No Excuse (P1C1WA2)

Week got off to a bit of a crap start.

Sometime over the weekend I had a seizure at my grandmother’s house. Banged up my right elbow, left hand, and both feet (more on the left foot, the right foot just has a cracked nail on the big toe.) It happened the day after training deadlifts, which summed itself as a fried CNS. Limping around, wincing… butthurt doesn’t even begin to cover it.

I wasn’t very motivated to lift on Tuesday, but I had the seizure and the binge working against my morale. So I used those things as encouragement. The unwillingness to let myself be put down by something I have only a limited amount of control over, coupled with the guilt over having let myself gorge so atrociously, lead me into the gym that morning.

Workout A2, June 1, 2010

Incline Bench

1. 45lbs x 3
2. 60 x 2
3. 75 x 8
4. 75 x 8 (too much shoulders)

I kind of forgot that I was supposed to deload on the second work set. Oops. I guess I can be confident in my increase for next workout!

Wide-Grip Horizontal Press

1. 35lbs x 5
2. 50 x 3
3. 65 x 2
4. 85 x 8

Hammer-Grip Horizontal Press

1. 40lbs x 3
2. 50 x 2
3. 65 x 8

Pushdown

1. 27.5lbs x 5
2. 32.5 x 2
3. 37.5 x 12

At this point, I was feeling really fucking accomplished. My chest was the only part of me that WASN’T sore, so getting that little extra from my triceps made me pretty happy overall.

Pulldown

1. 45lbs x 5
2. 65 x 3
3. 85 x 2
4. 110 x 6

I lost a rep. Not cool.

Alternating: Forearm Curl / Reverse Forearm Curl

1. 3lbs / 3lbs x 8
2. 5 / 5 x 8
3. 8 / 8 x 8
4. 12 / 12 x 8
5. 15 x 8 / 15 x 3
6. 20 / 12 x 8 (though I got the reps, 20lbs just felt like too much)
7. 15 / 12 x 8

I’ve just been looking in the mirror and getting sick of the ‘funnel’ look of my growing upper arms and my ain’t-shit forearms. Fixing that with a little volume work, as I don’t want to fail them with high-intensity stuff. I need the grip stamina for pulls.

Cardio: I did 20 minutes at level 2 on a recumbent bike just to… I dunno. Burn something or other. I was thinking carbs when I decided to do it, but after intense lifting I have no idea if there were some free-floating fatty acids to be used, floating about, or what.

Condition: C.

Didn’t get enough sleep, felt bloated. Pretty standard. Feeling sorry for myself counterbalanced by FUCK IT.

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Berkhan Workout A2

Workout for May 5th, 2010

Incline Bench 8RM

1. 45lbs. x 8
2. 55 x 8
3. 60 x 8
4. 65 x 8
5. 70 x 8
6. 75 x 2 (got nauseous, stopped, didn’t muscularly fail though)
7. 60 x 10 (drop set; dropped from the last completed 8-rep set)

Wide-Grip Chest Press Machine, 8RM

1. 30lbs. x 8
2. 45 x 8
3. 65 x 8
4. 80 x 8 (nearly vomited again, blehh)

Rested for about 10 minutes after this. Resumed workout at 10:05AM

Horizontal-Grip Chest Press Machine

1. 45lbs. x 5
2. 55 x 2
3. 60 x 8

Since this exercise was consecutive with A1 (as is the rest of the routine) I was able to precalcudict some warm-up sets and a slightly-bumped top set. This one will be bumped for my next workout.

Triceps Pushdown

1. 22.5lbs. x 5
2. 27.5 x 2
3. 32.5 x 12

This exercise will be bumped.

Pulldown

1. 40lbs. x 5
2. 60 x 3
3. 80 x 2
4. 105 x 10 (failed!)

I never actually determined the threshold for pulldowns on the A workouts, since I substituted chins with pulldowns. I think a 8-12 rep range would be appropriate, as the two B-workouts have 4-6 and 6-8 rep ranges. So, this exercise will be bumped!

Body Weight: 161lbs.
Body Fat Percentage: 15.6%

Condition: C+

Again, didn’t sleep well the night before. But I had slept a lot during the day so this was not too surprising. Had a protein bar 60 and my EC stack 30 minutes prior the workout. I just felt ‘ready’ to.

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Berkhan Workout A1

I have an irritating preference to writing my most recent workout the day before the next scheduled one.

Well, my next workout SHOULD be Friday, but I’m going to go with Saturday so I can knock that out on the same day as HeroClix tourney. Plus I’m still feeling pretty sore today. I doubt this will change after a night of rest. Maybe it will, but, uh, I have phone calls to make all day tomorrow that I was supposed to make today that I instead slept-through and then bummed around with my bro. So I’ll get my clerical nonsense out of the way tomorrow (still trying to get a job, you see) with a workout on Saturday prefacing an afternoon of superheroic clicking.

Matin Berkhan is a badass.

It’s not the routine in the actual post, but one that he posted in the comments section; that I am now running myself. Or starting to.

Monday I did rep-max tests with the higher end of the rep range for each movement I wasn’t already doing (so, everything but incline presses and pulldowns.) This was so that I could inherently increase the poundage the next time I made it around to this workout (which is labeled as A1 in Martin’s post.)

The only thing I’m not directly ripping off from Martin is the fact that I’m very willing to use machines when I’m doing sets-to-failure. I don’t have a workout partner, and few people (though admittedly SOME) at my gym are reliable/useful spotters. I’m just here to stimulate muscles, not to wave my dick around.

Waving my dick around is for a much lower bodyfat percentage, anyway.

Workout for Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Flat Bench 8RM

1. 45lbs x 8
2. 55 x 8
3. 65 x 8 (arms feel tired, didn’t rest much)
4. 75 x 6 (slowing down, shoulders flushed)
5. 80 x 8
6. 80 x 7

I screwed up a bit here. I forgot the second working set was supposed to be a drop-set. There has been one less bench available for the past couple weeks and I ducked out to use the bathroom. When I came back I had to shoo someone away, and I guess I was just distracted by him. He moved to a decline chest press machine-for-barbell-plates thing and seemed to be working fine. But I dunno. Being a dick to people at the gym throws me off.

So rather than de-loading and getting an extra rep, I did a straight second set and lost a rep. Ah well!

Incline Press Machine (typical setup)

1. 45lbs. x 5
2. 75 x 3
3. 90 x 2
4. 105 x 5

I’m still annoyed that this machine can only go in 15lbs. jumps, but it’s really the best place for me from a form perspective. When I reverse the order of pressing (doing two sets of incline and then one set of flat on May 5th’s workout) I’ll be doing the incline presses with free-weights because the jumps are obviously much smaller there. But for to-failure stuff? Here it is.

Horizontal Hammer Press 8RM

1. 45lbs x 8
2. 55 x 8 (starting to feel nauseous)
3. 60 x 4

I use this machine as a substitute for close-grip benching, hahaha… I realized during this exercise that I was pressing too much with my shoulders on the flat bench, though, when my shoulders came forward on the first set here. Fixed that quickly without incident. I had my wrists in a bad position for this machine, I think. The weight wound up behind my forearms rather than in line with it, and I think my poundages suffered as a result.

Pushdown 12RM

1. 12.5lbs x 12
2. 17.5 x 12
3. 22.5 x 12 (loooong rest)
4. 27.5 x 12 (damn close!)
5. 32.5 x 10
6. 37.5 x 6

This was exhausting. I haven’t actually done the two-handed triceps pushdown since I first trained with my dad back in 2004. I kind of didn’t want to stop doing them because of the nostalgia… MUSCLE NOSTALGIA… So after I got my 12RM, I decided to bump it and try for 12. Missed it, but it was still in my rep range, so I took another 5-minute rest and got the six reps with 37. I almost wanted to do these unilaterally, but at the same time the siren song of workouts long past made me want to try.

I remember not getting past 25lbs. so many years ago. I’m not that much stronger, but it felt really good.

Pulldown

1. 40lbs x 5
2. 60 x 3
3. 80 x 2
4. 100 x 12 (actually failed here too)
5. 105 x 7 (lost focus, got a headache instead of muscular contraction)

I rarely work this high of a rep range on pulldowns anymore, so I wasn’t REALLY sure where I’d be. I conservatively estimated based upon projected 1-rep-max, and it turned out to be spot-on. I was on a bit of a kick after I got my top-12 set on pushdowns so I decided to bump the weight a little and try for 10. I didn’t even lick it! I should have just walked away, I felt ‘done’ but at the same time ‘well, just ONE MORE set…’

The latter won, obviously.

Body Weight: 163lbs.
Body Fat %: 16.9%

Condition: C.

Felt okay overall, though my left hamstring was still TIGHT/clenched for some reason, probably as a result of my fail-y attempt to shed some water before the session… I wasn’t facially watered-up, though, so I’m probably just fatter.

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4.20 Lifts

Man. I’m really feeling that light deadlift work today.

Workout for FOH TWENNY, 2010

Lat Pulldown

1. 45lbs. x 5
2. 45 x 5
3. 65 x 5
4. 85 x 3
5. 105 x 2
6. 125 x 5 (this was really hard)
7. 110 x 6
8. 105 x 7

Pulldowns are a bitch. I don’t think I could pull these poundages if I had this exercise anywhere else in the routine. I’m tempted to bump the weight to 130lbs. on the top set and just do a single next workout. The drop sets I’m going to keep the weight though and work up to eight reps on each before I bump the weight further.

Incline Bench

1. 45lbs x 5
2. 45 x 5
3. 65 x 5
4. 90 x 3
5. 120 x 2 (had help, it was probably more like 110-115)

I just thought I’d try to go back to free weights. Bad idea without doing a 5rep test. Luckily a Joe offered to spot me, and I got stuck. Probably more performance anxiety than lack of ability, but fact is I didn’t get the bar up on my own. Four fingers of help. I’ll be going back to the machine next workout.

Don’t say you can’t at the bottom, or you never will.

Thanks Joe.

Lateral Raise

1. 40lbs x 4
2. 55 x 3
3. 75 x 6 (cheated a little towards the end, somehow my back got in on it)
4. 70 x 4 (dead)

Didn’t get the volume I would have liked. Still working to sets of eight on all work sets. I’m pretty sure it was because of doing incline bench… my bench form is shit. I’m feeling my shoulders (front and laterals) and triceps waaay too much today. I fucked up.

Straight-Leg Deadlift (SLDL)

1. 45lbs x 10
2. 45 x 10

That’s all I did. Got a decent stretch to the hamstrings, definitely feeling it in my lower back today. I should have never stopped deadlifting. Oh well!

Then I tried hanging from a chinning station to stretch my back. Could barely hold on for five seconds. I think instead I’ll just hold the very last rep of pulldowns at the eccentric portion next workout, or something.

Body Weight: 164lbs.
Body Fat Percentage: 16.7%

Condition: B-

I could have gotten more rest, but I got just-enough. I also took some preworkout ephedrine/caffeine which helped immensely. I’ve definitely developed a dependency on it… I took another dose postworkout, around noon, and the final dose, around 5. Around 8PM I had a large salad, a full rack of bbq ribs, and a slice of garlic toast. Yeah buddy!

After I left the gym I did some job applications, but only turned in the one for Potbelly’s because I have a pal working there that might help me in the door. I also want to try to get the job at the chocolate warehouse (seriously) in town, and if I do and wind up part-time, that will at least leave me able to better determine my availability for other work.

AFTER THAT, I bought some HeroClix and got some Magic Draft Tourney information. More on that in another post.

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Sans Bullshit

I received an ankh for my birthday; I've wanted one since I was very young.

Lots of horeshitastic nonsense in January, I mean ta tells ya!

But rather than get into all of that, suffice to say I’ve been binging rather orgasmically. The only record I’m obliged to place at the moment, is Thursday’s workout.

Depletion workout on Monday, with a return to fasting as well.

Birthday Lifts

Deadlift

1. 65lbs. x 5 (from hang; hook grip)
2. 65lbs. x 5 (hang-hook)
3. 95lbs. x 3 (hang-hook)
4. 140lbs. x 2 (from floor; hook grip)
5. 165lbs. x 5 (from floor; left hand under; increase next week)

Incline Bench

1. 45lbs. x 5
2. 45lbs. x 5
3. 60lbs. x 3
4. 80lbs. x 2
5. 90lbs. x 3 (stay-at next week)
6. 80lbs. x 5

Hi-Low Twist

1. 20lbs. x 5
2. 30lbs. x 5
3. 40lbs. x 3
4. 50lbs. x 2
5. 60lbs. x none! half-way, static hold (staying the weight)
6. 50lbs. x 1 (keeping in mind the goal of the de-loaded sets is to get one more rep than the previous set…)

Weight: 161lbs.
Body Fat Percentage: 15.8%

Obviously, I didn’t make my birthday goal. My goal by the end of May is sub -9% body fat. Let’s get to it.

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I Am The Master of My Fate

Saw Invictus last night; been feeling pretty motivated overall.

Not that it helped the fact that I lost some muscle over the holidays. Evening workout on the wrong day didn’t really help matters, either.

And I was called back for an interview with p.i.n.k tomorrow. Go figure right?

Onto the numbers:

Weight: 156lbs.
BF%: 18.8%

No excuses today. Just going to take it for what it is. I’ve got roughly six pounds of fat I want to lose before the easy part of the diet is over.

Flat Bench

1. 45lbs. x 5
2. 50lbs. x 5
3. 70lbs. x 3
4. 100lbs. x 1
5. 95lbs. x 3
6. 100lbs. x 1

I had to sneeze; still didn’t get my reps though.

Incline Bench

1. 85lbs. x 4 (seat was too high, did the set anyway)
2. 75lbs. x 5 (three holes = good)

Skipped incline fly today. Had some upper-depletion work I wanted to get in, and I wasn’t budging the 25 DBs tonight.

Round 1

1. Row: 10 & 2 @ 55lbs., 15 @ 40lbs.
2. DB Curl: 2 x 15 @ 5lbs.
3. Cable Extension: 15 & 11 @ 7.5lbs.
4. Lateral Raise: 3 x 15 @ 5lbs.
5. Crunch Machine: 3 x 15 @ 40lbs.

Round 2

1. Row: 3 x15 @ 40lbs.
2. Crunch Machine: 1 x 15 @ 40lbs.

Cut short because mom was picking me up; she was visiting my cousin who had flown in from Cali to celebrate the holidays. I’ll see her this summer. Can’t be missing workouts!

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

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DOMS Day

I had a pretty long workout yesterday. I was tired when I got home, and though I stayed up rather late I wanted to enjoy some non-DOMS time. I knew as soon as I woke up I’d be sore and ache all over. I am.

From a pure-strength perspective, yesterday’s workout was a little… meh. I still had a belly full of Christmas foods, and I think this compromised my benching form. When I activated my pecs I think it interacted unfavorably with this food, and I subconsciously began benching with my arms. It wasn’t until my second set of incline benches (incline bench is always where I really start to feel my chest anyway) that I realized my elbows were tucking in. I dropped the weight and did a third set and deliberately jutted my elbows out. I felt like an idiot for not having caught this sooner.

Wasted session.

After the strength maintenance work I went about the depletion routine. I’ve been eating a lot of carbs in the latter half of the week (though surprisingly few at the beginning of, which nearly balances me calorically.) I either wanted to burn the sugar already saturating my muscles, or I hoped that if I hadn’t fully digested all of that food yet that I could get some tardy partitioning on my side.

Onto the numbers:

Body Weight: 159lbs
Body Fat%: 18.6% (fully loaded; still made me a little grouchy with myself.)

Flat Bench

1. 45lbs. x  5
2. 60lbs. x 4
3. 80lbs. x 2 (machine) ~ end of warm-up
4. 100lbs. x 3 (machine)
5. 95lbs. x 1

I moved to the machine because the first two warm-ups seemed unusually difficult. I attribute this to lack of adequate rest between warm-ups which I ordinarily afford myself. Lack of patience lead to lack of reps, though I did hit my goal of three reps on the top set. My elbows always do what they’re supposed to on the machines but I had two major problems which led me back to the bar for the final set: hand spacing is horrendous/hurts my wrists; nasty sweaty prick stole the machine while I was getting a drink of water.

He was really gross. He didn’t offer to let me work in or anything, and I probably would have barfed on him if he had. Ugh. He came over while I was using it, asked me how long I had on it (“about three more sets, I just got here”) and after one set I put my workout log on the seat and went to the nearest water fountain to sip some water. Come back, he’s dripping all over the seat. Notebook’s on the floor. I grab my book, snicker at his calves, and go back to the floor.

Incline Bench

1. 85lbs. x 4
2. 70lbs. x 5
3. 65lbs. x 5

The top set I arguably shortchanged myself on. I don’t know where the failure was coming from, arms or chest (I didn’t know under stress of the bar, I didn’t think about it on the spot while I was writing in the log, and I can’t remember besides) but I could have probably screamed out a fifth rep on the top set. I had a lot more working out to do, and my goal was 4 reps for today, so I just left it to that.

Second set, as I said, was the “oh shit I’ve been doing it wrong” set, verified by the light final set I used solely to check form. I’m a doofus.

Incline Fly

25lbs. x 4, 4, 2

Nothing changed from last week.

I didn’t have my glasses on, so I got to play “who’s that look like?“:

• Had Alton Brown doing strict curls and rear lateral raises
• Pee-Wee Power Curls (with calf raise)
• My ex standing above my head (if you look at the mirror from the bench I was on) doing whatever she was doing. She had cool yellow short shorts, though, so I knew it wasn’t actually the ex. Still couldn’t look at her directly though. MIRRORS ONLY, COWARD!

Nautilus Abs

3 x 5 @ 60lbs.

I checked the other machine, it’s a “Life Fitness” brand ab worker. I love my gym. It has abs, biceps, and triceps in its own “wing” of the gym, near the pool, squash, and basketball courts. It’s also the closest section of machines (though to be fair it has benches with the vertical handles so you can do reverse crunches, and a mat with medicine balls) to the locker rooms. Presumably so you can pump up your abs/guns and run to the mirrors/pool as quickly as possible.

Speaking of, still playing the celebrity lookalike game: Alec Baldwin was doing some combination of limited ROM shoulder press + tricep extension with a cable machine, further down the line than the Life Fitness ab destructinator.

Oh, and I finally heard that “Poker Face” song while I was working abs. I was not amused. But, abs were the only thing I progressed on for-reals this session. So whatever.

RELATIVELY HIGH VOLUME TIME, GOOO~!

Round One

1. Horizontal Row: 3 x 15 @ 45lbs.
2. Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 13 @ 10lbs; 2 x 15 @ 5lbs.
3. Squats: 3 x 15 @ 45lbs.
4. Standing Calf Raise Machine: 3 x 15 @ 30lbs.
5. Dumbbell Curl: 2 x 15 @ 8lbs. (Pee Wee came by and did his power curls to show me how to lift 65lbs. Thanks bro. This weight was perfect for me, though.)
6. Cable Tricep Pushdowns (w/rope): 2 x 15 @ 30lbs. (Could have done 35, but probably not 40lbs., but the station didn’t have 5lbs. jumps.)

7 minute rest. Each numbered item was done straight through, so all the rows and then all the raises, and then all the squats, etc. 30-60 seconds between sets, no more than 2 minutes between exercises.

Round Two

1. Horizontal Row: 3 x 15 @ 45lbs.
2. Squats: 2 x 15 @ 45lbs.
3. Calf Raise: 3 x 15 @ 30lbs.

My shoulders are fried. I was starting to feel mighty nauseous before my second set of squats this round, and on the ninth rep vertigo hit me. I completed the set but decided not to risk a final one.

Overall, it was a good workout. Took me a total of about three hours to complete. Went to Barnes & Noble afterward and read some comics for a few hours. My arms were all pumped, and it turns out I have traps. I got some interesting looks when I took my coat off. Should have worn a bigger shirt.

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She Grabs My Ass and I Deload

Body Weight: 161lbs.
Body Fat Percentage: 18%

Flat Bench:

1. 100lbs. x 2 (and 3 assisted…)
2. 90lbs. x 5 (+)

Incline Bench:

1. 80lbs. x 5 (+)
2. 65lbs. x 5 (+)

Incline Fly:

1. 25lbs. x 4
2. 25lbs. x 4
3. 25lbs. x 2

Plus sign means “increase next workout.” Just trying some easier notation for myself.

Now I get a little volume-bonkers.

Horizontal Row: 6×12 @ 40lbs. (+)

Lateral Raise: 2×12; 1×6 @ 10lbs. DBs

Squat: 1×12 @ 45lbs.

[WE INTERRUPT THIS PROGRAM]

Bicep Curl: 2×12 @ 5lbs. DBs (+)

Triceps Pushdown: 2×12 @ 30lbs. cable (+)

Cable Crunches: 6×12 @ 30lbs. (+)

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Beat of the Rhythym of the Night

Not a great workout, but I’m not too ashamed of it.

My carb-up last night didn’t go great. It did the job, I guess, but there was way too much fructose/sucrose going on. I should have just made some pasta but I just wanted to eat and go to bed. It was a stressful fast. It’s working great for getting my numbers back up but I don’t know if I want to keep periodizing my eating in this way if I can’t be sure I’ll have the food sources I’ll need to make it work.

Especially since my protein powder is running low.

Numbers:

Body Weight: 159lbs.

Flat Bench:

1. 1×1 @ 100lbs. (failed halfway through second rep and barely made it to the low pins)
2. 1×4 @ 90lbs. (aw.)

This is the first workout this year that I didn’t get a text message. Holy crap I can start wearing a watch.

Incline Bench:

1. 1×5 @ 75lbs.
2. 1×5 @ 60lbs.

Looks like both of my sets on incline bench are going up next workout. They’re going to catch up to my flat bench quick if this keeps up.

Incline Flys

1. 1×5 @ 20lbs.
2. 1×4 @ 20lbs.
3. 1×5 @ 20lbs.

Not sure what to make of this. First set came easy, second set felt like my eyes were going to fall out, and the third set was a “just right” challenge. I don’t know if I want to wait until all three sets come easy or if this was just a mental thing and I should just bump it up another five pounds.

—

Made a pretty nice friend though. Lynn saw me screw myself on the second rep of the top set of flat benching and offered to spot me on my next one. I declined (making me sort-of wish I did more sets at a weight I wasn’t sure I could handle), but I really appreciated the offer. Turns out she went to my old Bally’s, only before I was born, haha! She was really fit though, turned out she used to be an aerobics (spin?) instructor. She was working back/bi’s in no particular fashion, unless she can keep meticulous records in her head.

I think I’m going to try dumbbells next workout though. I’m not feeling any activation in my chest on flat benches, it’s all arms it feels like. Which is probably why I’m stalling, the weak suckas! They’re also looking a lot better than my chest, in no small part to their relatively lower fattiness. I used to hate dieting down because of how small I’d feel in my arms and calves. When I first started training with dad, forearms and calves got beaten like crazy. Dad had me training them and abs every workout.

Now I’m doing two work sets per exercise and I’m smaller than I’ve ever been since I started weight training.

I should just have him train me again, what am I screwing around by myself for? :P

(Just kidding.)

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Regression Depression

Today was Chest Day.

My lifts regressed here as well. I didn’t feel weaker, necessarily, but I wasn’t capable of generating the intensity on a mental level. I’m considering altering my routine to include more machines to have less mental toll derived from form. I don’t really like the way that sounds from a macho standpoint, but it’s going to be kicked around the brainstorm notebook over the weekend and we’ll see where I come out on Monday or Tuesday.

Scheduling-wise, however, this workout played out beautifully. I woke up around 7AM, had two protein bars. I think fasting so much before workouts is what is causing this lull in vigor. My original intent to never fast on workout days was probably the better idea, and the test-fast workouts for me will be seen as workable-in-emergency in the future, but not as something to carry repeatedly long-term.

Got into the gym around 9AM. I don’t know how she does it, but the girlfriend always manages to wake up and text me on my second warm-up set. I’m pretty sure it’s not the same days or times or anything either. Flat Bench warm-ups go fine and I load up my top set. I’m not expecting magic here, though I’ve optimistically penciled in a goal of three reps. I barely manage one rep.

I deload, rest, and again manage only one rep. Now I know something is up, so I empty the bar and go over to the machine chest press. I do three sets here and I’m fried. I rest, manage to move nothing on the incline press machine (making me relieved I didn’t try free weight version) and move over to the dumbbells.

I can’t extend the 20lbs. for flys, so I grab 15 and slow-go three sets of 5. At least, even though I stepped back, I made all three sets all the way through, which is what I have to do before I increase weight with this specific exercise. So I’ll be back on 20s next week.

I shouldn’t have skipped workouts over Thanksgiving.

My quads were itching for some attention, so I tried the StairMaster for the first time. 11 minutes at level 5, burning apparently 100 calories. I didn’t really do this for any other reason than to shut up my quads and put myself back into a positive mood.

Which it did! Post-workout meal at a decent restaurant with my dad afterward. Shrimp and pasta. Yum.

The embarrassing numbers:

Flat Bench

1. 100lbs. x 1
2. 90lbs. x 1

Horizontal Chest Press (I cringed typing this)

1. 100lbs. x 1
2. 90lbs. x 3
3. 80lbs. x 5

Incline Chest Press

1. 75lbs. x lol
2. 65lbs. x wtf
3. 55lbs x gtfo
4. 50lbs x nvm

Incline Fly
3×5 @ 15lbs.

StairMaster: 11 minutes @ level 5

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