StevenD's Workout Journal

[StevenD]

One workout journal to rule them all...



I'm finally getting around to doing a workout journal. I'll cover the basics in this post then continue with weekly or bi-weekly updates.

Age: 25
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 148 lbs.

~Approximate~

Waist: 31 in.
Chest: 36 in.
Hips: 36 in.
Bicep: 12.5 in.

I have been weight training since April 2002, but I didn't start on free weights until October. I wish I had done so earlier. That's when I started having a better thought out routine and started making real progress. I workout a minimum of 3 days per week, and I prefer 4 on a 3-day split. I don't assign a particular muscle group to a specific day. I rotate so that any unexpected interruptions don't result in a muscle group lagging behind over time. This also means that each part of the split gets worked out twice in 1 week, once every 3 weeks. I like working out 4 days, and I don't seem to have a problem with recovery or overtraining, though I take care to push each muscle group to the max.

I pair Chest & Tri's, Back & Shoulders, and Legs & Bi's. I workout on Monday, Tuesday, and two of Thursday Friday and Saturday. Because of church services, I rest on Wednesday and Sunday. I workout for 1 hour usually in the 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. range.

My current routine:

On all muscle groups, I follow this pattern:

Exercise 1
1 warm-up set of 10 reps @ 60%~ of workout weight
1 warm-up set of 8 reps @ 80%~ of workout weight
3 work-out sets for 6, 5, and 4 reps, respectively. That's total failure after pushing to complete the 6th, 5th, and 4th rep. If I can do 7 or 8 on the first set, I go up in weight for the second and third sets.

Exercise 2, etc.
3 workout sets of 6, 5, and 4 reps

Then rinse and repeat for the next muscle group. The one exception I make is for tri's. I feel they get plenty warmed up by the flat bench press and incline bench press. So, I just go straight to workout sets for those.

Chest and Tri's: Exercise (Current Weight In Lbs.)
BB flat bench press (115)
DB incline bench press (35 DB's)
arm cross machine (100~actual weight 60?)
cable pushdowns (35)<---new exercise
assisted dips (89)

Back and Shoulders:
lever incline row (50+ whatever the bar is)
deadlifts (will start these this week, was doing the pullover machine)
DB shoulder press (35 DB's)
front military press (35 each arm) <---new exercise
DB front raise (15 DB's)

Legs and Bi's:
smith machine squats (70) <---I try to go past 90 degrees for max ROM and will make transition to BB in near future
leg extension (30 per leg)
standing calf raise (235) <--- new exercise
bicep curl with the ez curl bar (45)
preacher curl (45)

[abarlament]

I think squats are a real good leg exercise, they are basicly the standard I believe. Maybe you don't have the equipment? Otherwise you might want to look into them.

[StevenD]

I do squats, but I was originally shown how to do them only on the Smith machine. The benefit of that was that I didn't need a spotter. With the Smith machine, balance isn't a concern, only the up-down movement. When a friend was showing me how to do them with a BB, I quickly realized that balance and all the stabilizers necessary for excellent form was something I needed to work on. I plan on making the transition by doing my 2 warm-up sets with BB, then do workout sets with the Smith machine. When I'm comfortable with my form, I'll do workout sets with a BB and a spotter.

[Fudomyo]

How about leg press instead of extensions? Extensions aren't the best for the ole knee joints, and leg press is way harder (must be better).

Smith machine is evil. Wean yourself. Sounds like you have a good plan for that.

[StevenD]

I do the leg extensions after squats to make sure I've pushed my quads to their max. Leg presses are great I agree, but I had intended to use them in rotation with squats, as my big compound exercise, every two months. Any thoughts Fudo?

[Fudomyo]

Personally I don't get leg growth without doing squats, leg press, and deadlifts (diff day). I think I've tried all the combinations of just two of them. Could be I just have bad squat form.

I do 3 squats, 3 leg press, and 2 RDL's on leg day. It's a killer. You could squeeze in your biceps work in between sets pretty easilyl. You don't mention how many sets you do, but I'd suspect you'll need some more. It's your biggest muscle group. Takes a fair bit to get some good stimulation.

Fudo

[StevenD]

I do 3 workout sets to failure on each exercise. I thought about doing DL's on shoulders and back day. Are you suggesting I should move it leg day instead? Should do a seated row or lat pull down in its place on back day? Just some quick questions. I will give this some more thought and further reply later.

[Fudomyo]

DL's are great on back day. Squats, leg presses, and dls are way too much for one workout.

[StevenD]

I've been meaning to get back to my journal for a week now. Let's see where I'm at.

I did shoulders and back today.

I'm still not doing deadlifts yet. I found out the guy I wanted to show me had quit. Now I'm looking for the best alternative. I'm kinda picky when it come to lifts like squats and deads because of the potential for injury if I screw up.

For the moment I do back extensions with a 45 lb weight held close to my chest. 3 sets of 8. I would go heavier but holding the 45 lb plate is bulky and awkward as it is.

incline lever row (65 lbs +bar) I went up 10 lbs today from my previous weight.

In fact, I have been moving up the weights on many of my exercises these last few trips to the gym. I attribute the improvement to the fact that I have made a much more serious effort to improve my pre and post workout nutrition. Lots of carbs, with protein in proportion, and very little fat. I've managed around 1100 calories from an hour and a half before to an hour and a half after my workout. I drink a protein shake just before I walk out the door and immediately when I get back. I'm taking more care to rest properly and to drink more water. (Special thanks to Fudo, cursor, and the DF community for the good advice.)

DB shoulder press (40 lb DB's) I my reps were 5, 4, 3. I got halfway to completing the next rep on each of those. I can't go back to 35's because I did too many reps last time. One problem though, I seem to lose form and arch my back when using the 40's. I used a seat with a high back and my legs to push myself back into the pad. Still didn't work. Trying to fix my form in the middle of the set is what cost me the 6th, 5th, and 4th reps. Now that I think about it, perhaps I was pressing the DB's just a little behind my head instead of directly over it. Thoughts anyone? I will see if I can schedule a shoulder day when my friend will be there and get him to check my form.

front military press (40 lbs each arm) I screwed up on this. In the past I think I didn't have the seat at the right height (until I found the directions). Later, I forgot my previous weight and started out with 30 lbs each arm. Annoying. Anyway, today I did 6 reps on second set, so I moved up to 40.

front raise (17.5 lb DB's)

I tossed in 1 set of DB shrugs with 55 lb DB's for 10 reps. Worked my grip more than my traps.

I'm tired. I will update on my legs & biceps and chest & triceps Sunday or Monday.

[Fudomyo]

Bend down, pick up the bar.
Put bar back down.

Don't think, it hurts the team.

[ebon00]

Deadlifts rule. And I agree with Fudomyo, this ain't brain surgery. Just stay tight, and don't lose concentration. You don't need to try heavy weights right away, moderate rep deadlifts with moderate weights will work well. Just find a groove your comfortable with and try yourself. If you can find someone to show you the finer points, fine, if not, just lift.

Personally I think you do too little work for back. You do three exercises for shoulders, one of the smaller muscle groups that gets a lot of indirect work whenever you work your upper body, and only two exercises for the back. (And that measly set of dumbell shrugs doesn't count.) If your gym has good free weights, use them. Some high pulls are never wrong (either grip is fine) and try to get some pullups in. They are brutal but work very effectively.

[StevenD]

ebon00, you have a point on the back exercises. I will definitely take your advice on the pullups. Last time I tried a few months ago, I could only do one. It would be worthwhile to see how much I've improved and to build on that. Do high pulls have another name? Is that the same as this? Cable Front Pulldown

As far as the shrugs go, I know that they weren't all that great. I haven't incorporated them in my workout lately. I was, however, running a little ahead of schedule in my workout Saturday, so I decided to toss in a set. I have yet to find a good workout weight on those anyway since the real limitation is my grip. I expect deadlifts will work on that.

to be continued...

Thanks for taking the time to read through this.

[StevenD]

Ok....did legs and bi's today.

I've found that I am much more comfortable doing BB squats than using the Smith machine. I haven't gone back to it since. I started low and have been slowly woking my way up for the last 2 leg workouts. On my last set today, I did 135x6. So, starting fresh on my next leg day I will probably need to bump that up a bit to hit my target reps.

I've been following the same process with the leg presses since I substituted them for leg extensions at Fudo's suggestion. My last set I did 230x4. That looks about where I need to be. Btw, the 230 is not counting the weight of the sled. I have no idea how much it is, and no one could tell me.

At this point I could hardly walk. I was pleased with that.

standing calf raises: 235x7, 242.5x5, 242.5x5


biceps curl: 50x6, 50x3

preacher curl: 50x5, 50x4

I was pretty whipped after legs and just didn't perform like I wanted to on biceps. After my dismal performance on the BB biceps curl, I did take the weight down to 40 for my preacher curls. Then I decided not to be such a wuss, and put the weight back on. At least I still have my self respect.

[Fudomyo]

Do squats / leg press last.
Somehow your energy isn't as high afterwards.

The sled is about 65lbs. Toss a 25 in the middle, and you have two 45 lb plates essentially.

[StevenD]

Originally posted by Fudomyo
Do squats / leg press last.
Somehow your energy isn't as high afterwards.

Gee... I wonder why?


If you were serious, then should I do biceps curl, preacher curls, standing calf raise, squats, then leg presses? I thought you're supposed to work your muscle groups from largest to smallest?