Wed 12/21 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(DBInc)65x10,70x8,8
(115#IsoPull)3x8
(45#DBShldr)3x10
(115#IsoRow)3x10
(73#RopeExt)10,68x10,10
(25#Crunch)3x15
(70#PCurl)2x10
(Crunch)3x12
(20#RDelt)2x12+10#x12

47 + 7 = 54 mins

Started with DB incline. 65#’s felt good so I bumped to 70#’s. Trying to take it easy and keep reps at at least 8. 3 good sets of real controlled paused reps. Supersetted incline with a new plate loaded pulldown machine I liked. The Golds gym is getting almost all new equipment. Hope I like it. Newer isn’t always better. One of my favorite gyms is the gym we go to at Hilton Head every year. It’s old school and half the equipment is rusty, but it’s great.

Next I did DB shoulder press supersetted with plate loaded rows. Normally I like doing these 1 arm at a time, but to save a few minutes, I did them 2-armed.  Next I did rope extensions with crunches. I did the crunches with a plate on my chest, reversed on the back extension machine. I finished up with preacher curls (bumped the weight from what I’ve been doing), crunches and rear delt work.  Good WO. Felt a bit better about my pressing today.

Nutrition: 
Weight was 172.8 this morning. Feeling good. I’d like to be “bulking” and really trying to add a bit of muscle this winter but I can’t really push the weights too hard due
to my shoulders and I don’t just want to add fat.

Sun 12/19 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(55#DBShldr)9,9,7,6,45x8
(205#PullDn)2x8,190x8,8
(60#DBInc)3x8
(InvertRow)3x12
(80#Skulls)9,8
(60#PreacherCurl)12,11
(40#RDelt)2x10
(RevCrunch)20,15,12,10
(120#RopeExt)12,11

70 + 10 = 80 mins

Sarah and I went to the gym this morning for an upper WO. Started with DB shoulder press and pulldown combo. Shoulders still wonky, but decent work for 4 sets plus a back-off. Went heavy on pulldowns and they felt good. Next I did DB incline with inverted rows. Incline felt pretty good at first, but my left shoulder the last rep or two of each set just started to feel really unstable.

Next we did skull crushers with preacher curls. Skulls were OK, curls were good. Finished up with 2 sets rear delts, 2 sets rope extensions with 4 sets reverse crunches.  Good WO despite the shoulder issues.

Nutrition: 
Weight was 173.8 this morning.

Sat 12/17 - Lower

I was really busy all day, really active, but wanted to get a quick WO in. Sunday is going to be an "upper" day, so I went to the gym for some quick leg and ab work.

(LegPress)3x25

(Crunch)3x15

(65#SLDL)2x10

(Crunch)2x15

Thu 12/15 - Pull day - Birthday Pullup WO

Workout: Golds
(Pullups)15,10,9,9+4
(90#IsoRow)3x10/10
(35#RDelt)3x10
(55#PCurl)2x10
(10#RDelt)2x10
(140#SeatRow)2x10

49 + 5 = 55 mins

Pull day. Decided to celebrate my 45th birthday workout with 45 pull-ups.  I was hoping I could get 45 in 4 sets, but couldn’t do it. I went 15,10,9,9 (43), then rested a minute and did 4 more to get over 45. Haven’t been doing pull-ups much, so I was fairly pleased even though it took more than 4 sets.  Then I did 1-arm iso rows that felt great. Next I did rear delt DB raises.  Then I did preacher curls with light rear delt fly’s. Finished up with some seated rows. Really good pull WO.

Nutrition:
Weight was 171.6 this morning.  Pretty decent shape for 45 :)

Wed 12/14 - Push Day

Workout: Golds
(55#DBShldr)10,9,8
(20#Crunch)3x10
(50#DBInc)2x10
(Crunch)2x12
(45#Pullover)3x10
(80#Skulls)9
(65#RopeExt)2x9

37 + 7 = 43 mins

Push Day, mainly because I wanted to work out today and also want to have a workout tomorrow on my 45th birthday. Started with shoulder press and it went a little better than last WO from a # of reps perspective, but something still going on with my left shoulder I can’t figure out. No pain, just weak. Supersetted with weighted crunches. Then I did 2 sets DB incline, controlled paused reps with short rest. This should be a warmup weight, not a working weight. Supersetted with BW crunches. Next were 3 sets pullovers. Plan was for 2-3 sets of skull crushers next. During the first set my left shoulder felt REALLY unstable when weight was at the top. Weird and made me nervous, so I switched to  rope extensions for the last 2 sets.

Nutrition: 
Weight was 171.8 this morning. Down from about 178 after the weekend.

Mon 12/12 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(55#DBShldr)3x8
(180#PullDn)3x8
(70#IsoShldr)2x8
(140#SeatRow)2x8
(RopeExt)73x10,65x10,9
(35#FacePull)3x10
(25#SideInc)2x10

35 + 8 = 43 mins

Quick WO today. Started with shoulder press and pulldown superset. I feel like 55# shoulder press should be easy, but this was pretty hard work. I couldn’t have gotten 8 reps on a 4th set.  Next I did iso shoulder press with seated rows. Something funky still going on with left shoulder. Next I did rope extensions with face pulls. Finished up with 2 sets of side incline. Decent WO.

Nutrition: 
Weight was 177.8 this morning. Ate a lot over the weekend after 2 hikes in/near the Great Smoky Mountains.

Sat/Sun - 12/10-11 - Hiking

Sarah rented a small cabin on the river just outside Dillsboro, NC.  Dillsboro is a great small mountain town. They were having an illumination for Christmas. We walked around, went in all the shops, bought some xmas presents and some good candy/chocolate at a bakery.  We both want to move here.  We also visited Sylva and Franklin, 2 more great small towns nearby.  We talked of downsizing, simplifying and moving somewhere between the 3 small towns that are all w/in 15-20 minutes of one another. Just beautiful.

When we walked down main street in Franklin, you could see mountains rising from either end. Again, just such a beautiful place.

Saturday, 12/10
Sarah and I hiked the Yellow Mountain Trail. It was an out and back to a fire tower with fantastic panoramic views.  I loved this out and back because most hikes like this go up a big mountain to a view, then back down. So it's 5-7 miles up, up, up and 5-7 miles back down. This hike went up and over several mountains so the terrain was more varied.  Enjoyed it very much.
10 miles, 5 hours (with lunch at the top soaking in the view)

Sunday, 12/11
We drove into Gatlinburg, TN to see the fire damage. Lots of homes and hotels burned down with fireplaces and a few brick walls the only thing still standing. The forest floor was black where the fire had gone through, but the trees looked fairly healthy for the most part. Hopefully it wall all come back in the Spring.  Unfortunately, over 700 structures burned and those families are all displaced.

We hiked from Newfound Gap toward Clingmans Dome. Out 1:30 and back 1:15. About 7 miles. No great views, but real pretty forest. Cold and chilly.
7 miles, 3 hours.

Wed 12/7 - Upper (worst WO in a LONG time)

Workout: Golds
(60#DBShldr)7,4,50x8,8
(155#BOR)3x8
(70#IsoShldr)7,55x9,9
(160#PullDn)2x10
(73#RopeExt)8,65x10
(Crunch)2x12
(115#ChestFly)2x10
(Crunch)2x12
(100#RDeltFly)2x10

37 + 9 = 46mins

Holy crap, I hope this WO was so difficult because I’m still sick.  If not, I’ve somehow lost a shit load of strength in the last couple of week. 2 weeks ago I did 60#DB Shoulder Press for 4x8.  Today I went 7 reps, then 4 and had to drop the weight.  Same thing with Iso Shoulder press. Something is also going on with my Left shoulder now. My R shoulder is painful, but the last 2 WO’s my left arm/shoulder has felt really weak and can’t press the weight my injured Right  arm/shoulder can. There’s NO pain, but it’s weak and seems ferked up somehow.  Really discouraging.

The rest of the WO was just blah. Going through the motions.

Nutrition: 
Weight was 173.2 this morning.

Sun 12/4 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(60#DBShldr)6,55x6,6,45x10
(190#PullDn)3x8,130x10
(70#IsoInc)2x8
(175#SeatRow)2x8
(120#RopeExt)2x12
(60#PCurl)2x10
(15#RDelt)2x10
(RevCrunch)20,15
(BandDelt)2x25
(Crunch)2x12

52 + 10 = 62 mins

Sarah and I were both sick with cold and had a long day hiking yesterday. We went to the gym this morning and neither of us felt strong and struggled. What should be fairly light weights were a struggle.  Tough workout to get through, mentally and physically.

Nutrition: 
Weight was 170.6 Saturday morning, by Saturday evening it was 182.  This morning I was 178#’s.  Lots of carbs after yesterday’s hike.

Sat 12/3 - 8 Mile Hike

8 Mile hike in Pisgah National Forest on the Tanawah trail.  Beacon Heights to Rough Ridge Overlook/Boardwalk.  3 hours out, 2 hours back.  Upper 30's.

Wed 11/30 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(60#DBShldr)3x6,45x10
(155#BOR)3x8
(70#IsoShldr)2x8
(160#PullDn)2x8
(73#RopeExt)2x10
(60#PCurl)10
(Crunch)3x10/10
(100#RDelt)2x12

40 + 10 = 50 mins

First WO back at Golds after a few days off, hoping my R shoulder will cooperate. It’s been really painful the last couple of days. I started with DB shoulder press supersetted with bent over rows. 60#DB’s felt pretty darn heavy today, heavier than they should for 3x6. I’ve dieted fairly hard the last 3 days, so maybe that had something to do with it. Oddly, my R shoulder was a bit painful, but it was my Left arm/shoulder that struggled getting the weight up today. No pain, just weak.  Based on this first superset, I decided to keep volume low, especially in light of being in a pretty large caloric deficit.

Next I did iso shoulder press with pulldowns, 2 sets each. Then 2 sets rope extensions with 1 set preacher curls. Finished up with 3 sets of 10/10 crunches (60 reps total) with 2 sets of rear delt fly’s.  Not a great WO, but needed to get in and get some work done.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 180#’s after getting home from Thanksgiving week. This morning I was 174#’s.  Been in about a 1,200-1,300 daily caloric deficit.  I’ll probably ease up on that after another couple of days.

Sat 11/26 - Upper

Workout: Ida Lee
(70#DBShldr)4,65x5,5,4,60x8,45x10
(200#PullDn)5x6+120x13
(60#DBInc)3x10
(130#SeatRow)3x10
(73#RopeExt)9,9,65x12
(PCurl)2x12
(RevCrunch)20,13,12,10
(100#RDelt)2x10
(RDeltBand)2x25

78 + 10 = 88 mins

WO at Ida Lee this morning before getting on the road to head back to Charlotte. Started with DB shoulder press and decided to give 70#DB’s a shot. Too heavy. I got 5 reps, but the 5th I needed an assist from Sarah so I’m calling it 4. Then 65#’s for 3 sets, then an awesome set w/ 60’s and a drop set to 45’s. Great work.  Supersetted these with heavy pulldowns. I started at 220#’s, but that was a bit too heavy so I dropped to 200. 5 heavy sets, plus a back-off set.

Today I decided to do light DB Incline. I haven’t done incline in over 12 weeks because of my shoulder. It didn’t feel great, and the movement felt odd to me since I hadn’t done it in so long. Interesting that it felt so un-natural since it’s been my main push movement for several years. Supersetted incline with machine seated rows.

Next we didd rope extensions with preacher curls. Finished up with 4 sets of reverse crunches and a combination of 2 sets rear delt fly’s and 2 sets rear delt band pulls. Great WO. This ended a week of 4 really good WO’s.

Nutrition: 
Thanksgiving dinners on Thursday and again Friday may very well have pushed me over the edge.

Thu & Fri - 11/24-25 (2 Hikes)

Sarah and I hiked around Balls Bluff on Thursday and Friday.  Thursday was 1:45 and Friday was 2:10.  Really wish we had a park like this close to our house in Mint Hill, NC.  Balls Bluff is right on the Potomac River and has many miles of trails through the woods and along the river.  Great place for a walk/hike.

Wed 11/23 - Pull Day (weighted pullups)

Workout: Ida Lee
(25#Pullups)8,8,6
(160#SeatRow)4x8+120x20
(85#Crunch)3x10
(120#RevGripPull)2x10
(60#PCurl)12,10
(40#RDelt)2x10
(10#RDelt)2x10

40 + 5 = 45 mins

Pull day today at Ida Lee. We didn’t have much time, so rest times were short. I hadn’t done weighted pull-ups in a LONG time, so I didn’t add a lot of weight. I put a 25#DB betweenmy legs and got 8,8,6.  Not bad on short rests. Then I did 4 sets seated rows plus a 5th drop set of 20 reps.  Then we did cable crunches with reverse grip pulldowns. I used to do heavy cable crunches ALL the time. Probably haven’t done them in over a year. Then I did preacher curls with rear delts. Finished up with some more light rear delt fly’s.  Good WO in a short time.

Nutrition: 
Still not totally off the rails. Yet. :)

Tue 11/22 - Push day (Ida Lee)

Workout: Ida Lee
(55#DBShldr)4x8
(75#SideInc)3x10
(RevCrunch)18,15,12
(45#Pullover)3x10
(Crunch)3x10
(90#Skulls)8,6+50x10
(15#RDelt)2x10
(BandRDelt)2x20

55 + 5 = 60 mins

Push day at Ida Lee. Didn’t want to go real heavy today, and I didn’t on shoulder press, but really pushed everything else and had a great WO. Started withshoulder press, starting each set at 3 min intervals, so about 2-2.5 mins rest. Wanted a good shoulder stimulation and not go near failure. Then I did side inclinewith reverse crunches. I bumped up the weight on side incline and pushed crunches for AMRAP each set.  Then we did pullovers with crunches. Then we went for 2 heavy sets, plus a drop set on skull crushers. Finished up with rear delt fly’s with DB’s and then bands. Good WO.

Nutrition: 
Eating hasn’t gotten too out of control yet. Feeling good.

Sat 11/19 - Upper (Ida Lee Gym)

Workout: Ida Lee
(60#DBShldr)4x8 (the 65#DB's were missing)
(200#PullDn)4x8
(65#SideInc)3x10
(140#SeatRow)3x10
(73#RopeExt)2x10
(60#PCurl)2x10
(45#RDelt)3x10
(RevCrunch)15,15,12

55 + 8 = 63 mins

Sarah and I went to Ida Lee in Leesburg for an early morning WO. For some reason the 65#DB’s were missing, which was frustrating, so I had to go down to 60#’s. I don’t think I’m ready to bump up to 70#DB’s for shoulder press quite yet. I got 4x8, which was really good considering two weeks ago I was getting 5-6 reps. Progress! Supersetted these with heavy pulldowns. Hardest I’ve worked on pulldowns in quite a while. Reminded me of how I have to work when doing weighted pull-ups. Next I did side incline with seated rows. I tried a chest press machine and my shoulder wasn’t having any of it, hence the side incline.  Felt good.

Next was accessory work. Rope extension supersetted with preacher curls. Then heavy rear delt fly’s/raises with reverse crunches.  Really good WO. Very pleased.

Nutrition:
Won’t be tracking nutrition or weight while on break in Leesburg for Thanksgiving. Hope I can keep things under control to some degree.

Oct 20 - Nov 16 Workouts

I haven't been updating my WO's in a while because I've been busy and just haven't made time for it. I caught up today.  Following are the WO's I did over the last 3 weeks.  In that time, I've also hiked 9 days, including a 5-day, 53 mile backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail.  My right shoulder has really been bothering me, so the last 5 WO's I've been focusing on DB shoulder press and giving incline a bit of a rest. I'm still doing a little bit of incline, but it's no longer my main pressing movement until I can get my shoulder issue straightened out.

My weight has been good, as I've been very active.  It's hovered in the mid-to-low 170's.


Workouts:
(55#DBShldr)3x8,(115#IsoRow)3x8,(70#IsoShldr)3x10,(160#PullDn)3x8,(73#RopeExt)10,63x11,10,(Crunch)4x15,(10#Rdelt)2x10,(60#PCurl)2x10,(20#LDelt)2x10

(65#DBShldr)5,5,4,60x5,5,(PullDn)190x8,8,8,205x8,8,(70#IsoInc)3x8,(175#SeatRow)3x8,(80#Skulls)10,8,8,(30#PCurl)2x10,(45#RDelt)2x10,(30#SideInc)2x10,(Crunch)4x15,(10#LDelt)2x10

(45#DBShldr)3x10,(175#PullDn)3x10,(30#SideInc)3x10,(150#RopeExt)10,9,130x10,(RevCrunch)3x12,(130#RDFly)12,12,10,(T-Twist)3x12,(25#PCurl)2x10,(Plank)2x60/30/30

(155#BOR)4x8,(20#Crunch)4x10,(180#VBarPull)3x8,(60#PCurl)2x8,(35#RDelt)2x8,(80#DBRow)2x8

(60#DBShldr)4x5,(70#IsoShldr)3x8,(115#RDFly)3x10,(30#SideInc)2x10,((70#OHTri)2x10

(60#DBShldr)6,6,5,5,4+40x10,(180#PullDn)5x8,(70#IsoInc)3x8,(175#SeatRow)3x8,(130#RopeExt)12,10,(55#PCurl)2x10,(40#RDelt)3x10,(RevCrunch)15,13,12

(80#IsoInc)8,8,8,6,(180#SeatRow)4x8,(70#IsoShldr)3x8,(160#Pulldn)3x9,(Crunch),(RopeExt),(SideInc),(RDelt),(Crunch)

(90#IsoInc)8,8,7,6+55x7,(175#SeatRow)4x10,(130#Shldr)3x10,(165#PullDn),(Skulls),(PreacherCurl),(RevCrunch),(RDelt)

(Pullups)3x11,(85#IsoInc)3x8,(50#DBShldr)3x8,(90#DBRow)3x8,(120#RopeExt)3x10,(RevCrunch)3x12

Mon 10/17 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(95#IsoInc)3x8,70x12
(175#SeatRow)4x10
(130#ShldrPress)3x9
(165#VbarPull)3x8
(140#RopeExt)11,9,9
(RevCrunch)3x12
(115#RDeltFly)2x12
(25#SideInc)2x12

52 mins

Sarah and I worked out after work at Snap Fitness.  Incline was good. 3 heavy sets plus a back off set, supersetted with seated rows. R shoulder still really troublesome.  Then we did shoulder press with close grip pulldowns.  Then rope extensions with reverse crunches. I bumped the weight on rope extensions and was pleased with reps. Finished up with 2 sets rear delt fly’s and side incline. I struggle with my right side on side incline and left side is easy.  Right shoulder/pec is fercked.

Nutrition: 
Weighed 177.2 this morning. Bloated from the weekend.

Sun 10/16 - Hike - Black Balsam Knob on the Art Loeb Trail

We left Gatlinburg, TN and The Great Smoky Mountains for a beautiful drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway to hike Black Balsam Knob on the Art Loeb Trail. As we were leaving GSMNP we spotted some elk and stopped to take some pictures. Then when we were getting on the BRP, there were 2 elk in the median so we stopped for more pictures. These one's were w/in about 15 feet of us. Really neat.

The drive along the parkway was spectacular. Stunning views and colors.  This side of the mountains (NC side) was a lot prettier than the TN side where we hiked yesterday.  The leaves had turned color more, and there were a lot more reds mixed in.

The Black Balsam Knob hike was amazing! This hike was on a section of the Art Loeb Trail. The hike starts and w/in a half mile, we were up on a bald and remained on high open ground for the entire hike. Just stunning view.  We had lunch at the top of Tennent mountain at over 6,000 feet.  Mt. Leconte hike yesterday we had lunch at the lodge at over 6,000 feet as well.

The trail itself was not in the best shape.  It's washed out in some spots and rocky. You can tell it gets a LOT of use and not a lot of maintenance.  In great contrast to the Alum Cave trail yesterday.  It was slow going at times due to the trail conditions, and because of lots of stops for pictures.  It's not a trail we could do a lot of miles on with heavy packs.  But, the views were just fantastic and would love to do this trail again and camp out on top of one of the balds.

Sat 10/15 - Hike - Alum Cave trail to Mt. LeConte, Myrtle Point & Cliff Tops.

Great hike up Alum Cave trail to Mt. LeConte with Sarah. Half way up the hike is Alum Cave. Really neat stone cave/wall. We hiked straight past the lodge at Mt. LeConte to Cliff Tops because it was starting to cloud up and we  wanted to see if we could catch some view.  Glad we hustled up there because the views were fantastic, but were clouded over w/in about 5 mins.

We hiked back down to the lodge at LeConte and had lunch on the deck overlooking the valley. It cleared up so we hiked up to Myrtle Point .7 miles further up the mountain where we had awesome views. We returned via a trail to Cliff Tops again, more great views, then back down the trail to the car.

The beginning/end of the hike near the trailhead was along a stream and really pretty.  Just a fantastic hike with tons of great features.  Trail was in incredible shape. It's closed Mon-Thurs for maintenance, and it shows.  They've done a TON of work on this trail.  Great for walking/hiking.

Fri 10/14 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(80#IsoInc)3x10
(175#SeatRow)3x10
(130#ShldrPress)3x8
(165#PullDn)3x8
(130#RopeExt)12,11
(20#Crunch)2x12
(115#RDeltFly)2x12
(Crunch)2x12
(25#SideInc)2x10

40 mins

Took 3 days off. Shoulder still wonky and painful.

Quick early morning WO before heading to the mountains for the weekend. Fairly short rests to get a good amount of work done in 40 mins. Started with incline/row combo. Felt good. Then did shoulder press with pulldowns. Next I did rope extensions with weighted crunches. Then rear delt fly’s with crunches. Finished up with side incline.  Pleased.

Nutrition: 
Weighed 172.0 this morning

Mon 10/10 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(70#IsoInc)3x10
(180#PullDn)3x8
(70#ChestPress)3x10
(160#VbarPull)2x10
(70#IsoShldr)3x8
(160#SeatRow)3x8
(65#RopeExt)14,12,10
(10#Crunch)10/10,12,12
(35#SideInc)3x11
(100#RDeltFly)3x10

52 + 6 = 58 mins

Started with iso incline and pulldown superset. R shoulder still really wonky and painful. Not sure if I should just take a break from pressing for a little while. I’ll probably keep going through this week and will have a forced break for my backpacking trip in 1.5 weeks. Next I did chest press machine supersetted with vbar pulldowns. I liked the chest press machine. I’d never used this one at Golds before. Then I did iso shoulder press with seated rows.  Some pretty solid pushing and pulling with those 6 movements.

Next I did rope extensions with crunches. This was the most reps I’ve gotten for rope extensions at this weight.  Surprising, given the amount of pressing I’d already done. Finished up with side incline and rear delt fly’s.  Very solid WO, especially given my R pec/shoulder issue.

Nutrition: 
Weighed 183.0 this morning. Yikes! SUPER bloated from the weekend, and especially Sunday. Met Gregg for sushi lunch at JMU, had a bunch of cereal late night before bed.

Sun 10/9 - Cardio

We woke up early and went to the park we found last time we were in Harrisburg for a conference.  We ran a little over 3 miles, walked 1.

Sat 10/8 - Cardio

Early Saturday morning Sarah and I went to a park nearby the hotel in Harrisburg, PA and went for a run/walk.  We ran for 30 mins and then walked for 20. Nice park. There was a soccer tournament so lots of cars and people.  Strange for 7am on a Saturday.

Fri 107 - Push Day

Workout: Ida Lee
(ChestPress)4x10
(ShldrPress)3x12
(Crunch)3x10/10
(SideInc)3x12
(RevCrunch)3x12
(LatRaise)3x12

44 + 6 = 50 mins

Started warmup with DB incline. Got up to 65#’s and it’s just too painful. Switched to a chest press machine that actually felt pretty good. Then we did shoulder press machine supersetted with crunches. Then Side incline with reverse crunches on a decline bench. Finished up with lateral raises. Forgot to do any triceps isolation (‘doh). Good push WO anyway.

Nutrition: 
No scale and am not tracking food or weight for the next 4 days.

Thu 10/6 - Pull Day

Workout: Ida Lee (Leesburg, VA)
(Pullups)10,10,12
(135#BOR/SLDL)3x8/8
(160#VbarPull)2x8
(LegRaise)2x15
(140#SeatRow)2x10
(LegRaise)2x15
(45#RDelt)2x10
(30#Curl)2x10
(100#RDeltFly)2x10

52 + 3 = 55 mins

Drove to Leesburg late Wed night, got to bed around 12:30, woke up at 5AM and went to the gym at Ida Lee for a pull WO. Started with 3 sets pull-ups. Felt OK. Haven’t done them in a while since my elbows have been cranky and for some reason pull-ups seems to bother them. Sets felt better as they went on. I didn’t really warm up, so  that might have had something to do with it. Then we did BOR/SLDL combo. I started with 155#’s. Rows felt good, but going right into SLDL after BOR got really hard so I dropped the weight to 135. That was still hard work. Brutal superset with no rest.

Then we did vbar grip pulldowns supersetted with leg raises for 2 sets each. Then we did seated rows with more leg raises for 2 more sets each. Finished up with heavy rear delt raises, light-ish curls and rear delt fly’s. Although the weight was quite light for curls, it didn’t feel easy. Hard to do much weight with my elbows right now, and because of them, I haven’t done any curls in a couple of weeks.  All the pull work before them added to the difficulty as well.  Good pull WO.

Nutrition: 
No scale and am not tracking food or weight for the next 4 days.

Tue 10/4 - Lower

Workout: Golds
(6PlLegPress)5x10
(195#SLDL)3x10
(50#LegExt)3x12
(105#LegCurl)3x10

31 + 10 + 7 = 48 mins

Warmed up by walking on treadmill steep incline for 5 mins, then warmed up to 6 plates on leg press. Did 5x10 starting sets every 2 mins, so under 90 seconds rest. These started off fairly easy and by sets 4 & 5 I was working fairly hard the last couple reps. Left knee a little wonky. Then I did 3 sets SLDL. Toward the end of first set my R hamstring starting barking at me a bit. I walked and stretched and finished the next 2 sets feeling ok. Finished up with leg extensions and leg curls. I went a little lighter on extensions, quads were kind of fried from leg press volume.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 172.6 this morning.

Mon 10/3 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(70#IsoInc)10,10,10,10,8
(180#SeatRow)4x8
(65#ShldrPress)3x10
(160#PullDn)3x10
(65#RopeExt)12,11,9,50x10
(10#Crunch)10/10,10/10,10
(25#SideInc)2x12
(100#RDelt)2x10

45 + 5 = 50 mins

Started with iso incline. Didn’t go very heavy, but started every superset on 3 mins, so fairly short rests. It felt pretty good, so I did 5 sets push, 4 sets heavy seated rows.  Then I did shoulder press with pulldowns.  Next I did rope extensions with crunches. Finished up with side incline and rear delt fly’s. Still staying away from curls. Elbows have been cranky.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 174.8 this morning.

Sun 10/2 - Run

Yesterday's park was a bit of a disappointment, so we found another park in Staunton. This one was really nice. Paved road around a 1.3 mile loop.  We ran for 50 mins and walked for 15. This is my longest run in a long time I think.  65 mins total.

Ran in my Altra's.  Really liking these shoes and hoping the zero drop is going to help my Plantar Fasciitis.

Sat 10/1 - Cardio (run/hills)

Sarah and I went to a park with a hiking trail. The trail was a loop up and around a small mountain in Staunton, VA.  We walked for 25 mins, then ran through some hilly neighborhoods for 25 mins, then walked for 20. Lots of hills.  70 mins total.

Fri 9/30 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(95#IsoInc)8,7,6,80x10,9
(165#PullDn)4x10
(130#ShldrPress)2x10
(25#SideInc)2x10
(175#SeatRow)3x8
(120#RopeExt)3x11
(45#RDelt)2x10
(12#Crunch)2x12/12
(115#RDFly)2x12

52 + 8 = 60 mins

Early morning WO before work at Snap Fitness. Going to be at JMU for the weekend, so we wanted to get to the gym.  Started with heavy iso incline for 3 sets, plus 2 back off sets with short rest. Supersetted these with pulldowns.  Then I did shoulder press, but it bothered my R shoulder so I switched to side incline for 2 more sets. Supersetted with seated rows.  Next was rope extensions with heavy rear delt raises. Finished up with some crunches and rear delt fly’s.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 172.6 this morning.

Wed 9/28 - Lower Day (Deadlift)

Workout: Golds
(275#DeadLift)5x5
(185#SLDL)2x10
(6PlLegPress)3x10
(Crunch)3x10/10
(65#LegExt)3x10
Stretch

43 + 4 = 47 mins

Started with Deadlifts today. Warmed up with 135x10,225x5, then 5x5 with 275#’s. Didn’t feel heavy and tried to make sure I didn’t have back rounding. Did each set starting every 2 mins, so about 1:30 rest between sets.  Dropped to 185#’s and did 2 sets of SLDL.  Low back/hams started feeling pretty tight by the end of SLDL.  Then I did 3 sets leg press supersetted with crunches (10 reps each side for for 20 crunches on each set. Finished up with leg extensions and some stretching. Was planning on doing leg curls as well, but hamstrings already feeling dicey, so I skipped them. :)

Nutrition: 
I weighed 172.4 this morning.

Tue 9/27 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(70#IsoInc)4x10
(160#SeatRow)4x10
(70#IsoShldr)2x9
(160#PullDn)2x8
(65#RopeExt)13,11
(25#SideInc)2x10
(Crunch)4x12
(115#RDelt)2x10


33 + 5 = 38 mins

Short rests between sets today, so I didn’t go super heavy, but got a lot of work done quickly.  Started with incline/seated row superset for 4 good sets. Then 2 sets each isoshoulder press and pulldowns. Then rope extensions and side incline with crunches. Finished up with 2 sets rear delt fly.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 173.2 this morning.

Sun 9/25 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(100#IsoInc)8,8,6,70x13,8
(175#VbarPull)4x8
(130#ShldrPress)3x10
(175#SeatRow)3x8
(90#SKulls)10,8,8+40x13
(40#RDelt)2x12
(115#RDeltFly)2x12
(LegRiase)15,15,12,12
(20#SideInc)2x12

68 + 6 = 74 mins

I was planning on going light today because of my R shoulder/pec, but warmup felt good and I kind of wanted to take advantage of eating at a surplus this weekend :). So… I bumped up the weight on Iso Incline heavier than I’ve gone before and got 3 good sets, then backed off to 70#”s and did 2 drop sets, 2nd with short rest. Great work! Supersetted these with vbar pulldowns. I started at 190#’s but dropped because it put too much tension on my elbows. They’ve been really cranky lately.  Next we did shoulder press with seated rows.

Then we did skull crushers. I set up an EZ bar with 90#’s and had 3 good sets, plus a drop set. I did rear delt raises with these instead of curls because of my elbows. We finished up with rear delt fly’s, side incline and 4 sets of leg raises.  Good WO.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 175.0 this morning.

Thu 9/22 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(75#IsoInc)4x8
(160#SeatRow)4x8
(70#IsoShldr)3x10
(160#PullDn)3x8
(Crunch)6x12
(65#RopeExt)2x11
(100#DeltFly)2x10

Pretty standard upper WO at Golds today. Tried DB incline, but it was painful during warmups so I just switched back to iso incline.

45 mins

I weighed 171.0 this morning.

Wed 9/21 - Lower

Workout: Golds
(135#BoxSquat)3x10
(Crunch)3x15
(185#SLDL)3x10
(60#LegExt)3x10
(105#LegCurl)3x10

31 + 9 = 40 mins

Leg day. Long warmup, especially because I decided to do barbell squats.  During warmup, I realized that despite the fact that my knees have been feeling MUCH better since I committed to stretching EVERY morning as a New Year’s resolution, they are still fairly fucked.  I can’t do a deep squat, even w/o weight, without pain. Add weight, and it gets worse.  So, during warmups I decided I’d have to do box squats.  Box squats keep me from going below parallel (which I shouldn’t be doing anyway probably). With this light weight (135#’s) it was still a fair amount of work for me today. I supersetted squats with crunches. Then I did SLDL.  Finished up with leg extensions and leg curl superset. Bumped the weight up on both of these from last WO and had to work hard on these. Decent WO. Short, but I can’t kill legs with high volume right now.

Nutrition:
I weighed 170.0 this morning.  Down 8 pounds from Monday. All the water from the weekend washed out.

Mon 9/19 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(95#IsoInc)10,9,8,70x11
(190#SeatRow)3x8
(130#ShldrPress)2x10
(160#PullDn)3x10
(80#Skulls)12,10
(40#Curl)10,35x10
(20#Crunch)2x12,bwx10,10
(130#RDeltFly)3x10

42 + 6 = 48 mins

Didn’t feel like going to the gym this evening; still recovering from the weekend.  But, glad Sarah wanted to go and ended up feeling great after the WO. Started with really good sets of incline supersetted with seated rows. Next was machine shoulder press with pulldowns.  Shoulder press was feeling really good, but the last rep or two on the 2nd set bothered my shoulder, so I stopped at 2 sets. Then we did skull crushers and curls. Finished up with abs and rear delts.  Good WO.

Nutrition:
I weighed 178.0 this morning.  Bloated from tons of carbs while backpacking over the weekend.

Sat-Sun 9/17-18 - Backpacking

Sarah and I went backpacking this weekend NorthEast of Damascus VA.  US58 over Whitetop Mountain, Mt. Rogers, camped at Thomas Knob Shelter, through Grayson Highland State Park to VA603 where a shuttle from Damascus picked us up and took us back to US58 where our car was waiting.

Incredible hike.

Day1:
11.3 miles, 6.5 hours hiking.  4 miles uphill, 3 down/rolling, then 4 more up to Mt Rogers. Tough day.

Day2:
12.9 miles, 6.75 hours hiking.  Easier terrain today, but still not "easy".  Took our time through Grayson Highlands.

Incredible weekend.

Fri 9/16 - Upper

Workout: Golds Gym
(90#IsoShldr)10,9,8
(180#SeatRow)3x8
(70#IsoInc)2x9
(160#PullDn)3x8
(65#RopeExt)12,10
(25#Crunch)2x10
(35#FacePull)2x10
(73#PushDn)9,65x12
(25#Crunch)2x10,BWx10
(100#RDelt)2x10
(35#Curl)13

42 + 6 = 48 mins

Upper WO today. Wanted to squeeze one in because we’re headed to the mountains this weekend and I won’t get to the gym (obviously).  Started with iso shoulder press again, used same weight as last WO but got more reps on first 2 sets. Pleased after bumping up to this weight. I supersetted this with heavy seated rows. They bothered my R elbow a bit, but got a good stretch and controlled this heavier weight well.  Then I did 2 sets iso incline with pulldowns. I made sure to not go past parallel as best I could in incline and this seemed to be a lot easier on my shoulder.  Then I finished up with 2 triple sets of triceps and rear delts with weighted crunches, plus one set of curls at 35#”s for 13 reps was really good for me.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 171.0 this morning.  Feeling good.

Wed 9/14 - Lower (Yes, an actual WO with only legs!)

Workout: Golds Gym
(LegPress)4Plx10,6Plx10,10,10
(CaptChair)4x10
(80#SLDL)3x8
(Crunch)3x12
(50#LegExt)3x10
(100#LegCurl)3x10

35 + 3 = 38 mins

That’s right, an actual lower-only WO! Trying to commit to working legs for a while :)  Started warmup with light leg press, then put on 4 plates for 10 reps. Bumped it to 6 plates for 3x10. It was work, but felt pretty good. I want to be able to walk the next couple of days, so easing into it. Supersetted leg press with Capt. Chair leg raises.  Then I did DB SLDL supersetted with crunches. This weekend I did SLDL with 75#DB’s, so today I bumped to 80#’s. Finished up with leg extensions supersetted with leg curls. Hamstrings burning, tight.  Short rests between sets and quick WO. Felt good.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 171.6 this morning.  I've been dieting fairly hard during the week with over-feeds (very large ones at times) about every weekend for a very long time. Going to try to transition into a bit more balanced diet throughout the week.  I'll probably cycle cals/carbs on WO days trying to get near maintenance, slightly below maintenance on rest days and enjoy the weekends but not go too crazy.  We'll see how it goes.  Feeling good. Wish my R shoulder was cooperating better. I think better eating will help it heal.

Tue 9/13 - Upper (Great shoulder press)

Workout: Golds Gym
(90#IsoShldr)9,8,8,7 Awesome
(160#SeatRow)4x10
(70#IsoInc)8,8,55x10
(160#PullDn)3x8
(65#RopeExt)11,9
(Crunch)3x15
(35#Curl)12
(10#RDelt)2x10

43 + 5 = 48 mins

Got a quick WO in over lunch. I’d planned on starting with Iso Incline, but someone was on that machine so I started with Iso Shoulder Press. Boy, was I glad I did. Normally I use 70#’s on this machine, but warmups felt good so I bumped it up to 90#’s. Very pleased with 4 good sets here. Supersetted them with seated rows. Then I did iso incline and pulldown combo. This machine normally doesn’t bother my shoulder/pec, but it did today and I lowered the weight considerable for a 3rd set.  Finished up with some accessory work (tri, bi, delt, abs).

Nutrition: 
I weighed 173.4 this morning.

Sun 9/11 - Full Body

Workout: Snap Fitness
(95#IsoInc)8,7,6,70x10,9
(205#SeatRow)8,8,165x10,10
(220#LegPress)3x12
(LegRiase)3x15
(130#ShldrPress)12,10,8
(165#PullDn)3x8
(75#SLDL)3x8
(Crunch)3x15
(130#RopeExt)12,12,10
(40#Curl)8,30x12
(45#RDelt)3x10

78 + 6 = 84 mins

Back in Mint Hill and a WO at Snap Fitness.  Since hiking season is coming into full swing, I decided it might be wise to start hitting some leg work to prepare for it.  So today, we did a full body, working in some legs. Went heavy on iso incline for 3 sets and 2 back-off sets, supersetted with seated rows. I went heavy on seated rows for the first 2 sets. Then we did leg press with leg raises. Next we did shoulder press with pulldowns.  Next we did DB SLDL with crunches. Hamstrings feeling tight already :).  Then we finished up with biceps, triceps and rear delts.  Went heavier on rear debts than normal.  GREAT WO!

Nutrition: 
I weighed 175.6 this morning.

Sat 9/10 - Another run!

Heading home from Hilton Head today and we ran on the beach watching our last sunrise.  We got up early every morning but one to watch the sunrise, and I think today's was the prettiest.  We ran for 40 mins and walked for 30, then packed up the car and drove home to Charlotte. Great trip to the beach again with Sarah. Going to be hard to go back to work.  

Beach trip is over, but now it's time to look to the mountains.  Fall will soon be in the air and we have some great mountain adventures planned!  Can't wait.

Fri 9/9 - Bike

Another bike ride this morning. About 20 miles. We biked on the road a ways to a beach park, then rode on the beach to a remote area that was really pretty.  Then we rode home on the beach the whole way.  We had a strong headwind the WHOLE way home and we were both ready to be done by the time we got back.

Thu 9/8 - Upper (Beach Gym)

Workout: Beach Gym
(95#IsoInc)10,9,8,7
(155#BOR)4x10
(155#SLDL)3x8
(70#IsoShldr)10,9,8
(130#PullDn)3x10
(100#Skulls)7,90x8
(LegRaise)2x12
(35#Curl)10/10,10
(Crunch)2x10/10
(25#SideInc)2x12
(40#RDelt)2x10
(60#FacePull)2x10
(120#PushDn)15,12

74 + 6 = 80 mins

Another upper body WO at the beach gym.  Bumped up the weight on iso incline and supersetted it with a BOR/SLDL combo.  This was a brutal triple-set. Great way to start the WO! Then we did iso shoulder and pulldowns. I had to go lighter on pulldowns after BOR/SLDL.  Next we did skull rushers with leg raises, 2 sets each. I bumped the weight on skulls and it was a bit too heavy for 2 sets, so I dropped on the 2nd set.  Then we did curls and crunches.  Next was side incline and rear delts. Hadn’t done side incline in a while and it felt good. Finished up with face pulls and pushdowns.  Awesome WO!

Nutrition: 
I weighed 174.2 this morning.

Wed 9/7 - Bike

We went for a 19 mile bike ride. Started out on the road, then cut down to the beach and rode on the beach on the way home.  Really nice ride.

Tue 9/6 - Upper (Beach Gym)

Workout: Beach Gym
(90#IsoInc)10,10,10,9
(165#SeatRow)4x10
(70#IsoShldr)10,9,8
(150#PullDn)3x8
(90#Skulls)10,8
(35#Inc/HCurl)10/10.8/8
(40#RDelt)2x11
(120#RopeExt)2x10
(LegRaise)4x12
(Crunch)15,10
(35#FacePull)2x10

71 + 6 = 77 mins

Back to the gym at the beach we use every year in Hilton Head. Started with Iso Incline and seated row superset. Incline was really good. The angle of this incline isn’t quite as steep as at the other gyms I use, so it was a little easier and I got more reps than ever with this weight because of it. Very good though. Next was iso shoulder press with pulldowns. Next we supersetted skull crushers with incline/hammer curl combo. I went heavier than I have been on skulls and they were good. Didn’t bother elbow too much.  Then we did 2 sets each of rear debts and rope extensions with 4 sets of leg raises. Finished up with crunches and face pulls.  Very good WO.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 172.6 this morning.

Mon 9/5 - Cardio - a run on the beach.

Ran 4 miles in 42:00, walked 2 in 38:00, 1:20 total.  Ran out 3 miles, back 1 and walked the last 2. Felt good running on the beach.

Sun 9/4 - Push Day

Workout: Snap Fitness
(90#IsoInc)9,8,6,70x11
(20#Crunch)4x10
(130#ShldrPress)10,8,8
(80#Skulls)10
(135#RopeExt)10,8,6
(100#Rope)15/+5,5,5

42 + 5 = 47 mins

Quick push WO before heading to Hilton Head. Iso Incline was good, as was shoulder press.  Skulls really bothered my elbow, so I switched to rope extensions.

Nutrition:
I weighed 170.2this morning.

Sat 9/3 - Pull Day

Workout: Snap Fitness
(185#SmBOR)3x10
(LegRaise)4x12
(175#PullDn)2x8
(145#VbarPull)2x8
(T-twist)4x15
(80#DBRow)2x10
(Plank/Crunch)2x90/10
(40#RDelt)2x12
(35#HCurl)2x10
(100#RDeltFly)2x12

43 + 5 = 48 mins

Took extra time off this week after straining my pec/shoulder on Tuesday evening.  Today was a pull day. Started with BOR in the smith machine supersetted with leg raises. Then 2 sets each wide grip pulldowns and v-bar grip pulldowns, supersetted with torture twists.  Then 2 sets DB rows with plank/crunch combination.  Finished up with rear delt work and curls. My  shoulder issue also manifests itself in elbow/biceps pain (could actually be biceps tendon issue), so when I tried to do curls, I couldn’t do a single rep with even 30 pounds. Hammer curls seemed OK.  Weird.  Good pull day.

Nutrition:
I weighed 168.8 this morning.  Feeling good.

Tue 8/30 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(85#DBInc)11,4
(70#IsoInc)12,10
(190#Row)3x8
(130#ShldrPress)3x8
(175#PullDn)3x8
(130#RopeExt)3x10
(35#Inc/HCurl)10/10,30x10/10
(LegRaise)2x12
(40#RDelt)2x10
(Crunch)2x12

46 + 4 = 50 mins

Upper WO after work with Sarah. I hadn’t done DB incline in a few WO’s to give my R shoulder a break and decided it was time to give it a go. First set was great, 11 reps is a lot for me at this weight. 2nd set I didn’t control the weight well getting them into place and I strained my R shoulder and had to drop the weights. I rested and gave it another go. Got 4 reps but my R shoulder was painful and had not strength in it. I switched to medium weight iso incline. Supersetted incline with rows.  Next we did shoulder press with pulldowns. Then we did biceps, triceps, leg raise combo. Finished up with rear delt and crunches.  Decent WO. Disappointed that I hurt my shoulder. This is going to set me back a couple of weeks for sure.

Nutrition:
I weighed 172.2 this morning, down from 177.2 yesterday. Weight was high yesterday after weekend hiking and eating lots of carbs.

Sat/Sun 8/27-28 - Hiking in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Great overnight backpacking trip with Sarah.
Sat - Hike from Newfound Gap to the Jump Off, Charlies Bunion and further down the AT. We stayed at Icewater Spring Shelter. Saw 2 amazing rainbows, one at Charlies Bunion and one at the shelter.  There was a MASSIVE thunder and lightning storm in the evening, I don't know if I've ever witnessed more intense rain. Then it cleared in the middle of the night to a beautiful moon and the most stars I've ever seen at night. We woke to an amazing sunrise while we had coffee and breakfast in the front of the shelter.

Sun - Hiked back down to Newfound Gap, drove to Road Prong Trail.  Road Prong Trail was overgrown and we ran into a bear, so we turned back and went to Clingmans Dome and hiked from there to Andrews Bald.

Great trip.

Fri 8/26 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(90#IsoInc)9,9,7,70x9
(175#SeatRow)3x10
(120#ShldrPress)3x8
(165#PullDn)3x8
(120#RopeExt)2x11
(35#Inc/HCurl)10/10
(20#Crunch)3x12
(100#RDeltFly)2x15
(120#Rope)13

35 + 5 = 40 mins

WO before heading to the mountains for the weekend. Not a lot of time, so rests were shorter than normal.  Started with Iso Incline and got more reps than last WO. Supersetted them with seated rows. Then did shoulder press supersetted with pulldowns. Next we did rope extensions with incline/hammer curl combo. Finished up with abs, delta and 1 more set of triceps.  Really good WO in 40 mins.

Nutrition:
I weighed 171.2 this morning. Heading to the Smoky Mountains hiking for the weekend and am sure to eat a TON of carbs so weight will be high Monday.

Tue 8/23 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(90#IsoInc)8,8,7,7
(175#PullDn)3x8
(130#ShldrPress)10,10,8
(185#SmBOR)2x10
(120#RopeExt)2x11
(35#Inc/HCurl)10/10
(40#RDelt)10,10,15x12
(20#Crunch)3x12

43 + 7 = 50 mins

Early morning WO with Sarah before work. Since my shoulder has been bothering me, I stuck with Iso Incline this morning, but went heavier then I’ve ever gone and was very pleased with the reps. First 2 sets were all me, 3rd and 4th sets got an assist from Sarah. Supersetted these with 3 sets pulldowns.  Then 3 sets shoulder press with 2 sets BOR in the smith machine. One less pull set each first 2 movements to reduce strain on cranky elbows.  Next we did rope extensions with incline/hammer curl combo. Finished up with rear delt and crunches. Abs still sore from weekend punishment. Good WO in under an hour.

Nutrition:
I weighed 172.0 this morning. Ate a bunch of carbs last night before bed after all the mulching.

Mon 8/22 - Mulching

I'm calling Monday night a WO, because it was! 13 yards of mulch shoveled into a wheelbarrow and spread in 3 hours. Sarah and I got all the beds in the front yard mulched and cleaned up in 3 hours. My lower back was on fire from loading and pushing the wheelbarrow.

Yard looks great :)

Sun 8/21 - Push Day

Workout: Snap Fitness
(85#DBInc)10,8,7
(LegRaise)3x15
(70#IsoInc)3x9
(LegRaise)3x12
(120#ShldrPress)10,9,9
(Crunch)3x12
(80#Skulls)12,9,8,40x13
(145#Fly)3x10
(20#FrontRiase)2x10
(13#LDelt)2x10
(130#PushDn)13,12

72 + 8 = 80 mins

Push day this morning with Sarah. Started with DB Incline with leg raises. 3 good sets. Then 3 sets Iso Incline with 3 more sets of leg raises.  Then shoulder press with crunches. Crunches were futile. Abs were fried from leg raises.  Then we did skull crushers (3 good sets, plus a drop set) with chest fly (limited ROM). Finished up with some delt and more triceps work.  Back to back really good WO’s with a lot of core work.

Nutrition:
I weighed 173.6 this morning. Big sushi and ice cream meal last night.

Sat 8/20 - Pull Day

Workout: Snap Fitness
(165#BOR)3x10
(155#SmBOR)2x10
(20#Crunch)4x12
(175#PullDn)8,8,145x8,8
(15#T-Twist)4x16
(75#DBRow)2x10
(LegRaise)2x10
(40#RDelt)2x10
(40#Curl/HCurl)10/10,30x10/10
(Plank/Crunch)3x90/12
(100#RDeltFly)3x10

70 + 5 = 75 mins

Pull day today with Sarah. Started with BOR for 3 sets and then 2 sets of BOR in the Smith Machine, supersetted with 4 sets weighted crunches. Then we did pulldowns. 2 sets wide grip, 2 sets close grip supersetted with torture twists. Hadn’t done t-twists in a while. Felt good, hard.  Then we did DB rows with leg raises. Leg raises felt good. Finished up with rear delt work, curls and plank/crunch combo.  Good WO. Some good pulling and a lot of core work.

Nutrition:
I weighed 169.4 this morning.

Thu 8/18 - Upper

Workout:  Golds
(80#Inc)10,9
(155#BOR)2x8
(70#IsoRow)2x8
(160#PullDn)2x8
(10#Crunch)4x15
(70#IsoShldr)2x9
(160#SeatRow)2x8
(65#RopeExt)11,9,50x10
(35#Curl)11

34 + 8 = 42mins

Quick WO after a couple days off for dental work. Still really uncomfortable. Have to be careful working out not to grind my teeth. It’s hard.

Low volume, quick WO. Supersetted incline with barbell bent over row for 2 sets. Then 2 sets iso row with pulldowns and crunches. Then iso shoulder and seated rows with more crunches. Finished up with some bi/tri work.  Decent WO.

Nutrition:
I weighed 170.6 this morning.  Coming back nicely after the weekend.

Mon 8/15 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(85#DBInc)10,8
(70#IsoInc)2x10
(175#Pulldn)3x10
(120#ShldrPress)3x9
(175#SeatRow)3x8
(150#PushDn)3x10
(40#Curl/HCurl)9/9,30x10/10
(40#RDelt)3x10
(Crunch)3x15

51 + 5 = 56 mins

Evening WO with Sarah at Snap Fitness. Go to dentist Tuesday morning for 2 extractions, bone graft, braces on bottom teeth. It’s going to be an ordeal. Wanted to get a WO in today because I may not be up for a WO for a few days. Kept volume low. R shoulder and elbows are still problematic.

2 good sets DB incline and 2 sets iso incline supersetted with 3 sets of pulldowns. Then we did machine shoulder press with seated rows. Then did some accessory work. Good short but sweet WO.

Nutrition:
I weighed 178.2 this morning. Ate a LOT while Mom and Cranny were in town.

Sun 8/14 - Run - Mom and Cranny visit

Ran for 30 mins, walked for 45. Sarah and I ran for 30 mins, then walked for a while and Mom joined us for the last 15-20 mins. Mom and Cranny were down to Mint Hill for their first visit. Hopefully there will be many more. We had a great time and really just enjoyed being with them.  Weather was really hot and not conducive to doing much out and about.  We did go into Charlotte Saturday morning, and some yard work.  Can't wait for them to come back.

Sat 8/13 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(85IsoInc)9,8,8,8+50x10
(190#VbarPull)4x8
(120#ShldrPress)3x10
(95#DBRow)3x10
(120#RopeExt)3x11
(145#Fly)3x10
(20#Crunch)4x12
(35#Curl)12,30x10
(40#RDelt)2x10
(25#LDelt)2x10

60 = 5 = 65 mins

My R shoulder is still not right, so I only did IsoIncline today. This is much easier on my shoulders, and I made a LOT of progress doing a lot of iso incline with occasional DB incline. Then when I realized I’d made a lot of progress, I slowly migrated back to just doing heavy DB incline, going as heavy as I could with 90#BD’s, and ended up with shoulder pain again. So, trying to  get back to a reasonable mix with more iso incline (machine) and a bit less DB incline. Anyway, this was the heaviest I’ve gone on iso incline, and I was very pleased with the reps and effort. Supersetted with vbar pulldowns. Then machine shoulder press with DB Rows.  Then a bunch of accessory work. Doing chest fly’s and bring to keep the Range of Motion (ROM) smaller for less stress on pecs and shoulders.

Nutrition:
I weighed 174.0 this morning.

Fri 8/12 - Run - Lowest weight of the year @ 168.4

Ran for 33 mins, walked for 31 mins.  Ran 10/min pace.  About 5 miles total with running and walking.

Weighed 168.4 this morning. Lowest of the year.

Wed 8/10 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(85#DBInc)8,8,75x10
(175#SeatRow)3x10
(130#ShldrPress)3x8
(165#PullDn)2x8
(80#SKulls)11,9
(40#Curl)10,35x10
(10#Crunch)4x15
(115#RDeltFly)3x12

50 + 6 = 56 mins

My R shoulder is starting to give me problems again, so are my elbows.  Too much heavy work, too frequently, while dieting. I guess I’ll never learn.  Reduced volume today on incline and pull movements. Didn’t do Iso Incline to give R shoulder/pec a bit of a break. Did shoulder press instead, which doesn’t seem to bother it as much.

Nutrition:
I weighed 171.0 this morning.

Sun 8/7 - Hike - Crowder Mountain State Park

Sarah and I hiked around 7 miles at Crowder Mountain State Park. We were planning on 10-12 miles, but it was HOT and HUMID.  So we stopped after the 7 mile loop.

Sat 8/6 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(85#DBInc)11,8,7,80x8
(190#VbarPull)3x10
(70#IsoInc)3x8+45x10
(95#DBRow)3x10
(190#Fly)10,175x9,145x10,10
(InvertRow)2x10
(150#PushDn)2x12
(40#Inc/HCurl)8/8,30x8/8
(10#CrunchTwist)2x12
(10#LDelt)2x12
(35#RDelt)2x10
(20#FrontRiase)2x10

80 + 8 = 88 mins

I'm behind on my log, so I'm playing catchup today. Descriptions will be mostly just for main movements. Nothing to say about arm/accessory work.

Incline was strong again today, supersetted with heavy vbar pulldowns. Then good Iso Incline and heavy DB rows. Heavy DB rows take a TON of energy for me. Wow. Then did chest fly and inverted rows. then a bunch of accessory work.  Great WO.

Nutrition:
I weighed 169.0 this morning. Feeling good and maintaining strength better than ever.

Thu 8/4 - Run. A Run!

Got up early this morning and decided to go out for some fasted cardio. Plan was just for a 30-40 minute walk. I walked for a few minutes and didn't think my HR was up high enough so I thought I'd run for a few minutes to get it up and then continue walking.  Well, running felt good so I thought I'd go a little further.  Figured I'd hit the first hill in the neighborhood and walk there. I got up the hill and just kept running.

So, I ended up running 3 miles at about 11 min pace. Slow, but felt good to run. My left knee bothered me a tad, but nothing serious and it felt good to be running, even if just a little bit. Maybe Sarah and I can get out for a few short-ish runs together soon.

3.1 miles, 35 mins + 5 min cooldown walk.

Wed 8/3 - Pull Day (BOR)

Workout: Golds
(185#BOR)3x8,135x12
(160#PullDn)3x10
(Plank/Crunch)3x120/12
(115#IsoRow)2x10/10
(35#RDelt)2x12
(35#Inc/HCurl)12/12

42 + 4 = 46 mins

Pull day today. I decided to start with heavy Bent Over Rows (BOR) today. I hadn’t done these in a while and it felt good to do them again. 3 heavy sets plus a back-off set. Next I supersetted wide grip pulldowns with the plank/crunch combo. Upped the plank time to 2 mins each. I’ve been increasing by 10 seconds each WO, but today upped it by 30 seconds. I like these, but as I get used to planks again, they are getting fairly time consuming. 2+ mins per plank is a fairly large time investment when I’m pressed for time. Next I did 2 sets of 1-arm iso rows. Finished up with 2 sets of rear delts, plus a lighter back-off set and a set of incline/hammer curl combo.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 170.2 this morning. Feeling good. Should be ready for the beach in a month :-D

Tue 8/2 - Push Day

Workout: Golds
(85#DBInc)11,8
(65#IsoInc)2x8
(70#IsoShldr)10,8,55x10
(DecCrunch)4x12
(65#TriExt)12,10
(8#LDelt)2x10
(20#SideInc)2x10

36 + 8 = 44 mins

Push day.  High intensity, low-ish volume. I wasn’t planning on doing DB incline today, but figured I should probably do it today vs later in the week since I’m dieting pretty hard again this week. So…2 fairly heavy sets of DB incline. Good sets with moderate rest. Then I did 2 sets iso incline and with decline crunches, 2 sets iso shoulder + a drop set with decline crunches. Finished up with triceps extensions, cable lateral delt raises and side incline.  In and out fairly quickly. Good WO.

Nutrition:
I weighed 172.2 this morning.

Sat 7/30 - Upper (90#DB Incline!)

Workout: Snap Fitness
(90#DBInc)8,7,85x7,80x8 - Awesome, PR 
(190#VBarPull)10,10,8,8
(65#IsoInc)10,8,8
(95#DBRow)3x10
(190#Fly)10,8+115x12
(InvertRow)3x12
(80#Skulls)11,9
(120#Rope)2x10
(40#Inc/HCurl)8,30x10
(60#FacePull)2x12
(Plank/Crunch)4x90/12
(25#LDelt)2x12

98 + 8 = 106 mins

Started with DB incline and close grip pulldown superset. Warmups for incline felt pretty good so I decided to bump up to 90#DB’s and see how they felt. I got 2 good sets with 90s and then dropped. I’ve only used 90#DB’s a couple of times before and it had been 2 years since going this heavy. I got more reps on the first set than the other times so I was extremely pleased with this, especially because I've been dieting the last couple of weeks. 2 years ago when I was able to use 90#DB's, I weighed 185#'s.  Today I weighed 170#'s and was able to do the same weight.  Progress! (slowly).

Next we did iso incline and DB rows. I bumped up the weight on rows, and they got HEAVY toward the end of each set. More of a grip issue really.  Next we did chest fly’s with inverted rows.

Then we did a bunch of accessory work, skulls and rope pushdowns for triceps, incline/hammer curl combo, face pulls and lateral delts and 4 good combo sets of 90 second planks supersetted with crunches.  Great WO, especially incline!

Nutrition: 
I weighed 170.0 this morning.

Fri 7/29 - Fasted Cardio

Yes, first cardio session in.... a long time. Woke up early, got some work done and decided to get out while it was still cool. Got to see a pretty sunrise while I walked.

45 mins, 2.8 miles. 16 mins/mile pace.

Thu 7/28 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(80#DBInc)11,8,65x9
(90#DBRow)3x10
(70#IsoShldr)2x9
(160#PullDn)2x10
(Plank/Crunch)4x80/12
(80#PushDn)12,11
(35#Inc/HCurl)12/12
(15#RDelt)2x10

56 mins

Plan was to keep the volume fairly low so I can recover for longer/harder WO on Saturday. That will make 3 WO’s for the week on a hard cut, so I really had to stick with lower volume, even though my tendency is always to add more. I did heavy DB Rows while warming up on incline and they were good for this weight (fairly heavy for me). Incline was decent. First set was good, second set I faded a bit and mis-grooved the 8th rep a bit which turned it into a bit of a grinder and bothered my R shoulder. I increased the angle of the incline and did a drop set on short-ish rest.

This is the first WO recently where I’ve felt the diet. Energy was sapped fairly quickly and I think the heavy DB rows took quite a bit out of me before even getting into incline working sets. Next I did iso shoulder press with wide grip pulldowns and the plank/crunch combo. 2 sets a piece. Shoulder press was good for this weight. Then I did triceps pushdowns with 2 more sets of plank/crunch combo.  Really liking that ab combo.  Finished up with a set of incline/hammer curl combo and 2 sets rear delt work.  Pretty decent WO.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 169.8 this morning.  Happy to be below 170. Feeling good. Getting there slowly.

Tue 7/26 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(80#IsoInc)9,9,8+55x8
(115#IsoRow)3x10
(Plank)3x60
(70#IsoShldr)3x9
(160#PullDn)3x10
(65#RopeExt)12,11,10
(35#FacePull)2x10
(Crunch)2x20
(30#Inc/HCurl)12/12
(30#LDelt)10,25x10

45 + 5 = 50 mins

Early morning WO at Golds. Started with Iso Incline, Iso Row and Plank superset. I bumped up the weight on incline and was pleased with the reps. 3 sets, plus a 4th back-off set for a little more volume. Then I did shoulder press with wide grip pulldowns superset. I bumped up the weight on shoulder press and was very pleased with the reps here as well, especially after increasing the weight on incline today as well.

Then I did 3 good sets of rope extensions with 2 sets of face pulls and crunches. Finished up with some curls and lateral delt raises.  Good WO. Pleased with the weight increases.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 171.2 this morning after being up to 177.2 yesterday after a moderate refeed weekend. I didn’t go totally crazy, but ate more than I planned on Sunday evening.

Sat 7/23 - Upper (Excellent WO, great Incline (PR?)

Workout: Snap Fitness
(85#DBInc)10,8,8,7* Excellent
(190#VbarPull)3x9
(60#IsoInc)11,10
(90#DBRow)2x10
(175#Fly)10,10
(145#SeatRow)2x10
(80#Skulls)11,9,7+40x10
(35#Inc/HCurl)8/8,30x8/8
(40#RDelt)2x12
(Plank/Crunch)4x70/15
(10#Ldelt)2x15

79 + 6 = 85 mins

Unbelievable WO today at Snap Fitness. I dieted hard all week and after 5 days of dieting my WO’s usually suffer at least a little bit, which is why today felt so great. We started with DB incline and close grip pulldown supersets. Last WO I pushed to failure on the first set, and today I was determined not to do that. I was hoping to get 3x8. I got 10 on the first set and wasn’t very near failure. Next 2 sets were 8’s and the 4th set I almost had the 8th rep up but needed assistant from Sarah so it goes as 7 in the log. This may have been my best effort/result with 85#DB’s ever. Certainly the best in a very long time. Last week was really good (11 reps on first set), but I faded after that set and had to drop the weight on the 4th set.

Next we did 2 sets of iso incline and DB rows. Both were good and I went heavier on rows. Then 2 sets of fly’s and seated rows. Wasn’t really feeling the seated rows in my back much. I think just a function of my back being fairly fatigued. Maybe arms were taking over?

Then we did 3 heavy sets, plus a back-off of skull crushers with some incline/hammer curl combo sets. Finished up with some rear/lateral delt work supersetted with a plank/crunch combo. Excellent WO.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 171.2 this morning. Feeling good.

Thu 7/21 - Pull Day

Workout: Golds
(180#SeatRow)3x9
(Plank)3x60sec
(160#PullDn)3x9
(Plank)3x70sec
(45#RDelt)2x10
(Curl)40x8,35x8
(30#FacePull)2x12
(Crunch)2x15
(140#VbarPull)2x10

42 + 3 = 45 mins

Pull day today. Heavy seated row with planks. Then wide grip pulldowns with planks. Then heavy rear delt raises with curls. Then face pulls with crunches. Finished up with 2 sets of vbar pulldowns. Short and sweet. Good work.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 172.6 this morning. Interesting. Up over a pound, but was at a 1,500 cal deficit yesterday. I've been in a 1,200-1,500 cal deficit every day this week. Should be a good 2 pounds of FAT gone this week.

Wed 7/20 - Push Day

Workout: Golds
(75#IsoInc)10,10,7
(DecCrunch)3x12
(65#IsoShldr)3x10
(Plank)3x60
(65#RopeExt)11,10
(8#LDelt)2x12
(20#SideInc)2x12
(20#FrontRaise)2x10

40 + 5 = 45 mins

Quick push WO over lunch today. Started with Iso Incline and went as heavy as I’ve gone before and had 2 great sets. 3rd set I dropped off a bit, but good work. Supersetted incline with decline crunches. Next I did Iso Shoulder Press and got 3 sets of 10 for the first time with this weight. Very pleased. Supersetted this with 60 second planks. Then I did triceps rope extensions supersetted with cable lateral delt raises.  Finished up with side incline and front raises.

Short but sweet workout.  Very pleased with the pressing today.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 171.4 this morning, down from 180.0 2 days ago. Nice.  Going to try to keep diet going for a bit with a small refeed this weekend. Nothing like the weekends lately. I'd like to get down to the upper 160's and not get too far above 170 for a little while. Dropped 8.5 pounds in 2 days which was mostly water, but still surprised it was that much because I kept carbs around 100/day.  Normally I'd see that kind of water drop when carbs are much closer to zero.

Mon 7/18 - Upper (DB Incline PR!)

Workout: Snap Fitness
(85#Inc)11,8,7,70x12 - Great work here. PR with 11 reps at this weight.
(Pullups)12,10,10
(60#IsoInc)10,9
(160#Fly)2x10
(85#DBRow)3x10
(120#RopeExt)2x12
(Inc/HCurl)40x8/8,35x8/8
(Crunch)3x10/10
(40#RDelt)2x12
(10#LDelt)2x10

62 + 8 = 70 mins

I’ve been eating a lot the last week and although I’m cutting starting today, I can probably take advantage of the overfeeding from yesterday so we went to the gym for a WO. Started with DB incline and pullup superset. Incline was really good with 85#DB’s. Looking over my logs quickly, I don’t know if I’ve ever gotten 11 reps with a set of 85#DB’s, so I think this is a PR! That 11th rep was a bit of a grinder, so I should’ve stopped at 10 and been in better shape for the subsequent sets, but they were still good.  Did 3 heavy sets and and awesome back-offset with 70# DB’s’.  Great work.  Pullups were hard - the extra weight from the last couple days of eating didn’t help.

Next we supersetted iso incline with DB rows. After 2 more sets of incline, I’d had enough pressing so I switched and did 2 sets of fly’s. Rows felt good.  Then we did tri/bi superset. Finishedup with some ab a delt work.  Great WO.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 180.0 this morning.

Sat 7/16 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(80#Inc)10,7
(75#Inc)8,8,65x11
(190#Row)10,10,175x10,10
(50#IsoInc)3x12
(145#PullDn)3x10
(150#PushDn)3x10
(40#Curl)8,35x8
(30#LDelt)2x10
(Crunch)3x15
(35#RDelt)2x12
(20#FrontRaise)12

64 + 8 = 72 mins

Started with DB incline  and seated row superset for 2 heavy sets. Then I raised the angle of incline and did 3 more incline sets and 2 more sets of rows. Good work. Next I did iso incline with pulldowns. I started with 60#’s on incline and had to drop the weight. The steep angle incline hits the same part of the pec and first set was too heavy. I started heavier on pulldowns and had to drop the weight as well.

Next we did bi/tri superset. Then finished up with some delt and ab work.  Good WO.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 177.6 this morning.

Wed 7/13 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(80#Inc)11,9,8
(175#PullDn)10,10,10
(60#IsoInc)10,10,9
(160#Row)3x10
(120#TriExt)2x10
(35#Inc/HCurl)10/10,8/8
(40#RDelt)2x10
(Crunch)3x12/12


52 + 8 = 60 mins

Early morning WO before heading to Myrtle Beach. Incline was excellent. I’ve really been doing very well with DB incline lately. I’ve got to be careful about going too heavy and too often and remember that I’ve made progress here by switching things up and strengthening other aspects of my pecs and pressing.  If I keep pushing DB incline I’ll probably end up with a bum shoulder again.

Nutrition:
I weighed 174,4 this morning.  Looking to have to diet hard starting 7/18 after a week with the kids. We have a some great meals planned (Chicken Souvlaki, Tacos, Carolina Creamery) so I fully expect my weight to be pretty high by Monday 7/18.

Mon 7/11 - Upper

Can't find my notes, but did an upper WO at Golds. Leaving for JMU orientation this evening. Then the kids will follow me home to Charlotte for the rest of the week. Can't wait to see them.

Sat 7/9 - Upper (Snap Fitness. Awesome DB incline)

Workout: Snap Fitness
(85#DBInc)8,7,6,80x7  Great!
(190#SeatRow)2x10,160x10,10
(55#IsoInc)3x10
(145#PullDn)3x10
(80#Skulls)10,9,9,40x12
(Inc/HCurl)40x8/8,35x8/8
(40#FrontRaise)2x10
(145#Fly)2x10
(Crunch)2x15
(35#RDelt)2x12
(LegRaise)2x10

75 + 5 = 80 mins

Sarah and I signed up for a month trial membership at Snap Fitness; one of those 24x7 joints. We did a full upper WO today. My lower back is wrecked from 10 sets of deadlift yesterday. I'm an idiot for doing that kind of volume when I haven't deadlifted in probably 6 weeks.

Started with DB incline and chest supported seated rows. Warmup on incline felt really good and easy, so I went with 85#DB’s today. I haven’t used this heavy a weight since my shoulder problem a few months ago. I did 3 heavy sets, then dropped to 80#DB’s for the 4th set. Felt great. Was going along great the 3rd set and thought I as going to get another 7 reps, but died on the 6th. Very happy with this because I haven’t been doing a lot of DB incline in general, and nothing this heavy. Seated rows were good. Two sets narrow grip, two sets wider palm down grip.  Next I did iso-incline with pulldowns. We were going to do shoulder press, but the machine had some weird leverages. I liked the iso incline machine, but the grip was too wide for Sarah, so she did DB shoulder press.

Next we did skull crushers with incline/hammer curl combo. We did 3 sets of skulls, plus a back-off set…killer. For curls, someone was using the 35#DB’s, so I did my first sets with 40#’s. My arms were screaming after this bi/tri combo.  Then we did front raises, crunches and fly’s. Finished up with some rear delt and more ab work.  VERY nice WO.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 170.6 this morning.  Big sushi meal after our WO, plus Carolina Creamery and a bunch of cereal for dessert.

Fri 7/8 - Deadlift

Workout: Golds
(Deadlift)135x10,225x5,275x3,295x3,325x1,1,1,1,1,225x10
(4PlLegPress)3x12
(Crunch)3x15
(Stretch)2x90

31 mins

Sarah and I plan to check out a new gym tomorrow morning, but I really wanted to get to the gym today for 3 reasons. One, I wanted to get a bit of activity in. Two, I have a requirement with my membership that I need to go to the gym 10 times a month. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s more than the 2x/week I seem to have been going. Three, I hadn’t done any leg work in a while (other than hiking) and I really felt like doing some deadlifts.

So, I started off with deadlift at 135#’s for a warmup, then ramped up to a decent weight and did 5 singles with 60 second rest. Then I dropped to 225#’s and did a set of 10. The triples on the way up felt good and the singles were ok. I think I had some back rounding going on.  I just haven’t done much deadlift lately so form isn’t where it should be. Anyway, I enjoyed it. The deadlifts took 20 mins. Then I did 3 sets of leg press and crunch combo. Finished up with some lower back and hamstring stretching.  Fun WO.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 170.0 this morning, down from 179.6 on Tuesday. Very nice.

Wed 7/6 - Pull Day

Workout: Golds
(180#SeatRow)3x8,120x12
(DecCrunch)4x15
(160#PullDn)3x8
(120#VbarPull)2x12
(35#RDelt)3x10
(35#Inc/HCurl)10/10,30x10/10
(10#RDelt)15

39 + 3 = 42 mins

Pull day today. Quick warmup and got to it. Heavy seated rows for 3 sets, plus a back-off set, supersetted with decline crunches. Then I did 3 sets wide grip pulldowns and then 2 sets v-bar pulldowns. Next I did rear delt fly’s supersetted with incline/hammer curl combo. I had to drop the weight on second set of curl combos. Added a light set of standing rear delt fly’s. Really good pull WO. In and out in under 45 mins.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 173.8 this morning, down from 179.6 yesterday. Nice.

Tue 7/5 - Push Day (Great DB Incline)

Workout: Golds
(80#DBInc)11,8,8 Best in a while
(60#IsoInc)8,50x9,9
(Crunch)3x15
(65#IsoShldr)8,55x10,10
(Plank)3x60
(65#TriExt)12,10,10
(20#SideInc)2x10/10
(10#LDelt)10,5x12,12

45 + 5 = 50 mins

Push day today. WO as written started with iso incline and didn’t include and DB incline, but when I got to the gym, I figured I’d do a set or two of DB incline first. As I warmed up on DB incline, I was feeling really good, so I decided to start with working sets here. I was thrilled with 11 reps with 80#DB’s on the first set, and then followed with 2 sets of 8 on fairly short rest was GREAT! Very pleased. It helped that I ate a lot all weekend, but that’s also a downside for this coming week. Anyway, great opening exercise.

Then i did Iso Incline with crunches. I had to drop weight after the first set. Chest a bit tired from DB incline. Then I did Iso Shoulder press with 60 second planks. Had to lighten the weight after the first set here too.  Finished up with some triceps, side incline and lateral delt raises.  Really good push WO.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 179.6 this morning. Ugh. Going to have to get on it this week, and hard.

Fri 7/1 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(70#IsoInc)12,8,8,55x9
(180#PullDn)8,160x10,10,8
(65#ShldrPress)4x9
(115#IsoRow)10,90x10,10,15/15
(73#PushDn)10,10,65x10
(DecCrunch)15,12,12
(20#SideInc)2x12
(80#BBCurl)2x11,10
(40#FrontRiase)2x10
(30#RDelt)15,12

53 + 5 = 58 mins

Started with incline and heavy pulldown superset. Then I did shoulder press and iso rows.  Next I did pushdowns, crunches and side incline together.  Finished up with some delt and biceps work.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 172.2 this morning. Holiday weekend and Sarah's parents are in town so I'm hoping to keep this from getting ugly. Going to the beach for a few days with the kids and want the kids to see an "in-shape" Dad.

Wed 6/29 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(75#Inc)14,9,9
(Pullups)3x12
(65#IsoInc)8,55x10
(160#SeatRow)2x10
(70#IsoShldr)10,8,45x10
(160#VbarPull)2x10
(65#TriExt)10,10,58x12
(30#Crunch)12,10,BWx12
(35#Curl)12,10
(35#HCurl)10
(35#RDelt)2x10
(20#SideInc)2x10
(25#LDelt)2x12
(30#FacePull)2x10
(20#FrontRaise)2x10

72 mins

Started with DB incline and was shocked with first set of 14 reps. I’m still working on only going to parallel with these, which I found more difficult the first couple of WO’s. I’m either getting the hang of it, or making some good adaptations and maybe a little strength gains. I did 3 sets of pull-ups while warming up on incline. Next I did iso incline supersetted with seated rows. After DB incline, I had to lighten iso incline after the first set. Then I supersetted iso shoulder press with vbar pulldowns. I was surprised to get 10 reps on shoulder press first set. Very good.  This was the meat of my WO.

Then I did a bunch of accessory work. I’m not going to bother with the detail, other than that I did triceps extensions with a straight bar instead of a rope today and I liked it. Plenty of other delt and arm work.  Very nice WO. Pleased.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 173.6 this morning. Feeling meh. Not lean, not chubby. Been in this in-between spot for a while. On the positive side, I’m really only a couple weeks away of a serious cut from being pretty lean. Weekends have just kept me in a perpetual stall.

Sat 6/25 - Twenty Mile Ranger Station to Gregory Bald Hike (pictures)

Sarah and I did the hike from Twenty Mile Ranger Station to Gregory Bald and back. 7.5 miles uphill, lunch, exploring, picture taking, 7.5 miles downhill.  Tough hike on my knees. Wonderful views.

We took a blanket, laid it out on the bald and had a nice lunch. Wonderful day and weekend.

On Sunday, we hiked around Clingmans Dome. Then we drove from the Smoky Mountains to Ashville, NC on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Incredible views.  Incredible weekend.

Fri 6/24 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(75#IsoInc)11,9,8,50x10
(180#VbarPull)3x10
(70#IsoShldr)9,8,9,45x12
(140#SeatRow)3x10
(65#RopeExt)8,58x11,10,10
(Crunch)3x10/10
(20#SideInc)2x10
(30#LDetl)2x10
(35#Inc/HCurl)10/10
(30#RDelt)10

47 + 6 = 53 mins

Wanted to get a WO in before the weekend so did this one early before work. Since I’ve done DB incline the last couple of WO’s, today I went back to Iso Incline, supersetted with heavy vbar pulldowns. Next I did shoulder press with seated rows. I bumped the weight up on shoulder press and got good reps. Started at 160 with seated rows and dropped after first set.

Next I did rope extensions with crunches and side incline. Had to drop the weight on rope extensions, I think mainly because of short rest times today. Finished up with lateral raises, incline/hammer
curl combo and a set of rear debts.  Good WO.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 172.0 this morning. Feeling good.

Wed 6/22 - Upper (Golds)

Workout: Golds
(75#Inc)12,11,8
(180#PullDn)8,8,140x12
(115#IsoRow)2x10
(65#IsoShldr)2x9
(160#SeatRow)8,140x10
(20#SideInc)3x10
(10#CrunchTwist)3x10
(80#Skulls)11,9
(30#Rdelt)2x12
(35#Curl)2x10
(40#FrontRaise)2x10

55 + 5 = 60 mins

Started with DB incline and heavy pulldowns. I did the pulldowns while warming up on incline. Then I did rows with shoulder press. Then seated rows with side incline and crunches. Finished
up with some arm and delt work.  Good WO.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 173.2 this morning. I was 178.2 yesterday after graduation weekend in NoVA.

Sun 6/19 - Upper (Gym at Ida Lee in Leesburg)

Workout: Ida Lee Gym
(75#Inc)10,10,9
(160#PullDn)3x10
(ShlderPress)3x10
(95#StandingCableRow)3x15
(90#Skulls)8,80x8,8
(40#FrontRaise)3x10
(40#Curl)9,35x10
(25#L/RDelt)10/10
(DecCrunch)20,10,10
(Plank)3x60

61 + 5 = 66 mins

Sarah and I were up in Leesburg for Gregg’s High School graduation. I got together with Pete for coffee at 7am and then we met up at the Ida Lee gym for a quick WO before meeting the boys for brunch. Elena was sick and couldn’t make it.

Started with DB incline and pulldowns. On incline I asked Sarah to make sure I stopped at parallel. I think going too deep on my pressing movements has been a factor in my shoulder problems. This is hard to get used to, AND it makes the movement harder. There’s no stretch reflex or momentum from going deeper. These were good, and the pulldown machine was awesome. Great movement pattern.  Next we did a machine shoulder press and standing cable rows.

Then we supersetted skull crushers with front raises. Next we did some curls and delts (lateral raises and rear delt fly’s). Finished up with some fast supersets with no rest of crunches and planks. Then off to eat pancakes and an omelet.

Nutrition: 
No idea what I weighed today, but I’ll be eating a lot over the entire weekend.

Fri 6/17 - Upper (trying new chest movements)

Workout: Golds
(75#Inc)11,9
(Pullups)15,12
(45#RevDBInc)2x10
(115#IsoRow)2x10/10
(20#SideInc)3x10
(40#RDelt)10,10,30x10
(65#RopeExt)11,10,58x11
(10#CrunchTwist)2x12,BWx12
(35#Curl)12

53 + 2 = 55 mins

Started with DB incline and pull-ups today.  Incline was good, paused reps. Very happy with 15 pull-ups on first set. Next I tried a new movement for chest - I did reverse grip DB incline. It felt a bit awkward, but I’ll try it again. It certainly worked the chest and triceps well. I supersetted these with iso rows.  Then I did another new chest movement, side/cross-chest incline. Hard to explain, but you sit sideways in the iso lateral press machine, and press the weight across and “up”.  Really works the upper chest. I supersetted these with heavy rear delt fly’s. I finished up with some rope extensions,
decline crunch twists (great) and a set of curls.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 170.6 this morning, but a weekend away coming up so we'll see what happens.

Wed 6/15 - Pull Day

Workout: Golds
(115#IsoRow)2x10
(DecCrunch)2x12
(180#VbarPull)2x8
(160#SeatRow)8,140x10
(DecCrunchTwist)2x10
(140#PullDn)2x8,120x10
(35#RDelt)2x10
(35#Curl)10,8
(10#RDelt)2x12
(35#HCurl)10

32 + 3 = 35 mins

Quick Pull WO today. Started with triple-set of Iso Row, decline crunches and v-bar pulldowns for 2 sets each. Crunches felt good and I went heavy on pulldowns. Next I did another triple-set of seated rows, 10# decline crunch twists and pulldowns. Rows were good, crunches got real hard and pulldowns were good. I did a 3rd drop set on pulldowns.  Next I supersetted heavy rear delt fly’s with curls. Finished off with light rear delt work and a set of hammer curls.  A lot of work in 35 minutes. Fairly short rests on everything.  Enjoyed this WO very much. Liked the quick pace.  I can hammer my back with more volume and shorter rests than push/chest.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 172.6 this morning.

Tue 6/14 - Push Day

Workout: Golds
(75#Inc)11,8,8
(LegRaise)3x12
(55#IsoInc)10,8
(65#IsoShldr)3x9
(Crunch)3x10
(65#RopeExt)10,8,58x11
(145#Fly)10,130x10
(LDelt)2x10

39 + 6 = 45 mins

Quick Push WO today. Started with DB incline. First set was fairly good but pushed/grinded that last rep and all I could get was 8 and 8 on next 2 sets. Supersetted it with lying leg raises. Then I did 2 quick sets of iso-incline with fairly short rest.  Next I supersetted shoulder press with crunches.  Finished up with some fly’s, triceps and delt work. Decent WO on short time.

Nutrition:
I weighed 175.4 this morning.

Fri 6/10 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(155#BOR)3x10
(80#Inc)8,7
(30#Crunch)2x12
(55#IsoInc)10,10,8
(95#IsoRow)3x10
(60#IsoShldr)3x10
(160#PullDn)8,8,140x10
(LegRaise)3x12
(35#Curl)3x10
(80#PushDn)2x10
(8#LDelt)2x10
(58#Rope)2x10
(35#FacePull)2x10

60 mins

Had a full body WO written out and then scrapped it when I started thinking about how my hamstrings and lower back felt last weekend after my FB WO. This weekend is going to be a lot of yard work, so I’m sure plenty of bending over and squatting down to pull weeds.  So…I scrapped that when I got to the gym and did an upper WO.  I hadn’t done DB incline in a couple of weeks so I wanted to do a couple of “heavy” sets to see where things stood (both my shoulder pain and strength). While I warmed up on incline, I did 3 working sets of Bent Over Rows. Incline was OK. First set with 80#DB’s felt pretty good at 8 reps. 2nd set bothered my R shoulder and I only got 7 reps. Mildly disappointed it wasn’t at least 2x8, but decent work considering I hadn’t done any heavy DB incline in quite a while. I supersetted incline with crunches.

Then I did iso incline for 3 good sets, supersetted with iso rows. Then I did shoulder press with pulldowns and leg raises.  Next were curls, heavy pushdowns and cable lateral raises. Heavy pushdowns felt good. Finished up with some rope pushdowns and face pulls.  Good WO. Going to try to eat at maintenance today, or slightly over.


Nutrition: 
I weighed 170.2 this morning.  Feeling pretty good about that. We’ll see how the weekend goes :-D

Wed 6/8 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(75#IsoInc)10,9,7,50x10
(160#SeatRow)3x10
(65#IsoShldr)3x8
(140#PullDn)3x8
(25#Crunch)3x12
(65#RopeExt)2x11
(35#FacePull)2x10
(35#Curl)10
(40#HCurl)10
(25#LDelt)10

40 + 5 = 45 mins

A lot going on at work today, so a fairly quick WO over lunch. 45 mins in and out the door. No shower :-)

Started with incline/seated row superset. I got one more rep (on 1st set) than last WO on incline. 3 working sets and a back off set with short rest. Next I did shoulder press with pulldowns and crunches. I was disappointed with sets of 8 on shoulder press until I looked at last weeks’ WO and noticed that I dropped weight after two sets. So, now I’m feeling better about this. For pulldowns, I started with a set at 160#’s, but that was too heavy after rows so I dropped the weight to 140#’s.

Next I did 2 sets each of rope extension, face pulls and curls (1 set regular, 1 set hammer). Finished up with a quick set of lateral delt raises. Decent WO.

Work has been super busy, and moving into the house has been a part-time job (maybe full-time) on top of work so I’m just trying best I can to maintain some semblance of WO routine and not lose too much mass while trying to cut…not super successfully, I might add.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 170.2 this morning.  Weight isn’t too bad, but hope I’m not losing much mass. My protein tends to dip lower than it should during the week when I’m in a big deficit lately. Gotta keep an eye on that. I think refeeds (pig outs?) on the weekends are keeping me from getting as lean as I want, but they’re also helping me keep mass, I think/hope.

Fri 6/3 - Full Body

Workout: Golds
(75#IsoInc)9,9,7,50x10
(90#IsoRow)3x12
(180#VbarPull)8,8,140x10
(65#IsoShldr)9,8,55x10
(4PlLegPress)3x12
(135#SLDL)3x10
(65#RopeExt)11,10
(35#FacePull)2x12
(8#LDelt)2x10
(25#Crunch)2x15

49 + 6 = 55 mins

Quick WO at lunch. I was just going to do something light and 2 sets of everything. Iso incline felt good warming up and I bumped up to 75#’s today. First 2 sets felt good so I decided to do a 3rd set, then a back-off set. I stuck with 3 sets of rows since it was higher reps. Then I did heavy vbar pulldowns for 2 sets + a back-off set with shoulder press. Shoulder press felt heavy so I did 2 sets + a back-off set here as well.

Then I did a leg press and SLDL superset for some lower body work. Going to try to work in legs slowly, but hopefully consistently. Then I did rope extension and face pull superset. Finished up with some cable lateral delt raises with crunches.  Good WO.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 171.6 this morning.  Will try not to go hog wild with food this weekend.

Wed 6/1 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(70#IsoInc)11,10,7,45x11
(160#SeatRow)4x10
(65#IsoShldr)9,9,8
(PullDn)160x8,140x10,10
(65#RopeExt)11,10,9
(LegRaise)15,10,10
(Crunch)3x7
(40#Curl)10,8
(35#RDelt)2x11
(40#HCurl)10
(25#LDelt)12

53 + 5 = 58 mins

WO over lunch today. Started with incline/seated row superset. Incline was going well and I wanted to beat 9 reps on the 2nd set from last WO. I got the 10th rep, but it was a grinder so I paid the price on the 3rd set. I shouldn’t have tried for 10 on that 2nd set. I’m hard headed and don’t learn easily.  I did a back-off 4th set on incline and stuck with the weight for 4 sets on seated rows. Next was iso shoulder/pulldown superset.  Shoulder press was OK, wide grip pulldowns felt heavy after 4 sets of rows so I had to drop the weight after the first set.

Next I did triceps rope extensions with abs. For abs I did lying leg raises followed immediately by crunches (I couldn’t do very many after leg raises). Very good ab combo. Tough!  Then I did curls and rear delt superset. I went up to 40#DB’s on curls. Finished up with 1 set each of hammer curls and lateral raises.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 172.0 this morning. Still stuck in this terrible cycle of cutting all week and then eating a TON each weekend and making no downward progress. At least I've been able to keep things in check with hard cutting during the week.  Hopefully things will stabilize in a couple of weeks once we're more settled in the new house.

Sat 5/28 - Upper (condo gym)

Workout: Condo Gym
(65#Inc)16,12,11 - Great 1st set
(SeatRow)3x12
(50#DBShldr)3x8
(PullDn)3x10
(PushDn)12,10,10
(35#Curl)3x10
(LegRaise)3x15
(35#RDelt)2x10
(25#LDelt)2x10

45 + 5 = 50 mins

Quick early morning WO before finishing up moving out of the Condo and into the new house in Mint Hill.

Started with incline & seated row superset. Incline was good, and I think 16 reps with 65# DB’s was a PR (of sorts). Next we did DB shoulder press & pulldown superset.  Next was triceps pushdowns, DB curls and lying leg raise triple-set. I did 2 sets of curls with 35#DB’s and 1 set hammer curls with 40#DB’s. Finished up with some rear and lateral delt work. Real good WO in the amount of time we had. Spent rest of the day moving and cleaning.  Actually, we spent the Memorial day weekend moving and cleaning (just updating my log 4 days late).

Nutrition: 
I weighed 172.0 this morning.

Fri 5/27 - Deadlift

Workout: Golds
(Deadlift)135x10,225x5,275x3,3,3,3,3

Yep, that was the full WO. I hadn't deadlifted in a LONG, LONG time. I wanted to do it last weekend when we were in Williamsburg, but I started the WO with leg press and my legs were kinds of trashed already from that.  So, I wanted to get a little work in today so I warmed up to 275#'s and did triples with 1min rest between sets.  It was fun and felt good.

Nutrition:
I weighed 171.0 this morning.

Wed 5/25 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(70#IsoInc)11,9,9,45x10
(160#SeatRow)3x10,120x13
(65#IsoShldr)10,10,9,45x11
(160#VbarPull)3x10,120x10
(65#RopeExt)11,9,8,58x10
(30#Crunch)3x10,BWx12
(35#IncCurl)12,9,HCx10
(30#RDelt)2x12
(50#Pullover)2x10
(25#LDelt)2x10

66 + 6 = 72 mins

WO over lunch today. Really wanted to get to the gym because I’m moving this weekend and WO’s are going to be hard to come by between busy work schedule and moving/unpacking/etc.

Started with iso incline and seated row superset. 3 working sets and one back-off set for each. Increased reps on iso incline from last WO which is great. Next I supersetted iso shoulder press with vbar pulldowns. 3 working sets plus a back-off set each.  I bumped up the weight on shoulder press from the last couple of WO’s and got good reps. Pleased with pressing today.

Next I supersetted rope extensions with weighted crunches. Then 2 sets incline curls (2 sets + 1 set hammer curls) and rear delt fly’s. Finished up with some DB pullovers and DB lateral raises.  Good WO.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 174.2 this morning.

Sun 5/22 - Lower (Ironbound)

Workout: Ironbound Gym
(LegPres)2x15,4x12,6x10,10,10
(PowerClean)125x6,115x10,10,10
(115#CleanPress)6
(12#RussianTwist)4x15
(Crunch)4x15
(Plank)60,60,60,120

64 mins

Wanted to get in a WO this morning before going to my sister’s for brunch and then sitting in the car all day driving home to Charlotte. Since we did upper yesterday, that left us basically one option…a lower day. We started off with leg press. Started light (which didn’t feel super light, BTW) and worked up to 6 plates for real working sets. This was kind of pathetic, and my legs were feeling it big time. But hey, I haven’t done legs in a LONG LONG time. Been doing a lot of hiking, but that’s not like doing real leg work in a gym.  I was planning on doing deadlifts next, but my hamstrings were already cramping up and tight, so I thought that was going to be a REALLY bad idea.  So instead I did power cleans while Sarah did SLDL’s.  The power cleans were a lot of fun, and Ironbound has a great deadlift platform with padded sides so you can drop the weights. Great for dropping the weight after cleans, in this case.  I did 4 sets and the last set I did clean and presses.  Good hard work.

That was about enough for “legs” today, so we moved on to a core circuit of russian twists with a medicine ball, crunches and planks. 4 times through that circuit was an awesome core WO.

So, I'll list this as a "lower body day", because I actually did an exercise that involved the legs in the gym. But it was really just a good WO and a nice changeup that I'll try to start incorporating more frequently in my WO's.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 179.0 this morning. Yep, ate a lot at the wedding last night, and had yogurt and ice cream when I got home.

Sat 5/21 - Upper (Ironbound Gym - Williamsburg)

Workout: Ironbound - love this gym
(80#Inc)8,8,7
(60#IsoInc)2x10
(90#TbarRow)3x8,70x10,10
(65#IsoShldr)10,10,8
(140#VbarPull)3x10
(90#Skulls)10,8
(35#IncCurl)10,9,30x15
(150#Rope)2x10
(30#Rdelt)2x12
(25#DecCrunch)4x12
(Ldelt)2x12
(130#Fly)2x10

82 + 8 = 90mins

Started with DB incline and t-bar row superset. I hadn’t done DB incline in a couple of weeks since I hurt my shoulder, so I was fairly pleased with the reps with 80#DB’s here. Tbar row was good. We did 3 sets of DB incline, then did 2 sets of iso incline, with 5 sets of Tbar rows.  Good start to the WO.  Next we did iso shoulder press with vbar pulldowns.  Both were pretty good.

Next we did skull crushers with curls. Curls were 2 sets incline curls, 1 set hammer curls.  Then we did 2 sets each of rope pushdowns and rear delt fly’s with 4 sets of decline crunches.  Finished up with 2 sets of cable lateral raises with chest fly’s.  Good WO at IronBound gym in Williamsburg.  Love this gym.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 171.4 this morning on my scale at Mom’s house. At a decent amount today, and then a lot at the wedding and dessert after at home. Weight is going to be high tomorrow.

Wed 5/18 - Upper

Workout: Golds
(70#IsoInc)11,9,8,45x10
(115#IsoRow)3x11,90x12
(65#IsoShldr)10,9,9
(160#VbarPull)3x10
(65#Rope)10,58x10,10
(30#Crunch)3x12
(30#RDelt)3x12
(35#IncCurl)11,7,30x10
(135#Fly)12,10
(5#LDelt)12,12
(35#FacePull)2x10

56 + 6 = 62 mins

First WO of the week at lunch today after being in the Smoky Mountains hiking this weekend. Started with iso incline and iso row combo. I got one more rep on incline than lats WO which surprised me. Next I did iso shoulder press with vbar pulldowns. I bumped the weight on the press and was happy with the reps. Then I did rope extensions with weighted crunches.

Next were rear delt flys with incline curls. 2 sets incline curls, 1 set hammer curls. Finished up with chest fly, lateral delt raises and face pulls. Pretty good WO.

Nutrition: 
I weighed 172.6 this morning. I ate until I couldn’t walk Saturday night after a brutal hike. Sunday wasn’t much better. I weighed 181.4 Monday morning, so being down to 172.6 this morning, 2 days later is pretty good progress.

Sat/Sun - 5/14-5/15 - Hiking in the Smoky Mountains

Sat 5/14 - Mount LeConte via the Bullhead trail. 15 miles. Over 4,000 feet elevation gain. Highest elevation - 6,593 feet.
This hike was ~15 miles. It started outside Gatlinburg, TN on the Bullhead trail and climbed relentlessly up 7.5 miles to the peak above Mount LeConte. There were only a few brief spots of flat/rolling terrain.  This hike was tough. Coming down wasn't much easier due to 7.5 miles of down hill pounding. We came down Rainbow Falls trail instead of Bullhead. Mistake.  BIG mistake. The trail down was VERY rocky and uneven, making the downhill even harder on the knees and body.

We stopped for lunch at Mount LeConte lodge. It was a nice break out of the wind/cold. Really cool rustic lodge.  There are a bunch of cabins for rent, restaurant is family style service for dinner, there's no roads into the lodge. To stay, you've got to hike in and out. :)  Despite it being difficult, this was a great hike.  It was a bit socked in at the top when we were there so views weren't great, but wonderful anyway.

Sun 5/15 - Mount Cammerer Hike.  11 miles. 3,000 feet elevation gain. Highest elevation - 5,054 feet.
This was an up and down hike again today. Up nearly 4 miles, then rolling for 1.5 to the Fire Tower. Great 360 degree views.  There was ice all over the trees at the top. Started the hike in shorts and t-shirt. Had to stop part way up and put on hat, gloves, long shirt, jacket. It got COLD.

We ate lunch on some rocks by the fire tower.  I went to set my hiking poles down and almost dropped them on a rattlesnake and a copper head sunning themselves at the edge of the rocks under a shrub.  We ate lunch on the rock about 10 feet from the rattlesnake.  After doing some reading about snakes and some time to reflect, this was a VERY STUPID thing to do. We should have moved elsewhere.  Apparently some snakes can get quite aggressive and protect their territory. I didn't know this.  Good thing to know.

Rattlesnake