M8 W3 Deadlift Day

Spring 2009 Training
Mesocycle 8 - Week 3
Deadlift Day

Beginning Thoughts:

Thursday's workout...

Workout:

Dumbbell Windmills:
25 lbs x 10 reps x 3 sets
I do these while I am warming up with my Banded Deadlifts...Sort of like "supersetting". 

Banded Deadlifts using the White Bands Double Looped:
265 lbs x 2 reps x 3 sets
315 lbs x 2 reps x 4 sets
Damn hard. 

Deadlifts:
315 lbs x 1 rep
355 lbs x 2 reps
405 lbs x 1 rep
I need to work on symmetry in terms of grip. I need to start alternating my over/under grip. Stupid me has become dependent on only just one sort of grip.

Dumbbell Windmills:
20 lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets

Plate Pinches:
25 lbs x 25 seconds x 3 sets 

Bulgarian Squats:
25 lbs x 10 reps x 2 sets

Videos:

Banded Deadlifts & Deadlifts:


My best friend Didier added 25 lbs to his deadlift in one month.

Overall Impression:

Final exams are no longer around the corner: they're here NOW!!! 

M8 W2 Press Day

Spring 2009 Training
Mesocycle 8 - Week 2
Press Day

Beginning Thoughts:

This is from Monday...I've been lazy, sorry.

Workout:

Press:
135 lbs x 3 reps
155 lbs x 3 reps
160 lbs x 3 reps
165 lbs x 2 reps
165 lbs x 1 rep
175 lbs x 1 rep
185 lbs x FAIL
I felt so weak on this.....Last time I nailed 185 weighing 207 lbs. Now 185 seems soooo much harder when I weigh 190. 

Pull-ups:
BW + 20 lbs x 2 reps x 10 sets
BW + 30 lbs x 2 reps x 5 sets
BW + 10 lbs x 5 reps x 2 sets
BW x 5 reps x 2 sets
Total Reps = 50
I love doing this sort of stuff 

Band Punches:
12 reps x 3 sets

Push-ups:
BW x 10 reps x 2 sets

Videos:

Press:

Overall Impression:

Diet has been absolute crap over the last few days. I need to get back on the horse.

M8 W2 Squat Day

Spring 2009 Training
Mesocycle 8 - Week 2
Squat Day

Beginning Thoughts:

This is yesterday's workout....

Workout:

Front Box Squats:
225 lbs x 3 reps
245 lbs x 1 rep
265 lbs x 1 rep
280 lbs x FAIL
280 lbs x 1 rep
270 lbs x FAIL
270 lbs x FAIL
245 lbs x 1 rep
225 lbs x 3 reps
I have no idea what the heck happened here. I have been focusing on Pistol Squats for so long that I have lost the practice of doing squats. But I'm not too worried because next month I'm gonna be incorporating the 4 squat principles into my training so I am sure I'll find my groove once again. 

SSB Good Mornings:
295 lbs x 3 reps
335 lbs x 3 reps
365 lbs x 1 rep
Very sluggish....Gonna go lighter next time. 

Prone Glute Ham Raises:
BW x 10 reps x 3 sets

Kettlebell Walks:
40 lbs x 60 feet x 1 set
60 lbs x 60 feet x 2 sets

Videos:

Front Squats & SSB Good Mornings:

Overall Impression:

I got barely 17 days left this semester. I got exams coming up but I'm gonna try to plan ahead and make sure I don't skip any of my workouts.

M8 W2 Extra Workout

Spring 2009 Training
Mesocycle 8 - Week 2
Extra Workout

Beginning Thoughts:

I was in no mood to workout today...

Workout:

Pistols:
Left Leg = 1 + 2 + 2 = 5 reps
Right Leg = 1 + 2 + 2 = 5 reps
I totally lost my groove on this. I just couldn't get this down today. Terrible form. I was thinking of recording my sets but on second thoughts I'm glad I didn't.

Medley for 4 Rounds:
Pull-ups = BW x 5 reps
High Cable V-Bar Rows = 140 lbs x 5 reps
Chin-ups = BW x 5 reps
Unilateral Low Cable Rows = 40 lbs x 5 reps
Decent work....Kinda discouraged after those Pistol Squats so didn't have my heart in this.

Videos:

Nothing special today...

Overall Impression:

Gonna go see "Fighting" tonight...I hope it's a good movie...I'm being dragged to it by a bunch of friends. I want to see 2 movies real bad though: Wolverine and the new Star Trek movie. I've got others on my list too but they're releasing later this year. 

I hope everyone has a good weekend! 

M8 W2 Deadlift Day

Spring 2009 Training
Mesocycle 8 - Week 2
Deadlift Day

Beginning Thoughts:

Yesterday's workout..

Workout:

Dumbbell Windmills:
20 lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets
I do these while I am warming up with my Banded Deadlifts...Sort of like "supersetting". 

Banded Deadlifts using the White Bands Double Looped:
225 lbs x 2 reps
255 lbs x 2 reps
275 lbs x 2 reps
295 lbs x 2 reps
315 lbs x 2 reps
335 lbs x 2 reps
Tried really hard to get my hips as close to the bar as possible in the fastest possible fashion....But damn these were hard! 

Deadlifts:
365 lbs x 2 reps x 1 set
405 lbs x 1 rep x 3 sets
405 lbs x 2 reps x 1 set
This was super-hard....I've found that deadlifting barefoot in just my socks is a whole lot better. 

Dumbbell Windmills:
20 lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets

Plate Pinches:
25 lbs x 25 seconds x 3 sets 

Bulgarian Squats:
Skipped
I take so long doing this workout my gym had to close so I couldn't get this done. I went in at 9 pm and I was there will 11:15 pm and the gym was supposed to close at 11 so I got kicked out by campus security lol...

Videos:

Banded Deadlifts & Deadlifts:

Overall Impression:

I think my form on Deadlifts may have improved just a tiny bit because my back didn't hurt during the workout and it's not hurting right now either. So I'm happy regarding that. But, form always needs work and I need to keep some things in mind which I tend to forget...

M8 W1 Press Day

Spring 2009 Training
Mesocycle 8 - Week 1
Press Day

Beginning Thoughts:

Here we go...

Workout:

Fat Bar Military Press:
135 lbs x 3 reps
145 lbs x 3 reps
155 lbs x 3 reps
165 lbs x 3 reps
175 lbs x 2 reps
185 lbs x FAIL
I have no idea why I decided to use the fat bar in the gym...Firstly I have small hands and secondly I have never used this damn piece of equipment so why start now? Sometimes I am so impulsive....

Pull-ups:
BW + 10 lbs x 3 reps x 10 sets @ 10 minute time limit
BW + 20 lbs x 2 reps x 5 sets @ 5 minute time limit
BW + 40 lbs x 1 rep x 3 sets @ 3 minute time limit
BW x 7 reps x 1 set
Total Reps = 50
This was a LOT of fun....

Band Punches:
Skipped 

Push-ups:
Skipped

Videos:

None

Overall Impression:

I think I am gonna eat like a horse tonight. No deficit today. I feel too spent on energy.

M8 W1 Squat Day

Spring 2009 Training
Mesocycle 8 - Week 1
Squat Day

Beginning Thoughts:

I did both my squat day and my press day today. Squat day came first at 8 am and Press day began at 4 pm. I'm gonna post both now...

I have been working on my group presentation/plan all weekend and I got onto 3.5 hours of sleep last night. So I have been running on that all day and it looks like tonight is gonna be another long night.

Workout:

Front Box Squats:
225 lbs x 3 reps
235 lbs x 3 reps
245 lbs x 2 reps
255 lbs x 1 rep
265 lbs x 1 rep
I changed the depth of the box after 235..I wanted to go deeper. 

SSB Good Mornings:
295 lbs x 3 reps
335 lbs x 3 reps
365 lbs x 3 reps

Prone Glute Ham Raises:
BW x 8 reps x 3 sets

Kettlebell Walks:
Skipped

Videos:

Front Squats & SSB Good Mornings:

Overall Impression:

I'm gonna post my Press workout next...I just wanted to add that I was pressed for time on both these workouts. Hence all the skipping...

M8 W1 Extra Workout

Spring 2009 Training
Mesocycle 8 - Week 1
Extra Workout

Beginning Thoughts:

My goal was to do everything without using any straps...

Workout:

Pistols:
Left Leg = 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 11 reps
Right Leg = 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 11 reps
I then did some drills to hold my legs upright locked out knees. **** I have zero control on that...lots of practice needed to perfect this.

Medley for 4 Rounds with ~180 second Rest Interval between Rounds:
Pull-ups = BW x 5 reps
Dumbbell Rows = 95 lbs x 5 reps
Lat Pull Downs = 150 lbs x 5 reps
Barbell Rows = 135 lbs x 5 reps
I hate Barbell Rows...Next week I'm gonna either take a MUCH lighter weight on these or I am gonna switch them. But knowing me, I'm gonna stick to them but I will reduce the weight to 115 or so.

Videos:

My friend Paul managed to bench 310 today...wish I had taken my camera to the gym...Paul's a bench press beast!

Overall Impression:

The Medley was very tiring. I find it surprising how I can only manage to do 5 reps on pull-ups when they're done in this fashion - since just 2 weeks ago I cranked out 50 reps doing Density Training. But...this is so much harder! 

My training partner Paul managed to Bench Press 310 lbs today. He's been using Leigh Peele's FLT and he's lost some 6 lbs in the last 3-4 weeks. He used to weight 225 @ 5'7 and he's been very conscious of this so he's been trying to shed some fat while maintaining his strength. Good news is that he's finally taking the Deadlift and Squat more seriously now. Next in line for me to convince him of is core training...but in due time...

I think I'm gonna take tomorrow off and do my Squat workout on Sunday...But it all depends on this huge presentation I have on Wednesday next week. I'm taking this class called Entrepreneurship and Venture Planning (it's an upper division Business class) and I have to finalize my 50+ page business plan by Monday and present it for ~30 minutes on Wednesday. Luckily it's a group project...

I'd like to thank everyone for reading my journal...Have a good weekend y'all! 

M8 W1 Deadlift Day

Spring 2009 Training
Mesocycle 8 - Week 1
Deadlift Day

Beginning Thoughts:

I got only 4.5 hours of sleep the night before...I really wasn't in the mood to go lift weights last night lol...

Workout:

Dumbbell Windmills:
15 lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets
I am getting better and better at this exercise..I'm gonna up the weight next time and see how it goes. 

Banded Deadlifts using the White Bands Double Looped:
355 lbs x 0 reps <--- struggle set 1
315 lbs x 0 reps <--- struggle set 2
225 lbs x 2 reps
245 lbs x 2 reps
265 lbs x 2 reps
285 lbs x 2 reps
305 lbs x 2 reps
During the workout I was very frustrated with this because I felt like I wasn't in the groove properly. But upon inspecting the videos I think I was relatively alright. 

Deadlifts:
345 lbs x 2 reps
385 lbs x 2 reps
315 lbs x 1 rep x 8 sets
I tried the over-over grip on 315. The goal was to do all 8 sets within a rest interval of 30-45 seconds. My back is incredibly sore right now...

Dumbbell Windmills:
15 lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets

Plate Pinches:
25 lbs x 20 seconds x 3 sets 

Bulgarian Squats:
35 lbs x 7 reps x 2 sets

Videos:

Banded Deadlifts & Deadlifts:

Overall Impression:

I am looking forward to this weekend...More sleep finally.

M7 W4 Press Day

Spring 2009 Training
Mesocycle 7 - Week 4
Press Day

Beginning Thoughts:

I should rename this day as "Pull Day" for today....

Workout:

Medicine Ball Twists:
15 lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets 

Medley for 4 rounds:
1.) Pull-ups = BW x 6 reps
2.) Inverted Rows = BW x 6 reps
3.) Lat Pull Downs = 160 lbs x 6 reps
4.) Dumbbell Rows = 90 lbs x 5 reps
I wanted to see how this feels like coz I got something similar to this down for my next mesocycle. This is very tiring. But I had fun. 

Medicine Ball Twists:
15 lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets 

Wide Grip Pull-ups:
BW x 4 reps x 3 sets

Videos:

None

Overall Impression:

The center part of my mid-back is STILL sore and it hurts a little bit...Kinda worried about it. I bought that Trigger Point Therapy book so I'm gonna do some of the massages detailed in the book and I'm gonna apply some Tiger Balm tonight..

M7 W3 Deadlift Day

Spring 2009 Training
Mesocycle 7 - Week 3
Deadlift Day

Beginning Thoughts:

I haven't been getting as much sleep as I should....Too many exams. Good news is that that "hell week" is officially over for now.

Workout:

Medicine Ball Throws:
15 lbs x 15 reps x 3 sets

Banded Deadlifts using the Red Bands Double Looped:
195 lbs x 2 reps - This was the first struggle set
195 lbs x 2 reps - This was the second struggle set
115 lbs x 2 reps
125 lbs x 2 reps
135 lbs x 2 reps
Very bad quality of reps, IMO. I just couldn't focus and I realized only after my 135 lbs set that I had put the dumbbells (I use dumbbells to hold the bands down) too far from the cage i.e. the bands were stretched out TOO far. So perhaps this was reason for my sloppiness but even so...the center of middle back has been very sore for the last 3-4 days and it was hurting while I was deadlifting. I think it may be because of the excessive number of pull-ups I've been doing recently. 

Deadlifts:
315 lbs x 2 reps
355 lbs x 2 reps
395 lbs x 1 rep
425 lbs x 1 rep
405 lbs x 1 rep
225 lbs x 8 reps
So, the good news is that I hit 425 for a single inspite of feeling so shitty. Bad news is that my set-ups was a bit off from normal and that resulted in a whole lot of jiggling of my fat around mid-point of the rep. 405 was less jiggling but more struggling. I tore my calluses again. I am such a pussy when it comes to my calluses lol....

Medicine Ball Throws:
15 lbs x 15 reps x 3 sets

Plate Pinches:
25 lbs x 30 seconds x 3 sets

Videos:

Banded Deadlifts & Deadlifts:

Overall Impression:

I think I've been working out too hard and perhaps it's time to take a few days off. I am going to Houston this weekend with some friends and I am gonna use that as an opportunity to skip my Extra Workout and my Squat Day. I'll workout on Monday with Press Day and then come next Thursday I'll start Mesocycle 8 if all goes according to plan. I am also gonna focus on my diet quite a bit. I've been recording my morning oral body temperature for the last 3 days and I think my metabolism may be in trouble - either that or my sleeping patterns are really messed up. 

In any case, I hope everyone has a good weekend. Thanks for reading! 

M7 W3 Press Day

Spring 2009 Training
Mesocycle 7 - Week 3
Press Day

Beginning Thoughts:

I am so tired from this weekend...

Workout:

High Incline Bench Press:
95 lbs x 10 reps
135 lbs x 6 reps
155 lbs x 3 reps
165 lbs x 3 reps
175 lbs x 3 reps
185 lbs x 3 reps
195 lbs x 3 reps
205 lbs x 3 reps
215 lbs x 1 rep
225 lbs x 1 rep
Quality volume rocks! 

Medicine Ball Twists:
15 lbs x 12 reps x 6 sets

Density Training Zone 1 @ 20 minutes:
Pull-ups = + 20 lbs x 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 13 reps
Push-ups = 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 64 reps
Damn those pull-ups were hard! 

Density Training Zone 2:
Skipped.

Videos:

Incline Press: 

Overall Impression:

Time to take some time off and eat right.... 

I hope everyone is having a good week! 

M7 W3 Squat Day

Spring 2009 Training
Mesocycle 7 - Week 3
Squat Day

Beginning Thoughts:

Exciting week ahead....

Workout:

Overhead Squats:
45 lbs x 3 reps x 3 sets
65 lbs x 3 reps
95 lbs x 3 reps
105 lbs x 3 reps
115 lbs x 3 reps
125 lbs x 2 reps
135 lbs x 2 reps
145 lbs x 1 rep
I got all the sets from 95 lbs on video. 

Glute Ham Raises:
BW x 8 reps x 4 sets

Cable Wood Chops:
27.5 lbs x 15 reps x 6 sets

Elastic Band Punches:
White Bands x 12 reps x 4 sets

Videos:

Overhead Squats:

Overall Impression:

Looking forward to tomorrow's Press workout...

Weightloss Update

Leigh Peele's Fat Loss Troubleshoot E-Book

Update on my weight-loss here. 

Zero Weightloss for March. But, I haven't gained any weight either. AND I have lost 2 inches off my waist...so it's all good. I'm gonna try and drop some more weight this month. I am uploading an excel spreadhseet if anyone wants or cares about which has my calorie breakdown on a daily basis (taken from Fitday). 

Cheers!

M7 W3 Extra Workout

Spring 2009 Training
Mesocycle 7 - Week 3
Extra Workout

Beginning Thoughts:

Nothing special..

Workout:

Pistols:
Left Leg: 2 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 12 reps
Right Leg: 2 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 12 reps
I got some clips of this. The video I've uploaded is LONG.....so view it at your own discretion. The clips of the Pistol Squats are upto 5 minutes or so and then the remaining 1.5 minutes are focussed on my Pull-ups...

Pull-ups:
BW x 5 + 5 + 5 + 10 = 25 reps
BW + 20 lbs x 3 + 5 = 8 reps
BW + 30 lbs x 3 + 3 = 6 reps
BW + 20 lbs x 3 + 3 = 6 reps
BW x 5 = 5 reps
Total = 50 reps
Great stuff....

Windmills:
10 lbs x 10 reps x 3 sets

Turkish Sit-ups:
10 lbs x 5 reps x 3 sets
God these are hard...

Kettlebell Walks:
40 lbs x 45 feet x 2 trips

Videos:

Pistols & Pull-ups...LONG:

Overall Impression:

Just saw Fast and Furious....VERY entertaining. I want to see every movie that comes out now on out almost: Revenge of the Fallen, X-Men, etc....

I have noticed that with the shift in the world economy and the political scenario...most movies which come out aren't necessarily good (IMO) but very entertaining and helps to "escape" reality..

In other news...I got a weight-loss update for y'all....

M7 W3 Deadlift Day

Spring 2009 Training
Mesocycle 7 - Week 3
Deadlift Day

Beginning Thoughts:

So remember I said this week and next week were hell weeks? Well...it's begun. I got only 3 hours of sleep last night (i.e. Wednesday night) and I have been up since 6 am on Thursday. I worked out Thursday night at 9:30 pm. So yes, I was exhausted and not very focussed when I went into the gym.

Workout:

Banded Deadlifts using the Red Bands Double Looped:
195 lbs x 2 reps - This was the first struggle set
165 lbs x 2 reps - This was the second struggle set
115 lbs x 2 reps x 3 sets
125 lbs x 2 reps x 2 sets
135 lbs x 2 reps x 2 sets
Kinda meh... 

Deadlifts:
315 lbs x 3 reps
365 lbs x 2 reps
405 lbs x 2 reps
425 lbs x FAIL
315 flew up and really shocked me...I was so surprised lol...Things went downhill from 365. I forgot my set-up, lost my groove and couldn't focus on getting my set-up back. 

Medicine Ball Twists:
15 lbs x 12 reps x 6 sets
I've been really neglecting my core training over the last 3 weeks and I think that whenever I stop working my core both my posture and my performance suffers. I have been reading the Neanderthal series articles and I need to focus on ab work a lot more than what I have been doing recently. In addition, I think (and this is just a theory) that when I don't do enough ab work, my Deadlifts get freaky on me - like the set with 405 when all the fat on my lower back and ass jiggles during the rep! So it's time to bring back ab work.

Videos:

Banded Deadlifts & Deadlifts:

Overall Impression:

I have an exam tomorrow which I need to study for. I will be going in to do my extra workout tomorrow and will hopefully have some Pistol Squat videos up and running. No sleep for me tonight. Sucks coz I plan on partying a bit this weekend and going to see Fast and Furious