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.