Dan's westside training journal

[sftwrngnr]

Me Bp

Howdy all,
Thanks for the sage words of advise and encouragement SF. I truly do appreciate it.

Bench
115X8 <-- Shoulder and left arm are screaming in protest... grr
135X5
155X3
165X3
175X3
180X1
190X1
200X0 <---- Should have had this, but didn't get full lockout

Incline Bench
90X8
110X5
120X5
135X3
145X1

Iso Lat Bench
114X8
134X5
144X5 <--- shoulder hurts real bad, so am gonna stop for now.

Curls
55X10
45X10
70X5
90X5
110X2
120X0

Shrugs (I know these don't have ANYTHING to do with my goals, but I like what happens to my traps ... How many software engineers do you know that have massive shoulders? LOL)
135X10
225X10
315X5
365X5
385X5
405X5
425X5

Triceps Pressdowns
70X10
80X5
90X5
115X5

Lat Pulldowns
120X8
135X5
150X5
165X5
180X3

Cable Rows
120X8
135X5
150X5
165X5 <-- Gotta go to work !

Summary: Took about 48 minutes to complete. I need to speed things up a little bit so I can get more triceps in (probably by eliminating shrugs, although I was doing shrugs and curls during rest sets). My right shoulder (which had a distal repair) was bothering me today. I feel a good pump in my chest, which makes me happy.... I will beat it into submission . Didn't totally finish my workout, but I'm happy with it.

 

[sftwrngnr]

Rest... what rest

Today was supposed to be a rest day. However, I bounced out of bed at 4:20 am, with my head full of software bug fixes, and various other thoughts, so I went to the gym. I will be the first to admit that I hate ab work. However, I need to do it, in the interest of improving my overall body .

Crunch Machine
40X10
50X10
60X10
60X10

Kneeling Crunches (with pully... don't know what these are called)
110X10
120X10
130X10
140X10

Spread Eagle Situps... these are way harder than you'd think... Atherjen... you masochistic wench!
10
10
10

Curls
60X10
70X10
80X10

Decline Situps
15
15
15
15

Vertical Leg Raises
10
10
10
10

Actually a good workout. I am sure that I'll regret this tomorrow, but I'm going to do it anyway .

 

[sftwrngnr]

Speed squats

I was actually supposed to do speed dl/squat day yesterday. I didn't make it to the gym yesterday... had to work late, and I had gotten up late, so it just didn't happen.

Since ME DL is Monday, I went light today.

Box Squats
135X2
155X2
175X2
185X2
205X2
225X2
245X2

Speed DL I actually used a machine for these that allowed me to grip differently. It also didn't have an actual bar... the movement was the same, although without the bar, made a big difference
135X2
135X2
405X2
495X2
585X2 !! Didn't realize that not having the bar in front of me made that much difference. Could have done more, but didn't. I actually came up fast enough that my feet almost left the ground at the top. Clearly I have the strength to go heavier on deads!!

Curls
55X10
60X10
80X10
90X5
100X5
110X5

Gripping exercise
315
405
495
585
675
735... full 10 count

Kneeling ab crunches
110X10
120X10
130X10
140X10
150X10

Hanging Leg Raises
15
15
15
15

Good workout. I was very happy with my overall strenght and focus. Must have had some sort of stress relief on Friday, or something, because I was super focused, and felt very strong.

 

[sftwrngnr]

Speed Bench (8/15)

Had a bit of a rushed workout today, so it was abbreviated.
Bench
135X5
155X5
175X3
175X2
175X2
175X2

Curl
70X10
80X10
90X10
100X10
110X5
120X5

Shrugs
135X10
225X10
315X10
385X10
405X10
455X10

Had to go, so workout was short.

 

[sftwrngnr]

Me Dl (8/16)

Felt a little sluggish today. Realities of Monday and having to go back to work.

Box Squats
135X2
205X2
225X2
245X2
265X2
285XSQUISH... dangit!

Deadlifts
225X8
275X5
315X3
325X3
345X3
365X3
385X3
405X3
455X1
475X1
495X0 <-- Got it started but couldn't make it... strength feels better...

Looked at the clock, and had to bolt to work.

 

[Saturday Fever]

I REALLY like what you did with your DE Bench Day.

Where is the deadlift failing? Perhaps some small variations to the ROM could get you through 495 and moving onward again.

 

[sftwrngnr]

Hey back SF,
Not entirely sure what the deal is with D/L. I was able to get it a couple of inches off the ground, and that was it. Not sure if I just gave up or what the deal is. I'm going to add the machine I used on Saturday, and a squat machine as well. I KNOW the strength is there, because I pulled up 585 like it was nothing when I was doing speed work. I also noticed, that on box squats, I'm still super weak... sigh. I know, be patient... I guess the good news, is that at least my strength is coming back. Needless to say, no more "months off" from the gym!

On a different/interesting note, I noticed that my arms feel like they are getting bigger, so I measured... 17"... I have gained 1/2" since last measurement. Clearly curls work (LOL).

 

[sftwrngnr]

Rest... I'll have enough time to rest when I'm dead!

The alarm went off at 4:30 this morning... grrr... I packed my gym back, and went to the gym.

Cardio:
Eliptical machine 10 minutes

Crunch machine
50X10
60X10
70X10
80X10
90X6

Curls
55X10
60X10
70X10
80X6
90X5
100X3
110X0 <--- Just didn't have it in me

Kneeling Crunches
140X10
150X10
160X10
170X0 <--- GRRRR... someone popped in while I was on rest set, so stopped.

Dumb bell curls
40X10
40X7
45X5

Decent workout. I felt good to get crankin' early in the morning, and now I'm at work, ready to spew code like a mad man!

 

[sftwrngnr]

Me Bp

Bench
105X8
135X5
155X3
175X3
195X3
205X1
225X1
245X0 <-- got it started, but could not get lockout, so it doesn't count.

Incline Bench
105X8
135X5
155X2
175X2 <--- shaky here

Pin Presses
70X8
90X5
110X5
130X3
150X3
170X3

Military Press
70X8
90X5
100X5
110X3

Curls
70X10
80X5
90X5
100X3
110X0

Yates Rows
135X8
185X5
225X3

Chest Supported Rows <-- Did these between yates rows duh!
135X10
225X10
315X10
405X3

Tricep Pressdowns
70X10
80X10
90X10
100X5

Decent workout. Disappointed with not getting 245. I'm going to start hitting my triceps super hard, and am going to figure out what form works best with my bench. Today, I tried a slightly wider grip, and found that it doesn't hurt my shoulder as much.

 

[Saturday Fever]

Board or Pin Presses will help a lot. If you're sticking 4" up, set the pins 3" up and do reps. 4 sets of 6 or 8 sets of 3 should help a lot. Makes a good accessory lift.

 

[Saturday Fever]

Oh, and this is best done after doing close-grip or decline or some other bench variation as your ME. It wouldn't be too beneficial to do regular bench and then regular pin pressing. It wouldn't hurt, but you'd get better results adding the mix.

 

[sftwrngnr]

Stomach flu?? Ha... I have working out to do

So, I had some sort of stomach bug yesterday and today, but started feeling better this afternoon, so I went to the gym. I am changing my workout days a little so that I'll have more of a weekend, so that may screw some things up a little.

Speed DL

Box Squats
135X2
185X2
225X2
245X2
265X2
285Xsquish... grrr

D/L Machine Thingie... need to write down what this is
225X8
315X5
405X2
495X2
585X2
605X2
625X2
645X2
665X2
675X0... just didn't get it started, at all

S/L D/L
225X8
315X5
335X3
345X3
365X3
385X3
405X1 ... sooooper tired here.

Hack Squats
350X5
440X2
530X2
620X2
710X2
800X2
850X2
900X0 ... Blah... I got nothin'

So, on all of my leg and back work, I focused on explosive strength. Hacksquats looked ridiculous, because the sled was slamming up against the top of the assembly on my push up... People were staring... oh well .

Curls
70X10
80X10
90X10
100X5
110X5
120X2 <--- tried for five, and I just failed at 2 1/2. Am going to drop my curls to every other day, since they don't do anything for my powerlifting goals... however... I have a 12 year old daughter, so my thought is, that when I get my curls to around 220 or so, I ought to be able to scare the living crap out of anyone who shows up to date her . I noticed that some of the boys at the gym have "noticed" my daughter... grrrrrrrr... Don't be messin' with my baby girl...

 

[Saturday Fever]

Considering you worked in the 90-100% range for that entire session, I am simply in awe. Your level of intensity is incredible. Great session.

 

[sftwrngnr]

Speed bench

Hey SF, thanks as always for the encouragement. You have no idea how much I appreciate it! I have a question for you: on bench days, if I'm in a rush, what should be my focus? Today was such a day... I didn't get up as early as I needed to, so I had to rush my workout, and didn't get incline or decline bench in. Thanks in advance.

Bench (speed)
135X8
155X5
175X2
175X2
175X2
155X2
135X2

Lat Pull downs
90X10
110X8
130X8
150X5
170X5
190X5
210X3
230X3
250X3
270X 1/2 (Missed)

Yates Rows
135X8
155X5
175X3
195X3
205X3

Dumbell Rows (Done during rest set of yates rows
60X8
70X5
80X3
90X3
100X3

Good work. Was intense. Legs are super sore from yesterday. Am probably going to take the weekend off.

 

[Saturday Fever]

I have a question for you: on bench days, if I'm in a rush, what should be my focus?

I'd focus on lats and/or shoulders on DE day. On your ME day I'd focus solely on triceps when pressed for time.

 

[sftwrngnr]

Biceps, Triceps, and Abs... oh my??

Rest day? Whatever... LOL.

Eliptical
10 minutes, 1 mile ... got my ass soundly kicked by my oldest daughter

Curls
70X10
90X10
110X5

Shrugs
135X10
225X10
315X10
365X5
405X5

Grips (Hold bar for 10 count)
405 - Overhand grip, both hands
495 - Under/Over like deadlift
545
585
675 - 5 count
675 - 7 count
765 - 4 count

Triceps Press downs
80X8
90X5
100X3

Dumb bell triceps extensions (Not sure what they're really called
30X10
40X10
40X10
40X10

Curls -- gonna try dropsets here
90X8 -> 45X5
70X8 -> 45X5
70X8 -> 45X5
70X8 -> 45X5 <-- Daughter asked why I was straining so hard to get so little weight... gawd getting old sux.

Kneeling Ab Crunches
100X10
120X10
140X10
190X10 <-- Thats the stack... guess thats all she wrote

Crunch Machine
40X10
50X10
60X10
70X10

I'm not sure that I'm going to go to the gym tomorrow... if I do, it will likely be more abs and some more cardio... need to get rid of that tummy. On another note, my daughter said that my arms were definitely getting bigger.

 

[chiquita6683]

wow! your an animal!!! those lil pricks better leave ur daughter alone if they know whats good for em

 

[sftwrngnr]

Hi Chiq,
Thanks for stopping by!
Animal?? BLUSH! Hardly! I look at Saturday Fever's workouts and think "Geesh I've got a long way to go." I am happy with my progress though. I have noticed a marked change in the way my body looks, and believe that I will be in much better shape at 38 than I was at 18.
-Dan

 

[sftwrngnr]

And now for something completely different

Ok, so today is Sunday... technically Speed BP day. However, I mistakenly thought that I was taking Saturday AND Sunday off. I was in the mood, so...
Speed Bench Day it is . I know training 7 days a week is probably by definition overtraining. I sincerely doubt it'll happen again... I'm old. LOL.

Speed Bench
115X8
135X5
155X3
175X3
185X2
185X2
185X2
185X2
185X2

Chest Supported Rows
225X8
315X5
405X3
425X3
445X3
475X3
495X3 <-- Much to the shock of the 10 year old kids who were standing by the window...
545X2 <-- FAILURE

Lat Pulldowns
180X8
200X5
220X3
240X3
260X2 1/2 <-- Failure

Shrugs
135X10
225X10
315X5
405X3
455X2 <-- Failure ... Duh... did these yesterday

Yates Rows
135X8
155X5
175X3

Curls ... Dropsets
70X10 -> 45X5
90X5 -> 45X5
90X5 -> 45X5

Kneeling Crunches
120X10
130X10
170X10
190X10

Obliques (Using hyperextension thingie)
40X10
50X10
50X10

Cable Rows
240X5
270X3
280X3
300X3 <-- That's the stack...

Freakin' intense workout! Felt super good. I'll probably pay for it in the morning, but it felt really good.

 

[chiquita6683]

I know training 7 days a week is probably by
definition overtraining. I sincerely doubt it'll happen again... I'm old. LOL.

I'll probably pay for it in the morning, but it felt really good.

omg!!! sometimes ya gotta do what feels good

 

[sftwrngnr]

Me D/l

Bah! Super late getting to the gym.

Deadlifts
225X5
315X3
405X1
455X1
475X1
515X0
515X0 <-- pulled it up about 3"... should have had it! dammit!!

Deadlift Machine
315X3
405X3
BAH... have to go to work...

Considering how short the workout ended up being, I'm not real happy... needed to drag my ass up earlier! Will do better the rest of the week. I also know, now, that I can get 515 going.... I am going to try some things with my form to see if I can make some adjustments to it. I'm also going to do overloads with a 3" platform to get my starting explosive strength better.

 

[sftwrngnr]

Can't you just go somewhere on vacation...

Rest Shmest... I woke up this morning at 4:30, bright eyed and semi-bushy-tailed. Got to the gym, and much to my horror, my MP3 player is out of juice... blah... no Tunes. Oh well... Now... for the record, when I'm lifting, I listen to heavy metal, or rap... not sure why the rap... I just do (LOL). So... you'd think that in lieu of having my handy dandy mp3 player, thats what would be going around in my head... but NOOOOO... what I hear in my head, instead of say... AC/DC, DMX, 50Cent, Metallica... instead of ANY of those, what I hear is this song my oldest daughter was playing by some group called "A simple plan"... the chorus to the song goes something like this "Can't you just go somewhere on vacation... I'll book your flight, or pack your bags if ya want me too..." Yes, I hear my daughters little surfer dude band and goofy song in my head... for essentially my whole workout, which gave me this absolutely ridiculous smirk for the whole workout...

So... abs and arms baby...

Curls... Dropsets
70X10 -> 45X5
80X8 -> 45X5
90X5 -> 50X5
90X5 -> 50X5
80X5 -> 50X5
70X5 -> 50X5

Kneeling Crunches
140X10
150X10
160X10
170X10
180X10
190X10

Crunch Machine
60X10
70X10
80X8

Hammer Curls
40X10
50X8
60X5

Cable Curls of death (inspired by SF)
80X18->70X8->60X5->50X10->40X7 and my arms are shaking... and that stupid song is STILL rattling around in my head!

And I'm done... 30 minutes of that dopey song is about all I can take... LOL.

Oh.. forgot
Eliptical 10 minutes

 

[Saturday Fever]

Man, I hate having songs like that stuck in my head. Good session nonetheless.

 

[sftwrngnr]

ME BP day

I'm a day late... dang it!

Bench
105X8
135X5
155X3
175X3
195X1
215X1
235X0 ... dammit! Shoulder was NOT happy today

Lat Pull downs
90X8
180X5
200X3
210X3
220X3
240X3
260X2

Skull Crushers
70X10
70X10
70X8
70X8

Iso Lat Incline Press
90X8
100X5
110X3
120X3
130X3
140X0 <-- what happened here

Shrugs
135X10
225X10
315X5
325X3
345X3
355X3

Iso lat decline
90X8
110X5
130X3
150X3
170X3
180X3
210X3
230X3
250X1

Yates Rows
135X8
225X5
245X3
265X3

Triceps Pressdowns
70X5
60X5
60X5 <-- super weak on tris... gonna fix that

Lat Raises
20X8
25X5
30X3
40X3 <--- Shoulders are screaming in protest
45X1

Curls
70X8 ->45X5
80X5 ->45X5
90X5 ->45X5

And I'm off to work... have to do a better job of being ready to workout the second I get to the gym. I took a good 20 minutes wasting time with my MP3 player, gloves, etc... Decent workout... pissed about still being stuck with no PR on bench for this month... however... Tuesday is the last day of the month, and I just may do ME BP on Tuesday instead.

 

[Saturday Fever]

I'm wondering if you're working in too high an intensity range. The majority of your work is coming in the form of triples or even singles. That's averaging in the 85-95% range for intensity. One thought to ponder is doing your main lift, and maybe one other, at a very high level of intensity, and then scaling the rest of the work down to sets of 6-8. This will provide your body with a load capable of increasing strength but won't be as taxing on your CNS. Should leave lots of fuel leftover for your ME work from session to session.

 

[sftwrngnr]

So,
I was guilted into staying home instead of going to the gym this morning. My 2 year old started whimpering when I got my gym back ready and started heading out the door... I'm such a softie (LOL). She has THE most beautiful big blue eyes, and when she started screaming "come back come back," well... I just couldn't leave. At any rate, today is supposed to be speed deadlift day. I am going to workout tomorrow (lightly), primarily am going to do some work trying to figure out the particulars of my deadlift form so that I can go for a PR on Monday.

On another note, I read several of Dave Tate's articles, and am going to change my routines slightly so that I'm not going for a max on the SAME lift every time. I'm also going to see how things go with pushing for a 1RM on deadlifts once a month instead of every week (LOL). I'm also going to increase the intensity. I'm starting to carpool with a couple of coworkers, so I have to be at the gym, working out at 5:00 sharp. I will have exactly 45 minutes to get my workout done, so I'm going to have to be super focused.

 

[sftwrngnr]

Dave Tate's apparantly intractable rules of periodicity and ME

So... today initially started out to be an abs and arms day... Then, realizing that I hadn't done speed deads on Friday, I decided... what the hell, I'll figure out what I'm doing wrong on my Dead... then of course, I opted to screw that, and just go for ME... bear in mind, that in one of Dave Tate's article, he says specifically, that you CAN NOT train ME on the same lift more than 3 weeks in a row... so... here we go:

Curls
40X10
70X10
80X10 -> 40X5
90X8 -> 40X5
100X4 -> 40X5
110X1

Shrugs
135X10
225X10
315X8
405X8
455X3


Deadlifts -- focused on explosive strength here
225X2
315X1
365X1
405X1
455x1
475X1
515X0
515X0
... Still don't like that answer: 515X1/2.. ok 515X0 dammit!

Deadlift Machine Note... this is the SAME movement, different grip, and slightly altered ROM
405X5
495X3
515X2
535X1
555X1
595X1
605X1
655X1 -> Struggled a little but got full lockout... I NEED to translate this to my real deadlift... curses!

Rack Pulls
290X5
380X3
470X3
560X3
650X1
670X1
710X1

Ok... so... Dave Tate is right, thats the end of it. I clearly need to "confuse" my body in terms of the ME work that I'm doing. Yes, I could have done ME deadlift on Monday, but you know what... I believe the result would be the same. Monday, I'm going to work on my deadlift form... Up to 455 felt super good... came off the floor like it was nothin'. I'm also going to incorporate pliometrics in, and I'll get my > 500 deadlift next month.

 

[sftwrngnr]

Speed bench... um... and then some

Howdy, so today is Sunday, speed bench day. I get to the gym, and am focused. I want to get in, work out, and be done.

Bench Focus on speed
135X3
155X3
175X3
185X2
185X2

Chest Support Rows
135X10
225X10
315X10
405X5

Yates Rows
135X10
225X8
245X5
265X3
285X3
295X2

Lat Pull downs
90X8
180X5
270X3
250X3
260X3

Gripping exercise Pull and hold for a 10 count
405
455
475
495
565 - 7 count
605 - 5 count

Decline Bench
90X8
110X5
130X5
150X3
170X3
190X3
210X3
220X3
240X3
260X3

Cable Rows
220X5
245X3
270X3
285X3
300X3

Hang Cleans
115X8
125X3
135X3

Curls (Dude was putting the weight on the bar for him... I'll work in)
70X10 -> 45X5
80X5 -> 45X5
90X5 ->45

And I'm done... until this guy that I call "the wifebeater" comes in. I refer to this guy as the wb, because he is amazingly disrespectful to his wife... orders her around like she's a trained dog... just totally pisses me off. Anyway... WB is doing legs, and he orders his wife to rack 3 plates on the squat machine. Now this woman is lucky if she ways 100 lbs, so hefting 3 45 plates on each side was a chore for her... this whole thing just infuriates me... fine ya little prick, you want to do legs.. I'll do legs:

Hack squats 30 second rest between sets... any number of cusswords thrown in under my breath (WB is doing the squat machine and grunting like a stuck pig... I'm saying horrible things like "Come on you punk ass muthafukka, give me some more.")
440X5
530X5
620X5
710X5
800X3 <-- Ummm... I think thats a PR... Full range of motion... slammed the sled hard enough when I was done that it moved the machine back a good 3".

WB does SL/DL with 105 for sets of 8... I do deadlift machine

Deadlift Machine
405X5
495X3
585X3
675X1
695X1

WB looks to be done with SL DL... I ask him how many sets he has left... he says he's done, and orders his wife to unrack his weight. I intercede, and say its ok, that I'll be going up from there.

SL/DL
225X5
315X5
365X5
385X5
405X3

At this point WB leaves, and I dare say that he looked a little afraid, and if nothing else, he has at least some respect for me.

As for me... well, that was one seriously intense workout. I sincerely doubt I'll be doing legs tomorrow. I'm thinkin' abbies, cardio, and I'm done.

 

[sftwrngnr]

Its Monday

So, I get to the gym at 5:00, on the dot...

Eliptical Machine 5 minutes (legs are absolutely killing me)

Kneeling Ab Crunches
150X10
160X10
170X10
180X10
190X10

Crunch Machine
60X10
70X10
80X10
90X10

Deadlifts - Focus on form... weight not important
135X2
225X2
315X2
405X1

I tried a couple of variations, including "sumo style" and worked on making sure to round my shoulders, look up, etc. It occurred to me that this was one of the primary differences between using the D/L machine, and just the bar... the machine "forces" you into a predefined range of motion, so your form ends up naturally being correct.

I am going to record my diet as I go along, starting with today. I know my diet is screwed up, and I believe the first step to fixing it is to record what I'm eating.

Meal 1: 1 pkg Quaker Instant Oatmeal Peaches and cream flavor
Meal 2: 9 mini rice cakes, protein drink.
Meal 3: Salad, no croutons, 6 sugar free "Mother's checkerboard wafers".
Meal 4: None
Meal 5: Steak, Salad, 12 sugar free "Mother's checkerboard wafers".

 

[chiquita6683]

.

And I'm done... until this guy that I call "the wifebeater" comes in. I refer to this guy as the wb, because he is amazingly disrespectful to his wife... orders her around like she's a trained dog... just totally pisses me off. Anyway... WB is doing legs, and he orders his wife to rack 3 plates on the squat machine. Now this woman is lucky if she ways 100 lbs, so hefting 3 45 plates on each side was a chore for her... this whole thing just infuriates me...