a_welch503 WORKOUT JOURNAL

[trainerty]

You make an interesting point. I know many who hold back squats as the #1 functional/primal exercise. Squatting so your hammies connect with your calves is an impressive sight. I'm curious what your goal with these squats are? I read back into your journal and see if I can find it.

[.V.]

Strength and flexibility. kicking power. Continuing to be functional. That's the basic goals.

[minime]

I agree : to see the hammies touch the calves is an impressive sight. I'd settle for seeing the thigh parallel to the floor! I am forever seeing guys 'squatting' to a 45 degree angle.

Welch front squats are a killer : i did them last week and i couldnt even do one with 88lbs ! They are a humbling exercise for sure.

Great job on the rows & bench 190lbs is pretty darn good.

[.V.]

30-30-2007

5x5 - heavy day

Front Squat............45, 55, 65
Squat.......85, 95, 110, 125, 140
Row.......110, 125, 145, 165, 190
Bench.....110, 125, 145, 165, 190
Cable Crunch..............115x4x9

Cardio - been slacking on logging this because it's usually the same boring stuff. Wind is improving a little but not enough. Today, because it's weight training day I just did a bag workout. The usual stuff except when combination practice time came I just did various simple jab, pucnch, hook combinations. Why? Because my kicking is good, my nerve strikes are good, my organ strikes are great, but my boxing skills suck. I noticed that when I deliver a strike to open up the chest for a heart strike I'm dropping my right way too soon leaving my own right jaw, temple, and worse yet pneumogastric nerve bundle totally exposed. Time to fix that - how? Being better with my hands.

Good workout today, especially considering I sat up all night 2 nights in a row. I do need a nap. Took my 3 rep finishing weight to 5 today. I see the wall looming ahead on rows but will see how far I can go before I hit it. Bench? I see that going on to more than bodyweight x5 in the near future. Squat, as always I have no idea what's going to happen there.

Next workout I'll see how my idea of a light week alternated with a heavy week of deadlifting turns out.

Progress update: Weight up 0.4lbs. That puts me back up to 195 after the initial weight loss to 189 when I made the dietary changes. 6lbs in 3 weeks? I guess that's OK but would like to have more. I'm not backing off the cardio so I'll eat more. Blood pressure still coming on down closer to my normal. Resting heart rate is getting slower. Not too bad for a chain smoking lazy guy. Oh yeah, I've managed to cut back from 60 cigarettes a day to 40. Next stop - 20.

I think too, that when my first set of back squats is up to 90, I'll increase the front squats by 5lbs/set too.

[gymgirl]

Like i told you before, i have no idea how you pull these all nighters! If i don't get at least 7 hours of sleep (i do best on 8-9) there is no way i am hitting the gym.

Anyway your workouts are looking good, glad to see you keeping the front squats in there. They will definitely be helpful when you decide to learn oly-lifting.

[tim_mcf]

That's a lot of cigarettes!

[.V.]

Originally Posted by tim_mcf

That's a lot of cigarettes!

Yeah, one is too many. The free radicals produced from each inhalation are pretty damn bad.

But a 1/3 reduction is good. I don't actually smoke the whole thing. Light it, use about 1/4 of it, and toss it out. Just enough to stop cravings. Once gone, no reason to have the whole thing. If I got one of those smoke savers that smothers it out for re-use I'd probably smoke about 1/2 pack a day. But the more they cost the more incentive I have to keep cutting back.

The allnighters? I really didn't mean to. Just happened. Forgot to go to bed. It was actually 3 nights in a row instead of two.

[gymgirl]

Originally Posted by tim_mcf

That's a lot of cigarettes!

that's what i thought too. Andy i only recently learned that you smoke. do you smoke out of boredom, habit or addiction?

[.V.]

All three.

But you left one out.


Stupidity.

But since I'm not going to live long enough for them to kill me, it really doesn't matter. But, I'm cutting back maybe even going to quit. Why? Nothing I can do about length of life. But there are a great many things I can do about quality of life.

I was told that since I won't live long enough to get into the health troubles that they cause to smoke if I liked them. But I've recently realized something. I don't like them anymore. Just give bad breath, make clothes stink, and cost too much money for no benefit.

[minime]

great job on cutting down welch! And good luck to you on the quitting... I know it is a hard thing. I wish that my parents would quit smoking but i dont think they ever will. It's very sad.

The expense must be huge, especially at 60 a day! wow that is a lot.

Wish u all the best with 'kicking the habit'!

[Firehawk]

How do you lose 100+lbs of fat but struggle quitting smoking? I've never smoked, but it doesn't make sense to me.

I hvae a bodybuilder friend who is in great shape, is very strict with his diet, can diet down no problem, but can't stop smoking. It's amazing. He's got all this will power for everything other than smoking.

Seems to me quitting smoknig would be easier...all you have to do is NOT smoke.

But like I said, I've never smoked so...

Originally Posted by Firehawk

How do you lose 100+lbs of fat but struggle quitting smoking? I've never smoked, but it doesn't make sense to me.

I hvae a bodybuilder friend who is in great shape, is very strict with his diet, can diet down no problem, but can't stop smoking. It's amazing. He's got all this will power for everything other than smoking.

Seems to me quitting smoknig would be easier...all you have to do is NOT smoke.

But like I said, I've never smoked so...

I can certainly understand because nicotine is highly addictive.

Firehawk, you may not be able to understand because you have never smoked. Good for you. But use a familiar frame of reference and you'll understand. Take binge eating for example. Seems to me that quitting binge eating would be easier . . . all you have to do is NOT binge eat.

Is that a little easier to understand?

[Firehawk]

I anticipated that comparison coming.

No it isn't, because you still have to eat, which means it's still familiar and thus it's not 'stopping binge eating', it's 'not eating so much'. Not the same as just stopping.

You don't have to smoke at all to live, but you still have to eat.

Bottom line, for me, I have a much easier time with quitting whatever it is i don't want to be addicted to, as opposed to 'cutting down'.

I understand what you are saying Firehawk. That's why I've implemented a strict no cakes, cookies, candies, ice cream, chocolate, crackers and chips policy. It is easier for me to eat NONE that to eat ONE! Go figure.

Sorry Andy for high-jacking your thread.

[Firehawk]

Like i said I don't know what it's like to be addicted to Nicotine so I'm speaking without experience.