paulxcook's Training Journal

[paulxcook]

5/10/08

Bench:

bar x 10
95 x 5
135 x 5 x 3

What a surprise, my bench strength dropped bigtime. Though I think my strength will return fairly quickly, I wasn't out that long.

Deadlift:

135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 5

I've definitely lost grip strength. Again, I think that will return quickly.

Incline chest press:

40s x 5 x 3

These and dips were helping my bench to go up, so I'm back at 'em.

Lat Pull HS machine:

Empty x 10
+50lbs x 5
+95lbs x 5
+140 x 5

I'm too fat and weak to do real pullups. I'll alternate between these and assisted pullups til I can do my own.

20 min. cardio

Overall not as bad as I thought it would be. I will catch back up to where I was and still plan to attain my goals for 2008. Which I think were:

squat 315 x 5 x 3
bench 225 x 5 x 3
deadlift 405 x 5

April was a bad month but it's time to put it behind me.

 

[scootermaster]

I would skip the HS lat pull machine and do wide-grip assisted pull-ups. Go as slow as possible (4 seconds down, 2 up, or slower). Before I did SS that's what I was doing and it made a HUGE difference in strength and visibility of my lats.

It also cured my acne and helped me talk to women! I even got a low mortgage because of them!

(I'm still drunk from last night. Sorry).

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: scootermaster
I would skip the HS lat pull machine and do wide-grip assisted pull-ups. Go as slow as possible (4 seconds down, 2 up, or slower). Before I did SS that's what I was doing and it made a HUGE difference in strength and visibility of my lats.

It also cured my acne and helped me talk to women! I even got a low mortgage because of them!

(I'm still drunk from last night. Sorry).

I wouldn't do those for my actual lat workout though. Those are something you should do in addition to your assisted pullup/lat pulldowns to get those pullups to come in. And actually, those are something I probably wouldn't do. Wide-grip puts too much strain on your shoulder joints and slowness doesn't do anything beneficial (unless you're trying to do a negative). If you wanted to add something else to your regiment for pullups, do slow negatives. Jump up to get into the contracted phase and then slowly let yourself come down (which is what differs from scoot's advice because going UP slow is not easy or beneficial). That'll help with your ability to do pullups.

Glad to see you back! I'm pretty sure I'll be heading to the gym today for a PT regimen. Will update accordingly.

 

[gramboh]

Good job getting back after it. Were you really sore the day after? I bet you'll be back to where you were pretty damn fast.

 

[paulxcook]

Not as bad as I thought it would be, no. If newbie soreness is on one side of the scale, and normal post-workout soreness is on the other, how I feel right now is closer to normal post-workout soreness. Though we'll see how I feel 2 days afterward.

 

[paulxcook]

5/13/08

Squat:

bar x 10
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5 x 3

I think stamina was more of a problem here than strength. I was up to 275 at one point so I think I'll get close to that again soon. Squats just drain my energy.

OH press:

bar x 10
75 x 5
95 x 5
95 x 4
95 x 3

Tried to gut this one out, just didn't have all the reps in me.

T-Bar rows:

45 x 10
70 x 5
90 x 5

I forgot I don't like these. I'll go back to bent-over rows next time.

Shrugs (HS machine):

115 x 10
135 x 10
165 x 5
205 x 5

Not much to say here.

Decline crunches:

BW x 5 x 3

Bleh my abs suck

30 min. on elliptical machine

Body weight at 241. I'd like to get that down to the 220s by August, while at the same time building strength. Size isn't necessarily important to me yet.

 

[paulxcook]

I switched up my routine from SS for three reasons-

1: squatting heavy 3x a week was getting to me
2: I was getting bored
3: My bench wasn't going anywhere and likely wasn't going to on SS (Rippetoe is a legend but it's obvious from his writing that he doesn't care that much about bench press, and I do)

However, I was seeing good gains, especially on squats and deads, and didn't really stop before I switched it up. So I may restructure again, moving closer to what I was doing when I started. I intend to keep the inclines/dips because they were helping with my bench, but I will probably go back to squatting 2-3x a week, and will just have a "DE squat" day if I need to during the week.

 

[gramboh]

What about having a light squat day in the middle of the week? Say M/F are heavy, and W is light or front squat? That way you still get the benefit but don't get gassed. Also, are you eating before your workout? I try to have some carbs within an hour of lifting, I find it helps keep my energy up, but I feel your pain on the squats, when I got up to 275 5x5 last Friday (bad form, but PR for weight) I was totally gassed after and failed bench and rows lol.

 

[paulxcook]

Yeah I usually try to load up on carbs before leaving for the gym so I have energy. What you described is kind of what I'm planning, though it won't always necessarily be on the 2nd of my 3 workouts for the week. I'd hate to miss out on a good heavy squatting opportunity just for the sake of staying locked into something.

 

[gramboh]

Originally posted by: paulxcook
Yeah I usually try to load up on carbs before leaving for the gym so I have energy. What you described is kind of what I'm planning, though it won't always necessarily be on the 2nd of my 3 workouts for the week. I'd hate to miss out on a good heavy squatting opportunity just for the sake of staying locked into something.

Good plan, only you know what is best for you and can decide day to day what to do. That's something I'm starting to learn about lifting, you have to listen to your body and do what is best for you.

 

[paulxcook]

Originally posted by: gramboh

Originally posted by: paulxcook
Yeah I usually try to load up on carbs before leaving for the gym so I have energy. What you described is kind of what I'm planning, though it won't always necessarily be on the 2nd of my 3 workouts for the week. I'd hate to miss out on a good heavy squatting opportunity just for the sake of staying locked into something.

Good plan, only you know what is best for you and can decide day to day what to do. That's something I'm starting to learn about lifting, you have to listen to your body and do what is best for you.

Yeah. There are some days when I'll be "scheduled" to do something but I didn't eat right or didn't get enough sleep so I have to go lighter, and some days when I go in and end up doing a lot more than I had planned because I felt great.

 

[paulxcook]

Oh crap my legs are sore from squats. I hate it when I'm more sore the 2nd day after lifting. My lower back feels better and way less tender though so I should be good for deads tonight.

 

[paulxcook]

5/17/08

Bench:

bar x 10
65 x 10
95 x 5
145 x 5 x 2
145 x 4

My initial push was good on my last rep, but I stalled out around 6-8 inches off my chest and missed the rep. Still I'm creeping back up there.

Deadlift:

135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
285 x 5

Another 10 lb jump here. I probably could've done 295 or perhaps 305, my grip remained strong throughout. Got real tired on these though.

Assisted dips:

3 x 5

Assisted pullups/chins:

3 x 5

30 minutes on elliptical

Ok session.

Body weight 240 still. I need to start taking my diet seriously.

 

[paulxcook]

5/21/08

warmup of 5 min. on elliptical, then stretching

Squat:

bar x 10
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5 x 3

Working sets of 225 felt better than 185 did last week. Some of my strength is coming back it seems.

OH press:

bar x 10
70 x 5
95 x 5 x 3

These were a struggle but I finished the sets. It wasn't my arms/shoulders, it was my whole body, I was just tired and wasn't keeping good balance.

Bent Over rows (full deload between each rep):

bar x 10
95 x 5
135 x 5 x 3

I like these much more than t bar rows. Strength was good, I was just feeling fatigued. I think if I did these at the beginning once I'd be able to do significantly more weight.

HS machine shrugs

135 x 10
210 x 5 x 3

These were fine, shrug-face kept to a minimum.

Decline situps:

BW x 5 x 4

First set was hardest, oddly enough.

Things are getting closer to normal. No time for cardio at the end. I'm looking forward to squatting every workout again.

 

[paulxcook]

5/24/08

Warmups: 5 min row machine, some stretching

Bench:

bar x 10
95 x 5
135 x 3
150 x 3 x 5

The last two reps were real grinders, but I got em.

Deadlift:

135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 3
275 x 1
315 x 2

I may have pushed too much to get back up to 315. My hands gave out and I couldn't get a 3rd rep. 5 reps at same weight next time.

"DE" Squat:

135 x 10 x 3

I'm borrowing a principle from Westside I guess in that I'm squatting light and fast some days, and heavy on other days. DE = dynamic effort. This really made me sweat. The weight was no problem, just the intensity.

Incline DB press:

45s x 5 x 3

At this point I was really tired but the weight wasn't too bad.

Weighted side bends

(per side) 1 plate x 10 x 3

I've never done these. They were easy at first but I wanted to die at the end.

Playlist: Killswitch Engage - The End of Heartache

 

[gramboh]

I need to get a tiny mp3 player for lifting, my gym sometimes has HORRIBLE music playing (light rock, r'n'b) or you hear the cheesy eurodance blasting from the ripped class.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: gramboh
I need to get a tiny mp3 player for lifting, my gym sometimes has HORRIBLE music playing (light rock, r'n'b) or you hear the cheesy eurodance blasting from the ripped class.

Haha, eurodance doesn't get you pumped? No really though, I can get myself pumped to almost anything, whether it's due to rockin' music or my hatred of the terrible music being played.

 

[paulxcook]

Don't get the Sansa Clip, it's tiny and convenient but loses charge way too fast. My gym is the same way, they play crap music, and way too loud.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: paulxcook
Don't get the Sansa Clip, it's tiny and convenient but loses charge way too fast. My gym is the same way, they play crap music, and way too loud.

I think I'm more irritated that they don't play it loud. If it's loud, I can get pumped. Don't ask me why - it's just how it works for me How're the workouts coming along, bud? Any little kinks coming back to haunt ya?

 

[scootermaster]

I have a 1 gig Creative Muvo TX, I think. Cost $120 a couple years ago, I'd imagine it's around $20 now. Best money I've spent. Comes with an arm band, takes one AAA battery that lasts like 15 hours, has a radio, and detaches to become a USB key, so you don't need ANY software with it. Pretty much the perfect gym accompaniment.

 

[paulxcook]

Originally posted by: scootermaster
I have a 1 gig Creative Muvo TX, I think. Cost $120 a couple years ago, I'd imagine it's around $20 now. Best money I've spent. Comes with an arm band, takes one AAA battery that lasts like 15 hours, has a radio, and detaches to become a USB key, so you don't need ANY software with it. Pretty much the perfect gym accompaniment.

I had the 512mb version of that, I really liked it except the battery part kept crapping out on it. The USB part still works to this day, but they even sent me a replacement battery thing and that one stopped working too. If I could just find another of those battery things I'd probably use it, the battery is 100x better than having to charge this thing via USB.

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: paulxcook
Don't get the Sansa Clip, it's tiny and convenient but loses charge way too fast. My gym is the same way, they play crap music, and way too loud.

I think I'm more irritated that they don't play it loud. If it's loud, I can get pumped. Don't ask me why - it's just how it works for me How're the workouts coming along, bud? Any little kinks coming back to haunt ya?

Since I have my own music having loud gym music during the quieter parts of mine is annoying. Workouts are ok, I'm nearly back to where I was, but I missed two sessions because of being sick. I still don't feel great but I'm going in tonight.

 

[paulxcook]

5/30/08

Squat:

bar x 10
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
245 x 5 x 3 (+20 lbs. over last time)

Last time I said the 225 felt easier than the 185 the time before. This was not the case tonight. But I'm moving up none the less. I have a sunburn across my lower shoulders where the bar also rests so that kind of sucks.

OH Press:

bar x 10
65 x 5
85 x 5
100 x 5 x 3 (+5 lbs. over last time)

The final set was killer but I got it done.

Bent-Over rows:

bar x 10
95 x 5
135 x 5
140 x 5 x 2

Forgot to up the weight on the first work set. This wasn't bad, I was just tired from squats, as usual.

BICEP CURLZ!!

40 x 10
60 x 5 x 3

I haven't done these since my first day back in the gym in December. Heh. I would've done shrugs normally but I'm deadlifting tomorrow so I didn't want to tire out my traps. So I figured what the hell.


Playlist:

The Haunted - rEVOLVEr, One Kill Wonder
Comeback Kid - Wake the Dead

I've been sick with either a cold or allergies this week and still am so this was hard, but I feel like I didn't wuss out on anything.

 

[paulxcook]

6/1/08

Warmups: 5 min on elliptical, stretching

Bench:

bar x 10 x 2
95 x 5
135 x 3
155 x 5 x 3 (+5 lbs. over last time)

I didn't think I'd make this one but I did. In the last few reps I think I used my leg drive correctly for the first time. I also felt it a lot in my lats. I used to hate putting an arch in my back but I'm getting more used to it.

Deadlift:

135 x 5
185 x 5
225 x 5
275 x 2 - felt heavy as hell, I'm not even sure I got the 2nd rep
315 x 1 x 5 - yes, 5 singles. My hands were screaming. The weight felt ok, but my hands couldn't handle it. They need to toughen up again. But I got 5 reps, eventually. I said I would and I did. But mother FUCKER did my hands hurt.

DE squat:

140 x 10 x 3

Incline DB press:

45s x 5 x 3

These last two exercises were supersetted because I was running out of time. I like the speed squats because it's easy to go ATG on them but they really make me tired. Doing DB press instead of resting in between was hard.

Playlist:

Killswitch Engage - Alive or Just Breathing

I need to put some new music on my mp3 player. I just got a Dark Tranquility album, and I've really been digging the Gothenburg death metal sound lately so I should put some Soilwork on there as well.

 

[paulxcook]

I think I'll be ordering one of these sometime soon: http://www.inzernet.com/detail...OREVERBELTS_BUCKLE10MM

 

[paulxcook]

Originally posted by: paulxcook
6/4/08

warmups- 5 min elliptical, then stretching

Squat:

bar x 10 x 2
95 x 5
135 x 5
185 x 3
225 x 1
255 x 5 x 3 (+10 lbs. over last time)

Really hard, and on the last few reps I GMed out of the hole. My lower back now feels a little funny.

OH Press:

bar x 10
65 x 5
95 x 2
105 x 1 - I was still drained from squats, I had to take a few minutes to regroup)
105 x 5
105 x 4 x 2

Not happy with these, will do 105 x 5 x 3 next time.

Bent-Over rows:

95 x 10
145 x 5 x 3

Last set kinda tough, but overall not too bad.

HS Shrugs:

115 x 10
215 x 5 x 3

These were fine.

Decline situps:

BW x 10 x 3

Not too bad, will add a 10 lb. weight next time.

Playlist-

Dark Tranquility - Character
Comeback Kid - Turn it Around
Bury Your Dead - Beauty and the Breakdown

OK workout, I need to get some more sleep, I've been averaging under 6 hrs. lately.