Thread: Better Than I've Ever Been (Classic)

Here are the results of yesterday's pull workout. Overall, it went pretty well.

DB Rows: 80x10; 90x8; 90x6 (grip is a major issue - need to wear some gloves or bring my straps next time)

Wide grip, full rom, pull ups: 4 x 7 reps with bodyweight.

Romanian Deadlifts: 135x10; 225x8; 225x8

Lat Pulldowns: 180x10; 270x10; 320x6 (felt nice. 270 was surprisingly easy, so I gave 320 a shot.)

Reverse Flyes: 70x12; 85x10

Bicep Curls: 35x10; 40x8

Depth Jumps: skipped these to give ankle a little more time to heal

Supermans: also skipped these

I had a surprisingly good Push workout today! I say surprisingly since Ive been totally stressed out about work, and didnt sleep all that well last night.

Incline DB Press 50x8; 65x10; 75x8; 75x4. (last set sucked, but I was pretty happy getting 8 reps in at 75! Most Ive done in a while, and only tried it since someone was using the 70lb DBs for like an hour)

DB Push Press 25x10; 40x8; 50x8; 55x6

BB Front Squats 95x8; 115x8 (felt very good... was a little worried how my ankle would hold up (just coming off a sprain) but it felt great)

BB Jump Squats 95x8; 115x8 (felt great. Ive read that one should keep the weights relatively low when doing jump squats, so while these were relatively easy to do, I didnt amp up the weights)

Machine Flyes 220x10; 250x8

Reverse Cable tricep pushdowns 47x12; 52x10

Front and Side Shoulder Raises 15x10; 15x10

Hey all,

had a good workout today for the most part. Just trying to keep it moving along!

DB Rows

50x8; 80x8; 90x8; 90x8 (felt pretty good. I really need to work on my grip tho, and my left hand gives out quicker than my right. Next pull workout I HAVE to remember to bring my straps or something, bc my grip is holding me back on this)

WG Pull Ups

bwx7; bwx7; bwx7 (felt pretty good, but my shoulder was bothering me, so i didnt push it)

Romanian Deadlifts

135x8; 225x6; 225x6; 225x6; 225x5 (felt good, in hindsight I probably did too many sets/reps. more certainly is not always better)

Hammer Machine Pull Downs

180x10; 270x8; 320x8; 360x4 (these felt awesomely easy! 320 was my previous best, and I was able to crank out 8 reps fairly easily! Tried 360... could only get 4 reps, but whatever, im still happy)

DB Curls

35x10; 40x8

Box Jumps/depth jumps

bwx5; bwx5; bwx5 (I did these essentially as a superset. Jump up onto the box, and then do a depth jump off the box. Not sure if this is a good idea or not, but seemed like an efficient way to get off the box for the next jump)

Good luck with the new journal

Thanks Sara!

Had a decent workout today, but my energy very quickly waned. Started off strong, but at the end I had no energy and seriously felt faint. So I cut an exercise or two and called it a day.

Incline DB Press 50x10; 70x10; 70x10; 70x9. Pretty happy about almost going 3 sets at 10 reps each with the 70lb DBs. slow and steady progress

Front Squats 95x10; 135x6; 135x5. 95 felt very light, but I started to quickly tire at 135. Might have been pushing myself a little too much.

DB Push Press 40x8; 50x8; 55x6. Ehhh... this was the beginning of the end. It seems I was worn out after the incline press, and all the rest of my lifts sucked.

Machine Chest Flies 220x10; 250x8

Reverse Tricep Cable Extensions 50x10; 60x10

Shoulder Prehab skipped

BB Jump Squats skipped


Well... my energy was horrible today. Maybe cause work has been a real stress lately, and my sleeping has been off. Luckily, the big stressful event at work ended yesterday, so hopefully I can get more rest. Next workout is Saturday.

Had a really good workout today! I was a little worried, since I cheated and had a 20 oz milkshake a couple of hours before the workout, but my lifts were pretty good nonetheless. When I first started lifting, I used to hate the pull type lifts (only wanted to do chest and arms, lol). But now that I have reformed my ways due to this site, pull day is by far my favorite day!

DB Rows

[50x7; 65x4- warmup] 90x9; 95x9; 100x6. Wow. These felt incredibly easy, and I probably could have gone for 8 reps at hte 100lb DBs. These are all PRs! the difference? Well, I finally remembered to bring straps. Grip failure was holding me back big time. I was a little awkward at using the straps today, but hopefully I will get better at it with time.

Pull Ups BWx7; BWx9; BWx8

Romanian Deadlifts 135x8 (warmup); 225x6; 245x6; 245x6

Hammer PullDowns 180x6 (warmup); 270x10; 320x8; 370x4. Well, the last set was a little too heavy for me, at least in terms of my rep range goal. But I thought I would go crazy today and give it a shot.

Reverse Machine Flies 85x10; 100x10

DB Curls 40x8; 35x10

Box Jumps followed by Depth Jump off the box bwx6; bwx5; bwx5; bwx5

Originally Posted by 33sun33

Had a really good workout today! I was a little worried, since I cheated and had a 20 oz milkshake a couple of hours before the workout, but my lifts were pretty good nonetheless. When I first started lifting, I used to hate the pull type lifts (only wanted to do chest and arms, lol). But now that I have reformed my ways due to this site, pull day is by far my favorite day

I bet that milkshake got you going

Im a bit late posting Monday's Push workout, but here it is:

Had a fairly bad workout today. Not sure if it was due to a hectic day at work, bad diet or what, but everything seemed heavier than usual and I ran out a steam very quickly. Hopefully I can pick things up next Push workout.

Incline DB Press 70x7; 70x7; 70x7. I was hoping to get around these numbers (or a rep or two better) with the 75lbs, but this was hard enough! My performance actually decreased from my last push day.

DB Push Press 50x8; 50x7; 50x6. Same thing here. Not a good performance.

Front Squats 95x10; 135x6; 135x6.

BB Jump Squats skipped... I was dead by this time

Machine Flies 250x8; 220x10

Tricep Ext skipped

Shoulder Prehab skipped


All in all a pretty horrible workout.

I had an OK workout today. Not great, but not bad like my last Push workout on Monday.

DB Rows 80x10; 90x10; 100x6. Decent numbers. Still having trouble using straps on the DBs, and its a little annoying to retighten the straps and such when I switch hands. So this workout I actually ditched the straps altogether. On the 100lb DBs grip was a problem, and after every two reps I had to sit the DB down and readjust my grip. Argghh...

RDLs 135x8; 225x6; 245x6; 265x3.

Pull Ups bwx7; bwx10; bwx10. Pretty decent reps for me today. Im still not sure if current wisdom is to do pull ups or chins; and if wide grip means width is really a myth, etc... So today, I kept my palms facing away from me, but did not go wide grip. Instead I just used a "neutral" width (shoulder width) grip. That made pull ups so much easier than wide!! Im pretty sure if I keep using the neutral grip Ill start repping out over 10 every set, and eventually will have to add weight (maybe I should do so now?)

Hammer Machine Pull Downs 270x10; 320x8. Pretty easy... could have done a third set with heavier weights but didnt see the point. I also wonder if I should be doing this exercise at all - ive heard rumblings that it can be bad for your shoulders (and I already have ac joint shoulder problems)

Reverse Flies 100x10; 100x10

DB Bicep Curls 35x10; 40x8

Box Jumps SS with depth jumps bw x5; bwx5; bwx4; bwx5 (at 11th level height)

All in all a decent workout. Still bulking, but admittedly not eating as much as I should (I actually find it easier to NOT eat rather than to eat in massive quantities). But Im likely only bulking for another week, and then Ill start a new cut. Didnt weigh myself or check BF, but I estimate Ill need to cut about 10lbs of fat to get where I want to be this summer (sub 10% bf).

Hey all. Had a pretty good workout today, even though its a couple of days late (decided to make an impromptu trip to NYC this weekend and thus couldnt work out).

Incline DB Press 50x8 (warmup); 70x10; 75x8; 75x6. This was definitely an improvement from my last Push day. Happy with 10 reps at 70... now i just have to work on getting the reps up on that last set!

Front Squats 95x10; 135x8; 135x7. Pretty decent here. Still trying to nail the form, and avoid any (more) back problems.

BB JUmp Squats skipped yet again. Just feel wierd doing loud and attention grabbing jump squats at the squat rack during prime time at the gym. Either I have to just deal with it, drop this from my routine, or start going to the gym when its mostly deserted. Option 1 is probably the best.

DB Push Press 50x8; 55x7

Standing Alternating DB Shldr Press 25x10; 35x10

Machine Flies 220x10; 250x6

Cable Reverse tricep Ext 70x12; 80x10

gosh, this name looks so familiar, but where have i seen it before. hey there mr. 33, good to have you back agian.

i see the workouts are still pretty decent.
hope the ankle gets better, there is nothing worse than a good tweaked ankle.

maybe you can get on the seniors league basket ball team. they wont be so hard on you

Originally Posted by the other half

gosh, this name looks so familiar, but where have i seen it before. hey there mr. 33, good to have you back agian.

i see the workouts are still pretty decent.
hope the ankle gets better, there is nothing worse than a good tweaked ankle.

maybe you can get on the seniors league basket ball team. they wont be so hard on you

Hey TOH! How are things? Thanks for checking in - Ill try to be more vigilant about tracking progress online. Ankle is fine, but yeah - playing ball with these young kids is definitely not good for my health!

Had a fine workout today. I might have to drop the DB Rows due to a weak grip though. I just cant seem to hold onto the 95lb/100lb DBs for more than 6 reps. Straps kinda work, but they are awkward and really mess up my timing (adjusting straps for each hand during a single set). Gloves just make my grip worse. Oh well... Ive been looking for a reason to go back to Yates rows.

DB Rows 60x8 (warmup); 85x10; 95x8; 95x8

Romanian Deadlifts 135x8 (warmup); 225x6; 245x6; 265x4; 275x4

Pull Ups bwx8; bwx10; bwx10

Reverse Flies 100x10; 115x10

Hammer PullDowns 180x10 (warmup); 270x10; 320x8; 340x8

DB Curls 35x10;40x8

Had a fine workout today, after a week long absence from the gym due to the stomach flu!! Given that I couldnt really eat anything at all for the last few days, I decided it was an opportune time to start my summer cut. Weight right now is 205lbs, and my goal is to get down to 8% bodyfat (need to measure my body fat right now, but I think 8% BF on me will be around 195lbs). Diet has been pretty good the last couple of days since getting over the flu, and my workout today was decent considering. Probably going to drop my reps to the 6-8 range while in a caloric deficit. But Ill stick to a Push-Pull workout, at least until May when Ill be playing basketball 3 times a week (thinking of modifying my workout to a push-legs-pull at that point).

Incline DB Press
55x6; 70x6; 70x6; 75x6

Front Squats
95x8; 115x6; 135x6

BB Push Press
95x6; 115x6; 135x4

Machine Flyes
255x6; 235x6

Tricep Reverse pulldown
60x10; 70x8

Jump Squats
No jump squats today, as I played basketball the night before.

Pretty good workout today. Diet on this cut is mostly in check. My problem usually isnt eating too much, but not eating enough (or cutting calories too quickly). But so far my strength hasnt dropped.

Romanian Deadlifts

[135x10] 225x6; 255x6; 275x4

Yates Rows

135x10; 185x10; 225x6; 225x4. I havent done Yates Rows for a long while. Happily surprised with these numbers.

Pull Ups

bwx8; bwx7; bwx8

Hammer Machine Pulldowns

270x8; 320x6

Reverse Machine Flyes

100x10; 115x10

DB Curls

35x10; 40x6

Planks

1.5 minutes; 1 minute

Had a good workout today, even though I couldnt do squats (urghhh) since these two dudes had tied up the only two squats racks in the gym for the entire time I was there. Probably could have worked in with them, but didnt want to be bothered with unracking and reracking weight all the time. So I did lunges instead. For the first time in a long time.... my legs hurt....

DB Incline Press

[50x8] 70x6; 75x6; 80x3. Very happy with these results! Surprised that 75 was relatively easy whilst on a cut

Machine Flyes

250x6; 265x6

Shoulder Raises

15lb x 12

Push Press

95x7; 115x6; 95x8 (standing press - not push)

DB Lunges
25x10; 30x8. Stopped here bc it was killing my legs!!! I really thought I tore something in my arse! Maybe I should start doing lunges for a while instead of front squats!

Reverse Tricep Cable Pull downs

70x6; 85x6

Core Work/Stretching

planks - 1.5 minute; 1 minute; Birddogs - 20 sec holds x 4;

Pullups BWx10, BWx10, bwx8. Really happy about getting two sets of 10 on pullups! PR

Romanian Deadlifts 225x6; 265x5; 265x5; 225x4

Yates Rows 185x10; 225x6; 225x4; 185x6

Hammer Pulldowns 270x6; 320x6; 340x4

DB Curls 35x10; 45x8

Box Jumps bwx5x3

good to hear that you are over the stomach sickness.

god, if i got to 8 % bf, i would weight maybe 175.

good luck on the cut.

oh and by the way, lunges always seem to put you in your place dont they?

delayed posting of my push workout. I think these numbers are right, but my memory may be off:

DB Incline Press

70x8; 70x8; 75x6

BB Push Press

115x6; 135x6

Standing BB Military Press

95x8; 95x6

Machine Flyes

265x6; 265x5

Cable Tricep Reverse

85x10; 85x8

Shoulder Raises

15x10; 15x10

Shoulder Prehab work w/ elastic bands

x2

Front Squats

95x10; 115x6; 115x6

Oh, how I love pull day!!! For some reason, pulling movements are just so much more fun to me now than pushing!

Pull Ups

bwx10; bwx10; bwx10. Very happy with these! First time, I think, I ever did 3 straight sets of 10 - and they all felt relatively easy. Even though Im on a cut, Im wondering if its time to start adding some weight?

Romanian Deads

[135x8 warmup/form] 225x6; 265x6; 275x3; 225x6. Pretty happy with my results. 275 was nice to hit, but still a little heavy for me

yates rows

[135x10 warmup] 225x6; 225x5; 225x4; 185x8. Pretty decent. 225 is a little too heavy for me to control with good form all the way to 6 reps tho, which is why I stopped short in later sets. I actually prefer doing DB rows, but still having major grip issues. But since Im cutting my volume a bit anyways, maybe Ill switch back to DB rows next week

Hammer Machine pulldowns

270x8; 360x6. The 360 I think was a PR, which is odd since Im on a cut. But on the other hand, I have cut down my volume a bit with less reps and heavier weight.

Reverse Flyes

115x10; 130x8

DB Curls
40x8; 40x8

I also did a bunch of core work (planks for 2 min hold then a 1 minute hold; birddogs; etc...). And I put in 20 minutes of HIIT on the bike and elliptical machines.

Alright, so Ive been cutting for the last 1.5 weeks. Im using creatine, and before my cut I was eating a lot (or trying to - eg, bulking) and using higher reps, etc...

During my cut, I have dropped the volume down a bit and have continued with the creatine, while trying to cut calories. I will be perfectly honest and state that my cut the last week has NOT been perfectly clean or on point. I went out with my girl for some ice cream during a particularly nice warm day earlier this week, and also had some pizza on another day.

I know, I know... very bad behavior. But with a few exceptions, Ihave been following my diet pretty well.

Anyways, here is the kicker. Ive actually increased in weight from 205lb to 209lbs. Whats up with that? I can understand staying the same weight (eg, not making progress), but four pounds?

Here is the other kicker. I dont feel like Im much fatter. I actually feel stronger and more muscular. Is it possible that those 4 lbs are not all fat?

Anyways, Im going to stick to my cut, and be more vigilant about my diet. Im going to try to put in some cardio every day (started playing basketball again), so I should see results eventually. I know it wont happen overnight, but my goal is to cut 10lbs in 6 weeks or so.

Hey all,

Had a pretty good Push workout today, which was the first of a new Push-Legs-Pull plan I will be following. Any suggestions are welcome. I decided to switch things up to avoid overtraining the legs, as I plan on playing basketball 3-4 times a week while cutting over the next month or two. Here is what it looks like:

Push (Monday)

Incline DB Press: 3-4x6
BB Push Press: 4x4-6
Flyes: 2x6-8
Standing DB Alternating Shldr Press: 2x6-8
Tricep Cables: 2-3x6-8
Rotator Cuff Band work

Legs (Wednesday)
Squats or Lunges: 4x4-8
RDLs: 4x4-6
Jump Squats: 2x6
Various Core work (planks, birddogs, supermans, etc...)
[I know this is a little unbalanced - probably should add some ham curls in here]

Pull (friday)
Weighted Pull Ups: 4x6-8
DB Rows: 4x6-8
Pulldowns: 2x4-6
Yates Rows: 2x4-6
DB Bicep Curls: 2x6-8

I plan on doing HIIT after most workouts, as well as playing BBall on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays

One interesting thing Ive noticed since starting my "cut" is that my weight has increased by a few pounds, and Im lifting a little bit heaviers. I have a number of theories as to why this is happening.

First, maybe this is coincidental and Im just seeing some late gains from my bulk, and it will be harder to maintain this intensity as I enter a caloric deficit

Second, maybe Im actually in a caloric excess. During the bulk, I admittedly did not keep close track of everything I was eating. I tried to eat as much as possible (clean foods), and eat 6 times a day. But during the cut, Im paying much closer attention to what I eat, and have planned meals for every day. My current diet looks like this:

Breakfast: 4 egg whites, 1 egg yolk, 1/2 cup steel cut oats, various veggies (usually mushrooms and asparagus for my omelette), 1/5 cup of lf cheese, 1 tbsp of lf sour cream; 1 tbsp of smart balance, 1/2 apple (this is by far my biggest meal of the day)

Meal 2: Protein shake with 0 carbs

Lunch: Big salad of various greens, 1 can albacore tuna, 1 tbsp mayo, 1 tsp mustard, some spices, 1 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Meal 3: Protein Shake with 0 carbs

Dinner: Grilled chicken/fish/lean pork, veggies (usually roasted), sometimes a sweet potato


But for whatever reason Im up from 205lb to close to 210lbs, and Im lifting heavier than before. It may also be due to a decreased volume in the gym (6 reps rather than 8-12). But my physique looks as good, or actually better in the mirror so Im not too mad or worried. Ill try to take my BF measurement soon.

Without further ado, here are my results for my new push day:

Incline DB Press

50x8 (warmup); 70x6; 75x6; 80x5 (very happy with this last set)

BB Push Press

95x6; 115x6; 135x5; 135x5 (also happy with last two sets... maybe be a PR)

DB Shldr Press, standing and alternating

35x8; 45x6

Machine Flyes

265x5; 250x6; 235x6

Rotator Cuff work
various exercises using bands - this has been helping my problem ac joints out a lot

Tricep Cable Pushdown

uhh.. forgot to do these

Cardio

hiit for 12 minutes on recumbent bike

Played some basketball for 30 minutes in the park. good times. ankle felt good, my shot was on point, but legs still dont have spring in them

Had a good workout today. Some of my numbers keep creeping up, even tho Im on a cut. Also found out the scale at the gym is broken, so hopefully I havent actually gained 5 lbs since starting the cut.

Weighted Pull Ups

bwx10; bw +22.5lb x 5; bw+20lb x5; bw+20lbx5. First time I was ever able to do weighted pull ups!!! It felt awesome, even though I can only pull a 20lb DB between my legs. Pretty sure I could get a couple of reps in at 25lbs. Maybe next time.

DB Rows

80x8; 90x6; 100x6 (grip was failing.. had to reset for last two reps); 105lb x 3 (grip really really limited me on this last set... very annoying). If anyone has a suggestion about maintaining grip during DB rows, let me know. I tried straps - they work, but very annoying to use on dumbbells.

Hammer Machine Pulldowns

320x6; 370x5. Last set was pretty hard, but also a lot of weight for me.

Yates Rows

145x10 (wm); 225x6; 225x4 (fail). Failed on last set, NOT due to my back, but bc of grip again!!! very annoying. At least with Yates rows, I know straps will work well. Guess I need to start bringing straps every pull day now.

DB Curls (accessory)

40x8; 45x8

Elliptical HIIT

15 minutes

Diet (so far)

breakfast: 1/2 cup oats (1tblsp smart balance and raisins); 4 egg whites, 1 whole egg with mushrooms an 1/4 cup lf cheese (too much cheese, I know)

pwo shake: protein shake with creatine (approx 120 cals, 45 g protein.. no carbs.. I need to get a shake mix with carbs, or just eat something else)

lunch: two veggie chicken patties, two slices whole wheat bread, 1tbsp mayo, some mustard, 1/8 cup lf cheese, some tomatoes

snack 2: protein shake

dinner: girlfriend is making pasta florentine (spinach) with chicken sausage. also had tomatoes and avocado as appetizer. Havent crunched the macros, but dinner will probably be more carbs than I need, but hey..

Had a decent workout today.

Front Squats

95x8; 115x6; 135x5; 135x5. Actually pretty happy with how (relatively) easy 135 felt on the front squats. Not big numbers, but my best in a while since Ive taken things slow with squats after hurting my back a year or so ago. Hopefully once I go back to a bulk later in the summer or fall, I can see those numbers really go up.

Romanian Deadlifts

225x6; 225x6; 265x5; 275x3.

BB Jump Squats

95x6; 95x6

Swiss Ball Ham Leg Pulls
2x8
Not sure what to call this, but its when you lay on your back, with your heels on a swiss ball, and then get into a plank type position and pull the swiss ball under your body with your legs. I couldnt think of another ham workout (didnt want to just do ham curls- they always seem like such a waste), so I threw this in. This exercise actually made my hams cry much more than the many deadlifts!

Various Core/Abs work
Planks: 2 minute hold; 1.5 minute hold
Swiss ball crunch: 1x25
various stretching re back
Weighted Cable side bends - 65x12; 80lbs x10

I really dont know what to do, or how many exercises to perform, for core work on this day. Planks are a must (maybe I should do more than just two static holds). I kinda like a bit of weighted work (eg, the side bends and regular crunches). Im thinking I should throw some leg raises and maybe birddogs in there too?
Weighted Crunches - 150x12; 170x10; 190x6

Played basketball in the park yesterday. My shot is perfect, but I still dont have any spring in my legs. I think, since Im already cutting, that I might as well integrate the vertical jump bible training into my regimen this summer. That will basically mean that I will do jump training on Sundays and Wednesdays, and Push on Tuesday and Pull on Friday. Ill probably give the first jump day a shot tomorrow, and will post my results (and modified program).

Anyways, today was push day. Went OK, but I really ran out of energy fast and was feeling faint towards the end of the workout.

Incline DB Press

55x6; 70x8; 75x6; 75x6; 75x5

BB Push Press

95x6; 135x4; 135x4; 135x4

Machine Flyes

250x6; 265x6

Alternating Standing DB Shldr Press

35x8; 40x6

Tricep Cable Pull down

72.5x6; 65x9

Shoulder Prehab with Bands
x2

Planks

1.25 minutes. Stopped after one set since I really felt faint by this time. I feel much better now that I ate! damn i hate cutting