ExRx.net

took another off day today as I'm still not over my cold. Think I'll be alright for a workout tomorrow.

Depending on how my warm ups feel, I'll porbably just do the same weight as last week for my 5/3/1 bench work. The latter half of last week was a total right off thanks to getting sick. Didn't eat anywhere near enough to recover, so if anything I think I am probably weaker.

So I think I'll just do the same weight and try and equal, or beat, my reps. I'll go a bit heavier on the assistance as I've noticed that although Phil is benching the same as me, he's lifting loads heavier on his assistance work so I think I'll have to step it up a gear. I think what I'll do now is my push up/pull ups superset on bench day, and do my dumbell press/row on my second upper body day, so I have the energy to go a bit heavier on the dumbell work.

Bought a dowel and a bit of wood today, the dowel is for the movement assessments from Athletic Body in Balance and the bit of wood is to stand on to do the toe touch test. It's all coming together.

upper body day

Bench 5/3/1

70k x 5
80k x 3
87.5k x 5 (controversially)

damn spotter put his hands on the bar at the top of the 6th rep. Invalidates the lift. He didn't lift it, just touched it, but rules are rules. I could've punched the guy.

Pull Ups (neutral grip/Push Ups superset

6/10
7/10
8/10
7/10
6/10

felt like I was going to pass out after the third set but soldiered on bravely

lat blast/delt triad

6 x 10/5k x 12
7 x 10/7.5k x 10
8 x 8/5k x 12

8th plate for 8 is a PR, and the 7.5ks for 10 on the delt triad is a PR too. Was nae fun at the time though I tell ya. Burns.

Reverse Incline Hammer Curls/External Rotations

12.5k x 6/2.5k x 8
15k x 6/2.5k x 8
12.5k x 6/2.5k x 8

felt a weird pain in my arm curling the 15s. I chose to ignore it and hopefully it won't be back. External rotations are just a way of "apologising to my shoulders" to quote KPj.

Not a bad workout considering I've been ill. Halfway through the pull ups/push ups my energy levels took a serious dive, but I still managed to push through and even hit a couple of PRs! Totally inexplicable but I'm not complaining.

Training lower body tomorrow, I think that if I'm not feeling 100% though I might just leave it til thursday. I'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Haven't done planks in a very long time so I'll do some tonight.

still coughing loads, don't really want to train legs til my chest is 100% or I'll pass out during my split squats, they get me out of breath enough as it is. Also the weather in Glasgow today has dampened what little enthusiasm I had.

I'll train legs tomorrow, I have no choice really, it's either train them tomorrow or not at all this week, which isn't an option.

This afternoon I'm going to do core stuff, and tonight I'll do my toe touch progression. I keep forgetting about it.

not a great workout today, coughing too bad to train my legs. Anything that gets me out of breath just racks me with coughing fits so had to cut the workout short. I did:

DBSS

17.5 x 8
20 x 8
22.5 x 8
25 x 5

it finally happened. For the first time since starting this routine, I missed my target reps. However, it was just clearly because of the cold. I am not counting it against my perfect record seeing as I've already hit the 25s for 8 twice. I'll hit 8 next week then go for the 27.5s the week after. Stupid cough ruined my workout.

GHRs

BW x 4 x 3

Did these because they don't get me out of breath. Felt pretty strong on them today.

Ab Wheel Rollouts

3 x 8

felt strong on these too, once I'm good for 3 sets of 12 I'll start doing them with my knees on an aerobics step.

Done. Didn't do hip thrusts because the high reps would've just set off the coughing fits. Quite frustrating really. I'll be training lower body on wednesday next week, so my cough should be gone by then. The saving grace of this workout was the GHRS and the rollouts, both of which I felt strong on.

upper body day

dumbell bench/row

25k x 10
27.5k x 10
30k x 10
32k x 10
34k x 10

that's ten of each for press and row. My push/pull is pretty balanced with dumbells. Had to step this up a gear because Phil is stronger than me on these.

Lat Blast/Delt Triad

7 x 10/5k x 15
8 x 10/7.5k 12
9 x 10/5k x 15

the 9th plate for ten is a new PR. So is the 7.5s for twelve on the Delt Triad. I'm going to switch out the delt triad for rear delt flyes. It's been bothering my shoulders and I don't want the rear delts getting overpowered. I'll come back to it in a month or so. Going to keep the lat blast for another cycle.

Bob Curls/External Rotation

12.5k x 7/2.5k x 10
15k x 7/5k x 10
12.5k x 7/2.5k x 10

and that was it. Not a bad workout. Pretty happy about my performance on every lift, think I hit a PR on ever single thing except maybe the external rotations.

Back feels good, has done for a while but I'm resisting the urge to load up my spine. Got my student loan today (£1250! Thanks very much British taxpayers) so I can afford to go see the physio, I'll call him over the course of the weekend and see what the craic is.

Not going to get back into the gym til Wednesday thanks to a bank holiday and uni starting again. Now uni's back I'll only have time to train 3 times a week, Monday/Wednesday/Friday, so I'm going to do Upper/Lower/Upper kinda like WS4SB. I may be able to have a sprint day on Saturdays but I'm quite often doing fun stuff on Saturdays so we'll see.

off from now til wednesday next week, when I'll train legs. Til then I'll do core work and I've really got to start doing the tow touch progression! Keep forgetting

ok so I have been the slackest I've been since starting this log over the last couple of weeks, haven't done any core work, or even started doing my toe touch progression. My copy of Athletic Body in Balance sits on my table, silently judging me.

Tomorrow is my first day back at uni, which was the deadline I'd set to have my back fixed, and my log finished. However, my back is still not fixed, so I think it would be a little lazy to stop posting in my log before it reaches its thrilling climax.

So, with that in mind, I am going to extend keeping this log until the end of the year. Good news for fans of my log! And also for anyone who has a bad back that is learning anything from me (I assume that's why anyone is reading). I really hope someone is learning something or this whole log has been a waste of time

Revised goals for this year:
Pull a deadlift from the floor PAIN FREE!!!
Back squat ass to grass PAIN FREE
Pass at least 3 of the functional movement screens in Athletic Body in Balance (there are 6 in total)
Out-bench Phil. Someone needs to put him in his place.
2 minute plank.

I'm not really too worried about how heavy I get squatting or deadlifting, the important part is that there is no pain during the lift, and no pain in the days after (I can deadlift without pain, but later in the day and the following days it is pure, burning, agony hellfire).

The functional movement screens are the key, I am prioritising the ones involving hip/hamstring mobility and rotational stablility.

Out-benching Phil isn't as serious a goal as the back related stuff; it's just a bit of fun, but will be interesting to see who comes out on top, we're pretty evenly matched just now (although I may have to grudgingly accept that Phil is ever so slightly stronger).

2 minute plank needs no explanation, my abs may look good but they're weak as hell.

So ends my musings for the day, I didn't intend for this post to be quite so rambling. I should also point out that my aggressive toe touch regime starts tomorrow, I'm going out tonight...

off day, few sets of bird dogs, toe touch, thoracic extensions and wall slides.

upper body day, was originally planning to train legs but I'm still coughing loads, and last week's leg workout was ruined by my cough, so I didn't want to go through that again. Anyway...

Bench 5/3/1

62.5k x 5
72.5k x 8
80k x 10

I think 80 for ten is a PR, but I'm not sure. At any rate, ten reps=making the weight your bitch

Knuckle Push Ups/Inverted row

10/10
10/8
10/8
10/7
10/8

Decided to do inverted rows instead of chins. Don't really know why, just for kicks I guess. Ten rows is a PR. I can't explain how I only got 7 reps on my fourth set of rows then 8 on my fifth, but so it goes. Push ups on your knuckles are pretty badass, doing them like that now as a way of progressing. Soon I'll do them on my fingertips.

Lat Blast/Delt Triad

8 x 8/7.5k x 10
9 x 8/7.5k x 12
10 x 8/7.5k x 10

the tenth plate of 8 is a PR on the Lat Blast, think I'll do same weight, sets of ten next time. I wasn't going to do the Delt Triad again for a month or so as it's been bothering my shoulders a bit, but my shoulders felt better than they have in weeks today so I figured I should take advantage of that. Glad I did, using the 7.5k's for all three sets is a PR, and a good one at that.

Face Pull/Tricep Pushdown

7 x 10/11 x 8
8 x 10/12 x 8
7 x 10/13 x 8

all weights are the position on the stack. Today saw the triumphant return on the face pull! One hell of an exercise. I figure with all the attention my chest and lateral delts have been getting recently, it makes sense from both a physique and performance standpoint to start doing these again. Tricep pushdowns are there because they don't bother my elbows. I am going to do those one day, and PJR pull-overs on my second upper body day.

Bob Curls/External Rotations

12.5k x 8/2.5k x 8
15k x 6/5k x 8
... then waited two seconds and did another 2 reps with the 15s.

was too wiped out to do any more sets of curls, so just did a rest/pause set with the 15k's and that was that. Nothing to report re: the external rotations

Done. Not a bad workout, happy about my performance on the bench and the delt triad.

off day, few sets of toe touch progression and some bird dogs

cough seems to be pretty much gone, so I was able to train legs today

DBSS

17.5 x 8
20 x 8
22.5 x 8
25 x 8

the 25k dumbells are well and truly dominated. Next week it's the 27.5s. That is going to be so hard! I'll maybe just try for sets of 6. The 30s are close. Once I can hit a decent set with the 30s I'll finally consider myself to have strong legs.

Hip Thrusts/Leg Lowering

60k x 10/8
70 x 10/8
80 x 10/8
70 x 10/8
60 x 10/8

boom shanka! 80k for ten is a PR for reps. Up to 85k next week. I think once I've hit the 30k dumbells on the bulgarians, I'll put the hip thrusts back in first position in the workout, and drop the reps down to 6, trying to go a bit heavier. Leg lowering's maybe a bit too easy these days but it doesn't interfere with the rest of the workout so I might as well keep doing it. I'll try for sets of ten next time.

GHR/rollouts

BW x 4/8
BW x 4/8
BW x 4/8

might start doing sets of 5 from now on for the GHRs. I'll try for sets of ten next week with the rollouts.

finito. Didn't do any TKEs because I was pretty keen to get home. Had a busy day today. All in all pretty happy with today's workout - the 25s are dominated for the DBSS, hit a PR on the hip thrusts and feeling strong on the rollouts. Could've been a whole lot worse.

Tonight I'll do a few sets of the toe touch progression and maybe some soft tissue work on my shoulders and that'll be that.

of day, some core work, toe touch progression, usual kind of off day stuff

off day, usual off day banter, and carbing up like a mofo

upper body

Bench 5/3/1

65k x 3
75k x 3
85k x 6 (controversially)

idiot spotter put the wrong weight on the bar, so when I unracked it I almost killed myself. Immediately corrected it and jumped straight into my proper set, but only hit 6 reps because my mojo was all out of whack. Can't hit a max without mojo. So, 85 for 6 was the best I could do today. Disappointing.

Pull ups/Push Ups

7/10
8/10
9/10
8/10
7/10

Still doing the pull ups with a neutral grip, and the push ups on my knuckles. I should definitely be better at pull ups than I am. I used to be able to rattle out sets of 12, but then I got 50lbs heavier and my strength didn't keep up. Oh well, progress is slow, but it's still progress.

Lat Blast/Rear Delt Fly

8 x 10/7.5k x 10
9 x 10/10k x 10
10 x 10/7.5k x 10

the tenth plate for 10 on the lat blast is a PR. Wasn't easy but I'm going to try for sets of 12 next time. The 10k dumbells for the rear delt fly was surprisingly hard, I do them lying on a bench set to a low incline so there's no cheating. Going to do this exercise for the next 6 weeks so my rear delts can catch up with the rest of my shoulder.

PJR pullover/Reverse Curl

25k x 15/25k x 8
27.5k x 12/27.5k x 8
25k x 12/25k x 8

can't remember if I did 12 or 15 reps for my last set of PJRs, so I'll just say it was 12. My form on the reverse curls was a bit loose on the 27.5k set, but I really tried to control the negatives.

And relax. Not happy about the bench performance, but the rest of the workout was pretty good. A good ratio of pull:push which is always desirable.

tonight I'll do some toe touching and some other assorted mobility stuff

off day, I'll do some core stuff and the toe touch test. I've been pretty slack with the toe touch test but progress is coming pretty quickly.

back's been pretty sore of late, sitting in lectures is killing me. DEFINITELY going to call that physio this week