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