Journal Comments for Matt Z

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 5:25 pm

I finally got back in the gym today after missing a week from being sick. Anyway, I got a pretty good chest and shoulders workout today, picking up where I left off last week.

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 8:37 am

I felt like taking a break from squats and deadlifts yesterday, so I did Power Cleans and Snatches instead. These ended up being some of the uglyest Olympic lifts I've ever seen. Still I got a pretty good workout.

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:48 am

When performing power cleans I typically catch the barbell in an upright standing position. I know I should be catching it in a quarter or half squat, but I have a lot of trouble with Olympic style front squats.

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 12:54 pm

Unfortunatly, my right wrist was soar for a couple of days after I went heavy on cleans and snatches on Tuesday. I injured it doing reverse curls close to a year ago and apparently it never fully healed. Anyway, my wrist feels pretty good now, but I think I better stay away from heavy Olympic lifts. I am however still planning on doing light (~70 lbs) power cleans as part of my barbell complexes, since such light loading doesn't seem to bother my wrist.

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 12:08 pm

I did a combined/abreviated upper body push/pull workout last night consisting of bench presses, barbell rows and chin-ups.

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 1:05 pm

I was planning on training my back over the weekend, but ended up skipping it since I've been feeling really tired and achy for the last few days.

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:31 pm

Frustrating week so far. Early this week I wasn't feeling well. Then I had a doctors appointment (unrelated) on Wednesday, so I couldn't workout then. Finally, I got stuck in traffic on my way home from work yesterday. By the time I finally got home it was time to pick up my son from daycare.

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 9:34 am

I used a different type of leg press machine for calf raises rauses on Tuesday. This one uses a weight stack, so it saves me the time and hassle of having to load and unload plates. Meanwhile, it felt great.

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 5:21 pm

I tried something a little different for chest today. On each rep of my Barbell Bench Press and Barbell Incline Press I paused for about a second with the bar resting on my chest. Meanwhile, I maintained perfect form throughout. I'm hoping this will help me fine-tune my form and break out of a plateau I'm been stuck on for the last few months.

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 1:45 pm

On Tuesday, I took the day off from work and went to the Bronx Zoo with my wife and son. Instead of pushing the little guy around in a stroller, I carried him around on my back all day in the framed baby carrier I have for him (which looks and fits just like a hiking pack). This turned out to be a pretty brutal isometric abdominal workout. I didn't notice at the time, but the next day my abs were killing me. In fact, they're still soar.

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 12:48 pm

Interestingly, I've noticed that when I wear my wedding ring, my left hand always fails first. However, if I take my ring off to lift, both hand are equally strong. The only explanation I can come up with is that the ring, which is slightly large on me, is preventing my left hand from fully closing around the bar.

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 1:02 pm

At the end of my workout yesterday I did some floor stretches, and played around with some odd lifts. First I did some light Overhead Squats, which I often include as a type of active stretch, followed by some light Overhead Lunges. After that I did some One-arm Overhead Squats holding one of those silly little cardio bars overhead with first my right hand and then my left. Lastly, I did some One-arm Overhead Squats with a 10 lb medacine ball ballanced in the palm of my hand, just to see if I could. These were a little tricky, since the slightest instability would cause the ball to roll, but I still did pretty well.

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 1:06 pm

Of course, the utility of One-arm Medicine Ball Overhead Squats is dubious at best, unless of course your trying out for the U.S. Olympic waiter team. :-)

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Wed Nov 07, 2007 12:49 pm

I've decided to skip my leg workout this week due to a soar foot. Meanwhile, I'm planning on substituting Dumbbell Shoulder Presses (Seated) for Barbell Push Presses in today's pressing workout for the same reason.

Matt Z · Post by **Matt Z** » Fri Nov 09, 2007 11:22 am

I'm going to substitute Incline T-bar Rows (AKA Lever Incline Rows) for Barbell Bent-over Rows today, since my foot is still bothering me.