M14 W3 Deadlift Day

Fall 2009 Training
Mesocycle 14 - Week 3
Deadlift Day

Beginning Thoughts:

I have had a hellish school week....And it's not even over....not for another week.

Workout:

Deadlifts:
415 lbs x 5 reps
This is a back-off week in general...

Weird Ab Exercise:
I got a whole bunch of sets with this one on video....I progressed on this by first trying static holds and then adding some movement in.

Videos:

Deadlifts:

Overall Impression:

Nothing special to report here....I was super excited for the ab work lol...

M14 W2 Pistol Squat Day

Fall 2009 Training
Mesocycle 14 - Week 2
Pistol Squat Day

Beginning Thoughts:

I was unbelievably sore from yesterday's workout...it's been a long time since I've felt this much pain in my hamstrings....

Workout:

Pistol Squats:
8 + 7 + 5 = 20 reps
Some of the reps were downright terrible but thats what happens when I am in this much DOMS....The second set was the worst because I just could not get the 7th rep with my left leg - I had to stop at 6, do 7 with the right leg and then come back to do the 7th rep with my left leg leg. Terrible.

Pull-ups:
BW x 10 reps x 3 sets
Really meh with this.....

Core Training:
Ok so I don't know the name of this exercise but I've seen some very strong people do this and I've never been able to do this before. It involves hanging on the bar and then doing a sort of leg raise but raising your leg and your hips till you're inverted to the floor - sort of like standing on the ceiling. You are then supposed to do "dragonfly leg raises" but I am far too weak to do this bit. Infact, I've always been very weak to do this exercise but I surprised myself today. I did like 10-15 sets of 1-2 reps just to see how it felt and I've gotten the last 2 sets on video....Needless to say my form is terrible and I have a long way to go but the GREAT news is that it only gets better from here on out!!!

Videos:

Pistol Squats and Weird Ab Exercise:

Overall Impression:

I have a lot of work coming up over the next 3-4 weeks. I plan staying on top of things school wise. I've already gotten my paper due on Tuesday done....I'm gonna start studying for my exam on Thursday tomorrow and my presentation 2 weeks from now I'll work on tomorrow night as well.

I hope everyone's had a good weekend. Good luck for next week and thanks for reading!

M14 W2 Squat Day

Fall 2009 Training
Mesocycle 14 - Week 2
Squat Day

Beginning Thoughts:

This is yesterday's workout...

Workout:

Overhead Squats:
135 lbs x 3 reps
155 lbs x 3 reps
160 lbs x 3 reps
165 lbs x 3 reps
175 lbs x 1 rep
Decent workout....My left shoulder really bothers me on this..perhaps I need to widen my grip.

Back Squats:
315 lbs x 1 rep
275 lbs x 5 reps x 3 sets
Speed work @ 185 lbs x 2 reps x 5 sets
So this is what I have come to realize. I hate squatting. But, I keep expecting to be as strong as I was 7 months ago when I last did this exercise. I am stronger though because 7 months ago I could only do 275x3x3. However, I need to allow my body to relearn the lift a bit and get my groove back. The speed work was thrown in there specifically for that. Hopefully over the next couple of weeks I'll destroy my old max of 355.

Bar Rollouts:
BW x 10 reps x 5 sets
This was super-setted with the Speed Squats.

Farmers Walks:
105 lbs x 2 trips x 2 sets

Videos:

A little bit of everything:

Overall Impression:

Decent workout...

M14 W2 Press Day

Fall 2009 Training
Mesocycle 14 - Week 2
Press Day

Beginning Thoughts:

Still weighing in at a solid 190 lbs today....

Workout:

Weighted Dips:
BW x 6 reps
BW x 5 reps
BW + 10 lbs x 5 reps
BW + 20 lbs x 5 reps
BW + 30 lbs x 5 reps
BW + 45 lbs x 5 reps
I wanted to take a break from all the overhead pressing - it places too much stress on my lower back and I am kinda bored of the exercise in general. So I decided to do this and I am really surprised by how much I could do. I got the last set with 45 lbs on video...

Barbell Rows:
205 lbs x 3 reps x 3 sets
225 lbs x 1 rep

Low Cable Rows:
180 lbs x 8 reps x 3 sets

Facepulls:
100 lbs x 13 reps x 2 sets

Renegade Rows:
35 lbs x 7 reps x 4 sets

Pallof Press:
42.5 lbs x 10 reps x 4 sets

Videos:

Press and Rows:

Overall Impression:

Decent session...

M14 W2 Deadlift Day

Fall 2009 Training
Mesocycle 14 - Week 2
Deadlift Day

Beginning Thoughts:

I had two HUGE exams on Tuesday and Wednesday this week....Intermediate Accounting 1 and Investment Principles. Rant time: I ****ing hate accounting and I am not even an accounting major but here I am studying accounting because someone told me that Finance majors with good back grounds in accounting do well. Be that as it may, I cannot understand how anyone could be an accountant. It has to be the most mind numbing job out there in the business world - right next to financial analyst but atleast you get to analyse stocks and securities which are ever changing. Having said that, both tests went decent although my sleep schedule has gotten royally messed up. The weekend has begun for me and my plans for the next 3 days are to workout, eat, rest and study for my exams over the next 2 weeks so I finally have a head start to this ****.

One thing which I have noticed is that my upper division classes are a HELL of a lot more interesting than the introduction classes I had to take.

Workout:

Deadlifts:
415 lbs x 1 rep
405 lbs x 5 reps
420 lbs x 1 rep
410 lbs x 4 reps
425 lbs x 1 rep
415 lbs x 3 reps
Decent session.

Dragonfly Leg Raises:
BW x 7 reps x 3 sets

Videos:

Deadlifts:

Overall Impression:

I had a pretty decent session today...I was very out of it and I had a terrible case of gas in my ass which is why I was being extra careful. I hate it when this happens - especially since I make it a point to take a dump before every workout...(yes, too much information).

There's a pretty funny looking movie coming out this weekend called Cirque Du Freak: The Vampires Assistant:


I hope everyone's had a good week.

Thanks for reading and I hope y'all have a good weekend.

M14 W1 Pistol Squat Day

Fall 2009 Training
Mesocycle 14 - Week 1
Pistol Squat Day

Beginning Thoughts:

Today's workout...I went to the gym right after waking up and that was a mistake but I had no other time to spare today.

Workout:

Pistol Squats:
7 + 7 + 5 = 19 reps
I fell down on my ass in the first set lol....Some of the reps were downright nasty but a few were pretty spot on. Terrible. There was a huge difference in terms of quality of reps from last week to this one and unfortunately the difference wasn't in my favor.

Pull-ups:
BW x 5 reps x 2 sets
BW + 10 lbs x 3 reps
BW + 15 lbs x 3 reps
BW + 20 lbs x 3 reps
BW + 25 lbs x 3 reps
BW + 30 lbs x 3 reps
BW + 35 lbs x 3 reps
BW + 45 lbs x 2 reps
BW + 50 lbs x 2 reps
I got most of these on video...

Side Plank Rows:
27.5 lbs x 30 seconds
32.5 lbs x 30 seconds
37.5 lbs x 30 seconds
42.5 lbs x 30 seconds
This kicked my ass...

Videos:

A little of this and a little of that:

Overall Impression:

The next 3 days are going to involve some good food eating, resting and studying my ass off for upcoming exams.

I hope everyone's had a good weekend.

M14 W1 Squat Day

Fall 2009 Training
Mesocycle 14 - Week 1
Squat Day

Beginning Thoughts:

This took place yesterday afternoon.

Workout:

Overhead Squats:
155 lbs x 3 reps x 3 sets
Felt really good and strong on this.

Back Squats:
315 lbs x 1 rep x 3 sets
I am doing this exercise after 7 and a half months so my form is a bit rusty and I haven't exactly found my groove yet. But, it'll improve over the next few weeks.

Hanging Air Kicks:
BW x 14 reps x 3 sets

Videos:

Overhead Squats and Back Squats:

Overall Impression:

This next week has a whole bunch of exams coming up and I am glad I spent the whole day yesterday studying. I went out at night to Austin (yes, we drove to Austin) to eat at this place called Salt Lake which is supposed to be the best Barbecue joint in the US according to the Food Network. The meat was absolutely delicious and I probably had the best turkey in my life - it literally melted away in my mouth and I could cut it with my fork. After this meal, my friends and I hit up 6th street in Austin and it was my first time to Austin (I have passed through it like 100 times before but I've never really stopped there) and 6th street was pretty cool. It reminded me of Las Ramblas in Barcelona - except there were pubs and clubs instead of shopping stalls and the street in Austin was much narrower. Good times.

Anyways, I'll be hitting the gym sometime today depending on how much work I get done and I'll post the workout later..

I hope everyone's having a good weekend. Thanks for reading!

M14 W1 Press Day

Fall 2009 Training
Mesocycle 14 - Week 1
Press Day

Beginning Thoughts:

This workout went down yesterday....

I checked my BW yesterday and I am now at 190 lbs. I'm very happy about this. Thats a 5 lbs weightloss in 3 weeks. Slow and steady is that I am aiming for.

Workout:

Military Press:
170 lbs x 3 reps x 4 sets
170 lbs x 2 reps
170 lbs x 3 reps
170 lbs x 1 rep
I did get my target of 18 reps so I'm happy. I find it kinda amusing that I can barely bench press 225 lbs but I can do clean presses with 170 lbs @ a BW of 190 lbs.

Barbell Rows:
185 lbs x 3 reps
195 lbs x 3 reps
205 lbs x 3 reps
I think these were JS Rows but I am not sure - the video should make it clear though.

Low Cable Rows:
150 lbs x 8 reps
160 lbs x 8 reps
180 lbs x 10 reps

Facepulls:
100 lbs x 12 reps x 2 sets

Pallof Press:
42.5 lbs x 10 reps x 4 sets

Videos:

Press and Rows:

Overall Impression:

I went a bit loose with the this workout after all the heavy pressing. I did not do any arm work today because I have been suffering from some elbow pain - which is another reason why I took those 5 days off recently.

I went out last night and saw Law Abiding Citizen and I have to say: it's a pretty entertaining movie. I liked it.

There were a bunch of previews which came on and here are some of the movies which I am itching to see:

A Serious Man:
2012:
The Blind Side:
Sherlock Holmes:
Edge of Darkness:
Shutter Island:

I saw the trailer for this creepy movie called "the Crazies" but it turned out to be just another mutant/zombie flick and it seemed kinda silly - like a mix between Quarantine and Dawn of the Dead.

I will be doing Overhead Squats and Back Squats later today.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far.

Thanks for reading, y'all!

M14 W1 Deadlift Day

Fall 2009 Training
Mesocycle 14 - Week 1
Deadlift Day

Beginning Thoughts:

I took the last 5 days off to relax and unwind....I have lost motivation to hit the gym so I needed the down time. I also have been very busy with school work and applying for jobs - actually I'm still getting the application process started.

Workout:

Deadlifts:
405 lbs x 1 rep
395 lbs x 5 reps
410 lbs x 1 rep
400 lbs x 5 reps
415 lbs x 1 rep
405 lbs x 5 reps
420 lbs x 2 reps
I beat last week's numbers yet again....Feeling pretty good. Wish I had used gotten my hips closer to the bar.

Videos:

Deadlifts:

Overall Impression:

Youtube is being gay and not allowing my video to upload. So I'm gonna be sticking with IronScene for now.

Tomorrow is Press Day.

Regarding today's workout: It was decent, I should've used better form and I did the 420x2 instead of 420x1 because I could. I would've done more sets but my calluses were hurting and I was a big baby about it.

On a lighter note, I've been watching Boston Legal and this new show called Leverage. Leverage is awesome. So is Boston Legal.

I am stressed out about finding work after I graduate. Unfortunately, there is no abundance of jobs in this world - nobody is hiring.

M13 W4 Press Day

Fall 2009 Training
Mesocycle 13 - Week 4
Press Day

Beginning Thoughts:

This is yesterday evening's workout...

Workout:

Military Press:
165 lbs x 3 reps x 5 reps
165 lbs x 2 reps
175 lbs x 1 rep
I was supposed to hit 165 for 6x3 but I failed on my 6th set. I find it so hard to breathe in between reps....I think from next week I'm going to change the set-rep scheme to 7x2 or 9x2...still thinking about it. I started this 5x5 type progression deal with 145. I've been adding 5 lbs every week and so far it's been good.

Dumbbell Rows:
105 lbs x 7 reps
120 lbs x 7 reps

Hammer Curls:
50 lbs x 6 reps

Cable Pushdowns:
82.5 lbs x 6 reps

Videos:

Press and Rows:

Overall Impression:

Decent workout....

M13 W4 Deadlift Day

Fall 2009 Training
Mesocycle 13 - Week 4
Deadlift Day

Beginning Thoughts:

My sleeping patterns have been really poor over the last few weeks and this week was really terrible. Too much late night goofing around lol.... However, I have been dieting really hard and my calorie deficit really played me today: I had zero motivation to hit the gym and I think that played a huge role in today's outcome.

Workout:

Deadlifts:
405 lbs x 1 rep
395 lbs x 5 reps
410 lbs x 1 rep
400 lbs x 5 reps
415 lbs x 1 rep
405 lbs x 4 reps
I did beat last week's numbers but I am pissed off at myself because:
(a) I could've done 405x5 but I lost focus, motivation and confidence
(b) I had zero motivation during the workout and I think on several sets my form broke down a but
Next week I am going to nail this.

Videos:

Deadlifts:

Overall Impression:

I've been hitting the gym really hard over the last 3 weeks. So the rest of this week is gonna be very low volume and a might skip a session or two. We'll see how things go.

The plan for next mesocycle is around the same as it was for this one. I am going to be following this tweaked version of Poliquin's 1-6 Principle for Deadlifts, I will be sticking to Military Presses if I can continue to progress at 5lbs a week for 6x3 and if I fail it will be quality volume or singles for the exercise. Regarding Squat Day, I have OH Squats and Back Squats for that day.

I hope everyone's having a good week so far. Tomorrow's Friday and I am very happy for that!

M13 W3 Pistol Squat Day

Fall 2009 Training
Mesocycle 13 - Week 3
Pistol Squat Day

Beginning Thoughts:

This is last night's workout. I've been sleeping very poorly over the last few days - with exams, etc. I had been awake for 18 hours by the time I hit the gym last night and I had only slept for 5 hours the night before..

Workout:

Pistol Squats:
5 + 10 + 12 = 27 reps
Decent stuff. I had an interruption on the second set - some guy walked by the camera and hopped on the GHR machine on which my recorded was. So, I stopped the recording, he understood and hopped off and I resumed the recording. You'll see this in the video.

Standing Unilateral Dumbbell Press:
50 lbs x 10 reps
65 lbs x 5 reps
75 lbs x 2 reps
75 lbs x 3 reps
I have the last 2 heavy sets on video...

Pallof Press:
42.5 lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets

Cable Crunches:
80 lbs x 10 reps
90 lbs x 10 reps
100 lbs x 6 reps

Videos:

A little of this and a little of that:

Overall Impression:

I am looking forward to the next few days of rest...Time to eat and sleep.

M13 W3 Back Workout

Fall 2009 Training
Mesocycle 13 - Week 3
Back Workout

Beginning Thoughts:

Last night's workout....I went in feeling pretty good

Workout:

Medley Rounds #1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6:
Weighted Pull-ups = BW + 20 lbs x 3 reps
Barbell Rows = 165 lbs x 4 reps
Pull-ups = BW x 3 reps
Cable Rows = 150 lbs x 5 reps

Barbell Rows:
185 lbs x 4 reps
205 lbs x 2 reps
225 lbs x 3 reps
I know my form went to **** but I wanted to do it anyway....I have the vids up for form check.

Jackknife Pikes on a Swiss Ball:
BW x 8 reps x 4 sets

Videos:

Got 2 Medleys, all the extra rowing and the last comical set of Pikes:

Overall Impression:

Decent workout. Tonight is Pistol Squat Day. Gonna take it light and easy tonight....just some Pistols followed by ab work and then it's time to sleep.

Have a good week, everyone and thanks for reading!

M13 W3 Squat Day

Fall 2009 Training
Mesocycle 13 - Week 3
Squat Day

Beginning Thoughts:

This was yesterday's workout..

Workout:

Overhead Squats:
135 lbs x 3 reps
155 lbs x 2 reps x 2 sets
175 lbs x 1 rep
190 lbs x FAIL
This was reasonably good....But, I could not nail the 190 set. Thats firstly my BW and it wasn't resting well on my shoulders. I could not retract my shoulder blades and you can tell just from my video that there was no stability. The effort it took to press it up was way too much.

Anderson Front Squats:
255 lbs x 2 reps
275 lbs x 2 reps
I was going to do more work but I had to go and cut my workout short. Next week I'll do more work with this and make up for it.

Videos:

Overhead Squats:

Overall Impression:

Umm...let's see. Firstly, I had to end this workout short becuase my training buddy injured himself while doing Deadlifts and I thought I'd have to take him to the hospital.

Secondly, I have been very good with my diet all of last week. I weighed in today morning at 191 lbs. Thats a 4 lbs weightloss so far.

Thirdly, I saw Zombieland last night and it was hilarious. I didn't know Zombies were different from "Mutants" (mutants as in the creatures from I Am Legend) but I enjoyed the movie nonetheless.

Lastly, I have been watching this TV Show which is an adaptation from the Sword of the Truth series of books by Terry Goodkind. I'm only on Episode 2 but it's exciting because I love the books. I had expected Kahalan to be much hotter though....and Richard is a bit of a pansy. In the book he's more....well, he's more of a man than a boy.

I hope everyone's having a good weekend. I'm gonna be doing my back workout later tonight...I might put up videos later.

Cheers, everyone. Thanks for reading.

M13 W3 Press Day

Fall 2009 Training
Mesocycle 13 - Week 3
Press Day

Beginning Thoughts:

I weighed in today at 192 lbs. 10 days ago I weighed 197 lbs so I'm happy with this drop in weight.

Workout:

Military Press:
160 lbs x 3 reps x 6 sets
I used my wrist wraps and it made a HUGE difference....My wrists hardly hurt and the movement just felt a lot more natural.

Dumbbell Rows:
105 lbs x 7 reps x 3 sets

Hammer Curls:
45 lbs x 10 reps

Cable Pushdowns:
77.5 lbs x 10 reps

Banded Shrugs:
Blue x 15 reps x 2 sets

Front Planks:
BW x 60 seconds x 3 sets

Videos:

Almost my whole workout:

Overall Impression:

My goal is to drop to a comfortable 180-185 and stay there....I need to stop eating this junk food though...!!!

M13 W3 Deadlift Day

Fall 2009 Training
Mesocycle 13 - Week 3
Deadlift Day

Beginning Thoughts:

I got 4 hours of sleep last night. I wish I could say I was up studying and doing something productive academically, but I wasn't. I spent the night reading a book called "A Most Wanted Man" by John Le Carre which is decent. I finished reading 250 pages last night and the rest of the night was spent watching the first 4 episodes of this old(ish) TV-Show called The Practice. I don't know if any of y'all remember this show, but it used to be my favorite and I grew up watching shows like The Practice, Boston Public, etc...I'm gonna finish watching the first few seasons of The Practice via Netflix this semester.

Workout:

Deadlifts:
405 lbs x 1 rep
395 lbs x 5 reps
410 lbs x 1 rep
400 lbs x 4 reps
415 lbs x 1 rep
405 lbs x 3 reps
Ok, first things first. One: I was NOT in a mood to lift weights today. I was feeling kinda meh the whole workout and no matter how much mobility work I did to activate my glutes, I just could not ****ing get it....But, this is my fault and this happens to me from time to time and it is unreal to expect every single workout to be the same. From the videos you will notice that my form fluctuates between good and bad and I take responsibility for that. I was very ambitious today in terms of weight selection and you can see from the missed 400 and 405 sets that I did not deliver. But, I am determined more than ever to deliver on both these fronts next week. I am going to get 405 x 5. On another note: I think I have been feeling kinda winded of late because of my diet. I am doing an average daily deficit of 700 calories and I think it is playing havoc on my system since my carb sources are terrible....All I make sure to do is get my protein and fat in and then the carbs get filled with cookies and ****. But, today I was just feeling meh because I was mentally exhausted. Next week will be better.

Videos:

Deadlifts:

Overall Impression:

This was a kinda disappointing session but things like this happen from time to time so it's alright...and since last week's workout was so good something had to give, right?

Anyways, I hope everyone's having a good week. Tomorrow is Friday and I am really looking forward to the weekend. I got some big tests next week and I need to work my ass off. Good thing I finished watching The Practice earlier in the week otherwise no way would I have been able to resist...

Thanks for reading and have a great Friday everyone!