Fiftyhann's "Arnold" Training Log

[fiftyhann]

Monday, April 19, 2005

This week I'm beginning to log my progress in the gym. To start out, I'm following Arnold's basic training level 1 routines. I've been working out much more intensely for the last three weeks (using my own routines) doing basic exercises such as bench press, incline press, decline press, military press, tricep pushdowns, seated curls, standing curls, rowing, lateral pull-downs, and several ab and oblique machines. I've also radically reformed by diet as of three weeks ago, and I'm already noticing vast improvments beyond anything I've ever experienced before.

I've decided its time to improve the organization level of my workouts, which is why I'm starting this log and trying out Arnold's training program. Please feel free to post any questions at any time. Like most people in this forum, I'm here to learn and share to the greatest extent possible.

Okay, let's get down to business. Here is what my workout was like today, marking my first "Arnold" workout. In general, I was very pleased with my performance. I'll note some problem areas below. Note: I'm following Duilee's example and listing TOTAL weight for each exercise. So for the DB Bench and DB Incline Press the listed weight is the sum of the weight of both dumbells.

Chest and Back
DB Bench Press: 16x80lbs, 12x90lbs, 10x100lbs, 10x110lbs
DB Incline Press: 10x90lbs, 8x100lbs, 8x100lbs, 4x110lbs
Pullovers: 10x40lbs, 10x40lbs, 10x40lbs
Chin-ups: 12 narrow grip, 7 wide, 6 narrow, 6 narrow, <rest>, 9 wide
Bent-Over Rows: 15x45lbs, 12x55lbs, 10x60lbs, 10x65lbs, 10x70lbs, 8x75lbs, 6x80lbs
Rowing: 10x70lbs, 10x100lbs, 5x120lbs, 8x110lbs
Lower Back Extensions: 18x150lbs, 10x170lbs, 8x175lbs
Abs: 25 crunches, 25 crunches, 20 crunches, 20 crunches, 50 sit-ups
Cardio: Elliptical 10 min (115 cal; before chest), Elliptical 10 min (115 cal; before back), Elliptical 33 min (150 avg heart rate, 171 max heart rate, 6217 strides, 3.69 miles, 488.3 cal; after workout)

Food intake while at gym: 1 apple, 1 "medium size" powerade, lots of water, 1 granola bar. Note: I tried to eat the solid foods after doing the heavy lifting. I downed the powerade about 6 minutes prior to beginning weight lifting.

I also did a lot of stretching after cardio and before lifting.

Note: I added Rowing and Back extensions while I was at the gym because I was waiting for a cardio machine. I also did suspended leg-ups and knee-ups.

I didn't do as well on the DB Incline Press because I probably should have started out with a little less weight. Also, the flat bench press used up a lot of my energy.

Pullovers were also more difficult that I had imagined (I've never done them before). Next time I'll use less weight to start out and gradually increase it.

I'm used to using machines for working my abs and obliques. Doing crunches was more difficult that I had imagined. Apparently I'm really good at doing sit-ups though.

Nutrition:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with non-fat milk and protein shake
Lunch: Banana, low-fat yogurt
After Workout: "Protein Sandwich" (whole sandwich with 1 can of tuna, 3 slices of roast beef, zesty pickles, and mustard)
Later: protein shake
Dinner: Salmon and brocolli

I also take creatine and glutamine supplements and Animal Pak multi vitamins.

Please comment if you feel like there's anything I should change or if you have any tips for workout improvement.

Thanks,

-Fiftyhann

[DUILEE]

It looks pretty good but you need to drop either the set of 15 or 12 on bent over rows and I personally would get rid of back extensions. You're also missing the most important lift in the routine, deadlifts. Those are definitely a must. Start out light and make sure to perfect your form before going heavy or else you risk destroying your back. Your diet looks good but I'd switch the protein shake and the sandwich around. One last thing, don't do cardio in between lifts. You need to lift and do cardio at different times seperated by atleast 6 hours. When you do cardio while you lift it increases the amount of catabolism (muscle wasting) that occurs. Either lift in the morning and do cardio in the afternoon or vice versa.

[fiftyhann]

Okay, thanks for the ideas. The reason I'm not doing deadlifts yet is because I'm still recovering from a knee cap dislocation that happened in January. I'm doing therapy on tuesdays and thursdays in the morning to strengthen my knee, particularly my VMO, which suffered the worst atrophy. I'm also doing squats with no weight at home to get my knee back to normal. I'll probably throw deadlifts into my workout in a few weeks.

What you said about cardio is true, from what I've heard. Its just that the most convenient time for me to do it is when I'm at the gym already. I'll try to start doing cardio in the mornings instead of after my workout.

Again, thanks for the feedback. I'll make another post later today on my "Arnold" workout #2: Shoulders, Upper arms, and Forearms.

[fiftyhann]

...Also, for the bent over rows, I didn't know how much weight to start with since I hadn't done them in a while. Next time I'll definitely start off with a set of 60lbs.

-Fiftyhann

[Glyder]

You can also just do the cardio after your workout. YOu dont need to do more than 30 min or so after a good workout. Do a 5-10 min before stretching and lifting. Then stretch, then lift. Then do a 20-30 min good cardio session after lifting. You will feel real...good

Keep going, looks like your doing well. I was doing that workout as well, but after 4 or 6 weeks I switched it up as my goals changed. But, I really enjoyed it, and my strength went up a lot.

[fiftyhann]

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm going to get up early tomorrow to do cardio, abs, and obliques. I'm going to skip "Arnold" workout #3 (Thighs, calves, and lower back) for now because I really have to take it easy on my knee until it fully recovers, and I did lower back on monday.

I just ate a small bowl of pasta with tomatoes because I figured it would give me energy to do cardio in the morning. Is this a good idea or not? (BTW, it's about 11:30pm and I'll go to bed in about a half hour)

Today's workout was both exhilarating and challenging. I did many exercises that I've never done before (BB Clean and Press, Dumbell Lat Raises, Heavy Upright Rows, Push Presses, and Close-Grip Press). I'm too tired to list all my numbers at the moment so I'll do that tomorrow.

I noticed I went down a couple pounds in body weight. This must be all fat loss because I feel stronger and I look a lot leaner. It must be due to my cleaned up diet. My muscles also didn't put on as much water weight during lifting like they usually do--is this an improvement?

Also, does stretching help your muscles flush lactic acid? It seems like when I stretch more, I'm not as sore later. Just a thought.

[fiftyhann]

Here are my numbers for Tuesday:

Shoulders and Arms
BB Clean and Press: 10x95lbs, 5x105lbs, 5x110lbs
DB Lat Raises: 10x30lbs, 10x30lbs, 10x30lbs, 4x35lbs
Standing BB Curls: 15x45lbs, 10x55lbs, 10x55lbs, 8x65lbs
DB Curls: 10x60lbs, 6x70lbs, 6x70lbs, 4x70lbs
Close-Grip Press*: 20x20lbs, 12x30lbs, 10x35lbs, 10x40lbs
Standing Triceps Extensions w/ BB: 12x25lbs, 12x30lbs, 11x35lbs, 11x40lbs, 8x45lbs, 6x50lbs
Heavy Upright Rows**: 10x45lbs, 8x55lbs, 6x65lbs
Push Presses***: 4x95lbs

*does not include bar weight because I don't know how much it weighs (its an E-Z curl bar... 25lbs maybe?)

**my right wrist was uncomfortable and on the third set I had a "popping" sensation so I stopped early; no persistent pain however

***extremely difficult for me to execute; felt very dangerous and unstable; will try with much less weight next time

Overall I was pleased with the style of the workout. I learned a lot and realized that I have a lot of improvement to do. It will take time for me to master the techniques of the new exercises. Here are the ones I had never done before:

BB Clean and Press
DB Lat Raises
Close-Grip Press
Heavy Upright Rows
Push Presses

My diet was almost exactly the same as Monday's except that I switched the "protein sandwich" and "protein shake" according to Duilee's recommendation. This was the first time I brought a protein shake to the gym.

Today (Wednesday) I just did cardio, abs, and obliques. I also went for a swim. I'm omitting Arnold's workout #3 for now (see previous post).

Tomorrow I'll do chest and back again, according to plan. Wish me luck!

[Glyder]

Close-Grip Press*: 20x20lbs, 12x30lbs, 10x35lbs, 10x40lbs
Heavy Upright Rows**: 10x45lbs, 8x55lbs, 6x65lbs
Push Presses***: 4x95lbs

*does not include bar weight because I don't know how much it weighs (its an E-Z curl bar... 25lbs maybe?)

**my right wrist was uncomfortable and on the third set I had a "popping" sensation so I stopped early; no persistent pain however

***extremely difficult for me to execute; felt very dangerous and unstable; will try with much less weight next time

If you were using a standard empty EZ curl bar, its most likely 35lbs. At least the ones in my gym are. Look on the part where the plates hit the sleeve it should say how much the weight is.

A lot of differing views on Heavy Upright Rows. I dont like them, as they put a lot of pressure on my shoulders and wrists. If your getting that popping in your wrist, space your hands out more.

I still don't know what push presses are. lol, maybe i should do a search


As for eating before bedtime, good! I never heard of it before I started researching, and found that it is a good thing. I wouldnt eat the carbs though, I eat protein before bed. Do a search in the nutrition or fat loss forum for all the reasons. I cant remember much, at work and cant really search much.

Good work and keep it up!

[fiftyhann]

For my yesterday's workout (Thursday), I had all my sets and reps planned out ahead of time. On DB flat bench I executed the plan flawlessly and even had enough endurance to do a few burnout reps:

DB Bench Press: 12x90lbs, 12x100lbs, 10x110lbs, 10x120lbs, burnout--> 4x130lbs

Then I hit the incline:

DB Incline Press: 12x80lbs, 12x90lbs, 10x100lbs, 8(5)x110lbs (SUBLUXATION!)

I suffered a left shoulder subluxation on my 6th rep of the incline press! The guy spotting me hadn't engaged any support yet, and my shoulder instability gave way to a partial dislocation (subluxation). Fortuneately, my shoulders are fairly strong and my muscles tensed up to prevent a complete dislocation. I leaned over to the left and dropped the weights on the rubber floor. Then I bent over and clenched my shoulder with my right hand for a few minutes. After a little bit of rest, and assuring the medical staff that I was okay, I tried incline press again with 20lb DBs to make sure everything was okay. My shoulder didn't start hurting very much until the next morning, so I went to see my therapist. He says I have very loose joints and that I should do shoulder strengthening exercises and rotary cuff exercises to increase shoulder stability.

Well that was the end of my workout...actually after that I did 85 sit-ups with 80lbs on me just to get all the built up adrenaline back to normal.

I'm rather bummed because now I have to take it easy for a while--just when I was doing so good. I was also bummed because I didn't get to do my favorite new exercise: pullovers. Anyway, I made several new friends at the gym, so that was a plus.

This weekend I had planned a three-day backpacking trip. My therapist says I should be okay so I'm going to go ahead and do it. My next weight training workout will be on tuesday (Shoulders, Upper Arms, and Forearms).

Any feedback or injury recovery advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

-Fiftyhann

[fiftyhann]

Okay, I got back late last night from my backpacking trip, which was really awesome. We hiked roughly 7 miles each day for 3 days, and on two of those days were carrying ~50lb packs. I felt a surge of energy at about 11:00pm on monday (after I got back), so I decided to get my HR up on a cardio machine for 30 min.

Tuesday: Upper Arms and Shoulders
Lat Raises: 10x17.5lbs, 9x17.5lbs, 10x20lbs (partial raises)
Standing BB Curls: 15x45lbs, 10x55lbs, 10x65lbs, 5x75lbs (cheated last 2 reps)
Reverse BB Curls: 10x45lbs, 10x55lbs, 6x65lbs, 4x65lbs (last set mostly isometric)
Seated DB Curls*: 4x30lbs, 2x30lbs
Close-Grip Press**: 18x65lbs, 18x70lbs, 16x75lbs, 16x80lbs
Triceps DB Extensions***: 16x40lbs, 16x45lbs, 10x50lbs, 8x55lbs

*my forearms and biceps were shot after doing two biceps exercises (BB Curls and Reverse BB Curls), so I could not execute even one successful set

**I need to increase the weight here. These are way too easy for me with the current weight.

***I increased the starting set weight from last time and executed it well. I may increase it again since my goal for these workouts is mass.

In general I was pleased with my performance except for the Seated DB Curls. I threw in Reverse BB curls (which went very well) which I think really fatigued my arms. Should I move the Seated DB Curls to the end of the workout (i.e. put some excersises between Reverse BB Curls and Seated DB Curls)? I'm not sure what I should do here because the Reverse BB Curls were very comfortable and I did them well.

My shoulder is feeling better. I skipped the exersises that I thought would put too much angled force on my shoulder (clean and press, push presses, and heavy upright rows). I should be able to go back to a normal routine soon. On thursday, I'm going to do swap incline press for decline since I injured myself on incline last thursday. I should be able to do incline by next tuesday.

[fiftyhann]

I should also note that I tried GU carbohydrate gel, which has a really fast glycemic index, so it goes right into your blood stream. I got some good lifting results from it. It will allow you to push harder and longer but make sure you eat the right recovery foods afterwards or else it won't be worth it.

[DUILEE]

I looks like your workouts are going well except for the shoulder injury. Did your physical therapist show you any RC exercises? If not, I got a couple for you that worked very well for me. Couple things I noticed though, you shouldn't be able to do any burnout sets on DB press. If you look at my log you'll see that I can't finish my last set of 6 alot of the time and have to do a rest pause to get all my reps. You need to increase the weight if you still have enough strength left after your last set.

Also, I'd highly suggest that you don't do reverse curls. Although every dumbass on this board can find a reason that some lift is bad for you, reverse curls are a definite no in my book.

Another thing, why do you do 3 bicep lifts and 2 tricep lifts. One thing you need to keep in mind is biceps and triceps counter each other so if you do 2 lifts for biceps, you need to do 2 lifts for triceps. This applies to chest/back as well. The reason for this is, using chest and back as an example, if you work your chest more than your back then obviously your chest will be stronger meaning it will pull your body forward. Over time this can lead to an injury because the stronger muscle will overpower the weaker one and place added stress on it.

[fiftyhann]

I looks like your workouts are going well except for the shoulder injury. Did your physical therapist show you any RC exercises? If not, I got a couple for you that worked very well for me. Couple things I noticed though, you shouldn't be able to do any burnout sets on DB press. If you look at my log you'll see that I can't finish my last set of 6 alot of the time and have to do a rest pause to get all my reps. You need to increase the weight if you still have enough strength left after your last set.

Yeah, my therapist gave me some resistive tubing so I can do rotary cuff exercises (which he showed me) at home. It actually seems to work quite well. My shoulders burn in ways I haven't felt before. I've been doing these exersises every other day in the evenings. He didn't name the exercises, only showed me the movements. If you can give me a few (listed in Arnold's book maybe??) that would be great. ...also thanks for the tips on omitting certain burnout sets, I'll keep that in mind when I plan my future workouts.

Also, I'd highly suggest that you don't do reverse curls. Although every dumbass on this board can find a reason that some lift is bad for you, reverse curls are a definite no in my book.

I threw in reverse curls because I've done them before and Arnold suggests changing things up every once and a while. They feel comfortable but they definitely don't target the biceps primarily (Arnold says they're purpose is to develop "biceps length"). I'll take your advise and only do them on rare occasions.

Another thing, why do you do 3 bicep lifts and 2 tricep lifts. One thing you need to keep in mind is biceps and triceps counter each other so if you do 2 lifts for biceps, you need to do 2 lifts for triceps. This applies to chest/back as well. The reason for this is, using chest and back as an example, if you work your chest more than your back then obviously your chest will be stronger meaning it will pull your body forward. Over time this can lead to an injury because the stronger muscle will overpower the weaker one and place added stress on it.

My triceps have undergone very dramatic improvements within the last few weeks (both visually and strength-wise). I used to have trouble gaining tricep mass near my elbow, but the new exersises have fixed that. Previously, I used to do only tricep pressdowns and over-the-head cable extensions. I've taken these out since Arnold doesn't list them in basic training.

What is a good complimentary third tricep exercise to do if I do 3 bicep exercises?

I've heard discussions about antagonistic muscle groups, so I definitely believe you on that one. I didn't think about that when I threw in reverse curls. I'll keep this in mind in the future.

------------------

Duilee, thanks for all the great advice and comments man! I really appreciate it. Also, I'm really enjoying Arnold's book. It has some really extensive info on nutrition as well, which I'm starting to pay much more attention to.

[Glyder]

What is a good complimentary third tricep exercise to do if I do 3 bicep exercises?

I started doing skull crushers, and I love em! I get a really good workout on the triceps. You can do them with an EZcurl bar, and also a variation by doing them with a flat bench and cable. With that, there is constant tension on the triceps making for a good workout.

[fiftyhann]

Wow thanks, Glyder, for the quick reply.

Never done skulls before but I'll give em a try tomorrow.

[Glyder]

heh, just trolling here at work. What, you want me to work?!?!?

[fiftyhann]

I had a pretty intense workout today. I was worried my performance would be down because I vomitted this morning due to what I think was some bad chicken I ate (cooked two nights before, but sealed in a ziplock bag). Regardless, I ate a lot of energy foods before working out and an extra animal pak (since the first one may have come up with the chicken) [my appologies for the gross detail]. I also consumed two GU carb gels about 5 minutes before lifting, and an apple about 20 minutes before. This seemed to get my energy levels back to normal.

I warmed up on recumbent bike for 10 minutes (~75 cal) immediately before lifting.

Okay, well without further ado, here goes (see notes after because I temporarilly changed this routine because of my shoulder):

Thursday: Chest and Back
BB Decline Press: 12x115lbs, 10x135lbs, 10x145lbs, 8x155lbs
BB Flat Bench Press: 12x115lbs, 12x135lbs, 10(7)x155lbs, 8(6)x165lbs
Pullovers: 12(14)x35lbs, 10x40lbs, 10x45lbs, 8x50lbs
Wide-Grip Chins: 10, 10, 9, 5, 2
Bent-Over Rows*: 12x65lbs, 10x70lbs, 10x75lbs, 8x80lbs
Sitting Cable Row: 12(16)x85lbs, 12(10)x100lbs, 10x100lbs, 8(6)x120lbs
Iso-Lateral High Row Machine: 10x90lbs, 10(9)x100lbs, 8x110lbs, 6x115lbs

*not including bar weight

I decided to hit the standard barbell bench today to avoid shoulder complications. I started out with decline so that I would have enough power in my shoulders at this angle. I never do decline first, so this was new and I was able to do much more weight than I've done on decline in the past.

Pullovers are my favorite new exercise. I'm concentrating on serratus development, which is finally visible thanks to my new diet. I should note that I tried the hanging (from chin-up bar) serratus/oblique swaying technique (forgot the name), but I didn't record any numbers. It felt good so I'll look it up and officially include it in my next iteration of this routine.

Wide grip chins were easier for me this time but I still don't have enough strength to do 50 total reps. I'm not using any counterbalance mechanism.

I threw in an excercise on a Hammer Strength Iso-Lateral High Row machine. I've used this machine before with really satisfactory results. It's the only machine that gets my lats burning before the rest of my muscles fatigue.

I also did a lot of stretching before/during my workout.

Nutrition/Diet Progress:

I'm starting to cut calories, while maintaining my protein intake to 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight (~170 grams per day), from a variety of protein sources. The majority of my carbs are consumed with breakfast or during my workout sessions, and for recovery afterwards. I've already lost pounds (I'm about 168-169lbs now), and I look leaner. My 8-pack is more visible than ever before and my pants are a lot looser around the waist.

Since I'm not training legs for strength yet, wednesdays and saturdays are my heavy cardio days. I also do cardio on all the other days, but my "cardio" days are much more cardiovascularly intense. On cardio days I also train abs and obliques more intensely. I may start logging these days if I feel the need.

Conclusion:

I'm really starting to get the hang of these workouts. There are still many things that need refinement, and I'm still learning a lot. I must say that I am very proud of the progress I have made so far. I feel stronger and healthier every day.

I would highly recommend Arnold's book: The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding. It's an enjoyable read and has lots of inspiring pictures.

[fiftyhann]

It's 9:03pm (about 5 and a quarter hours since I completed my weight lifting earlier today).

I'm going to the gym to do 30 minutes of cardio right now. Anyone see a problem with this?

I plan on eating a hearty dinner later... say, salmon and brocolli?? Mmmm....

[fiftyhann]

[The following is mostly a personal record; It may not be of much use to anyone, due to the brainstorming nature of it; However, feel free to leave comments]

Cardio and Weight:

After doing cardio for 30 minutes I did some pretty extensive stretching and a few sets of 30 reverse crunches. My abs are really killing me right now. The bottom of my rib cage where the obliques attach really hurts. The pain actually feels good though, because I know I'm getting ripped.

When I left the gym I weighed 167 lbs. I think this low number might also reflect muscle breakdown from my [fairly intense] lifting earlier today. I ate plenty of protein and glutamine and more vitamins and vegetables which should help my muscles recover quickly. I wouldn't be suprised if I weighed 168-169lbs at the beginning of my next workout, due to muscle recovery. Does anyone know if I'm right about this? I may be observing some other effect that I don't know about.

Fat Los Progress:

One of my problem areas is having too much fat on my pectorals. In the last few weeks I've lost all the fat on my sternum and inner chest (the definition where the pectorals attach onto the sternum has become quite visible within the last week), and it seems to be melting its way radially outward.

Now that I can see my muscles a lot better, I can tell that I won't have too hard of a time creating muscle separation in the future. It's hard to believe but I already can see a separation between upper and middle chest, an effect that supposed to be hard to achieve!

I still have a lot of fat to lose around my lower abs and waist and on the outer sides of my pecs. I also have a good amount of fat on my lower back. I need to find a good way to monitor fat loss. I don't have a caliper or electronic monitor or anything to measure %BF, but I should probably find something.

Lastly, my metabolism feels much, much faster and under control than I'm used to. When I eat carbs now I can feel the energy level increase shortly after (depending on the glycemic index). I'm still getting used to this, and I'm sure it will all work to my advantage. I just need to learn to master the timing... that is, what are the best times to eat which foods. Lately I've been eating carbs just before intense workouts in order to put the energy to good use. I also know that certain types of carbs are required to rebuild muscle tissue, so I've been eating some grains along with my protein.

One thing to note is that I'm still a beginner bodybuilder. However, I've learned so much in the last 5 weeks and made [what I consider] tremendous progress. One big milestone was at the end of the 3rd week when I could finally see my abs! I hadn't seen them since the end of last summer... I was amazed that it only took me three weeks to get to that point. Ironically that was also the weekend I got totally hammered and had the worst hangover of my life. Now I almost have complete 8-pack definition, aside from some stubborn fat on the lower abs.

Diet. Supplementation, and Vitamins:

I should probably start doing calorie intake calculations. Up to now I've pretty much been playing it by ear and listening to my body. If I feel like I need energy, I eat carbs. If I feel like my muscles need more recovery I eat protein. A lot of this gets blurred together, obviously. In the mornings and evenings I take various vitamins and supplements.

One thing I just started trying is flaxseed oil softgels. This provides my diet with essential fatty acids. I also take extra calcium and iron. My main multi-vitamin is Animal Pak, which I take in the mornings, which is generally shortly before I work out.

I'm considering trying Animal Nitro, which contains a lot of the required amino acids for building muscle. I may take Animal Cuts a few weeks before school gets out for Summer just to give whatever fat I have left an extra thermogenic kick. I've also been adding various supplements for my joints, since that is a weak spot for me. I noticed Animal Pak has some shark cartilage in it, among other things, which is supposed to promote joint health.

[Wow this is a long post...]

[DUILEE]

Good numbers Fiftyhan, looks like that shoulder is healing up pretty quick. You asked about some RC exercises so here are some my physical therapist showed me. I want to say they're called inward/outward rotations or maybe interior/exterior rotations, I can't really remember, but basically you use a cable machine with adjustable cables. Set the cables so that they're at elbow height. This is kind of hard to put into words so I found some pictures to illustrate:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/dorian1.htm

Look at exercises 2 and 3. Basically do these standing using cables instead of DB's. The cables keep constant tension on your RC muscles so they are superior to free weights on these exercises and its much easier to do them standing rather than laying akwardly on a bench. Keep the sets relatively light and I'd recommend 3 sets of 12 for this. One way to make sure you are doing them correctly is stick a towel or piece of paper under your arm pit and don't let it fall. You want to keep your elbow as close to your torso as possible. These worked very well for me. I should actually start doing them again because I've probably been neglecting my RC lately.

A couple other things I noticed in your journal; I hate to beat a dead horse but you got 3 chest lifts and 5 back lifts (I'm counting pullovers as a chest and back lift, more of a transition lift really). If your shoulders aren't too stressed I'd definitely add fly's in there and drop the cable rows. Also, you asked about tricep lifts. Skulls are good but my favorite tricep exercise is by far dips. If you lean forward they're a lower chest lift but if you concentrate on keeping your body upright it tears up your triceps. There are 3 muscle heads in your tricep so you want to do different lifts that focus on each of these 3 heads. CGBP and dips hit one of them, skulls and overhead DB extensions hit another, and reverse grip pressdowns hit the 3rd.

Hope this helps

[fiftyhann]

It sounds like I should add reverse-grip pressdowns to my arms routine and for my chest/back routine I'll drop cable rows and add flys (which I've been meaning to add for a while). I'll also try swapping CGBP for dips and skulls for overhead DB extensions every once and a while.

Good numbers Fiftyhan, looks like that shoulder is healing up pretty quick. You asked about some RC exercises so here are some my physical therapist showed me. I want to say they're called inward/outward rotations or maybe interior/exterior rotations, I can't really remember, but basically you use a cable machine with adjustable cables. Set the cables so that they're at elbow height. This is kind of hard to put into words so I found some pictures to illustrate:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/dorian1.htm

These are the RC exercises I've been doing, only with resistive tubing rather than a cable. I can actually get quite a bit of resistance out of the tubing, so I think the exersises are working well.

Also, yes, my shoulder is healing up very well. I think the injury wasn't as bad as I thought it was, even though it was quite painful for a few days. I'm still being very careful with it though.

[fiftyhann]

As a quick note: I'm very sore right now from yesterday's workout...

In a few hours I'm going to do my arms/shoulders routine.

[fiftyhann]

Okay, I'll just get to the nitty gritty. For reference, "(iso)" means that I did the reps as normal but I really slowed down and flexed on the isometric movements (coming back down from each rep).

Friday: Arms and Shoulders
Lat Raises: 16x20lbs, 10x30lbs, 10x30lbs (iso), 8(6)x40lbs*
Standing BB Curls: 16x45lbs, 12x55lbs, 10(8)x65lbs, 6(5)x75lbs
Seated DB Curls: 12(10)x60lbs, 10(9)x60lbs, 8(5)x70lbs, 6(3)x80lbs (iso)
CGBP: 16x80lbs, 12x85lbs, 10x90lbs, 10x95lbs, 1x95lbs (extreme iso)
Triceps DB Extensions: 16x45lbs, 12x50lbs, 10x55lbs, 6x60lbs
Hammer Curls: 10(6)x60lbs, 8(5)x60lbs, 6(5)x60lbs, 4(5)x60lbs
Reverse-Grip Pressdowns: 16x42.5lbs, 10x50lbs, 10x55lbs, 6x57.5lbs

Cardio: 33 minutes (510 calories) on elliptical about 5 hours after lifting. Max heart rate = 178, total strides = 6500

I weighed 169lbs upon exiting the gym.

*I had some weird tendon shifting sensation where the bicep connects to the bend at the elbow, so I stopped the last set early. Also, note that I went down in weight on this exercise because I did not feel comfortable last time with so much weight. I felt much more comfortable at this weight and was still able to work my delts to fatigue.

My triceps seem to be able to handle whatever I throw at them so far. I executed all the tricep exercises flawlessly and did all the reps according to plan.

Also, doing a few tricep exercises before going back to hammer curls really helped me do more reps on a third bicep exercise. However, I still didn't do that great. I want to be able to do 3 tricep exercises, since they work great, but 3 bicep exercises is really pushing it.... The bicep does not have 3 heads like the tricep does (I think it has 2, but I should check), which is what I'm attributing this to. I should also start hammer curls on lower weight.

[fiftyhann]

I'm going out of town for the weekend. I'm taking a drive down the coast to Santa Barbara to go surfing with one of my friends who goes to UCSB.

My plan is to get up early and eat a good breakfast, then when I get to Pismo Beach, I'm going to take a break from driving and run a couple miles on the beach (sound like fun?). I can actually run on sand much easier than on concrete or asphalt, since it is much lower impact. Also, the gorgeous central coast scenery really gives me a rush of mental energy. There's a really cool rock that juts out of the sand a few miles down that I like to climb to the top of.

[Glyder]

A couple other things I noticed in your journal; I hate to beat a dead horse but you got 3 chest lifts and 5 back lifts (I'm counting pullovers as a chest and back lift, more of a transition lift really). If your shoulders aren't too stressed I'd definitely add fly's in there and drop the cable rows. Also, you asked about tricep lifts. Skulls are good but my favorite tricep exercise is by far dips. If you lean forward they're a lower chest lift but if you concentrate on keeping your body upright it tears up your triceps. There are 3 muscle heads in your tricep so you want to do different lifts that focus on each of these 3 heads. CGBP and dips hit one of them, skulls and overhead DB extensions hit another, and reverse grip pressdowns hit the 3rd.

Hope this helps

I am gonna agree with Duilee here. Esp about the dips. I was forever trying to find a nother exercise to go with my CGBP and skulls, and decided last week to try dips. Wow, I can actually do them now lol. And I will be adding weight to boot. I got a really good feel for them when I did them during my workout.

I liked to keep rotating my tri exercises, which I noted that you will be doing as well. Some days I just didn't want to do certain ones, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Keep lifting strong!

[fiftyhann]

Thanks for the encouragement, Glyder!

[fiftyhann]

I am gonna agree with Duilee here. Esp about the dips. I was forever trying to find a nother exercise to go with my CGBP and skulls, and decided last week to try dips. Wow, I can actually do them now lol. And I will be adding weight to boot. I got a really good feel for them when I did them during my workout.

Shouldn't you do dips on a day when you're not doing CGBP, since both of those hit the same tricep head?

For instance a good combination would be to do dips, skulls and reverse grip pressdowns in the same routine. At least this is what I've learned in the past few days.

[DUILEE]

Shouldn't you do dips on a day when you're not doing CGBP, since both of those hit the same tricep head?

For instance a good combination would be to do dips, skulls and reverse grip pressdowns in the same routine. At least this is what I've learned in the past few days.

I guess there's two approaches to this. You can do CGBP and Dips on the same day to really work that head or you can split them up on different days to achieve more variation in your training. I like doing CGBP after skulls just becasue I used to use the ez curl bar for both (I use some crazy looking bar for skulls now, think its called an S bar, but old habits die hard) and my starting weight for CG is the ending weight for skulls, more convenient. One more tricep exercise I like, although I don't do it very often anymore, is dips b/w benches. These hit the same head as dips and CGBP but if you ever want to change things up a little these work well. In my experience you can load up more weight on these than hanging dips and I find it to be more comfortable to set a couple 45lb. plates on my lap rather than hanging them from a belt.

[fiftyhann]

Here are my numbers for monday. As a side note, I didn't do any cardio warm up or cool down and I did my stretching mostly at home. Today was more of a casual day because I was really busy all day and didn't get to the gym until 10:30pm. I also didn't bother changing into my gym clothes (which I haven't done in a really long time).

Monday: Chest and Back
BB Bench Press: 16x135lbs, 10x155lbs, 8x165lbs, 6x175lbs
BB Incline Press*: 12x115lbs, 8x125lbs, 6x135lbs, 4x145lbs
DB Pullovers**: 12x40lbs, 10x45lbs, 10(7)x50lbs, 10(9)x55lbs
DB Flys***: 12x50lbs, 10(7)x60lbs, 8(6)x60lbs, 6(5)x70lbs
Bent-Over Rows****: 16x70lbs, 10x75lbs, 10x80lbs, 8x85lbs
High Row: 14x90lbs, 10x100lbs, 10x110lbs, 10x120lbs
Seated Cable Rows*****: 16x85lbs, 10x100lbs, 10x100lbs, 6x120lbs

*I really wanted to do incline press first, since that's my weak spot, but the bench was taken by three guys rotating in 4 sets each. Once I got to it, I took it easy on the reps and didn't really push myself.

**I upped the weight on pullovers since they've been pretty easy before. 40lbs is a really comfortable weight, however, 55lbs is pushing it. I may go back to the weights I was using before.

***I've never actually done this exercises with dumbells--always used the machine. It will take me a little bit of practice to get the technique down on this.

****This weight does not include the bar weight, which I have not idea how much it weighs. I upped the weight and had really good results. I really felt the burn.

*****This machine has very weird weight increments. I need to find a good spacer weight that lists its weight (none of them do).

[fiftyhann]

Would anyone recommend doing standing cable flys instead of DB flys?