GainsMD Log

[Feed2Grow]

I like the Kroc rows....looking good man.

[GainsMD]

first time back in the gym in over a month. going to be doing a 4 day split until I get my strength back up. may do the occasional 5th "vanity day" every now and then, but I really would also like to run 3 days a week with the lifting to get back into shape. this workout was done in 45 minutes because I got to the gym late. pretty good with all things considered

Upper power
bench press - barx15, 135x6, 155x4, 175x5, 185x5,4 - didn't want to go to failure with that last rep. form was meh, could definitely feel like I was pressing unevenly. would have been smoother had I done by prehab exercises
pendlay row - barx8, 115x5, 135x2x5 - always love these
dips - +25x8,7 - half way between chest and triceps variant. need to add a wu set into these next week
pull up - bwx8,4 - full reps, but struggled with the second set
db shoulder press - 25ex10, 30ex10, 30ex8 - loving these tbh.
kroc row - 50ex4e (wu), 65ex8e - left arm was definitely weaker and struggled to hit my reps target.
rope tri pushdown - 35x2x12
ez bar cable curl - 30x2x12,10

[GainsMD]

haven't been in the gym for months. recently moved to Boston and got a great deal at Boston Sports Club. One of my best friends from college lives right next to me and we are going to push each other to go to the gym often.

yesterday I focused on just getting my muscles to work again. reps below might not be accurate, should've recorded immediately after working out.

bench - 135x3x10,8,6
pendlay row - 115x8
dips - bwx10,6
pull ups - bwx2 sets
db shoulder press - 30x2x10
db row - 50x2x10e
rope pushdown - 2 sets
ez bar cable curl - 2 sets

[GainsMD]

did my best to focus on technique.

bench - 135x10,7,4
pendlay row - 95x10, 105x8, 115x7
dips - bwx10,8
pull ups - bwx4,3
lateral raise - 10ex2x15, 15ex1x12
db row - 55x10,8
skull - 55x10,5
ez bar curl - 35x10, 40x10

[GainsMD]

upper

flat db bench at 30 degrees - wu with 30s, 50x10,10,6
t bar row - 35x3 sets
incline bench - 95x3 sets
v bar pulldown - 3 sets
lateral raise - 10x2x12
tricep rope pushdown - 40x2x15
ez bar cable curl - 40x12, 50x12

[GainsMD]

upper

incline bench - wu, 95x10, 115x8, 135x6, 125x7, 175x5
pendlay row - bwu, 95x8, 115x6, 125x6, 140x6
dips - bwx2x10
pull ups - bwx2x4
ohp - wu, 65x3 sets
db row - 55x2x10e
tricep rope pushdown - 50x15, 60x10
straight bar curl - 40x15, 50x12

[GainsMD]

upper power
incline bench - wu, 95x10, 115x8, 135x3x6 - felt good. was going to do an inverted pyramid but decided to aim for straight sets and was able to finish them
pendlay row - wu, 95x8, 115x6, 125x6, 5, 115x6 - struggled with the form on these so decreased the weight after the second set of 125. weird because I was hitting 135 pretty comfortably last week. may be due to my poor diet and sleep over the last few days.
dips - bwx2x10,8 - minimal rest period between those. can' tell if I like the triceps or chest version better, time will tell
neutral grip pull up - bwx8,4
db row - 60x10e - didn't do a second step because felt a stitch in my ab. might be due to eating while I was walking to the gym
ohp - thick ba + 10ex2x8 - had real good form for these tbh.
tricep rope pushdown - 60x15
cable hammer curl - 40x15
face pull - 40x15

pretty satisfied for accomplishing all of this in 50 mins. will start warming up more thoroughly next gym sess

[GainsMD]

good workout... I initially started working out because I wanted to make my high school varsity soccer team and I was told that I was too small. That motivation was strengthened when I went to college and was bullied physically as a freshman. believe it or not, I ended up as the strongest player on my team and during freshman year I gained 30 pounds and jumped to a 245 bench press. by senior year I could bench 275, squat 3 plates, probably deadlift 4 plates, and was still the fastest on the team while being able to run 2.5 miles in less than 15 minutes. planning on exceeding those accomplishments this go around... also considering running the boston marathon. talk is cheap though

incline bench - barx15, 95x8, 115x8, 135x3x6 - great form, squeezed shoulder blades together and reps were controlled. may increase in weight on one set
pendlay row - bar, wu w/95, wu w/115, 135x3x6 - great form, felt really warmed up. I don't know if it was my hoodie or what, but these felt great. used the larger 25 bumper plates which definitely helped
dips - bwx10,8 - narrow grip. good form
neutral grip pull up - bwx8,4 - good form, strict from dead hang
db shoulder press - 30ex3x12 - actually liked doing these a lot. may start incorporating them into my upper power days more frequently
kroc row - wu w/45, 60ex1x10 - these felt really good
tricep rope pushdown - 45x1x15
cable hammer curl - 45x1x15
face pull - 35x1x15

lower power tomorrow, going to go for a run in the AM and lift in the PM after work

[GainsMD]

upper power
good workout like sunday's. it takes 2 weeks to develop a good habit so it starts now...

bench press - barx15, 95x8, 115x6, 135x2x6, 145x6 - good reps with good form. will try doing 145x3x6 next workout
pendlay (thick bar) - 115x3, 135x3x6 - good reps, move up on last 1-2 sets next week
dips - bwx2x10 - good reps, will add weight to second set next week, shoot for 8ish reps
pronated pull ups - bwx8,5 - strict, dead-hang. slowly improving. aim for 8,6 next week
military press - barx8, 65x2x8,6 - last few reps of last set were poor with some good body english. same weight next week, definitely stick to these over db shoulder presses
db row - 60x2x10e - last reps of last set had a good amount of body english, which is ok. still felt the muscle working. increase weight or stay with same weight with more reps next week.
tricep rope pushdown - 60x1x15
hammer curl - 50x1x15
face pull - 1x15

[GainsMD]

lower power - first time hitting legs in who knows how long.. got a good warmup in to make things slightly less painful.

front squat - 95x8, 115x6, 135x6, 135x4 (ended set early b/c bar was slipping of shoulders), 115x6 - need to get my upper back strong again so I can support the bar more
deadlift - 135x6, 185x5, 225x3, 275x5 - good lifts, but can definitely tell I lack the flexibility for the hip hinge like I previously had. that will come back over the next couple of weeks
split squat - 30x10e - 1 set just to get body used to the motion again
lying leg curl - 70x10
standing calf machine - 80x10 - like this machine a lot tbh
sitting calf machine - 25x10
was looking for a place to do ghrs and will add those next week. they do have a glute kickback machine though which I might also use

[GainsMD]

chest/back hypertrophy

incline bench - barx15, 95x8, 115x3x10 - good sets. last 1-2 reps of last set were definitely close to failure, but I'm happy with the work I did
pronated pull ups - bwx8, 6 - complete reps with neck above the bar and from a deadhang
slight incline db bench - 45x12, 40x2x12
db row - 50x3x12
cable crossover - 30x12, 50x15 - will use the pec dec fly machine next time
t-bar row - +35x2x12 - really enjoyed doing these after I had already done db rows. 1 set with the pronated grip and the second set with the neutral grip

[GainsMD]

good workout despite the quck warm up (standard foam rolling and modiied agile 8, ran to gym, set of leg curls and extensions)

lower hypertrophy
squat - 135x10, 155x10, 175x8, 185x6 - these were all as ATG as I could get. elevating heels on 5 pound plates definitely helped me get the ROM. hopefully when I get my flexible I won't need them anymore, but I will continue using them
rdl - 135x3x8 - first set was harder than last two. need to make sure I have form on these right. definitely didn't have the best hip hinge
split squat - 35x2x12 - like these a lot, really felt them in my glutes
ghetto ghr - bwx8 - used the foot pads on an ab machine to anchor my feet and an airex pad. good to know I have somewhere to do these.
standing calf machine - 80x12 - love this weight and machine a lot
seated calf - +45x12 - love these a lot

really happy with my workout, shoulders/arms tomorrow

[GainsMD]

shoulders/arms

ohp - barx10, 65x8, 75x8, 75x8, 85x6 - last few reps of last set didn't had some push in them
db lateral raise 15-x10, 10x15 - will switch to cable next week
rear delt fly - 10x15
ss w/ reverse fly - 15x15 - love this superset
close grip bench (thick bar) 135x8,8,6 - actually felt these pretty good
perfect ez bar curl - 35x10, 45x2x8
skullcrusher - 35x10, 45x12, 50x12
ss w/ db incline curl - 15x2x10, 1x10

[GainsMD]

Good workout today despite only having 50 mins to lift...

Incline bench - barx10, 115x6, 135x6, 140x6, 150x6 - increase weight next week
Pendlay row - barx8, 135x2x6, 140x6 - rushed into this one without warming up, form suffered
Dips - +10x2x10 - last reps of last set weren't the best..: going to aim for set s of 8 going forward
Pull up - bwx9,6 - nice and strict.. slowly but surely making progress
Military press - barx8, 65x2x10 - shady form
Db row - 65x2x10 - ton of body English on the last set
Triceps rope push down - 60x15
Cable hammer curl - 50x15
Face pull - 50x15

Moral.. need to warm up before lifting

[GainsMD]

good workout considering I had a very minimal warmup and had to fit everything in 45 mins

lower power
front squat - 95x8, 115x6, 135x5,6,6 - first set I didn't hit my rep target because I didn't have form down. yes the bar has to be high up on my shoulders but I need to make sure I get UNDER the bar and keep my chest up throughout the movement. to do this I must look up because I lack thoracic mobility to accomplish this while looking forward. will stick with this weight next week so that I can nail my form
deadlift - 135x5, 185x3, 225x2, 275x3, 295x5 - did warm up sets in between my front squat work sets. last reps of last sets were definitely a struggle and I did my best to avoid butt wink but think I might have failed. will likely stick with this weight next week
split squat - 40x2x12e - will raise weight and keep these to lower reps
standing calf machine - 80x12
ghetto ghr - bwx10 - really weak at these... hope to see substantial improvements over the next few months. can barely hold the eccentric

[GainsMD]

yesterday was rushed, i need to start being in the gym by 8:30 pm. whenever I say I will be there by 9:30 I get there late

incline bench - barx15, 95x8, 115x6, 135x6, 145x6, 155x6 - same weights next week. need to do a better warmup though
pendlay row - 95x8, 115x6, 135x6, 140x2x6 - last two sets were meh form, next week will try straight 140s
dips - +15x10, 8 - great form... went real low. next week try 15s or 20
pull up - bwx10, 5 - dead hang as always
ohp - 60x8, 65x2x10 - form is getting way better on these
kroc row - 65x2x15e - definitely body english, stick with same weight next week
1 set of hammer curls and 1 set of tricep rope pushdown

[GainsMD]

good workout... got a decent warmup in as well that consisted of a modified agile 8, 1/4 mile run downhill to the gym, and some leg curls and extensions

front squat - 95x8, 115x5, 135x3x6 - these felt GREAT. did them with a thick bar and made sure that I folded my straps over. this made the strap easier to grip and also brought my hands closer to the bar. I also made sure before unracking that the bar was sitting between my shoulders and neck. looking up during the movement made sure my chest was high. these feel great, can increase weight next week
deadlift - 225x3, 275x3, 295x5 - started sets at 225 b/c didnt have time to warmup with 135 and 185 as usual. will move top set to 300 or 305 next week
barbell reverse lunge - 25x8e, 35x8e - thick bar, first time doing these in awhile. airexpad under my knee made things slightly more comfortable. I want to try these front loaded but I'm afraid that the weight will be too tiresome to support, especially after deadlifts and front squats.
ghetto ghr - bwx8
standing calf raise - 80x12 - good reps, paused at the top for about 3 seconds and made sure I got a full stretch
seated calf raise - 45x10 - these were a killer!
lying leg curl - 50x10

[GainsMD]

slightly modified routine

chest/back hypertrophy
bench press - barx15, 135x8, 155x5, 165x3, 185x6, 175x5, 165x6 - was weak on this movement... might have been due to a lack of sleep over the last few days or not having done it that often. will consider moving this to power days but I really like westside's AMRAP programming. I had my biggest gains when I did 3xAMRAP with 185 and could move the weight explosively
pronated pull up - 3x8,8,6 - really miproving on these. full reps, no cheating, from a dead hang
incline db bench - 35x8, 40x2x15,12 - some WS4SB programming in here with the 2xAMRAP work sets.
db row - 60x2x15,12 - these were killer, left side is substantially worse than right
fly machine - 3 sets - didn't like the fly machine I used at the gym, will try the other one next week or switch to cable crossovers
neutral grip t bar row - 135x12,8 - loved these at the end
face pull - 1x15

diet has been suffering... need to start eating properly to see maximum gains

[GainsMD]

good warmup, foam roll, agile 8, 1/4 run to gym, set of leg curls and extensions

back squat - 135x10, 155x8, 175x3, 185x3x6 - really good sets... heels on 5 lb plates made sure I went ATG... really enjoying doing squats again, next week will increase weight and aim for 190-195x3x6
rdl - 115x8, 135x3x8 - as I get more flexible my hip hinge is improving... will increase weight next week and aim for 3-6 reps. hard to tell what taking these to failure would mean
split squat - 35x8, 40x3x10 - these were killer... increase weight next week
lying leg curl - 50x2 sets - hate the lying leg curl machine at my gym... it's so old and not an even movement at all. also hate the standing leg curl machine, doesn't seem to hit my whole muscle... need to find an alternative because hamstring curls have always been a staple of my leg days
leg press - +90ex3x15 - love the leg press machine at my gym. was good at knees and the movement felt great, will definitely keep these in on leg hypertrophy day
ghetto ghr - bwx6 - my current setup isn't the best for these, need to find another one
standing calf raise - 80x10, 70x2x12
ss w/ seated calf raise - +45x3x10

overall very good workout... looking forward to arms/shoulders aka vanity day tomorrow, then will take two days off and lift again on thursday

[GainsMD]

good workout... normal upper body workout made my shoulders feel extra good. changed order of exercises around and I think that helped a lot


cgbp - 135x8, 155x3x8 - good sets, increase weight on last 1-2 sets next week
ez bar curl - 35x8, 45x3x8 - perfect curl, back against the wall. increase weight next set
ohp - barx8, 65x8, 85x8, 95x6 - used weights that were way too heavy for the latter two sets. will start doing straight sets next week with a thorough warmup, only did these ramp up scheme because I was rushed for time
incline db curl - 15x3x12, 12, 10 - these felt really good, neutral to supinated grip. preferred doing these on the fixed incline benches, will keep same weight next week, aim to hit 3x12
lateral raise - 10x3x12 - these were a killer after doing ohp, maybe increase weight on 1 set next week or go to 4 sets
decline skullcrusher - 35X12, 55X2X15 - good weights, loved doing these after my triceps were already nice and warm, increase weights next week
hammer curl - 50x2x15 - made sure to squeeze at the top, I love this movement
reverse fly - 15x1x20 - rushed for time so only got to do 1 set
cable tricep pushdown - 70x15

1-2 rest days then upper power!

[GainsMD]

quick workout, did in less than 50 mins

upper power
bench - barx10, 135x10, 155x6, 175x3, 185x3x6 - poor form, same weight next week
pendlay row - barx8, 95x8, 115x6, 135x6, 140x2x6 - increase weight next week
dips - +15x2x8 - same weight/increase on second set
pull ups - bwx10, 6 - slowly but surely improving. may do 5 lb weighted ones next week
ohp - 65x3x8 - good weight, form and thoracic mobility definitely improving
kroc row - 65x15e - left side way weaker than right
cable hammer curl - 50x10
tricep rope pushdown - 80x10

[GainsMD]

good workout considering i had 50 minutes to compelte it. warm up wasn't the greatest and all the squat racks were taken so I did all but my last set of deadlifts before front squatting. NEVER again

deadlift - 135x5, 185x5, 225x3, 275x3, 295x3, 305x5 - may increase weight or keep it the same depending on how I feel next week. did the set of 305 after I did all of my front squat work sets.
front squat - 115x5, 135x3x6 - rushed setup. skinny bar didn't help. straps seemed uneven so each hand was holding the strap at a different length. this might have helped actually because it forced me to erally keep my chest up high and I was essentially supporting the bar without any hands. need to get a feel for what's best, but I definitely need to use a thick bar
bulgarian split squat - 45x2x10e - only used 45s because 40s were taken. sets were pretty comfortable tbh. will increase weight next week
standing calf raise - 80x20 - first 10 reps slow, last 10 fast

pretty decent workout all things considered. rest day tomorrow then chest/back hypertrophy on wednesday. typcially, I take a rest day between upper and lower power but decided to see how things go with no rest day. I do think I am weaker doing power days back to back, but it could just be fatigue lag of rest, etc that made it seem that way.

in future may consider switching upper and lower power days

[GainsMD]

was debating whether or not to go to the gym since my grocery trip took longer than expected and I got back to my house at 9:35 -- gym closes at 10:30. figured it would be better to go then not to go, so I ended up going and getting a surprisingly good workout in the 40 or so minutes I had.

chest/back hypertrophy
incline bench - 95x10, 115x6, 135x3x10,10,4 - first two sets were pretty good form, last set was meh b/c I went too close to failure on the second to last one. same weight next week. 3 min or so rest between each set
ss w/ pronated pull up - bwx3x8,8,6 - dead hang, same reps accomplished as last week but I attribute that to a poor warmup. I like doing these before benching though, will probably keep that going forward and aim to hit 50 reps in as few sets as possible when I get stronger
30 degree incline db bench - 45x2x12 - these were great, feeling a lot more stable
ss w/ kroc row - 55x3x12 - left side still noticeable weaker than my right side... makes sense given that I'm right-handed. MMC is also much less on the left side, will consider adding in an extra set to bring my left side up to par
chest fly machine - 70x2x15 - last set was rushed, but still a good stretch
overhead db shrug - 5x1x15 - held top contraction for a few seconds, will do 10 pound dbs next week

overall, satisfied with what I got accomplished and I am definitely happy that I went to the gym. I have my annual holiday party for work tomorrow so no change I make it to the gym then -- will resume with legs on saturday

[GainsMD]

pretty good workout even though things were rushed

incline bench - barx10, 95x10, 115x6, 135x6, 155x2x6 - sets were alright, need to work on moving the weights more explosively. will do so with bench press at 185 on my chest/back hypertrophy day
ss w/ pendlay row - 95x8, 115x6, 135x6, 145x2x6 - good sets, 3 straight sets at 145 next week
dips - +15x2x10 - great reps, increase weight next week
pull ups - +5x10,5 - pretty decent, keep 5 pounds next week
cable lateral raise - 15x2x15e
kroc row - 65ex1x15 - left side still way weaker, need to increase reps/sets on it
cable tricep pushdown - 70x1x15
cable hammer curl- 50x15 - 3 sec contraction at peak

[GainsMD]

12/27/17
bench press - 135x8, 155x6, 175x3, 185x3x6,6,5 - didnt go to failure on last set, need to work more on explosiveness and actually get a good warmup in
pendlay row - 115x6, 145x3x6 - stick with same weight next week
dips - +20x2x10, 8 - keep same weight next week
pull ups - +5x2x10, 5 - same weight next week
military press - 65x2x8 - thick bar, good form
kroc row - 55x15e - better form this time around and started with my weaker left arm
tricep pushdown
rope hammer curl
face pull

12/29/17
wu with leg curls and leg extensions
front squat - 115x6, 135x3x6 - weight wasnt hard but i struggled with these because I havent done them in a few weeks. need to be more consistent. struggled with thick bar, may need to go to skinny bar again. heels on 5 lb plates, chest up, but straps were slipping out of hand, need to find a correction for this
deadlift - 135x6, 185x5, 225x3, 275x3, 295x5 - good form, didny want to push hamstring b/c of some tightness
split squat - 45ex2x10e - ss these w/ deadlifts, actually wasnt too bad
standing calf raise machine - 80x15

pretty good workout considering I did it in about 45 mins, need to stop rushing

[GainsMD]

good workout.. made sure I got a good warmup beforehand it was awesome not feeling rushed since I got to the gym a few hours before it closed

incline bench - barx15, 95x10, 115x8, 135x3x10 - worked on being explosive. will keep same weight next week (may increase weight on last set), but really want to perfect form on these to minimize injury risk
30 degree db bench - 45x3x12,10,10 - aim for straight sets of 12 next week
fly machine - 60x3x15,15,10 - may try cable crossovers next week, wasn't feeling squeeze too well on these but that might have been due to fatigue
chest dips - bwxAMRAP - think I did like 10 reps then 8 reps or something like that.
neutral grip pull ups - 50 reps - think the rep breakdown was somethign like 10, 6, 6, 5, 32, 36, 40, 44, 47, 50 - going to try to do them in less sets as I improve
kroc row - 50ex3x12 - alternated arms but I always started with left arm since it's weaker. when I was using right arm my left arm felt so fatigued. even though you did one side at a time in this exercise, the movement still fatigues both sides of your back
t bar row - +35x12, +45x9,7 - not sure how I feel about these. may switch with pronated barbell rows
face pull - 50x2x15

great workout. going to go for a run then do legs tomorrow. in 2018 I am going to bring back the consistency I had during my 8 years of playing soccer at a very competitive level (2009-2017). this year I've been slacking, but I've come to realize that I need to workout to maximize all other aspects of my life. going to aim to make steady improvements, get my diet in shape, and also run the boston marathon. talk is cheap though, so we'll see where I am at in a few months.

Happy new years everyone!

[GainsMD]

lifted all last week but didn't update this log. big mistake, because I don't remember what weights I used... need to keep track better so I can make sure I am progressing. I was at my biggest and strongest when I made sure I was improving week to week, reps or pounds

bench - barx15, 135x8, 155x6, 175x3, 185x3x6 - did these touch and go style, because I'm working for strength not hypertrophy. increase weight to 190 next week.
pendlay row - 95x8, 115x6, 135x3, 145x2x6, 135x6 - 145 caused my form to break down... 135 was comfortable, aim for 140x3x6 next week
dips - 20x10x8 - increase weight to 25 next week
pull ups - +5x8 - was rushed for time so didn't get to do a second set
ohp - 65x8, 75x8
kroc row - 60x1x15e
tricep rope pushdown - 70x15
hammer curl - 50x15 - 3 second squeeze, these were great
face pull - 50x15

may look into doing the gzcl method after i max out my linear progression

[GainsMD]

lower power

front squat - 70x6, 135x6, 145x2x6 - lack of notes from last time made me forget the correct form for these... but I figured out why the bar kept slipping from my shoulders. I thought I had to pull straps outwards but I really need to pull them inwards. this, coupled with chest up so elbows are up makes this movement way more comfortable. note* use skinny bar
deadlift - 135x8, 185x5, 225x3, 275x3, 295x3, 315x5 - these were surprisingly easy considering I had not lifted these weights in weeks. consider straight or ramp up to a higher set next week.
split squat - 50ex2x10e
standing calf raise - 80x15

[GainsMD]

quick chest/back day

incline bench - 95x10, 115x6, 135x3x10 - still trying to perfect form on these...
neutral grip pull up - bwx10,8,6 - these hit my lats the best
db bench press - 45x3x12
kroc row - 50x3x12
fly machine - 70x2x15
t bar row (wide grip) - +25x2x12

[GainsMD]

going to be decreasing my volume each day and focusing on quality > quantity

lower hypertrophy
squat - 135x10, 155x6, 185x3x8 - good sets. ATG. got a thorough warmup in so that helped a lot. increase weight next week
rdl - 135x3x8 - killer pump on these since I did them right after squats with minimal rest time. increase weight next week
split squat - 45x3x10e - love doing these. increase next week
standing calf raise machine - 80x2x15 - increase next week