What DIDN'T I do tonight?
BTN Presses
Front Squats
Back Squats
Hanging Cleans
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Sunday - Partial Deadlift
Got the itch, but was running short on time as I needed to get to my brother's house for dinner. Decided to do partial deadlifts.
115 X 5
135 X 7
185 X 3
205 X 1
225 X 2
245 X 1 (began wearing wrist straps, wore them for the rest of the sets)
255 X 1
265 X 1
275 X 1
285 X 1
295 X 1
Felt great. Sort of started to feel the strain in my lower back at 275, but took an extra minute of rest time and stretched out a little. Felt like new! I was worried because my back started to feel really engorged and mildly painful after the set with 135, but that went away after about 245, and it just started feeling tight and powerful, which was good for my psyche. Someone had left a resistance band on the rack, so I stood on it and did some mock deads to try to remind myself of good form. This actually helped quite a bit.
After the partial deads, I left my straps on, stripped the bar down to 225 and did triples of shrugs. Basically, I completed a partial dead to standing position, then did three shrugs. I did this three times, for 9 total shrugs.
225 X 3
225 X 3
225 X 3
At this point, I was about 15 minutes behind schedule, so I called it a night. Didn't have the pump that I'm used to from my past work with bodybuilding style training. I am okay with this though, because I felt much more satisfied, like I had actually accomplished something with my time this night. Also, it is nice to be so close to 300 on something, even if it is just partial deads. I will try to do full deads next week and see if I can break 275. 300 would be fantastic.
Ate poorly. Or rather, I did okay until dinner at my brother's. Had some steak fajitas with four taco sized tortillas, some chips and salsa, some guacamole, and then a small piece of pie and a scoop of ice cream for dessert. Also had one small piece of peanut brittle.
115 X 5
135 X 7
185 X 3
205 X 1
225 X 2
245 X 1 (began wearing wrist straps, wore them for the rest of the sets)
255 X 1
265 X 1
275 X 1
285 X 1
295 X 1
Felt great. Sort of started to feel the strain in my lower back at 275, but took an extra minute of rest time and stretched out a little. Felt like new! I was worried because my back started to feel really engorged and mildly painful after the set with 135, but that went away after about 245, and it just started feeling tight and powerful, which was good for my psyche. Someone had left a resistance band on the rack, so I stood on it and did some mock deads to try to remind myself of good form. This actually helped quite a bit.
After the partial deads, I left my straps on, stripped the bar down to 225 and did triples of shrugs. Basically, I completed a partial dead to standing position, then did three shrugs. I did this three times, for 9 total shrugs.
225 X 3
225 X 3
225 X 3
At this point, I was about 15 minutes behind schedule, so I called it a night. Didn't have the pump that I'm used to from my past work with bodybuilding style training. I am okay with this though, because I felt much more satisfied, like I had actually accomplished something with my time this night. Also, it is nice to be so close to 300 on something, even if it is just partial deads. I will try to do full deads next week and see if I can break 275. 300 would be fantastic.
Ate poorly. Or rather, I did okay until dinner at my brother's. Had some steak fajitas with four taco sized tortillas, some chips and salsa, some guacamole, and then a small piece of pie and a scoop of ice cream for dessert. Also had one small piece of peanut brittle.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Options for Training
"Squats"
Deadlift
Clean
Clean and Press
Jerk
Squat
Front Squat
"Push"
Behind the Neck Press
Bench Press
Incline Bench Press
Close Grip Bench Press
"Pull"
Bent Rows
Shrugs
Pulldowns (Pullups)
"Other"
Weighted Ab Work
Reverse Grip Curls
Hammer Curls
Fat Bar Curls
Cable Pushdowns
Standing Heel Raises
"Partials"
Squat
Deadlift
Bench
Overhead Press
Heavy Days:
Squat, Push, Pull
Light Days:
Partials, Other
Chasing Manhood
It's probably true that every man (and many women) wonders at some point what it is to be a man. Masculinity. Testosterone. Other buzzwords. Some men think that masculinity is modern rape and pillage. Some women think so, too. Some men think that masculinity is being able to be a woman, sometimes. Some women hope this is not true. There are those of us who see and acknowledge a quantum leap between biological human men and the things that we are now. While once we performed outrageous feats of strength and athleticism merely as a daily necessity, we now throw up after running 10 kilometres. Do you hear what I am saying now?
One of my favorite blogs recently pointed out one of my favorite truisms. Scientists and the such rebuilt Viking longboats and tried to replicate their, um, adventures. They used Olympic rowers, but found that it was impossible to conduct the same things that the Vikings are documented to have conducted for hundreds of years. It was too hard for Olympic rowers (considered the best rowing athletes in the world, apparently) to power Viking long ships. It was too difficult to navigate with their technology. It was too cold. Is this registering? Some of our best living athletes could not even temporarily perform the task that peoples of old routinely performed. ROUTINELY. There is something missing.
Has anyone thought about work? What does this have to do with the world? What does this have to do with being men, and being women? What did your money...save? Prevent? Create? I don't think there are answers to these questions, of course. This is something that most everyone thinks about. It is related to the question of masculinity. I think that, biologically, it is very much related. People like to think of the differences between men and women as being the differences between "Hunters" and "Gatherers." I don't think that it is this simple, of course. Cavewomen, as I will refer to them, probably hunted a ton as well. They were bigger than modern women. Most muscular. More like what modern people consider men to be? Don't know. The point is that they were well equipped. They were strong. They were vicious and biologically inclined, and they killed. Is killing the key? I hope not. Or, at least, if it is, I hope that nature does not abhor a metaphor. Men killed too, of course. Until civilization, men killed for dominance. Men killed for food. Men killed for sex. Dominance. Food. Sex. Not necessarily in this order, I suppose, but definitely IN. To be a man, it appears that you must care about domination. You must care about food. And you must care about sex. Don't be an idiot. Nothing I ever say is literal. Unless, I say it is.
It appears that every important thing any man has ever done that was great enough to be remembered by the collective consciousness was done for food, domination, or sex.
What would you kill for?
I am looking for something to dominate.
I am looking for food.
I am looking for sex.
"There must be something we can eat
Maybe find another lover...
...Try to see it once my way
Everything zen...
...There's no sex in your violence"
-Bush
One of my favorite blogs recently pointed out one of my favorite truisms. Scientists and the such rebuilt Viking longboats and tried to replicate their, um, adventures. They used Olympic rowers, but found that it was impossible to conduct the same things that the Vikings are documented to have conducted for hundreds of years. It was too hard for Olympic rowers (considered the best rowing athletes in the world, apparently) to power Viking long ships. It was too difficult to navigate with their technology. It was too cold. Is this registering? Some of our best living athletes could not even temporarily perform the task that peoples of old routinely performed. ROUTINELY. There is something missing.
Has anyone thought about work? What does this have to do with the world? What does this have to do with being men, and being women? What did your money...save? Prevent? Create? I don't think there are answers to these questions, of course. This is something that most everyone thinks about. It is related to the question of masculinity. I think that, biologically, it is very much related. People like to think of the differences between men and women as being the differences between "Hunters" and "Gatherers." I don't think that it is this simple, of course. Cavewomen, as I will refer to them, probably hunted a ton as well. They were bigger than modern women. Most muscular. More like what modern people consider men to be? Don't know. The point is that they were well equipped. They were strong. They were vicious and biologically inclined, and they killed. Is killing the key? I hope not. Or, at least, if it is, I hope that nature does not abhor a metaphor. Men killed too, of course. Until civilization, men killed for dominance. Men killed for food. Men killed for sex. Dominance. Food. Sex. Not necessarily in this order, I suppose, but definitely IN. To be a man, it appears that you must care about domination. You must care about food. And you must care about sex. Don't be an idiot. Nothing I ever say is literal. Unless, I say it is.
It appears that every important thing any man has ever done that was great enough to be remembered by the collective consciousness was done for food, domination, or sex.
What would you kill for?
I am looking for something to dominate.
I am looking for food.
I am looking for sex.
"There must be something we can eat
Maybe find another lover...
...Try to see it once my way
Everything zen...
...There's no sex in your violence"
-Bush
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Wednesday, November 11 - Shoulders, Tris
Finally did delts. Low numbers, but good feeling in my shoulders. I was expecting it to be like my chest, which seems to have lost that loving feeling. Rather, it seems to have lost the much-vaunted "mind-muscle connection" that Arnold was always cumming all day long about. In real life though, I was really feeling a good thing going on, even though the numbers were so low.
Warmed up on some air machine presses. Then moved to DB presses: 35 X 10, 40 X 10, 45 X 8, 40 X 8 ... Lateral Raises: 15 X 12, 20 X 8, 17.5 X 8, 15 X 8 ... Front raises: 15 X 10, 20 X 8, 15 X 10 ... Rear delt flyes (lying on an inclined bench): 15 X 12, 15 X 10, 15 X 10 .. Air Machine Presses: 115 X 12, 120 X 10, 125 X 8...
Standing Tricep pushdowns: 50 X 12, 80 X 8, 50 X 8
Warmed up on some air machine presses. Then moved to DB presses: 35 X 10, 40 X 10, 45 X 8, 40 X 8 ... Lateral Raises: 15 X 12, 20 X 8, 17.5 X 8, 15 X 8 ... Front raises: 15 X 10, 20 X 8, 15 X 10 ... Rear delt flyes (lying on an inclined bench): 15 X 12, 15 X 10, 15 X 10 .. Air Machine Presses: 115 X 12, 120 X 10, 125 X 8...
Standing Tricep pushdowns: 50 X 12, 80 X 8, 50 X 8
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Tuesday, October 13th - Back
It's all about the numbers.
I will most likely update Back more than anything else, because it's my favorite thing to do. Tonight I broke a mental barrier, and then broke it again. I began the evening with Partial Dead Lifts, which are basically dead lifts, but performed on a power rack with the safety catch bar thing set at just below knee level. This removes the bottom 25% of the motion, which is primarily leg muscles anyways. I have a number of reasons for doing this. For one thing, it helps me train the back intensive portion of the movement, thereby improving my form on the arguably more important "lockout" portion of the lift, as well as isolating back muscles (duh). I'm having trouble forming cohesive thoughts, so let me hit it with a series of random thoughts instead.
In any compound movement, there are a number of muscle groups involved. With the deadlift, in addition to all of the muscles of the back (erectors, lats, and traps mostly) the early portion of the lift involves hamstrings, glutes, and quads (sort of in that order, I think), and calves for stabilization. The forearms are also involved quite thoroughly throughout the entire motion, obviously. Some people may forget, but if you use a traditional over/under grip (which I do), you are also using the bicep of your "under" hand. This is how people occasionally pull or tear their biceps while doing deadlifts. Well, to elaborate, that happens when someone's back is clearly outpulling the abilities of their biceps (per history, this happens more with people who are "artificially enhanced," and using aides such as wraps, which increase your grip ability). You see, there are certain limiting factors sort of built in to movements like the deadlift or the squat, or really any compound movement. For instance, I have lost a ton of my grip strength, but retained a surprising amount of back strength. This means that my back can handle bigger numbers than what I'm actually using, but my forearms are too weak to hold the bar so I can't actually pile it on yet. I am intentionally not using my wrist wraps or belt right now in order to force myself to keep the weight low and focus on form.
So, like I was trying to say, I am using Partial Dead Lifts because it allows me to test my back strength without being limited by so many other factors such as leg strength and lower movement form (which is still pretty shaky for me). It's been a long time since I've broken 185 on a back movement, even though that used to be pretty common place for me. Tonight I warmed up with 115 and then 135. After that I felt really good, and my form was locked in, so I kept going. I jumped straight to 185. Then I moved on to 205 for 6, and finished with 225 for 4. I'm about 100 pounds shy of what I used to do on full deads (I used to do a final set of 315 for 4-6, and a super heavy set of 405 for 2). Anywho, I moved on to T-Bar Rows and locked in my form pretty well. Didn't do any tremendous numbers or anything, because I was trying to focus on my form the whole time. I then did some pulldowns. These kind of mess with my shoulder a little bit, I might have to use an alternate movement. Finished with Smith Machine shrugs. Nothing impressive there either.
Whenever I do Back day, I feel like trying to commit myself to power lifting. Whenever I do Chest, on the other hand, I feel like trying to get a Pro card as a natural bodybuilder. I think it's because I think that I could actually do well in competitive deadlift if I really trained for it, as my back tends to be my definite strong point. With chest, on the other hand, I put up really terrible numbers, but my chest really responds and shows progress quickly. Either way, I haven't been able to really commit to anything yet, so let's just get some of this weight off first and then choose a direction at that time.
I will most likely update Back more than anything else, because it's my favorite thing to do. Tonight I broke a mental barrier, and then broke it again. I began the evening with Partial Dead Lifts, which are basically dead lifts, but performed on a power rack with the safety catch bar thing set at just below knee level. This removes the bottom 25% of the motion, which is primarily leg muscles anyways. I have a number of reasons for doing this. For one thing, it helps me train the back intensive portion of the movement, thereby improving my form on the arguably more important "lockout" portion of the lift, as well as isolating back muscles (duh). I'm having trouble forming cohesive thoughts, so let me hit it with a series of random thoughts instead.
In any compound movement, there are a number of muscle groups involved. With the deadlift, in addition to all of the muscles of the back (erectors, lats, and traps mostly) the early portion of the lift involves hamstrings, glutes, and quads (sort of in that order, I think), and calves for stabilization. The forearms are also involved quite thoroughly throughout the entire motion, obviously. Some people may forget, but if you use a traditional over/under grip (which I do), you are also using the bicep of your "under" hand. This is how people occasionally pull or tear their biceps while doing deadlifts. Well, to elaborate, that happens when someone's back is clearly outpulling the abilities of their biceps (per history, this happens more with people who are "artificially enhanced," and using aides such as wraps, which increase your grip ability). You see, there are certain limiting factors sort of built in to movements like the deadlift or the squat, or really any compound movement. For instance, I have lost a ton of my grip strength, but retained a surprising amount of back strength. This means that my back can handle bigger numbers than what I'm actually using, but my forearms are too weak to hold the bar so I can't actually pile it on yet. I am intentionally not using my wrist wraps or belt right now in order to force myself to keep the weight low and focus on form.
So, like I was trying to say, I am using Partial Dead Lifts because it allows me to test my back strength without being limited by so many other factors such as leg strength and lower movement form (which is still pretty shaky for me). It's been a long time since I've broken 185 on a back movement, even though that used to be pretty common place for me. Tonight I warmed up with 115 and then 135. After that I felt really good, and my form was locked in, so I kept going. I jumped straight to 185. Then I moved on to 205 for 6, and finished with 225 for 4. I'm about 100 pounds shy of what I used to do on full deads (I used to do a final set of 315 for 4-6, and a super heavy set of 405 for 2). Anywho, I moved on to T-Bar Rows and locked in my form pretty well. Didn't do any tremendous numbers or anything, because I was trying to focus on my form the whole time. I then did some pulldowns. These kind of mess with my shoulder a little bit, I might have to use an alternate movement. Finished with Smith Machine shrugs. Nothing impressive there either.
Whenever I do Back day, I feel like trying to commit myself to power lifting. Whenever I do Chest, on the other hand, I feel like trying to get a Pro card as a natural bodybuilder. I think it's because I think that I could actually do well in competitive deadlift if I really trained for it, as my back tends to be my definite strong point. With chest, on the other hand, I put up really terrible numbers, but my chest really responds and shows progress quickly. Either way, I haven't been able to really commit to anything yet, so let's just get some of this weight off first and then choose a direction at that time.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Monday - Oct 5th, BIKE RIDE
Well, I was going to go to Tucson today to see my most delicious Terra and Cherry, but I had to take care of some other stuff, and didn't get a chance to. However, I did have some time to kill, and Blaise had said that he was itching to go ride. He rides all the time, but I think he was getting bored of going by himself. So I rode down in to Conspire in Phoenix. The ride there was 13 miles. Then we hung out for a while and talked about everything we always talk about. We were pretty near the houses I've been interested in, so we rode around Garfield and looked at stuff, then I went home. The ride home, including house looking was 16.50 miles. So let's see, that puts us at a total of just under 30 miles. Not bad, considering that it was pretty quick riding, and I had a headwind the whole time on the way to Phoenix. Also not bad, considering that I haven't really been on the bike lately. My legs are already pretty sore already, which is bad news. Whatever. I like riding. It would be even more fun if the air here wasn't pure exhaust fume.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Thursday, October 1st - Chest
Not bad. Not quite as invigorating as the back workout though, of course. I mean, that's pretty consistent in my history as well. I've always had a stronger back and legs, but my chest, shoulders, and arms lag. Actually, I want to amend that statement. My chest used to grow pretty well, but I never had impressive numbers for chest exercises. Part of this was due to my shoulders, which I'd have to peg as my overall worst body part. They never grew particularly well, and my numbers were always lagging pretty noticeably. I think that since most chest exercises involve delts and tris pretty completely that you need to have strong base in all three groups. My triceps are not the weak point for sure. Anyways, the point of this is that my workout today was over quickly. The only notable number was 155 on decline bench, which is a 45 and a 10 on each side of an olympic bar for those of you not familiar. This is only significant because it has been a long long while since I've bested a single 45 on each side of the bar on a chest exercise. I tend to never pass 135 on flat bench just because my shoulder (rotator cuff) is kind of touchy and I don't really trust it on flat bench. Also, I almost never use a bar on incline bench (I opt for dumb bells on incline). So like I was saying, going past 135 on a barbell chest exercise was a good mental breakthrough for me, even if it was on decline bench. Whatever, I'm done writing now.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Goals
Let's go ahead and set some 12 week goals, since that will put me right at Christmas.
Over the course of the next 12 weeks, I would like to accomplish the following:
WEIGHT
- Lose 25 pounds.
SIZE
- Wear a size 36 all the time, all brands.
STRENGTH
- Deadlift 225 X 4
- Incline DB Press 70 X 6
- Overhead BB Press 115 X 4
I will check back on these things periodically. The assumed "beginning" weight would then mean that if I achieve my WEIGHT goal, I will be under 200 by Christmas. In fact, it may be better to just state the goal that way. By Christmas, I will be under 200.
Over the course of the next 12 weeks, I would like to accomplish the following:
WEIGHT
- Lose 25 pounds.
SIZE
- Wear a size 36 all the time, all brands.
STRENGTH
- Deadlift 225 X 4
- Incline DB Press 70 X 6
- Overhead BB Press 115 X 4
I will check back on these things periodically. The assumed "beginning" weight would then mean that if I achieve my WEIGHT goal, I will be under 200 by Christmas. In fact, it may be better to just state the goal that way. By Christmas, I will be under 200.
Tuesday, September 29th - Back
Today was different. In a physical way, it was different because I began using NOX as well as Creatine. It was different in a preparedness way, because I brought a gym bag and used a locker. I don't think that I can really overstate the gym bag. In my mind, it is extremely important. I think that the thing that has been stopping me from being successful in this aspect of my life is a lack of ritual. I used to have this mental calendar, and the gym was not even officially represented on it. A doctor's appointment would be a red bar. A work shift would be a long blue bar. A social outing would be a green bar. All of these would have white words superimposed on them, explaining what they represented. However, the gym was different. It was just a black space. No words. Just a blackness. Sort of like sleep. In other words, it was an unavoidable certainty in my life on that day for a particular span of time. It was not a rescheduable (neologism acknowledged) event. Part of this inevitability was due to a ritualistic process immediately before and after the actual gym-going. I would wake up, and immediately begin to make my breakfast - 1 cup oatmeal with two scoops of protein - and drink an enormous cup of water. I would already have a gym bag ready to go with my wrist straps, weight belt, and towel. My wallet, keys, and phone would get added to that bag. I'd already be dressed by this time, and be on my way. This whole process took nearly an hour, but it was an important part of my morning, I think, because it gave me time to prepare mentally for the upcoming workout. The gym bag would also carry my water bottle for when I used one of those, and my post-workout shaker bottle thing. Sometimes, I'd bring some pills or whatever I was taking immediately post-workout. When I used a journal, it went in the bag, too. This point has to be made by now.
So tonight, when I pulled out the bag, I felt something shift. The water in the moon's surface melted a little bit and the surface slid slightly to the left. The tides of the earth's oceans then ebbed and flowed in response, and retook the lands which used to be their floors. Something in my mind clicked, and I felt stupid. I felt stupid for not recognizing earlier something so obvious. You cannot expect to be a serious gym-goer if you do not take going to the gym seriously. You cannot just throw your keys and wallet and such in your pockets and head over whenever you feel up to it. It must become a black bar of hellish seriousness. You cannot take this too seriously, frankly. You cannot be afraid to sound like a loser or a nerd because you make this a priority.
Tonight, I have visions of a piano player. An older man with tearful expression hewn into his medium-level talent which he displays regularly for friends and others in bars and the such. A man for whom the world has become a sad display of a regrettable truth. Now, amputate this man's hands. Remove his only means of expression and connection. Re-isolate him in a very real way. Give him two years to realize that the human being is only so adaptable, and that once one loses one's ability to connect with other humans, that ability is truly gone. It does not shift from music to suddenly being dance. We all have only one way to say anything important, and it certainly can go away. After two years, give him his hands back, and watch as he sits back down at the piano to express himself. The past two years will come out in a soft approach. Nothing as impressive as he played before, but a certain reminiscence will be undeniable. A familiar sound will waft through his most used chords and melodies. His blood will pump again, and his clothing will become cosmic dust.
So tonight, when I pulled out the bag, I felt something shift. The water in the moon's surface melted a little bit and the surface slid slightly to the left. The tides of the earth's oceans then ebbed and flowed in response, and retook the lands which used to be their floors. Something in my mind clicked, and I felt stupid. I felt stupid for not recognizing earlier something so obvious. You cannot expect to be a serious gym-goer if you do not take going to the gym seriously. You cannot just throw your keys and wallet and such in your pockets and head over whenever you feel up to it. It must become a black bar of hellish seriousness. You cannot take this too seriously, frankly. You cannot be afraid to sound like a loser or a nerd because you make this a priority.
Tonight, I have visions of a piano player. An older man with tearful expression hewn into his medium-level talent which he displays regularly for friends and others in bars and the such. A man for whom the world has become a sad display of a regrettable truth. Now, amputate this man's hands. Remove his only means of expression and connection. Re-isolate him in a very real way. Give him two years to realize that the human being is only so adaptable, and that once one loses one's ability to connect with other humans, that ability is truly gone. It does not shift from music to suddenly being dance. We all have only one way to say anything important, and it certainly can go away. After two years, give him his hands back, and watch as he sits back down at the piano to express himself. The past two years will come out in a soft approach. Nothing as impressive as he played before, but a certain reminiscence will be undeniable. A familiar sound will waft through his most used chords and melodies. His blood will pump again, and his clothing will become cosmic dust.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
