to you.

[ProtienandIron]

Rotator cuff band work: 3 sets of each: Face pulls, inner and outer rotations, straight arm rows.

Volleyball at work 1h 30. Caused a bit of pain in the shoulders even though I was taking it a bit gentle, but I was needed to make up numbers on the team, so I bowed to social pressure.

Followed by a bit more band work and stretching.

[fittofattofit]

EDIT: Here you go mate, have a look at 1:23 on this vid of Rich Franklin rehabing his shoulder. Its called the bodyblade or some cr*p like that, and its usually sold for aerobics style classes as a full body workout. For that it is a complete joke, but when i saw it on this video, I decided to buy one just for my shoulder rehab. I've got to say, for that purpose it is fantastic. Your rehab may be well past this now, but then again it may be of some benefit to you.

600kg of oly plates
You can work towards a world record deadlift

That 'body blade' actually looks really good ... I'd never seen that before. I wish I had used it because I hated the therabands. I still need to do a lot of corrective work on my shoulders ... most of the stability is there but I've lost pretty much all of my external rotation so improving that is going to be the next task

Rotator cuff band work: 3 sets of each: Face pulls, inner and outer rotations, straight arm rows.

Volleyball at work 1h 30. Caused a bit of pain in the shoulders even though I was taking it a bit gentle, but I was needed to make up numbers on the team, so I bowed to social pressure.

Followed by a bit more band work and stretching.

Good to see the RC work in there ... and nice job to get an hour and a half to play volleyball

[ProtienandIron]

600kg of oly plates
You can work towards a world record deadlift

It seems a lot but its only because I keep most of my bars fully loaded. That way, all I have to do for the big movements is strip down the outside plates for the first set warmup. Its also good for seeing exactly what you lifted the workout before, since its still on the bar.

That 'body blade' actually looks really good ... I'd never seen that before. I wish I had used it because I hated the therabands. I still need to do a lot of corrective work on my shoulders ... most of the stability is there but I've lost pretty much all of my external rotation so improving that is going to be the next task

I use it for my external rotation, and infact any movement you can do with a theraband can be done with it. Because its not that popular yet (its been around for over a decade) its easy to get a good deal off ebay, I think I picked mine up brand new for about half the retail.

Good to see the RC work in there ... and nice job to get an hour and a half to play volleyball

I'm hitting the rehab and stretching quite hard at the moment to try and sort my shoulders out, hopefully this time next month it will be sorted. I consider myself very lucky to be in a job that encourages fitness and gives access to a gym during work hours. Fitness is an often overlooked part of what we do, and its when $*** hits the fan when you need it the most. The choice of workouts/sports goes through phases, and volleyball is just the most recent. Its good for getting a bit of a sweat, building reactions, and mocking our collegues when they mess up a shot.

[ProtienandIron]

Upper Body day

Warm up; Step ups

Dumbbell row

12 x 32kg
10 x 42kg
9 x 52kg
8 x 52kg

Chin ups

6 x bw
5 x bw

Barbell curls

12 x 25kg
10 x 25kg

Bench press

20 x 20kg
20 x 20kg

Shoulder press

15 x 20kg
12 x 20kg

Completed as a mini circuit...

Crunches

1 set of 25
1 set of 20

Dorsal raises

2 sets of 20

Rolling thunder

2 holds of 65kg

Stretch and cooldown



I was absolutely buzzing tonight. THis is the first time in 16months that I haven't felt pain in my shoulders when lifting the bar above head hieght. Still some noisey clicking, but no pain other then a the lactic acid which is a feeling I have missed so much. Considering how hard a week its been at work, I had a load of energy to burn.

I picked up a rep on each of the last two sets of dumbbell rows. I've been hunting down that 9th rep for a little while now. I'm going to aim for 10 before adding weight to this exercise.

This has been a great workout despite the puny curl and press weights. I'm looking forward to building those up, but its going to take some willpower to take it slow on adding poundage as I am going to do everything I can to avoid another flare up of tendonitis.

Post workout meal was a tuna mayo sandwich, yoghart, apple, and a glass of milk.

[ProtienandIron]

1 Hour Tennis

Rotator cuff band work;

2 sets straight arm rows
2 sets external rotations
2 sets face pulls

We took advantage of the good weather today and played some tennis. It was good to get some sun on my pastey skin and my shoulder felt great bar the odd twinge. The improvement in mobility and pain has been amazing this past few weeks. My motivation level has skyrocketed now.

[fittofattofit]

Great job on pressing OH without pain! That was really strong rowing with the DBs and strong BW chins. What is your BW at the moment?
I like the high rep bench and shoulder pressing ... I think that that's a much smarter way to grow the shoulders when you're worried about your RC than to risk failing with a heavy weight. I still can't OH press comfortable with any weight, so I'm jealous
Plenty of volume, so I'm glad you enjoyed the session

And playing tennis = shoulder mobility must be really good!

[ProtienandIron]

Great job on pressing OH without pain! That was really strong rowing with the DBs and strong BW chins. What is your BW at the moment?
I like the high rep bench and shoulder pressing ... I think that that's a much smarter way to grow the shoulders when you're worried about your RC than to risk failing with a heavy weight. I still can't OH press comfortable with any weight, so I'm jealous
Plenty of volume, so I'm glad you enjoyed the session

And playing tennis = shoulder mobility must be really good!

Thanks Andrew, the rows are coming back nicely, but the chins are lagging a lot. I can literally feel my anterior deltoid getting crushed if I go for any kind of dead hang, and also at the brief pause at the bottom of the movement. My BW is between 230-240 now I think (I havent checked for a while) but my body compostition is terrible. I've lost a lot of muscle mass, and put on a lot of fat around the midsection. I was a little heavy (fat ) before my injuries, but I have always been able to chin/pullup more then my bodyweight (20kg or so on the chins). I used to dip about 40kg or so for reps too, but that seems a long way away now.

I'm viewing the high reps work on the shoulders as a way of building a foundation, and reinforcing good form. Because I havent pushed anything forward or overhead for such a long time, you wouldnt believe the DOMS I got from just an empty bar. Even though I know soreness is not an indicator of an effective workout, right now I'm happy doing the least amount necassary to illicit a response. I'll start pushing it harder when I'm happy my shoulder is totally healed and working as it should.

I didn't get a chance to play any sports last as the pain was intense 24/7. I used to run for my cardio, but right now I am enjoying the stop start nature of volleyball and tennis. Once I've built up a little fitness, you'll see this log take on a whole new attitude.

[fittofattofit]

I know what you mean about the anterior delts hurting ... my problem is with my anterior delts for any type of pressing ... I feel a really tight stretch and then a dull pain after. The only thing that I can do is really light weight/high rep stuff but I can still get a pump and my shoulder mass is OK.
I think it's smart to keep on with the fitness work because that will give you the stamina to keep up the volume in the gym. Those chins are going to feel a lot easier soon enough

[ProtienandIron]

I know what you mean about the anterior delts hurting ... my problem is with my anterior delts for any type of pressing ... I feel a really tight stretch and then a dull pain after. The only thing that I can do is really light weight/high rep stuff but I can still get a pump and my shoulder mass is OK.
I think it's smart to keep on with the fitness work because that will give you the stamina to keep up the volume in the gym. Those chins are going to feel a lot easier soon enough

Yep, I may be lucky enough not to need surgery, but only time will tell. I can't imagine what your shoulders feel like after the sergeons had his fun. Are heavier press weights on the horizon for you, or is it a red card? Your deadlifts coming on leaps and bounds mate, you do some hard sessions, and its paying off.



This week to help with my chins, I have decided to go on a rapid weight loss programme... in the form of a stomach bug! I don't know what I ate that was bad, or what I did, but I have been.... ..I'll save you the details.

I'm curled up in bed right now wishing it will end. This sucks bad, especially the fact its on the front page of my log. lol But I guess setbacks are all part of the ride and have to be logged. Hopefully next year I'll look back and laugh.

[fittofattofit]

Yep, I may be lucky enough not to need surgery, but only time will tell. I can't imagine what your shoulders feel like after the sergeons had his fun. Are heavier press weights on the horizon for you, or is it a red card? Your deadlifts coming on leaps and bounds mate, you do some hard sessions, and its paying off.

I'd like to get back to bench pressing, but it will be slow and I'll be keeping the form tight. I'll never get really strong but it would be nice to get back to repping 100kg. I don't think I'll ever be doing OHPs again though

This week to help with my chins, I have decided to go on a rapid weight loss programme... in the form of a stomach bug! I don't know what I ate that was bad, or what I did, but I have been.... ..I'll save you the details.

I'm curled up in bed right now wishing it will end. This sucks bad, especially the fact its on the front page of my log. lol But I guess setbacks are all part of the ride and have to be logged. Hopefully next year I'll look back and laugh.

Bad luck about the stomach bug .... it will get the weight jump started though
You will probably be feeling weaker for a few days but it won't take you long to get back on track

[ProtienandIron]

First session back; Full body.

Warm up:

Step ups and star jumps

Feet elevated, supine pullups

8 x BW
8 x BW
8 x BW

Reverse bench dumbbell flyes

12 x 7.5kg
12 x 7.5kg

Dumbbell bench press

20 x 12.5kg
20 x 12.5kg
20 x 12.5kg Really needed to grit my teeth to get the last 3 reps out on this set. Zero pain other then lactic buildup. Felt amazing.

Split squat

10 x BW
8 x 40kg
8 x 50kg
6 x 60kg

Crunches

20
20

Dorsal raises

20
15



I didn't feel energetic at all tonight due to the stomach bug I got this week and subsequent cut in calories consumed. So everything stayed reasonably light this session. I upped the weight on the press this week to keep in line with my steady climb up in weight, and I'm glad I did. 12.5kg felt very good and was just the right weight for the 20reps I wanted to hit on each set.

I am using the split squats as a way of avoiding a minor problem I've been having with my hips for a month or so. They are a great movement in thier own right, and a great substitute for traditional lunges. Due to the lack of space between the bar and walls of my gym, it is safer for me and my garage to keep my feet planted. Its not a movement I've done much work on in the past, hence the measly poundage, but I think I will be keeping it in my routine in the future.

Split squat demo for anyone that hasn't tried it before;

[fittofattofit]

Good work P&I .. I like the way you're doing the high rep DB presses. Im trying to reintroduce the DB pressing slowly myself
I also like the split squats and my trainer gets me to do them with either the BB or DBs - the only thing is that I'm a bit of a pussy and like to have a cushion for my knee

[ProtienandIron]

Good work P&I .. I like the way you're doing the high rep DB presses. Im trying to reintroduce the DB pressing slowly myself
I also like the split squats and my trainer gets me to do them with either the BB or DBs - the only thing is that I'm a bit of a pussy and like to have a cushion for my knee

Thanks mate, I appreciate your support. I'm very happy with the DB presses. I've always been bad for rushing into things, but this injury has taught me a lot of self restraint. When you go from being able to do no upper body work whatsoever, it makes you appreciate any movement at any measley weight. I'm looking forward to getting back onto barbell presses one day and will consider it a milestone to put some 20s on, but for now, I'll keep adding 2.5/5kg every session to earn those 20s.

I havent done much single leg work in the past, but from following peoples logs I figured I was missing out a bit. The split squats don't seem to aggravate my hip the way that squats are right now, its hopefully just a minor niggle that I'm trying to nip in the bud, but I'm seeing it as an opportunity to add something good to my repetoire. Funny you mention the pad, as only last night I was trying to think of ways to slip my foam mat under one knee. "Any fool can be uncomfortable"

[ProtienandIron]

Upper body:

Bent over rows

20 x bar
12 x 60kg
10 x 80kg
10 x 80kg
10 x 80kg

Dumbbell Bench press

10 x 2.5kg salt and pepper shakers
20 x 12kg
15 x 17.5kg
15 x 17.5kg

Reverse bench dumbbell rows

12 x 7.5kg
12 x 7.5kg
10 x 7.5kg

Overhead dumbbell tricep extension

12 x 17.5kg
12 x 15.5kg

Barbell curl

12 x bar (20kg)
15 x 25kg
12 x 27.5kg

Dragged myself into the gym today. Work is very tough at the moment due to my two jobs. I'm having to train a little instinctivly, which is not hard to do considering I haven't got much to lose right now. I'm using a lot more isolation work then I ever have to try and address a few issues. the dumbbells felt great today- they are finally starting to feel heavy in my hands....even though they're not. lol I always knew it was going to be a slow recovery, but I'm still going to enjoy every step of it, since its better then the alternative.

[fittofattofit]

Upper body:

Bent over rows

20 x bar
12 x 60kg
10 x 80kg
10 x 80kg
10 x 80kg

Dumbbell Bench press

10 x 2.5kg salt and pepper shakers
20 x 12kg
15 x 17.5kg
15 x 17.5kg

Reverse bench dumbbell rows

12 x 7.5kg
12 x 7.5kg
10 x 7.5kg

Overhead dumbbell tricep extension

12 x 17.5kg
12 x 15.5kg

Barbell curl

12 x bar (20kg)
15 x 25kg
12 x 27.5kg

Dragged myself into the gym today. Work is very tough at the moment due to my two jobs. I'm having to train a little instinctivly, which is not hard to do considering I haven't got much to lose right now. I'm using a lot more isolation work then I ever have to try and address a few issues. the dumbbells felt great today- they are finally starting to feel heavy in my hands....even though they're not. lol I always knew it was going to be a slow recovery, but I'm still going to enjoy every step of it, since its better then the alternative.

I like that attitude
Nice 5kg bump on those DB presses ... 15 rep sets is looking really good and you would have got a nice pump out of those ... a few more 2.5kg increments and it's not going to be long before you are picking those DBs off the bottom row
Rows are looking strong as well.

[pastorpritch]

In

[Swuuu]

man thats a badazz home gym!!!

[fishpat86]

man thats a badazz home gym!!!

How did I miss your log for all this time? My back feels stupid sore today and the wind is blowing like mad, no easy ride to work for me

oh, and subbbbbbbed

EDIT:

My bad quoted the wrong peep, no offense Swuuu.

[Swuuu]

How did I miss your log for all this time? My back feels stupid sore today and the wind is blowing like mad, no easy ride to work for me

oh, and subbbbbbbed

take a rest day after that bike ride man! Hope your back feels better soon!

[fishpat86]

take a rest day after that bike ride man! Hope your back feels better soon!

I can handle the soreness, feels good. What I can't handle is the wind blowing in my face all the way to work

Still riding though, I need the cardio.

[Swuuu]

I can handle the soreness, feels good. What I can't handle is the wind blowing in my face all the way to work

Still riding though, I need the cardio.

yea I guess not many people enjoy the wind unless they want to go fly a kite. Biking is my favorite kinda cardio!

[ProtienandIron]

In

Thanks mate, it'll be good to have you along.

man thats a badazz home gym!!!

Cheers. Its taken a while to build it up and get it just how I like it, but I'm very happy with it now. I leave the deads and squats set up, which makes everything a lot more convenient. Thanks for checkin in.

How did I miss your log for all this time? My back feels stupid sore today and the wind is blowing like mad, no easy ride to work for me

oh, and subbbbbbbed

It'll be good to have you. Do you ever do foam rolling. PM me if you want to know where to buy a cheap but good roller (bb.com won't like the link).

I can handle the soreness, feels good. What I can't handle is the wind blowing in my face all the way to work

Still riding though, I need the cardio.

That beautiful spring weather.

[ProtienandIron]

I like that attitude
Nice 5kg bump on those DB presses ... 15 rep sets is looking really good and you would have got a nice pump out of those ... a few more 2.5kg increments and it's not going to be long before you are picking those DBs off the bottom row
Rows are looking strong as well.

Thanks mate, the 5kg was just because I couldn't find the smaller plates (probably buried under the tins of paint in my garage), but they felt great. 15s are just a step closer to my favourite rep range which is anywhere between 6-10. I'm going to go for 20kg next session which I'm guessing will bring my reps nicely down to 12. Bottom row dumbbells are still just a dream mate, lol. I haven't bb rowed for a while so I kept the weight quite conservative, it gave a nice pump, but the thing I like the most about it is that it gives me a chance to focus on shoulder retraction.

[Swuuu]

You'd did a good job with it! I can see why you train there a lot! It's going to be a pleasure following your progress

[ProtienandIron]

Thanks mate, good to have you along.

[fishpat86]

yea I guess not many people enjoy the wind unless they want to go fly a kite. Biking is my favorite kinda cardio!

It's ok when it's a tailwind. this evenings ride home was a bastard. Tired legs and a headwind :'(

Thanks mate, it'll be good to have you along.



Cheers. Its taken a while to build it up and get it just how I like it, but I'm very happy with it now. I leave the deads and squats set up, which makes everything a lot more convenient. Thanks for checkin in.



It'll be good to have you. Do you ever do foam rolling. PM me if you want to know where to buy a cheap but good roller (bb.com won't like the link).



That beautiful spring weather.

I don't foam roll and have intended to for a while. How much was the rolling thunder thingy you have?