5/3/1: Squat 5RM Day

Squat: 75x5, 110x5, 145x3, 180x5, 195x5, 205x8 (Rep Out Set).  I supersetted these with bodyweight calf raises, done very controlled to failure.

Superset For 6 rounds/1-min rest in between:
Jacobs Ladder for 1 min
Kettlebell Swings for 8 reps with 30 pounds.  I think I hit paydirt with this combination.  My legs and backside was burning, and my lungs were on fire.

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 152 for sets of 10, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 reps

Planks: 6 holds to exhaustion.  Still trying to break 30 seconds per hold.

This workout was done yesterday, now my upper back feels a little sore, too.

5/3/1: Week One Rebooted - Bench Press

Flat Bench Press: 55x5, 80x5, 105x5, 130x5, 140x5, 150x8 (Rep Out Set)

4-Board Press: 150x9, 150x8.  Both of these were rep out sets.

Assisted Chinups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): sets of 6, 5, 4, 3 reps

LifeFitness ISO Rows (Elbows In): 105x11, 105x10x3

Superset:
KB Windmills: 20x6x4
Hammer Curls: 20x10x4

Finisher:  LifeFitness Treadmill, 1.5 incline: 3 rounds of 1 minute at 9.0 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.0 MPH.  2 of my off days will be used for running at lower speed but building up to 30 minutes of steady distance.  But I wanted two of my finishers to involve running at a much faster speed, so that I could build up my lactic acid tolerance.

A Chistmas Eve Workout . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . because I did not want to work out on Christmas.  So I went full tilt on two movements:

Conventional Deadlifts: 145x5, 180x5, 215x5, 250x5, 285x5, 320x5 (5RM)

Hoist Assisted Dips Machine (BW was 241.5, weight used is minus assistance): 101.5x5, 121.5x5, 141.5x5, 161.5x5, 181.5x5, 200.5x5

5/3/1: Shoulder Press Test

LifeFitness ISO Shoulder Press: 45x3, 55x3, 65x3, 75x3, 85x3, 95x3, 105x2 (2RM)

Assisted Pullup (Light/Monster Mini Bands): sets of 5, 4, 4, 4, 3 reps

LifeFitness ISO Rows (Elbows In): 105x10x5

Finisher (7 rounds):
Jacobs Ladder: 90 seconds
Battle Ropes to Exhaustion.  My evil experiment of the day, and it sucked.  In a good way.

5/3/1: Squat test

Straight Bar Squat (Yes, with no box): 95x5, 125x5, 155x3, 185x3, 215x2, 245x1, 275x1, 285x1 (1RM): Wanted to get away from boxes, so I had to test myself without a box AND without a Smith.  My core really does need work and I need to get my confidence back.  The last 2 sets were, surprisingly, my best ones.  That's because I asked a friend of mine and a fellow gym patron, Desi, to spot me and call depth.  The 275 almost stalled midway into my ascent but I powered through it.  Prior to the 285, Desi told me that I had lost my air on the 275 and that it was shaky because of it.  Good that he told me, because I was very mindful of it when lifting the 285 and it was better and much more stable than the 275.  So 285 for a 1RM it was.

Kettlebell Swings: 30x8, 40x6x3, 30x6

LifeFitness ISO Row (Elbows Up): worked up to a 155lbs 4RM.

LifeFitness Kneeling Leg Curl: 45x5x3,45x4,45x3.  A single leg machine with a swinging pad you can kneel the non-lifting leg on.  Nice.

5/3/1: Bench Press 5s Week

Tested RMs (in pounds):
Flat Bench Press: 205 (based on 185-lbs 5RM)
13" SSB Box Squat: 285 (based on 1RM)
LifeFitness ISO Shoulder Press: 108 (based on 105-lbs 2RM)
Conventional Deadlift: 355 (based on 1RM)

Starting RMs for 5/3/1 (85% of 1RM to start):
Flat Bench Press: 175
13" SSB Box Squat: 242
LifeFitness ISO Shoulder Press: 91.8
Conventional Deadlift: 355 (based on 1RM)

Flat Bench Press: 65x5 and kept adding 20 pounds until I barely hit 5RM with 185.  This was a test.

4-Board Press: 135x10x2.  Both were rep out sets.  I'm using the WSF4SB3 template and using lock out/tricep movements for the rep out sets)

LifeFitness ISO Front Pulldown: started at 30x5 and kept adding 10 pounds until I could not hit a 5RM, 80x4.  Since this was a max test, I dropped the rowing movement that was to follow.

Behind The Back Shrug: 110x9x5

LifeFitness Bicep Curls: 50x8x4

Captains of Crush Gripper (Trainer): 5 sets of 2

Skipped the abs and cardio today. 

I decided to stick with 5/3/1.  I was going to use single leg movements to prepare but almost forgot that this was no longer about preparing to get strong.  I was going to use conjugate/Westside-style but since I wanted to work on conditioning more, something had to give and I wanted to get confidence back in my main lifts before experimenting.  Since my core needs a lot of work, I wanted to be able to fit it seriously, and thought it would be wise to start lighter than 90% of 1RM.  And since I wanted to do the support work I thought helped best, I used WSFSB3 for the assistance template.

And so it begins.  I will refiine it as I go.

This Workout Not brought to You by LifeFitness

Elevated Pushups (Feet on Bosu Ball, Pushup Plus bars): 4 sets of 6

LifeFitness ISO Front Pulldown: 50x10x4

LifeFitness ISO Row (Elbows Out): 105x10x4

LifeFitness ISO Shoulder Press: 80x8x4

Behind The Back Shrugs: 100x10x4

LifeFitness Bicep Curls: 50x8x4

KB Windmills: 30x5x4

Captains of Crush Gripper (Trainer): 5 sets of 2.  Sad.  For almost a year, I pulled only double overhand with straps introduced when my grip gave out because I thought the torque introduced by using an  "over and under" grip would aggravate my tennis elbow on my left arm.  Well, it worked for the tennis elbow but now my grip sucks.

LifeFitness Traedmill: 45 Minutes at 3.5 MPH, Level 13 Hill

Legs (Just Messing Around)

Superset:
High Step Up w/20-lbs Weight Vest: sets of 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps
Single Arm Kettlebell Swings: sets of 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps with a 20-lbs kettlebell

Superset:
High Crossover Lateral Step Up w/20-lbs Weight Vest: 4 sets of 3
Kettlebell Swings: 30x5x4

Superset:
Burpees: sets of 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Battle Ropes: 8 sets done to exhaustion

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 155x10x5

Upper Body Workout

Woke up this morning and my abs were sore all over, and deep.  A feeling I haven't had in a long time, so I might be on the right track, no?

I just went in to do upper body but since I have something to edit for my other Navy job, I just tested two lifts and skipped the aerobics.

Flat Bench Press: 55x3, 75x3, 95x3, 115x3, 135x3, 155x3, 175x3, 195x2 (2RM).  I changed my grip up .  For the longest time, I have benched with the "bird" finger on the rings: this shortened my benching distance but, more importantly, it gave me more off the chest strength.  Today, I moved my hand in so that the ring finger is on the ring.  Yeah, this lengthens my bench stroke but I want that for now.

LifeFitness ISO Row (Close Grip)(Weight is per movement arm): 70x5, 85x5, 100x5, 115x5, 130x5, 145x5, 160x3 (3 RM).

My plan right now is to use the Prilepin Bench cycle that is on Tsampa.org (and that I have used  before with good results) on a 4-day a week rotation. Day one will be Flat Bench Press; day two will be a squat; day three will be the LifeFitness ISO Shoulder Press; and day 4 will be the conventional deadlift.  As for the assistance work, I'm working on it.

Today's Grand Experiment

The Friday before this one, I had a workout and it looked like this:

Incline Bench Press: 70x3 aand kept adding 20 pounds until I couldn't do another triple, at 190x1.

Assisted Pullups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): sets of 5, 4, 3, 3, 3 reps

LifeFitness Bicep Curls: 50x10, 9, 8, 7 reps

Behind The Back Shrugs: worked up to 150x5

Captains of Crush Gripper (Trainer): sets of 3, 3, 2, 2, 1 reps each hand

Finisher: Jacobs Ladder for 7 intervals of 1 minute on and 1 minute off.

Then I took the week off.  I hurt my lower back on the right side, I assume from using the Smith incorrectly.  Serves me right, shouldn't be using it.  That, and I was still conflicted about what to do.

Well, today, I had to test deadlift so I dreamed up a suitable workout and went to the base to do it.  I only tested two movements: conventional deadlifts and the LifeFitness ISO Shoulder Press:  Then I went to the new Crossfit Room and started to give the kettlebells a try.  The finishers tired me out more than the heavy stuff, after the shower I just crashed on the couch for a couple of  hours.

Conventional Deadlifts: started at 145x2, 180x2, 215x2, 250x2, 285x2, 320x1, 355x1.

LifeFitness Iso Shoulder Press (Weight is per arm): 15x5, 25x5, 35x4, 45x4, 55x3, 65x3, 75x2, 85x2, 95x2, 105x1
Finisher:
Box Jumps/Kettlebell Swings (1 arm at a time): Reverse ladders - - first set was 8 reps, then 7, then 6 and so on until I hit one.   I used a 15-pound kettlebell, just to play it safe and it was enough.

Burpees/Battle Ropes: Reverse ladders - - first set was 6 reps, then 5, then 4 and so on until I hit one. The battle ropes part was just done to exhaustion.  For both complexes, I kept the rest period under a minute.

ME Squat Week 1

Hammer Strength Smith Machine Squats (20 pounds starting resistance): I started at 30x3 and kept adding 30 pounds until I had a 230-lbs 3Rm and a 260-lbs single.  Unlike the Hoist Smith that this machine replaced, the track is slanted which makes for a better groove.  I would have done the low box squats but thought trying to relearn regular squats would be a better first move.  Felt a little rusty: was going below parallel cleanly, but was slow coming up.

LifeFitness Seated Calf Raises: Worked up to 70x4 in 10-lbs increments.

LifeFitness Row:  Started at 45x5, and kept adding 15 pounds per side until I hit a 150-lbs 5RM and a 165-lbs single.  This machine looks like a Hammer Iso-Lateral Row with an automotive candy-apple red paint job.  I know, this isn't a leg movement. 

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: Worked up to a 230-lbs 5RM in 25-lbs increments.

Don't Drink The Kool Aid

I don't think I have ever taken a hiatus from blogging quite like this one.  To be honest, I almost gave it up.  Not because I gave up lifting.  Never that.  It took this Navy Physical Fitness Test and an email from Kristoffer Lindqvist at Virtualmeet.net to make me see why I needed to keep it going - - - and myself.

My last entry was on August 27, but I continued to train.  I didn't blog about it because I was experimenting more than I was training, and thought that I should see what the results would be before writing about it.  This really runs contrary to why people keep workout blogs: it is about the process as much, and sometimes more than, the results.  Maybe, too, I wasn't exactly thrilled by the process. Anyone ever read elitefts.com and seen the slogan "You work out, I TRAIN."  That was me.

Mind you, once I'm in the gym, It's all business and I put in my best effort. 

Let's start from the end.  I passed the Navy physical, of course.  Failure is simply not an option for me.  I had the same bodyfat level (23%) as last time but with 7 more pounds (234 vice 227) on my frame.  This time, I didn't diet hard at all.  Nor did I do anything extraordinary to lose a few pounds, or to carb up afterwards.  I was back over 180 pounds lean, which made me happy.  I only gained one pound of fat.  I had continued to do a lot of rep work with the weights and I did get a little stronger.  My squats improved due to all the single leg work I was doing, and my benching is starting to come back.  I can now do a pullup and a chinup without assistance.  I did less of the long endurance stuff after I got back from Hawaii and started doing running intervals, circuits, and Jacobs Ladder to keep my metabolism up, and when I started running for longer times and at faster speeds it helped me last longer.

And then I tossed out that Kool Aid.

I was the same bodyfat level (23%) as last time, at the same weight I have been hovering at for over a year that I'm tired of. 

I did not PRT until November, due to various delays beyond my control.  I was measured on November 10, and ran on November 18 at 8AM . . . . . ugh.  I had eased up a bit on the aerobics and, wanting to avoid second guessing myself on the run, ran 4 practice runs the week of which was NOT smart.  I was happy because I could last at least 10 minutes at 6.3 MPH on a 1.5 incline but nervous because that was 4 minutes short of what I needed to last to score a GOOD.  So, day of the run we find out that it would be on the treadmill (they use the Navy Fit Test program on the LifeFitness treadmills, set at a 1.0 incline) which was great because it was cold and raining cats and dogs outside.  But 10 minutes in and I'm bonking.  I lasted another 4.16 minutes, though, just out of principle.  It didn't matter to me that I passed or that I ran this one all the way without a sprint at the end or without any walking.  It was pretty much the same as the last time,.

When we were warming up, planks was one of the movements.  I couldn't hold one for 15 seconds without shaking.  Gut check.

I looked back at my blog going pack to every PRT I have done since 2005, and found that my best numbers were when I was training at my heaviest and running intervals 3x a week.  My best neck measurement, 18 inches, was when I had a 415 lbs deadlift.  My best measurement, 19%, was at 315/415/240 for my powerlifting numbers in 2007, and even lower in Africa when lifting just as heavy but with more running and sprint work thrown in (the Army loves to run).  I have been going about this the wrong way, even worse since I have done the right way before.  I might have gotten good at things, but I have had the same strength levels for a long time now.

The week of the PRT, Kris sends me an email.  We hadn't spoken in the longest, and it was nice to hear from him.  One of the reasons he emailed me was for permission to use a picture of me from the Gathering in 2009: it showed me pulling with a snarl on my face and angry eyes.  He thought it made a great mission statement for his site.  Of course, I gave it my blessing.  And, I told Kris, he had inadvertently brought me out of "retirement".  I missed that.  I know that I have to stay within standards but Kris made me think that I had sucked the fun right out of my training.  Silly, the proof was right before me that it was really the best way to go.  So, a big thanks to him.

So enough of work geared either towards fat loss exclusively or in preparation to get strong.  I just want to make strength training my thing, and make the support work smarter.  And as soon as Kris gets next year's schedule up for Virtualmeet, time to play again.

SO . . . . . .

Dynamic Effort Bench Day (Week 1)(Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets):

Speed Bench (60% of 200): 60x3, 90x3, 120x3x8

4-Board Bench Press: 120x3, 145x3, 170x3.  Am using the EliteFTS Beginners Manual: first week with this movement starts at the weight used for the 8 sets of DE Bench and is just to establish a baseline.  170 felt heavy: have to get used to more volume, and while my low end work got better these past few months the lockout has suffered.

Assisted Chinups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): sets of 5, 4, 3, 3, 2 reps.

Reverse Curls: 40x8, 7, 7, 6 reps

Overhead Shrugs: 55x5, 75x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x4

Captains of Crush Gripper (Trainer): sets of 3, 3, 2, 2, 1 reps each hand

Planks: 4 holds, 20 seconds was my best hold and SHAKY

Finisher: Jacobs Ladder for 7 intervals of 1 minute on and 1 minute off.

Upper Body Day

I haven' t been lazy, mind you.  On July 16, I went to Hawaii for three weeks to do Navy stuff.  The week before that I worked out.  Then I took off a week.  Then, one of my best friends, also there but in support of RIMPAC, wanted to drop a few pounds and persuaded me to start running every day for two weeks.  We mostly stuck to that plan and with her policing my diet  I managed to not gain a pound and we even completed a 5-mile run. Then I was sick upon arriving home for a week with a cold/allergy, and took a week trying to figure out what to do next.  Last week, I started back up again mostly testing with an actual program thrown in for good measure.

Today, it began with a plan. An evolving one, but a plan.  I was going to go total body for three days a week but didn't want to deviate too far from what I was doing before. 

Nautilus Nitro Bench Press (175): 55x5, 80x5, 105x3, 130x5, 140x5, 150x3 (Rep Out Set).  Maybe, I should do 90% of that 175 lbs max and do rep outs?!?

Hoist Assisted Dips (130 pounds assistance/107 pounds lifted): sets of 10 and 8 reps

Assisted Pullups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): sets of 6, 5, 4, 4 reps

Nautilus Nitro Pullover: started at 40x5 and kept adding 15 pounds until I hit 115x6 (about 133 calculated max).  Since I had tested deadlifts twice last week, I skipped it today and tested pullovers instead.

EZ Bar Curls: 50x10x4

Finisher: Jacob's Ladder with a 20-lbs weight vest, 5 intervals of 1.5 minutes on and 1.5 minutes off.  The goal is either 6 intervals like this (the track where we do the Navy physical is 6 laps for a 1.5 mile run, and I want it to suck the wind out of me), or more time, or both.

ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Incline Bench Press: 70x5, 100x5, 130x3, 160x5x3.  Easier than the first time around.

Nautilus Nitro Pullovers: 65x15x4

Hoist Roc-It Lat Pulldowns: 72x15x4

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: 70x15x4

Finisher: LifeFitness Treadmill, Random Profile Level 12, walking for 45 minutes at 3.0 MPH (2.25 miles).  My legs were hammered from Saturday and I almost walked away after the weights.  But I thought I could AT LEAST walk.  That, and I don't feel ready to take on the 5 minute runs from this weeks Cool Runnings, so I'm going to do the walks and 4 minute runs this week.

RE Lower Body/RE Upper Body

Was supposed to work out yesterday but could not.  So I woke up early in the morning and combined two workouts, then went home and washed my car a few hours later for PT.

Nautilus Nitro Bench Press: worked up gradually to a 145x7 max, or about 174 calculated max.

Incline Bench Press: 135x8x3

Arched Back Good Morning: 85x5, 115x5, 145x3, 175x8x5

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinup: Sets of 7, 7, 6, 6, 6, 5 reps

Hoist Compound Leg Press: 230x5, 340x5, 450x3, 570x8x5.  Supersetted with seated calf raises, 75x8 for each set.

T-Bar Rows: 115x8x5

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 199x8x5

Hoist Seated Shrug Machine: 100x8x5

RE Squat

14" SSB Box Squat w/1-pr of Chain: 85x5, 115x5, 155x3, 190x8x5.  Supersetted with calf raises to failure.

Triset for 6 sets of: Jump Rope, Pushups, and GHR.

ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Incline Bench Press: 90x5, 120x5, 150x3, 180x3x2

Nautilus Nitro Pullover: 95x8x5

Hoist Roc-It Lat Pulldown (Wide Pronated grip): 118x8x5

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: 105x8x5

Finisher: Week 4 of the Cool Runnings Couch to 5K program: 2 intervals of 1.5 minutes running at 6.6 MPH and 1.5 minutes walking at 3.5 MPH followed by 2 intervals of 3 minutes running and 3 minutes walking at the same speeds.  Today's run was a little easier than the last . 

ME Lower Body

14" SSB Box Squat w/1-pr of Chain: 105x2, 135x2, 165x2, 195x2, 225x2, 255x2, 285x1, 295x1 (chains removed),  Didn't squat this weekend, and I want to keep my workouts this week.  So this was all that I did, and I did doubles so that I wouldn't get sore.  I did superset this with calf raises.

Finisher: Week 4 of the Cool Runnings Couch to 5K program: 2 intervals of 1.5 minutes running at 6.6 MPH and 1.5 minutes walking at 3.5 MPH followed by 2 intervals of 3 minutes running and 3 minutes walking at the same speeds. 

RE Upper Body

Nautilus Nitro Bench Press: 90x12x4

Nautilus Nitro Compound Rows: 105x12x4

T-Bar Rows: 85x12x4

Conventional Deadlift: 185x12x4.  I tried to convince myself that this would even be enough for aerobics but I just couldn't convince myself of it.  

Finisher: 6 intervals of Jacobs Ladder, 1.5 minutes on and 1.5 minutes off.

Have started to accept that I'm leaning out faster than I'm dropping weight.  Slow and steady will win this race.  Still stuck at 234.

RE Lower Body

Hoist Compound Leg Press: 310x12, 420x12

Hoist Seated Leg Curl: started at 30x5 and kept adding 10 pounds until 90x5. The usual machine was taken and this machine was closer to the power racks which I was waiting for so I could do good mornings. Next leg workout, I'll do sets of 12 for GHRs with bands.

Arched Back Good Mornings: 95x12, 130x12x4

 Finisher: Week 4 of the Cool Runnings Couch to 5K program: 2 intervals of 1.5 minutes running at 6.6 MPH and 1.5 minutes walking at 3.5 MPH followed by 2 intervals of 3 minutes running and 3 minutes walking at the same speeds. Now, I'm getting into the longer runs. The ones I always fear. The ones that take a lot out of me and are harder to count and lose myself in. Yes, I could lose myself if I run outside but I use the treadmill so that I could learn to run at a constant pace: whenever I run for the military, my pacing is horrible (fast in the beginning and dying from middle to end). As for getting my ass handed to me, I guess I should be happy about that. Efficiency is not to be strived for.

ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Incline Bench Press: 85x5, 115x5, 145x3, 175x5x2, 175x3+1.  Last set, I just ran out of steam.  Barely hit three reps, rested 15 seconds, barely hit one, rested 15 seconds again but all I could manage was a real shaky racking for a 5th attempt.

Nautilus Nitro Pullover: 70x12x4

Hoist Roc-It Lat Pulldown (Wide Pronated grip): 86x12x4

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: 75x12x4

Finisher:  6 intervals with Jacob's Ladder: 1.5 minutes on and 1.5 minutes off.  Am bringing back the HIIT stuff to push my fat loss along.On afternoon weigh-ins, have been stuck at 233-234 pounds for weeks even though I'm looking leaner in the mirror and have been getting stronger in the gym.  Should be happy, I know, but I would like to be in the low 220s by the end of September.

BTW, last Friday I walked for 45 minutes on treadmill, Hill program, Level 13.  I also skipped my Squat day and felt a twinge of shame.  Just a twinge.

RE Upper Body

Today was the day I had been dreading for weeks - - - yeah, I planned this way in advance.  After the 5 sets of 6 week kicked me around, I knew the 6 sets of 4 week would be rough.  But on today's menu was 6 sets of 4 with 305 pounds with the conventional deadlift, just two days after my last leg workout.  Even without that, I knew I was gonna hate life.

OK,  I have read in places like T-Nation that recommends not doing deads for reps.  that form starts to slip.  That it is too demanding a lift to rep out.  But if experience has taught me anything, it is that this very method not only speeds up my metabolism but it also helps me keep a lot of my mass.  And while the shrug works for me, the deads work better and I can't let let it go to seed while I focus on my squat.  And since I will never make Navy weight standards quickly enough (before and after my surgery and nearly 3 weeks of liquids and dropping almost 20 pounds, I still missed Navy weight standards by 9 pounds in 2009), I have to serve two masters and build and lean as much as I can.  And repping deads is effective for that.  I just cycle my weeks, is all.

Lastly, it builds a little armor.  All that volume builds SPP I can use later when I train heavy.  So, I channeled my inner Finn, Bolton, and Benni and begrudgingly got to work.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Nautilus Nitro Bench Press: 75x5, 100x5, 125x5, 145x4x6

Conventional Deadlift: 155x5, 205x5, 255x3, (added straps, double overhand grip)305x4x6.  Did it, was wiped out halfway in and had to focus a lot more to keep form.  My lower back held up but my upper back was thrashed.  And I was soaked.

Nautilus Nitro Compound Row:  175x4x6.  I could barely pull back enough, my upper back was gone.

T-Bar Rows:  140x4x6.  Surprise, had a tad bit left.  Just had to get pissed and pull faster.

RE Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets
Hoist Compound Leg Press: 345x5, 455x5, 570x3,  695x4x6.  This was so much easier even when it was heavier than last week. 

Seated Calf Raises: 90x4x9. Supersetted with the leg presses

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 115x5, 153x5, 186x3, 214x4x6 

Back Extensions: 25x4x9.  No open  racks to do good mornings with, and the platform where I could do RDLs was also taken.  So I did one set of these for each set of leg curls I did and walked away with a fat pump of my lower back. 

ME Upper Body

Since this begins my 6 sets of 4 week for all assistance work, I will only do aerobics on my non-weight days.  All running.  Don't want to overdo this week like last, especially since these workouts are longer.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Incline Bench Press: 70x5, 100x5, 130x3, 160x5x3

Nautilus Nitro Pullover: 55x5, 70x5, 90x3, 110x4x6

Hoist Roc-It Lat Pulldown (Wide Pronated grip): 136x4x6

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: 60x5, 80x5, 100x3, 120x4x6

ME Lower Body

14" SSB Box Squat: Started at  105x5 and kept adding 30 pounds until I could barely get 5 reps, at 255 pounds.  Good for a calculated 286 pound max, about 10 pounds less than with a straight bar.

And that was it.

RE UpperBody

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Nautilus Nitro Bench Press: 65x5, 85x5, 105x3, 130x6x5

Nautilus Nitro Compound Row: 150x6x5.

T-Bar Rows: 120x6x5

Conventional Deadlifts: 265x6x5.  I'm taking tomorrow off and running Friday.

RE Lower Body

Arched Back Good Morning: 90x5, 120x5, 150x3, 185x6x5. After these, my abs were almost as drained as my back. Sunday's workout is still haunting me.

 Hoist Compound Leg Press: 300x5, 405x5, 510x3, 615x6x5 .

Seated Calf Raises: 70x6x8. Supersetted with the leg presses

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 214x6x5.

Forget running, I just don't have it in me.

Week 3: Cool Runnings Couch to 5k

Friday the 8th and today, I ran 6 intervals of 1.5 minutes at 6.6 MPH and 1.5 minutes at 3.5 MPH. Todays's run was much better than the other two, I was able go drop my heartrate from the 160s after each run to the 130s before the next one, each time, so my recovery is getting better. I can now start Week 4, which is really Week 3.

ME Lower Body/ME Upper Body

I did not want to run today and, with 5 weeks before I go to Hawaii, I wanted to get ahead a bit.  So I woke up early today and did today's workout and tomorrow's.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

14" Box Squat: started at 95x3 and kept adding 30 pounds each set until I could barely hit the triple at 275 pounds.  Not bad, last  test was 270x2.

Incline Bench Press: started at 6x3 and kept adding 20 pounds each set until I could barely hit the triple at 185 pounds.

Seated Calf Raises: started at 30x3 and kept adding 100 pounds each set until I reached 100x2

Hoist Roc-It Lat Pulldown (Pronated Grip): worked up at 126x6 and 136x4, which both calculate out to a 150-pound max.

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: worked up to 215x8.

Nautilus Nitro Pullover: 95x6x5

Back Extension (2-sec hold at the top): 5 sets of 6

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: 105x6x5

RE Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Nautilus Nitro Bench Press: 90x12x3

Nautilus Nitro Compound Row: 105x12x3

T-Bar Rows: 80x12x3

Conventional Deadlifts: 185x12x4, 185x6.  Legs felt exhausted, so I did not want to really toil away on cardio.  So my plan, with 25 minutes left in my workout, was to keep doing sets of 12 on the deadlift until time was up or until I was exhausted.  Didn't get very far:(  On the 4th set I had to stop and reset my grip to a staggered grip because my hands and forearms were pumped - - - - I pull double overhand.  On the 5th set, my whole backside would have no more of it, I couldn't  hold the bar for too long, and 6 reps was all I had in me.  I don't think straps would have been much help.

RE Lower Body

Hoist Compound Leg Press: 425x12x3. This burned something awful and almost made me feel a little bit sick.

Seated Calf Raises: 40x12x3

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 133x12x3. At this point, it occurs to me that I have to start week 3 of my running program with crispy legs and my heart racing. Ugh.

Arched Back Good Morning: 125x12x3

Finisher: 6 intervals of 1.5 minutes at 6.6 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.5 MPH. Started the running with a heart rate 15 BPM higher than the last time I ran, and I did not recover as fast after each run. Not a bad thing, really: when we do the Navy Physical, the pushups and situps already have my heart racing before the run, so this is actually desired.

ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Hoist Roc-It Shoulder Press: 55x5, 77x5, 97x3, 118x3x3 (could not do 3 sets of 5, my shoulders are still tired from Saturday)



Chinups: 5 singles and 3/4 of a 6th attempt.  I had to kip a little to get these, and flail on the 6th attempt.

Nautilus Nitro Pullovers: 65x12x3

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: 70x12x3

Finisher: 8 intervals of 1 minute running at 6.6 MPH and 1.5 minutes walking at 3.5 MPH.  This ends Week 2 of the Cool Runnings program, and this run was much easier than the last two.  When I do the walking portions after each run, I keep my hands on the heart rate monitor and see how fast and how far I drop from peak heart rate.  My recovery is improving.  Tomorrow starts Week 3.

Something Kinda Squattey

Loafed Friday off and I had military drill this weekend.  Also, I forgot my gear so when we had PT over at the gym, I did this workout in my camo minus the blouse.  And running in boots?  Not if I had a choice.  So I went in the Crossfit room this gym has, and did this triset:

15" Box Squat: 115x5 145x5, 175x5, 205x5, 235x5, 265x5, 295x4 (Ran out of steam)
Log Press with 20 pounds added: 8, 8, 7, 7, 7, 6, 6 reps.
7 sets of battle ropes

RE Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets


Nautilus Nitro Bench Press: 65x25x2


Nautilus Nitro Compound Row: 75x25x2


T-Bar Rows: 60x25x2


Conventional Deadlifts: 135x25x2


Finisher: 8 intervals of 1 minute running at 6.6 MPH and 1.5 minutes walking at 3.5 MPH. 

RE Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Hoist Compound Leg Press: 300x25x2.  Only the first set could be finished with no pause.  The second was more like 13+9+3.  My legs felt super puffy, I could barely walk.  Or breathe.

Seated Calf Raises: 30x25x2

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 97x25x2

Back Extensions: Sets of 10, 9, 8, 8, 7, 8 reps.  No racks available for good mornings, and I'm not going to use a back extension machine.  So I kept the rest period to 1 minute between sets, and kept doing these until I hit 50 reps.


Skipped the finisher, could barely walk without a treadmill.  Much less with one.  Just as well: have drill this weekend and since that usually throws off my schedule, I want to knock it out by Friday.  So after a heavy Saturday and a heavy Monday, that's 4 straight workouts on top.

Besides, I have to run tomorrow.

ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Hoist Roc-It Shoulder Press: 49x5, 64x5, 89x3, 111x5x3


Nautilus Nitro Pullovers: 45x25x2

Nautilus Nitro Lat Pulldowns: 65x25x2

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: 50x25x2

Finisher: 8 intervals of 1 minute running at 6.6 MPH and 1.5 minutes walking at 3.5 MPH.  According to the website for the Cool Runnings' Couch to 5K program, this is what I should have done Week One.  Oops!  Not too bad, heart rate was a little higher owing to having 30 seconds less rest after each run interval.

One note: the burn is not fun. Not looking forward to tomorrow: this is the 2 sets of 25 week for repetition work, and tomorrow is RE legs.

The Past Few Days

Thursday, May 24:
6 intervals of 1 minute running at 6.6 MPH and 2 minutes walking at 3.5 MPH

Friday, May 25: Loafed

Saturday, May 26 (All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets): 
Conventional Deadlift: 145x3, 180x3, 215x3, 250x3, 285x3, 320x3, 355x1 (1RM).  The best my deadlift has felt in a very long time at heavy weights.  I was able to keep my tight arch on the initial pull and the bar didn't stray.  Most importantly, even though I'm just doing rep work with the deadlift, I'm approaching 400 pounds again, which I haven't touched in almost 4 years.  I will reset my max for all rep work to 90% of 355 (320 pounds) and calculate from that, and add 10 pounds every 3-4 weeks.

Nautilus Nitro Bench Press: 70x5, 95x5, 120x3, 140x3x6

T-Bar Rows: 130x3x6

Nautilus Nitro Compound Row: 160x3x6

Sunday, May 27: Loafed, because my body felt drained.

Today (All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets):
14" SSB Box Squat w/1-Pair Chains: 95x5, 135x5, 180x3, 220x5x3.  Supersetted with calf raises to rep failure.

GHR (Back Raised 1"): sets of 6, 5, 5, 4, 3, 3 reps.

Finisher: 5 rounds of jump rope supersetted with 5 rounds of hitting the heavy bag with fists and kicks.

 

RE Lower Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 97x5, 133x5, 167x3, 199x3x6

Arched Back Good Morning: 100x5, 135x5, 165x3, 200x3x6

Superset:
Hoist Compound Leg Press: 345x5, 455x5, 565x3, 675x3x6
Seated Calf Raises: 80x3x9

Had the idea of doing all the hamstring work first, like pre-exhaustion.  The end result was that the leg presses had no pop, but my quads did get worked harder so goody goody.  This was a lot of work in 75 minutes, so no finisher today.

My weight has started to creep down again, so good.  Would do better if my morning meal wasn't such crap.  

ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Hoist Roc-It Shoulder Press: 60x5, 80x5, 100x3, 120x3x2

Assisted Chinups (Light Bands): 6 sets of 3

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: 110x3x6

Nautilus Nitro Pullovers: 105x3x6

Finisher: 6 intervals of 1 minute running at 6.6 MPH and 2 minutes walking at 3.5 MPH

RE Upper Body/RE Lower Body

Wednesday: 6 intervals of  1 minute jogging at 6.6 MPH and 2 minutes walking at 3.5 MPH.

Today:
Hoist Compound Leg Press: 445x10x4

Nautilus Nitro Bench Press: 90x10x4

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 135x10x4

Nautilus Nitro Compound Rows: 110x10x4

Back Extensions: 4 sets of 10 with a 2-second pause at the top

T-Bar Row: 85x10x4

Conventional Deadlift: 180x10x4

Seated Calf Raises: 50x10x4

ME Lower Body

14" SSB Box Squat: Started at 90 pounds for 3 reps and kept adding 30 pounds until I could no longer hit 3  reps, about 270x2.
Superset:
7 sets of 5 on the Glute/Ham Raise with a good seven 2-minute rounds of hitting the heavy bag.

ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Hoist Roc-It Shoulder Press:  55x5, 75x5, 95x3, 115x5x3

Nautilus Nitro Pullover: 70x10x4

Hoist Assisted Chinup Machine (neutral grip): 140 lbs assist for 4 sets of 10

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: 75x10x4

Finisher: Walked for 30 minutes at Level 17 Hill profile with 20-pound vest on.

ME Lower Body

Did the 30 minutes of vest walking yesterday, just didn't have it to give my first squat workout in a while a good run.  Today felt better. 

14" SSB Box Squat: Started at 90x2 and kept adding 30 pounds until I barely hit 270x2.  I was going to try to make up for missing last weeks squat workout by dropping down to 225 and doing 3 sets of 5 but when I racked it, I felt shaky and the weight felt heavy.  Tapped out.

Superset:
7 sets of 5 on the Glute/Ham Raise with a good seven 2-minute rounds of hitting the heavy bag.

RE Upper Body

Nautilus Nitro Bench Press: 75x15x3

Nautilus Nitro Compound Row: 90x15x3

T-Bar Rows: 70x15x3

Deadlifts w/20-lbs Vest On: 155x15x3.  Done just to see what it would feel like, and I wasn't surprised when I sucked wind.

Walked for 30 minutes at Level 16 Random profile with 20-pound vest on

RE Lower Body

All Notation:  Weight x Reps x Sets

Hoist Compound Leg Press: 370x15x3.  This sucked, still sore but I felt I could soldier through this.  Maybe getting some blood in there can't hurt it worse.

Arched Back Good Morning: 115x15x3

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 115x15x3

Seated Calf Raises: 40x15x3

Walked for 30 minutes at Level 16 Random profile with 20-pound vest on

ME Upper Body

All Notation:  Weight x Reps x Sets

Hoist Roc-It Shoulder Press:  50x5, 70x5, 90x3, 110x5x3

Nautilus Nitro Pullover: 55x15x3

Hoist Assisted Chinup Machine (neutral grip): 160 lbs assist for 3 sets of 15

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: 60x15x3

Walked for 30 minutes at Level 16 Hill profile with 20-pound vest on.

My legs really hurt from Saturday, so good thing it was not leg day.  Maybe the walk will help.

Drenched

Bagged Friday's workout, was just wiped out.  Until I get used to walking around on workouts with an extra 20 pounds on me, this is expected.  Today I had drill and group PT was a game of touch football.  The sprinting and change of direction stuff was great.  The rain for most of it was not.  Neither was going for a bomb, catching it, then trying to stop on a dime.  Pulled the left calf, then the right one.

After a shower, a few of us went out for Pho, the a last drink at a Mexican restaurant for Cinco de Mayo.  Already starting to feel sick.

RE Upper Body

Yesterday, I walked 45 minutes at Level 15 Hill profile, no vest.

Today:

Nautilus Nitro Bench Press: 60x5, 85x5, 110x3, 130x5x5

Nautilus Nitro Compound Row: 150x5x5

T-Bar Rows: 120x5x5

Deadlifts: Worked up to 275x5 and 315x2

Walked for 30 minutes at Level 15 Hill profile with 20-pound vest on

RE Lower Body

All Notation:  Weight x Reps x Sets

Hoist Compound Leg Press: 300x5, 410x5, 520x3, 630x5x5

Arched Back Good Morning: 85x5, 115x5, 145x3, 180x5x5

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 90x5, 120x5, 150x3, 180x5x5

Seated Calf Raises: 70x5x5

Walked for 30 minutes at Level 15 Random profile with 20-pound vest on

ME Upper Body

All Notation:  Weight x Reps x Sets

Hoist Roc-It Shoulder Press:  55x5, 80x5, 95x3, 120x3x2

Nautilus Nitro Pullover: 95x5x5

Assisted Chinup (average band): 5 sets of 6

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: 95x5x5

Walked for 30 minutes at Level 15 Hill profile with 20-pound vest on. 

Test Day 3: Upper Body

Hoist Compound Leg Press: started at 300x5 and kept adding 100-pound plates until I failed to hit 5 reps, at 800x2

Nautilus Nitro Bench Press: worked up to 165x2

Hoist Assisted Chinup/Dip Machine (Weight is with assistance applied): worked up to 172x2

Nautilus Nitro Pullover: worked up to 110x5

Walked for 30 minutes at Level 14 Random with 20-pound vest on.  This was my workout on April 26.  Next day was 45 minutes walking the Level 14 Hill profile with no added weight.

Test Day 2: Lower Body

Hoist Roc-It Seated Leg Curls: Worked up to 230x3

T-Bar Rows: Worked up to 150x2.  All the squat racks were taken, so no good mornings.  And the leg press I use was taken, too, and would remain so for the rest of the time I was in the gym.  So I did this to bide my time.

Arched Back Good Mornings: worked up to 215x4.

Seated Calf Raises: 70x5x6

Maybe I'll try to do leg presses tomorrow.  Or I will just do shrugs tomorrow and do deadlifts after squats tomorrow.  Not sure why I put up with this, I have a gym at home?!?

Test Day 1

Hoist Roc-It Shoulder Press: worked up to 125x3

Nautilus Nitro Pullovers: worked up to 110x3

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: worked up to 125x3

Assisted Chinups (Average Band):  Did 8 reps on the first set, then dropped two reps and did 4 sets of 6.

Finisher: 6 intervals (1 min on/1 min off) on Jacobs Ladder while wearing a 20-lbs weight vest.  Last time I did these, I was able to do 14 intervals.  Chalk it up to a week off or being sick the past few days or to doing these with the vest, but 20 seconds into the 6th interval my legs were beat

So, a little backblogging here:

On April 12, I did one last long walking session at level 18.  On April 13, I took the whole day off and just had protein drinks with very low carb and a lot of water.  On the 14th, I measured for Navy PRT at 227 pounds (2 pounds lower than last time) but my measurements stayed the same at a 17" neck and a 39" waist (about 23% by Navy standards).  Maybe I did the long slow aerobics too, too long but, who cares, I passed.  The next day, my run went pretty good and here is where the long steaddy stuff and the high intensity stuff payed off: I ran 5 of six laps at a decent pace, and sprinted half of the 6th one to drop a minute off off my time (13:51) for the 1.5 mile. 

Then a took a few days off and got sick on Thursday and spent a beautiful weekend in bed.  And now that I'm in a good place to start, time to get back to work.

The Long Walk

LifeFitness Treadmill, Hill profile, Level 16, 3.0 MPH for 45 minutes.  With just a few days until I have to run, I will probably just do long walks.  At this point, I can't get much better but I could get much worse. 

ME Squat

14" SSB Box Squat: 90x3, 120x3, 150x3, 180x3, 210x3, 240x3, 270x1 (1RM), 290x0.  With measurement for Navy PRT coming on Saturday and the run on Sunday, I wanted more than enough recovery to focus on aerobics so I decided to do squats today instead of Wednesday.  And I decided to make it a test and eliminate all the other work.  It went as expected: a few weeks ago, I tested a 15" box squat at 275x3 (about 291 calculated max) and a 1-inch drop on the box is worth about 20 pounds, so no shock today.  Funny, with the 270 I got one hard but clean rep, managed to lower it for a second rep but couldn't make my muscles contract anymore to lift it - - - I was literally tapped out.  290 was a no-go for the same reason even after 5 minutes of rest.  No shock there, either, since this was my 4th straight hard weight day.  So the next few days will be all cardio.  Then Monday I will start anew but with a little more rest and some different movements.

RE Bench

Nautilus Nitro Bench Press: 55x5, 75x5, 100x3, 125x6x5

Nautilus Nitro Compound Row: 135x6x5

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: 90x8x5

T-Bar Rows: 115x6x5

Trap Bar Shrugs: 170x6x5

RE Deadlift (Sort Of)

Conventional Deadlift: started at 135x3 and kept adding 30 pounds until I could barely hit the triple, at around 315x3.  Then, since my original intention this workout was to do 225x6x5 and I had already done 225x3, 255x3, 285x3, and 315x3 then I just did 225x6x3.

Seated Calf Raises: 20x3 the kept adding 10 pounds until I hit 80 for a 4RM, then I did 70x6x3.

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 183x6x6

Cybex Arc Trainer Elliptical, Interval program, Level 5 for 45 minutes.  Navy physical is in a week and I have one more pound to drop.  So since this was a weekend workout, I wanted to pour it on.  Especially for deadlifts.

ME Bench

Nautilus Nitro Bench Press: started at 30x3 and kept adding 15 pounds until I could barely hit the triple, at around 155x3.

Nautilus Nitro Pullover: 80x6x5

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinup (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 5 sets of 6

Nautilus Nitro lateral Raises: worled up to 105x6 and 120x5

Behind The Back Shrugs: 165x6x5

LifeFitness Treadmill, Hill profile, Level 15, 3.0 MPH for 45 minutes

Aerobics

Running Intervals: 5 intervals of 1.5 minutes at 7.5 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.5 MPH.

ME Squat

Hoist Compound Leg Press: 320x5, 440x5, 560x3, 690x5x3

Hack Squat Calf Raises: 100x5x6

Arched Back Good Morning: 95x5, 125x5, 165x3, 200x5x3

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 95x5, 125x5,  165x3, 199x5x3

Finisher:
LifeFitness Treadmill, Hill profile, Level 14, 3.0 MPH for 45 minutes

RE Bench

Flat Bench Press: started at 65x5 and kept adding 20 pounds until I could no longer hit 5 reps, at about 185x4.  I should have been doing 135x8x4 as originally planned but my curiosity got the better of me.  After Sunday's close grip bench session, I wanted to see if my flat bench had gone up, too.  I'm satisfied.

Nautilus Nitro Compound Row: 125x8x5.  Too many things interrupted me today, and my legs were really tired today.  So I skipped the aerobics.  And since I hammered my shoulders with the benches, I ditched the laterals and just did an extra set of rows for each movement.  Maybe I'll make up for it on a different day.

T-Bar Rows: 100x8x5

RE Deadlift

Conventional Deadlift: 145x5, 175x5, 205x8x5

Seated Calf Raises: 60x8x4

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 167x8x4

Finisher:
Jacobs Ladder: 14 intervals, 1 minute on/1 minute off.

Last 2 Days

Saturday:
Hoist Compound Leg Press: 280x6, 400x5, 520x3, 640x5x3

Hack Squat Calf Raises: 90x5x6.  Supersetted with the leg presses.

Arched Back Good Mornings:  80x5, 115x5, 150x3, 185x5x3

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 80x5, 115x5, 150x3, 185x5x3

Today:
Close Grip Bench Press: started at 65x3, and kept adding 30 pounds until I couldn't hit a triple anymore at about 185x2.  Then I did two sets of 5 with 165.

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinup (Light/Monster Mini Bands): 4 sets of 7

Nautilus Nitro Pullovers: 75x8x4

Behind The Back Shrugs: 150x8x4

Finisher: LifeFitness Treadmill, Hill Profile, Level 14 for 45 minutes at 3.0 MPH. Had my heart rate at 140 most of the time, burned 511 calories, and walked 2.25 miles.

RE Bench

Flat Bench Press: 100x12x4

Hoist Assisted Chinup (Neutral Grip)(Weight is after Assistance): 95x12x4

T-Bar Rows: 75x12x4

Nautilus Nitro Lateral raises: 75x12x4.

LifeFitness Treadmill, Hill Profile, Level 12 for 45 minutes at 3.0 MPH.  Could not get my heart rate up to 140 BPM this time, so will increase the level next time.

Last 3 Days

Monday:
Close Grip Bench Press: 65x5, 90x5, 115x3, 145x5x3

T-Bar Row: started at 45x5 and kept adding 15 pounds until I could no longer hit 5 reps.  Actually, I stopped at 135x5, just because the last two reps took everything I had to get. So no use going further.

Nautilus Nitro Pullover: 55x12x4

Behind The Back Shrugs: 95x12x4

Finisher: I was going to run intervals.  The first one was at 8.5 MPH, and my legs felt really tight from Friday's workout: may never squat in a Smith again, always pull my inner thighs this way).  On the second interval, I pulled my right inner thigh and lower glute, then the left one.  Stopped right there.

Tuesday:
LifeFitness Treadmill, Hill Profile, Level 10 for 45 minutes at 3.0 MPH. Alternated a normal stride with an exaggerated long stride, to loosen my legs up.

Today:
Conventional Deadlift: 155x12x4

Seated Calf Raises: 45x12x4

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 115x12x4

LifeFitness Treadmill, Hill Profile, Level 12 for 45 minutes at 3.0 MPH. Alternated a normal stride with an exaggerated long stride, to loosen my legs up.  Legs felt better.  Will probably continue this for a week, then start running again this weekend or Monday.

ME Squats

15" Box Squats: started at 120x3  and kept adding 30 pounds until I could barely get the triple, at about 275x3, the managed 275x2.  My squat is starting to get solid again

Conventional Deadlifts: 195x10x5.  Got off of work at 3.  My legs felt good but I've been sleep deprived the past few days for work-related reasons, and I did not want to go home since I knew I would just crash.  I also wanted to push my metabolism, and make up for not doing deadlifts on Tuesday.  So I pulled this one from the 5/3/1 manual, Boring But Big, done at 70% of current 1RM.  These were really tough: after the second set, I brought out the straps just so I could keep doing them double overhand, and I felt the same as if I was running intervals. 

Seated Calf Raises: 50x10x5

Finished with 45 minutes on the treadmill, Level 10 Hill profile, 3.0 MPH.  Then when I got home, I plopped myself on the couch and crashed.

RE Upper Body

Wednesday:
LifeFitness Treadmill, intervals, 1.0 incline for 5 intervals of 1 minute at 8.5 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.5 MPH.

Today (All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets):
Flat Bench Press:80x5, 110x5, 135x3, 165x3x6.

Nautilus Nitro Compound Row: 75x5, 95x5, 120x3, 145x3x6

Hoist Roc-It Mid Row: 85x5, 117x5, 143x3, 173x3x6

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: 55x5, 75x5, 90x3, 110x3x6

Skipped the finisher, I felt so drained.  

RE Deadlift - Sort of

I like how the whole powerlifting thing has caught on in the base gym.  I really do.  Except when I want to deadlift and all the racks, platforms, and other spaces are taken.  So I did my standby workout for deadlifts, even with a 6 sets of 3 scheme.  Ditched the easy cardio just so I wouldn't go into the two hour mark.  Just as well, since this was a lot of work.

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Superset:
Hoist Compound Leg Press: 360x5, 480x5, 600x3, 720x3x6
Seated Calf Raises: 70x3x4
Hack Squat Machine Calf Presses: 90x3x5

Behind The Back Shrugs: 90x5, 120x5, 150x3, 180x3x6

Arched Back Good Mornings: 90x5, 120x5, 150x3, 180x3x6

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 97x5, 133x5, 167x3, 199x3x6

ME Upper Body

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Hoist Assisted Dip Machine (Weight listed is BWT [235 lbs] minus assistance): 95x5, 125x5, 165x3, 195x3x2

Nautilus Nitro Pullover: 45x5, 60x5, 75x3, 90x3x6

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinup (Light Bands): 6 sets of 3

Incline Bench Press: 115x9, 115x7

Finisher:
LifeFitness Treadmill, intervals, 1.0 incline for 5 intervals of 1 minute at 8.5 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.5 MPH.

ME Squats/RE Upper Body

Hoist Compound Leg Press: 315x5, 430x5, 545x3, 670x5x3




Nautilus Nitro Bench Press (Using Barbell Bench Max to calculate): 105x10, 105x7+3, 105x5+3+2, 105x4+3+3

Arched Back Good Morning: 90x5, 125x5, 145x3, 180x5x3



Nautilus Nitro Compound Row: 85x10x4

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 97x5, 116x5, 167x3, 199x5x3


Hoist Roc-It Mid Row: 116x10x4

Seated Calf Raises: 60x5x6

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: 75x10x4

Behind The Back Shrugs:  115x10x4

RE Deadlifts

Conventional Deadlift: 135x10, 155x10x4

Seated Calf Raises: 45x10x5

Hoist CD2400 Seated Leg Curls: 45x10x4.  Not the Roc-It and as you can see the resistance curve is different.  Judging from the feel, weight is just one part of the equation.

Decline Situps: Sets of 12, 9, 6, 4 reps.

Finisher:
LifeFitness Treadmill, intervals, 1.0 incline for 5 intervals of 1 minute at 8.5 MPH and 2 minutes at 3.5 MPH.

ME Upper Body

Hoist Assisted Dip Machine: Weighed in at 238, started with 160 pounds of assistance for 5 reps and kept using 20 less pounds each set until I couldn't hit 5 reps.  40 pounds of assistance/198 pounds for 3 reps.  I used this because it was Bench Monday at the base gym, and I couldn't get a bench to do close grip bench presses.

Incline Bench Press: 115x11, 115x7

Nautilus Nitro Pullover: 60x10x4

Assisted Wide Grip Neutral Chinups (Light/Monster Mini Bands): sets of 7, 6, 5, 4 reps

Decline Lying Leg Raises: sets of 7, 6, 5, 4 reps.

Finisher (Reverse Ladder):
Burpees/5-KG Medicine Ball Swing: 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 reps

ME Squat, or Prilepin Squat

Yesterday, I helped my mom-in-law move out of her second floor apartment. So after 3 hours of that, I was not gonna pound myself with squats. Instead, I skipped the finisher and did this (All Notation: Weight X Reps X Sets):

Hoist Compound Leg Press: 275x5, 390x5, 505x3, 625x5x3

Arched Back Good Morning: 80x5, 115x5, 145x3, 180x5x3

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 80x5, 115x5, 145x3, 180x5x3

Behind The Back Shrugs: 65x5, 95x5, 125x3, 155x5x3

Seated Calf Raises: 60x5x6

RE Upper Body

Nautilus Nitro Bench Press: 90x11+4, 90x8+4+3, 90x6+5+4. I was supposed to do 90 for 3 sets of 15 on the flat bench press but wanted a bit more so I did them on this machine, instead. Even if it's harder than a barbell.

Nautilus Nitro Compound Row: 70x15x3

Hoist Roc-It Mid Row: 95x15x3

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: 60x15x3

Finisher: LifeFitness Treadmill, intervals, 1.0 incline for 6 intervals of 30 seconds at 9.5 MPH and 90 seconds at 3.5 MPH.

RE Deadlifts

Conventional Deadlifts: 135x15x3.  And thus this workout began like a cardio workout.

Seated Calf Raises: 35x15x3

Hoist Roc-It Leg Curls: 115x15x3

Decline Situps: Sets of 10, 8, 6, 4 reps

Finisher (Reverse Ladders):
Squat/Upward Toss with a 5-KG Medicine Ball.  Started with 11 reps for the first set, rested 45 seconds, did 11 reps, and so on until I could only do one.  After that, my legs were fried.  Maybe because I was already fried from the other high rep stuff.

Upper Body Heavy

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Close Grip Bench Press: 60x5, 85x5, 115x3, 140x5x3.  Am using the heavy day of the Prilepin Bench Program that you could get  from Tsampa.org, Kristoffer Lindqvist's site besides Virtualmeet.net.  Have used it before, just switched it around to do sets of 3 and 5 vice sets of 2 or 3.

Nautilus Nitro Pullover: 50x15x3

Hoist Roc-It Wide Lat  Pulldown: 72x15x3

Offset DB Farmers Walk: 55 x 4 trips of 30 yards each arm

Finisher:
LifeFitness Treadmill: 6 intervals of 30 seconds at 9.5 MPH and 90 seconds at 3.5 MPH.  Have to start putting in running time, but also have to rev my metabolism up.  This was my first day doing VO2 Max work, and it sucked.  But thinking of those times when I want to push my runs and I quickly fade, I need this.

ME Squat

15" Box Squat: Started at 115x2, and kept adding 30 pounds for doubles until I topped out at a 265 double, then did 235x2.  I did not do this workout on Friday and wanted to make it up.  And since this dooms me to a workout every day M-F, then I dropped some accessories and the finisher for this day.  The original plan was to be 3 sets of 2 at 230 so that's why after the max, I did a backoff set with 235.

Single/Double Calf Raises: 1 set to failure for each squat set.

GHR: 7 sets of 6.  One set for each squat set.

RE Upper Body

Flat Bench Press: 75x5, 105x5, 135x3, 160x5x5

Nautilus Nitro Compound Row: 135x5x5.  Done with elbows tucked.

Hoist Roc-It Mid Rows: 170x5x5.  Done with elbows up.

Nautilus Nitro Lateral Raises: 105x5x5

Finisher (Reverse Ladders):
Burpees/5-KG Med Ball Snatch: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (45 seconds rest between sets)

RE Lower Body

Conventional Deadlifts: 155x5 185x5, 215x5x5

Seated Calf Raises: 50x5x7.  3-second hold at the bottom and top of the motion.

Hoist Seated leg Curls: 55x5x5

45-degree Hyper: sets of 7, 6, 5, 4 reps

Finisher (Ladders)(Superset):
Bulgarian  Split Squat (Feet Elevated): 3, 6, 9, 6, 3 reps
Pushups: 3, 6, 9, 6, 3 reps
Did one leg, then the other, then the pushups.  Rested 45 seconds between sets.

Band Ab Fallouts: 4 sets of 4

The Long Walk

LifeFitness Treadmill, Level 9 Hill, 45 minutes.

Upper Body Heavy

All Notation: Weight x Reps x Sets

Close Grip Bench Press: 80x5, 105x5, 130x3, 160x2x3

Nautilus Nitro Pullover: Worked up to 85x6

Assisted Wide Neutral Grip Chinup (Average Bands): sets of 7, 6, 5, 4 reps

Offset DB Farmers Walk: 55 x 4 trips of 30 yards each arm

Finisher:
Jacobs Ladder: 7 intervals, 1 minute on/1 minute off
MarPo Kinetics Rope Pull Machine: 7 intervals, 1 minute on/1 minute off

Week 1: ME Squat

Yesterday I started running again.  8 intervals of 1 minute running at 6.2 MPH and 1.5 minutes walking at 3.5 MPH. 

Today:

Superset:
15" Box Squats: 45x5, 75x5, 105x5, 135x5, 165x5, 195x5, 225x5.
Single/Double Calf Raises: 7 sets to failure

Superset:
GHR: 5 sets of 6
Assisted Pistols (Average Bands): 5 singles

SSB Arched Back GM: Bar for 8 reps, 100x8, 120x8


Blast Strap Ab Fallouts: 4 sets of 4

Week 1: DE Bench

So, where have I been?

I took a two week vacation New Years Eve, then two weeks of not being motivated enough to do much of anything. 

I tested myself on 4 lifts during the week: the dumbbell shoulder press, the conventional deadlift, 14" box squat, and the flat bench press.  The numbers are pretty sorry.  So was my speed on all of it.  So I am switching back to a Westside template.  And we'll see how it goes.

My number's in the 3 lifts I want to improve most, to start: 195 for the bench press, 285 for the conventional deadlift, and 260 for the 14" box squat.

All Notation: Weights x Reps x Sets


Flat Bench Press (60% of 1RM): 75x3, 95x3, 115x3x8

DB Shoulder Press: 30x8x3

Assisted Chinups (Average bands): sets of 7, 6, 5 reps

DB Rows (Elbows Out)(Test): 20x5,  25x5, 30x5, 35x5, 40x5, 45x5, 50x2.

Did not do snatch grip deadlifts, since I had tested the deadlifts yesterday.  Will start adding metabolic work tomorrow.