Consistency (part 2)

[CF-OC_gal]

Ok so I'm starting a new thread for my journal since I have started a new program. Here is the link to my previous one: consistency consistency Aug 15-Oct.20 2004

Oct. 21

TOD: 8PM
Weight: 135.5lbs

Full body Workout
(3 sets of 5 reps per exercise, 60 rests)

10 minute warmup
(brisk walk on track, light callesthenics and DB work)

1. BB decline bench press - 56, 61, 65 lbs *
2. Seated Cable rowing - 60, 85, 85 lbs
3. Standing DB shoulder press - 17.5, 20 ,20 lbs
4. Hack squats (to below parallel) - 50, 50, 50 lbs*
5. Standing calf raise - 200, 240, 240 lbs*
6. Standing leg curls (one leg) - 30, 30, 15 lbs

* I had to estimate what weights to use. These were too low.

[cursor]

Glad to see you complete that 9th week of steady progress, Brat! What makes you change what you were doing previously?

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by cursor

Glad to see you complete that 9th week of steady progress, Brat! What makes you change what you were doing previously?

Hi Cursor

I was coming back after a layoff to heal elbow tendonitis so I didn't want to overdo it on the intensity or the enthusiam. Plus I have a habit of weight training for 3 months then taking 6 months off of doing any formal exercise instead of learning new skills. I don't have a hard time maitaining my health and appearance with minimal exercise so there is little motivation from fear or disgust. I have to search deep to find ways that interest me to challenge myself. I'm neither naturally strong nor naturally endomorphic.

The change was to avoid workout adaptation and to force me to focus on and try new things. I've started to experiment with the idea of maintaining normal bodyfat levels (for women) and improving my strength base. At this point dropping bodyfat will not give me any advantage from the point of view of health risks but it makes cardio exercise easier if I were to let it drop.

We'll see what happens.

[CF-OC_gal]

Oct. 22
Running Intervals

TOD: 11:10pm
warmup - 10 min walk (@110 bpm)
intervals - 20 min. run/walk 90sec/30sec (range 153 bpm/142 bpm)
warm down -5 min walk (@ 112 bpm)
3 min. stretching

-purchased a maglight to run with as a little reward- incentive. Now I can see my watch and HRM better in the dark!

[CF-OC_gal]

Oct. 23

TOD: 6PM
Weight: 134.5lbs

Full body Workout
(3 sets of 8 reps per exercise, 90sec. rests)

10 minute warmup
(brisk walk on track, light callesthenics and DB work)

1. Full squats - 95 lbs
2. Deadlifts - 115 lbs
3. WG pulldown (behind neck) - 75 lbs
4. Flat bench DB chest press - 27, 25, 20 lbs
5. BB curl - 30 lbs
6. skull-crusher - 15 lbs

- now I can believe "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!"
This is not particularly all that much to do, but I swear between sets for squats and deadlifts made me feel like I was recouping between labour pains that were 90 seconds apart, lots of heavy breathing and exhausion. I've always hated 8-rep workouts!

[CF-OC_gal]

Oct. 24 - day off (I'm switching from Mondays to Sundays 'cuz it hurts too much to run after deads and squats on the same day)

Oct. 25

Running Intervals

TOD: 5pm
warmup - 20 min walk (@101 bpm)
intervals - 20 min. run/walk 90sec/30sec (range 155 bpm/145 bpm)
warm down -5 min walk (@ 110 bpm)
3 min. stretching

[CF-OC_gal]

Oct.26

Full body Workout
(2 sets of 15 reps per exercise, 120sec. rests)

TOD: 10pm
Wt: 132 (home scale)

10 minute warmup
(brisk walk outside, light callesthenics and DB work)

1.Single leg good mornings - BW
2. Upright DB rows (wide) - 5 lbs, 8 lbs
3. Pushups w/legs on ball (at knees and at shins)- BW
4. Single leg squats (rear leg on bench) - BW
5. Tucked knees on ball presses (for delts) - BW
6. Ball crunches (narrrow stance for feet) - BW

* Well 15 reps were hard to do for most of these, especially the squats ! If anything fires the glutes for me it is bodyweight balance work. I'm having a fitness test done on Thursday so I get to see what's changed since February when I was 22% BF (by caliper)!

[MrsRiley]

I don't have a hard time maitaining my health and appearance with minimal exercise so there is little motivation from fear or disgust.

ditto. sounds like you have a good approach for this!

Are you sore day after deadlifts?? Looks like you are lifting alot of weight there!! I'm no where near that level but I know I could lift alot more than I am but I'm a lil afraid cuz it seems so easy while I'm doing um but then I am really sore the next day anyways.

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by MrsRiley

ditto. sounds like you have a good approach for this!

Are you sore day after deadlifts?? Looks like you are lifting alot of weight there!! I'm no where near that level but I know I could lift alot more than I am but I'm a lil afraid cuz it seems so easy while I'm doing um but then I am really sore the next day anyways.

As far as my apporach goes, I've just "bought into" the idea that regular exercise is good for you.

RE: Deadlifts. I was sore after that day but then I haven't done them for a while. Last time around I did SLDL and they don't do me like the standard kind do. The only way to reduce the soreness is to do them a lot more often.

Thanks for asking!

[CF-OC_gal]

Oct. 27

Running Intervals

TOD: 9:35pm
warmup - 10 min walk (@110 bpm)
intervals - 20 min. run/walk 90sec/30sec (range 157 bpm/145 bpm)
warm down -5 min walk (@ 108 bpm)
3 min. stretching

It was fun watching the eclipse of the moon tonight and all the people who were out watching it too!

[MrsRiley]

yah I realize the more often you do um the less soreness you will get. I guess I didn't ask my question clearly....What I wanna know is how much weight should you be using?? Should you lift as much as you can and still get in all your reps?? Like what kinda weight did you start out with?? Did you build up to higher weights pretty quickly or did it take a long time??

[CF-OC_gal]

Originally Posted by MrsRiley

Should you lift as much as you can and still get in all your reps?? Like what kinda weight did you start out with?? Did you build up to higher weights pretty quickly or did it take a long time??

You are asking about deadlifts right?

I treat them like any other exercise. I lift as much as I can to failure. (right now I'm on an "almost to failure" scheme). This time around the weight I posted is my starting out weight. When I first started bodybuilding training (many years ago) I can't remember what I started at. I have notes from back then that I was doing reps with 170 for 3 and I weighed 120 lbs.

[MrsRiley]

ok that's what I wanted to know..thanks!

[CF-OC_gal]

Oct. 28 - Fitness test today.

These are my percentile scores with my last test scores in brackets (done Feb.2004) The Body Composition and Musculoskeletal Fitness scores are how I measure against Canada Fitness Survey Norms and the Aerobic score is against the Carleton University Fitness Center Norms- theyve been collecting data for over 30 years. For most, a higher percentile is a better level of fitness or an indicator of a lower health risk.

Body Composition
BMI 60 (60)
Sum of 5 Skinfolds - 60 (55)
Waist Girth - 75 (65)
Sum of Trunk Skinfolds - 60 (45)

Aerobic
VO2max - 80 (70)

Musculoskeletal Fitness
Situps - 95 (95)
Handgrip - 20 (40)
Pushups - 90 (70)
Sit-reach - 95 (90)

My bodyfat is 21% done with a 10 site caliper skinfold measurement down from 22.3% and my weight is down 2 lbs and waist measurement is down 1/2 inch.

So the big improvement is in aerobic ability and upperbody strength (pushup test) but some loss in handgrip strength understandibly considering that I am still healing tendonitis. My resting heart rate showed a big drop as well. I was told that my improvements in cardiovascular fitness were very good and the positive changes don't normally jump that much for people who've been tested. I was encouraged to keep it up and not to be surprised if it levels off anytime soon.

I also learned that we generally keep at least 50% of our strength improvements even a year after stopping training where as cardiovascular training benefits drop right back to 0. We start to lose the training benefits within 3 days of not training! So keep up with your cardio folks.

The moral of this story is to keep doing what I am doing at the pace I am doing it.

I'll be going for a 30-40 minute walk today and resuming my gym workouts tomorrow.

[CF-OC_gal]

Oct.29

Full body Workout
(3 sets of 5 reps per exercise, 60sec. rests)

TOD: 9pm
Wt: 137.5

10 minute warmup
(brisk walk , light callesthenics and DB work)
Antagonistic training - pairs of exercises done one after another then the 2nd set for each one after another

1. BB bench press - 85, 80, 75
2. BB bent over rowing - 45, 60, 65

3. Front squats - 85, 85, 85
4. Good mornings - 45, 55, 65

5. DB curls - 15, 17.5, 17.5
6. Tricep bench dips - 15, 17.5, 17.5

----------------
did 2 sets of 15 rep DB wrist curls with 12 lbs - just to keep up strengthening that elbow tendon.

* think I'm going to drop the light dumbell work and do one 50-60% weight warm up set instead for days I do 3x5 reps. I don't feel I get enough out of the first set just jumping in at the working weight for 5 reps.

I'm finding this plan quite interesting - better and easier than expected. It feels more like a dynamic challenge. Today I actually caught a glimpse of some deltoid striations popping out while doing arm work!