Tuesday 27 August 2013

Bank Holiday Moan-day

See what I did there?

So then - first session of my slightly different training regimen.  Session 1 - chest.  Lighter weights, so easier.  Or so I thought.

ChestFlat Bench Press - 1 x 10 @ 60kg, 3 x 12 @ 80kg
Incline Dumbbell Press - 1 x 10 @ 25kg, 1 x 12 @ 25kg, 2 x 12 @ 22.5kg
Dumbbell Flye - 3 x 12 @ 15kg
Dip - 3 x 12 @ 90lb assistance
Cable Crossover - N/A (equipment not available during the entire session)
Dumbbell Pullover - 3 x 12 @ 15kg
Weighted Sit Ups - 3 x 12 @ 15kg

So then...  That hurt.  Quite a bit more than I expected, to be honest.  I dropped the warmup set once I'd actually warmed up (the bench press and incline DB press ensured that I was warmed up enough).

Bench press was difficult - I was surprised how much different 12 reps were.

I had to drop the weight down slightlt on the incline DB press, being pre-fatigued was a real killer - normally I give the previous muscle group a rest and work on a push/pull type of routine.  But the lack of rest was difficult.

The flye was OK, and I was struggling by the end, so I think I got that weight pretty much spot on.

Dips - when I was training before, I was 2 stone lighter and able to press more (but for less reps), even so, I've come down considerably in terms of strength.  I'll get back there though.

Cable crossover - the machine was unavailable throughout my entire gym session, so I had to give that one a miss.

DB pullover felt quite light, I think I'll move that up to 17.5kg next time.

Weighted sit ups went well.  Unsure whether to go up in weight or up in reps for that.

After those exercises, I felt a dull ache and generally tired.  So I'm pleased to report that I have full on man boob soreness today.

Next gym session is on Wednesday where I'll be giving my back a bit of a beasting.  Looking forward to that one as I gingerly return to deadlifting!

Thursday 22 August 2013

I think it's about time that I updated...

So then, training has taken a back burner as I've been up to my rugby balls in coaching commitments.  On the plus side, I have a women's rugby team that are almost ready to do battle at the second to top tier of club rugby available to them.  On the minus side, I have a belly and rapidly diminishing guns.  But, I am about to bring about changes to my trianing regime.

Previously, I have been training whole body and I've done either squat or deadlift at every training session.  This has yeilded some solid results and I'm stronger than I've ever been, which is very pleasing.  But, I was beginning to plateau in almost every aspect of training.

My aims are (by Christmas):

  • To be 2 stone lighter and still as strong.
  • To take at least 4" off my waist.
  • To have some definition to my shoulders/upper arms

I will do this by doing the following workout - each training session will roll on from the previous (as it's rare that I'll be able to train in the gym 5-6 days per week)...

Session 1 - Chest
Session 2 - Back
Session 3 - Shoulders
Session 4 - Legs
Session 5 - Arms

So, more of a 5 day bodybuilder split routine.  Each session will be done as follows...

All exercises are 3 x 12, with 1 set of 10 @ half weight for warming up.

Chest
Flat Bench Press
Incline Dumbbell Press
Dumbbell Flye
Dip
Cable Crossover
Dumbbell Pullover
Weighted Sit Ups

Back
Deadlift
Pull up
Barbell Row
Dumbell Row
Lat Pulldown (wide grip)
Shrug

Shoulders
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Arnold Press
Side Raise
Front Raise
Upright row
Weighted Sit Ups

Legs
Squat
Leg Press (single leg)
Lunge
Knee Extension
Hamstring Curl
Calf Raise

Arms
Close Grip Bench Press
Skull Crusher
Tricep Cable Extension
Close Grip Pulldown
Ez Curl Bar
Dumbbell Curl
Preacher Curl
Weighted Sit Ups

The sessions will be done in this order as it makes the most sense for the gym that I go to.

Also, I have a couple of weeks off work coming up, so on those days, I'll be able to stick to this plan fairly religiously for that fortnight.

However, as we're all aware; training is a three pronged attack.  Muscular stimulii is laid out above.  I also intend to eat cleanly, I'm not a fan of supplements as I think that (for my aims), I can get enough nutrients from food.  So, out goes the processed foods, in comes fresh fruit and veg.  Beer/alcohol will take a back seat - unless I've got a celebration on, there won't be any beer.  Lastly, rest.  When feeling particularly tired, take 2 rest days from the gym.  Make sure that I get ~7 hours sleep per night.

So, that's the plan.  The new training regime will start next week - first session on Tuesday morning.  How I hate training in the mornings...

Monday 25 March 2013

A Monday that I deserve?

Well, I'm off work for a couple of days, which means I can get my training done during the day.  Which is good - so, after a leisurely morning, I got to the gym at 10.30 and began training.

I've also decided to change my training protocol ever so slightly.  So, I am now doing a programme that will look a little like this...

Monday - Squat, bench, row, dip, hyper, weighted sit ups
Tuesday - Squat, press, deadlift, chin up, weighted sit ups
Friday - Squat, bench, row, dip, chin up, tricep extension, DB curl/preacher curl

I'll work in the following way... 1 x warm up set, 1 x intermediate set, 3 x working sets.  All 8 reps per set.

So today's workout was...

Squat: 70kg, 90kg, 3 x 125kg
Bench: 60kg, 70kg, 3 x 80kg
Row: 40kg, 50kg, 3 x 60kg
Dip: 60lb, 45lb, 3 x 35lb
Hyper: 5 x 10 @ 10kg
Weighted sit ups: 5 x 30 @ 15kg

Surprise Saturday.

So, no rugby.  What's a man to do?  Train, that's what.  Train and try to emulate what I might do in a game.  So, it was either to be higher reps and lower weights in an effort to get a good old sweat on.  Or it was going to be shouting a load of rubbish, occasionally headbutting things and standing on people who were simply in my way.

Thankfully, I chose the former as I'm not sure the 18st powerlifter would have taken kindly to being stomped on and I think the 11st skinny six-pack boys would have cried if I'd headbutted them.

So, I did the following...

Squat: 1 x 10 @ 60kg, 4 x 10 @ 80kg
Barbell press: 1 x 10 @ 30kg, 4 x 10 @ 40kg
Deadlift: 1 x 6 @ 60kg, 4 x 6 @ 80kg
Clean and press: 1 x 10 @ 30kg, 4 x 10 @ 40kg
Bench press: 1 x 10 @ 60kg, 4 x 10 @ 70kg
Dumbbell curl: 1 x 10 @ 17.5kg, 4 x 10 @ 20kg

I have to say that I really enjoyed this session and it was something a little different to my normal sessions.  I trained well and kept the intensity up.  On Sunday, I did ache - particularly on my inner thighs and my trapezius.

Saturday 23 March 2013

Freezing Friday

The last regular training session of the week and delighted I am to be doing it!  Following the normal plan today - squat/bench/row/dip/pull up/tricep cable.

So, the weights...

Squat: 70kg, 90kg, 105kg, 125kg, 140kg
Bench press: 50kg, 65kg, 75kg, 90kg, 100kg
Barbell Row: 45kg, 55kg, 65kg, 75kg, 85kg
Dip (assisted): 80lb, 75lb, 65lb, 55lb, 45lb
Chin up (assisted): 80lb (5 x 5)
Tricep cable extension: 25kg, 30kg, 35kg, 40kg, 45kg

Squat felt good, but I was stopped after set 4 and went cold, so did another set of 5 @ 100kg as a re-warm up.

Bench press was a solid session and wasn't too bad, really.  Fairly standard stuff, really.

Row again felt good and powerful, which is what I'm aiming for.

After previous weeks, I've decided that actual dips are going to be better than the dip machine.  But I wasn't sure where to start, assistance-wise as I've not dipped in a good while.  Felt really good and I think I'll give actual proper bodyweight dips a go next week.

Chin up - by God are these difficult!  Something to work on over the next few weeks/months.  I want to get towards bodyweight on these - might take some time though!

Tricep extension again was good - thought I'd push the weight up a little and managed 45kg which is a new PB!

Wednesday 20 March 2013

Wednesday the weird.

Sometimes, things go well.  Sometimes things go tits up.  Mainly, things go tits up.  But today, stuff just happened and it made me feel good!

I've been having a little think about my training and nutrition etc.  I generally get between 5 and 7 hours sleep per night, which is plenty for me.  So that side of things is good.  Nutritionally, I've become a lot better - making smarter choices and actually having treats, instead of those treat items becoming part and parcel of my daily intake.  So, in caloric deficit, I'm struggling to make decent gains in the gym - I've definitely gained strength and my technique on the squat/deadlift has come on massively over the last 6-8 weeks.  But, I'm beginning to stall, because I'm not eating enough - because I want to lose bodyfat more than I want to gain muscle.

So, I'm going to keep the core of my workouts the same and I won't be looking to add weight every week - I'll do it when the previous session was completed with good form and all 5 of the heavy set were done in one go.

With that in mind, I had a slight change to today's session.

Squat: 65kg, 75kg, 90kg, 110kg, 110kg - all x8 reps.
Standing Press: 40kg, 45kg, 55kg, 60kg, 3 x 65kg
Deadlift: 60kg, 90kg, 110kg, 125kg, 135kg
Weighted sit up: 5 sets x 30 @ 15kg


The squat went well with the extra lighter set.  But it's not too difficult as I'm a 140kg squatter anyway.

Standing press went OK until the last set and without almost doing a push-press, I couldn't get more than 3 reps.

Deadlift would have gone a lot better if I'd remembered my lifting straps - my grip was beginning to give out at 125kg, so I didn't push to the 145kg as there's no way that I could have held on.  I disappointed myself there.

Sit ups went well - this was the first time that I've done 5 sets of 30 with the 15kg.  Looking at ways of making it heavier next week - I think I might do a middle set with a 20kg plate and see how that feels.

Tuesday 19 March 2013

Mondays are no fun.

Phelgmatic.  That is the word of the day and it sums up my gym session, really.

You'd think that I'd be buoyed by last week's PBs.  But, no.  Instead I just feel like I could sleep and not bother with anything.  I'm blaming the amount of junk food that I ate during the weekend.  Must eat better during the weekends.

Anyway - the training plan...

Squat: 75kg, 90kg, 110kg, 125kg, 145kg
Bench:  55kg, 65kg, 80kg, 90kg, 100kg
Row: 45kg, 55kg, 75kg, 80kg, 85kg
Hypers: 1 x 10 @ bw, 4 x 10 @ 10kg
Sit ups: 1x30 @ 10kg, 4 x 30 @ 15kg

But before I did that, I had to hang around and weight for the squat rack to become free.  So I ended up doing...

Wide grip lat pullwdown: 55kg, 65kg, 75kg, 80kg, 85kg (all 10 reps)
Leg press: 200kg (2 x 10)

So, after the 2 time filling exercises were done, I dived onto the squat rack and had a reasonable squat, didn't get as low on a couple of the 145kg reps, so I'll do the same session next week and hope for some improvement in the next week.

Bench was OK - being un-spotted, I'm a little nervous about having that weight overhead.  So I didn't do the prescribed 105kg.

Rowing is still difficult, especially at that weight, but I've had a decent gain in it before, so I'll stick with it.

Thank Funk It's Friday

Another training week draws to a close.  More squats squatted, more benches pressed, more deads lifted.

I head off to the gym straight from work so that I can finish early and get some food as early as possible and I also know that this is my biggest gym session of the week.

Squat: 70kg, 90kg, 105kg, 125kg, 145kg (x3), 105kg (x8)
Bench Press: 50kg, 65kg, 75kg, 90kg, 105kg (x3), 75kg (x8)
Row: 45kg, 55kg, 65kg, 75kg, 90kg (x3), 65kg (x8)
Tricep Dip Machine: 3x8 @ 110kg
Bicep Curl: 3x8 @ 50lb (22.7kg)
Tricep Cable Extension: 3 x 8 @ 35kg

Squat went well - the middle rep on the heavy set wasn't so great and I didn't go as low as I'd hoped.  The 8 reps on the final set were a bit of a killer though.

Bench press was also good - managed to breeze through the warm up sets and because I'm un-spotted, I did 2 reps, re-racked, then did the last heavy rep.

Rowing is getting very tough now.  The jump from 75kg to 90kg is not a kind one and I really struggled with the last 90kg rep.

The assistance exercises are going well - up to 110kg one dip machine.  I really ought to be less lazy and go use the assisted dip station upstairs.  I don't think that I'll be that far off bodyweight, which will be a real achievement at just under 18 stone.  Managed to have a good bicep curl session, although I was using odd dumbbells - one has a thick grip and the other is thinner so they felt very different in my hands.

So that's a PB equalling bench press, a deadlift PB and a squat PB this week.  Pretty pleasing stuff!

Tuesday 12 March 2013

Tremendous Tuesday

Lessons that I've learned today...  Not eating much, then trying to pull a personal record deadlift isn't easy.  But then PRs aren't easy.

Today's pre-workout food... Nothing.  No food until post training today.  Maybe not ideal, but every week, I'm having a fasting day where I consume no more than 600kcal.  I felt OK about not eating today and it didn't really affect me that much - I think that I got more fatigue from consecutive days working out than I got from not eating.

Anyway - the workout today...

Squat: 75kg, 90kg, 110kg, 110kg
Overhead Press: 40kg, 50kg, 55kg, 65kg
Deadlift: 90kg, 110kg, 125kg, 145kg
Sit ups: 5 x 30 (+15kg)

Squat went well - nice and low, good explosive power on the way back up.  Nothing too taxing as it's a lighter squat workout.

Overhead press seems a little easier now that I'm gripping the bar better.  Equal PR on that one, which was pleasing.

Deadlift was always going to be challenging.  The last set was really a 5 sets of 1 rep as I had to re-wrap to the bar and by heck (as my granddad would have said) was it heavy.  But, I wanted to make sure that I shifted the weight 5 times.  I'll keep at 145kg until I pull it in one set of 5.  But, it was new territory - 3 plates and a little bit more!

Sit ups were a PR in terms of reps at that weight, too.

So I celebrated with 600kcal of fish, stir fry veg and noodles.  Tomorrow, I might eat a little bit more and I feel that I'll have earned it!

Monday 11 March 2013

Murky Monday

Outside it's cold, windy and snowy.  For once, the gym was warmer inside than it was outside.  I'm fairly sure that one of the heaters was on, too.  Which just goes to prove exactly how cold it is.  Perfect weather for getting a sweat on then!

So, today's workout is all about building on last week's successful gym session.  Squat, bench press, row, hypers and sit ups.  All with some kind of improvement; either in total volume or in maximum weight.

Squat: 70kg, 90kg, 105kg, 125kg, 140kg
Bench press: 50kg, 65kg, 75kg, 90kg, 100kg
Row: 45kg, 55kg, 65kg, 75kg, 85kg
Hyper: 5 x 10 @ 10kg
Sit ups: 3 x 30 @ 10kg, 2 x 30 @ 15kg

Squat went well and apart from a poor 3rd rep on the last set (for some reason I didn't go as low as I could/should have), it was a solid session and pleasing - I'll be going up 5kg next week and feel confident that it won't cause too much of an issue.

Bench press was OK - the last 2 reps felt difficult and I always seem to struggle with bench press on a Monday, especially after playing prop at rugby.

Row was difficult, I think I've found my level now, which is good as I'm no longer coasting along.

Hyperextension seemed ok - 5 sets all weighted, which I think is an improvement by 1 set (weighted).

Sit ups were another step up in terms of weight and reps - I did 105 reps last week.  This week, I did 150 reps and I didn't bother holding a 5kg weight - I was straight into the 10kg.

So, overall, it was a good session.

But, I have a couple of gripes.  Firstly, people who go to the gym wearing jeans.  Why?  I wouldn't work out in jeans.  Totally beyond me. Secondly, people who go to the gym in their work clothes - how difficult is it to go to work with a gym bag.  Lastly, people who stack massive weights up, then grunt around as if they're in a death metal band, then do piddly little partial reps.#

If I had a gym, all of these people would be banned within a week.  But then I'm a grumpy toad.

Sunday 10 March 2013

Feeling Ready For The Weekend Friday

Training week finished.  I had a pretty rubbish training week last week and was looking to make amends this week - even though I'd taken a slight step back in terms of weight.

So, Friday's session...

Squat: 70kg, 85kg, 100kg, 120kg, 140kg (3), 100kg (8)
Bench: 50kg, 65kg, 75kg, 90kg, 100kg (3), 75kg (8)
Row: 40kg, 50kg, 60kg, 70kg, 85kg (3), 60kg (8)
Tricep dip: 3 x 8 @ 100kg
DB curl: 3 x 8 @ 20kg
Tricep cable extension: 3 x 8 @ 30kg

Squats went really well and I swept through them in a very pleasing manner.  No issues whatsoever there.

Bench press was good again and the 100x3 almost felt easy - there was a fair bit left in me, which is pleasing - I feel another 10kg there for 3 reps.

Row was more challenging - mainly because I've upped the weights and found a weight that's giving me a good challenge.

The assistance exercises were good and I could see no real issue with any of the weights - they'll go up as I see fit.  Tricep dip was good - 100kg is an improvement on last week and was a good struggle by the end of the set.  DB curl was good again - just a shame that there doesn't seem to be any 22.5kg DBs as 25kg might be a bit much at the minute, I suppose I'll have to hunt down some 55lb weights.  Tricep cable was OK - I think I might use the rope attachment on alternate weeks, just for a slightly different hit.

Tuesday 5 March 2013

That's more like it Tuesday.

Carrying on from yesterday's encouraging session, I had the traditional lack of rest day and straight into deadlifting.  Last week and in previous weeks, I've been meaning to dig out some straps and give those a go to see if I could pull a little easier.  So, I set off to the gym, got there, ran back, picked up the straps and went back to the gym.

Tonight's squat is an 'easy' squat session aimed at recovery from last night's exertions.  Followed by the overhead press, then into the heavy deadlifting.  All topped off with a sit up session, to keep the core strong.

So, the session:

Squat: 70kg, 85kg, 100kg, 100kg
OHP: 40kg, 50kg, 55kg, 60kg
Deadlift: 85kg, 100kg, 120kg (s), 140kg (s)
Situps: 2 x 30 @ 10kg, 2 x 30 @ 15kg

The squat was easy enough - making sure that I used correct form, contracted my core and got the hips past horizontal.  Standard after squatting more than that yesterday.

Overhead press was OK, but I went for a slightly narrower grip that brought the elbows in slightly and the weight went up with no real issues - looking forward to trying that technique next week with more weight - maybe I've been doing it wrong.  I'll be doing a bit of research into the correct mechanics to work the shoulders properly.

Deadlift felt good on the first 2 sets and I did these without the straps as I don't want to rely on the straps.  But for the last 2 sets, I used them.  They were fiddly and it took some time to get a decent and tight grip.  I personally think that they're a little bit too short, but I'll persevere and see whether I get on with them.  The straps seemed to make the exercise easier and I managed to get back to the weight that I should have been pulling last week (in fact, I failed at 140kg last week), this week, I managed to get the full set of 5 out.  I have a good deal of confidence that I can get to that 170kg target soon.

Sit ups were OK.  I managed them without too much fuss and did more reps and volume than last night.


I enjoyed the session tonight and it was good to get a little confidence in all of the exercises.  I've re-started taking the creatine and (on a workout day) taking Pulse v4 by MyProtein.  I plan on taking the Pulse pre-workout/rugby/rugby training and for this week, I'll be topping up the creatine as I'm on the loading phase.  I'm aiming at 10g creatine per day for the first week, then I'll take another month of 5g per day and we'll see if either the placebo effect, or the creatine helps me make some gains.  I'm not overly bothered which one happens, as long as the result is some gains.

Maybe this is better Monday

After last week's fairly rubbish sessions and not being able to get to the gym on Friday (happy birthday, mother!), I had a weekend of not watching my food so much.  But still a weekend of effort with rugby; how I love playing loosehead prop.  By love, I mean dislike with a passion.  Only one person to headbut, a weird binding position with my left arm and for this week, a second row that liked to de-bag me before every scrummage.  My one scrummage at tighthead was an utter delight - engage the scrummage, let the loosehead think he's got underneath me, then strangle him with his own arm.  Sunday saw the boxing circuits class where I found out that I wasn't the only one that suffered in the legs from all of the plyometrics - I saw a new PB on pressups in a minute, which was pleasing (41, with room for more).

So, onto Monday's session.  I wasn't particularly wanting to progress the weights after failing last week, so I went back a week on the plan.

Squat: 70kg, 85kg, 100kg, 120kg, 135kg
Bench: 50kg, 65kg, 75kg, 90kg, 95kg
Row: 50kg, 65kg, 75kg, 80kg, 85kg
Hypers: 10 @ BW, 4 x 10 +10kg
Sit ups: 50 +5kg, 25 +10kg, 30 +15kg

Squat:  this went well and I felt some confidence come back.  135kg was shifted without much drama and I didn't stall part way through any reps.  Pleasing stuff.

Bench:  again, this all went swimmingly.  The 5 @ 95kg were difficult, but very do-able, as they should be.

Row:  I had a brain-fart and read my weights wrong.  I was reading from the bench press column until the 3rd set, when I thought 'blimey, this is heavy for set 3!'.  But, having shifted the weight, I didn't want to back down, so I added 2.5kg each side for the remaining sets.  Pretty chuffed to have done 85kg.

Hypers:  these went without much hitch, although I think I perhaps need to go lower before I extend.

Sit ups:  as these are getting easier, I decided to miss the 2.5kg weight and go straight into 50 reps using the 5kg weight.  Then upped the weight to 10kg for the next set.  On the last set, I decided to do at least 25 or until I couldn't do any more.  I got to 30 and I was feeling cramps in my stomach muscles, so I called it a day at that.  Pretty chuffed with the sit ups on the scale of things.

Terrible Tuesday

So, following on from the previous day's rubbish session, I decided that it would only make sense to have consecutive weak days.  Cue lots of frustration and head shaking as I struggled through the deadlift and shoulder press session.

So...

Squat: 70kg, 90kg, 105kg, 105kg,
OHP: 40kg, 50kg, 55kg, 65kg,
Deadlift: 90kg, 105kg, 125kg, 140kg (x1)
Sit ups: 25 +2.5kg, 25 +5kg, 25 + 10kg, 25 +kg,

Squat:  after Monday's rubbish squatting effort, I wasn't looking forward to this.  But coasted through as it's only 4 sets and less weight.

OHP:  Went reasonably well, really struggled with the last couple of reps on the last set, which is to be expected.

Deadlift:  another poo session.  My back was painful, my arms felt dead and had no grip strength.  I only managed one rep with the 140kg weight, so was less than pleased with that.  Back to the drawing board, I think.

Sit ups:  these are getting easier, so I managed to up the resistance.  I'm not sure that the 2.5kg resistance is doing all that much for me, so I might drop that weight in favour of more at 5kg.



Another session where I just didn't enjoy it and I didn't feel strong.  Unsure whether it's in my head, in my nutrition or fatigue from rugby and boxing circuits over the weekend.  Maybe a couple of days away from the gym will sort me out.

Monday 25 February 2013

Monday shouldn't be a weak day.

So, still in the middle of my week off work.  I go back on Wednesday.  What better time than to have a day of almost total rest, then hit the gym, doing largely the same workout as Friday.  Only, it didn't quite go to plan.  Not sure what it was.  Maybe having a spotter meant that I fell back into a lazy trap of having a get out if things didn't quite go to plan.  Maybe I was just having a weak day.  Maybe rugby took too much out of me.  Maybe I wasn't focused on the session having watched TV for most of the day.  Maybe it was a mixture of all of the above.  Either way, it was a to forget - but also to remember as I don't want to make the same mistakes again.

So then...

Squat: 70kg, 90kg, 105kg, 125kg, 140kg
Bench Press: 50kg, 65kg, 75kg, 90kg, 100kg
Row: 40kg, 45kg, 55kg, 65kg, 75kg
Hyperextensions: 10 @ bw, 4 x 10 holding a 10kg weight
Sit ups: 25 @ BW, 25 +2.5kg, 25 +5kg, 25 +10kg

Squats were going well until the last set.  I did the first 3, then dropped for the 4th rep and leaned forwards too far.  I was on my toes and not my heels and pulling 140kg back like that wasn't happening.  So I failed.  I was massively put off by my spotter - I've gotten used to training without one, that in my personal space was someone and I didn't like it.  I don't need spotting on the squat - I set the power-rack up so so that I can bail out of a rep if needed.

Bench press felt very heavy all night.  Everything felt at least 10kg heavier than it was.  Not a pleasing session.

The barbell row went OK - the weight was manageable and I had a good session on that.

The hyperextensions were OK - nothing really to report - other than the addition of 10kg will become a feature (until/unless I get a 20kg kettlebell).

Sit ups went well and I bashed them out in a pleasing manner.

I then spent 10 minutes on the rower/stepper machine, just as a cool down.

Friday 22 February 2013

Frumpy Friday

Heavy day and on a day where I was playing badminton in the evening.  It's a good job that I'm off work!

So, I get up nice and early (10am) and head to the gym.  The workout today includes 3 'assistance' exercises, so I managed to put those in, too.

Squat: 70kg, 85kg, 100kg, 120kg, 140kg (x3), 100kg (x8)
Bench Press: 50kg, 65kg, 75kg, 90kg, 100kg (x3), 75kg (x8)
Barbell Row: 40kg, 45kg, 55kg, 65kg, 75kg (x3), 60 (x8)
Tricep Pushdown: 3 x 8 @ 25kg
Bicep Curl: 3 x 8 @ 17.5kg
Dip machine: 3 x 8 @ 80kg

The squat was a new PB in terms of weight moved and I was pretty chuffed with that.  The form is looking good and my knees are feeling strong, which is pleasing.

Bench press was OK - the 100kg is getting a little heavy to be lifting without a spotter, but it's doable.  Not having a safety net sometimes helps though - I absolutely have to move the bar!

Barbell row is another solid exercise - I'll probably have good gains from this because I'm really not sure where I should be on it.  We'll see as the programme progresses.

The assistance work was OK - the tricep pushdown was done on a cable machine and I was using the 5th weight, I'm assuming that they're in 5kg increments.  Bicep curl was done seated as I wanted to eliminate body swing and I'll be looking to go heavier next week, I think.  Dip machine again wasn't too difficult - another 20kg on that next week - really, it should have been dips, but I was simply too lazy to go back upstairs and set the dip machine up!

As for badminton.  I played 3, won 3 and was winning the 4th game until time was called.  I wasn't pleased with my performance in the 3rd game - I let my concentration slip and had to come from 8-0 behind to win 21-13.  If I'd not messed about and fell off my game, I'd have had time for that 4th game.

Wednesday 20 February 2013

Happy Hump Day!

I've got a week off work, which means that I can train during the day.  I really needed a rest day yesterday as my neck/shoulder/trapeizius was giving me a lot of pain.  It felt a little better this morning and I didn't need painkillers to see me through the night.

Today's session is lighter in terms of weight on the squat and sets - only 4, but there is squat and deadlift in the same session, which is a real drain on ATP stores.

So, today's session...

Squat: 70kg, 85kg, 100kg, 100kg
Standing Press: 40kg, 50kg, 55kg, 65kg
Deadlift: 85kg, 100kg, 120kg, 135kg
Sit ups: 20, +2.5kg, 5kg, +10kg

The squats were easy enough as it's nowhere near the bigger weights of the Monday/Friday sessions.

Standing press went well, despite the bad left shoulder.  Until the 3rd rep of the last set.  I had to re-rack the bar as I almost lost control of it.  That annoyed me, but I completed the set.

Deadlift was hard, as it always is.  But, it's getting to be a fair bit more than bodyweight, which is a definite improvement and with each pound lost in weight, I get an advantage in the difference between bodyweight/amount pulled.  I seriously need to have a look into using straps next time I deadlift though, as I don't have a problem with the weight as such, it's holding on to the bar.  Something to experiment with.

Sit ups aren't going too badly.  I'll keep at these.  Next week, I'll go to sets of 25.  Then in a couple of weeks, I'll up the weights so that I start with 2.5kg, then 5kg, then 10kg, finishing with a set holding a plate.  That'll be fun...

Monday 18 February 2013

Monday, Malady Monday

So then - the weekend went.  I played rugby for the first time in a long time.  And I felt like I'd been hit by a bus on Sunday.  And today, I felt like the same bus had parked on my neck, shoulders and arms all night.  Squatting was going to be fun tonight.

I'd also been thinking that my recent gym sessions weren't quite containing enough exercises.  The core was there, but it just felt a little less demanding than it should be.  So, looking into it, it would appear that lots of people are doing supplementary exercise in order to assist the lifts, but doing them after the core 3 exercises.  So, I'll be doing the following - Monday: hyper-extensions and sit ups, Tuesday/Wednesday: sit ups/abdominal workout.  Friday: bicep curls, tricep extension, dips.  Friday will be a killer of a session - biceps, triceps and dips!

So then...

Squat: 70kg, 85kg, 100kg, 120kg, 135kg
Bench: 50kg, 65kg, 75kg, 90kg, 100kg
Row: 40kg, 45kg, 55kg, 65kg, 75kg
Hyperextension: 4 x 10 @ bodyweight
Sit ups:  1 x 20 @ bodyweight, 1 x 20 +5kg, 1 x 20 @ bodyweight, 1 x 20 @ +10kg, 1 x 20 @ bodyweight

Squatting was difficult tonight.  I think the rugby and boxing over the weekend really took it out of my legs.  I found the last rep very difficult.

Bench press was OK, although I had to re-rack and have a moment for the last rep - I'd got no spotter and sweaty palms.

Row: felt fine, and the last rep was almost a break in form, but it's a lot of weight and I'm trying to avoid using my core to get the weight moving.

Hyperextension felt OK.  I might grab a 2.5kg weight next time and attempt to go up by 2.5kg per week.  So in 8 weeks, I'll be doing that with a plate.

Sit ups were OK.  I felt tired in the abs, but that's a good thing.

Then, after getting home and calming down, I've got a fair amount of pain in the top of my left trapezius, which is less than comfortable.  Rest day tomorrow, so hopefully it'll loosen up.

Saturday 16 February 2013

Flying low Friday!

The end of the training week.  As a treat, some of the weights go up.  Hooray!

But, I've got some leave coming up next week.  Because I'm the quiet and reserved type, I've been crowing from the rooftops about it.  Karma struck back tonight.  I did the squats and had wobbly legs afterwards.  Possibly down to diet, possibly down to weight shifted.  So, I went to the bench press machine downstairs.  On the last set, 1 plate + 5kg, I did those and as a point of courtesy, I leave the benches with no weights on them.  As I cleared the second side, I forgot about the 5kg, which came off the bar and found my big toe.  Nice!  Then, to top it all off, I went back upstairs and due to the squats reducing my legs to jelly, I fell up the stairs.  So, Karma gave me a much needed slap!  By the way, did I mention my upcoming leave?

So, the session...

Squat: 70, 85, 100, 120, 135 (x3), 100 (x8)
Bench Press: 50, 60, 70, 85, 100 (x3), 70 (x8)
Barbell Row: 35, 45, 55, 60, 75 (x3), 60 (x8)

All are x5 unless otherwise stated.

Squat was really pleasing as I got nice and low on the heavy set of 3 reps.  It was also nice to snap back up and see the bar bend!

Bench press felt easy, which is encouraging as there was no way that I could shift that weight a couple of weeks ago.

Barbell row went up in weight now that I have the form sorted and that was significantly more challenging.  But it was good to see the last 3 sets using a plate.

Trouser tightening Tuesday!

I always struggle with this session.  I think I need more than 24 hours between heavy squat and light squat with a heavy-ish deadlift.  Still, I'm comfortably stronger than I was months ago, so it's not all bad.

The session...

Squat: 70, 85, 100, 100
Press: 40, 45, 55, 60
Deadlift: 85, 100, 120, 135

All x 5 reps.

The session wasn't too bad, really.  Squat was nice and easy.

Overhead press is coming along with the extra strength gained from bench pressing.

Deadlift was by far the hardest.  I had a twinge at the bottom of my back, but I forced the reps out at 135kg - which is almost 3 plates.  3 plates injured me a couple of months ago, so to be doing that again without injury is a very good feeling!

Monday 11 February 2013

Week 2 of 12...

Some measurements to kick us off...

Weight: 18st 5lbs (-9lbs)
Bodyfat %: 25.4 (-0.6%)

Having been sensible with my nutrition - not going over 2000kcal in any day, not drinking alcohol and ensuring that I'm snacking less.  And also making sure that I'm going to bed earlier, I think I've managed to get the 3 main points of training completed.  That is nutrition, training and rest.  I'm quite pleased with the 9lb weight loss and I'm well aware that it'll tail off over the next couple of weeks.  I'm really aiming for around -2lbs per week, which is a sensible and sustainable weight loss.  Once I get into the mid 16s, I'll be happier.  Also - dropping 20kg in bodyweight will push up my squat resistance on the bar - I'd rather put 10kg each side of the bar, than walk around with 20kg in my pockets all day!

So then - tonight's training session...

Squat: 70, 85, 100, 120, 135
Bench: 50, 60, 70, 85, 95
Row: 30, 40, 45, 55, 60

All done x 5 reps.

Squat was OK - my back was a feeling a little weak yesterday and I was worried about how it might hold up, but, I felt good.

Bench press was almost easy, but I know that it's going to get more difficult in a couple of weeks.  So I'm happy to be comfortable on 95kg x 5.  There were probably another 5 more reps in there, which is brilliant - a couple of months ago, I'd have snapped your hand off if you'd have said I'd be almost 2 plates strong for reps!

Row - I pushed the weight up to next week's weight as I wasn't sure that I was getting much out of the rowing.  It's just not something that has been a part of my training regime before, so I'm still finding my weight.  I'll adjust my weights accordingly.

I'm pleased to still have enough energy in the tank to train, considering that I'm on a diet/cutting cycle.  Looking forward to deadlifting tomorrow!

Saturday 9 February 2013

I put the turd in Saturday.

I had the opportunity for a lie in today.  And did I?  If 8.30 counts as a lie in, having seen 2am roll around, then yes, I did.  Perfect preparation for a morning of heavy lifting.

Last night, I picked up my badminton racquet for the first time in a couple of years and had a bit of a charge about - quite enjoyed that.

So - today's session.  The end of the week 'heavy' session.

Squat: 65, 80, 100, 115, 135 (3), 100 (8)
Bench: 50, 60, 70, 85, 95 (3), 70 (8)
Row:  30, 35, 40, 50, 55 (3), 40 (8)

Squat wasn't too bad on the scale of things - quite pleasing to get low and not be thinking too much about form on anything except for the 135kg set.

Bench press seems to be starting quite easy, but I'm sure it'll get harder, so I'm happy for an easy couple of weeks to begin.

Row isn't too bad, but I have no real idea where I am with that one - I might up the weights by 5kg next week.

Next week should see more improvements across the board.  Also, coupled with better diet/nutrition AND proper rest, I've managed to drop 8lbs so far this week.  Fingers crossed, I'll get down to a fighting weight of low 16st before the summer - that'll be around 3 stone lost - more weight lost = more on the bar for squats, too!

Tuesday 5 February 2013

Tickle my toes! It's Tuesday!

So then...  Tuesday.  The second day of the training week and what do I have to show for it.  A wet left foot, a bout of the sniffles and some proper training aches!

Tonight's session was a 'light' squat session, followed by standing shoulder press, followed by deadlifts.  All hard power moves.  All are going to release lots of lovely natural growth hormones.

Anyway, the specifics...

Squat: 65kg, 80kg, 100kg, 100kg - all sets of 5
Shoulder press: 40kg, 45kg, 55kg, 60kg - all sets of 5
Deadlift: 80kg, 100kg, 115kg, 130kg - all sets of 5

The squat was easy.  Last night, my heavy set was 130kg, so this was a form checking session and promoting recovery.

The shoulder press is never an easy exercise for me.  But, in around 4 weeks, I want to give a 2 rep clean and press PB a go - so I want to be powerful from the floor and powerful from the rack position.

Deadlift is never easy for me.  This weight was heavy and I'm fairly sure that there will be some de-loading during this training cycle.  But, I do want to up my PR for the deadlift and I'm almost working out at that at the minute, so that's never going to be easy.

Next weights session is on Friday where I'll be repeating last Friday's session.


As for the wet foot - as I've mentioned before, I do all of my standing barbell exercises barefoot and I trod in a puddle in the gym - the gym has lots of character and you get a shower as you train, sometimes!  It's awesome and I would not want to go to a big corporate gym - this is like training in a big garage!

Monday 4 February 2013

Tell Me Why I Don't Like Mondays

Because they're evil.  Pure evil.  Work.  The long stretch to the weekend.  The beginning of the training week.

Actually - the beginning of the training week; now that's cause to put a smile on my face!

So - the first session in earnest doing the Madcow 5x5 program, aiming at getting my 5 rep max up across the important compounds (squat, deadlift, bench press, shoulder press).

Squat: 65kg, 80kg, 100kg, 115kg, 130kg
Bench press: 50kg, 60kg, 70kg, 85kg, 95kg
Barbell row: 30kg, 35kg, 40kg, 50kg, 55kg

All sets done with 5 reps and about 90 seconds rest inbetween.

The squat wasn't too bad.  I still get funny looks when I squat in socks.  There was a funny noise when I got to the 3rd set and I may have damaged some underpants.  D'oh!

Bench press was almost easy and was fairly straightforward.

Barbell row isn't too bad - it's not a movement that I've done much before so I'm happy trying to get decent form.

I know that this programme is going to get a heck of a lot harder over the coming weeks, so I'm happy building a decent base at the minute.

Friday 1 February 2013

Feed me Friday!

Back to the gym, back to the blogging.  I have a spreadsheet for my progression and everything.  Like a total trump of a man, I haven't started my new routine on a Monday.  I started it on a Friday.  So, I thought I'd do next Friday's session today and I'll repeat it next week.

The new routine will look to add ~35kg to almost every lift & pull.  I'm only doing the compounds as I have little/no interest in the isolation moves.  If I'm training with someone else, or I'm waiting for something to come free, then I'll have a go on something else.

Anyway - tonight's session...
  • Squat - 65, 80, 100, 115, 135 (3), 100 (8)
  • Bench - 50, 65, 75, 90, 105 (3), 75 (8)
  • Row - 30, 35, 40, 50, 55 (3), 40 (8)

All were done as sets of 5, unless there's another number in brackets.

Overall, not a bad session and it's the first time that I've confidently lifted more than 2 plates on the bench press.  Looking forward to Monday's session already!

Sunday 27 January 2013

It's been a while!

An update, as it's been quite a while since I last posted.

I've been continuing to train, although the focus of my training at the minute is for volume and reps as I felt that I'd reached a point that I was happy with on the bench press.  Also, my training partner is out of action while he waits on a hernia operation, so I'm struggling with the confidence to go particularly heavy.

I've managed to get some rugby in before the winter took hold and ruined the last 3 weekends in terms of playing and training.

I'm going to log my workouts again as I liked being able to look back and see what I managed - useful for a progression.