I Don't Even Lift

[rdf1988]

Background

- First started training in 2004, weighing 44kg.
- Formally studied fitness in 2008-2009, finally cracked 60kg bodyweight.
- Started work as PT in 2010.
- Competed in powerlifting for the first time in 2013 in IPF, won gold in my weight class.
- Competed in GPC a couple years later with PBs of SQ 172.5kg, BP 102.5kg, DL 200kg in 67.5kg weight class.
- Damaged meniscus in January 2018, spent months rehabbing my left knee.
- Can now confirm I have a blockage in my right hip limiting hip abduction and internal rotation, tight right QL and various other niggling issues.
- Had 6 months off training; returned to gym in April. Have since been focused primarily on fat loss and movement advancement.

Training cycles since April

Cycle 1:

- Fullbody, obscenely light weights focused on stamina and movement advancement, nothing more than empty barbell work.

Cycle 2:

- More or less as above, but with reintroduction of barbell squats and bench press between 5 and 10 reps; still obscenely light.

Cycle 3:

- Upper/lower split, 3x15 on most exercises, reintroduced deadlifts; you betcha it's all obscenely light.

I'm now entering Cycle 4, which is essentially the same as Cycle 3, but 3x12 instead of 3x15. I plan on staying in this range for about 6 weeks before moving onto 3x10, but plans may change as circumstances change. I typically train 4 days per week. Some weeks I get to train more often than that, which I take advantage of, because other weeks (like the one just passed) see me only able to train once or twice a week thanks to caring for my wife who has PTSD.

[rdf1988]

Current Workout Plan

Workout 1: Lower Body

1A. Banded Supine Clamshells 3x15
1B. Banded Glute Bridges 3x12

2A. Banded VMO Lockouts 3x15
2B. VMO Goblet Squats 3x12
2C. RDL 3x12

3A. Squats 3x12
3B. Barbell Calf Raise 3x12
3C. Goodmorning 3x12

4. Seated Leg Curl 3x12
5. Leg Extension 3x12
6. Machine Calf Raise 3x12

Workout 2: Upper

1A. Bench Press 3x12
1B. Pull Ups 5x0-2 RER (reps in reserve)
1C. Banded Rotator Cuff 3x12
1D. Band Pull Apart 3x12

2A. Hex Press 3x12
2B. Incline DBBP 3x12
2C. Hammer Curl 3x12

3. Lat Pull Down 3x12
4. Cable Row 3x12

Workout 3: Lower

1A. Contralateral Bulgarian Split Squat 3x12
1B. 1-Legged Glute Bridge 3x12

2A. Deadlift 3x12
2B. Heels Elevated Goblet Squat 3x12
2C. Machine Calf Raise 3x12

3A. Sumo Deadlift 3x12
3B. Seated Calf Raise 3x12

Workout 4: Upper

1A. Medium-Grip Bench Press 3x12
1B. Pull Ups 5x0-2 RER
1C. Banded Rotator Cuff 3x12
1D. Band Pull Apart 3x12

2A. Bent Over Row 3x12
2B. Front Raise 3x12
2C. Lateral Raise 3x12

3A. Cable Row 3x12
3B. Rope Pushdown 3x12
3C. Cable Curl 3x12

4. Lat Pull Down 3x12
5. Chest-Supported Row 3x12

I'm taking progressive overload fairly slowly, only aiming to add 2.5kg to the main movements every 1-2 weeks. Having started from scratch with the weights in Cycle 3, (eg squatting the empty bar in my first week) I'm entering this cycle with a meager 50kg squat, 60kg DL, 45kg BP and 40kg MGBP. Had I focused on strength, obviously I could have been lifting much more at this point, but I have no ambitions to compete in the foreseeable future, so I'm just plodding along. Despite the light weights, the workouts are hard. Three people have volunteered that I look more muscular than I did 6 months ago; God only knows how much of this is because of actual hypertrophy and how much of it is just fat loss showing the muscle that was already there. My lower quads are definitely more thicc, though, thanks to all the VMO work.

[rdf1988]

Tue 1/10/19

1A. Banded Supine Clamshells 3x15xRed
1B. Banded Glute Bridge 3x12x16kg+Red

2A. Banded VMO Lockout 3x15xPurple
2B. Banded VMO Goblet Squat 3x12x6kg+Purple
2C. RDL 3x12x40kg

3A. Squats 3x12x50kg
3B. BB Calf Raise 3x12x50kg
3C. GM 3x12x50kg

All the machines were taken at this point, so, not expecting to finish resistance training on the day, I changed shoes and went on the treadmill, doing (all up) 15min of walking with a 7min run in the middle. When I got off, the machines were all free, so...

4. Machine Calf Raise 3x12x40kg
5. Seated Leg Curl 3x12x22.5kg
6. Leg Extension 3x12x32.5kg

[rdf1988]

Sun 6/10/19

1A. Bench Press 3x12x45kg
1B. Pull Ups 8, 6, 3x8
1C. RC 3x12xBlack
1D. BPA 3x12xBlack

2A. Hex Press 3x12x8kg
2B. DBBP 3x12x8kg
2C. Hammer Curl 3x12x8kg

I was intending on doing 9kg today, as the last time I did this tri-set was 3x15x8kg, but I was visiting another gym, and they only went up in 2kg increments. Plus I was underfed going in and starting to feel mildly nauseous, so keeping the same weight and using the planned lower rep range worked just fine.

Likewise, I didn't have access to my normal lat pull down machine, so I just did the rows and finished up.

3. Cable Rows 3x12x35kg

[rdf1988]

Mon 7/10/19

I trained earlier than usual and found myself right in the midst of peak hour, so I had to make a couple changes to the plan. But they were changes that I like, so I might just keep them.

1A. Bulgarian Split Squat 3x12x10kg
1B. 1-Leg Hip Thrust 3x12x10kg

The hip thrusts were change #1. Not a huge difference compared to the planned glute bridges, but now (a day later) my glutes are feeling it.

2A. Deadlifts 3x12x60kg
2B. Heels-Elevated Goblet Squats 3x12x3kg
2C. Machine Calf Raise 12x40kg, 2x12x45kg

Due to busyness in the gym, I had to wait until after my final set of squats to do my second set of calf raises. I definitely can go heavier on all three exercises, so that'll be good for progress over the coming weeks.

3A. Sumo Deadlifts 3x12x50kg
3B. Squatting Calf Raise 3x12x10kg

I had actually been doing sumos with the same weight as conventional in the last cycle, so this one was a regression. But my energy was lacking after conventional deadlifts, so I took the weight down a little and felt great because of it. I've always been stronger conventional vs sumo, anyway, so no biggies.

The calf raises were a new variation. I had seated calf raises in the machine planned for the day, but again, gym busyness happened. I decided these would be a good alternative to try out to work on holding good posture in the bottom of the squat, and it turns out they were very intense on my calves, so I think we have a winner!

[rdf1988]

Sat 12/10/19

1A. MGBP 12x20g, 3x12x40kg
1B. Pull Ups 2x9, 1x5
1C. Rotator Cuff 2x12xRed
1D. Band Pull Apart 2x12x2Red

Didn't get to train all week apart from Monday, and this morning I only had half an hour to play with. On the bright side, that's progress on my pull ups, as I haven't done more than 8 reps in a set all year long.

[rdf1988]

Mon 14/10/19

1A. Hip Abduction 3x15xRed
1B. Glute Bridge 3x12x18kg

2A. VMO Lockout 3x15xPurple
2B. Vmo Goblet Squats 3x12x7kg
2C. RDL 3x12x42.5kg

3A. Squats 3x12x52.5kg
3B. BB Calf Raise 3x12x52.5kg
3C. Goodmorning 3x12x52.5kg

4. Seated Leg Curl 3x12x25kg
5. Leg Extension 3x12x35kg
6. Machine Calf Raise 3x12x47.5kg

Overall, a pretty good session. I was able to add weight on everything, and I felt pretty good doing it.

[rdf1988]

Fri 18/10/19

Another abridged upper body session. Wife's anxiety happened.

1A. Bench Press 12x20kg, 6x40kg, 3x12x45kg
1B. Pull Ups 5, 8, 6, 6, 5
1C. Rotator Cuff 20xRed, 18xRed, 15xRed, 12xRed
1D. Band Pull Apart 4x12x2Red

[rdf1988]

Sat 19/10/19

1A. Bulgarian Split Squats 3x12x10kg
1B. 1-Legged Hip Thrusts 3x12x10kg

2A. Deadlifts 6x20kg, 6x40kg, 3x12x62.5kg
2B. Heels-Elevated Goblet Squat 3x12x4kg
2C. Machine Calf Raise 3x12x47.5kg

3A. Sumo Deadlift 5x52.5kg, 2x12x52.5kg
3B. Squatting Calf Raise 3x12x10kg
3C. Seated Calf Raise 3x12x10kg

Today's session was fairly straightforward without too many issues popping up. Deadlifts felt heavier than expected (so much for my old powerlifting days, but whatever), and my right hip didn't feel comfortable in the first sets of sumos (hence only doing 5 reps), but then I brought my feet in about 6 inches on the following sets for a semi-sumo stance and it all felt good.

[rdf1988]

Sun 20/10/19

1A. Medium Grip Bench Press 12x20kg, 3x12x40kg
1B. Pull Ups 9, 8, 8, 5
1C. Rotator Cuff 4x12x2Red
1D. Band Pull Apart 4x12x2Red

2A. Bent Over Row 3x12x40kg
2B. Frontal Raise 3x12x4kg
2C. Lateral Raise 3x12x4kg

3A. Hex Press 3x12x9kg
3B. Incline DBBP 3x12x9kg
3C. Hammer Curl 2x2x9kg, 10x9kg

4A. Cable Row 3x12x35kg
4B. Rope Pushdown 3x12x12.5kg
4C. Cable Curl 2x12x10kg, 10x10kg

Lats were really feeling it in the cable rows. They haven't felt this good all year!

5. Seated Row 3x12x30kg
6. Lat Pull Down 3x12x42.5kg

Cardio 15 min run at 9kph

[rdf1988]

Mon 21/10/19

1A. Hip Abductions 3x15xRed
1B. Glute Bridge 3x12x20kg

2A. VMO Lockout 3x12xPurple
2B. VMO Goblet Squat 3x12x8kg
2C. RDL 3x12x45kg

3A. Squats 6x40kg, 3x12x55kg
3B. BB Calf Raise 6x40kg, 3x12x55kg
3C. Goodmorning 6x40kg, 3x12x55kg

4. Seated Leg Curl 3x12x27.5kg
5. Leg Extension 3x12x37.5kg
6. Machine Calf Raise 3x12x47.5kg

[rdf1988]

Thur 24/10/19

1A. Bench Press 12x20kg, 6x40kg, 3x12x47.5kg
1B. Pull Ups 10, 3x8, 2x6
1C. Rotator Cuff 5x12x2Red
1D. Band Pull Apart 5x12x2Red

2A. Hex Press 3x12x9kg
2B. Incline DBBP 3x12x9kg
2C. Hammer Curl 3x12x9kg

3. Lat Pull Down 12x45kg, 12x40kg, 12x37.5kg

[rdf1988]

Sat 26/10/19

1A. Bulgarian Split Squats 3x12x12kg
1B. 1-Legged Hip Thrusts 3x12x10kg

2A. Deadlift 3x12x65kg
2B. Heels Elevated Goblet Squat 3x12x5kg
2C. Machine Calf Raise 3x12x47.5kg

3A. Sumo Deadlift 3x12x55kg
3B. Squatting Calf Raise 3x12x12kg
3C. Seated Calf Raise 3x12x12.5kg

[rdf1988]

Sat 2/11/2019

1A. Rotator Cuff 3x12xBlack
1B. Band Pull Apart 3x12xBlack

2A. Bent Over Row 3x12x42.5kg
2B. Frontal Raise 3x12x5kg
2C. Lateral Raise 3x12x5kg

3A. MGBP 12x20kg, 3x12x42.5kg
3B. Pull Ups 4x5

Gym was super busy when I got in, so I had to wait a while to have the space available for benching. Warm up set and first work set were pretty mediocre, but the last two work sets felt really dialed in with technique.

4A. Cable Row 3x12x35kg
4B. Rope Triceps Pushdown 3x12x12.5kg
4C. Cable Curl 3x12x10kg

Same sets and reps as last time I did these, but performance was much better.

This last week has been ultra hectic. We went to see a new psychologist on Monday, which meant a restless night the night before, and which brought out all sorts of triggers for 3 days afterwards. Hence I didn't have the opportunity to get out of the house and train all week.

[rdf1988]

Tue 5/11/2019

1A. Hip Abduction 3x15xRed
1B. Glute Bridge 3x12x22.5kg

2A. VMO Lockout 3x12xPurple
2B. VMO Goblet Squats 3x12x9kg
2C. RDL 3x12x47.5kg

3A. Squats 6x40kg, 3x12x57.5kg
3B. BB Calf Raise 6x40kg, 3x12x57.5kg
3C. Goodmorning 6x40kg, 2x6x57.5kg

[rdf1988]

Turns out I haven't logged anything all week. Oops. CBB getting my handwritten log and filling everything in here now, but yesterday (Mon 11/11/19) I did a heap of thoracic, chest and lat stretching so that I could get some OHP into my workout for the first time in about 18 months, and after lifting a measly 12.5kg on it, my delts are sore today. No surprises there, really.

[rdf1988]

Mental health is getting worse for both of us and I'm consulting with my doctor to get a mental health plan, but we burnt off about 1% of our nervous energy yesterday with 20min on the treadmill, including a 10min run for me. It's something. They say couples who play together stay together...some even say that couples who train together stay together. Does the adage extent to couples who go insane together stay together?

[rdf1988]

Wed 27/11/2019

Mental health and physical health have both been problems over the last 2 weeks, so I haven't been able to train at all for quite some time until today. It feels good to get a workout in, though, and certainly helped clear my head a bit.

1A. Hip Abductions 3x15xRed
1B. Glute Bridge 3x12x25kg

2A. VMO Lockout 3x12xPurple
2B. VMO Goblet Squats 3x12x10kg
2C. RDL 3x12x45kg

Between sets, I also did a lot of stretching for my thoracic, pec minor and lats.

3A. Squats 6x40kg, 3x12x55kg
3B. BB Calf Raises 6x40kg, 3x12x55kg

I decided it's time to drop goodmornings from the barbell squat grouping, and that decision made recovery a lot quicker and easier.

4. Leg Extension 3x12x40kg
5. Machine Calf Raise 3x12x50kg

I was going to do leg curls, but got a call asking me to come home.