Lower 1, Week 29

Fall '07 - Lower 1, Week 29

Overall Impression:

my diet has been pretty awful lol...im having way too many dark chocolates :-p

Deadlifts = 3 sets x 9 reps x 185 lbs, 1 set x 4 reps x 205 lbs

overall poundage was very high. more volume than last time.

Bulgarian Squats = 2 sets x 8 reps x 40 lbs

i hate this fucking exercise!

Glute Ham Raises = 2 sets x 8 reps

i was just bored. next time ill do more than 2 sets. i also yawned during this exercise. not cool. i must've looked retarded....

Ab Work

2 supersets:
1.) static holds on the floor with lat pull down sit-ups
2.) overhead plate side bends and flat pistons
for a few sets close to failure. it was fun.

Forearm Work

Triset:
1.) One Arm Barbell Curls
2.) Wrist Curls
3.) Reverse Wrist Curls
same as last time. i did 20 lbs for 3 sets of 10, 30 and 15 reps respectively. it was fun.

Leaving Thoughts:

it was a cool workout. i think perhaps from next time i can start working out in the 200s for deads. either way, i liked today's workout a lot.

i hope everyone is having a good week! thanks for reading, guys and gals.

Upper 2, Week 29

Fall '07 - Upper 2, Week 29

Overall Impression:

all i ate this weekend was steak, potatoes and grapes. my bodyweight has shot up from 175 to 183. how the heck does that happen? i bet most of it is fat.....i wonder why it doesnt appear that way to me though...

Military Press = 2 sets x 6 reps x 130 lbs, 1 set x 5 reps x 130 lbs, 1 set x 2 reps x 135 lbs

so 3x6x130 didnt go quite as well as planned. i needed help for the 6th rep on the last set so im not counting it. its moved up from last week which is a good thing. next week i will try for 3x6x130 and then 1x4x130 too. the 135 lbs set was just to see where i stand. im happy

Pull-ups = 10 sets x 4 reps in 10 minutes

this was ridiculously difficult! i am definitely going to repeat this set-rep scheme next week. for sure!

Military Press = 3 sets x 8 reps x 95 lbs

im tired of doing unilateral and bilateral dumbbell work. ive been doing that successfully for over 16 weeks now. its time to change things up. i did some more press work to improve the bottom part of the lift. it felt good. next week i will try 4x8x95.

Lat Pull Downs 2 sets x 10 reps x 150 lbs superset with Dumbbell Pull Overs 2 sets x 10 reps x 45 lbs

same as last week. i was really tired and i had to rush this.

Leaving Thoughts:

it was a cool workout. im happy

happy monday everyone. i hope y'all had a good thanksgiving!

Upper 1, Week 28

Fall '07 - Upper 1, Week 28

Overall Impression:

im logging this in a day late. i worked out on tuesday since i wanted to get 2 workouts in this week.

Bench Press = 2 sets x 10 reps x 155 lbs

i dont understand why but it looks like i have completely lost my groove on flat bench pressing. i feel very wierd doing the lift. i guess this is more psychological. im just trying to figure out why this is happening and how do i go back to being comfortable doing bench work.

Barbell Rows = 5 sets x 10 reps x 135 lbs

felt good

Seated Dumbbell Unilateral Shoulder Presses = 3 sets x 7 reps x 50 lbs

this is getting more and more difficult to progress on lol

Dumbbell Rows = 3 sets x 10 reps x 65 lbs SUPERSET with Fat Bar Lat Pull Downs = 3 sets x 6 reps x 120 lbs

this felt great!

Leaving Thoughts:

it was a pretty good workout. im happy.

have a happy thanksgiving everyone!

Lower 2, Week 28

Fall '07 - Lower 2, Week 28

Overall Impression:

i decided to do oly squats today. after almost 3 months i am coming back to squatting. needless to say the weights were light.

Squats

free hand x 25 reps
bar x 10 reps
135 x 10 reps
185 x 8 reps x 3 sets
135 x 3 reps x 3 sets
135 x 10 reps

im very surprised that i could remember how to squat properly. i had no trouble with my technique whatsoever. everything was near to perfect form-wise. my only concern is that my wrists hurt doing so many reps and on set 2 when i unracked the bar my right shoulder hurt. but this is probably because im squatting after almost 3 months. so my wrists are not used to holding the bar and my shoulder isnt used to supporting the bar at all. it will go with more practise. regarding today's squats: my old 4x10 max on squats was 185 i think. its wierd..when i had a 295x4 max my 4x10 max was 185 lol. so anyways, it appears that i have no lost as much strength as i thought i would have. the goal right now is to get my groove completely back and then to aim for 225 for 4x10. i am not focussing right now on heavy squats. all i am interested in is my overhead press and deadlift increasing steadily.

Unilateral RDLs = 2 sets x 8 reps x bar

my thighs were smoked from the squats and i wanted to be conservative regarding this since im doing it after a big compound exercise. however, next time ill add weight to this.

Shoulder Rehab Work

boring

Ab Work

did 4-5 exercises 1-2 sets of low reps.

Leaving Thoughts:

im pretty excited right now. after almost 3 months i am returning to big lower body exercises so im anxious to see where i can go from here.

i dont know if i will be working out for the rest of this week because of thanksgiving, etc so if i dont update this journal for a while: i wish all of you who have take the time out to read my journal a happy thanksgiving!

Upper 2, Week 27

Fall '07 - Upper 2, Week 27

Overall Impression:

im really happy with my diet off late. here is what i had today:

10:30 am wake up
10:30 to 12:45 3 scoops of whey in gatorade
1:00 pm to 2:30 pm lunch*
3:00 pm to 6:00 pm 3 scoops of whey in gatorade
6:30 to 8:00 pm dinner*
8:30 to 10:30 3 scoops of whey in gatorade
10:30 chicken sandwhich
slept @ 4 am

lunch and dinner was the same today. here is what i ate:
carrot strips (8)
lettuce
cottage cheese
humus
20 pieces of hot wings
1 banana
1 apple

it was really filling. those chicken wings are tough to get down!!

anyways, here's the workout a day late:

Military Press = 3 sets x 5 reps x 130 lbs, 2 sets x 5 reps x 95 lbs

this wasnt as easy as i expected it to be but it wasnt too difficult either. i think i did well.

Pull-ups = 13 sets x 3 reps in 13 minutes

next time its gonna be 10x4 in 10 minutes. this was pretty easy. i think with 10x4 ill have to repeat that.

Flat Dumbbell Press = 2 sets x 10 reps x 60 lbs

i decided to change from unilateral presses just for this session. next time im going back to uni work for 3x12x50

Lat Pull Downs 2 sets x 10 reps x 150 lbs superset with Dumbbell Pull Overs 2 sets x 10 reps x 45 lbs

felt good.

Leaving Thoughts:

it was a cool workout. enjoyable.

i hope everyone is having a good week thanks for reading y'all!!

Lower 1, Week 27

Fall '07 - Lower 1, Week 27

Overall Impression:

my weekend in dallas was awesome...i worked out on saturday...did a few chest exercises (light) and i did cardio for 45 minutes and i did boxing for 45 minutes. it was fun. this week is pretty chilled. im going to do cardio regularly this week and the next for sure.

Deadlifts = 1 set x 10 reps x 185 lbs, 3 sets x 7 reps x 135 lbs

very cool. my back is slowly getting stronger. the bar is moving fast and my form is good. nothing was taken to failure. next time im going to do 1x10x205 and 4x7x135.

Bulgarian Squats = 2 sets x 7 reps x 40 lbs

i think my form is really shitty in this. i hate this exercise. its getting the set-up thats the biggest challenge. mentally.

Glute Ham Raises = 4 sets x 8 reps

i kept the distance between the pad and the foot rest to a minimum so that my lower thigh (near the knee) was in touch with the pad and that made it a whole lot more difficult. ill take a vid of this next time.

Ab Work

2 supersets:
1.) static holds on the floor with lat pull down sit-ups
2.) overhead plate side bends and flat pistons
for a few sets close to failure. it was fun.

Forearm Work

Triset:
1.) Reverse Wrist Curls
2.) Wrist Curls
3.) One Arm Barbell Curls
all with 20 lbs barbell for 3 sets of 25 reps all to failure. i want my forearms to grow bigger haha....

Leaving Thoughts:

im pretty happy with the workout. my deadlift strength is slowly and steadily building up and i think very soon i will be repping 225+

happy monday everyone i hope y'all have a good week ahead of you!

Full Body

Fall '07 - Full Body, Week 26

Overall Impression:

so being a lazy guy i didnt workout yesterday. and this weekend i am going to be visiting Dallas with some friends. so i decided to go workout today and do a full body routine.

this entire week i have barely gotten any sleep.
monday - 4 hours
tuesday - 3 hours
wednesday - 2 hours
thursday - 4 hours (hopefully)

im so fucking dead tired. i am just waiting for this weekend.....

diet has been good though. i have not been slacking off on that. i can see improvements already.

i havent been doing cardio coz im so busy with work....i will try and make it next week though.

Front Squats = 3 sets x 5 reps x 135 lbs

first time doing these since my stint with DC Training 1 year ago...damn these are rough on the shoulders!!! i felt this exercise more in my glutes than any other muscle. wierd...

Incline Bench Press = 3 sets x 3 reps x 165 lbs

next week i am gonna nail 175 for 3x3.

JS Rows = 3 sets x 5 reps x 115 lbs

i think my form was good and my lower back didnt feel anything bad.

Unilateral Romanian Deadlifts = 2 sets x 8 reps x 55 lbs

this was awesome!!!

Seated Unilateral Dumbbell Shoulder Press = 2 sets x 7 reps x 50 lbs

i felt weak...

Glute Ham Raises = 2 sets x 15 reps

Facepulls = 3 sets x 6 reps x 80 lbs

Leaving Thoughts:

i need sleep. this is affecting my workout and im not liking it....

have a good weekend everyone!

Upper 2, Week 26

Fall '07 - Upper 2, Week 26

Overall Impression:

very nice workout today. i got vids too. well, 1 vid haha..

diet was clean. the only sad thing is that this week i have:

4 exams
2 quizes
2 presentations
1 paper

and i havent done anything. i slept for 2 hours last night and im most likely going to sleep for even less time tonight. which sucks. but anyways..on with the workout:

Military Press

ok so the goal was to take 135 lbs and do as many sets as i feel like of as many reps as i feel like but to make sure that form does not break down and i do not go to failure but i am very close to hitting failure. so after my warm-ups, i did:
1.) 135 x 4
2.) 135 x 2
3.) 135 x 4
4.) 135 x 3
5.) 135 x 1
6.) 135 x 1
this was good. i got a vid of set 3. im waiting for youtube to scan it. i am very happy with my progress on this. weighing in at 175, 135 lbs for an overhead press is like 40 lbs lighter than my bodyweight. im pretty happy. my shoulders felt pretty strong. my video is out here: OHP 135x4

Pull-ups = 20 sets of 2 reps in 20 minutes

i am going to be doing a density training plan set up by Coach Ethen Reeve to improve my pull-ups. it is a 9 week block where i do a particular number of pull-ups in a timed interval.
this week i did 20 sets of 2 reps in 20 minutes. that means 2 pull-ups at the top of every minute. yes, i do use a stopwatch. this is the plan:
20 sets of 2 reps for 20 minutes
13 sets of 3 reps for 13 minutes
10 sets of 4 reps for ten minutes
8 sets of 5 reps 8 minutes
7 sets of 6 reps for 6 minutes
6 sets of 7 reps in 5 minutes
5 sets of 8 reps in 5 minutes
4 sets of 10 reps in 4 minutes
3 sets of 13 reps in 3 minutes
except this doesnt always happen. it takes time and many a time i will have to repeat the set-rep scheme for a few weeks. which is fine.
today's pull-ups were good and pretty easy. i was tired by the end of it but im not sure whether 13x3 is possible. im afraid i would fail.

Flat Dumbbell Unilateral Press = 3 sets x 10 reps x 50 lbs

felt awesome! next week im doing 3x12x50.

Lat Pull Downs 2 sets x 8 reps x 150 lbs superset with Dumbbell Pull Overs 2 sets x 8 reps x 55 lbs

yes, a bodybuilder type finisher for this session.

Leaving Thoughts:

it was a cool workout. now, i have tons of stuff i need to do...

thanks for reading everyone and i hope y'all have a less stressed week than me (not that im very stressed out....which is perhaps the problem).

Lower 1, Week 25

Fall '07 - Lower 1, Week 25

Overall Impression:

good workout. my diet has become pretty good. just in case anyone wants to know this is what i ate today:

- wake up: 9:30 am
- sipped my protein shake mixed in gatorade (3 scoops) from 10:00 till 12:30 pm
- ate some pasta with plenty of green and black olives with chicken and shrimp. also ate an apple and a bowl of salad with some nuts. this was very heavy.
- drank 2 scoops of whey with 1/2 a gatorade + 1/2 water from 2 to 4:30 pm
- drank 2 scoops of whey with gatorade from 4:30 to 6:30. this is during workout.
- swallowed 4 taurine pills at 6:30 pm
- plan for tonight is going out to eat dinner a thai restaurant at 7:30 and then seeing a movie, etc and probably getting a late night snack around 3-4 in the morning. from now till then apart from the dinner ill just be having a lot f water.

this is my diet. it probably looks pretty bad but compared to before this is like a 180 degree turnaround for me. i never used to eat fruits or veggies. my carbs were low. i ate too much fat. i drank too much coke. now none of that shit. i can begin to see small - very small changes to my physique already. im giving this 3-4 months max before i can attain my goal of 12% bf. the way i see it: the longer it takes me to reach that while gaining muscle, more permanent will the change be.

also, just incase anyone wants to know how my diet was 2 weeks ago on this friday (i remember):
- wake up @ 9:00 am
- starve from 9 till 1 pm
- 1 pm lunch: smoked brisket
- 3 pm: 1 scoop whey
- 4:30 go for workout
- 6:30 post workout, eat 5 BCAA pills.
- go out for dinner
- drink water
go to sleep

yeah, thats how bad things had gotten. no wonder ive gone from 188 to 175 lbs. but its fine. im going to be backing off the scale for a few months and im going to look at the mirror to see progress. im not a bodybuilder but as ive mentioned before, my current short term goals are:
1.) get to 12% bf
2.) hit a 225 lbs deadlift
3.) overhead press 185 lbs

anyways, time for the workout:

Deadlift = 1 set x 8 reps x 145 lbs, 1 set x 13 reps x 135 lbs

this felt really light and easy. i liked this. the 8 rep set was easy. i could have done a LOT more. good thing i didnt. i can see the 225 lbs being closer than expected. next week im going to do 155x8 and 135x15. then im aiming for 165x8 and 145x10 or something like that. basically 2 sets: one heavy with progression the other more like a light back off set. nothing to failure of course.

Bulgarian Squats = 2 sets x 8 reps x 30 lbs in each hand

this exercise feels VERY wierd to me. i dont like it.

Glute Ham Raises = 2 sets x 10 reps, 1 set x 10 reps x 10 lbs

next week ill get 1 set of 10 reps with my bodyweight and then 2 sets of 10 reps with me holding the 10 lbs plate.

Ab Work

6 sets for abs. 4 exercises supersetted. here u go:
A1: Static Holds: untimed
A2: Lat Pull Down Sit-ups: 3 sets x 8 reps x 60 lbs
B1: Leg Pistons: 3 sets x 12 reps
B2: Overhead Side Bends with plates: 3 sets x 10 reps x 10 lbs

Neck Exercise on Hammer Strength Machine

something new i did just to see how it feels. very light work.

Leaving Thoughts:

i feel positive about this session. i think it went off well and i did everything without doing anything stupid so im happy. my back is feeling better and after those sets of deads i kinda felt invincible and a part of me wanted to load 225 onto the bar but i refrained from giving in to my stupid impulsive feelings.

thanks for reading everyone and i hope y'all all have a great weekend

Upper 1, Week 25

Fall '07 - Upper 1, Week 25

Overall Impression:

wierd workout...

Bench Press = 2 sets x 2 reps x 190 lbs

something just didnt feel right to me. i did my warm-ups and right from the start i knew something wasnt right. my body didnt feel right and i was moving the bar way too slowly. even 135 lbs felt like a ton. so i did a little shoulder rehab workout just to warm up the muscles and then continued my warm-ups but to no avail. so i was supposed to do 10 sets of 3 reps with 190..i mean, ive gotten 10x3x185 twice now but i couldnt do the 3rd rep on both sets with 190. ever since ive fallen sick my strength levels have plummetted on the bench press. all my other exercises are improving. this is the second workout in a row where my bench has become considerably weaker. im not very happy about this.

Seated Unilateral Shoulder Press = 3 sets x 7 reps x 50 lbs

wow. 50 lbs is a milestone lol. this was very easy though. i was conservative on this. next time ill try 3x8 or 3x9. most likely 3x9.

High Cable Rows = 4 sets x 8 reps x 140 lbs

i attached the v-bar onto the lat pulldown machine at the top and did my rows where my back was roughly 15-30 degrees from the floor. it felt good. light and easy. next time ill try for 4x10.

Unilateral Low Pulley Rows = 2 sets x 12 reps x 32.5 lbs

this was a sort of new exercise for me and it was pretty good. i think 32.5 was a fairly decent weight. 37.5 would have been a bit too tough i think.

Facepulls = 3 sets x 12 reps x 90 lbs, 1 set x 8 reps x 100 lbs

these felt awesome! my traps should hopefully get huge doing these lol.

Leaving Thoughts:

im not sure why my bench press is getting weaker. maybe i need a break from benching. maybe not. lets see.

only 2 more days before the weekend. happy halloween everyone!!!