LoadedBats

I've been on IM for a little over a year or so now. So i've decided to keep a Journal on here. I check in here pretty often, but I wouldn't say I am a regular poster, as you can see by the measly 100 posts I have. Anyhow, I'll give you some info about me, and what my goals are for this training block coming up.

I am 25 yrs old. Male, with few years training under my belt. Now of course not all of those were intelligent, consistent, training by any means. But every little bit helps. I am 5'10" - 11" tall, weighing in at 225 - 230lbs. right now. I'm not sure of my body fat levels, but my abs are still visible, So I suppose thats in the ball park of 12-18 %.

The goals of this training cycle are to improve my overhead press and my pull-up strength. Here's my split: 4 weeks on, 1 week deload, Repeat. for a total of 12 weeks on with 3 off.

Monday - Upper
Tuesday - Lower
Wed. - off
Thursday - Upper
Friday - Lower
Sat & Sun - off, with recreation & some cardio occasionally

I'll give you Monday and Tuesday's work outs here in the next post.

Feel free to stop in and say hello, offer advice, or whatever.

LoadedBats

My workout's are over my lunch break at work. So I have to keep them pretty short and sweet. I tend to pair antagonist exercises in a superset fashion to help speed it up. A1 & A2 are performed in a superset fashion back to back, as are B1 & B2, and so on. The rest intervals on my goal strength movements are 60 - 90 seconds. All others are 60 sec. between supersets.

Upper:

dynamic warm-up

A1 - Pull ups - BW - 8X3
A2 - BB OH press - 135lbs - 8x3

B1 - spider rows/lever rows - 100 - 4x8
B2 - Bench Press - 205 - 4x8

C1 - Incline Hammer curls - 30's - 4x8
C2 - Decline DB tricep ext. - 25's - 4x10

Face Pulls - 80 - 3x10

thats it. All exercises were completed for the desired set and rep ranges. I'll bump the weight next workout.

LoadedBats

Lower: 60sec. RI between supersets

dynamic warm-up

A1 - Full/Olympic Squats - 225 - 4x8
A2 - Lying Leg Curls - 90 - 4x8

B1 - Rev Hypers - 50 - 4x8
B2 - Calve Raises - 170 - 4x12

Abs - crunches - 3x10
leg raises - 2x12

pretty cake. As much as I wanna bump the weights up considerably, I'm doing this very gradually. Rev Hypers really hammer my posterior chain....and they make it tough as hell to breath while doing them..... now i know why the one in my gym has dust on it.

LoadedBats

Upper: R.I. - 60 seconds between supersets

my warm-up's look like this:
OH Press
bar x 5
65 x 3
95 x 3
115 x1
125 x 1

I don't really warm up for pull-ups - I'll do 1 to 2 reps with different grips. Then I use my working weights.

A1 - Pull ups - BW - 5x5
A2 - BB OH press - 135lbs - 5x5

B1 - Bent-over rows - 135 - 4x8
B2 - DB Incline Press - 75's - 4x8

upright rows with rope attachment- 100 - 4x10


All exercises were completed, little tougher, for the desired set and rep ranges. I'll bump the weight next workout.

Double D

Loading the bats? Just wondering what made you name your journal that? Do you play ball?

www.crossfit.com

LoadedBats

Ha....I was waiting for someone to ask that one. The name LoadedBats was from a softball team a friend of mine played on, he would constantly wear this shirt that had the name and this picture of a drunken Bat (the animal) on the front holding a baseball bat. I don't know why but I got such a kick out of it....so the name stuck with me.

This story couldn't get much lamer.....I played ball in high school, but my main sport was football.

LoadedBats

Lower:

dynamic warm-up

A1 - Full/Olympic Squats - 235 - 4x8
A2 - RDL's- 185- 4x8
60-90 sec. R.I.

B1 - Sit-ups on Incline Board- 10lb DB - 4x12
B2 - Calve Raises - 190 - 4x12
60 sec. R.I.

Notes:
- super-setting squats with Rdl's is a treat.
- 10 people where in the weight area of the gym
- 5 were friends doing bench presses and making phone calls
- the other 5 were old
- I don't use "smilies"
- "smilies" are gay

Double D

Yeah I definitly dont superset those 2. But if a person can more power to you.

www.crossfit.com

LoadedBats

I try to superset to cut down on time. I'm thinking that next week, i'll just superset calve raises with squats, and Rdl's with abs so it's not quite as taxing.....or maybe i'll just man up and keep it the same, we'll see.

Double D

Well if your doing lower 2 times a week why not just squat one day and deadlift the next lower session?

www.crossfit.com

yellowmoomba

Supersetting Squats and Deads ??

Sounds tough........but more power to you

My Journal

"You are born small and weak... you die small and weak... how you look in between is up to you."

LoadedBats

yeah. Well Rdl's, but yeah still a dead. I like to squat twice a week, i may alternate front squats with back squats instead of back squating twice.

Double D

Why not put the deads as your first lift once a week and squats as your first the other time. Then kinda even out the times your quads get hit first instead of hammies.

www.crossfit.com

LoadedBats

I just might give that a try DD, thanks.

2-17-07

Off day - woke up, ate breakfast at 9AM.

At 11am - Cardio
Jumped rope - 5 rounds of 100 skips.

I love jumping rope, tough, but quick and effective. Unfortunately I have got into a bad habit of not doing it regularly and it shows. MY goal is to do 3 minute 'rounds' and try to do 5 to 10 rounds depending on time and so forth. Right now, i don't have a timer, so i just count the skips. 100 skips is no where near 3 minutes, but i'm gonna just increase the skips for now, till i get a timer.

LoadedBats

Upper:

warm-up

A1 - Pull ups (pronated, slightly wider than shoulders)- BW - 8X3
A2 - BB OH press - 140lbs - 8x3

B1 - chest supported rows - 120 - 3x8
B2 - Bench Press - 215 - 3x8

C1 - Face Pulls - 90 - 3x10
C2 - SHRUGS - 135 - 3X10

Couple Notes:
I was doing supinated grip pull-ups (technically chin-ups) last week, pretty much for the same reason most people do them instead of pronated.....they're easier. One thing I really am trying to work on, is touching my chest to the bar rather than just getting my chin above the bar.......not so easy....and so far i'm still stuck on the latter.

chest supported rows are awesome. I don't give a fuck what conventional/functionalist people claim.

LoadedBats

Lower: 60sec. RI between supersets

dynamic warm-up

A1 - Full/Olympic Squats - 245 - 4x8
A2 - Lying Leg Curls - 100 - 4x8
90 sec. R.I.

B1 - Leg Raises - 4x12
B2 - Calve Raises - 190 - 4x12
60 sec. R.I.

Rev. Hypers - 60 - 4x8

Hopefully this evening I can get a jump rope session in when I get home. If anyone here does Rev. Hypers, I'm gonna go ahead and bet most of you don't do these AFTER ab work......holy hell....not doing that again.

I should have put my past best lifts at the beginning or this Journal, but I'll post em here.

Bench Press - 330 lbs. (never was much of a presser)
Squat - 405 (Fairly narrow stance, olympic style with a belt and spotter)
Deadlift - 455 for a set of 3 (I never maxed out on these)

These were all done around the same time, i was 21 working a 2nd shift position at a college, with access to a free gym 24-7, and got free dinner during everyshift. I worked from 2 pm - 12am, went home, slept 9 hours every night, worked out at noon on training days before i went to work and ate like crazy. I weighed about 230 (a little more than now).

I then started classes while working full-time when i was 22, so it drastically cut back on working-out (priorities folks). I wound up hitting the weights maybe once or twice a week at best. Then got my new job when I was 24, which sent me on training all the time during the 1st year, so this past few months I actually have gotten onto a regular schedule since I am pretty caught up with work shit.

The only reason I told this story is so some people don't wonder and say, "you squated/benched/deadlifted X pounds and are only using X pounds for working sets? Bullshit!!" and so on. okie dokie, back to work.

LoadedBats

Upper:

warm-up

A1 - Pull ups (pronated, slightly wider than shoulders)- BW - 5x5
A2 - BB OH press - 135 - 5x5

B1 - Incline DB Press - 65's - 4x8
B2 - Seated Rows - 140 - 4x10

C1 - scaption Raises - 15's

LoadedBats

Lower:

dynamic warm-up

A1 - Full/Olympic Squats - 255 - 4x6
A2 - RDL's- 205 - 4x6
90 sec. R.I.

B1 - Leg Raises/reverse crunches - 4x12
B2 - Calve Raises - 200 - 4x12
60 sec. R.I.

LoadedBats

Upper:

warm-ups

A1 - Neutral Grip Pull ups - BW - 5x6
60 sec.
A2 - Single Arm OH DB press - 50lb - 5x6
60 sec.


B1 - Bench Press - 205 - 3x6
60 sec.
B2 - Chest supported - 140 - 3x8
60 sec.

C1 - Face Pulls - 100 - 3x10


Single Arm OH DB press is a new addition - I'm going to use this on monday's, to help strengthen and prehab my shoulder, Thursday's i'll use BB overhead Press.

LoadedBats

Lower:

dynamic warm-up

A1 - Full/Olympic Squats - 265 - 5x5
60 sec.
A2 - Lying Leg Curls - 100 - 4x10
60 sec.

B1 - Rev. Hypers - 60 - 4x10
60 sec.
B2 - Calve Raises - 230 - 4x12
60 sec.

abs

Friday/Saturday's Lower will be:

A1 - Deadlift - 5x5
60 sec.
A2 - Front Squat - 4x10 (light)
60 sec.

B1 - Calve Raises - 4x12
30 sec.
B2 - Leg Raises - 4x15
30 sec.

LoadedBats

Upper:

A1 - Bench Press - 225 - 4x6
60 sec. R.I.
A2 - Pull-Ups - BW - 4x6
60 sec. R.I.

B1 - OH Barbell Press - 105 - 4x10
60 sec. R.I.
B2 - One arm DB row - 60's - 4x10
60 sec. R.I.

Face Pulls - 80 - 4x10

LoadedBats

Lower:

dynamic warm-up

A1 - Front Squats - 210 - 4x6
60 sec.
A2 - Lying Leg Curls - 100 - 4x10
60 sec.

B1 - Rev. Hypers - 60 - 4x10
60 sec.
B2 - Calve Raises - 230 - 4x12
60 sec.

LoadedBats

Upper:

A1 - BB Behind the Neck Press - 95 - 4x6
60 sec. R.I.
A2 - Wide Grip Pulldowns to chest - 150 - 4x10
60 sec. R.I.

B1 - Chest Supported Rows (3 sec. hold@retraction) - 3 Plates - 4x6
60 sec. R.I.
B2 - Incline DB Press - 60's - 4x10
60 sec. R.I.

Scaption Raises - 15's - 4x10

LoadedBats

Lower:

dynamic warm-up

Deadlifts - 305 - 4x6
90-120 sec. R.I.
Back Squats (light) 185 - 4x10
90-120 sec. R.I.

Standing Calve Raises - 240 - 4x12
60 sec.

LoadedBats

Wow, I forgot about this journal, been a while since I posted training in here. I haven't quit training, i've been using a conjugate training method which i like. I tried Mark Rippetoe's Starting strength Routine for about 2 and half months, but got bored to death.

It's a solid program, very back to basics, and i liked it. But I got a case of training A.D.D lately so I went back to an upper/lower conjugate style.

anyhow, Here's what i did monday and tuesday.

Monday: RE Upper

Incline Press - 185 - 3X12,10,10
Overhand chins - BW - did sets till my total reps were 40
face-pulls - 100 - 3 sets of 12
Standing OH BB press - 115 - 3x10 (easy)
BB shrugs - 225 - 3x12
Skullcrushers - 65?? - 3 sets of 20

Note: My right elbow gives me problems from an old injury. Whenever i do any direct extension for triceps i sometimes get a sharp pain, so i really lightened the load and am just trying to get a feel and do these with high reps to help rehab them.


Tuesday - RE lowerbody

Back Squats (normal Olympic stance) - 235 - 3x10 (done with a 2 second pause at the bottom)
Leg Curls - 135 - 3x10
Straight back Good Mornings (wide stance) - 115 - 3x12
Calve raises
ab work

Note: trying to get used to good mornings again. I'm going to work on getting strong at these. 115 seemed light.

the other half

great to see you made it back. w/o's look good, from earlier this year.
elbow pain is such a downer. i have that also when i try to do skull crushers or over head extensions.
where is your weight sitting at know. do u do much cardio, besides the jump rope?

"katt's spotter"
" its not how much u can benchpress. its how much other people think u can." bob chicherillo

katt

Looking at your numbers, it looks like you've made lots of progress since February..

LoadedBats

Today is ME upper day:

Barbell Flat bench press (medium grip) - pushupsx5,135x5,185x5,205x3,225x3,245x3,265x3,275x 3,295x3
Flat DB press - 70's - 3 sets to failure
Barbell Rows - 155 - 4x10,10,10,8 (pause at the top)
Rear delt machine - 90 - 4x12
dB shrugs
db curls

Notes:
- I don't work up to a 'true Max'. I typically workup to a maximum triple on ME days.

- I have found that i like the rear delt machine better than rear delt flies with dumbells, it just seems like they work the back and posterior delts better for me.
- I'm not sure what i did with the db shrugs or curls. I prefer the barbell over DBs for shrugs. I tend to go lighter with DB's and do pretty high reps (like 20's) because it seems like the only way i get anything out of these.
- I hate the gym i train at.

the other half

nice work on the bench. that would probably blow my shoulders out.
do u have a different gym around that u can go to.
and r u a steelers or an eagles fan?

"katt's spotter"
" its not how much u can benchpress. its how much other people think u can." bob chicherillo

LoadedBats