30/4/7

Lessee... Sat. instead of doing deads and squats m'self, i just watched Glenn do a whole ton of weight. Then we repaired to the casa and drank him under the table. Sun. i woke up feeling like an 80 yr. old, and i finally left work halfway through the night with a 102.5 fever. i gotta get a new job. i feel way better today, but i'm usually halfway through my workout week by today, and i haven't done anything at all. At any rate, i probably needed the rest. My shoulder does feel better. Got the Inzer belt in, and i must say that it's a sexy piece of cowhide. One of these days i might even get to try it out. They put a system wall up at the climbing gym since my membership lapsed back around Jan. and that is one sick training tool. i'm kinda in limbo here with the workout thang, as climbing is my raison d'etre. i need to write up a workout that gets me skinny and strong as a gorilla. i think things will become clearer when i'm not so tired and groggy. Perhaps i will work on that now...

25/4/7

Today's an off day, but i thought i'd scribble down that i did a bouldering session last night. Not so good. i'm very fat, and my forearms are about the same girth as my daughter's. At least it was a workout. And i figured out how to get Moby off the iPod. That's a li'l bit of a breakthrough. i still have high hopes that the Inzer belt'll arrive this week. Oh and i switched sat. night with another cat, so i'll get to hang out; so don't bail on me or i'll be forced to drink heavily all by myself. Nastrovya.

24/4/7

204 lbs.

ME Bench:

i was feeling my oats today and wanted to max.

1,000,000 x Bar
5 x 135
3 x 165
3 x 175
1 x 185
1 x 195
1 x 205
1 x 215
1 x "225" (possibly a new PR)

Pushed out 215 clean again, and it felt not too bad, but my shoulder was hurting pretty good. So i asked this guy for a spot. Told 'im that it was a max and i hadn't done the weight before, but that i'd worked up to it and should be able to snag it. Lowered and shoved the bar up like it weighed 200 (which it probably did) and racked it. He goes, "Oh, are you done?" with this quizzical look on his face.

Comments:

i'm dreadful tired of stupid people. i'm tired of my shoulder hurting. i wish i'd remembered to pack the iPod in my pack last night. i'm glad i got 215 clean again, but i'm gonna change my chest work henceforth. Having to rely on other people for really anything at all sucks. i shall try to find a way around it. Plus i need to rehab the shoulder anyway.

23/4/7

204 lbs.

Medball Decline Crunches:

3 sets of 50 with a 10 lb. ball.

Straight Leg Raises:

3 sets of 15

Russian Twists:

12 x 25
10 x 35
10 x 35
10 x 35

Comments:

Didn't do the Axe Chops this time. Experimented with Oblique Hanging Leg Raises. Them's hard-- 'specially after the other hanging leg raises-- but i pulled off a few reps on each side. i think i'm gunna start doing those first, and see if i can get strong at 'em.

21/4/7

202 lbs.

Squats:

10 x 135
8 x 205
8 x 225
8 x 235
6 x 245 (The spirit of pushing really hard left me at this point.)
6 x 245 (This was a bit better)

Felt good starting out, but i got distracted on those last sets. Couldn't get focussed. Last set was good. i wanted to go up in weight, but i didn't have it. Next week, i think...

S.L. Deads:

15 x Bar
14 x 95
10 x 135
10 x 155 (earlier and more reps with this)
8 x 175 (New heavier weight here. )
8 x 175

These still weren't too gut wrenching. Couldn't hold the bar, though, after the climbing sesh. Forearms are torched to the bone. i'm just not too into the idear of taking straight leg deads to the hairy edge. This was a good workout.

State of the Onion

i took yesterday (usual chest day) off, trying to recupe my degenerating left a.c./glenohumeral joint. So i went climbing instead. i am mighty fat, and my hands have weakened by some negative exponent to approximating about the same strength they commanded when i was 3 or 4 days old. But it was fun. i did push down a "V1", which i'd amend to about a really hard V0-. i'll take it as a V1 anyway just for my otherwise smushed ego. Oh, and i got an iPod shuffle in the mail today, which improves the prognosis of my squat workouts rather dramatically. Couldn't say why, but i think i might just be able to push more to an angry electronic riff than to the Eagles. Thank you, O brutha of mine, for saving me from the throes of Phil Collins. Now i just gotta figure out how to turn the thing on...

17-18/4/7

1 Megaton

Just for the record i did a fairly skeletal back workout (RE on Pullups and Rows) on tues. and i ran for ca. an hour yesterday. Haven't had much time to post this week. my b-day was tues., steph's is today and Ian&Monica are coming tonight, so it's tight. Anyhow, i'm on m' way to the climbing gym with some birthday lucre to renew the ol' membership. i can already feel life getting better. It's always been the breaking strain on my iron workouts to try to integrate 'em with climbing or triathlon. Thing is, i know if i stuck with it and modified my workouts to fit, i'd get strong as atch-ee-double-hockey-sticks. So i could use some cheerleading. Or else, i need to be roundly abused and mocked if i bail. i do have that bleedin' Inzer belt coming in (hopefully this next week) and that should inspire me to get over the hump. It's amazing how motivational really expensive gear can be to go use it. Never fails to get me through a season.

16/4/7

204 lbs.

Decline Crunches:

With a ten lb. med. ball

2 x 50
1 x 40

went further on that second set than last week.

Hanging Straight Leg Raises:

3 sets of 15

These felt easier.

Axe Chops:

15 x 110
12 x 120
15 x 110

Russian Twists:

12 x 25
3 sets of 10 with 35

Comments:

Felt pretty strong in the abs. soon i wanna get a li'l more creative with this workout and i want to add some more angles. If i ever shed my blubber, maybe i'll have a six pack. Or i could just go buy one.

15/4/7

204 lbs.

Warmed up with sundry leg twitchings.

Squats:

10 x 135
8 x 205
8 x 225
8 x 235
6 x 245
6 x 245

Felt really good on squats today. Pushed out some reps i couldn't get last week. Had "Harper Valley PTA" cranking during my heavy sets, and i think that pushed me to a new depth.

Straight Leg Deads:

15 x Bar
14 x 95
10 x 135
10 x 135
8 x 155
8 x 155

i think i could'a gone a tad heavier here, but i was real tired after squats and i was sleepy and the music was making want to bleed outta my ears, so i kept it lightish to get out faster.

Comments:

i look forward to getting my belt in. i think trying to lift fairly heavy without it has made my back stronger and my form better, but i'd like to push heavier. i felt good today on squats and my form was excellent. This is the first time i haven't broken down and gotten pretty sloppy when i'm tired.

11/4/7

14.5 Stone

i haven't worked out today yet, but i'm logged in so i'll throw down that i did something active yesterday besides drinking beer. Ran for forty minutes. That felt good. i was a little surprised that my squidgy outta shape butt could still shift into fifth for that long, and i could'a gone longer, but as it was i made Steph late for work. Today it's chest. i feel a new PR coming on for the bench. i'm driven to scoring 225 so i'll feel better justified to camp for eternity on the only bench in the gym reading Dilbert during peak time. i think i'd feel more like a man that way. Anyway, now i've set myself up and i have to go work out.

10/4//7 Later, later

Went back in 'round 20:30 to finish.

Bent DB Rows:

This was an epiahany. i went facedown on an incline bench and did rows with DBs. Weights were all experimental, but i loved the movement. Really hit levator, the rhomboids and a trap vector that's generally hard to reach.

10 x 55s (light)
6 x 70s (very heavy, bad form on last 2)
8 x 60 (good weight; didn't lock on last rep)
8 x 60 (good)

DB Shrugs:

12 x 80s (good feeling; these are getting real light)
8 x 110s
8 x 110s (put on the hand hooks for this set; grip was torched)
8 x 120 (hard on last 2 reps)
6 x 120 (grip failed even with hooks)

Reverse BB Preacher Curls:

5 x 50
8 x 40
8 x 40
8 x 40

This isn't a bicep workout at all. Feels like i'm doing nothing, and then my hands are just opening. Amazing how fast that posterior forearm bundle disintegrates.

Heavy Finger Curls:

5 sets of 5 with 135 on a power rack

Hands were cooked Crockpot tender.

Reverse Flys:

Did a bunch of sets of post. delt rehab on the pec deck. Did get up to 100 for a real light set which was heavier than i'd gone before.

Comments:

Back work makes me happy. Think if i could shave 20 lbs off'n me lardpuff't ass i could take this to the climbing gym and rage. i look forward to climbing again.

10/4/7

205 lbs.

ME Pullups:

5 x BW
10 x BW
5 x +25
3 x +35
3 x +45
1 x +60
1 x +70
1 x +85
1 x +85 (didn't lock this out)
1 x +75

H.S. Rows:

10 x 230
10 x 230
8 x 260
8 x 260 (very hard on the last two reps; schloppy)

Wide Grip High Rows:

10 x 110
8 x 130
8 x 130 (very hard to finish)

Comments:

Ran outta time. Gotta go back later today and finish the workout. My shoulder's still buggin'. Feels like an AC separation. Sucketh, i'm here to tell ya. Must sleep.

9/4/7

205 lbs. Soy gordo.

Decline Crunches:

With 10 lb. med. ball

1 x 50
2 x 40

Hanging Straight Leg Raises:

3 sets of 15

Oblique Axe Chops:

15 x "110"
10 x "130"
15 x "110"

Russian Twists:

12 x 25
3 sets of 10 with 35

Comments:

Good workout. Abs are getting stronger; gut's getting more rotund. i'm 'bout to fall asleep on my keyboard.

7/4/7

202 lbs.

It was snowing today, so i didn't run to the gym. Bumbled on the treadmill for 10 mins. for a warmup.

Various Leg Motions:

Warmup.

Squats:

20 x the bar
10 x 135
8 x 205
8 x 225
6 x 245
5 x 245

i was gonna do a set of 8 @ 235, and then do a coupl'a sets of 4 with 245, but i wasn't all there and accidentally stuck 245 on the bar. Couldn't figure out why it felt so dang hard 'till i unracked it. Didn't feel like quite as big a wuss as i was planning on feeling like. Still wished i'd'a pushed 2 more on that set, but i couldn't get into it. Belt still ain't in. They weren't kidding when they said to allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.

Straight Leg Deads:

15 x bar
14 x 95
10 x 135
10 x 135
8 x 155
8 x 155

Rope Tricep Presses:

25 x 50
12 x 110
6 x 120 (ow.)

Skull Crushers:

10 x 70
8 x 97ish
4 x 107ish

Went up a li'l on that second set.

Comments:

Having a spotter to yell at me would'a been real fine today. Not a bad workout, but i couldn't get amped for it. Even managed to ixnay the James Brown before my second set of squats.

4/5/7

203 lbs. Edging 204. Sitting on me arse a li'l much here of late.

ME Bench:

25 with the bar for a warmup.
5 x 135
3 x 165
3 x 175
1 x 185
1 x 195
1 x 205
1 x 215 (new PR)

Took these real gingerly. After the warmup, i wasn't sure what my shoulder was gonna let me do and so i decided to do an ME workup. Figured i'd take it in little increments and feel out the ceiling. Long about those last two pushes m' wee left anterior delt was talking some smack about just unravelling on me, but i yelled at him, and he did what he was supposed to do. Funny thing is that the weight wasn't all that hard; no gut-busting here. i think i could'a pushed more if my shoulder weren't tweaking so bad. Anyhow, this was a study in perfect form. Funny how efficient you get when you know that getting sloppy and failing is probably gonna cost you a month or so of rehab.

Incline DB Bench:

3 x 60s

Left shoulder up and filed for a divorce, and i just laughed and racked 'em. That was plenty.

Comments:

The music, it turns out, was more motivating tonight.

3/4/7 return

went back and did traps.

i experimented with some cable low rows, but when i got heavy enough it pulled me off balance. interesting though.

DB Shrugs:

12 x 80
10 x 100
8 x 110
8 x 110
8 x 110

DB Curls:

8 x 25
7 x 35
6 x 40
6 x 45

Reverse Flys:

3 sets of 10 with "80"

Comments:

just went back in after work to finish the last workout. Started off with some southern gospel. Lemme tell you how that gets yer blood pumping. It's like trying to work out at a funeral.

3/4/7 It was the summer of '69

203 lbs.

"...Gotta fever of a hundred and 3.
i'm hot blooded... hot blooded!"

--Foreigner

Then we chased that with some Bryan Adams.

"I got my first real six string
O, at the five-and-dime.
Played 'till my fingers bled..."

ME Wide-Grip High Rows:

5 x 100
3 x 130
3 x 150
1 x 170
1 x 180
1 x 190
1 x 190
1 x 190

Think i'm still not 100% after last weeks workout. i'm gunna switch the ME to something more fun next week and give it a full 7 days.

Pullups:

15 x BW
15 x BW
6 x BW+20 (failed before 8. pretty much confirmed that i wasn't here for this one.)

Hammer Strength Rows:

8 x 210 (li'l light)
8 x 210
8 x 230 (better starting point for next time)
8 x 230
6 x 260
8 x 260 (last 2 were very hard)

Found a position on this that felt almost natural and hit m' traps, rhomboids, etc. i liked this workout.

Comments:

Had to go home to let Steph go to work, so i didn't get shrugs yet or reverse flys. The music ate promiscuous, diseased sausage, but the teardown went well enough. The thought of climbing at Chamonix is obsessing me and i want a huge ripply back.

2/4/7

203 lbs. Motown Monday

Decline Crunches:

3 sets of 40 with a 10 lb. med. ball

Hanging Straight Leg Raises:

3 sets of 15

Oblique Axe Chops:

3 sets of 15 on each side with "110"

Russian Twists:

12 x 25
3 sets of 10 with 35

Comments:

Very tired today, but the 80's Motown helped. Nothing like some Lionel Richie or Sade to get a body amped. Tore some stomach down today; good workout.