Mon 12/24 - Push Day (Ironbound)

Gym: Ironbound
(165#Incline)6,6,145x7,6,115x7P
(50#IsoShldr)4x10
(20#IncFly)11,10
(30#CableFly)2x10
(70#OHTri)12,10
(CaptChair)2x12
(100#Rope)2x10
(Crunch)2x10

51 + 6 = 57 mins

Push day at Ironbound. Started with incline. Warmups felt great and really light. But once I got to working weight, I struggled and lost reps from my last heavy incline WO. Dropped weight after 2 sets, did 2 more, plus a drop set of long paused reps. Then we did 4 sets on the hammer strength iso-lateral shoulder press. Love this machine. Then we did 2 sets of incline fly's followed by 2 sets cable fly's.  Next we did overhead triceps extensions with leg raises.  Overhead tri's were good. It's hard to do them with my hex DB's.  Finished up with rope extensions (another triceps favorite we can't do in the garage) and abs.  Good WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 184.0 this morning.  This Christmas break could get ugly :)

Sun 12/23 - Pull Day (Ironbound)

Gym: Ironbound
(Pullups)13,9,8,8
(70#T-Bar)4x8
(120#PullDn)3x8
(35#HCurl)8,30x10,25x10
(Crunch)3x12
(12#RDelt)2x12
(Abs)2x10

51 + 6 = 57 mins

Pull day in Williamsburg at Ironbound Gym. My favorite gym I've ever worked out in.  Started with pull-ups for 4 sets. Good effort. Next were chest supported t-bar rows. Love this machine. This is one piece I'd consider getting for the garage gym if space wasn't an issue.  Next we did close grip pulldowns. Then curls with decline crunches. Finished up with rear delt fly's and abs. Solid WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 179.8 this morning.

Wed 12/19 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(60#DBInc)10,8,7
(InvertRow)3x10
(45#DBShldr)2x8
(80#T-Bar)2x10
(30#HCurl)2x10
(35#Skulls)12,9
(Abs)2x12

25 + 5 = 30 mins

Quick early morning upper WO. Decided to do DB incline instead of barbell. This got pretty heavy starting the 2nd set. Definitely not used to DB incline now that I've been doing barbell for a while. Supersetted with inverted rows instead of pull-ups.  Then we did DB shoulder press with t-bar rows.  Finished up with hammer curls, skulls and abs.  Short and sweet but good work in 30 mins.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 179.2 this morning.

Sun 12/16 - Push Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(165#Incline)4,145x6,6,6,6+95x12
(85#OHP)8,7,7
(50#DBInc)9,7,45x8
(20#IncFly)10,15x15
(Crunch)2x12
(95#CGBP)2x9
(30#Skulls)13,9
(Abs)2x12

56 + 6 = 62 mins

Push day. Started with my normal incline weight and it was just NOT happening. Did 4 reps and dropped the weight and did 4 good sets of paused reps, plus a drop set with short rest. I think I'm just overall fatigued from yesterday's max effort, even though it didn't involve any pushing.  Still pleased with the effort here. Next we did OHP. Then raised the angle of incline and did 3 sets DB incline.  Then we did incline fly's and crunches.  Next we did 2 sets of close grip bench press. Flat pressing really bothers my right shoulder but I don't think I get enough triceps work with only doing skull crushers and would like include CBBP.  It did bother my R shoulder, but not too bad. Will have to see how it goes as weight increases.  Finished up with DB skull crushers and abs.  Pretty good WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 180.2 this morning.

Sat 12/15 - Birthday Pull-up Challenge

Workout: Garage Gym
(Pullups)18,13,10,10 (51)
(80#T-Bar)3x8
(InvertRow)10,8,8
(30#HCurl)8,8
(Abs)2x15
(10#RDelt)2x10
(Crunch)2x12

43 + 5 = 48 mins

Birthday pull-up challenge day! I've been trying to put on weight and I was in the 180's, so this week I reduced carbs to drop a little bit of water weight. Pullup challenge went really well, one better than last year. I probably pushed the first set a bit further then I should have.  About 4 minute rests between sets.

Then we did t-bar rows. First set felt heavy as F, but got a little better after that. Then inverted rows. Back is fried at this point.  Next we did curls and abs. Biceps fried as well. Finished up with rear delt fly's and crunches.  Decent workout, great pull-up challenge. Very pleased.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 175.4 this morning.

Wed 12/12 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(135#Inc)3x7P
(Pullups)3x7
(45#DBShldr)2x9
(InertRow)2x10
(30#Skulls)2x15
(25#Crunch)2x12
(30#HCurl)13,12

24 + 6 = 30 mins

Quick upper WO this morning. 26 degrees this morning, and not much warmer in the gym.  We bring the barbell in at night so it's not freezing, but the steel plates and DB's get awfully cold.  Other than cold hands though, it really isn't bad at all even when it's in the 20's.

Started with incline paused reps and pull-ups.  Then DB shoulder press and inverted rows.  Finished up with skull crushers, weighted crunches and hammer curls.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 178.6 this morning.

Sun 12/9 - Push Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(165#Incline)7,7,6,6+125x8P
(85#OHP)3x7
(50#DBInc)10,7P
(20#IncFly)10,15x12
(Abs)2x12
(80#Skull/Press)8/8,6/7
(Crunch)2x12

53 + 7 = 60 mins

Push day. Started with incline and was fairly pleased with getting 2 sets of 7's, then 2 sets of 6 with this weight. Then a drop set on short rest, paused reps. Worked hard throughout and pleased with the effort.  Then we did 3 sets of overhead press. Dropped reps here, which is fine on secondary movement today.  Then we raised the angle of incline and 2 sets paused DB. Felt good, still working hard.  Next we did incline fly's with abs. Finished up with skull/press combo and crunches.  Really good effort this morning.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 180.8 this morning.

Sat 12/8 - Pull Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(Pullups)16,7,7,7,7
(InvertRow)3x8
(80#T-bar)3x8
(30#SealRow)2x10
(25#Crunch)2x10
(30#HCurl)10,8
(25#Crunch)2x10

44 + 6 = 50 mins

Pull day started with pull-ups.  Last hard pull WO before birthday pull-up challenge in a week. First set was max effort, then sets of 7.  Sets of 7 got "easier" by the 3rd and 4th sets. 44 total pull-ups. I'll have to do 47 on 12/15.  Next we did inverted rows on the rings. Then T-bar rows.  Next was seal rows and weighted crunches. Finished up with hammer curls and more weighted crunches. Decent WO. Didn't want to kill myself today. I think it takes quite a while for full recovery from max efforts. 

Feeling ok about the upcoming challenge. It likely won't be as good as last year because I'm trying to put on weight and that will make pull-ups harder. We'll see. Either way it'll be a fun challenge as always.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 177.2 this morning.

Wed 12/5 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(135#Incline)4x6P
(Pullups)4x6
(45#DBShldr)2x8
(InvertRow)2x8
(35#HCurl)8,30x9
(Abs)2x12
(35#Skulls)10,8
(Abs)2x12

29 + 6 = 35 mins

Upper Day. Lighter control work today. I think trying to go "heavy" too often is impeding progress so we're going to periodize intensity more frequently.  Started with incline and pull-up combo. Incline were paused reps, not very close to failure. Last rep of each set was a long pause. Felt great.  Pullups were controlled with pauses at contraction. First 2 sets were nice and easy, last 2 were more challenging to pause each rep. Not to failure.  Good.  Then we did 2 sets each of DB shoulder press and inverted rows. Inverted rows are still more challenging than I think they should be. Probably because I've been emphasizing vertical pulls (pull-ups) and not as much horizontal rowing (BOR, T-bar, etc.). Finished up with bi's, tri's and abs. Short and sweet, but felt good for an early morning WO. Could tell I worked out, but didn't feel spent.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 180.2 this morning.

Sun 12/2 - Push Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(165#Incline)6,6,6,6,6+125x10P
(85#OHP)9,6,6
(50#DBInc)8,7,7
(15#IncFly)2x12
(Abs)2x12
(80#Skull/Press)10/8,8/8+60x10
(Abs)2x12

65 + 6 = 71 mins

Push day. Started with incline and didn't feel great during warmup. I was going to go lighter but decided I might was well see how 165#'s went. I ended up getting 5 sets of 6 reps, which is 1 rep better than last weekend, so I was pleased with that. Did a drop set of paused reps and worked really hard throughout that set. Still finding it hard to believe how heavy 165#'s feels. Gotta keep at it.  Next we did OHP for 3 sets. Then raised the angle of incline and did 3 sets.  Then incline fly's for 2 sets with abs. Finished up with skull crushers & close grip press combo and more abs.  Skull crushers were to near failure, than did presses with the same weight, no rest. Very good.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 185.0 this morning.  Ate a lot last night and had chili with lots of spices which always makes me hold a lot of water. Gaining weight and a little strength which is good, but I'm going to have to drop some water for upcoming birthday pull-up challenge.

Sat 12/1 - Pull Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(25#Pullups)9,8,6,5,5+BWx9
(InvertRow)3x8
(135#BOR)3x8+65x22
(30#SealRow)3x10
(Abs)3x12
(35#HCurl)9,30Hx9,25x10
(RDelt)2x10+Bandx15

60 + 6 = 66 mins

Pull day. Started with weighted pull-ups and got 2 more reps than last time I did weighted pull-ups. Then did a set of body weight. Pleased.  Then we did inverted rows. Then 3 sets bent over rows + a drop set. Back was fried.  Then we did seal rows and abs. Finished up with 3 sets curls with 2 sets rear delt fly's and a set of band pulls. Very good pull WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 179.8 this morning.

Wed 11/28 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(135#Inc)10,165x6,6,5
(Pullups)12,10,6
(85#OHP)8,7,7
(InvertRow)3x8
(35#Skulls)10,30x10
(35#HCurl)8,30x8
(Abs)2x12

29 + 5 = 34 mins

24 degrees this morning so we waited until the evening to work out. I didn't feel at all happy about this workout when we were going through it. My attitude sucked because the new adjustable bench we ordered arrived and one of the bolts to attach the back pad wouldn't seat in the nut and I couldn't get it together. Shouldn't let a little thing like this bother me, but it did.  Anyway, not much to say about the WO. As I write this, it doesn't look as bad as it felt. Got through it and should have just adjusted my attitude and enjoyed it.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 179.6 this morning.

Sun 11/25 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(185#Incline)3,3,2,2+135x10
(Pullups)4x8
(85#OHP)3x8
(InvertRow)3x8
(50#DBInc)2x9
(35#SealRow)2x8
(40#Skulls)9,35x8
(Crunch)2x12
(35#HCurl)11,30Hx8
(Crunch)2x10

52 + 8 = 60 mins

Upper WO today. Started with incline and pull-up combo. I decided to go "heavy" today and was pleased with the effort. Last set I went for a 3rd rep because 2 felt good, but I needed a fair bit of help on the 3rd rep (not counted). Then did a drop set of 135 for 10 reps that felt great. Pullups were OK. Sets of 8 felt like more work than it should have.  Then we did OHP and Inverted rows for 3 sets each.  Next we raised the angle of incline and did DB press and seal rows.  Then we did skull crushers and crunches. Finished up with hammer curls and crunches.  Really good WO.

Then in the afternoon we dug out 7 stumps from large bushes we cut down a couple weeks ago.  Another back WO digging, chopping and pulling these things out of the grounds.  Some of the root balls were easily 100 pounds.  I could barely get them off the ground and into the wheel barrow. 

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 180.6 this morning. Working out hard and eating a lot to support (hopefully) some growth and strength gains. Question is, how far am I willing to push this and put on weight?

Thu 11/22 - Push Day (Thanksgiving WO)

Workout: Garage Gym
(165#Incline)6,6,6,6,5
(85#OHP)8,8,7,7,
(60#DBInc)7,50x7,7
(15#FlatFly)2x10
(Crunch)2x12
(40#Skulls)9,35x10,30x9
(15#LDelt)3x10
(Crunch)2x12

60 + 6 = 66 mins

Push day today started with 5 sets of incline. Got 4x6 again and then 5 on the last set. I got 4 on the last set last WO. 1 extra rep is still progress :) Next we did 4 sets OHP. Then we raised angle of incline and did 3 sets. I wrote down 55#DB's in my workout, but then realized I have 50#DB's and then jump to 60#'s, so I did 1 set with 60, then dropped to 50's. Next we did flat bench fly's (normally I do incline fly's) and crunches. Fly's felt good. Then we did skull crushers (bumped weight for 1st set), lateral raises and crunches. Another very good WO. Time to put the bird in the oven and get ready for a Thanksgiving feast!

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 180.4 this morning.

Wed 11/21 - Pull Day (Myo-Rep Pull-ups)

Workout: Garage Gym
(Pullups)12/+3,3,3,3,9/+2,2,2,2,1
(InvertRow)4x8
(105#T-bar)8,80x8,8,8
(35#SealRow)8,30x8,10
(Crunch)3x12
(35#HCurl)8,30x10
(15#RDelt)10,10x10

43 + 7 = 50 mins

Pull day today started with 2 Myo-Rep sets of pull-ups. First set was 12 reps on activation set, then 4 mini sets of 3 on 10 seconds rest. Second set was 9 reps on activation set with mini sets of 2 on 10 seconds rest until I failed to get 2 reps. 5 mins rest between Myo-Rep sets. This is HARD work.  42 total pull-ups.  Next we did 4 sets of inverted rows, then 4 sets T-Bar rows. Dropped weight after the first set of t-bar.  Then we did seal rows and crunches for 3 sets each. Finished up with hammer curls and rear delt fly's. Really good WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 176.6 this morning.

Sun 11/18 - Push Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(165#Incline)6,6,6,6,4
(85#OHP)4x7
(50#DBInc)10,8
(20#IncFly)2x10
(Crunch)2x15
(35#Skulls)14,8,30x8
(20#LDelt)8,15x10

53 + 7 = 60 mins

Push day today. Started with incline and got 4 sets of 6 and the 5th set I needed help on the 5th set, so putting it as 4 reps. Last week I got 6,6,5,5, so I improved, but still not where I'd like to be.  Next we did OHP and did better than last week here as well.  Then we raised the angle of incline and did 2 DB sets.  Then 2 sets of fly's with crunches. Finished up with skull crushers and lateral delt raises.  Pleased with the effort and small steps of progress.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 181.4 this morning. Big sushi dinner last night :)

Sat 11/17 - Pull Day (weighted pull-ups)

Workout: Garage Gym
(25#Pullups)9,7,6,5,4
(InvertRow)8,7,7
(105#T-Bar)8,90x8,8
(30#SealRow)3x10
(25#Crunch)3x10
(30#Curl)12,Hx9
(Crunch)2x10

51 + 5 = 56 mins

Pull day and then an 8 mile hike at Kings Mountain State Park.

Workout started with weighted pull-ups. I wanted to get at least 30 reps with 25# plate strapped on. I figured it would take 5 sets.  Would have liked to be able to do it in 4, but I got 31 reps in 5 sets. Then we did 3 sets each of inverted rows and t-bar rows. Working hard.  Then we did 3 sets seal rows and weighted crunches. Finished up with curls and crunches. Good WO. Pleased with pull-ups and volume of rows.

After the WO we got a bite to eat and took Salem to Kings Mountain State Park for her first real hike since she's been back with us. We hiked for about 3:45 for 7-8 miles. Beautiful day, fairly easy hike, but pretty along a creek a lot of the way. Great to be out in the woods.  Salem did really well after being away from any hiking for a long time.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 176.8 this morning.

Wed 11/14 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(135#Incline)3x10
(Pullups)3x8
(75#OHP)3x8
(InvertRow)3x8
(30#HCurl)10,9
(Crunch)2x10
(35#Skulls)2x10
(10#RDelt)2x10
(Crunch)2x12

33 + 5 = 38 mins

Mid-week afternoon WO. Moderate weights.  Still battling a bad cold and started my warmup sets for this workout early morning and just wasn't feeling good, so I put it off until the afternoon after work. Started with incline and pull-up combo. Then did overhead press and inverted rows on the rings. Next were hammer curls and crunches. Finished up with dumbbell skull crushers, rear delts and crunches.  Good work in short time.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 176.8 this morning.

Sun 11/11 - Push Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(165#Incline)6,6,5,5,135x8,7
(85#OHP)7,7,6,6
(25#IncFly)9,20x10,10
(Crunch)3x10
(35#Skulls)13,30x10
(15#LDelt)2x10

53 + 7 = 60 mins

Started with incline today and it was decent. Still feel weak on pressing and was getting more reps with 165#'s weeks ago. I feel like I've been working hard on this movement but must be doing something wrong. Pleased with effort and volume on incline today, but results aren't what I'd like or expect. Gotta figure this out.  Next we did OHP for 4 sets. Since we did 6 sets of barbell incline, we skipped DB incline and did incline chest fly's with crunches.  Finished up with DB skull crushers and lateral delt raises. Good WO despite my mild frustration with incline progression.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 176.8 this morning.

Sat 11/10 - Pull Day (Very good pull-ups)

Workout: Garage Gym
(Pullups)15,8,8,9
(80#T-Bar)5x8
(30#SealRow)3x8
(Crunch)3x15
(30#HCurl)12,8
(Band)2x12
(Crunch)2x10

39 + 6 = 45 mins

Not feeling well with really bad cold, but had a great WO today. Birthday pull-up challenge is in a little over a month and pull-ups haven't felt great lately so I wanted to give these a good effort to gauge where I am. I did sets starting every 4 minutes, so rests were fairly long at 3-3.5 mins.  I was really pleased with the first set and then didn't push to failure until the 4th set where I got 9 reps.  Pleased with overall effort and results here.  I didn't go very heavy on rows, but they were controlled and good volume with 5 sets. Then I did seal rows with crunches. Finished up with hammer curls, band pulls and more crunches.  Very solid pull WO in a condensed time - short rests on everything except pull-ups.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 176.4 this morning.

Wed 10/7 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(145#Incline)4x6P
(Pullups)4x8
(75#OHP)3x8
(InvertRow)3x7
(20#IncFly)2x10
(30#Curl)10,Hx8
(35#Skulls)13,30x9
(Crunch)2x10
(Band)2x12
(Crunch)2x10

40 + 6 = 46 mins

Early morning upper WO. Started with incline and pull-ups. Incline has felt good for a while, but I just can't seem to progress. I think I need to start increasing weight and possibly even lower reps to get comfortable with heavier weight on the bar. Pullups were harder than they should have been for sets of 8.  OHP and inverted rows were next. Still can't believe how hard the rings are for these.  Then we did incline fly's and curls. Then skulls and crunches. Finished up with band pulls and more crunches. Decent WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 174.4 this morning.

Sat 11/3 - Upper (Hotel Gym)

Workout: Hotel Gym
(Press)5x8
(PullDown)5x8
(OHP)4x8
(SeatRow)4x8
(Curl)2x10
(CloseGripPushup)2x13

48 + 4 =  52 mins

We met Gregg and Elena at VA Tech for the weekend to show them the campus and go to a football game. It was a great weekend.  We stayed at a hotel in Radford and it had a "gym". It was a closet really, with a treadmill (out of service), and elliptical machine and one piece of nautilus equipment that we were actually able to get a decent workout on.  It was basically a plate loaded, dual cable pully station.  We were able to do a combination of horizontal press/pull and vertical press/pull. Short rests, decent volume.  Pretty good WO given what was available.

Nutrition/Weight:
Eating out a lot this weekend at VA Tech.  Got to eat lunch at the old KE house that's been turned into a bar/pub which was really cool.

Wed 10/31 - Upper WO

Workout: Garage Gym
(165#Inc)5,5,145x6,6P
(Pullups)3x8
(85#OHP)3x7
(InvertRow)3x8
(30#Curl)10,Hx10
(35#Skulls)10,30x10
(Crunch)15
(10#RDeltFly)2x12
(Crunch)2x10

36 + 6 =  42 mins

Upper WO early this morning. Started with incline and pull-ups combo. This was a bit disappointing, but I think that I'm still not recovered from the heavy volume WO this weekend.  I upped the weight on incline and it felt heavy. I was doing this weight a few weeks ago and getting sets of 8 reps. 5 reps were all I can handle today for 2 sets and then dropped the weight and did paused reps. Pullups for sets of 8 were hard...and they definitely should NOT be. Left trap is still painful/tight from the weekend.  Although I loved the high volume WO's this past weekend, I need to reconsider the benefit if I can't recover from them.

Next was OHP and inverted rows on the new set of rings we hung in the garage. OHP was OK. Inverted rows were HARD. Don't know if my back is still THAT fatigued and/or if doing them on rings is a lot more difficult than a straight bar.  They were MUCH harder than they have ever been.  Next we did skull crushers, curls and crunches. Finished up with rear delt fly's and crunches.  Decent WO. Felt like I pushed fairly hard, but just didn't have it this morning.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 175.4 this morning.

Sun 10/28 - Push Day (Volume)

Workout: Garage Gym
(145#Incline)7x5
(75#OHP)8x5
(50#DBInc)8,7,7
(20#IncFly)10,15x10
(30#Crunch)2x10
(35#Skulls)12,30x8
(15#LDelt)10,10x10
(Crunch)2x12

43 + 5 =  48 mins

Push day with volume and short rests. I enjoyed yesterday's workout so much, I decided to use same format for push day today. I started with incline and did sets of 5 every 2 mins until I couldn't do 5.  Since I didn't have a spotter today, I stopped at 7. I probably could've gotten another set, but didn't want to risk it. Then I did OHP for sets of 5 every 1.5 mins for 8 sets.  Next I raised the angle of incline and did DB incline for 3 sets, every 2 mins. Lots of pressing volume for me!

Then I did accessory work. I had to drop the weight on each exercise for the 2nd sets.  First I did incline fly's with weighted crunches. Then skull crushers, lateral delt raises and crunches.  Very nice WO. Lots of volume, not a lot of time.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 176.8 this morning.

Sat 10/27 - Pull Day (Volume)

Workout: Garage Gym
(Pullups)8x6
(135#BOR)9x5
(30#SealRow)3x8
(Crunch)2x10
(30#Curl)10,Hx10
(Crunch)2x10

40 + 6 =  46 mins

Pull day with volume and short rests. Started with pull-ups and decided to do sets of 6 every 2 minutes until I couldn't get 6 reps. That means about 1.5 mins rest (30 seconds working).  Got 8 sets and was happy with that for 48 total reps.  Then I decided to do the same thing with bent over rows with sets of 5 reps. After 4 sets, I dropped the time from every 2 minutes to every 1.5 mins, so just about 1 min rest (30 seconds working). Got 9 sets of 5 for 45 reps. First 2 movements took 30 minutes, but that's a lot of work in 30 mins.

Then I did seal rows with crunches and finished up with curls and crunches.  Done in about 45 minutes with warmup.  Very nice.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 175.0 this morning.

Wed 10/24 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(145#Incline)8,8,8,7
(105#T-Bar)4x10
(50#DBShldr)8,45x,8,9
(Pullups)7,6,6
(Band)2x12
(Crunch)3x12
(30#Skulls)10
(30#Curl)10

48 + 8 =  56 mins

Early morning upper WO today.  It's not too cold yet, but it was 40 degrees this morning and the steel barbell gets fairly cold. I tried using cheap gardening gloves and they seemed to work fairly well after I cut the tips of the thumbs and pinky finger.

Started with incline and t-bar rows. Incline was decent. Tried for an 8th rep on 4th set and needed help. I should've stopped at 7. I'd like to say this was progress over the last WO, but since we were supersetting with rows, rests were longer between sets so it's not as comparable. I bumped the weight for rows today and it felt good. Then we raised angle of incline and did dumbbell incline/shoulder press with pull-ups. Pullups were a struggle after rows.

Then we did band pulls for rear delts with crunches. Finished up with some quick bi/tri work and another set of crunches.  Decent WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 173.6 this morning.

Sun 10/21 - Push Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(145#Incline)8,8,8,6
(95#OHP)6,6,75x8,8
(50#DBInc)3x8
(20#IncFly)2x10
(Crunch)2x10
(35#Skulls)11,30x10,25x10
(Crunch)2x10
(15#LDelt)2x10

48 + 8 =  56 mins

Push day started with incline for 4 sets. Working out solo today, so didn't go near failure.  Felt pretty good about incline. Then I did OHP. I wanted reps to be around 8, so I dropped weight after 2 sets. Then I raised angle of incline and did 3 sets with dumbbells.  Then I did 2 sets of incline fly's with crunches. Next were skulls and crunches. Finished up with 2 sets of lateral delt raises.  Good WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 175.8 this morning.

Sat 10/20 - Pull Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(Pullups)12,8,8,7
(90#T-Bar)4x8
(30#SealRow)3x10
(Crunch)3x12
(30#Curl)10,Hx10
(Crunch)2x15
(185#DeadLift)3,3,3,225x3,5
(90#PowerClean)6x3

58 + 8 =  66 mins

Pull day started with pull-ups. Decent, but I think my back is still fatigued from backpacking trip. Next we did T-bar rows for 4 sets. They aren't really T-Bar rows. It's a handle that slides on the barbell on one end and the other end is in a wood block/wedge I made. Then we did seal rows and crunches, then curls and crunches.

Then we moved to deadlift and power clean form work. Deadlifts felt good. Power cleans were a mixed bag of decent cleans and sloppy cleans. Tried one snatch and knees were NOT ready for that yet. Still sore post-backpacking trip.

Decent WO with some fun at the end.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 172.8 this morning. Bloat finally leaving me from all the carbs on backpacking trip.

Sat 10/13 - Wed 10/17 - AT Backpacking Trip - 5 days, 61 miles - Unicoi Gap to Amicalola Falls State Park

Backpacking on the AT with Tom Coleman and Sarah.

Sat 10/13 Unicoi Gap to Low Gap shelter

9.7 miles. 6 hours. 

Started with decent climb, then rolling to down hill. Fire ready for us at the shelter. Stream right next to shelter. Colder than we expected & I think we’re going to be cold the next couple of nights. 

Sun 10/14 Low Gap shelter to Flat Rock campsite

12.2 miles. 9 hours w/ resupply at Mountain Crossings

Plan was to go 13.9 to Blood Mountain but Tom was struggling on climbs. We considered staying at Neels Gap, but pressed on to a campsite .7 up the climb instead of 2.5 to Blood Mountain. Nice campsite and a fire. Not too cold, probably 50 degrees. 

Mon 10/15 Flat Rock campsite to Gooch Mountain shelter 

14.5 miles 9 hours

Started at 8:30 & went up Blood Mountain, totally socked in. Didn’t look like many places to camp/hang. No water. Long day, feet hurt. Waiting for Tom is painful at times. Drizzle in the A.M. with fog, then cleared & got warm. A few nice views on the way. 

Tue 10/16 Gooch Mountain shelter to Stover Creek shelter 

12.9 miles 8 hours

Foggy in the morning, then cleared. Shortly after noon it started raining. Rain let up around 2pm during a break at a pretty waterfall. Shortly after we got back on trail it opened up. Walked up a river instead of a trail to the shelter. Goal was springer today, but we stopped 2.8 short. Supposed to rain until midnight. 

Wed 10/17 Stover Creek shelter to Springer Mountain (2.8) AT Souther Terminus, Springer to Amicalola Falls State park (8.8) 11.6 miles 6 hours

61 miles, 38 hours hiking.  Basically a work week worth of hiking.

Fri 10/12 - Push (really quick)

Workout: Garage Gym
(145#Inc)4x7paused
(50#DBInc)2x8
(Crunch)2x20

19 + 6 = 25 mins

Really quick push WO before heading to the mountains. Just wanted to get some stimulation in. No pulling because I'll have a heavy load on my back the next week.  Temps dropped from a low of 70 to 53 this morning. Nice crisp Fall morning. Just in time.  Perfect.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 174.2 this morning.

Wed 10/10 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(145#Inc)3x6
(Pullups)3x8
(85#OHP)3x7
(70#T-Bar)3x10
(15#IncFly)2x12
(30#Curl)8,25x8
(Crunch)2x10
(30#Skulls)2x10
(Band)2x10
(Crunch)2x10

30 + 6 = 36 mins

Upper WO. Backpacking trip coming up and I'd like to work out today and Friday, AND not feel beat up. So today I kept weight light, and/or reps not near failure, short rests. Incline felt good and controlled. Long pause on last rep each set. Pullups were good. OHP was ok, rows were ok. Then we did incline fly's, curls and crunches. Finished up with DB skull crushers, band pulls and more crunches.

Short rest on everything. A lot of work in 30 mins.  Solid WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 175.6 this morning.

Sun 10/8 - Push Day (+ commentary)

Workout: Garage Gym
(145#Inc)8,8,8,8,6*
(75#PushPress)4x8
(50#DBInc)10,8
(20#IncFly)3x10
(Crunch)3x15
(80#Skulls)10,60x10,25DBx10
(Crunch)2x15
(15#LDetl)12

56 + 8 = 64 mins

Push day. Started with incline for 5 sets on about 2:30 rest. Controlled reps with good pause on last rep of each set. 5th set was tough and I needed an assist on last 2 reps. Next we did push press. Basically OHP with some assist from leg drive. This was light weight but felt heavy right after incline. 1:30 rest between sets here.  Then we did DB incline for 2 sets. Paused reps.

Next we did incline fly's with crunches. Fly's felt really good.  Good stretch and contraction.  Then we did skull crushers and abs. 2 sets with EZ-Bar and 1 set with DB's. Finished with a set of lateral delt raises.  Started with 20#BB's, but they weren't moving. Shoulders were fried. Dropped to 15#'s.  Very nice WO.

Overall, great weekend of WO's. Pleased with how things are going and how I'm feeling. Added with to the bar slowly and with very strict form on main movements. Not moving weight for the sake of moving weight. Adding weight to body also. Double edged sword there.  Gotta be willing to eat over maintenance while pushing intensity and volume for a while. Also have to be mindful to schedule n some breaks and keep a watchful eye on my shoulder  and recovery.

I think on of the reasons my shoulder and back have held up is that I've been doing a lot of prehab/mobility work and stretching/rolling. It takes 15-20 minutes every morning, but it's been worth it.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 179.2 this morning.

Sat 10/6 - Pull Day (+Power Clean and Snatch)

Workout: Garage Gym
(95#PowerClean)3x5
(95#Snatch)2x5
(Pullups)15,7,7,7
(80#T-Bar)4x9
(30#SealRow)2x10
(Abs)2x12
(30#Curl)2x12
(Abs)2x12
(185#Deadlift)4x5

68 + 5 = 73 mins

Pull WO this morning - started with power clean technique work. Before starting the 2nd set of cleans, I decided to try a snatch. It felt good so I did a set of 5. Then alternated cleans and snatches for 5 sets.  Really liked snatch more than I thought. By the end of the 2nd set of snatches my R shoulder was starting to feel it a bit, so I'll have to be careful, but really liked doing both cleans and snatches.

Then we moved on to the meat of the WO.  First set of pull-ups was really good with 15 reps, then on short rests I managed to maintain 7 reps. Then we did t-bar rows for 4 sets. Then seal rows and abs. Next was curls and abs. Finished up with 4 sets of deadlift technique work.  Going to work on technique and increase weight slowly.  Great WO and a lot of fun.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 176.6 this morning.

Wed 10/3 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(95#OHP)4x8
(155#BOR)4x8
(135#Inc)3x8
(WidePullups)3x8
(30#Curl)10
(35#Skulls)10
(30#SealRow)2x8
(Crunch)3x11
(Band)12

42 + 8 = 50 mins

Upper WO this morning. Started with OHP and although I got 4x8, each set felt heavier than I thought it should be. Maybe I haven't been doing these as consistently as I thought (after looking at my logs) to show improvement. New hand grip felt good. We did BOR with OHP, and it was fine. Then we did incline and wide grip pull-ups. Wide grip pull-ups were fairly difficult. Incline felt good.  Next we did a set of curls, skull crushers and crunches. Then 2 sets seal rows and crunches. Finished with a set of band pulls because seal rows felt too heavy for good rear delt work.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 175.0 this morning.

Sun 9/30 - Pull Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(95#PowerClean)5x5
(Pullups)10,10,8
(135#BOR)4x10
(30#Curl)11,10
(Abs)2x15
(185#DeadLift)3x5
(Band)3x10

62 + 6 = 68 mins

Pull day today and I wanted to change things up and add some variety.  We started with Power Cleans...or attempts at power cleans. New movement for us and there's a definite learning curve.  There's also some shoulder and wrist mobility issues for both of us. Going to take some practice.  It was almost comical at times, and we have video to prove it :)

Then we did pull-ups. Weight was high this morning, but good efforts. Then we did bent over rows for 4 sets. This bothered my hands for some reason. Switched to a thumbless grip which helped a bit.  Then we did curls and abs and finished up with some deadlift form work and band pulls. More hilarity ensued with deadlift form work. We hadn't done these in a while, and it showed.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 178.8 this morning. Ate a lot yesterday evening.

Sat 9/29 - Push Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(145#Inc)8,8,8,7
(35#Landmine)4x10+10
(20#IncFly)2x12
(Abs)2x10
(35#Skulls)10,30x10
(Abs)2x10

40 + 10 = 50 mins

Started with incline and had 4 good sets. Controlled paused reps. Hit failure on 7th rep of last set, but pushed hard each set. Next we did landmine presses for the first time. Didn't go heavy, but each set got hard by the end. 4 working sets were 1-arm at a time, then right after the 4th set we switched to 2-arm for a burnout set. This felt SUPER easy at first, but by about 6-7 reps it started to burn. Like these and will do them more often.

Next we did incline fly's with abs and finished up with DB skull crushers (triceps) with more abs. Good WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 172.4 this morning.

Wed 9/26 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(145#Inc)8,135x8,8
(Pullups)8,8,8
(50#DBInc)10,9
(80#Tbar)2x10
(30#Skulls)12
(30#Curl)10
(Band)2x12
(Crunch)3x10

30 + 6 = 36 mins

Upper WO this morning. Didn't have a lot of time, so we moved through this WO fairly quickly. Weights weren't real heavy, but tried to concentrate on controlled and paused reps and not locking out to maintain muscle tension throughout the movements.  So, lighter weights still got fairly difficult each set. Stayed away from failure during each set.  Good amount of work in 30 minutes.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 173.6 this morning.

Sun 9/23 - Pull Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(Pullups)13,8,7,6
(70#T-Bar)4x8
(35#SealRow)10,30x10,10
(Abs)3x10
(30#Curl)10,25x11
(Band)2x12

38 + 10 = 48 mins

Pull Day. Started with pull-ups on 2 mins rest (shorter than normal), controlled reps, strict form.  First set was really good, then with short(ish) rests, reps dropped and I worked hard for the last 3 sets.  Then we did t-bar rows for 4 sets. All reps were paused for a few seconds at contraction.  Then we did seal rows with crunches.  Finished up with curls and band pulls.  Good pull day.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 177.6 this morning.

Sat 9/22 - Push Day

Took this entire week off to rest a really sore trap muscle. I've been massaging it and there's still a large knot in it, but it's not painful any longer.

Workout: Garage Gym
(165#Inc)8,6,145x8,6,135x6
(95#OHP)6,85x7,7
(50#DBInc)8,8,45x9
(20#IncFly)2x11
(35#Skulls)12,30x8
(30#Crunch)10,10,BWx8,8

50 + 10 = 60 mins

Push day.  My trap finally started feeling better after a week of resting it. Started with incline for 5 sets. Controlled paused reps and adjusted weight to stay in 6-8 rep range. Then we did OHP for 3 sets. Then 3 sets of dumbbell incline (2 sets + 1 drop set) with weighted crunches. Then skulls and crunches. I was a little frustrated with incline, but trying to remind myself that I'm focusing on pec contraction and form, not the amount of weight I'm moving. As I write this, my pecs are still sore from this WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 172.4 this morning.

Sun 9/16 - Pull Day - Hurricane Florence WO #2

Workout: Garage Gym
(105T-BarRow)5x9,60x10,10
(Pullups)10,8,6,5
(30#Curl)8,25x10
(10#Superman)2x10
(Crunch-hold)2x6
(35#SealRow)2x10
(Crunch)2x10

55 + 8 = 63 mins

Pull day. Water was on the rise today, and would continue to rise until after 8PM.  By 9PM the rain stopped and the water started to recede.

Started with T-bar rows. 5 good working sets plus 2 back-off sets. Then 4 sets of pull-ups. All controlled with good form.  Then we did curls, superman's and crunch-holds. Finished up with seal rows and crunches.  Good WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 176.2 this morning.

Sat 9/15 - Push Day - Hurricane Florence

Workout: Garage Gym
(155#Inc)8,8,7,135x9,7,7,6
(85#OHP)8,75x8,8,8
(20#IncFly)3x10
(Crunch)3x15
(35#Skulls)12,30x12
(15#LDelt)2x12
(Crunch)2x6

60 + 8 = 68 mins

Push day started with barbell incline. Controlled reps focusing on pec contraction. 3 sets at 155 and 4 more sets at 135. Then we did 4 sets overhead press. Next was incline fly's and crunches.  Finished up with DB skull crushers, lateral raises and crunches (with holds at contraction).

Per-hurricane Florence workout.  We were nervous about the garage/gym flooding from the hurricane.  Fortunately, although the water got a little too close for comfort, we stayed dry.  Some of our neighbors did not, unfortunately.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 173.6 this morning.

Wed 9/12 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(165#Inc)8,145x8,8
(Pullups)3x8
(85#OHP)2x8
(80#T-Bar)2x10
(35#Curl)8,30Hx10
(30#Skulls)13,9
(35#Crunch)2x10
(Band)2x15
(Crunch)2x15

38 + 7 = 45 mins

Started with barbell incline and pull-ups combo. First set was decent, but I wanted to do paused reps and not lock out on the top, keeping tension on the pecs throughout the movement. I don't think I could've done that with 165#'s for 3 sets so I dropped the weight for the next 2 sets. Worked hard and pecs were lit up. Pull-ups were strict form and controlled on the way down. Very good.  Then we did OHP and T-bar rows for 2 sets.  Meat of the WO done and we had limited time this morning.

Then we did curls, skulls and weighted crunches. Finished up with band pulls and crunches.  Good work in short time.


Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 173.4 this morning. Lighter than I thought I'd be.

Sun 9/9 - Push Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(95#OHP)5x8,6+45x15
(DBInc)60x8,50x9,8,8,8
(25#Fly)8,20x10
(Crunch)2x20
(30#Skulls)14,10
(20#LDelt)8,15x10
(Crunch)2x15

52 + 6 = 58 mins

Started with OHP. I was warming up and planned for 95#'s to be a warmup set, but it felt heavier than normal, so it became my first working set. Decided we'd do sets of 8 until we couldn't hit 8 reps.  Got 5 sets of 8, on the 5th set I cheated it up for the 8th rep. Then did a 6th set of 6 reps, and a drop set with just the bar for 15 reps. Shoulders and triceps were on fire. We walked out of the garage for a break before jumping into incline and met a new neighbor (Bob) and his dog that have lived in the neighborhood for 30 years.

Then we did incline. Really controlled, paused reps. Started with 60#'s (light), and it was too heavy to continue paused reps.  I really wanted to focus on pec stretch, contraction and pauses at the bottom of the movement.  Dropped to 50#'s and did 4 more sets. 5 sets total.  That's a lot of pressing volume for me with OHP and incline combined.

Then we did incline fly's with crunches.  Finished up with skulls (triceps), lateral delt raises and crunches.  Very good WO.

Then we worked in the yard for 4-5 hours, cut down 6 trees.  It was HOT and we were both completely wiped out by the end of the day. 


Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 178.0 this morning.

Sat 9/8 - Pull Day - New Landmine/T-Bar Row from Titan

Workout: Garage Gym
(95#T-BarROw)4x10
(Pullups)10,6,7
(35#Curl)10,30Hx10
(10#Superman)2x10
(Abs)20,15
(Band)2x15
(Crunch)2x15

36 + 6 = 42 mins

Got to try out the new landmine/t-bar row attachment we got from Titan.  It's a handle you slide onto the sleeve of the barbell, then load plates on the sleeve and do standing rows. I built a small block out of a piece of plywood and 2x4's to rest the opposite end of the bar in so it's not on the cement floor. Worked great and love this thing!  We did 4 good sets. Then we did 3 sets of pull-ups. First set was great, especially after rows, but then we both hit the wall on the 2nd set. Rested a bit longer before 3rd set.

Next we did curls, superman's (rear delt) and abs.  Finished up with band pulls and crunches,  Good pull day. 


Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 176.2 this morning.  Went back to Umami for sushi after a disappointing trip to Mr. Tokyo the other week.  MUCH better!

Thu 9/6 - Upper - San Diego hotel gym

Workout: Hotel Gym - Marriott Marquis
(70#DBInc)3x8
(Pullups)3x10
(50#Shldr)2x9
(135#BOR)2x10
(25#IncFly)2x10
(10#Superman)2x10
(35#Curl)10,Hx10
(63#Rope)12,10
(Abs)2x15

39 + 6 = 45 mins

Good morning workout at hotel gym in San Diego. Nice gym with DB's up to 70#'s, a few barbells with plates.  Started with incline and pull-up combo. Then shoulder press with bent over rows. Then incline fly's with supermans (rear delt). Finished up with curls, rope extensions and abs.  Really good WO for a hotel gym.


Nutrition/Weight:
No scale at the hotel, and don't care :)

Tue 9/4 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(165#Inc)9,7,7
(Pullups)10,10,11
(95#OHOP)8,6,6
(40#SealRow)3x9
(Band)2x15
(Crunch)2x20

33 + 7 = 40 mins

Upper WO this morning. Wasn't feeling it and felt slightly nauseous this morning. Felt better after warming up and ended up having a solid WO. We didn't have a lot of time so we skipped most accessory work. Started with barbell incline and pull-ups. Both were good. Then we did overhead press with seal rows. Finished up with band pulls and crunches.

I received the t-bar/land-mine row handle attachment for the barbell from Titan on Friday.  I need to build a block corner setup so we can start using that for rows.


Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 179.6 this morning. Bloated from backpacking food and Mexican for dinner last night.

Sat/Sun 9/1-9/2 - Backpacking Black Balsam Knob to Cold Mountain

We did and out and back overnight backpacking trip from Black Balsam Knob to Cold Mountain. We camped around the summit of Cold Mountain.  The trail and overlooks were really overgrown, so the views were fairly limited.  About 10 miles each way. Took 6.5 hours on the way out and 5-5.5 on the way back.  Weather was great even though the forecast called for 60% chance of thunderstorms on Saturday.

Fri 8/31 - Push Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(115#OHP)7,5,105x6,6,5+50x6
(70#DBInc)6,60x8,8,7
(30#IncFly)10,25x10
(35#Crunch)2x12
(30#DBSkulls)14,10
(Crunch)2x15
(15#LDelt)2x12

45 + 10 = 55 mins

Push day started with OHP for 5 sets, plus a drop set after the last set. Good work.  Then we did DB incline. I was hoping to stick with 70's, but dropped to 60's after the first set.  Then we did incline fly's with weighted crunches. Finished up with dumbbell skull crushers, crunches and lateral raises (thumbs up).  Solid push WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 173.4 this morning. Surprised my weight was lower than yesterday.

Thu 8/30 - Pull Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(165#BOR)10,10,10,8
(Pullups)11,7,7
(135#Row)2x10
(Abs)2x15
(15#Curl)2x15
(10#SupermanDelt)2x10
(Crunch)2x20
(Band)2x15

41 + 7 = 48 mins

Started with bent over rows for 4 good sets. Really enjoying this exercise. Then we did pull-ups. First set was great and then I hit a wall.  Moving quickly today with about 2 mins rest between sets. Then we did 2 sets of "standing" BOR with abs.  Essentially, BOR but not off the floor in a more upright position, elbows in tight.  Then we did curls, lying face down on the incline, curling with elbows as far forward as possible, superman rear delt fly's and crunches. Finished up with some band pulls. 

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 173.6 this morning.

Tue 8/28 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(165#Inc)8,7,7,5
(Pullups)11,11,9,8
(95#OHP)8,6,6
(135#BOR)3x10
(30#Skulls)12,10
(35#Curl)10,30x10
(Crunch)2x20
(Band)2x15
(20#LDelt)2x10
(Crunch)2x20

51 + 9 = 60 mins

Upper day today. Started with barbell incline and pull-ups.  Incline was pretty good. First two sets were clean, last 2 sets I got a slight assist on last rep of both. A few more reps than last WO at this weight.  Feel like I'm getting more comfortable with this movement and am better able to push hard reps. Hoping shoulder cooperates. I've been doing more warmup and prehab exercises. Pullups were decent. Next we did overhead press and bent over rows. OHP got hard quickly. I did rows a little more upright today, not off the floor.

Then we did accessory work.  DB skulls, curls and crunches, 2 sets each. Then band pulls, lateral delt raises (with thumbs facing UP - better for shoulders) and crunches.  Solid WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 176.2 this morning. Still carrying some water from lots of carbs while backpacking this weekend. Going to try stay away from so much of a cyclical diet and try to maintain more steady close to maintenance or slightly above.

Sat/Sun 8/25-26 - Backpacking in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Saturday, 8/25/18
Since Salem is at the trainer this weekend, we decided to go to the GSMNP for some backpacking.  We camped at site #50 near Smokemont on Saturday and hiked a loop course around there.  This is the first time we've hiked in the lower elevations in the Smoky's.  The hike started at ~2,500 feet and climbed to a little over 5,100, then back down.  About 15-16 miles.  Nice campsite along the stream.  We sat on a log and soaked our feet in the cold water after the hike and before eating dinner.  This is the first time we didn't worry about filtering water.  I'm writing this on Tuesday and feeling good, so I guess we're in the clear.

Sunday, 8/26/18
Sunday we drove to Alum Cave trailhead and hiked up to Mt. LeConte and Myrtle Point.  This hike started at around 3,500 feet and topped out over 6,600 feet.  Love this hike.  Pretty views along the way and Mt. LeConte is just really neat.  The llamas were up at the lodge today which is always neat to see.  We ate lunch at Myrtle Point and took in the views, but it was a bit buggy so we didn't linger too long.  Plus, we still had a 4 hour drive home and it was getting late.  About 12 miles, plus the 2 miles from campsite #50 to Smokemont campground where the car was parked made it a 14 mile day and about a 30 mile weekend.  Getting in shape for the October trip.

Best part of the weekend, aside from spending good quality unplugged time with Sarah, was the bear cub sighting.  On the way up to Alum Cave trailhead we passed 2 cubs and a momma bear.  One of the cubs was at the edge of a brush line near the road eating berries.  We pulled over and watched for about 5 minutes and got some good video.  Really cute and neat experience.  Mom and other cub stayed up in the deep brush.

Fri 8/24 - Pull Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(155#BOR)4x10
(Pullups)3x7
(135#StandingRow)3x10
(25#Crunch)3x12
(Band)3x15
(30#Curl)2x10

39 + 6 = 45 mins

Pull day with row focus.  Started with bent over rows for 4 sets. Really felt activation in my back today.  Worked hard. Explosive up and tried to control to the ground. Then I did pull-ups. I was planning on getting good sets of 8 controlled reps. After rows, 3x7 was all I could muster.  Then I did standing rows. I took 20#'s off the bar and did rows in a more upright position. First set didn't feel good. Second set, better.  Third set, started feeling the movement really well. I supersetted weighted crunches with these.  Finished up with band pulls and 2 sets of curls.  Back is going to be fatigued later and tomorrow.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 176.4 this morning.

Thu 8/23 - Push Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(115#OHP)6,105x6,95x7,7,6
(70#DBInc)7,60x9,7,7
(20#IncFly)2x10
(35#Crunch)2x10
(30#Skulls)15,12
(Crunch)2x15
(20#LDelt)2x10

41 + 6 = 47 mins

Push day. Started with OHP this morning. Started at a heavy weight for me and dropped weight to keep in same rep range. First 2 heavier sets bothered my R shoulder a bit, but I think it was a combination of weight and not being warmed up enough. I was working out solo this morning, so I did DB incline rather than barbell. Probably a good idea to not hit a steady diet of barbell pressing anyway until I see how my shoulder handles it. Started at 70 and dropped. 4 good sets.  9 good sets of pressing. That's more volume than normal - good.  Then I did incline fly's with weighted crunches. Finished up with a combination of triceps, crunches and lateral raises.  Good WO.

Beautiful morning. Nice a cool in the upper 60's. I'm ready for Fall!

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 174.0 this morning.

Tue 8/21 - Pull Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(25#Pullups)8,7,7,BWx8
(155#BOR)8,8,135x10,10
(BandPull)3x15
(35#Curl)12,8,30Hx10
(25#Crunch)3x12

38 + 6 = 44 mins

Pull day started with weighted pull-ups. These were a struggle. Was hoping to get at least sets of 8 across. 3 weighted sets and 1 body weight set. Then we did bent over rows for 4 sets. Finished up with a combination of band pulls, curls and weighted crunches.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 177.0 this morning. Weight will likely drop this week, but I'm trying to eat at around maintenance and see if I can add some strength over the next few months.

Mon 8/20 - Push Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(165#Inc)7,6,5,5
(115#OHP)5,95x7,7
(20#IncFly)2x12
(Abs)2x15
(25#Skulls)20,12
(Crunch)2x15

40 + 8 = 48 mins

Push day, started with barbell incline. Still getting used to this movement after several years of ONLY doing DB incline. Still not quite to the point where I'm comfortable with heavier weight, but working on it. Still need to be really careful with my R shoulder. I was happy with progress today. Last WO I started with this weight and did 1 set and dropped the weight. Today I was able to keep the weight for 4 sets.  Next we did overhead press. I bumped the weight for the first set, then dropped for 2 more sets.  Then we did incline fly's and abs. Finished up with skulls and crunches.  Good WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 178.6 this morning. Very bloated from eating a lot over the long weekend away.

Sat 8/18 - Upper - Hotel at Notre Dame

Workout: Hotel Gym
(50#DBShldr)12,12,9,8
(PullDn)4x10
(50#DBInc)10,10,9
(SeatRow)3x8
(15#IncFly)2x15
(35#Curl)2x10
(35#CGInc)2x11
(15#RDelt)2x10
(15#Skulls)25,15
(ButtRaise)4x15

40 + 5 = 45 mins

The hotel had a decent gym, better than most anyway, so I got a pretty good WO in Saturday morning. DB's were limited and went up to 50#'s, so I started with shoulder press and pulldowns. Fairly short rests on everything.  Then I did incline and seated rows.  Next was incline fly's with curls.  Then close grip incline (for triceps), rear delt fly's and butt raises (abs). Finished up with DB skulls for high reps and more butt raises.  Solid WO given what was there.

Nutrition/Weight:
No weight this morning. At hotel in South Bend helping Hayden move in to Notre Dame dorm over the weekend.

Thu 8/16 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(165#Inc)6,155x8,8,8
(135#BOR)4x10
(95#OHP)10,8,6
(Pullups)3x8
(30#Fly)2x10
(35#Curl)8,30Hx10
(35#Crunch)2x10
(30#Skulls)2x10
(Band)2x15
(Crunch)2x20

55 + 10 = 65 mins

Upper WO this morning.  Started with barbell incline, first set of 6 reps. Dropped the weight and had 3 more good sets. Supersetted with bent over rows. Then we did overhead press with pull-ups. Faded badly on OHP.  Next was fly's, curls and weighted crunches. Finished up with DB skull crushers, band pulls and crunches.  Good WO, but got long for morning WO when we were pressed for time.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 173.2 this morning.

Tue 8/14 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(70#DBInc)8,8,9
(Pullups)9,9,10
(95#OHP)8,8,6
(40#SealRow)3x8
(35#IncFly)10,30x10
(Abs)2x15
(20#LDelt)2x8
(30#DBSkulls)2x11
(35#Curl)12,30Hx12
(Crunch)2x20

46 + 6 = 52 mins

Upper WO this morning. Still feeling beat up from backpacking this weekend, right shoulder has been bothering me and 35# incline warmup didn't feel easy and bothered my shoulder. Not a great sign. Didn't feel like working out this morning.  Tried to get some mobility in my right shoulder, did some stretching, more warmup and got to it as best I could.

Didn't go very heavy on incline but still worked fairly hard (unfortunately) for 3 sets. Pullups were good. Explosive up and controlled down. Then we did overhead press with seal rows. OHP was decent for 3 sets..  Then we did incline fly's, abs and lateral delts. I started lateral raises with 25#'s and it was too heavy. Dropped to 20#'s and it was still too heavy today. Finished up with DB skull crushers, curls and crunches.

After the WO I put 2 bumper plates on the barbell and tried to do a few clean to snatch position.  Doing any kind of Olympic movement is going to be a LONG, SLOW, humbling process.  I don't have near the ability to even get into a snatch/catch position with just the bar. It's painful, awkward, and I can't even get my elbows close to the position they're supposed to be in. I need to take some video, both so I can learn from it, and hopefully get a good laugh about it at some point down the road.  Going to be tough.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 172.0 this morning.

Fri 8/10 - Push Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(135#Inc)3x9
(95#OHP)7,7,7,6
(35#IncFly)10,30x10
(Abs)2x15
(65#Skulls)15,11
(Crunch)2x20

45 + 5 = 50 mins

Push day started with barbell incline. Did controlled reps, some were paused. Shoulder felt good. Used a bit narrower grip which I think helped. New barbell finally arrived last night and I was psyched to get to use it. I'm beginning to realize why people recommend investing in a good barbell.  The one we bought is middle of the road and it makes a huge difference from the beater bar we got with iron plate set.  It feels completely different in the hand. Then we did overhead press for 4 sets. Next was incline fly's with abs. Finished up with skull crushers and crunches. 

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 170.2 this morning.

Thu 8/9 - Pull Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(25#Pullups)8,8,8,6
(155#BOR)3x9
(35#Curl)2x10
(40#Crunch)2x10
(15#RDelt)2x12
(Crunch)2x20

35 + 5 = 40 mins

Pull day. Started with weighted pull-ups using the new pull-up belt. It's still a bit stiff and needs to be broken in, but it's good and worked out well. Would have liked 4x8, but worked hard for the reps I got.  Then I did BOR which was OK, but I lost focus and I think form got sloppy.  Next I did curls with weighted crunches. Finished up with rear delt fly's and crunches. Short, but some decent pulling I guess.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 169.8 this morning.

Sun 8/5 - Push Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(95#OHP)10,10,9,8
(115#Inc)4x10
(115#CGDecline)2x10
(35#IncFly)11,9,30x10
(30#Crunch)3x12
(30#DBSkulls)10,25x10
(Abs)2x12

63 + 7 = 70 mins

Push day today and we wanted to change things up a bit and also wanted to use the new rack.  We've been doing DB Incline as the main push movement for so long, it's time to change things up a bit.  I'll have to see how my shoulder holds up though.  So, we started with Overhead Press for 4 sets. Felt pretty easy at first and I thought I should've gone heavier, but 3rd and 4th sets I worked hard.  I expect to move up in weight as I get used to this movement again (assuming we keep doing it).  Then we did barbell incline.  This movement has been problematic for my right shoulder but it felt pretty good today. Weight was fairly light and I did paused reps.  Going to have to be patient and increase weight slowly.

Then we did decline close grip bench.  We used to do this at LA Fitness because it was the only barbell press I could do without significant pain.  Unfortunately, it was quite painful on my right shoulder today. I did the first set conventional grip and the 2nd set reverse grip, hoping it would feel better. It didn't.  Next we did incline fly's with weighted crunches.  Finished up with some more triceps work and abs.  Good WO. Loved pushing the barbell!

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 176.0 this morning.

Sat 8/4 - Pull Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(165#BOR)4x9
(Pullups)12,10,9
(35#Curl)9,30Hx10
(Crunch)2x20
(35#SealRow)2x10
(Crunch)2x20
(Band)2x15

45 + 5 = 50 mins

Pull day started with BOR with mix of bumper and iron plates. Bumped weight from last WO and got more reps. Felt good rowing from the floor since we have bumpers now. Pullups were really good considering we did them after 4 sets of rows. They felt good in the new rack/pull-up bar.  It's a fairly thick bar (2" I believe) and I normally prefer something a bit thinner, but it felt good. It may turn out to be too thick for Sarah and we can get a 1.5" bar replacement if needed. No sway in the rack. Very solid!

Then we did curls and crunches. Next were seal rows, crunches and band pulls.  Not a lot of variety in this pull WO, but solid work with rows and pull-ups.

Loving the garage gym! Have to come up with a name for it.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 173.6 this morning. Went to outdoor concert at a local restaurant area this evening.  There's a marble slab ice cream joint there and I couldn't resist.  Got coconut ice cream with heath crunch & caramel mixed in, in a waffle bowl.  Size large, because the sign said it was the best value :)

Thu 8/2 - Pull Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(155#BOR)4x8
(Pullups)10,10,8
(30#UprightRow)2x10
(65#EZBarCurl)12,30Hx10
(25#Crunch)3x10
(20#LDelt)15
(Crunch)2x20

40 + 5 = 45 mins

Pull day. Started with BOR and upped the weight 20 pounds from what I've been doing lately. Good. Then we did 3 sets of pull-ups and I was happy with 10,10,8 after BOR.  Next we did DB upright rows and curls with weighted crunches.  Finished up with 2 sets body weight crunches and a set of lateral raises.  Good WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 172.0 this morning. Been having some leg cramps at night the last 2 nights and I think it's from dropping a lot of water the last 3-4 days.

Wed 8/1 - Push Day

Workout: Garage Gym
(60#DBShldr)8,7,6,6
(70#DBInc)6,60x8,8
(30#IncFly)2x10
(70#OHTri)10,7
(35#Crunch)4x10

40 + 5 = 45 mins

Push day today. Started with shoulder press today and was pleased. Last WO I did 7,6,6,5, so I improved a couple of reps. Right shoulder didn't feel great though, and it showed on incline. For incline I started with 70#'s and only got 6 reps and almost got pinned getting DB's into place and starting first rep. Dropped to 60# DB's and even that wasn't easy.  This was probably in part because of my shoulder and part because I pushed shoulder press hard.  Then we did incline fly's and triceps for 2 sets each with 4 sets of abs.  Decent WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 172.2 this morning. Down from 179 Sunday.

Sun 7/29 - Upper - Back in the Garage Gym

Workout: Garage Gym
(60#DBShldr)7,6,6,5
(135#BOR)4x10
(70#DBInc)8,6,6+50x8
(Pullups)3x8
(30#DBSkullPress)8+8
(35#Curl)10,30Hx10
(25#LDelt)10,20x10
(Abs)2x15
(Band)2x20
(Crunch)2x15

55 + 5 = 60 mins

Back in the garage gym. Started with shoulder press today for 4 heavy sets paired with 4 sets bent over row. Need to focus on shoulders a bit more so I'll try to start with shoulders more frequently rather than always starting with incline.  Then we did incline with pull-ups.  Next we did skull presses with DB's and curls. Then we did lateral raises with abs and finished up with band pulls and crunches.  Good WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 178.8 this morning. Definitely bloated, but not quite as high as I thought I'd be, especially after I ate ice cream and several huge bowls of cereal last night.

Fri 7/27 - Upper - Beach Gym

Workout: Beach Gym
(75#DBInc)8,8,7
(95#T-barRow)3x9
(55#Shldr)3x9+45x8
(160#PullDn)3x8
(120#PullDn)3x10
(75#OHTri)2x10
(35#Curl)10,30Hx10
(30#Fly)2x10
(Abs)2x15
(Band)2x15
(Crunch)2x15

65 + 7 = 72 mins

2nd beach WO. Standard Upper WO. Started with incline and t-bar rows. Love t-bar rows, but I just don't have access to a machine very often. Then we did incline/shoulder press with pulldowns for 3 sets each. Then we did 3 more sets wide grip pulldowns.  Next we did overhead tricep extensions with curls. Then DB fly's and abs. Finished up with band pulls and crunches. Decent WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
Definitely bloated. Mom brought down two oatmeal cakes. My favorite. I've been eating that, ice cream and cereal every evening. Delicious, but going to have a lot of work to do when I get home :/

Tue 7/24 - Upper WO - Beach Gym - With Hayden!

Workout: Beach Gym
(80#DBInc)8,7,6+70x6
(PullDn)2x10
(Pullups)10,7
(50#Shldr)8,8,7
(T-BarRow)3x8
(70#OHTri)2x10
(35#Curl)10,30Hx10
(Fly)2x10
(Crunch)20,15
(15#RDelt)2x12
(Crunch)2x15

93 + 10 = 103 mins

At Myrtle Beach (Ocean Lakes) with the kids for the week.  Sarah and I got Hayden to go to the gym with us this morning. He's been doing body weight WO's for a while and I wanted to teach him some basics and a good WO template so when he goes off to ND in a couple of weeks he'll have an idea of what to do in the gym.

We did a basic upper body workout and I had a great time working out with Hayden.  He did really well and didn't need much help. His form was pretty good on most movements and he accepted suggestions and corrections well.  With the 3 of us and some time for explanation, the WO was a bit longer than normal, but had a pretty good WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
Not weighing myself at the beach and eating much more than I should/need in the evenings.  But it's vacation after all! :)

Sat 7/21 - Upper

Workout: Garage Gym
(80#DBInc)7,6,5
(135#BOR)3x10
(60#DBInc)8,7,6+45x8
(Pullups)3x10
(65#SkullPress)12+8,9+9
(35#Curl)10,30Hx10
(30#IncFly)2x10
(40#Crunch)2x10
(15#RDelt)2x12
(Crunch)2x15

64 + 6 = 70 mins

Started with DB incline and struggled a bit. Warmups felt heavy and I think maybe the diet this week was too much. Used the new barbell and weights for the first time this morning and did bent over rows with incline.  Next we raised the angle of incline and did 3 sets + a drop set with 3 sets pull-ups.  For pull-ups we used one of those contraptions that attaches in a doorway. I have to ben my legs, but it was better than hanging from the rafters.

Next we did skull crushers + presses (new EZ curl bar) with DB curls.  Next was incline fly's with weighted crunches and finished up with rear delt fly's and crunches. Decent WO. Time for a bit of a diet break and some down time from work.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 166.8 this morning. Feeling pretty lean, but struggled a bit with this WO. I was looking at my logs from a year ago and I was doing more reps on incline with 80#DB's than I am now.  That was a bit of a surprise to me, and a reminder of a reason I keep the logs around.

Wed 7/18 - Upper (First WO in the garage gym!!!)

Workout: Garage Gym
(80#DBInc)7,6,6
(Pullups)3x8
(60#Shldr)7,6,6+45x8
(60#DBRow)3x8
(35#Curl)12,30Hx10
(35#DBSkullPress)8+8,30x8+10
(30#IncFly)2x10
(Band)2x15
(40#Crunch)2x10,BWx15,15

60 + 6 = 66 mins

First WO in the new garage gym. Right now we only have a bench and dumbbells from 5-80#'s.  We'll be adding a few bars (olympic and curl bar), a few bumper plates, steel plates, horse stall mats and possibly a rack. We definitely need a solution for pull-ups.  Holding onto the rafters is surprisingly painful on the hands.  Anyway, the workout...

We started with incline and pull-up combo.  I meant to have the incline at the lowest/flattest incline setting, and use 80#DB's, but it was set at a steeper angle from setup yesterday and I just didn't think to change the angle.  Still used 80#DB's and didn't realize until after the first set and we stuck with it.  Solid reps at a steeper angle than I've been using with heavy weights.  Pull-ups were challenging. We don't have a pull-up bar yet, so we used a ladder to grab the garage rafters.  It was hard on the hands so I just did sets of 8.  Next we increased the angle of incline as steep as it would go and did shoulder/incline for 3 sets with a back-off set. We supersetted these with DB rows, both arms at the same time. I actually liked these quite a bit. Sarah thought they felt awkward. 

Next we did curls and DB skull crushers (no bars yet) with presses. Liked these too. Burned out the triceps.  Then we did incline fly's with weighted crunches. Then band pulls with body weight crunches.  Good WO.

We had 2 fans going and opened the garage door to let in some air and light.  Really enjoyed working out in that environment.  Was nice to have the garage open to fresh air, be able to turn on our own music.  Really nice, and we didn't even have to get in the car!  I think this is going to be a GREAT setup once we get a few more pieces of equipment.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 167.4 this morning. Feeling good, leaning out, still maintaining strength really well.

Sun 7/15 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(80#DBInc)8,7,6
(205#PullDn)8,175x10,10
(60#Shldr)6,5,5+45x8
(InvertRow)3x10
(80#SkullPress)8+8,60x11+11
(35#Curl)10,30Hx10
(30#IncFly)8,25x10
(45#Crunch)2x10
(25#LDelt)10,20x10
(130#RDelt)12
(Crunch)2x15

60 + 6 = 66 mins

Sunday morning WO after a couple days moving to new home. Felt surprisingly good despite lots of lifting/moving, and not getting nearly enough sleep.

Started with incline and pulldown combo. Incline was pretty good but needed an assist on last rep of 3rd set. Pulldowns were good - 1 heavy set and 2 moderate.  Then we did 3 heavy sets shoulder press, plus a back-off set and inverted rows. Next we did skull crushers + presses with curls. I'm really liking the "skull presses".  We do skull crushers until almost failure and then do close grip press with the weight.

Next we did incline DB chest fly's with weighted crunches.  Finished up with 2 sets lateral raises, 1 set rear delt fly's with 2 sets crunches.  Solid WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 172.8 this morning. Very low considering I had a huge sushi dinner last night. Very active Friday and Saturday with the move to new home, so I probably burned a ton of calories and didn't take time to eat that much other than large dinner.  I weighed 167.0 Friday morning, the lowest in a long time.

Thu 7/12 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(80#DBInc)8,6,6
(Pullups)3x10
(60#Sldr)6,55x6
(210#CableRow)2x10
(35#Curl)10,30Hx10
(130#Rope)12,9
(175#Fly)10
(130#RDelt)12
(25#LDelt)10
(40#Crunch)3x10

35 + 5 = 40 mins

Quick WO over lunch today while the packers were at the house. Started with incline and pull-up combo. Both were good. Next I did 2 sets shoulder press with standing cable rows. Rows got heavy.  Then I did 2 sets triceps and biceps. Finished up with 1 set each of fly's, rear delt and lateral raises with 3 sets weighted crunches.  A lot of work in 40 minutes!

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 168.4 this morning. Pretty good weight right now.

Sun 7/8 - Push Day

Workout: Snap Fitness
(85#DBInc)6,80x6,6
(55#DBShldr)8,6,6,6+45x8
(20#IncFly)3x11
(80#Skulls)10+8,60x12+12
(Abs)2x20
(25#LatRaise)10,20x12
(Crunch)2x12

60 + 6 = 66 mins

Push day. Started with 85#DB's at moderate incline. Steeper incline than when I normally try to go pretty heavy. Got 6 reps on first set and then dropped to 80#DB's for the next 2 sets.  Good work.  Then we raised angle of incline, but not quite 90 degrees, for incline/shoulder press.  4 sets plus a drop-set. 

Next we did incline DB fly's.  Since we're going to be putting together a home gym in the garage of our new house, I wanted to try DB fly's (instead of cables). I hadn't done these in a long time, but we won't have access to cable machines in the garage.  Went fairly light on fly's and they went well. I have some concern that these will be hard on my shoulders once I start weight progression on them. 

Next we did skull crushers + press combo for 2 sets, supersetted with abs. Finished up with lateral raises and crunches.  Good WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 178.6 this morning. Very bloated after late sushi dinner last night. Two weeks to the beach. Have to pull it together for this next stretch. Going to be busy with move to the new house coming up this Friday.

Sat 7/7 - Pull Day

Workout: Snap Fitness
(170#BOR)4x6
(Pullups)10,10,7
(200#CableRow)2x10
(40#Crunch)2x12
(130#PullDn)2x10
(40#Crunch)2x10
(60#EZCurl)13,35x7,30Hx10
(130#RDelt)10,8,8

50 + 6 = 56 mins

Pull day. Started with bent over rows on relatively short rests (started new set every 3 mins, so 2-2.5 mins rest). Then we did body weight pull-ups. 2 sets of 10 and died on the third set. Next we did standing cable rows with weighted crunches. Then close grip pulldowns with more weighted crunches. I started pulldowns at 160#'s and it was just too heavy after rows and pull-ups. Dropped to 130#'s and still felt heavy! Finished up with 3 sets of curls and rear delt work.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 171.8 this morning and feeling good. After the WO we went to the US National Whitewater center with Gregg and Hayden. Spent the day there and then went to all you can eat sushi for dinner. Weight will show it tomorrow.

Wed 7/4 - Upper - Happy Independence Day!

Workout: Snap Fitness
(75#DBInc)9,8,7
(25#Pullups)3x8
(55#DBShldr)8,6,7
(200#CableRow)3x10
(190#Fly)8,160x8
(60#Skulls)2x12+8
(60#EZCurl)12,8
(45#Crunch)2x10
(Band)2x15
(Crunch)2x15
(20#LDelt)2x10

57 + 7 = 64 mins

Upper WO this morning.  We were off work for the 4th of July so we worked out in the morning and this was a harder WO than my normal mid-week evening WO.

Started with steep incline and weighted pull-ups. Incline was good, needed help on 7th rep last set. Maybe should have stopped at 6. Pullups were good, but hard. I thought I'd get more than 8 on first set with 25#'s.  Next we did DB shoulder press (very steep incline, but not 90 degrees) and standing cable rows. Took a bit longer rest before 3rd set of shoulder press. Rows were good. Hadn't done these in a while and really felt them in my back the rest of the day.

Next we did skull crushes plus presses, supersetted with fly's. Skull/presses were good. Fly's were OK. I've been struggling on 2nd set even when dropping weight significantly. Then we did curls and weighted crunches. Finished up with band pulls, lateral raises and crunches.  Good WO.  Felt really gassed on incline/pull-up combo.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 171.4 this morning.  Going to be hard not to eat a lot today after hard morning WO!

Sun 7/1 - Push Day

Workout: Snap Fitness
(85#DBInc)6,5,5
(65#DBInc)8,6,60x6,6+45x10
(45#DBShldr)2x10
(Abs)20,15
(190#Fly)8,160x8
(80#Skulls)8,60x12+4,12+4
(20#LatRaise)2x10
(Crunch)2x10

66 + 8 = 74 mins

Push day today. Felt strong during warmup, but R shoulder was a bit painful. Tried some extra warmups and mobility stuff to loosen it up. I wanted to go heavy today but wasn't sure how the shoulder would do.  I did 3 sets with 85#DB's.  3rd set I almost got pinned getting them in place and this tweaked my shoulder a bit (still feeling it Monday morning). Overall I was pleased with 3 sets at this weight.  Then we raised the angle of incline and got some good volume in with 4 sets plus a drop set.  Rests were fairly long with the 85#DB's and fairly short once we raised the angle.

Next we did DB shoulder press with ab work.  Then we did chest fly with skull crushers. Skulls was 1 heavy set and then 2 lighter sets.  For the lighter sets, we did skull crushers to about failure, then did close grip bench presses with the weight. This worked the triceps REALLY hard.  Liked these a lot.  Finished up with lateral raises and some crunches.  Excellent WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 172.6 this morning. Not bad for a Sunday morning.

Sat 6/30 - Pull Day

Workout: Snap Fitness
(150#BOR)10,9,8,8
(Pullups)3x7
(45#Crunch)3x10
(35#SealRow)2x10
(CrunchTwist)2x10
(35#Curl)10,30Hx10,25Hx10
(130#RDelt)11,9
(145#PullDn)8,130x8

41 + 6 = 47 mins

Up at 3:30AM to support a work project launch. Had a break during the launch and had time for a quick WO. We did a pull WO with short rests so things got hard quickly.

We started with BOR for 4 sets.  Then we did pull-ups with weighted crunches for 3 sets.  Sets of 7 pull-ups was hard after BOR and short rests!  Then we did seal rows and ab work. Seal rows were on the back extension machine instead of lying reversed on an incline bench (i.e., they were not chest supported).  Then we did curls and rear delt fly's. Finished up with 2 sets of close grip pulldowns.  These were a joke. Back and arms were fried. Barely got 8 reps with 145#"s. Dropped weight and barely got 8 more.  Hard WO in short time. Felt like we were only in the gym for about 20 mins.

Got back home and finished the project release.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 170.4 this morning. Feeling good.

Wed 6/27 - Upper

Workout: Club Fitness
(70#DBInc)9,8,7
(50#SealRow)3x10
(50#DBShldr)9,8
(Pullups)2x10
(35#Curl)10,30Hx10
(75#OHTri)12,11
(40#Crunch)3x10
(Band)2x15
(Abs)2x12

39 + 6 = 45 mins

Upper WO after work. Started with steeper angle than usual incline, supersetted with seal rows. Incline felt good. Seal rows were hard.  Next I did shoulder press with pull-ups.  Shoulder press wasn't quite 90 degrees so there was some incline to it.  Then I did a triple-set of curls, weighted crunches and overhead triceps extensions. Finished up with band pulls and abs. Short but sweet.  Good work.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 171.4 this morning. Feeling pretty good. Starting to cut down carbs late at night a bit.

Sun 6/24 - Push Day - 90#DB Incline!

Workout: Snap Fitness
(90#DBInc)6,80x7,6
(65#DBInc)7,6,60x6,6+45x9
(100#Shldr)3x8
(190#Fly)10,175x8,160x9
(CrunchTwist)3x10
(80#Skulls)9,60x11,11
(CaptChair)3x10

63 + 7 = 70 mins

Push day. I'd been thinking about going heavy on incline this morning. 80#DB's are still quite heavy for me, but I control them well at this point. I could jump to 85#'s and see how that goes, but I really wanted to jump up to what I consider "Big Boy" weights starting at 90#'s.  So I decided to try 90#DB's today for the first time ever, hoping it wasn't a huge mistake that would wreck my right shoulder. I was thinking I could get a couple of reps. I got the 90's in place and felt pinned for a moment, but once I got them going, I got 6 good reps! Part of me wanted to stick with 90's, but my right shoulder definitely felt that first set, so I dropped to 80#DB's for the next 2 sets. Felt good physically, felt great mentally to use 90's!

Next we raised angle of incline and did 4 more sets + a drop set for 5 total. Plenty of incline volume. Then we did shoulder press on the machine for 3 sets on short rest.  Next we did chest fly's with abs. Had to drop weight on fly's each set. Chest fairly fried by this point. Finished up with skull crushers and leg raises in the Captain's Chair.

Another first! Yesterday was 45# pull-ups, today, 90#DB incline! Great back-to-back WO's. Very pleased.  Normally this time of year I've been cutting fairly hard.  This year, I haven't started dieting hard yet and been consistent with WO's. Despite my weight being pretty good, I'm definitely not bulking but WO's have been great. Feeling strong, looking decent.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 174.0 this morning. Up from 171.4 yesterday.  I'll probably start being more diligent with my diet starting Monday and get ready for summer and the beach!

Sat 6/23 - Pull Day - 45# Weighted Pull-ups!

Workout: Snap Fitness
(45#Pullups)7,6,5,6,BWx9
(130#BOR)4x8
(145#PullDn)2x8
(40#Crunch)2x10
(45#SealRow)2x8
(40#Crunch)2x10
(35#Curl)10,30x8,Hx10
(130#RDelt)2x10

52 + 5 = 57 mins

Pull day. Last pull day I did weighted pull-ups with 35#'s and was pleased with the reps, so I decided to bump up the weight and use a 45# plate. First time I've ever done pull-ups with this much weight and I was very pleased with the reps. I thought I might get a few sets of 5. Four weighted sets and a good body weight set of 9 reps.  Awesome! Next we did bent over rows and although this wasn't real heavy weight, they got tough very quickly. 4 sets of 8. 

Next we did close grip pulldowns with weighted crunches. Pulldowns weren't heavy, but I barely got sets of 8 reps. Then we did seal rows with weighted crunches.  Finished up with curls and rear delt fly's. Curls were a struggle after all they heavy pulling.

Great pull WO! Very pleased with this.  I haven't started dieting hard at all, but my weight isn't bad and this was a great WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 171.4 this morning.

Wed 6/20 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(75#DBInc)9,7,7
(175#PullDn)10,8,8
(120#Shldr)2x8
(45#SealRow)2x8
(190#Fly)9,8
(75#OHTri)10,8
(35#Curl)10,Hx10
(40#Crunch)2x10
(Band)2x15
(CrunchTwist)2x10

35 + 5 = 40 mins

Early morning WO, everything was shorter rests than normal due to time constraints. Started with steep angle incline with pulldowns. Incline were good controlled reps. Next we did shoulder press with seal rows. Then we did chest fly with overhead triceps extensions.  Then we did curls and weighted crunches. Finished up with band pulls and crunch twists. In and out in 40 mins.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 173.4 this morning.

Sun 6/17 - Push Day

Workout: Snap Fitness
(80#DBInc)9,7,6
(65#DBInc)8,7,60x6,6,45x10
(100#Shldr)9,8,8
(80#Skulls)8,60x12,12
(40#Crunch)3x10
(190#Fly)8,160x8,8
(CrunchTwist)3x10

65 + 7 =72 mins

Push day started with DB incline for 3 heavy sets. First set was great and got 9 reps. Normally 8 is max here. I was hoping to get 8,7 on the next 2 sets but still good effort with 7,6 for reps. Then we raised angle of incline and did 4 sets + a drop set. Very good work.  Then we did 3 sets shoulder press. Had to go lighter than normal after all the incline pressing. Then we did 3 sets skull crushers with weighted crunches. Started with 80#'s and it felt good for first few reps but got real hard, real quick. Finished up with chest fly's and crunch twists. After first set of fly's I dropped the weight by 30#'s and thought I'd get 10-12 reps. Chest was fried and barely got 8's.  Good WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 176.2 this morning.

Sat 6/16 - Pull Day

Workout: Snap Fitness
(35#Pullups)8,8,6,BWx6
(130#BOR)4x8
(145#PullDn)9,8
(40#SealRow)2x8
(35#Curl)10,30x10,Hx10
(Abs)20,15
(130#RDelt)2x12
(Crunch)2x12

45 + 5 = 50 mins

Pull day started with weighted pull-ups. I bumped the weight to 35#'s and was pleased with 8,8,6. I did a 4th set of body weight on short rest. Then we did bent over rows. Next was a superset of close grip pulldowns with seal rows. Then curls and abs. Finished up with rear delt fly's and crunches.  Very good pull WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 172.6 this morning.

Wed 6/13 - Upper

Workout: Club Fitness
(75#DBInc)8,8,7
(50#SealRow)3x8
(60#DBInc)8,8,7
(160#PullDn)3x8
(40#Curl)7,35x10
(75#OHTri)12,9
(40#Crunch)2x10
(Band)3x15
(Abs)3x12

44 + 6 = 50 mins

Workout at Club Fitness after work. Started with incline and seal row combo. Incline was a bit tougher than I thought it would be with 75#'s considering how I've done with 80#'s lately. I upped the weight on seal rows and they were good. Then I raised the angle of incline and did 3 more sets with 3 sets pulldowns.  Next I did overhead triceps extensions, DB curls and weighted crunches. The 35# DB's were all taken so I did my first set with 40's.  Too heavy. Finished up with 3 sets of band pulls and abs.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 172.8 this morning. After 4 days in VA for Hayden's graduation I weighed 176.4 on Monday. That's pretty good for a 4-day weekend away from home and out of normal eating routine.

Sat 6/9 - Upper (Ida Lee - Leesburg)

Workout: Ida Lee
(80#DBInc)8,7,6
(Pullups)12,10,9
(60#DBInc)8,8,7,7
(45#SealRow)4x8
(80#OHTri)10,8,65x11
(35#Curl)12,Hx10,30Hx10
(15#CableFly)2x10
(30#Crunch)2x12
(15#RDelt)2x12
(Abs)2x15

64 + 6 = 70 mins

Morning WO at Ida Lee gym. Started with incline and pull-up combo. Heavy incline was decent for 3 sets. The bench was really slippery and I felt like I was going to slide off. Pullups felt good. Then we did steep angle incline with seal rows, 4 sets each.  Next we did overhead triceps extensions and curls for 3 sets each.  Finished up with cable fly's, rear delts and ab work.  Solid WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
We're in VA for Hayden's graduation and not weighing myself. Eating healthy during the day with cheat meals here and there.

Wed 6/6 - Upper (early AM WO)

Workout: Snap Fitness
(75#DBInc)8,8,7
(Pullups)3x10
(130#Shldr)2x8
(40#SealRow)2x10
(35#Curl)10,Hx10
(120#Rope)10,9
(30#Crunch)2x10
(145#RDelt)10,130x10
(190#Fly)11
(Crunch)2x15

35 + 6 = 41 mins

Woke up at 4am for early morning workout. Had to be in and out fairly quickly.  Steep angle incline supersetted with pull-ups, fairly short rests. First 2 sets of incline felt great. 3rd set got really hard. I was expecting 3x8 to be a fairly moderate effort. Pull-ups felt good.  Next we did shoulder press with seal rows. Then curls and rope extensions. Finished up with abs, rear delts and a set of flys.  Short but sweet.  Good work in 40 minutes.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 174.4 this morning.

Sun 6/3 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(80#DBInc)8,8,6,5
(180#PullDn)9,9,8,8
(60#DBInc)3x8
(40#SealRow)3x10
(190#Fly)10,175x8,160x8
(80#Skulls)8,60x12,10
(80#EZCurl)10,30Hx10
(145#RDelt)10,130x10
(Crunch)3x20

63 + 7 = 70 mins

Woke up a bit stiff and worn out from the hike yesterday.  Warmups felt pretty good and we went at it.  Started with incline and pulldowns. Incline was pretty good and I'm glad I stuck with 80#DB's for all 4 sets even though reps dropped. I did pulldowns instead of pull-ups to give my elbows a bit of a break. Hiking with a heavy pack also leaves my lower back fatigued, so figured it could use the break too. I did 2 sets wide grip and 2 sets close grip with the v-bar handle.  Then we raised the angle of incline and did 3 sets paired with 3 sets Seal Rows. I was pleased with steep incline because I've only been able to get 7's on these recently.

Then we did chest fly with skull crushers.  80# skulls felt too heavy today and is hard on the elbows, so I dropped weight and they felt good. Fly's were good but my chest was fatigued so I dropped weight each set.  We finished up with curls, rear delts and crunches. I did a heavy set of EZ bar curls and it felt good. Need to remember to push the weight here at least occasionally.  Solid work today.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 177.0 this morning. At a lot after 13 mile hike yesterday.  Mamacita's Taco Temple in Asheville after the hike and then various goodies and cereal later last night.

Sat 6/2 - Mountains to Sea Hike

We wanted to do an overnight backpacking trip and the weather was looking dicey all weekend with fairly high potential for thunderstorms. We were looking West, South, North for a place with least likelihood of storms. Everything within 4-hour drive was stuck at 50% chance of thunderstorms.

So, with the weather in mind, we decided to pick a place as close as we could. We found a trailhead to the Mountains to Sea trail near Asheville.  About a 2-hour drive away.  We hiked out 3-3.5 hours and stopped for lunch.  It was hot and HUMID and fairly buggy.  We were talking about the rest of the hike and day and figured we'd get to a campsite by 4pm.  There weren't any views, so we'd be sitting around in the humidity, buggy, nor view woods until dark. 

Enter talk of Mamacita's Taco Temple and the decision was easy.  We'd hike back to the car and go to our favorite taco joint in Asheville and then drive home.  This would give us Sunday to go to the gym, do laundry, start organizing house for move.

It turned out to be a good decision on several fronts.  Biggest reason was shortly after we finished dinner, they skies opened up with a downpour and thunderstorm.  Salem is really skittish about storms and I think she would have freaked out on the trail.  On our hike out there we could hear some gunfire at a nearby shooting range and Salem got really scared. We had to put her on-leash because she kept trying to hide in bushes, under logs, anywhere she could find. It was sad, frustrating, funny all at the same time.

Anyway, all-in-all a pretty good day.  The trail surface on this section of MTS was smooth, really great for hiking.  The downsides were no views and much of the trail was close to the Blue Ridge Parkway so there was quite a bit of traffic noise at times.  Wouldn't do this one again even though we enjoyed the day.

6.5 hours, about 13 miles for the day.

Wed 5/30 - Upper

Workout: Club Fitness
(80#DBInc)8,8,5
(30#Pullups)8,8,6
(60#DBInc)7,6,6
(90#IsoRow)3x8
(80#OHTri)2x10
(35#Curl)10,Hx10
(35#Crunch)2x10
(Band)3x12
(Crunch)3x12

45 + 5 = 50 mins

Workout after work. Warmups didn't feel great but I decided to go heavy anyway. Started with incline and weighted pull-ups superset.  I was pleased with first 2 sets of incline. 2nd set went just about to failure and I just didn't have much left for the 3rd set. I was hoping to get 6 reps, but 5 was all I had in me. Weighted pull-ups were good with more weight than I've been doing. Next I raised angle of incline and did 3 more sets, paired with Iso Rows. I used to use this machine a lot at LA Fitness and really like it. It's not near the dumbbells at the gym, so I tend to forget it's there. It's plate loaded and can be done 1-arm or both arms at the same time. I did both arms.  Great movement and machine.

Then I did overhead triceps extensions, curls and weighted crunches. OHTri's were good with this weight. Finished up with band pulls and crunches.  Very nice WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 173.6 this morning, down from 180.4 on Sunday.

Sun 5/27 - Pull Day + Contract on New House

Workout: Snap Fitness
(170#BOR)3x6,120x10
(Pullups)10,9,9
(40#SealRow)8,35x10,10
(Abs)3x15
(35#Curl)10,Hx10,30Hx10
(Band)3x15
(Crunch)3x15

50 + 4 = 54 mins

Pull WO this morning.  Started with Bent Over Rows and went heavier than I have been. And it felt HEAVY. Last rep of 3rd set I felt something twinge in my lower back, so I dropped the weight for the last set. Then we did pull-ups. I was very pleased with sets of 10,9,9 after doing heavy BOR.  Then we did seal rows with abs. Had to drop the weight on seal rows after first set.  Finished up with a triple-set of curls, band pulls and crunches.  Solid WO.

We put a contract on a home yesterday and celebrated with sushi dinner at 9PM. Really bloated this morning and weight was really high. Super excited about the new home, but hate the waiting game where so many things can derail the deal. Closing is scheduled early to mid July.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 180.4 this morning.

Sat 5/26 - Push Day

Workout: Snap Fitness
(80#DBInc)8,7,6,70x7
(60#DBInc)3x7
(120#Shldr)8,7
(30#Crunch)2x12
(190#Fly)10,175x9
(Crunch)2x15
(120#Rope)11,9

40 + 6 = 46 mins

Push WO this morning before house hunting all day.  Started with DB incline and had 3 good sets with 80#DB's, then a set with 70's. Changed it up this morning and didn't have the angle of the incline as steep as normal for first exercise. Then we increased angle for 3 sets.  Solid work on first 2 movements.  Then we did shoulder press with weighted crunches. Finished up with triple-set of chest fly, crunches and rope extensions. Good WO. Off to look at homes!

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 175.6 this morning.

Wed 5/23 - Upper

Workout: Snap Fitness
(80#DBInc)8,7,70x7
(Pullups)15,10,8
(60#DBInc)2x7
(140#SeatRow)2x8
(75#OHTri)10,12
(35#Curl)10,Hx10
(30#Crunch)2x10
(Band)3x12
(Crunch)3x12

44 + 6 = 50 mins

Evening upper body workout after work. Started with incline and pull-up combination. Incline was pretty good. Still getting back to where I was prior to backpacking trip. Pullups were fairly good. GREAT first set of 15, decent set of 10 and then faded and barely got 8.  Then I raised angle of incline and did 2 more sets paired with seated rows.

Next was a combination of overhead triceps extensions, curls and weighted crunches.  Finished up with band pulls and more crunches.  Pretty good workout.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 173.2 this morning.

Sun 5/20 - Push Day

Workout: Snap Fitness
(80#DBInc)8,6,70x7,7
(60#DBInc)3x7
(120#Shldr)2x8
(CaptChair)2x10
(190#Fly)10,175x10
(120#Rope)10,9
(Crunch)2x15
(25#CableFly)10,10,8
(Abs)3x12

54 + 6 = 60 mins

Push day today. Started with incline and did 80#DB's for the first 2 sets. Struggled on 6th rep of 2nd set. Dropped to 70#DB's and got 2 sets of 7. Then I raised the angle of incline and got 3x7. A few reps down on incline from before the backpacking trip to Utah and a short layoff, but not bad.  Then I supersetted leg raises in the captain's chair with shoulder press.

Next was a triple-set of chest fly's, rope extensions and crunches, 2 sets each.  Finished up with 3 sets cable fly's and abs.  Solid WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 177.0 this morning.

Sat 5/19 - Pull Day

Workout: Snap Fitness
(25#Pullups)3x8
(InvertRow)3x10
(145#PullDn)2x8
(25#Crunch)2x10
(120#SLDL)3x8
(Crunch)3x15
(35#Curl)10,Hx10,30x10
(35#SealRow)3x10
(Band)3x15

60 + 5 = 65 mins

Pull day today.  Started with weighted pull-ups and was fairly pleased with 3x8. Next we did inverted rows - they started real easy but got fairly difficult by the 7th/8th rep each set. Tried to hold at contraction and lower myself slowly last couple of reps each set.  Then we did close grip pulldowns with weighted crunches.  Next was SLDL with crunches. I did SLDL with a barbell and they felt pretty good.  Curls and seal rows were next for 3 sets. Hadn't done seal rows in at least 2.5 years. Good movement. Finished up with band pulls.  Solid pull WO.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 176.8 this morning.

Wed 5/17 - Upper

Workout: Club Fitness
(75#DBInc)8,8,7
(Pullups)3x10
(55#DBShldr)8.7
(135#BOR)2X8
(75#OHTri)2x10
(35#Curl)10,Hx10
(CaptChair)2x10
(15#RDelt)2x10
(20#Crunch)3x10

44+ 6 = 50 mins

Haven't worked out in about 2 weeks since we were backpacking in Canyonlands National Park. Figure it will take me a couple of WO's to get back to where I left off.

Started with incline and pull-up combo. Incline was tough, pull-ups were decent.  Next was shoulder press with bent-over-row. Then triceps, curls and leg raises. Finished up with rear delt fly's and weighted crunches.  Decent WO to start getting back into it.

Nutrition/Weight:
I weighed 175.0 this morning. Still dealing with bloat and weight gain from trip out West.