Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Tue 12/31 - Pull Day (BOR PR!)

Workout: Golds
(185#BOR)5x8 Awesome! PR - Video
(135#BOR)4x8

(Pulldown)5x8
(CableCrunch)4x10
(80#IsoRow)3x10
(40#IncCurl)9,9,7,30#x10 Wt. bump, V. good
(RevGripPull)4x10
(10#RDelt)4x12
(LegRaise)3x15
(25#BackExt)2x15
91 mins + 10 w/u +15 PT = 106 mins

Sarah and I went to Golds today for a pull WO.  WOW! Bent-over-rows were great. I bumped the weight today and had 5 great sets. Then we both dropped weight and did 4 more sets of very controlled reps. This 2nd weight is what I was using as my working weight a couple weeks ago. Took video of both Sarah and I, each for 1 heavy and 1 light set.  Awesome. After that pulldowns were good. Iso row was good. We did cable crunches for the first time in a while.

Took advantage of the iso row machine I like so much at Golds today. Supersetted that w/ incline curls. The 35# DB's were taken, so I bumped to 40#'s and was surprised that I still got 3 good sets. I dropped and did a 4th set for some more volume. Definitely getting stronger. Finished up with reverse grip pulldowns, rear delts, some leg raises and two sets of back extensions. After the 2nd set of back extensions, my lower back down through my glutes started seizing up.  WO OVER!  We did some PT/stretching and then went for Sushi. Great WO, great morning.

Nutrition:

I weighed 177.2 this morning.

Monday, December 30, 2013

Mon 12/30 - Push Day

Workout: LA Fitness (w/ Sarah)
(115#OHP)5,5,5,7,7 Very good - should've bumped weight up today
(85#OHP)11,10 (drop sets for some extra volume)

(70#DBInc)4x8
(65#DBBench)10,8,8
(165#DecCGBP)9,9,9,8 Good
(5#LegRaise)4x15
(10#LatDelt)4x12
(35#FrontDelt)3x8
(Rope)15/+5,5,5,5
(60#OHTri)2x8
(160#ChestFly)3x10
(Crunch)3x12
87 mins + 10 w/u = 97 mins

OHP was really good and I should've bumped the weight before today's WO. I added the two drop sets for some more volume.(19mins). Incline was good, but my R shoulder was feeling fairly unstable and painful. I did 9 reps on the last set, but needed some help w/ it. Shouldn't have tried it. Good pressing though given OHP was first. Bench felt good today and surprisingly, my R shoulder felt pretty much fine.(9/41mins).

I hadn't done decline CGBP in about a couple of WO's and I'd made some good progress here the last couple of WO's prior to that. I was hoping I could keep the higher weight and still get good reps. I almost kept reps and did 4 sets. We supersetted these w/ leg raises and I put a 5# weight between my feet for these today for the first time.(27/68mins).

All the 25# DB's were taken, which are what I've been using for lateral delts. So instead, today I used 10# plates and did them with my arms straight. These felt REALLy good w/ the lighter weight and different form. I did higher reps and did 4 sets. I supersetted these w/ front raises. Delts were screaming after these.

Next we did rope pushdowns, myo-rep style, and I threw in 2 sets of overhead triceps extensions for good measure. Had to go lighter on the latter today.  Finished the WO with 3 sets of chest fly's on a machine. I went heavier than I thought I could. Felt great to finish w/ these.  Very good WO. These are getting a little long though.  Very pleased that OHP is progressing after giving it some focus. Also happy I've been able to at least maintain incline and bench press while focusing on OHP. Love it when a plan works like it's supposed to :)

Nutrition:
I weighed 177.0 this morning. Plan on eating a lot today to fuel the heavy workload of today and the next couple. Then I'll see where I stand and make some decisions about what I want to do (bulk/maintain/cut).

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Sun 12/29 - Lower

Workout: (LA Fitness)
(LegPress)6PLx15,8PLx4x15 V. Good
(225#RDL)5x8 Great
(35#LegExt)3x10
(50#LegCurl)3x10
(LegRaise)3x15
(Crunch)12,12,8,8,8,8
61 mins + 20 w/u = 81 mins

Warmed up well on the treadmill and did warmup sets on leg press of 2Platesx15, 4PLx10, 6PLx16 and then did 8plates 4x15 for my working sets. I was planning on working sets w/ 6 plates today, but that first set felt really easy so I counted it as a w/u set and did working sets w/ 8.  These felt good. I had to work the last 2 sets, but getting 15 reps wasn't too bad, and I kept sets starting every 2 mins...so fairly short rests.

I warmed up on RDL w/ 135# and then 185#. I skipped the planned set at 205#'s and just went to 5 working sets of 8 reps at 225#'s. Felt great. Was going to bump up the weight, but I'll do that next time if they're feeling good.  These two movements are the real work of this WO and they are taxing if done with heavy enough weights.

We did one-legged leg extension and then leg curls. Leg curls were supersetted w/ leg raises.  Finished up the WO w/ some crunches.  Very solid WO.

Nutrition:
I weighed 1746.4 this morning. Not bad after being away for Christmas and eating a lot for a week. We were really active the whole time though. Had 2 runs and 3 really good WO's at ironbound and some walks.  Nice.

Sat 12/28 - 4.5 Mile Run

Cardio:
4.5 mile run in ~45 mins + 15 mins c/d walk. This run didn't feel as good as Christmas morning. Still good to get out w/ Sarah and before getting in the car to drive home.

Fri 12/27 - Pull Day

Workout: Ironbound
(175#BOR)5x8 Great
(Pulldown)5x8
(LegRaise)5x15
(SeatRow)4x8
(35#IncCurl)10,10,9 V. Good
(RevGripPull)4x10
(30#RDelt)3x8
(85#BBCurl)8,7,65#x12 V. Good (until R shoulder gave)
(115#RDelt)3x10
(T-twist) 2x25
(Crunch)12,12,8,8,8,8
92 mins + 10 w/u = 102 mins

Another WO at Ironbound. Pull day today. Bent over rows were great. Bumped weight and still got all reps. Incline curls were really good and just a really good pull WO. Heavy barbell curls felt really good..until the last 2 reps of 2nd set. I felt my R shoulder just go. Really painful. Should've stopped, but I did another set, though I did drop the weight by 20#'s.

Nutrition:
NA

Thu 12/26 - Push Day

Workout: Ironbound 
(115#OHP)5x5,65#x16,15
(70#DBInc)4x8
(65#DBBench)9,7,8
(70#OHTri)10,9,7,8
(LegRaise)4x15
(25#LatDelt)3x10
(35#FrontDelt)3x8
(Rope)15/+5,5,5,5
(ChestFly)3x10
(Crunch)3x12
92 mins + 10 w/u = 102mins

Sarah and I hit the gym day after Christmas and had a really good push WO. OHP was good and the 2 drop sets felt great, but really tiring. Incline suffered a little because of the extra OHP and I needed help on the last rep. Ironbound doesn't have a decline bench, so we did OH Tri's again as main triceps
movement.  Really good WO.

Nutrition:NA

Wed 12/25 - 4.5 Mile Run

Cardio:
4.5 mile run in ~45 mins + 15 mins c/d walk.  First run since PT told me to rest and rehab it.  Took it easy but knee felt pretty good. Nice way to start Christmas morning w/ Sarah.

Nutrition:
NA

Tue 12/24 - GBR Upper

Mon 12/23 - Rest day. Packed and traveled to Williamsburg w/ Sarah for Christmas.

Tue 12/24 - GBR Upper
Workout: IronBound
(105#OHP)5,5,5,5,8
(Pulldown)5x10
(70#Inc)8,8,8,9
(70#T-bar)4x10
(70#OHTri)10,10,7,7
(LegRaise)4x15
(35#IncCurl)10,10,8
(25#LatDelt)3x8
(70#Rope)15/+5,5,5
(75#RDelt)15/+5,5,5
(ChestFly)3x11
(Crunch)15,15,10,10,8,8
105 Mins

Sarah and I went to Ironbound gym in Williamsburg.  Good Upper. Chest fly's at the end felt like a really nice add-on for some more chest volume. Incline was really good.

Nutrition:
Not tracking weight or nutrition while in Williamsburg. Will just try to make sure to get enough protein. I know I'll be getting plenty of carbs and fat :)


Sunday, December 22, 2013

Sun 12/22 - Push Day

Workout: (LA Fitness)
(115#OHP)5,5,5,5,7 V. Good
(70#DBInc)8,8,8,10
(65#DBBench)8,8
(165#DecCGBP)3x10 Wt. bump, very good
(LegRaise)3x15
(70#OHTri)10,10,9
(25#LatDelt)3x10
(45#FrontDelt)3x8
(Rope)15/+5,5,5,5
(ChestFly)3x10
90mins + 8 w/u = 98mins

Sarah and I hit the gym together again this morning. She's turning out to be a good WO partner. She's getting the hang of most of the movements, and she's willing to work hard in the gym. I can appreciate that.

OHP went well. First set didn't feel easy by any means, but I just felt stronger as the sets went along. Happy w/ 7 reps +30 second hold at the end. Incline was really good and I got 10 reps on the last set. Sarah helped a touch on the last rep. Bench felt really good, but stopped at 2 sets because I had fly's planned later in the WO too.(34mins). Already a lot of good, heavy, pressing to this point.

Because of the weights Sarah and I were using on CGBP, it was convenient to just bump the weight to 165 lbs. I'd been meaning to bump weight here anyway. I kept same reps as normal at this higher weight. VERY pleased with this, especiall coming after a lot of pressing already. Combo'd with leg raises, which was a pain in the ass because peopel were using the captain chair so we ended up doing 3 sets at 3 different locations. 2 of the sets were haning from the pullup bar. I love how these feel, but it's just too hard on my shoulders and elbows hanging for that long.

Next we did a triple set of lateral delt, front delt and OH tri extensions. Front delts were a bit too heavy w/ a 45# plate, but LA Fitness doesn't have 35# plates.  Finished up the WO w/ rope pushdowns and 3 sets of chest fly's. Chest fly's felt great on this machine. Got a great pump.

VERY pleased with this WO. Some great pressing. Got higher reps on OHP, which is my main press movement I want to progress on during this training block, so that's very positive. Very pleased with bumping weight on close grip decline and keeping reps. I should bump again soon.

Nutrition:
I weighed 177.0 this morning. Surprised I was that heavy, but better to feed great WO's this weekend than to worry about a small weight spike.

Sat 12/21 - Pull Day

Workout: (LA Fitness)
(165#BOR)5x8 Very good
(145#Pulldown)5x8
(LegRaise)4x15
(SeatRow)4x10
(145#RevGripPull)2x10
(35#IncCurl)10,8,8 Wt. bump, very good
(30#RDelt)3x8
(115#RDelt)2x10
(85#BBCurl)6,5,65x10
(Crunch)15,15,12,12,8,8
90mins

Sarah and I went to the gym first thing in the morning for a pull day. We started with bent over rows, and I bumped up the weight from last WO. I'm getting the hang of these (finally) and they felt really good...and hard. Short rests on these and they are taxing! Did pulldowns today instead of weighted pullups because my left elbow is really bad. I tried to really start the pull by setting my shoulders and engaging the lats, rather than starting the pull w/ arms and bi's. These felt good. Supersetted leg raises with these.

Seated rows were fairly good and followed them with reverse grip pulldowns. Sarah was having some grip issues, so we only did 2 sets. I teased her that she was mad at the machine, but no grumpy training partners allowed.  Next up were incline DB curls. I started w/ my normal 30#'s and it felt light, so I bumped up to 35#'s and got good reps. Really happy w/ these. I've been stuck at 30's for a while, so progress here is good. Supersetted these with heavy rear delts w/ dumbbells. Followed that up with lighter machine rear delts. Since bi's were feeling strong, I did a couple sets of heavy barbell curls, and they felt good.  We did try a preacher curl machine, but it didn't feel good and hurt my elbow, so we abandoned them.  Finished up the WO w/ some crunches, alternating with one leg raised. These felt great and really activated the lower abs better than normal crunches.

Pretty good WO. Very happy with bent over rows and progressing w/ curls. After wrapping up, we left and picked up the kids to celebrate an early Christmas.

When I went to the locker room to change my shirt, Sarah headed back over to the pulldown machine to show it who was boss. She was still mad she only did 2 sets of pulldowns because of her grip giving her problems :)

Nutrition:
I weighed 174.2 this morning. Feeling good, but will be eating a lot this weekend.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Fri 12/20 - Lower

Workout: (LA Fitness)
(LegPress)4PLx15,6PLx4x15
(RDL)185x10,205x8,225x8,8,8
(35#LegExt)3x10
(45#LegCurl)3x10
45mins
PT:
(LegRaises)25,15,15
(Ham/Quad Stretches)2x1min
(Crunches)15,15,12,12,10,10
16mins
45mins + 19 w/u + 16 PT = 80 mins

Knees have been as bad as ever. WTF is going one? No running, been fairly compliant w/ PT. Seemingly no improvement. Frustrated. Anyway, since knees are still wonky, I warmed up well on the treadmill before working out. They did seem to feel better after getting some movement and blood through them.

Leg press felt pretty good. Still going light, but did bump up to 6 plates (I was doing 10 plates when doing legs regularly). I was going to bump to 8 plates, but better to take it easy. Fairly short rests here.(11mins). RDL felt good today. I was planning on sticking w/ 185 or 205 depending on how it felt, but 225 was a good weight for today.(16/27mins).

After those main movements, I did one-legged leg extensions and leg curls. The method the PT told me to use was to use both legs on the concentric portion and single leg on the exentric portion...and to do them SLOW. I used real light weights, but it was still a lot of work. In the 3rd set of each movement, my quads and hams were screaming and I had some serious hamstring cramping going on. Felt good though :)  That's not a ton of leg work, but since I haven't been doing legs a lot lately, this was MORE THAN enough. I'm sure I'll feel it for a few days.

For PT I did my leg/abductor raises and then stretched my quads and hams real well. Then I did a series of crunches, with a twist. I raised my right leg, did a series, then raised my left leg and did the same # of reps (15,15 then 12,12 then 10,10). These felt really good and activated my lower abs really well. I'll do these again.

Nutrition:
I weighed 174.6 again this morning. Feeling pretty good about where I am right now.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Thu 12/19 - GBR Upper

Wed 12/18 was a rest day. I weighed 176.8.

Thu 12/19:
Workout: Golds
(115#OHP)5x5
(150#Pulldown)5x8
(70#Inc)4x8
(155#BOR)4x8
(60#Bench)10,8,8
(155#DecCGBP)3x9
(LegRaise)3x15
(25#LatDelt)3x10
(30#IncCurl)10,8,6
(70#Rope)15/+5,5,5
(75#RDelt)15/+5,5,5
73 + 10 w/u = 83 mins

Had a ton going on at work today, including a pot luck. I didn't go overboard there, but didn't really feel like working out after. I was going to skip this WO, but that would have messed up my weekend WO plans, so I went ahead w/ it.  Glad I did.

OHP was good. I didn't get as many reps as last WO at this weight, but still happy w/ it. Supersetted w/ pulldowns which were really good and MUCH easier on my elbows (left one has been terrible lately). I didn't go super heavy, but used some technique I watched a video on yesterday which really activated the lats a lot better than pullups.(20mins). Incline was really good. Probably could've done more reps, but didn't want to push too hard. Supersetted bent over rows.(18/38mins). These 4 movements really make up a WO by themselves, especially like today when I did them all fairly heavy and pushed pretty hard.

Bench was good and this is 2nd WO that it hasn't killed my shoulders. My right was still a little painful, but not too bad.(8/46mins). Close grip bench was good, but already a lot of pressing, so I lost a few reps. Supersetted leg raises here.(12/58mins). I was starting to fade, but wanted to get some delt and arm work in. I combo'd lateral delts and curls with short rests. Biceps died here.(8/66mins) Finished up w/ rope pushdowns and rear delt flys myo-rep style.(7/73mins).

Awesome WO. No PR's or anything, but just really solid lifts, especially the first 4. Very pleased. Feeling pretty "big".

Nutrition:
I weighed 174.6 this morning. I'm feeling good and just feel much better around 175 pounds. I look and feel "bigger". When I cut down to below 170 I just don't feel comfortable and can't eat. At 175 I can eat a good amount to fuel WO's, even if I'm not quite as lean. After the holidays I'd like to bulk slowly to 185 and cut SLOWLY down to 175, not RFL - no carb style.



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 215 333 58  2,704
Calories 861 1331 518  2,710
Percent 32% 49% 19% `

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Tue 12/17 - Pull Day - Joined LA Fitness

Workout: (Golds)
(155#BOR)5x8 Very good
(35#Pullups)6,6,5 Ouch
(60#SeatRow)4x8 V. good
(30#IncCurl)3x10
(RevGripPull)3x10
(30#RearDelt)3x8
(70#IsoRow)3x10
(LegRaise)3x15
(75#RearDelt)3x10
55mins
PT:
(LegRaises)3x20
(Hamstring/Quad/AbductorStretch)2x1min each leg
(Wrist)2x1min
25mins
55 + 10 w/u + 25 PT = 90 mins

Bent over row was really good today. Got good reps for 5 sets and wasn't cheating the weight up. Pullups were a bitch. Hurt my left elbow and they were just HARD.  Doesn't help that I'm 10 lbs heavier right now. I switched in seated rows next and they felt really good. Didn't go too heavy, and didn't have to after heavy rows and pullups. Combo'd the seated rows with incline curls. First set felt kinda light, but 2nd and 3rd set got hard.

Reverse grip pulldowns were good, but I dropped the weight a bit after first set. Same thing for DB rear delts. I wanted to go "heavy" on DB rear delts because I hit them again later with a lighter weight on the machine.  Iso rows and leg raises were good.  I had to head out and didn't have time to do my PT, but did it later at home. Gotta be compliant w/ this stuff.  I was talking to Sarah about this tonight. I make time to hammer away at back today for an hour in the gym, but didn't "have time" to do my PT. Made myself do it later in the evening. It's crazy though, because the PT is more important than my WO right now. I joined LA Fitness tonight. Sarah joined last week and I like working out there. Have to cancel my Golds membership.

Anyway, very good pull day. Pleased w/ everything except pullups. It wasn't long ago I was getting 4x8 w/ 35 lb dumbbells. I've noticed that pullups always drop off quickly for me if I'm not hammering away at them every WO, but my elbows just can't take them with that kind of volume.

Nutrition:
I weighed 179.2 this morning. Lost what to do here. I really don't feel like cutting this week before Christmas and I'm feeling good eating and working out. But, I also don't want to be close to 180 heading into xmas. That could (would?) get ugly.  For now, eating slightly under maintenance and see if I shed some water from the major carb load over the weekend.



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 202 349 23  2,434
  Calories 809 1395 203  2,407
  Percent 34% 58% 8% `

Monday, December 16, 2013

Mon 12/16 - Push Day

Workout: (Golds)
(115#OHP)6,6,5,5,5
(70#DBInc)4x8
(65#DBBench)10,8,7
(155#DecCGBP)10,8,9
(LegRaise)3x15
(70#OHTri)9,8
(195#Crunch)2x10
(25#LatDelt)3x10
(25#RDelt)2x8
(60#Rope)15/+5,5,5
(35#FrontDelt)2x10
64mins

PT:
(AbductorLegRaise)20,15,15
(Hamstring)1x2min
(Quad)1x1.5min
(Abductor)1x1.5min
18mins
64 mins + 8 w/u + 18 PT = 90mins

Started WO with OHP and increased the weight from what I've been doing. Good first stab at this weight. I'll stick at this weight and just try to increase reps for the next couple of weeks. Incline was good and goal will be to be able to work up weight here as well, but won't be the focus of the pressing.

I was only going to do 2 sets of DB bench, but it felt good and didn't hurt my shoulders too bad today, so I did a 3rd set. Really good reps here today. Decline close grip was good, but not as many reps as last couple WO's.  Those WO's didn't include bench before this though. Pleased. Overhead tri extensions felt heavy today, mixed in w/ some ab work.  Finished up the WO with delts and light tri work.  After the WO I did my PT routine.

Satisfied with the WO today. Not satisfied with my weight.

Nutrition:
I weighed 180.6 this morning. Blew all the work from my cut on my b'day weekend. Really made a pig of myself. I had 4 pieces of b'day cake w/ ice cream last night. I ate out 5 times over the weekend. Ugh...



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 193 336 23  2,337
  Calories 774 1345 206  2,325
  Percent 33% 58% 9% `

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Sun 12/15 - DeadLifts

Left knee has been really bad. No idea why. No idea what I might've done to it. Couldn't do a real lower WO today and had the kids so I wasn't planning on going to the gym.  On my way home from dropping the kids, I had a little time so I stopped by the gym. And I REALLY wanted to get some type of WO in on my birthday.

I did deadlifts and decline close grip bench in jeans, t-shirt and chukkas (boots). Got some weird looks at the gym working out in this getup.

Workout:
(Deadlift)135#x12, 205x8, 275x5x5
(135#DecCGBP)4x15

Deadlifts were pretty good. Having not done them in a while, 5 sets of 5 at 275 pounds felt good. Close grip bench was good. A lot of reps. Should've bumped the weight, but didn't want to hit anything too hard or heavy.

Nutrition:
I weighed 179.6 this morning. +10 pounds since ending the cut a couple days ago. Whoa! Gotta reign it back in (or start back on the cut).

Sat 12/14 - GBR Upper

Took a rest day Friday, 12/13

Workout: LA Fitness
(75#DBInc)8,8,8,7
(145#BOR)4x8
(95#OHP)4x9
(35#Pullups)6,6,5
(60#Bench)8,8,7
(155#DecCGBP)11,11,10
(LegRaise)3x15
(70#OHTri)3x9
(30#IncCurl)12,10
(RopePushDn)3x12
(25#Lat/RearDelt)3x10/10
85mins + 11 w/u = 96mins

Sarah and I went to the gym together this morning and after ending my cut and eating above maintenance for 2 days, I was looking forward to a really good workout. I was going to push some heavy (for me) weight today. Well, that didn't happen. I lost reps on some main movements. For example, during my cut I was getting reps for incline w/ 75#'s at 8,8,9-10. It happens, but it wasn't what I'd hoped for, but it was still a good WO and I gave it my best effort for today.

It's a good reminder to me that I ended my cut at the right time. I toyed w/ the idea of continuing the cut for a couple more days. I can only imagine that my lifts would've fallen off more dramatically had I continued cutting. That's what happened at the end of my last cut when things literally fell off a cliff the last 2 days of my cut and it took me 6 weeks to build back up. This cut actually went better than any other time as far as maintaining strength goes. Gotta be happy about that. I did do more volume today, doing 4 sets on main movements instead of 3.   Left knee really bad today for no apparent reason. Not happy about that. Thought it was getting better w/ rest and PT.

Nutrition:
I weighed 176.0 this morning. Didn't really track nutrition today.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Thu 12/12 - GBR Upper - End of RFL Cut

Workout: Golds
(75#DBInc)8,8,9 Good
(135#BOR)3x10 V. Good
(95#OHP)3x10 Nice
(35#Pullups)6,6,8 V. Good
(65#Bench)10,6 Uh oh
(155#DecCGBP)8,8,7 Double uh oh
(LegRaise)3x15
(70#OHTri)10,8
(30#IncCurl)12,10
(25#Lat/RearDelt)2x10/10
(80#IsoRow)3x10
(AbductorRaise)3x15
(195#Crunch)2x10
73mins

Stretch:
(Hamstring)2x1min
(Abductor)2x1min
(Quad)2x1min
15mins
73 mins + 10 w/u + 15 PT = 98 mins

Last day of the cut and had another really good WO. Incline felt heavier than my last WO, but I still got the same reps. Bent over row was great and I got more reps today. Need to keep this movement in the routine and up the weight.(14mins). OHP was good, but some dude was in the rack for 20 mins dicking around so I had to get the bar up from the incline bench to do them which was a pain. Pullups were good again. Left elbow real painful though. (14/28mins). I added in flat DB bench today for some chest volume...kind of.  First set of 10 felt good. 2nd set I was totally done at 6 reps. Whoa! Not good. (6/34mins).

I was going to do leg press and RDL today, but started to warm up on the leg press and it just wasn't happening. I felt tight and would've needed some time to warm up my legs and this WO was already going to be too long today. Decline close grip bench fell off today, but that's nothing too worrisome. Leg raises were good and I tried to focus on good reps w/ back felxion to work the abs and not hip flexors as much.(13/47mins).  OH Tri and curls were OK. (7/54mins). I did 2 sets of lateral & rear delts (6/60mins) and then did some more back work w/ iso rows combo'd w/ abductor leg raises and cable crunches.(13/73mins). Finished up the WO with my PT stretches. 

Very pleased w/ this WO at the end of a successful 10-day RFL cut. 

Nutrition:
I weighed 169.8 this morning. Quite pleased. Thought I'd be a little lower but still looking and feeling quite lean, but kept strength up incredibly well on no carbs for 10 days. Time to get the feed bag on today. First bowl of cereal today after my WO tasted AMAZING!!! Ate about 1,000 cals over maintenance today.



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 250 544 59  3,716
  Calories 999 2174 533  3,707
  Percent 27% 59% 14% `

Wed 12/11 - Rest day

Rest day today.

Nutrition:
I weighed 170.0 this morning. Last full day of cut. Still feeling good. Tempted to take the cut through the weekend, but I don't want what happened at the end of the last cut. Strength completely went in the toilet w/ in 2-3 days at the end of the cut that I tried to extend longer than I should have.



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 242 52 15  1,309
  Calories 970 206 134  1,309
  Percent 74% 16% 10% `

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Tue 12/10 - GBR Upper + PT

Workout: LA Fitness
(75#DBInc)8,8,9 Very good
(135#BOR)8,8,10
(95#OHP)3x10
(35#Pullups)6,6,8 Great
(155#CGBP)12,10,10 Very good
(LegRaise)3x15
(Dips)2x10
(70#OHTri)10,8
(30#IncCurl)12,10
(25#Crunch)3x12
(Planks)1min,1m,1m,1.5m,1.5m
72mins

PT:
Abductor/LegRaises:15,12,10
Stretches:
Hamstring:2x1min
Abudctors:2x1min
Quads:2x1min
15mins

72mins + 12 w/u + 15 PT = 99mins

Well today was another unexpectedly great WO. I'm on day 9 of a very strict cut and weights haven't really fallen off at all. I lost 1 rep on incline on the last set compared to last WO, but still got better than planned 3x8. BOR felt really good, OHP was strong as well. Pullups were very good and decline close grip bench was great. I even threw in a few extra sets of dips just because we were by the dip station doing leg raises.

Very pleased with the WO and enjoyed working out w/ Sarah again. After the WO we did abs/PT/stretching.  I will note that rest times are longer working out w/ Sarah than I normally have, so that lends to being able to maintain weight across sets, but during the end of my last cut my strength fell off a cliff and I couldn't have done the WO I did today.  Very nice. Will probably take the day off tomorrow and then do a full body type WO on Thursday morning and end the cut there. I'll refeed over the weekend, then try to stabilize before Christmas break.

Nutrition:
I weighed 171.4 this morning. Weight down a little from yesterday, but really stagnating (after an increase on Mon). Starting to feel pretty lean though. Very pleased w/ this cut. Good nutrition day. Getting tired of eating so much plain chicken and tuna. I'd forgotten how much I have to eat to hit around 250g protein w/out any add-on protein from other foods (milk, cereal, etc.).

Monday, December 9, 2013

Mon 12/9 - Rest & PT

Today was a rest day, but I still did my PT.

PT:
(LegRaises)20,15,15
(Hamstring)1x1.5min
(Abductor)1x1.5min
(Quad)1x1.5min
- All stretches were done on both legs for 1.5mins.

Nutrition:
I weighed 172.0 this morning. This is up a bit, but I hadn't needed to use the bathroom in a couple days, so...  Another good nutrition day. I'll see how the WO goes tomorrow and determine when to end cut. If it goes well, I'll probably go the full 11-12 days. If not, I'll begin introducing carbs after the WO.



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 249 45 16  1,338
  Calories 997 180 142  1,319
  Percent 76% 14% 11% `

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Sun 12/8 - Legs + PT

Workout: LA Fitness
(LegPress)4.5plates-4x20
(185#SLDL)4x10
(25#BackExtensions)3x15
(Crunches)4x12

PT:
Abductor/LegRaises:3x12
Stretches:
Hamstring:2x1min
Abudctors:2x1min
Quads:2x1min
47 WO + 15 w/u + 22 PT = 84mins

Worked out w/ Sarah again this morning. We warmed up on the TM for 15 mins and then did some lower body work. Then we both did some core. We tired a couple different weighted crunches and none of them felt very good so we just did some good old fashioned crunches and then both did abductor PT.  Good WO. Quads were really sore from Friday's lower work. Legs definitely aren't used to any pressing. Knees haven't seemed as painful since starting some PT. Good sign.

Nutrition:
I weighed 170.4 again this morning. Pretty good nutrition day. Gotta decide how long to continue my cut. the RFL protocol is to run it 11-12 days, and today is day 7. I'll see how I'm feeling from a strength perspective in the gym the next WO and then decide when to end it. Sarah and I made tuna steaks, broccoli and brussel sprouts in the oven tonight. Tuna was a tad overdone, but all was yummy. Definitely the best meal I've had in the last week.

Sat 12/7 - GBR Upper + PT

Workout: LA Fitness
(75#DBInc)8,8,10
(155#SmBOR)3x8
(95#OHP)3x10
(35#Pullups)3x6
(155#CGBP)12,10,10
(LegRaise)15,15,20
(70#OHTri)2x10
(30#IncCurl)12,10
(25#Lat/RearDelt)2x10
(T-Twist)25,20,18
(Planks)1min,1m,1m,2m
72mins

PT:
Abductor/LegRaises:3x12
Stretches:
Hamstring:2x1min
Abudctors:2x1min
Quads:2x1min
28mins

72mins + 10 w/u + 28 PT = 110mins

Today was an unexpectedly great WO about a week into a hard cut. Incline was really good, getting 10 reps on last set. OHP felt good and got full reps. Weighted pullups were fairly good and decline close grip bench was great. We also got some good core work with torture twists and planks. Planks were 1 min each w/ only 30 seconds rest. I did 2 mins on the last one. Enjoyed working out with Sarah again and she's been adding weight to a lot of movements, especially triceps stuff. Just a great WO.

Nutrition:
I weighed 170.4 this morning. Still cutting. Weight loss has really come to a crawl, as it always does. Good nutrition day, especially for a weekend.



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 260 64 26  1,532
Calories 1038 255 233  1,527
Percent 68% 17% 15% `

Fri 12/6 - Legs + PT

Workout: Golds
(LegPress)4plates-4x20
(205#SLDL)4x8

PT:
Abductor/LegRaises:15,15,10
Stretches:
Hamstring:2x1min
Abudctors:2x1min
Quads:2x1min
24 + 15 w/u + 21 PT = 60mins

Nutrition:
I weighed 170.6 this morning. Good cut nutrition day.



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 247 54 16  1,363
Calories 987 216 143  1,346
Percent 73% 16% 11% `

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Thu 12/5 - PT Appointment

So I went to the PT today. I've finally had it with my knees and had to do something about the pain.  Diagnosis is really tight and weak hip abductors.  The PT kinda laughed at me twice. Once during an abductor strength test where he said "you're a strong guy, but your abductors are really weak". A second time when he had me hold on to his arm and do single leg "squats" to parallel. We could both hear my knees grinding away as I went up and down.  For this one he said, "yeah, if you want your knees to last a while longer we'd better do something about that."

Basically, the weakness and tightness in my abductors is causing rotation which travels down my thigh into my knee, causing problems. My knee cap is then pulled out of normal position and it is scraping against the knee socket causing pain and deterioration...or something like that :)  Hamstrings and quads are also tight and inflexible. 

So, I have 3 stretches and 1 abductor strength exercise I need to do daily. No running for 2-3 weeks. The PT took some measurements and I have a follow up next Thursday to check progress. Once I get some flexibility back the PT said he'd take me to the gym and give me some other strengthening exercises in addition to the one he prescribed today.  It's a simple 2 sets of 10 leg raise while lying on my side. He had me do them during the appointment and something that should be VERY easy was taxing...demonstrating the extreme weakness.

I'll try to be compliant, so I'm off to do my exercises before bed.

Thu 12/5 - GBR Upper

Workout: Golds
(95#OHP)10,10,11
(35#Pullups)6,6,7
(75#DBInc)3x8
(135#BOR)3x8
(155#CGBP)8,8,10
(80#IsoRow)3x12
(70#OHTri)10,9
(30#IncCurl)2x10
(195#CableCrunch)2x10
(60#Rope)3x10
(LegRaise)2x15
51 + 7w/u + 10c/d = 68mins

4th day into RFL cut and had a great WO today. I was really surprised that I had the amount of energy that I did. Kept things to 3 sets and tried to go as heavy as I have been lately. Everything went well and I didn't press too terribly hard on anything either.  Bent over rows felt really good today. I did them the "right" way today and lowered the weight to the floor every rep and then tried to be explosive on the contraction.

Very pleased. Shoulders felt pretty good and left elbow wasn't too terribly bad, even on weighted pullups. WO wasn't overly long either. I don't know if I would've had the energy for a 90 min WO today. But, I've got to keep this in mind...to keep WO's shorter, concentrate on heavy compound movements and don't waste so much time on accessory stuff as I sometimes tend to do (after hitting the heavy compounds).

While I was doing weighted pullups a guy came over and was asking me about them. He was curious how I held a heavy dumbbell between my legs, how long I'd been doing them, did I do any rock/mountain climbing.  Nice guy. Turns out he was a teacher/coach in Fairfax County for many years. He was in his late 60's to early 70's. When I told him I went to Woodson, he mentioned Labby's name and knew of him.

Nutrition:

I weighed 171.8 this morning. Down a full 8 pounds since Monday. Cut going well. Tight nutrition again today.  23 more grams carbs today because I ate some spinach and carrots.  Not sure how long I should restrict carbs this tightly. I'll see what I weigh tomorrow and how I feel. I'm going to try to hit some leg work in the gym tomorrow (leg press and dead lift). That should be interesting on no carbs for 5 days and not having done a lower WO in a few weeks :)



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 239 50 16  1,303
  Calories 958 199 141  1,297
  Percent 74% 15% 11% `

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Wed 12/4 - Unsched Rest

Today was supposed to be a WO day (pull day), but around noon I started getting really bad pain in my abdomen. I couldn't stand up straight and couldn't get comfortable. Felt like a sharp stabbing pain at times.  So anyway, took the day off. Haven't been able to eat as much as needed, but feeling better now so I'll try to get some protein down. Stuck mainly w/ whey shakes this afternoon.

Nutrition:
I weighed 173.2 this morning (down almost 7lbs since Monday am). Coming down nicely. Not sure if I'll do the RFL for the full 10 days, or cut it at the weekend. I'll decide based on weight, strength in the gym and the mirror. Really tight day.



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 230 27 11  1,117
  Calories 921 108 99  1,128
  Percent 82% 10% 9% `

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Tue 12/3 - Push Day

Workout: (Sprint Big Gym)
(75#DBInc)4x8 V. Good
(115#SmOHP)4x8 Felt Awesome in Smith Machine
(65#DBBench)10,8
(75#OHTri)11,9,9 Really good
(25#LatDelt)2x10
(25#RDelt)2x10
(PushDn)3x12
(Crunch)4x12
(Plank)3min
47 + 12 w/u + 10 c/d = 69mins

Incline was good. This is the heaviest I've gone since deloading. I was only going to do 3 sets since I'm cutting, but they felt good and I just wanted to get 4x8. I reluctantly did overhead press in the Smith Machine and ended up loving it. I could REALLY feel these even better than standing OHP. DB Bench was pretty good, but still bothers my R shoulder. It's weird, because it's my L shoulder that is generally more painful on other movements.

Overhead tri extensions were really good. Tri's were absolutely on fire after good pressing and then these so I decided not to do skull crushers. That, and my left elbow is REALLY bad right now and skull crushers can be tough on my elbows.  Lat/rear delts were Ok, felt real heavy. Finished up with some tri pushdowns and a few different types of crunches, followed by a 3min plank. Really contracted my lower abs during the plank and it felt great.  Very solid WO, and didn't drag on in duration (I also cut out incline fly's because chest had enough).

Nutrition:
I weighed 175.8 this morning. Down 4 pounds from yesterday. Another tight nutrition day.



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 240 69 16  1,393
  Calories 960 277 148  1,384
  Percent 69% 20% 11% `

Monday, December 2, 2013

Mon 12/2 - Rest/Cut

I decided to take a day off today because knees were bothering me quite a bit and it wasn't a gym day.

Nutrition:
I weighed 179.8 this morning. Damage done over Thanksgiving, so I started a cut this morning.  It won't be a long one, but it's going to be strict.  Good day today. Hunger wasn't too bad, but hard going from eating a lot w/ lots of carbs to very few carbs.



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 233 64 15  1,338
  Calories 934 257 135  1,326
  Percent 70% 19% 10% `

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Sun 12/1 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(95#OHP)4x10 +30sec
(Pullups)4x10
(70#DBInc)4x8
(70#T-bar)4x10
(155#CGBP)3x10
(30#IncCurl)12,10,10
(30#IncFly)2x10
(Crunch)2x10
(70#OHTri)12,11,9
(25#LatDelt)2x10
(LegRaise)20,15
(Planks)1.5m,1.5m,1m,1m,1m,2m
(SidePlank)2x1m
(PushDn)4x10
95mins

Went to Golds w/ Sarah and did an upper WO. I got 4x10 on OHP for the first time in a while so I was pleased with that. Will need to start pushing the weights up on this starting this week. I hadn't done pullups in a few WO's, so it was nice to get 4x10 here w/o pressing too hard. Incline was good. CGPB was really good. Finished up w/ a bunch of ab work. Planks were good and did them with feet up on a medicine ball. Good WO.

Nutrition:
I weighed 178.0 this morning. Definitely higher than I want to be, but not too bad after several days of eating a ton. Gotta trim down a bit before Christmas, so I'm not going to start a new intense progression block until the new year.

Sat 11/30 - 4.4 Mile Run

Cardio:
4.4 mile run in 42:11 (10:02,9:36,9:57,9:40,2:56) 9:39 pace. 606 cals. Ran around golf course w/ Sarah before heading home to Leesburg.


Fri 11/29 - GBR Upper

Workout: IronBound
(70#DBInc)4x8
(T-bar)4x10
(LegRaise)3x20
(95#OHP)4x8
(PullDns)4x10
(70#OHTri)3x10
(70#BBCurl)3x10
(30#IncFly)3x10
(30#IncCurl)2x10
(Russians)2x20
(PushDn)3x12
(Planks)2.5m,1.5m,1m,1m,1m,1m
75mins

Went to IronBound again w/ Sarah and did a GBR Upper WO. Good workout and enjoyed working out w/ Sarah. She's getting the hang of the exercises and we bumped up the weights a little on a few things for her so I think she got a real good workout today and seemed to really enjoy it. Planks were fun side-by-side and I'm liking doing them again even though they take a fair amount of time. Left elbow was pretty bad today. Legs still sore from kettlebell swings.

Nutrition:
Not tracking anything and definitely overeating. After this weekend, I'm definitely going to have to cut before Christmas. 


Thu 11/28 - 5.25 mile run - Thxgiving pics

Cardio:
5.25 mile run in 53:01 (10:09,9:52,10:42,10:19,9:42:2:15) avg 10:05 pace. 735cals. Nice run w/ Sarah around Mom's neighborhood and golf course.

Also went for a long walk w/ Sarah, Mom, Rylie, Kim & Jay around the golf course before dinner. Had some 1:1 time w/ Jay during part of the walk and really enjoyed it.

Went for another walk w/ Sarah after dinner.

What an awesome Thanksgiving day with the whole family at Mom's house. I don't know when the next time that will happen. Really enjoyed it all. Kids/cousins had such a wonderful time together.






Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Wed 11/27 - FB Circuit

Workout: (IronBound)
(25#DBSquatPress)4x20
(35#DBBench)4x20
(55#T-Bar)4x20
(LegRaise)4x20
(PullDown)4x20
(50#UprightRow)4x20
(RussianTwist)4x25
(25#Chest/IncFly)4x20
(35/50#KettleBellSwing)4x20
(Plank)1min,1min,1.5min,1.5min
(70#OHTri)11,8
(PushDown)10,10,10/+6,6,6
75 mins for circuites + 7 mins of tri work at the end. 82 mins total.

Worked out at IronBound today with Sarah. We did a the FB circuit above. Each circuit took about 17 minutes and we rested a couple minutes between each circuit. I started too heavy w/ 50#'s and inner legs are really sore. Overall a really good WO. Not a lot of rest and we kept moving from exercise to exercise w/o much down time.

Nutrition:
No scale and not worrying too much about nutrition other than getting enough protein.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Tue 11/26 - Push Day

Monday (11/25) was a rest day.

Workout: (Golds)
(95#OHP)5x8+60sec
(65#DBInc)8,8,8,11 Good
(155#DecCGBP)8,8,8,8,10
Very good
(75#Skulls)3x10
(25#LatDelt)3x10
(30#RDelt)3x8
(150#PushDn)10
(50#Rope)4x12
(35#IncFly)3x10
(75#RDeltFly)15/+5,5,5
63 + 14 w/u + 0 c/d = 77 mins

OHP was fairly good, but sets of 8 are still not easy. Frustrating. Held weight at extension for 60 secs after last set.(13mins). Incline was good. 65# DB's felt fairly light (as they should). Worked for the 11th rep on last set.(11mins). Did both these exercises starting each set strictly at 2 mins. Close grip decline was great today. Tri's are progressing. 5 sets and got 10 reps on last set. Time to bump weight again soon. I did ask for a spot on the last set, but didn't need it.(11/33mins).

I had DB bench writting in next, but for some reason wanted to try a few sets of barbell bench. I just had 135#'s on and it KILLED my R shoulder. Felt like something was going to tear out between chest and shoulder. Stopped at 6 reps. Not good. Incline fly's were next up, but I moved them back in the WO to give my chest/shoulder some time to rest. I did scull crushers/tri extensions next. I haven't done these in a few weeks, but they were good. Tells me tri's are getting stronger here too. I combo'd lateral delt raises with these, and they were really good.(10/45mins).

Next I did pushdowns and "heavy" rear delt flys w/ DB's. Before heading over to the rear delt fly machine, I did 3 sets of incline fly's. I thought they would hurt my pec/shoulder, but they seemed OK, so instead of 1 or 2 sets, I did 3. Finished up w/ a myo-rep set of rear delt fly's and called it a day. No ab work at the gym because I did some ab work at home this morning when I woke up.  Good WO. Nothing real heavy, intentionally, but real good work.

Nutrition:
I weighed 174.2 this morning. Came down nicely from Sunday.


Monday, November 25, 2013

Sun 11/24 - Pull Day (w/ Sarah)

Workout: (LA Fitness w/ Sarah)
Workout: (LA Fitness)
(Pulldown)4x8
(IsoRow)2x12
(SeatRow)8,8,12
(185#SLDL)8,8,10,10
(65#BBCurl)3x12
(10#RDelt)3x12
(RevGripPull)4x10
(30#IncCurl)3x10
(Abs)3x12
(Plank)4mins
72 + 10 w/u + 0 c/d = 82 mins

Sarah worked out w/ me again today and we went to LA Fitness on a free pass. Really enjoyed working out w/ Sarah again. I'm thinking about joining LA Fitness. Nice gym and a couple dollars cheaper a month than Golds. It also has a pool, nicer locker room, better equipment.

Today was pull day and weights on the machines is pretty much irrelevant, so didn't bother tracking that or time of WO other than basic duration. Nothing really stands out to write about. It was good to do SLDL again. Sarah kinda struggled w/ this movement at first and I realized today that I'm really not a good trainer. I have a hard time explaining how to do the movements well. But, I had fun w/ her and I think she liked it as well.  I did hit a plank at the end of the WO and after doing some abs. I held it for 4 minutes w/o too much effort. I haven't done a plank in at least 8-10 months, so it felt good to hold it that long. I could really feel it in my abs, but now I remember why I don't do a lot of them....they take a long time if I do a couple of them.

Nutrition:
I weighed 178.8 this morning. Whoa! All that cereal at midnight didn't help!

Sat 11/23 - Push Day (w/ Sarah)

Workout: (Golds w/ Sarah)
Workout: (Golds)
(95#OHP)9,9,9,7
(65#DBInc)8,8,8,10
(70#OHTri)12,12,12
(195#Crunch)12,10,10
(KneeCrunch)30,25,25
(60#DBBench)2x12
(35#IncFly)2x10
(155#DecCGBP)8,9,9,9
(T-Twist)20,16,14
(PushDn)150x10,60x12,12,12
(25#LatDelt)2x10
(20#LatDelt)2x10
70 + 10 w/u + 0 c/d = 80 mins

Sarah came to the gym with me this morning and worked out w/ me. It was a real nice change and I enjoyed it a lot. Not a ton to say about the WO. Still during
deload so weights weren't real heavy, but still surprised how weak OHP is. I did bump up incline by 5 pounds today. Didn't really track WO time.

Nutrition:I weighed 174.2 this morning and ate a lot the rest of the day. Had 4 bowls of cereal at midnight before hopping into bed. Bad idea.

Fri 11/22 - 3.25 Mile Run

Cardio:
Ran 3.25 miles in about  35 minutes. Really slow and knees killed me the entire time. Had to stop at about 2.5 miles to "stretch" my right knee.  Terrible run.

Nutrition:
I weighed 175.0. 2,190 cals.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Thu 11/21 - Push

Workout: (Golds)
(OHP)95x10,105x8,6,95x8,8
(60#DBInc)4x9
(155#DecCGBP)10,8,8,8,8
(60#DBBench)2x10
(35#IncFly)2x10
(25#LatDelt)2x10
(70#OHTri)9,7
(20#LatDelt)2x12
(150#PushDn)1x10
(50#RopePushDn)4x12
57 + 8 w/u + 0 c/d = 65 mins

I started with OHP as I will next cycle (though I may alternate OHP and Incline every other WO). 95#'s felt OK, so I bumped up to 105. I shouldn't have. Did 2 sets there and dropped back down for 2 more sets. Really weak here and needs lots of work. I thought this would be MUCH easier by doing it as my first movement today. This is supposed to be a sub-maximal runup. It was not. Good work, but not the intent of the WO today.(12mins). I was planning on working up to 70#DB's for incline, but 60 was OK for today.(11/23mins). Decline was great and I did 5 sets. Love it.(14/37mins).

Bench was OK, but really bothered my R shoulder again.(4/41mins). Incline fly's felt great and I did heavier lateral delts w/ these and did lighter sets later.(6/47mins). Overhead tri's felt heavy. Not progressing here at all, but I think that's because of doing them after close grip bench. Lighter delt work with these.(5/52mins). Finished up w/ 1 heavy set of pushdowns followed by 4-5 sets of lighter rope pushdowns.(5/57mins).

Good WO. Not submaximal enough on OHP, but I'll try to do better next WO. Really pleased w/ close grip bench.

Nutrtion:
I weighed 175.0 this morning. Can't explain why weight has been creeping up since Monday.



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 216 365 25  2,543
  Calories 863 1459 224  2,546
  Percent 34% 57% 9% `

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Wed 11/20 - Pull Day

Workout: (Sprint Large Gym)
(185#SmBOR)5x7
(Pullups)3x10
(70#Curl)3x10
(25#RearDelt)3x10
(125#RevGripPull)4x10
(30#IncCurl)3x10
(50#RDeltFly)3x10
(100#Crunch)3x10
(KneeCrunch)3x20
53 + 10 w/u + 8 c/d = 71 mins

2nd WO of the deload week. I'm really not good at these. It's hard to take it easy even though I know I need rest time to recover from the last intense training block.  During this deload, I'll start working into the routine I'll try to progress on for the next training block.  All that really means for me right now is that I'll be focusing on a row (e.g. bent over row) as my first main pull movement and overhead press for my first main push movement.

So, today I started with "heavy" (for me) bent over rows in the smith machine. I used more of a bent over stance that what I'd been using. These felt great today so I did 5 sets instead of 4. I think I'll try to keep these in the 6-7 rep range and just try to progress next block.I did these with on strict 2 minute intervals.(10mins). Pullups were good, but could feel it in my elbow on the last set. I should've stopped at 8, but I'm too damn stubborn to do that.(7/17mins).

Barbell curls and rear delt's were good.(9/26mins). Reverse grip pulldowns felt heavy, but good.(8/34mins). Incline curls felt great today for some reason. I wanted to do a 4th set, but I'm supposed to be taking it easy here (and I'm not doing a good job of it). Rear delt fly's were
good.(10/44mins).  Finished up w/ some abs. Haven't done a lot of ab work recently because it's been bothering my lower back. Man, could I tell. How quickly we lose strength and muscle endurance in a fairly short period of time.(9/53mins).

Nutrition:
I weighed 174.6 this morning.



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 214 328 38  2,505
  Calories 854 1312 346  2,512
  Percent 34% 52% 14% `

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Tue 11/19 - Treadmill 4.5 miles

Cardio:
Ran for 45 mins on the treadmill + c/d 5 mins = 50 minutes.
Call it 4.5 miles.

Nutrition:
I weighed 174.2 this morning. Good nutrition day. Goal is to eat at, or just below, maintenance this week to stabilize before Thanksgiving.



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 206 353 33  2,492
  Calories 823 1411 293  2,527
  Percent 33% 56% 12% `

Monday, November 18, 2013

Mon 11/18 - GBR Upper (deload start)

Workout: Golds
(70#DBInc)8,8,10
(115#T-bar)8,8,10
(95#OHP)10,10,9
(Pullups)3x8
(135#DecCGBP)17,155#x9,8
(30#IncCurl)3x10
(35#IncFly)2x10
(90#IsoRow)2x10
(25#LatDelt)3x10
(60#RopePushDn)3x12
(90#RearDelt)3x10
(35#FrotnDelt)2x10
52 mins + 15 w/u + 5 c/d = 72 mins

Heavy training block ended on Friday, so today I just wanted to get back in the gym, lighten the load and get a some decent work in. Ended up being a really good WO but not too terribly taxing to prevent some recovery. I'll go by feel this week and the week of Thanksgiving, then try to hit it hard for 3 weeks before Christmas, then a break.

Not a whole lot to say about this WO. Incline felt great, really controlled. Pullups bothered my L elbow a lot. I lightened the load on close grip bench and got 17 reps on the first set. I didn't know I'd be capable of 135x17 on flat bench, let alone close grip. Bumped the weight up after that first set.  Everything else was just solid.

Nutrition:I weighed 177.2 this morning. A little bloated from the weekend of eating. Stayed active though and ran13-14 miles so I don't think I actually put on much weight. Good nutrition day.



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 211 300 38  2,372
  Calories 843 1199 342  2,384
  Percent 35% 50% 14% `

Sun 11/17 - 6 Mile Run

Cardio:
Ran 6 miles in 57:17 (9:47,9:52,9:41,9:27,9:20,9:07) avg 9:33 pace (831 cals). 10min c/d = 67 total.

Ran by the Phillip Morris plant and through a really depressed area. As I was running down Jefferson Davis HWY, there were a couple guys leaving their $180/week one-bedroom "apartments" to light up the first cigarette of the day and crack open their first beer.  I got a great sense of gratitude as I ran by.  I wasn't looking down on these men, just very grateful for all the blessings in my life.

Nutrition:
Just eating when hungry, which means a lot, and trying to make sure I get enough protein this weekend.

Sat 11/16 - Sarah's Marathon

Cardio:
Ran between 7 & 8 miles around the Richmond marathon course. Got to run about a mile w/ Sarah from mile 2.5-3.5. She did great and ran 3:57:58.  Great day and weekend w/ Sarah. Wish I'd gotten more pictures, but it's just really difficult during a race and I missed Sarah at mile 7 and 13, and the finish was too crowded.





Saturday, November 16, 2013

Fri 11/15 - GBR Upper (Incline PR - Goal Lift)

Workout: GBR Upper (Golds)
(DBInc)75#x8,80#x8,8,8,8 Awesome, PR!
(115#T-bar)4x8
(95#OHP)8,8,7,8
(Pullups)12,10,9
(155#DecCGBP)8,8,9
(30#IncCurl)3x10
(135#RevGripPull)3x10
(35#IncFly)2x10
(60#RopePushDn)3x13
(195#Crunch)3x12
(20#LatDelt)3x10
(30#RearDelt)3x10

Last real WO in this training block and I need a break. Shoulders and elbows are really feeling it. Since I’m gone in Richmond w/ Sarah this weekend and won’t have access to a gym and my scheduled Sat/Sun Push/Pull WO’s, I decided to go back to the GBR Upper workout today which essentially combines the main movements from the push and pull WO’s.

Warming up on incline I felt pretty good. First working set at 75#’s felt OK, but not “easy”. I decided to go ahead and bump to 80#’s again and see how it went. I got 3 sets of 8 and the last set I felt I had a little left in the tank and might’ve been able to do a 9th rep. I wasn’t expecting this, especially because I was supersetting w/ fairly heavy t-bar rows (which I haven’t been doing in a while). I didn’t feel satisfied w/ that so I decided to see if I could get a 4th set of 8 reps (my goal for this training block).  I got the 4th set and even attempted a 9th rep, which I didn’t get up. Very pleased and surprised by this. I thought I’d missed my window of opportunity for this block.(25mins).

OHP felt heavy. Going to focus on this next block. Body weight pullups felt easy, but by 3rd set, my back started to really get fatigued.(15/40mins). CGBP felt pretty heavy but these were good reps and in a great rep range for this movement. Incline curls were good.(11/51mins).

Reverse grip pulldowns felt heavy and I had to go a little lighter than last couple of WO’s. Incline flys felt great, but toward the end of the 2nd set I felt a strain in my left pec. No more of these or any other chest work today.(8/59mins). Finished up w/ a big superset of rope pushdowns, crunches and lat/rear delt work.(14/73mins).

Absolutely great WO and a great way to finish off this training block. I’d really been liking the push/pull split, but had forgotten how much I like the GBR format and supersetting opposing muscle groups. Time for a deload to let my shoulders and elbows heal up a little bit. Very pleased w/ this block, progress made and weight I put on. I gained about 4 pounds during the 6 weeks and made some great progress on my 2 main focus lifts; incline and weighted pullups. Very pleased with the results and happy w/ how the plan worked out.

Nutrition:
I weighed 174.0 again this morning.

Thu 11/14 - Rest Day

Much needed rest day.

Nutrition:
I weighed 174.0 again this morning. (Writing this at 5am Saturday morning in the hotel room before Sarah's marathon and I don't have the details from Thursday handy).

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Wed 11/13 - Push Day

Workout: (Golds)
(DBInc)75#x8,80#x8,8,8

(105#OHP)7,6,95#x6,6,6
(155#DecCGBP)10,8,8,8
(60#DBBench)10,7
(195#Crunch)15,10,10
(70#OHTri)9,8,
(35#IncFly)2x10
(20#LatDelt)3x10
(150#PushDn)1x9
(50#RopePushDn)4x12
(20#LatDelt)3x10
60 + 12 w/u + 11 c/d = 83mins

Warmed up well because shoulders were really sore last night. First set at 75#'s felt OK, but definitely not light. I decided to go ahead and bump up to 80#'s and try to get sets of 8. This might be my last chance in this training block before a needed deload. I got 3x8 and was very pleased w/ this. The last rep was really grindy and I barely got it, but really didn't want to give it up. I considered one more set to try to get 6 or so reps, but figured I was done.(13mins). OHP was OK, but I had to drop the weight again after 2 sets to keep reps.(12/25mins)

I bumped up weight again on decline close grip bench press and these were great after 10# bump.(10/35mins). DB bench bothered my R shoulder fairly bad on the first set, but I tried a 2nd set and stopped after 7 before I did any real damage. Crunches were good.(10/45mins). OH tri's felt heavy and incline fly's were good.(7/52mins). Finished up w/ triceps pushdowns and lateral delt raises.(8/60mins).

I kind of wish I wouldn't have started my working sets at 75#'s, but I really thought I'd stick w/ that weight today. There's no way I was getting 4x8 w/ 80#'s today which was the goal, but I did get close and am fairly pleased with that for this block of training. I'll back cycle a bit and have another 4-6 week block before Christmas. I think I'll switch a few things around, but keep the core exercises. I need some focus on OHP so I might do that as my first main movement.  Nice job building back up after my cut ended about 6 weeks ago.

Nutrition:
I weighed 173.0 this morning. Not sure why weight is dropping.



Prot Carb Fat Cal
TOTALS: Grams 236 376 51  2,868
  Calories 944 1505 455  2,903
  Percent 33% 52% 16% `