Thems Beach Muscles

Workout for Friday, October 1, 2010

Incline Dumbbell Bench

1. 40lbs. x 5
2. 50 x 3
3. 70 x 2
4. 80 x 7 (too heavy)
5. 70 x 7
6. 70 x 7
7. 70 x 7

Dumbbell Curl

1. 5lbs. x 3
2. 10 x 2
3. 15 x 7 (too heavy)
4. 10 x 7
5. 10 x 7
6. 10 x 7

I should note, I’ve yet to record a rep of dumbbell curling on this site that wasn’t performed lying against that incline bench. Smashing my back against something is the only way I can easily tell if I’m shoulder-cheating or not.

The way I’m going to implement weight increases is, next time I do this workout, the second set will be with the increased weight but probably not for all 7 reps. So for the benching it may be something like this next workout:

1. 80 x 7
2. 80 x 2
3. 70 x 7
4. 70 x 7

Cardio

1 mile in 20 minutes, 149 calories, on the treadmill. I just hit the fat burn button and plugged in my info. Not really a whole lot else to say because everything kept changing automatically. Shot for a 130bpm and was surprised at how much of an effort it took to get to it.

Other than I told some dude I was doing volume work so I wouldn’t have to do cardio, and then twenty minutes later he gave me the queerest look as he walked past me on a treadmill.

MY BACK IS KILLING ME I HATE REPPING DEADLIFTS OH MY GOD.

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Notation Notsure (Workout A1)

Yesterday was the beginning of my 26-week quest to sub-10% bodyfat.

TONETONETONE

I’m not really sure how to title these posts based upon what I’m doing. I was thinking something like “Cycle 1, Workout A1″ but then I realized that doesn’t really cover my dieting phases.

Phases: periods of dieting (DIETING IS A PHASE HURR)
Cycles: periods of training (since this is infinitely continuous)
Workout: eponymous

Phase 1 Cycle 1 Workout A1 just seems really cumbersome. P1C1WA1, aside from looking hilarious, just sounds a little clinical to me.

Maybe what I’ll do is have a normal post title and just try to cram that stuff in in parentheses. Almost like I did here with this post. I’d go back and change it but I’m too lazy to update the permalink too.

Workout for Monday, May 24, 2010

Something different that I did was walk on the treadmill between exercises.

T(readmill): incline/mph; time @ approx HR

Bench Press (free weight)

1. 45lbs. x 5
2. 50 x 3
3. 70 x 2
4. 85 x 8 (not bad)
5. 85 x 8 (last rep was slow as hell but I didn’t want to stop at 6)

Going to keep the weight here until it just ‘feels’ easier.

T: 2/2; 5min @ ~100bpm

Incline Press (machine)

1. 45lbs. x 5
2. 75 x 3
3. 90 x 2
4. 120 x 1 (SLOOOW, felt like I was choking!)

Obviously staying the weight.

T: 2.5/2; 5min @ ~90bpm

Hammer-Grip Horizontal Press

1. 50lbs. x 3
2. 70 x 2
3. 85 x 8 (pretty easy)

This exercise I definitely want to increase weight on.

T: 2.5/2.5; 5min @ ~105bpm

Pushdown

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

Again, pretty easy. Probably will increase next workout as well.

T: 3/2.5, 5min @ ~105bpm

Pulldown

1. 45lbs. x 5
2. 65 x 3
3. 85 x 2
4. 110lbs x 8

I could have done more probably, but my grip was failing. Especially on my right wrist which felt like my hand was being pulled out of the joint.

I’m going to increase the weight.

T: 3/3, 10min @ ~120bpm

Workout Time: 108 minutes

Body Weight: 167.5lbs
Body Fat Percentage: 17.4%

Condition: C+. Intention to come into this workout fasted went in the completely opposite direction of coming in carb-loaded. Didn’t get a full night’s sleep (too excited to work out, was anticipating a hair cut that I didn’t get.) I had a decently recuperative power nap pre-workout though. Had some peanut squares (kind of like peanut brittle, from Old Dominion) and a plain blueberry bagel about two hours preworkout due to a blood sugar crash.

Took EC about an hour preworkout and nearly two hours post, due to sauna (and just because that’s when it would have been timed, anyway.)

Pre-sauna weight: 168.5lbs
After 3 sessions, 20/10/10 = 40 minutes: 165.25lbs.

My goal was to try to drop three pounds and I did so, though it was more to lose the water from around my face to help gauge how my hair was going to look when I become leaner.

I ate a little under 1500kcal over the entire day, which is roughly half maintenance. I’ll be trying for maintenance today (should be pretty easy) and then fasting tomorrow.

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Butthurt Workout

Seriously? It was one more set of deadlifts than usual, and my glutes are WAY too sore.

I wanted to do some kind of extra work so I could offset some of those extraneous carbs I’d been eating. I probably put on a legitimate pound or two of fat recently. Not going to know for sure until after I drop all this water weight.

Which I’ll have to do in short order for this modeling audition I have on Saturday. This Sunday, however, marks 15 weeks until my goal date is reached. I have to look my best by this date. For two reasons: it’s the first major event in my town, and it marks the beginning of summer.

I am NOT wasting another summer dieting. Fuck that. I don’t care how awful I think I look on the day: May 30, I stop dieting, and get a loaded fucking hotdog at the flea market.

If I’m still 156lbs. @ 16.8% bodyfat, and all the weight I lose is fat (unlikely, but it’s the numbers I have to work with): I could lose one pound a week and get down to 146lbs. @ 11%BF or so in ten weeks.

If I get to 12% or so, that’s roughly 7-8lbs. lost. That puts me about 5lbs. away from 9% and five weeks to do it.

THE BEST ASSUMPTION: I don’t know where the hell I’m at, but I’m going to diet in a moderate way for ten weeks, then five weeks out from goal I’ll go completely batshit intense and lose as hard as I can.

• February 14 – April 25: 10 weeks of moderate dieting. 10-20% caloric deficit or somesuch; twice weekly workouts.
• April 25 – May 30: 5 weeks of severe dieting. Up to 30% caloric deficit; workouts x5/wk. The same workout setup, but likely to have more cardio involved.

I really highly doubt I’m going to get to single digit before summer hits. Oh well. I think I’ll have to live with getting to 12% and living with it for a while.

Click for the workout!- ~ Wednesday, February 10, 2010-

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Motherfucking Back Day: Barbell Headbang

I’m glad I stayed home today. I mean, I have a reason beyond being a pussy bitch, but WOW. I feel like such a newbie deadlifter. It was only 195lbs.!

I’m really sore and my back is stiff, is my point.

I also banged my head into a barbell, racked and a bit lower than I was expecting it to be. I was standing up and, had it been in the same higher position as the rack next to me, I would have cleared it. I was actually looking at that rack (someone stole it so I had to move over to this one) while I was standing up. I knew it was lower, but I was just distracted, and BANG! Moved the bar up one pin, cranially. I kept my back “straight” though as I was standing, so aside from the unexpected pressure to the lower back, the sudden impact to the right front lobe and my teeth clapping together was the only pain sustained. No bumps, chewed through lips, or other injuries.

It would have hurt my pride if I had just fallen down, but I actually… head-squatted, I guess… I must really be dying to squat on a subconscious level, holy shit.

So anyway, on to back day, here’s the routine followed by more pissmoaning:

Deadlift

1. 195lbs. x 3 (left over)
2. 175lbs. x 4 (left under)
3. 155lbs. x 5 (left over)

Chin Ass (Body Weight 167lbs.)

1. offset 50lbs. x 4
2. offset 55lbs. x 2 (nothing left this set)
3. offset 70lbs. x 3 (lowered it considerably and still barely got three)

The thing with the chins is I don’t think I activate my lats as well when I go heavier. When I’m lifting light I seem to be able to concentrate my back more, but the heavier I go the more I ‘panic’ and feel like I’m trying to curl my bodyweight. I really honestly think it has something to do with my breathing pattern, because I don’t really know what I’m doing! It seems easier to inhale as I exert, though, so I’ll try that next week.

Horizontal Row (7RM test)

1. 40lbs. x 7
2. 45lbs. x 7
3. 50lbs. x 7
4. 55lbs. x 7
5. 60lbs. x 7
6. 65lbs. x 7
7. 70lbs. x 7 – felt finished here
8. 75lbs. x 6 – went into the set a little defeatist

I honestly like doing these machine rows, my legs and lower back were done for today so I opted out of doing the pendlay rows I had planned to do, but I felt I really need to develop my back or risk developing the “bro” look with all the enthusiastic chest shit I’ve done. Next week I’ll be doing three straight sets of 5 at 70lbs., and I really should have at least done another set of 70lbs after failing at 75, but I was just in a negative mood overall.  I just wanted to get on the treadmill and finish up for the day.

So I did.

30s/90s jog/walk 4mph/2mph as last time. Though this time I did 30minutes worth. I feel a lingering desire to run a marathon, and though that could be a year or more away, at this low intensity I really felt like I could do more. Working up to a 30 minute consistent jog rather than a 20 minute one didn’t feel like it would impact my recovery so much as to outweigh the benefits.

My posture is great today unless I want to groan like an old man!

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Flying, Rep Ranges, and the Inverse Pyramid

So Thursday was Chest Day.

I’m really thinking about doing a chest/back split and not having a “leg day.” The most leg work I’m going to do are deadlifts on back day and the obligatory cardio work. I have to figure out how to work my squats in, or perhaps I’ll just… abandon it for a while… ugh. Any time I drop squats entirely from my plan is the time I know I’m going to fuck myself. I have to do more thinking/reading on the issue, but for now I just need to log my workout.

It’s pretty low-volume, relative to what I’m used to seeing in local programs, but at the same time relative to my own conditioning this was quite a lot of work outside of my normal rep range. It’s been a while since I last benched, so I decided to work for an additional rep rather than adding weight to the bar. This turned out to work out beautifully.

Flat Bench

1. 95lbs. x 5
2. 65lbs. x 6 (I wasn’t paying attention, this should have been 85lbs.)
3. 75lbs. x 7

Incline Bench – 5RM test

1. 45lbs.
2. 55lbs.
3. 65lbs.
4. 70lbs. (failed at 4 reps)

Incline Fly – 8RM test

1. 5lbs.
2. 10lbs.
3. 12lbs.
4. 15lbs.
5. 20lbs. (failed immediately, couldn’t even hold the bells out)

Here’s what it’s going to look like now that I have definite numbers to play with, next week:

Flat Bench

1. 100lbs. x 3-5
2. 90lbs. x 4-6
3. 80lbs. x 5-7

Incline Bench

1. 65lbs. x 5-8
2. 55lbs. x 6-9
3. 45lbs. x 7-10

Incline Fly

1. 20lbs. x 5-8
2. 15lbs. x 6-9
3. 10lbs. 7-10

I’m basically working strength-volume on flat bench, as it mostly functions to me as a warm up for incline benching. I would just do a max-single and move onto incline, which sounds like a fantastic idea on paper, but I’m too much of a pussy to actually attempt a single. So the volume: is for warming up more, and… balance. I don’t want to really increase the size of my lower pecs but I don’t want it to look neglected, either.

My goal with the chest workouts is firstly strength, of course, but from the standpoint of aesthetics I’m trying to also increase mass of the upper chest to achieve the ‘square pec’ look. Some evidence that I may be on the correct path is the tenderness I feel from armpit to armpit between collarbone and nipples. My lower pecs are not experiencing any soreness whatsoever. The reverse pyramid scheme allows me a set in which I can push the muscle hardest while it’s freshest, and then further volume to fully exhaust the muscle.

My only real concern is that perhaps the incline flies won’t be possible to reverse-pyramid. I don’t really know how to tell the difference between nervous and muscular failure, other than muscular failure is probably when it hurts and nervous is probably when my arms aren’t doing what I tell them to. If this is indeed the case, my failure with 20lbs. dumbbells was a nervous failure, and I may have to approach it with more simple volume than I would originally intend.

Finally, following the lifts, I spent 20 minutes on the treadmill alternating in 30s/90s jog/walk (convenient to have these labeled on the machine at 2 and 4 mph.) Though it was fairly easy, I want to do four more sessions at this intensity before I progress to doing 30/30, as I don’t want to overextend or overtrain myself through overconfidence. Slow progression is all I seek in regards to cardio.

I think next post I’ll detail some of the things I’m considering as far as diet. Right now I’m hovering around 2000 calories and doing a haphazard ephedrine/caffeine stack, which is probably only a 300 daily calorie deficit now that I briefly think about it…

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Upper/Lower Body Split

Ughhh…

I feel like I’m speaking heresy. But I’m “using a four-day upper/lower body split, in combination with an hour of cardio daily, to lose fat.”

It’s in quotes so people can mock me when I go back to a pure workout for real men.

Today I found out I can’t make PRs in squats and deadlifts after four days of low-carb/low-calorie dieting. Who knew?

Stats
Total Weight: 164lbs.
BF%: 17.8
Fat: 29.192lbs.
LBM: 134.808lbs.

Today was a… lower body… legs day… UGH THIS SOUNDS SO STUPID.

Squats: 1 x 5 @ 200lbs.
Deadlifts: 1 x 2 @ 170lbs. (failed to lift 205lbs workset)
Hack Squat: 1 x 5 @ 45lbs. (first time doing this)
Leg Curl: 1 x 5 @ 75lbs. (making up for FAILURE deadlifts, only not really, surprisingly painful)

I did five minutes on a treadmill before I remembered the walk I have to do tomorrow. Love ya Sarah!

Some more rage: I’ve lost less than a pound of fat per month for the last three months.

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