An Older guy doing DC in 2015 Part 2: It's Do or Die Time

[a-dog]

got some lite cardio in yesterday.

I approach cardio the same as I do weights, I start off with a session (yesterday was 30 mins on the elliptical), using a resistance level that I can handle pretty easily to establish a baseline in terms of calories burned and distance achieved. I then make small but consistent increases in the resistance level so I'm always working harder than I did the previous session.

Since I had so long off, I decided to start that process fresh. Yesterday was 30 mins on the elliptical with the resistance level set at only 2, my RPM's are around 75 so I'm still working just not killing myself. I got 460 calories yesterday, worked up a decent sweet and got my HR up in the low 150's.

No weights last night. I have some family drama I have to deal with, if everything falls into place I'll get in there today.

weight this morning was 200.4.

[a-dog]

cardio at lunch:

did 30 minutes on the elliptical again, this time I did 2 minutes with the resistance level at 3 and 28 with the level at 2, kept my RPM's the same as yesterday (around 75 RPM's). Got 448 calories.

[a-dog]

workout 1B yesterday: bi's, forearms, back, traps and abs

barbell curls-75 x 32RP with a nice slow negative. When I do these now I only raise the bar to a few degrees above parallel it seems to keep the tension on the muscle a little bit better for me

hammer curls-40 x 30 rest paused

paramount pulldowns-8 plates x 28RP, I like to do a really slow negative movement on the majority of my lat width movements, when I do these I do a nice slow 4 count for the negative, it really hammers the lats but my grip doesn't really like it very much. I also pause for a second at the top to stretch the lats out.

mountain dog rows-100 x 21 with my left and 22 with my right-I love doing these, both were done as a straight set

low back machine-200 x 20 straight set

dumbbell shrugs-100 x 20 straight set, I haven't done these in years, I like to let the DB's hang for a sec at the bottom to stretch out the traps and then I try to shrug so high that my shoulders touch my ears knowing they never will but if I keep that in mind I really squeeze the **** out of them

abs-rope crunch 60lbs x 25 for 2 sets

weight this morning was 199.6

I like to try to keep my back thickness movements at 20 reps straight setted for as long as possible, I made a 15lbs jump from the last workout but still got my reps. The only real issue I have is that I use the 25lbs plates, I get a really deep stretch but eventually I'll run out of room on the bar so I'll have to switch to the 45's, I'll lose my stretch but be able to move a lot more weight.

easy day today, just doing a baseline session on the bike at work. it should be 1/2 hour with the resistance at 5 to get my initial numbers.

[a-dog]

workout 1C on Friday:

high rep toe press
sumo leg press
leg press
abs

high rep toe press-435 x 35RP with 21 partial reps, I really like these. Standard DC calf work is brutal, this is a slight variation-you don't do the 15 count stretch on each rep, only a 2-3 count stretch and you rest pause the movement.

sumo leg press-435 x 30 straight set

leg press-435 x 35 straight set followed by 18 partials

I had a lot of problems with my hip last year so I lowered the weight on this workout (this is my heavy leg press day, I do another high rep day on the leg press) so the reps are a bit higher than I would like but I was at the point where my hip was bothering me so much I was at a loss. No problems so far, going to stay the corse and keep making small but consistent increases in weight.

abs-paramount ab machine-2 sets for 20 reps with 60lbs


I have 2 more workouts to log over the next couple of days. I have not gotten on the scale yet today, I weighed 198 on Sunday.

[a-dog]

workout 2A-chest, shoulder, tri's and abs

paramount machine press
paramount lateral machine
dip machine
widowmaker

paramount machine press-13 plates for 35 reps rest paused with a slow negative

lateral machine-75 x 27RP with a slow negative and a 22 count static hold at the end

dip machine-225 x 26RP

widowmaker-7 plates + 5lbs for 26 reps

abs-2 sets each for 10 reps-hanging leg raise and machine crunch

[a-dog]

workout 2B-bi's, forearms, back and abs

DB curls
wrist curls
front pull downs
seated rows
lower back machine
rope crunch's

DB curl-45 x 35RP with each arm, bent over like a standing concentration curl, since I had time off I lowered the weight but flew through it so I'll bump it up next workout

wrist curl-155 x 30RP, same as above, lowered the weight since I was off but flew through it.

front pull downs-204 x 18RP with a 4 count negative-for me doing a super slow negative on any pulling movement for my back is incredible, it really limits the amount of weight I can use but the feel is incredible and my lats respond so well that I'm willing to give up the weight

seated row-204 x 25 straight set-I lowered the weight on this a bit cause I want to emphasis the stretch a lot more and really pull back far and squeeze on each rep.

low back machine-205 x 25 straight set

abs-rope crunch-65 x 25 x 2

[a-dog]

Workout 2C

DC toe press
High rep leg press
Stiff legged dead lifts
Abs

DC toe press-315 x 14 done DC style (15 count stretch on each rep) followed by 22 partials

High rep leg press-315 x 55 followed by 33 partials

SLDL-85 x 22 straight set

2 x 20 x 60lbs on a paramount ab machine they have

No cardio today. Meetings.

I've decided to target September 1st as my new target date. I just weighed in at 201.5. I new I had a bad couple of days, I have a lot going on with some family members so it's been hard to stay on track. Knowing how I am, I'm gonna just give myself a little extra time, usually I rush it and blow it but I'm giving myself a few extra weeks. Target weight is 185.

I'll start to keep a better log of what I do as well, it's been hard this past month or so but I think it is finally easing up.

I'm going to keep most of the movements the same but jack up the weights a bit and maybe move some stuff around....update tomorrow

[a-dog]

alright, I've had some time to think.

I was really bummed when I checked my weight last night. A while ago I made a decision to lower my weights, go for higher reps and use the time to recover from any nagging injuries I had-I don't think I was really "injured" so to speak, I just had areas like my shoulder and my hips that just didn't feel right. looking back I think the weight cuts I made were a bit too drastic, I shouldn't be able to get over 30 reps rest paused. I know eventually the weights would get back to where I wanted them to be but I'm getting really antsy. So what I'm gonna do is jack up the weights, move a few things around and just get a fresh mental start.

the basics of the routine will stay the same, the split will be:

chest, shoulders, tri's
bi's, forearms and back
calves, hamstrings and quads

on my back day I'm going to rotate trap work and lower back work. I want to bring my traps up a bit and my lower back isn't bothering me like it used to so the work I've put in has paid off.

I'll do something for abs every workout.

I'm gonna do 1 short cardio session first thing in the morning and another at lunch. I'm going to run when I can (I want to do a 5K eventually)

I want my bodyweight to be 185 by September 1st, that's a decent amount of time as long as I don't totally screw up I should be able to pull that off.

AM bodyweight today was 199.5, made ti through the night without eating which is always a problem for me.

anyway, got 20 minutes in on the bike this morning first thing. It was my 'baseline session" so it was really easy my numbers were:

122 calories and I went 5 miles

another thing I'm going to do is every few chest, shoulder and tri workouts after my widowmaker I'm going to do bodyweight dips until failure, I love doing dips. Once I get to where I can do 50 (which I've done in the past) I'm going to start adding bodyweight.

gonna kill it this time and I WILL NOT reset again.

[a-dog]

yesterday was my first "heavy" day in awhile:

workout 1A-chest, shoulders, tri's and abs

dip machine-210 x 30RP-made a 50 pound increase and still got a ton of reps, going to do another 20 pound jump next time around.

military press-225 x 19RP-30 pound increase, I had to use a smith machine I don't usually use so these felt a little awkward but not big deal.

high pully pushdowns-50.5 x 25 straight set, I didn't really make a huge poundage increase on this (only 2.5 lbs) because I love how these feel.

widowmaker-I picked a new pressing machine they got, it's paramount so I count the plates on it. I used 6 plates for 25 reps straight setted

for abs I did 2 sets of 10 reps on the hanging leg raise and a machine crunch they have.

did dips to failure at the end of the workout and I got 20 but it's the first time I've done them in forever.

good cardio sessions yesterday, I also got one in this morning but I don't know if I'll get an afternoon session in.

bodyweight was 199 this morning.

[a-dog]

not much to report today. I didn't do much yesterday. I was buried at work and stayed late.

I did cardio this morning (20 minutes on the bike) and again at lunch (1/2 an hour on a bike we have). I am training bi's, forearms and back tonight.

[a-dog]

couple of great workouts over the weekend.

workout 1B-bi's, forearms and back:

barbell curls-100 x 26RP, I think I made a 20lbs jump on this since the last workout, it was great. my lower back bothers me at times when I do these but I had no problems this time around.

hammer curls-55 x 24RP, another nice poundage jump

paramount pulldowns with a reverse grip-6 plates x 26RP-I lowered the weight on this but I am doing a 4 count negative so they are brutal

seated rows-204 x 23 straight set, I'm getting more of a stretch and I'm pulling a lot farther back with these.

shrugs-85lbs dumbbells x 22 straight set

finished up with 2 sets of rope crunches.



workout 1C-legs

I made about a 120lbs jump with this workout, no problems with my hips or anything:


high rep toe press-585 x 31RP with 18 partials

sumo leg press-585 x 21 straight set

leg press-585 x 24 straight set with 21 partials

followed it up with 2 sets on the paramount ab machine they have


and yesterday I ran one of the zero to 5K runs from my IPONE app, did 2 sets of 10 with the ab wheel (which is a great cheap piece of equipment) and did 1/2 an hour on the bike in the evening.

current bodyweight is 198lbs so I've made some progress.

[a-dog]

rode the bike for 20 mins yesterday first thing in the morning and did cardio at lunch. 30 mins on the elliptical. It is hot and humid as hell here so the elliptical was brutal.

workout 2A last night, heavier weights and the intensity has gone up a bit:

paramount incline bench-15 plates x 23RP, I really, really like this movement. I use a neutral grip and the heavier weights feel great.

lateral machine-75 x 26RP with a nice slow negative and a 22 count static hold at the bottom

dip machine (close grip for tri's)-230 x 22RP

widowmaker-6 plates +2.5lbs x 26

upped the weight a lot on the first 2 movements, I was already going heavy on the dip machine. This was a great workout. short, sweat and pretty intense.

abs are still sore from the ab wheel a couple of days ago so I skipped them last night.

working out at a rec center offers a few unique challenges, my equipment is limited and you really have to depend on yourself for motivation. In the old days when I would be in a real gym and see someone busting their ass it would motivate the hell out of me. I don't really have that anymore. everything is internal. I don't have anyone to go to that I trust to spot me on most movements, that's why I tend to use machines more these days. I don't talk to anyone in the gym. My headphones are on, my music is loud and I try to be "in the moment". it's gotten a bit harder to do over the last couple of years but unless a "real" gym opens up 5 minutes from my house I'll be training where I do now for awhile.

[a-dog]

felt really burnt on Tuesday so I pretty much took the entire day off. I only did a lite run at lunch.

I've been having some problems sleeping so I haven't been doing the morning bike for the last couple of days. I did do cardio on the elliptical yesterday and that went great.

workout 2B last night: bi's, forearms and back

preacher curl machine-110 x 26RP with a 21 count static hold at the end-I struggled for along time with this machine, it has a hitch when you're doing a rep at about the 3/4 point of the movement, one day I just said screw it and I stop the rep before the hitch, it seems to work a lot better like that for me.

reverse grip 1 arm cable curl-24 x 23 straight set with each arm. Wrist is cocked for the entire rep, love doing these.

front pulldowns-168 x 27RP, I lowered the weight on all of my lat pull-down movements and I do a 4 count negative on each rep, they're brutal

mountain dog barbell rows-125 x 12 (with my left arm) and 16 (with my right) straight set-pretty big weight jump. Might have been too big, going to keep the weight the same next time through. I like to keep my back thickness movements at around 20.

lower back machine-250 x 25 straight set

that was it.

no idea what my bodyweight is today, I didn't get on the scale at all.

lite cardio today at lunch, not being able to sleep well is leaving me a bit worn down.

[a-dog]

had a strange day yesterday. I wanted to do some lite cardio at lunch, I went back did the bike for about 5 mins and my knee was killing me. I took a couple of Motrin and relaxed the rest of the day until about 5.

I went up to the gym to do legs, if my knee hurt I was just gonna skip quads for the day. anyway here's what I actually got in:

DC toe press-495 x 11 done DC style with about 20 partials at the end

high rep leg press-495 x 42 straight set-no knee pain at all. Pretty big poundage jump so I didn't hit 50 reps (which is the goal on the high rep leg press day). I have to play with how I set up the seat position on this, I like the seat all the way back, it was sitting a little forward so the movement felt strange to me, I didn't notice it right off the bat so next time I just have to play closer attention.

seated leg curl-8 plates x 30 straight set

so, I went from 315 to 495 on the first 2 movements which is a pretty big jump. Not too bad since it was the first time through but I'm still a little bummed I missed the mark on the leg press.

did some lite ab work to finish up.

Got on the bike this morning, 20 mins.

[a-dog]

2 good workouts over the weekend:

workout 3A

chest, shoulders tri's

DJ bench press-225 x 27RP, these are done on a smith machine, grip is just outside of shoulder width and I use a false grip, I don't lock out and do a nice slow negative on each rep

wide grip upright rows-95 x 31RP, first time doing these in awhile, I was using dumbbells but I think the limit of what I could use weight wise was a bit low so I went to this, lite weight for the first time around just to make sure it felt ok

overhead DB extentions-80 x 21RP....I have a lot of problems with this movement, I wanted to try it out again but I think I'm going to do something called a "PJR pullover" next time out. I have short arms so when I use heavy weights they hit my head when doing these...lol. A PJR pullover is pretty much the same thing but you set up like you would a cross bench pullover but instead of actually doing a pullover you do a triceps extension... I'll see if I can find a video of it.

widowmaker-6 plates plus 5lbs for 28 reps straight set



yesterday I did workout 3B

bi's, forearms and back

dumbbell curls-55 x 30 with each arm RP, done bent over, one arm at a time like a standing concentration curl

wrist curl-155 x 30RP

behind the neck pulldown-120 x 22RP, 4 count negative on this....brutal

1 arm barbell row-125 x 11 with my right and 9 with my left-(I think I posted a video of this, this is a movement I got from a John Meadows video on t-nation,it's great)

db shrugs-90 x 21 straight set

did some lite ab work after each session.

didn't do much cardio but I was outside working on both Saturday and Sunday...it's hot as hell here and I love it.

[a-dog]

yesterday was a mixed bag. Got up early and got back on track with 20 mins on the bike right out of bed. got a 1/2 an hour in on the elliptical. Sat down to eat lunch and I forgot my food. I had a meeting coming up so I just ran up to mcdonalds...***.

did workout 3C which is the last workout of this cycle of movements:

calf sled-120 x 10 done DC style with 22 partials following. this is such a strange machine compared to other sleds I've used, that 120 pounds is so f'n heavy.

stiff leg dead lift-100 x 22 straight set

paramount leg press-15 plates x 23 straight set followed by 30 partials, this is the heaviest I've gone on this machine and it really felt good.

that was it. I feel like I have a cinder block in my gut from the mcdonalds yesterday. Don't want to know what I weigh...I just made a bad decision, I know they offer grilled chicken sandwiches but I went for the mcdoubles....2 of them and they are killing me ever since.

anyway, I got up again and did 20 mins on the bike this morning, I have cardio at lunch and I should be able to hit the gym for workout 1A today (chest, shoulders and tri's), I MIGHT do something after the workout depending on how I feel.

I watched the crossfit games last night for a bit, I find some of the stuff they do really interesting. I don't agree with some of it, I have lower back problems so there is no way I could do some of the stuff they do but I'd still like to try some of it out. I've never really done any Olympic lifting so I would need some kind of coach or trainer to work with me on techniques but I think I could do well on some of the stuff they do.

[a-dog]

good day yesterday:

started my second heavy cycle, workout 1A-chest, shoulders and tri's:

dip machine-220 x 28RP, 10 pound increase, nice controlled negative movement

military press-235 x 20RP-another 10 pound jump. I do these on a smith machine, lowering the weight to about eye level, any lower than that and my rotator cuff starts to bother me. This felt really, really heavy so I'll probably keep the weights the same next workout.

high pulley triceps press downs-53 x 21 straight set, really exaggerated range of motion, I love doing these.

widowmaker-7 plates x 27 reps-my chest was fried after this.

abs-2 sets each of 11 reps for hanging leg raises and cruch's.

I did 20 mins of cardio yesterday morning, a 1/2 an hour on an elliptical and then 1000 meters on a rowing machine in the evening after the above listed workout. it took me just under 5 mins to do the 1000 meters but I was going really lite focusing on my form.

I finished the day off with some bodyweight dips, I got 23 reps but like I said above my chest was fried by the time I got to these.

did 20 mins on the bike this morning. Feeling a little burnt right now, I might do a really lite session on a bike at lunch, nothing too hard.

[a-dog]

did a 1/2 hour on the bike, it was hot as hell....I didn't go nuts I went pretty lite but the heat just drained me. It's gonna be a night off tonight. It's gotta be close to 100 degrees outside, I'm not complaining, I like the heat it just makes cardio a little harder.

[a-dog]

no morning cardio yesterday, I had a terrible night sleeping. Ran at lunch on a track by my work, zero to 5K workout. Not very hard but I wanted to get outside.

workout 1B yesterday in the evening-bi's, forearms and back

barbell curls-105 x 31RP, I like doing a nice slow negative on these but I had a hard time with that part of the movement last night, I just couldn't focus on lowering the bar as smoothly as I usually do. Might be the weight jump, might have just been lack of focus. Still felt really good.

hammer curls-55 x 32RP, got about 7 more reps this time around with the same weight.

paramount pulldown machine-6 plates +5lbs x 26RP with a 4 count negative....doing the super slow negatives on any type of pulldown movement is just murder. Love it

seated row-206.5 x 26 straight set

lower back machine-245 x 30 straight set

I did a couple of sets of lite ab work and that was it.

[a-dog]

2 workouts over the weekend:

workout 1C-Legs (heavy leg press)

high rep toe press-595 x 34RP with 13 partials at the end

sumo leg press-595 x 21 straight set

leg press-595 x 25 straight set with 30 partials at the end

abs-2 sets of 20 reps with 80lbs on the precor ab machine

I did cardio on the bike first thing and in the evening. I worked outside all day after the workout as well, it was a great session.

workout 2A-chest, shoulders and tri's

paramount incline-15 plates + 5lbs x 26RP, with a neutral grip. I really, really like this machine a lot.

lateral machine-90 x 21RP with a nice slow negative

dip machine-232.5 x 24RP

widowmaker-7 plates +5lbs for 26 reps

did 2 sets of each on the hanging leg raise and this crunch machine they have, I did 11 reps each set.

great weekend actually. I'm down to 196ish. Cardio this morning and probably at lunch then maybe bi's, forearms and back tonight

feeling really good right now.

[a-dog]

20 min on the bike yesterday morning and a 1/2 hour on the elliptical at lunch.

bis, forearms and back last night:

workout 2B:

preacher curl-112.5 x 23RP, struggled with this a bit more than I thought, it just felt really, really heavy

reverse grip 1 arm cable curl-26.5 x 23 straight sets-I got the same number of reps with each arm which usually doesn't happen.

front pulldowns-172.5 x 26RP with a 4 count negative-my left shoulder hurt a bit at the top of the movement so that kind of limited me a little, it's never happened before so I'm not gonna worry about it

mountain dog rows-125 x 20 with my right arm and 22 with my left both straight set-heavy but I crushed my reps from the last workout. Thank God I use wraps cause my grip was going out with both arms at around 17 reps

low back machine-245 x 30 straight set-I want to rotate shrugs and this, I screwed up somewhere in my logbook so I did 2 lower back sessions in a row, no big deal....shrugs are new so I just overlooked them when writing up the workout.

abs-2 sets of 20 with 75lbs on the rope crunch.

I was going to do something in the evening but I was kind of tired so I skipped it.

[a-dog]

legs last night.

I have limited equipment. I do have access to a power rack but my back is pretty trashed. Every time I try to work squats into my routine I get to a certain point and my back just can't handle it anymore. I probably should go see a doctor but I think they are going to want to do some surgery on it (I think I have compressed vertebrae) and I don't want to do that. So what I came up with was a "heavy" leg press day (heavy leg press's with a rep range of 20) and a "high rep" leg press day where I try to hit 50 reps. both can be really brutal. Yesterday was a high rep day:

DC toe press-505 x 10 done DC style followed by 24 partials

high rep leg press-505 x 51 straight set followed by about 25 partials

seated leg curl-8 plates for 30 reps straight set-only the second time doing these so I'm still getting used to them.

did 2 sets of ab work on the paramount ab machine

lite cardio this morning on the bike (only 15 mins), legs were feeling a bit rough.

[a-dog]

quick but good workout last night:

workout 1C

chest, shoulders and tri's

smith machine bench press-235 x 24RP, grip is shoulder width, controlled negative.

wide grip upright rows-105 x 30 straight set-newer movement, still assimilating.

PJR pullover-80 x 20 straight set-I'll try to find a vid of this if anyone is interested, I never heard of it until I started doing DC.

widowmaker-7 plates plus a 5lbs for 29 reps

skipped Ab work last night.

cardio in the morning yesterday on the bike in the basement and elliptical at lunch. Bike in the morning today as well.

bodyweight was a bit high this morning and I don't know why, I was getting back on track but this morning it spiked back up.

[a-dog]

2 good wrokouts over the weekend:

Friday was workout 3B-bi's, forearms and back:

DB curls-60 x 27 with my right and 26 with my left arm, rest paused-I do these one arm at a time bent over like a standing concentration curl, I love it. No pressure on my low back and I've never gotten this many reps with this kind of weight doing regular standing DB curls.

wrist curls-165 x 29RP

behind the neck pulldown-122.5 x 23 RP-4 count negative= brutal

1 arm barbell row-125 x 16 with my right and 14 with my left both straight set and I beat my numbers last time around by a decent amount so I was happy

shrugs-95 x 18 straight set-I let the dumbbells hang at the bottom for a second or 2, the weight seemed really heavy.


on Saturday I was feeling a bit worn out so I skipped my morning cardio but in the afternoon I tried to put together some type of crossfit type of cardio routine. It was fun. I like what they do with some things. Once I get things worked out I'll post what I'm doing. nothing special just movements I can do at home with little to no equipment.

yesterday was legs:

calf sled-122.5 x 10 done DC style, followed by partials (do not remember how many I got)

stiff leg dead lifts-105 x 22 straight set

paramount leg press-15 plates + 3.3lbs for 24 reps with 31 partials

that was it for that cycle, new one starts later this week.