Thu 1/31 - Lower

Workout: (Small Sprint Gym)
(LegPress)225x20,255x15x4 (5)
(25#InclineCrunch)20,12,10,10
(50#DBSwings)5x15 brutal
(TortureTwists)10,7,7,7
(90#LegExtension)4x15
(HamstringCurl)60#x10,45x15,12
43mins
+10w/u + 11c/d=64mins

I haven't worked out at the small Sprint gym in a while, and now I remember why. It's decent, but DB's are too light and equipment is limited. That said, I got in some decent work today.

Leg press felt pretty good and I had to work. I used a 25#plate for incline crunches. First set I didn't really go all the way down. The last couple of sets I went all the way down with explosive up and slow on the negative.  These were just OK.  I supersetted DB swings and torture twists. The DB swings weren't that heavy, but high reps x 5 sets was pretty tough. I was definitely huffing and puffing.

Surprisingly, leg extensions were really good and hamstring curls were OK. The curl machine was kind of awkward to get in position and didn't have the weight dialed in. It's the first time I've done these because normally on a lower day I'm doing RDL or SLDL. I'll try to incorporate
these more frequently.

With w/u and c/d on the treadmill this ended up being a decent WO given limite time and limited gym. I worked out with Brian.

Nutrition:
I weighed 177.8 this morning. Still dropping and feeling lean.  Time for a mini diet break soon. Good nutrition day again. I've been on a roll lately, but I do think I need to be cautious about keeping calories too low for too long w/o a break. I don't want to muck up a bunch of gains I've made.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	233	85	26	1,513
	Calories	932	340	236	1,509
	Percent	62%	23%	16%	`

Wed 1/30 - GBR Upper

Workout: (Fitness First)
(155#Incline)7,7,7,6'
(115#IsoLatRow)4x8
(65#DBBench)3x11 Very good.
(Pullups)3x7  Good
(65#IsoLatShldr)4x9 Great!
(90#RearDelt)3x10
(75#OHTriExt)3x8 hard
(40#HammerCurl)2x8 good
(90#T-bar)2x8
52mins

Incline was pretty good today. I lost reps from the last workout. Not sure if that's because of the cut, wasn't mentally into it enough, or simply didn't have it today. Regardless, it was still good. Rows were good. Someone was using the bench I like and I kind of felt like a change-up, so I did DB bench and these felt really good. I supersetted with pullups because 2 guys were using the t-bar row and they were good.  Didn't go to failure (elbows).

Shoulder press was really good and I did 4 sets today. I'm going to bump the weight up again next WO. Supersetted with rear delt straight sets instead of myo-reps today.  Overhead tri extensions were really tough. Maybe because of extra pressing with shoulders?

When I was doing hammer curls the first set, my right arm was struggling much more than left. I thought maybe I just used my right arm more during rows and pullups.  Then after the set I realized I had one 40#DB and one 45#DB. Doh! Switched to both 40#'s and much better. Workout was done here and I was pressed for time, but the T-bar was free so I did 2 quick sets.

Really good WO despite the drop in incline reps.  No time for w/u or c/d today. Should have really been a lower day today, but want to ease my back back into WO's slowly.  My back is still occasionally tender.

Nutrition:
I weighed 178.4 this morning. Good. After my WO I asked Ken (one of the trainers) to check my BF% real quick on one of those hand held dealios. It came in at 14.4%. Not sure how accurate it is, but that sounds about right. Pleased with that at this point.  Good nutrition day.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	233	112	34	1,696
	Calories	931	447	304	1,682
	Percent	55%	27%	18%	`

Tue 1/29 - Cardio

• 45 mins. Walked 2 miles, ran 1 mile.  

Walked out 1.5 miles and started back when I realized I was going to be really pushing the time before a work meeting, so I ran most of the way back. Stopped to walk toward the end to cool down before jumping on the call.  Beautiful day - about 70 degrees and sunny - so I was able to wear shorts and t-shirt.  Awesome!

Nutrition:
I weighed 179.8 this morning.  Feeling good.  Leaning out and getting stronger on a cut at the same time.  Awesome! Good nutrition day again, for a cut.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	219	65	27	1,376
	Calories	875	260	239	1,374
	Percent	64%	19%	17%	`

Mon 1/28 - GBR Upper - Great WO

Workout: (Fitness First)
(155#Incline)8,8,8,7' GREAT! PR
(115#IsoLatRow)4x8
(155#Bench)12,10,10' Good.
(CGPullups)3x8  Good/easy
(65#IsoLatShldr)3x8 Weight bump - Very good
(95#PeckDeck)15,10
(90#RearDelt)12/+4,4,4,4
(35#HammerCurl)13/+3,3,3,3,3 VGood
(75#OHTriExt)12,10,8 Hard
(35#FrontDeltRaise)3x10
57mins
+10min w/u, 13 c/d on TM=80mins

Incline was great today. Got 8 reps on first 2 sets w/o a problem. I asked for a spot on the last 2 sets and the guy touched the bar on the last rep of both sets, but I don't think I needed the assist. Hate it when spotters touch it too early. Rows were good and I kept it to 8 reps and tried to squeeze it at contraction more today. These were good, but I'm still kind of in "no mans land" here.

Bench was good, but got heavy quick. I bounced the last rep on last set a bit because I wanted to make sure I didn't risk getting stuck. Close grip pullups were really good. 1st set was super easy, last set got a harder, but not to failure to save the elbows.

I bumped up the weight again on shoulder press and these were great. I'm going to keep this weight. Very pleased. I got a little too ambitious on the first set of peck deck and died in the 2nd. These were supersetted with shoudler press.  Hammer curls were really good today, even though basically same weight/reps as last WO. I decided to do OH Tri Extensions today and hoped it wouldn't bother my back.  All good, but these got progressively pretty hard. Supersetted these with a 35#plate front raises.

Great WO! A little long, but not too bad. A bit high on volume side.  Really happy with the work today, especially incline and shoulder press. Did my normal w/u + c/d routine on the treadmill.
NOTE: Today was the first day in months that I've worked out NOT fasted. I only had 12g of whey protein before going to the gym, but I wonder if that had anything to do with having such a great WO today.  I doubt that little bit could have a profound impact, but I might not mess with a good thing and do it again :)

Nutrition:
I weighed 181.0 this morning. Down a little from Sat night re-feed, but really thought I'd be lower given clean diet yesterday.  Really good nutrition day after a hard WO. Below maintenance, but higher than a typical cut day.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	236	143	47	1,939
	Calories	943	571	420	1,935
	Percent	49%	30%	22%	`

Sun 1/27 - Run

• Ran 3.1 miles in ~30mins

Legs felt a little dead after doing first lower WO yesterday in about 2 weeks, so I ran pretty slow, but it was good to get out for a run.  Short c/d walk for a total of 35mins.

Nutrition:
I weighed 182.2 this morning (up 4.2 lbs). A little higher than I thought it would be, but that's what a big re-feed meal will do.  Plus, the meal was vegan-asian and had a ton of sodium. Back to it today and had a good nutrition day.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	208	56	26	1,283
	Calories	832	225	234	1,291
	Percent	64%	17%	18%	`

Sat 1/26 - Lower (limited)

Workout: (Fitness First)
(225#RDL)10,8,8,8
(LegPress)6plates-4x12
(65#RollingShrugs)3x12
(90#LegExtensions)3x15
(40#Dips)8,8,10 very good
40mins
+11 w/u + 15 c/d on TM=66mins

My back was feeling pretty good this morning so I decided to try a light lower workout. Deadlifts were OK, but back started bothering me a little more each set, and squats were definitely not in the cards.  Leg press was pretty good, but could feel it in my back even doing these.  I supersetted rolling shrugs with leg press and these were really good again. MUCH better than "regular" shrugs.

I had GHR and abs written in for this WO, but skipped them because of my back. I supersetted leg extensions (which were OK) with weighted dips (very good!) and that was that.

Not a great WO, but really wanted to get a lower WO in, so I guess it serverd its purpose.  My back still isn't healed, so I'll just have to see how it feels over the next couple of days.  Certainly not deadlifting reps with 300lbs again anytime real soon.  Warmed up and cooled down on the treadmill for a combined 26mins. I hate the treadmill.

Nutrition:
I weighed 178.0 this morning. That's down again from yesterday even with some extra carbs yesterday, so I felt good about that.  Had a good nutrition day and then went to dinner at a vegan/veggie place in Chantilly with Sarah. Pigged out on some great dishes and had a big bowl of frozen yogurt later.  Needed the refeed/diet break.  Back at it tomorrow.  Need to start getting some runs in because, a)I could use them, and b)my knees seem to be feeling pretty good.

Fri 1/25 - Upper

Workout: (Fitness First)
(155#Incline)7,7,8',7 Good
(115#IsoLatRow)4x10
(155#Bench)12,10,10+ Good.
(90#T-BarRow)3x10 Good
(55#IsoLatShldr)10,10,11 Very good
(95#PeckDeck)2x12 Weight bump - good
(90#RearDelt)12/+4,4,4,4
(35#HammerCurl)12/+3,3,3,3,3
(130#TriPushDn)15/+5,5,5,5
(70#WeightedCrunch)15/+5,5,5,5
63mins
+13min w/u, 11 c/d on TM=88mins

Incline was really good, but I got a spot on the 3rd set and the guy helped me a bit too quickly on the 7th rep and told me to do an 8th and helped me a bit on that one too.  Still very good. Rows were good, but I'm starting to think I'm stuck in no-mans land here. Thinking I should either go heavier with less reps, or lighter and really concentrate on squeezing at the top contraction. Probably a combination of both, alternating every other workout.

Bench was good and I felt I could have gotten more reps, but didn't want to risk it. I did a few partial reps after the 10th rep on the last set. T-bar rows were good and didn't bother my back near as much as the last WO. Good sign that I might be able to do a lower WO this weekend if the back behaves today.

Shoulders were good, but still think I should go heavier. I just forgot today. I bumped the weight up on peck deck and these felt great. I have to get back to incline fly's though.  Rear delt, curls and pushdowns were all OK.  I felt my back was feeling good enough to do some ab work, so I did a myo rep set of weighted crunches. I hadn't done abs in about 2 weeks due to my back.

Very good workout (on 3.5 hours of sleep), but it took a little longer than I'd like. I needed a little more rest today because I was feeling the impact of low cals & carbs from this week and probably from short sleep too. I'm also starting to think these upper days might be overkill on volume.  Work schedule is tough today and I wanted to make sure I got a WO in so I got up and 4AM and got to the gym early. I did the standard w/u + c/d on the TM while listening to Adam Carolla.

Nutrition:
I weighed 178.8 again this morning. Good nutrition day. I upped the calories, essentially just by increasing carbs with some post WO oatmeal and brown rice for dinner.  This mini cut is going well, and I'm leaning out nicely.  I'll re-feed a bit this weekend and then another week of dieting before heading back toward maintenance.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	245	139	39	1,889
	Calories	981	554	355	1,890
	Percent	52%	29%	19%	`

Thu 1/24 - Rest/Nutrition

Busy day today and I wanted to give my back my back another day to heal.  I was really tempted to go to the gym and do a lower workout, but sanity prevailed.  I probably should have done some cardio.  Back is feeling better, but still not 100% and I'm hoping to be able to get a good lower WO in this weekend.  I've just got to remember not to go too heavy on dead lifts, though that pisses me off because I was making great progress there.

Nutrition:
I weighed 187.8 this morning.  Weight is coming down nicely, albeit slowly.  Leaning out, veins in abdomen starting to appear.  Pretty good nutrition day, other than running around during dinner and having to resort to a couple servings of jerky to tide me over.

Thu	Time	Item	Size	Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal	Weight
1/24/2013	8AM	Whey Shake W1	1/2 scoop	14	2	1	70	178.8
	8:30AM	BCAA	10g
	1PM	Creatine	5g
	1PM	Whey Protein W2	1 scoop	24	6	2	140
	1PM	Whey Shake W1	1/2 scoop	14	2	1	70
	1:45PM	Chicken	8oz	56	0	2	240
	1:45PM	Salad	16oz	9	21	0	114
	5PM	Jerky (Walmart)	2oz	28	6	2	160
	7PM	Jerky (Walmart)	2oz	28	6	2	160
	9PM	Chicken	6.9oz	48	0	2	207
	9PM	Snap Peas	4oz	3	10	0	48
	11PM	Casein Protein (GNC)	1 scoop	25	11	2	160
	All Day	EFA's	10caps	0	0	10	90
	All Day	Almonds	1/2 oz	3	3	8	93
				Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
		TOTALS:	Grams	252	67	30	1,552
			Calories	1009	269	268	1,545
			Percent	65%	17%	17%	`

Wed 1/23 - GBR Upper

Workout: (Fitness First)
(155#Incline)4x7 Great!
(115#IsoLatRow)4x10
(155#Bench)12,10,10 Good.
(90#T-BarRow)3x10 Good
(55#IsoLatShldr)3x10 weight bump - good
(90#PeckDeck)2x12 very good
(90#RearDelt)12/+3,3,3,3,3
(35#HammerCurl)11/+3,3,3,3,3 Good
(130#TriPushDn)16/+5,5,5
(CGPullups)8,6
58mins
+12min w/u on TM=70mins

Incline was really good again today. First set felt heavy and I didn't think I'd get 4x7. I got a spot on 3rd set. Before the 4th set I ran into someone I know so I had a little more rest and got 7 reps fairly easy w/o a spot. Very pleased. Iso rows were good as well.

Bench was good, but I didn't press too hard after Monday's WO having a close call.  Felt good.  Underhand grip T-bar rows were good but bothered my back. I should have kept it to 2 sets.

Somone was finishing up on the Iso Lateral Shoulder press machine and was using 55lbs, so I told him to leave it on. I was thinking about bumping up the weight on these anyway and they were really good and I got 3x10. I need to start alternating doing these heavier with 6-8 reps.

Peck deck was really good again as were curls.  Rear delt and triceps pushdowns were just making the donuts. I was going to call it a day there, but did 2 quick sets of close grip pullups with a short rest. First set of 8 was easy, 2nd set of 6 much tougher.

Overall another very good upper WO. At some point soon I should probably switch the order of incline and flat bench to change the focus there and work on increasing flat bench strength.

Nutrition:
I weighed 179.6 this morning. Pleased with how my weight is. I'd like to get down to the 175 range and see how I feel there for a while. I'm not going to do a hard cut until it gets warmer.  Good nutrition day.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	227	111	30	1,614
	Calories	908	442	268	1,618
	Percent	56%	27%	17%	`

Tue 1/22 - Rest Day

Freezing cold today and time for a rest day.  I still can't do lower because of my back, but it seems to be getting a little better.

Nutrition:
I weighed 180.8 this morning.  Good nutrition day.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	217	57	27	1,343
	Calories	868	229	240	1,337
	Percent	65%	17%	18%	`

Mon 1/21 - GBR Upper

Workout: (Fitness First)
(155#Incline)4x7 Awesome. PR!
(115#IsoLatRow)10,10,8,8 Back bad
(155#Bench)12,11,10 Good. Close call.
(Pullups)3x6
(50#IsoLatShldr)10,10,12 good
(90#PeckDeck)2x12 very good
(90#RearDelt)10/+6,5,5,5
(35#HammerCurl)11/+3,3,3,3 Weight bump - good
(130#TriPushDn)15/+5,5,5
55mins
+10min w/u on TM=65mins

Great incline today! I haven't been close to 4x7 before. I asked for a spot on last 2 sets, but no assistance needed. Rows were OK, but bothered my back a bit, so I kept last 2 sets to 8 reps so I didn't stress too much. Bench was good, but I BARELY got the last rep on last set up on the rack. I guess I didn't learn my lesson. Got to remember that once fatigue hits, muscles quit quickly.  Did kind of wide grip pullups and they were OK.

Shoulder press was good today and I got 12 on the last set. If I get similar reps again, I'll bump the weight. I decided to do peck deck today instead of incline fly's because I thought it might be less stress on my back. This machine felt really good. Some are just set up differently. Very good, but only did 2 sets because chest reps were already on the high end.

Rear delt was good.  I bumped up the weight on hammer curls, and these were pretty good. I'll stick with this weight. Pushdowns were good and I called it a day.

Great WO today! Really happy with incline and that I'm progressing there.  Did what's become my normal TM w/u with incline walking, reverse jogging, side strides.

Nutrition:
I weighed 183.4 this morning, so the weight jumped significantly.  Nutrition was good today until Sarah and I went to dinner at Blue Ridge Grille.  Guacamole/chips and pork chops.

Sun 1/20 - Walk

• Walked for about an hour with Sarah. Mid 50's and breezy...a very nice day for mid-January.

Nutrition:
I weighed 181.8 and had a pretty big cheat afternoon/evening.

Sat 1/19 - Upper Stimulation

Workout: (Sarah's Gym)
(SmithBench)135x15,155x12,175x9,8,135x12 (5)
(CloseGripSmBench)95x15,105x13,115x11,10 (4)
(40#InclineFly)10,8,8 (3)
33mins
+12min w/u on TM = 45mins

Warmed up on the treadmill for 12 mins. I was going to try to do some legs, but got on the leg press machine and my back was having none of it.  So, I decided to do some chest/tri's.  The Smith Machine at Sarah's gym is smooth, but there's something weird about the motion that made the left side "heavier" then the right. Even when resting on the hooks, the right side sat higher than the right.

Anyway, a decent chest/tri stimulation. Nothing heavy, just moving some weight and getting a little work in.

Nutrition:
I weighed 179.0 this morning.

Fri 1/18 - Upper (modified for back)

Workout: (Sprint Gym)
(SmithIncline)135x15,155x10,8,8,8 (5) Very good
(155#SmithBench)3x10 good
(ShldrPress)3x10
(Fly)3x10
(RearDelt)3x10
(35#FrontDelt)3x10
(115#TriExt)20/+6,6,6 Good machine
(30#HammerCurl)16/+5,5,5 Great
52mins

I went to the doctor and the PT for my back today. The doc recommended rest and not to lift anything heavier than 10 lbs.The PT worked on my back with deep massage and then hooked me up to electric stimulation and a heat pad. He also showed me some stretched. My back felt a little better after that, so I went to the gym. I stayed away from back work and did what I could.

I stuck with Smith BB for incline and bench because getting heavy dumbbells in place puts strain on my back.  Both incline and bench were really good and I didn't go too heavy.  For the other exercises, I stuck to machines instead of free weights for back stability.  Fly's felt really good and and I really liked the triceps extension machine. It's very similar to the OH tri extensions I do with a DB, but less back stress. 

I did front delt raises with a 35# plate. I haven't done these in forever and they felt really good.  Curls felt really good today, for whatever reason.

Overall, a decent WO given what I was able to do. My back is obviously going to hamper both upper and lower WO's until it gets better.

Nutrition:
I weighed 180.4 this morning.  Because of the doc, PT and gym, I didn't eat my first meal until 3:30 today. It's going to be tough to get protein macros in for the day.  Fairly good nutrition day except for reliance on protein shakes late at night.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	205	48	27	1,247
	Calories	819	193	239	1,250
	Percent	65%	15%	19%	`

Thu 1/17 - Rest - Back is effed

• My lower back is really bad.  It doesn't constantly ache, but certain movements (standing up, bending over) are extremely painful. It's got to be from heavy deadlift+SLDL WO on Saturday, but it's strange that on Sat/Sun my back was just a little tight and it's just gotten progressively worse.  Really frustrating.

Nutrition:
I weighed 182.0 this morning (WTF!?!).  Good nutrition day despite meeting up with Rick for lunch at Chili's.  I had a grilled chicken breast with black beans and rice (only ate a portion of the rice and beans because no WO today so I wanted to keep carbs on the low side).  I would prefer to have had more "whole" food rather than the protein shakes later in the day, but was pressed for time.

Thu	Time	Item	Size	Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
1/17/2013	12:30PM	Chili's chicken	1serving	50	40	15	495
	3:30PM	Chicken	3.4oz	24	0	1	102
	3:30PM	Salad	16oz	9	21	0	114
	5:30PM	Chicken	3.3oz	23	0	1	99
	7PM	Jerky (Walmart)	2oz	28	6	2	160
	8PM	Whey Protein W2	1 scoop	24	6	2	140
	10:15Pm	Whey Shake W1	1/2 scoop	14	2	1	70
	10:15Pm	Casein Protein (GNC)	1 scoop	25	11	2	160
	All Day	EFA's	10caps	0	0	10	90
	All Day	Almonds	1/2 oz	3	3	8	93
				Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
		TOTALS:	Grams	200	89	40	1,523
			Calories	798	357	362	1,517
			Percent	53%	24%	24%	`

 

Wed 1/16 - GBR Upper

Workout: (Fitness First)
(155#Incline)7,6,6,6' Very good
(115#IsoLatRow)4x8 back killing me
(70#DBBench)10,7 65#x8 Weight bump
(CGPullups)3x7 very good
(SmithOHP)115#x7,95#x10,7
(130#TriPshDn)14/+5,4,5
(40#IncFly)2x10
43mins

Really good incline. Asked for a spot last 2 sets and think I could've gotten one or two more sets w/7 reps.  Iso rows were OK, but my back was killing me all WO from tweaking it the other day doing RDL/SLDL. I decided to bump up DB Bench and it was a little too heavy.  First set was great, 2nd set tough and I wanted to keep these close to 10 reps so I dropped to 65#'s for last set.  I did close grip pullups today and they felt good/easy.

Someone was using the Iso Lateral Shoulder press machine, so I did seated OHP in the Smith.  The Smith sucks at Fitness First. It needs to be oiled or something because it's not smooth and almost sticks at one section of the movement. 115# was already on the bar, so I did first set with that and then dropped the weight for the last 2 sets.  I started to do rear delts, but no freaking way due to my back today.  Really painful.

Ended the workout with tri pushdowns and 2 sets of incline flys.  The fly's were really good today.

Overall, a decent WO. I was limited on time and back got progressively worse. It hurt to bend over and pick up my water, or my tracking sheet.  Getting DB's into position for bench was painful too.  I should have done BB bench.  No way was I going to try heavy overhead tri extensions.  Pretty pissed about my back because there's no way I can do RDL/SLDL until it gets a LOT better and I was really making progress on RDL.  Reminds me that I really need to move away from RDL/SLDL combo.

EVENING EDIT: My back is really jacked up. It's gotten progressively worse throughout the day.  

Nutrition:
I weighed 180.4 this morning.  Good nutrition day, other than eating too late at night again to catch up on protein.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	211	84	29	1,458
	Calories	845	337	257	1,438
	Percent	59%	23%	18%	`

Tue 1/15 - Walk

• Walked for 30 mins in the evening (and rain) with Sarah.

Nutrition:
I weighed 182.6 this morning.  Good strict nutrition day, partially because I was strict and partially because I was really busy all day and didn't have time to get bored and turn to eating ;)  I had to play "catch up" in the late evening with protein which isn't ideal, but good day regardless.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	208	62	29	1,348
	Calories	830	249	260	1,340
	Percent	62%	19%	19%	`

 

Mon 1/14 - GBR Upper

Workout: (Fitness First)
(155#Incline)6,6,6,6' Very good
(115#IsoLatRow)4x10 Weight bump
(65#DBBench)12,12,10 Weight bump Great!
(90#T-BarRow)3x8
(50#IsoLatShldr)3x10
(35#IncFly)x12,40#x8,8 Weight bump
(75#OHTriExt)2x10
(25#Lat/RearDelt)3x8/10
(30#HCurl)12/+4,4,4,4 very good
(130#TriPshDn)13/+5,5,4 Weight bump
58mins

Very good incline again with same reps as last WO, but don't think I could have gotten 7 reps like I felt I could've last time.  I asked a girl for a spot the last two sets just to be on the safe side. A little paranoid about getting stuck again :).  I bumped up Iso Rows really more because it's easier to grab an extra 25# plate rather than a bunch of 10's.  These were real good, but hard. Sticking at this weight for a while.

I bumped up DB bench, and am still really liking DB bench after heavy BB incline. I REALLY worked these reps the last 2 sets. Felt great. I did underhand T-bar rows instead of pullups as my 2nd back exercise. Needed to do chest supported back stuff because my lower back is still fucked up from heavy deads this weekend.

Shoulders were good, but again I only got partials the last rep or two the last two sets (which is fine). After the first set of fly's I bumped up to 40#s and these were good.  I'll stick with the higher weight going forward.  OH Tri's and delts were good, especially rear delts.  These are working the upper traps well as well. Finished up with myo-rep curls and tri pushdowns and both were good.  I bumped up the weight on tri's and will need to bump the weight on bi's soon.

EXCELLENT WO this morning.  Bumped up the weight on several movements which is always great and reinforces the progress I'm making.

Nutrition:
I weighed 183.6 this morning. Not too bad after a weekend with the kids, b'day cake, etc.

Sun 1/13 - Balls Bluff

Went for a hike with Sarah in the afternoon for about 2 hours.  We went to Balls Bluff park and hiked along the Potomac River.  The weather never cleared up like it was supposed to, but wasn't cold.  Good walk, good company.

Sat 1/12 - Lower (Great RDL!)

Workout: (Fitness First)
(RDL)225x8,275x6,6,6,295x6 Great! PR!
(LegPress)6Plates-12,12,12,15 Good
(185#SLDL)3x10
(60#Shrugs)3x12 Good
(TortureTwist)30/+10,10,10 3mins
(70#LegExtensions)3x20
(35#Dips)7,7,10
54mins
+w/u,c/d of 22 mins=76mins total

GREAT RDL today! Warmed up with 135#s. 225 felt a little heavy so I didn't know what to expect on heavier sets, but they just seemed to get better. A couple weeks ago when I tried 300#'s, my grip failed and I didn't quite get 2 reps. Today I got 6 good reps at 295#'s.  Good progress!

Leg press was good and added reps on last set. Had to push the last rep pretty hard. Paired these with SLDL and I should have stopped after two sets of these. My lower back was getting really tight and it's been kind of bothering me all day today.  I may have to mix up RDL and SLDL and not do them on the same day when going heavy.  Too much strain on the lower back.

I lowered the weight on shrugs today and did what I'll call "rolling shrugs". Instead of just contracting the traps up and down, I really concentrated on rolling the shoulders back, squeezing, and then up.  These were really good and worked better with the lighter weight, but better form.  Torture twists were good and totaled 3mins.

I've been getting 3x15 dips and don't want reps that high, so I held a 35#DB between my legs today. 3rd set I just did AMRAP and was happy with getting 10. I alternated dips with high rep leg extensions.  These burned and were good. No knee "snappage" like a couple weeks ago.

I warmed up and cooled down on the treadmill.  Great WO! Very pleased, especially with RDL. Wish lower back wasn't tweaked though.

Nutrition:
I weighed 183.4 this morning.

Fri 1/11 - GBR Upper

Workout: (Fitness First)
(155#Incline)4x6 Bump in weight-very good
(110#IsoLatRow)4x10 Bump in weight-very good
(60#DBBench)12,11,10 good
(Pullups)3x6
(50#IsoLatShldr)3x10'
(35#IncFly)2x10 chest done
(75#OHTriExt)10,8 tough
(25#Lat/RearDelt)8/10,8/10,0/10
(30#HammerCurl)10/+4,3,3,3
(120#TriPushdn)12/+4,4,4
54 mins
+w/u, c/d total=74mins

Incline was really good with another bump in 10lbs. I asked someone for a spot the last 2 sets because I was afraid of a repeat of getting stuck like last week. I didn't need any assistance on the reps and with a spot, really should have been going for 7's. Very good though.  I bumped up weight on rows again.  LOVE this machine. Will probably stick with this weight because last two sets were tough and I really like to squeeze at contraction on this movement - can't do that with any heavier wieght.

Like last WO, 60#DB bench was really good after heavy incline.  Again, first set was easy and I was going to bump up weight, but they got really tough, really quickly. Pullups were OK.  Right elbow pretty bad today. I need to stretch a lot and not let up on that. I can't be doing pullups every WO, so need to come up with a different 2nd back movement.

Shoulders and flys were good, but both were tough today, I think from pushing incline/bench pretty hard.  Chest was done after 2 sets of fly's.

Triple set of tri's/delts was good. I hit a 3rd set of rear delts because they were feeling good.  Really tried to activate the traps at the top.

Curls were hard and I got less reps than last WO. I think because rows were heavier today and bi's were already fatigued. Tri pushdowns were good, but probably not necessary.

I warmed up on the treadmill for 10mins, c/d 10 mins for total of 20.  Overall a really good WO with a couple bumps in weight.  I'm pleased with progression while cutting.

Nutrition:
I weighed 181.6 this morning (up over 2lbs from yesterday). I went out for Sushi with Sarah last night, so that's the reason for the bump I'm sure.  Good to get some carbs, just wish they would have been on a WO day.

Thu 1/10 - Cardio

• Went for a 53 min walk in the morning before heading to work.  Nice sunny day out.
• Walked for about 20 mins after sushi dinner with Sarah.  I'd been craving sushi for a while and really enjoyed the meal and Sarah's company.

Nutrition:
I weighed 179.2 in the morning and feeling much leaner.  Having a large dinner will surely bump the weight up tomorrow.  Good nutrition day though and body probably needed the carbs anyway. 

Wed 1/9 - A run!

Cardio:

• Ran 3.3 miles in about 32 mins with Sarah.  1st run in since Sep 20th.
• Walked after the run for 45 mins.

Felt really good to get out for a run again, and Sarah was great company as always.  Only goal was to not completely embarrass myself in front of a new friend :)  Knees a little bothersome, but not too bad.  I wore the Mueller brace I bought and think that might have helped a bit.  I'm definitely in poor cardio shape but hope my knees can put up with a couple of runs a week and turn that around.

45-60 min walks the last couple of nights with Sarah have been great!  Nice long talks with plenty of laughter.  It's nice getting to know someone in the area and we seem to enjoy each others company.  I like to think I'm helping her in some small way with our time together, keeping her company while we walk her dog, but I don't know if she understands how much she's helping me too.  I'm grateful for the friendship.

Nutrition:
I weighed 180.4 this morning.  Good nutrition day.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	235	76	34	1,542
	Calories	942	305	304	1,551
	Percent	61%	20%	20%	`

 

Tue 1/8 - GBR Upper & Cardio

Workout: (Big Sprint gym)
(185#SmithIncline)6,6,6,5 really good. PR.
(140#Row)4x10 very good
(60#DBBench)3x10 great
(Pullups)3x6
(95#SmithOHP)12,10,10'
(35#IncFly)2x10
(70#OHTriExt)x10, 75#x10,10 Great! PR!
(25#Lat/RearDelt)8/10,8/10,0/10
(30#HCurl)13/+4,4,4,4 very good
47 mins

Wanted to go heavy on chest today, but also felt like a change up today from 75#DBIncline, so I did heavy smith incline.  This was really good and I was happy with the reps here.  Bumped up the weight on rows today and they were great.  Heavy incline and rows is a tough superset though.

Since I did barbell incline, I did DB flat bench.  I wasn't sure what weight to use so I started with 60's.  First set wasn't bad and I was going to bump up the weight.  Glad I didn't.  After heavy incline, these got tough quickly and really worked last 2 sets to get 10.  Pullups were OK.  I wasn't going to do them and do BOR, but lower back still a little tender from heavy dead lifts the other day.  Didn't go to failure on pullups and sets of 5 might have even been better to save the elbows more.

Smith OHP was good.  First set was easy.  Felt like I could have done 15 reps easy.  2nd set, 10 was tough.  3rd set, done by 8 reps and last 2 reps were partials.  Hit a wall.  Incline flye's were really good (and hard).  Just 2 sets was more than enough.  Chest was done!

I did Tri Ext and delts as a triple set.  First set of OH ext's felt easy so I bumped up to 75#'s.  This is the heaviest I've gone and still got 10 reps.  Very happy w/ this because this is another bump in a couple of weeks.  I thought these were going to suck today because of heavy pressing already. Rear delts felt really good.  I only did 2 sets of lateral raises because shoulders were done from OHP.  Finihsed up with myo-rep curls which were great.

Wasn't expecting much from this WO, but it turned out great!  I really liked the heavy BB incline followed by DB flat bench.  This really worked the chest well.  I'm nervous to go realy heavy on BB w/o a spotter, so this worked well.  A lot of work in 47 mins!

Cardio:
Walked for about an hour with Sarah again this evening.   

Nutrition:
I weighed 182.2 this morning.  Feeling pretty lean actually and surprised my wieght jumped up.  Good nutrition day, other than having casein shake so late (11:30PM).

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	213	133	26	1,598
	Calories	852	530	236	1,618
	Percent	53%	33%	15%	`

Mon 1/8 - Cardio x 2

Cardio:

• Walked for 50 minutes fasted at 1PM.  Ate first meal at 2:15PM.
• Walked for about 60 mins with Sarah after dinner.

Nutrition:
I weighed 181.4 this morning.  Decent nutrition day, but went out to dinner and had more carbs than planned for today (hummus and pita).  Didn't overdo it though.  Protein was 210g, fat about 35g and carbs probably about 100, so still a decent day.  Carbs should have been about 60 or less. 

Sun 1/6 - Lower

Workout: (Fitness First)
(RDL)225x8,275x6,6,6,8 (5) Great! PR
(LegPress)6plates 4x12
(185#SLDL)3x10
(75#Shrug)10/+5,5,5,5
(75#Crunch)25/+10,10,10
(BallPike)3x12 short rest
(Dips)3x12
53mins

RDL was really good today. I just felt stronger as the sets went on.  Great last set. I did leg press/SLDL superset which was good and I didn't have grip issues like I did last WO after heavy RDL followed by SDLDL.

Increased weight on shrugs (grip not an issue), mainly becuase I wanted to bump up the weight on crunches so I figured I might as well use the heavier weight for shrugs as well.  The crunch/ball pike combo was good. I stuck with straight sets of ball pikes, but kept the rest periods short.  Finished of with 3 sets of dips.  I also warmed up 10 mins and cooled down 12 mins on the treadmill (HR 145-155).

Good WO, with RDL being the best exercise today. Total WO 75 mins.

Nutrition:
I weighed 183.6 this morning. I didn't overdo it at all at the progressive dinner party last night, but wieght still jumped a little.  Big post WO meal today with almost 100g protein.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	210	207	36	1,993
	Calories	840	829	328	1,997
	Percent	42%	42%	16%	`

Sat 1/5 - Upper (Stuck!)

Workout: (Fitness First)
(145#Incline)10,9,8,7 Bump in weight-very good
(100#IsoLatRow)4x10 Bump in weight-very good
(145#Bench)12,11,8 Bump in weight-got stuck
(CloseGripPullups)3x6
(50#IsoLatShldr)3x10
(35#IncFly)3x10 good
(70#OHTriExt)2x10
(25#Lat/RearDelt)3x8/10
(120#TriPushdn)12/+5,5,5
(30#HammerCurl)15/+4,4,4,4 great
58 mins

Incline was really good with a bump of 10#'s & will be good to work to 4x10 again, then bump, repeat. Bump in Iso Lat Row weight felt good and I concentrated on the contraction and negative.  Bump in weight for bench too, and it was going along and I was feeling real good when toward the end of the 2nd set my right wrist just kind of colapsed backward. Really weird. Anyway, I was semi-stuck.  I got the right side up but couldn't get the left side on the rack, so I lowerd the left side to the floor, snuck out and got it on the rack.  Ughhh, pretty embarrassing, but it generally happens sooner or later. Thankfully the gym wasn't that crowded ;)

Pullups were pretty good. I did them with suspended handles in the squat rack. My elbows are pretty sore, so the pullup experiment is over again for a couple WO's. Freakin' elbows.

Iso Lateral Shoulders were good, and 50 is a good weight for now.  Flye's were really good again.  Hammer curls myo-rep style were great again.

Overall a  fantastic WO with a couple bumps in weight and good reps.  Oh, except for that one little getting stuck under the bar thing.

Warmed up on the treadmill for 10mins, c/d 15 mins for total of 25.  Total WO time 83mins.

Nutrition:
I got a new scale yesterday and it is consistently weighing me 1.4-1.6 pounds heavier than the old scale. The new scale "measures" body fat %, LBM, etc.  I don't think it's very accurate for those measurements.  I'll check them occassionally and as long as they are stable or going down, it's at least an indication of where I'm at.  So, I weighed 183.0 on the new scale (181.4 on old scale) so weight dropped from yesterday.

Fri 1/4 - Cardio

I walked for 42 minutes at 2PM.  I ate my first meal at 3PM.

Good nutrition day.  Calories were higher than Wed because I kept protein pretty high (1.3grams/lb body weight).

Fri	Time	Item	Size	Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal	Weight
1/4/2013	8AM	BCAA	10g					182.2
	3PM	Creatine	5g
	3PM	Whey Shake W1	1 scoop	30	4	1	140
	3PM	Canned Chicken	1 Can (7oz)	46	0	4	210
	3PM	Brussel Sprouts	5oz	4	10	0	50
	3PM	Jerky (Walmart)	1oz	14	3	1	80
	5PM	Chobani Yogurt	6oz	18	7	0	100
	5PM	Jerky	2oz	28	6	2	160
	7PM	Chicken	5oz	35	0	1	150
	7PM	Cottage Cheese	2.5servings	35	13	3	225
	7PM	Carrots	4oz	1	11	0	48
	10PM	Casein Protein (GNC)	1 scoop	25	11	2	160
	All Day	EFA's	10caps	0	0	10	90
	All Day	Almonds	1/2 oz	3	3	8	93
				Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
		TOTALS:	Grams	238	67	30	1,506
			Calories	953	269	272	1,494
			Percent	64%	18%	18%	`

Thu 1/3 - Full Body SD Hypertrophy

Workout:
Group1
(75#DBIncline)4x7 very good
(130#Row)4x10 good
(190#LegPress)4x12
25mins

Group2
(Pullups)3x6
(Dips)15,15,10 hit wall
(65#DBSwings)4x10 holy shit - brutal
42mins

Add-ons:
(TortureTwist)30/+10,10,10,10
(70#OHTriExt)3x10
52mins total

I had a hard time deciding what to do today because I want to be able to work out Sat & Sun at Fitness First, so I decided on a SD Full Body Hypertrophy WO from the template I was using a couple months ago.  Love these WO's.  Workout out at the large Sprint gym.

DB incline was good and I tried for an 8th rep on the last set but couldn't quite get it up.  Rows were good, but not as good as the Iso Lateral Row machine.  Leg press was pretty good.

I did regular pullups and just did sets of 6, careful not to go close to failure because of stress on my elbows. I had 3x12 written down for dips, but they felt good so I pumped out 15 easy first set.  Felt it a bit on 2nd set and hit a freaking wall on the last set.  I gotta start doing some serious cardio because I was huffing and puffing.  I decided I shouldn't do dead lifts today if I want to do them hard in a day or two, so I did DB swings.  These were ball busters and I tried not to rest too long between sets.  Hard, but felt great.

I did one more mini-set on torture twists then normal and was done.  I was cooling down and decided I hadn't really hit tri's enough (probably a wrong conclusion, considering heavy incline and then dips), so I did OH tri extensions which were good.  I don't think I'd gotten 3x10 with 70#'s yet.

Great WO!

Nutrition:
I weighed 182.6 this morning.  Good nutrition day after a fairly strict day yesterday without a WO.

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	217	172	37	1,869
	Calories	867	688	335	1,891
	Percent	46%	36%	18%	`

Wed Macro's were:

		Prot	Carb	Fat	Cal
TOTALS:	Grams	202	87	28	1,389
	Calories	810	349	248	1,407
	Percent	58%	25%	18%	`

Tue 1/1 - GBR Upper

Workout: (Fitness First)
(135#Incline)4x10 Good
(90#IsoLatRow)4x12 very good
(135#Bench)12,12,14 great
(CloseGripPullups)3x6
(50#IsoLatShldr)4x10
(35#IncFly)3x10 great
(70#OHTriExt)2x10
(25#Lat/RearDelt)2x10/12
(120#TriPushdn)12/+5,5,5
(30#HammerCurl)15/+5,5,5 great
57mins

Incline was solid and I don't think I could have gotten up another rep on the last set. Need to think about bumping up weight slightly here and work back to 4x10. Bumped up weight on Iso Lat Rows again and these were great.  Love this machine.  Bench was good and I got 14 reps the 3rd set. Definitely need to bump the weight here and work to 3x10-12.

I decided to "treat" myself to pullups today, being the new year and all. They hurt my elbows, but it gelt good doing them again.  Plus, my WO schedule the last couple of weeks with doing two types of rows on upper days and deadlifts on lower days has been too much strain on my lower back I think.

I bumped up the weight on iso lateral shoulder press and did 4 sets.  The last 2 reps of the 4th set were only partial reps, but I'm loving this machine as well.  I'm going to miss being able to use the iso lat row and shoulder machines now that I'll be back working out at the sprint gym again after Christmas break.  I also bumped up weight on incline flye's and did 3 sets.  The bump here was long overdue and these felt really good.

Tri's and shoulders were well worked from all the pressing and 4 sets of shoulder press, so I only did 2 sets of OH tri's and delts (in a triple set).  Shoulders are getting stonger now that I'm putting more work into them.  Since I only did 2 sets of OH tri's, I did a myo-rep set of tri pushdowns.  Finished off the WO with myo-rep set of curls.  These felt great! I'll have to remember to do myo-reps for these instead of straight sets.  I warmed up (5mins) and cooled down (15mins) on the treadmill for a total of 20 mins.

Overall a great WO!  Bumped up weight/reps on several lifts and what a way to start the new year!  Very happy and feel blessed to be where I'm at today in many aspects of my life.

Nutrition:
I weighed 185.4 this morning.  Time to reign it back in and get down to mid 170's.