a_welch503 WORKOUT JOURNAL

[gcs118]

I know you go lighter than normal, but damn, all those lifts has to beat the heck outta you. Plus any additional warm-ups that you gotta throw in there, too. Sheesh!

[.V.]

It's really not bad. The light weight allows more frequency plus progressive resistance. I get to increase the weight every workout. I start out by knowing my RM for each 2 week block and start lower and work up to a new RM. Kind of a slow way to get stronger but it reduces liklihood of injury since it's such a gradual process. I loved lifting heavier and heavier every week with Max OT. However, my CNS simply can't handle it for now. I was getting hurt at least every month, sometimes more often.

If all goes as planned, I should eventually be getting new PR's 4 times for every lift in each 8 week training cycle. Not as cool as one every week but safer for this old body and it's old joints.

The warmups the way I do them aren't really part of the plan - I just choose to do them the way I warmed up with Max OT. That is the most sensible warmup routine I've found for my body to date.

[.V.]

Awakened this AM with legs and feet feeling a sensation of being cold which progressed into spasms of left hamstring, calf, and foot. The foot is trying to close like a hand making a fist. Could have forced it and went for cardio today, but decided being able to lift tomorrow is more important than trying to run today. Took day off.

I think you made a good call Andy. Hope you get a good rest and wake feeling like Tony the Tiger. Have a great day!

[.V.]

Originally Posted by pierini

I think you made a good call

It was a good choice. Woke this morning still crampy and spasming, but this is generally my life. It was manageable and I got a great workout.

10-13-2006

2x10 - done - moving on to 3x5.
Squat...............175
SLDL................175
Row.................150
BB Flat Bench.......150
OHP..................85
P/U...............BW+30
Cable Crunch.........85
CDL.................205
Leg Extension.......145
Good Morning.........95
Calf Raise..........205
Shrug...............205
Curl.................95
Skull Crusher........95
DB Bench.............65

Nutrition
Time to re-calculate. I got my bulking belly, I think I've gained enough fat to survive the impending increase in cardio which will evolve into triathlon training by late November, giving me 6 good months to build up to triathlon survival by May. If I find that I'm running off what little muscle I have or getting too "stringy" looking, I'll increase again. I went from stringy to chick magnet to a little pudgy - which is in line with my next goal.

I'll gradually reduce to about 3650/day over the next couple of months and see what happens from there. I'm keeping my current macros of Carbs 45%, Protein 35%, Fat 20%.

Comments
Some of the weights went up easier than expected so I'll be recalculating for the 5's to go a bit heavier than planned with some lifts.

[seraph]

Originally Posted by a_welch503

The warmups the way I do them aren't really part of the plan - I just choose to do them the way I warmed up with Max OT. That is the most sensible warmup routine I've found for my body to date.

i like the MAX-OT warm up and still use it :

and as far as you taking the day off the other day; sometimes its harder to give in and take the day off, so good call on that.

[.V.]

10-17-2006


3x5 Been looking forward to this one for a month

Squat...............140
SLDL................140
Row.................150
BB Flat Bench.......150
OHP..................80
P/U...............BW+10
Cable Crunch.........80
CDL.................125
Leg Extension.......120
Good Morning.........80
Calf Raise..........125
Shrug...............125
Curl.................80
Skull Crusher........80
DB Bench.............45


Comments:
Made today fun. Supersetted squat and sldl without a break, cleaning from sldl to the pins for squatting and doing the next set.

Same thing for calf raise, shrug, cdl.

Even though today was a scheduled light day, doing this made it rather fun. I'll do it again for a time or two. But with 10lb increments each workout for squats/sldls and 20lbs for deads, calf raises, shrugs...it won't happen for long.

[.V.]

10-19-2006

3x5
Squat...............160
SLDL................160
Row.................155
BB Flat Bench.......155
OHP..................85
P/U...............BW+15
Cable Crunch.........85
CDL.................145
Leg Extension.......125
Good Morning.........85
Calf Raise..........145
Shrug...............145
Curl.................85
Skull Crusher........85
DB Bench.............50

Comments
Another good workout. Things moved more quickly today, had fun supersetting the workouts that used the same weights on the bar again. BOR didn't hurt my low back today at all, really made the lats work though. Still looking to change to DB's next training cycle. There will be other changes too, sets/reps/progresion will be different, BB curls and skull crushers are being replaced with heavy dumbell work. Forearms need work and dumbells seem to fit that bill quite nicely.

[.V.]

10-21-2006

3x5
Squat...............160
SLDL................160
DB Row..............80s
BB Flat Bench.......160
OHP..................80
P/U...............BW+20
Cable Crunch.........90
CDL.................165
Leg Extension.......130
Good Morning.........90
Calf Raise..........165
Shrug...............165
Curl.................90
Skull Crusher........90
DB Bench............55s

Comments:
Nice day today. Got interrupted for an hour, but ate again then started over. I'm loving the 5's this is my favorite part. I don't care for only doing 3 sets, but that will change for good at the end of this training cycle.

Why does an 80lb dumbell in one hand weigh more than a 160lb barbell in two hands? Oh well, my lats are fried and I'm happy. Just call me happy guy with fried little lats for the rest of the day and sore guy with ILS tomorrow. I like to hit 'em hard, but don't like not being able to put my arms down the next day - I feel like a goof and look worse with arms sticking out to the side with no apparent reason. At least tomorrow I won't have to be seen in public.

[.V.]

Cardio - just a 1.5 mile walk today.

Instead of being lazy, I'll call it a sensible re-acclimation to cardio after too long off.

[.V.]

10-23-2006

3x5
Squat...............170
SLDL................170
DB Row.............82.5
BB Flat Bench.......165

Comments:
Woke feeling bad, weak, the usual stuff...just worse today. Not motivated to get to the gym. Finally forced myself after finding every possible excuse I could think of. Finally ran out of excuses and made my lazy butt go lift. I only did the "basic 4". I actually feel like I got a good workout though.

The only things that really feel neglected are my abs and traps.
This is maybe an eye-opener...perhaps to get a good full body workout I don't have to actually do every lift I can think of for every body part?

Making me re-think my next phase of training. It may simply be: Squat, Bench, Dead, Row, Pullup, OHP, Shrug, Crunch. Eight lifts instead of 14. Is it possible? Is it real? Can one possibly get good results on that? Perhaps we'll see or perhaps I'll get over this laziness that has overwhelmed me today and train harder next time.

You can always drop down to the floor at home and do a couple rounds of prone ab planks. I personally find that a single set of an ab plank to failure (currently 3:32 for me) is a darn good ab/core workout when working on a short schedule.

For a good home trap workout, everytime your wife asks you a question, just shrug your shoulders and say "I dunno".

Next workout will be better.

[.V.]

Thanks P. Actually, the workout wasn't too bad. I just felt so crappy going into it that I had to stop before doing the whole thing. I did find a couple rounds of home alternative cardio made me feel somewhat better about things though. Even through in some strongman work - wife carrying. I'm not going to describe the routine though - this is after all the DF forum, not the penthouse forum. I'm giving some serious thought to the shorter workouts with less lifts next time around though. I've been thinking about doing a Starr/Madcow/HST hybrid for 8 weeks, then just doing a Starr 5x5 for 8 weeks to compare them. I still have a lot to learn about lifting, and trying stuff is the only way to really learn it.

[.V.]

10-25-2006

3x5
Squat...............180
SLDL................180
DB Row...............85
BB Flat Bench.......170
Shrug...............205
OHP..................90
Pullup...............30

1 hour and done. Dropping a few may have been a good idea after all. I'm paying for not doing my pullups and shrugs last time though. I'm already sore.

[.V.]

10-27-2006

3x5
Squat...............190
SLDL................190

Nutrition: Don't know, about 5 PB&J sandwiches, steak and potato cooking now.

Comments: Best squats ever. Not the heaviest, but the heaviest going all the way this deep, feet narrow, butt touching calves at the bottom. Actually, coming up was way easier than I'd thought it would be.

Workout got interrupted by some avoidable things so I got an extra day's rest and I'll have to repeat it Sunday. I'll probably go heavier on squats and deads, do today's work on the rest, then start my 5x3 on Tuesday instead of Sunday. Or just start 5x3 on schedule...don't know yet. Dave - advice? Get last 3x5 before starting 5x3 or go ahead and start?