‘Back’ at it

After getting my computer back from hp, in what I must say was record time, looks like it is time to start penning my “information” back into the blogosphere.

I’ll start off nice and lightly with my Valentines Day workout.  Which I must say, was surprisingly good.

After several cups of oatmeal, 6 pieces of pizza and breakfast pancakes over the last 12 hours, I was a big ball of potential energy and it made for a very good workout.

Started things off as per the usual with some weighted wide grip chins.  Warming up with body weight for a few reps and then 5 or so reps with 45 lbs. 

The meat and potatoes work included two sets of 6 reps with a 65 pound dumbbell.  This was followed with some close-grip chins with a 65 lbs for 6 and then 45 lbs for 8 or 9.  After the heavy weights, I always go for an all out set (of wide-grip chins) with no weight for as many reps as possible..got about 15 or so today.

Next on the menu was some barbell rows: 4 sets {135 lbs x 12; 185 lbs x 12; 205 lbs x 11; 225 lbs x 6}

Really getting a good burn today so all I needed to finish things off was some deadlifts. 

And boy did these finish me off.

4 Sets {225 lbs x 12; 315 lbs x 8; 365 lbs x 4; 405 lbs x 2}

Haven’t tried to do 405 lbs for a while (at least 18 months), but it felt good to feel some heavy weight again. 

Time to eat and recover.

Is chocolate a good post-workout meal?

Happy Valentines!

You Can Do It, Just Don't Put Your Back Into It

As leg day rolled around this week my back was feeling a little bit tired from the heavy deadlifts and back workouts over the last few weeks. 

Unfortunately, in order to get a thigh stimulation from squats it usually tires my lower back out a lot, so I quickly devised a plan and hit my legs hard!

Started off with some leg presses, and since I was doing them first, I was able to push a bit more weight than usual: 4 Sets {230 lbs x 30; 410 lbs x 20; 590 lbs x 20; 770 lbs x 12}

This got the ball rolling quite well, so went over to the squat rack and did some front squats, 3 sets {135 x 12; 175 x 12; 185 x 8}.  All the goodness of squats without any of the lower back stress.  Although, also a very good biceps workout.

Same rack, 2 sets of barbell lunges with 135 lbs x 8 reps.

I still did some stiff-legged deadlifts (although they involve a lot of lower back), but I kept the weight low and did them on top of a wooden box so that I could go extra deep and I only raised the bar up to my knees.  This helped keep the stress on my hamstrings and not my back. 3 Sets {135 x 20}

This was followed up with 3 sets of lying leg curls and some seated calf raises and quite a bit of stretching.

The legs were nice and pumped, and now "the back" feels good and ready for Saturday.

Have a good weekend!

No bowling balls here

Sorry about the slow posting rate over the last couple of days.  I have been in an all out battle with a virus on my laptop, a battle that hopefully I have won.

But that has not stopped me from having some very productive workouts over the last couple of days!

On Monday I had a chance to make it down to the school gym and use some more useful equipment for training my shoulders.

Due to my very long arms and short muscle bellies in my arms and shoulders, I have found it very tough getting my shoulder muscles to fill-out really pop!

Coupled with several shoulder dislocations and wear and tear from my short lived baseball career (which I am sure Canadutch can attest to) my shoulders have been somewhat of a disaster area.

But they are feeling good now, and it's time to see what they are made of!

Hopefully not Jell-O

The shoulder is a very tricky joint and one that demands stimulation from a multitude of angles as well as different set and rep schemes to hit all three heads (front, side and rear delts)and muscle types.

In order to put some bulk into my heads, I have added some more power movements to my routine after reading some excellent shoulder training advice from Got Built?

This weeks routine started off with some standing lateral raises, which actually got surprisingly heavy: 3 Sets (30 lbs x 20; 35 lbs x 20; 40 lbs x 12)

Then into the real meat and potato exercises:

Some Standing Overhead Push Presses (With barbell. Push meaning I used a little leg umph! when got tired to lift a little more weight): 3 sets (95 lbs x 12; 115 lbs x 12; 135 lbs x 8)

Seated dumbbell presses: 3 sets (50 lbs x 12; 60 lbs 12; 65 lbs x 8)

Hang Power Cleans (These Really made my forearms sore the next day!): 3 sets of 12 reps with 135 lbs. Really gassed at this point, almost cramping!

My training partner and I decided to see how many one arm chin-ups we could do (with the weight assisted machine). I got a few reps with 80 lbs of assistance.  Not bad considering I weigh 190 lbs now. Not really a shoulder exercise per say, but was tiring none the less.

We then finished it off with some barbells shrugs (3 sets of 20 or so with 225 lbs) and some reverse peck deck flyes.

If that doesn't put some bowling balls on my shoulders I don't know what will!

Squats, you make me weak in the knees

So leg day rolled around again today, as it seems to every Tuesday. Things started off slowly, as it was the end of a long day.

The squats weren't as good as would have liked them to have been.

Nonetheless, I pressed on and found myself pouring buckets of sweat with a great leg pump that I'm sure will be the cause of much soreness on the morrow.

Exercise order of the day:

Warmed-up with a 400m run

Back Squats: Sets {135 lbs x 15; 225 lbs x 12; 265 lbs x 6; 225 lbs x 8}

Wide Stance Squats: 1 Set of 135 lbs for 12

Front Squats: 135 lbs for 12 reps, also only one set

Stiff-Legged Deadlifts: 4 sets {135 lbs x 12; 225 lbs x 12; 275 lbs x 12; 315 lbs x 6}

Barbell Lunges: 2 Sets {135 lbs x 8}

Leg Press: 3 Sets {320 lbs x 30; 410 lbs x 25; 500 lbs x 25}

Lying Leg Curls: 3 Sets of 12 reps with 90 lbs or so (Not really sure with those machines)

Some standing calf raises and then some light stretching.

Phew!

Quite a bit of volume, but I am eating a tonne right now so hopefully I'll be able to recover well enough.

Perhaps I'll get a massage from Mrs. Oddbody (hopefully she is reading this)

Off to bed!

Saturday Morning Back Day

These Saturday morning workouts are becoming some of my best of the week! 

Maybe it's because I don't usually have anything else to do besides picking up a few groceries

Perhaps it is the massive amounts of home-made pizza I ate the night before that fuels my workouts.

Or, it's because it's the only day of the week that I have a training partner.

Either way they have been something to look forward to and the workouts never disappoint (myself at least)

This week I started out with a few minutes of stretching while I waited for my training partner to arrive.

First exercise was some wide-grip chin ups as per the usual.  Warmed-up with one set of a few long explosive feel reps

Now it was time for the tough stuff: 3 weighted sets {50 lbs x 8; 50 lbs x 7; 50 lbs x 4} and then one all out set of 14 reps with just my body weight.

Did deadlifts second today. 4 sets {135 lbs x 12; 225 lbs x 12; 315 lbs x 10; 365 lbs x 5}

Good and warmed-up now. Rolled right into some underhand grip barbells rows for three more sets {135 lbs x 12; 185 lbs x 12; 185 lbs x 10}

I'm really trying to work on back thickness right now so I finished up with 2 sets of dumbbell rows {105 lbs x 12; 105 lbs x 10} and then three sets of T-bar Rows {90 lbs x 12-15}

That's all she wrote!

Anything in particular that makes your workouts out of the ordinary?

Squattin' Some More

Oh goodie, it's another leg-day...

Hooray!

And at the end of a long day of work, who doesn't look forward to a workout that requires more effort than pushing a marshmallow through a key-hole.  I'm not really sure where that came from...

Luckily, the joints were feeling good, I had eaten well and plentifully (2 chicken breasts, 2 cups of rice and 2 cups of steamed veggies over the last 4 hours go a long way!) so my energy levels were quite high going into the gym.

Started off with the usual, deep back squats: 5 Sets (135 lbs x 12; 225 lbs x 12; 265 lbs x 7; 285 lbs x 4; 225 lbs x 12). Got a good pump with these, very little rest between sets almost turned it into a cardio workout!

With no break went right into some stiff-legged deadlifts for three sets (135 lbs x 12; 225 lbs x 12 and 295 lbs x 10 or 12 not quite sure, was kind of light headed at this point...but in a good way)

Did a couple sets of barbells lunges (135 lbs x 8) while I waited for the leg press machine to be open where I did three sets of 30+ reps with 320 lbs.

I actually got a cramp at this point so I did some deep breathing and it seemed to go away (probably a little too much food in the tummy)

A few sets of lying leg curls including a final set drop set got my hamstrings sufficiently fried.

Last was seated calf raises and 15 minutes of stretching/lying on the floor followed by yet another wobbly walk up those darn stairs.

Going to try to do some yoga tonight for some more stretching which will hopefully ease the oncoming sore legs.

Chin-ups Galore

Workout: January 17th 2009 @ the Gritty Grotto from 12 PM- 1 PM

Today's workout was pretty crazy, I decided to see how much weight I could hold between my legs while doing a chin-ups. This is because I had drank more coffee than I would care to admit and was feeling especially energetic.

Warmed up with a "feel set" of 6 reps of wide grip chins (no-straps) followed by several working sets with added weight. Started off with 45 lbs, this felt especially easy today so I stopped at 6 reps to conserve energy.

I grabbed a 75 lbs dumbbell, figuring that this would be my max but I ended up doing 3 reps! So I tried the 85-pounder and blasted through 2 reps (the second of which was very slow!).

I finished off the wide-grip chins with another set of 7 reps with the 45 lbs dumbbell followed by 15 reps with just my body weight (186 lbs today).

Not bad for the first exercise :)

Next up, Barbell Rows: 3 Sets {135 lbs x 12; 185 lbs x 12; 185 lbs x 11}

Deadlifts (No Straps): 4 Sets {135 lbs x 12; 225 lbs x 12; 315 lbs x 12; 365 lbs x 3 (Ended this set early, wasn't feeling the groove anymore so I didn't want to risk injury)}

Reverse Grip Pull-downs: 3 sets of around 200 lbs for 8-12 reps

Last exercise of the day was several sets of barbell biceps curls. My arms were already quite tired and this finished them off nicely.

As I write this Sunday morning, I am quite sore and can assure you that this will truly be a day of rest!

sleeping kitty found here

Road to 405: Leg Day # 7

Location: Gritty Grotto

Time: 1:00 PM- 2:00 PM

Good leg workout today.  My body seems to do well when when my workouts are just after-noon. Warmed up today with a 400m run at a good pace.  Not a very long warm-up, but it seemed to do the trick. 

It was very busy at the gym today {new year's resolutions still being followed I guess}.  Therefore, I ended up skipping the leg curls and extensions to warm-up my thighs because one of the squat racks was open, so I jumped on it!

Back squats were first on the menu today.  5 Sets {135 lbs x 12; 225 lbs x 12;  255 lbs x 8; 275 lbs x 4; 225 lbs x 10} plus one set of front squats with 135 lbs x 15 to really feel the burn.

Still at the rack.  Time for some stiff-legged deadlifts: 4 sets {135 lbs x 12; 225 lbs x 12; 275 lbs x 12; 315 lbs x 6}

To finish of my quads I did 3 sets of 20 reps with 400 lbs.  Great Burn with this.

Next up, a few sets of hamstring curls with a drop set at the end.

Finished off with some seated calf raises and leg press calf raises.

Did a good 10 minutes of stretching at the end to help prevent the inevitable soreness that is sure to follow.

Although it didn't prevent me from barely being able to make it up the stairs at the end of it all.

Until next time!

New Jay Cutler DVD

Just thought that I would give a quick link to the trailer for the two-time {former} Mr. Olympia's new DVD entitled All Access.

This might be somewhat interesting for a bodybuilding video (if you are looking for something other than just training footage)

The plot focuses on Jay after his loss at the 2008 Mr. Olympia to Dexter Jackson and his renewed focus on training for the 2009 Mr. Olympia. Luckily for Jay, throughout his career he has been able to turn all of his defeats in to something positive and has been able to come back stronger time and time again.

Knock this guy however you want but his story is quite impressive and shows how hard work and dedication can get you anywhere.

My favourite quote from the trailer is from his wife saying how on their second date [at age 18] he said he wanted to be a professional bodybuilder, even though he had never worked out a day in his life!

Talk about clarity of vision!

Jay Cutler All Access DVD Trailer #2

3 Easy Ways to Boost Your Workout Intensity

1) Add a little weight.

Still using the same old ten pound dumbbells for every exercise?  Time to up the ante and get a little more bang for each rep. Just make sure to keep your form tight and don't start using momentum which may increase your chance of  injury. Your muscles will love the extra challenge!

2) Put your mind into the muscle

Don't have any weights lying around?  Luckily your muscles don't know the difference between 70 and 50 lbs.  Proper form combined with 100 percent focus on every rep can make any weight feel tough.  Feeling your muscles contracting and extending through a full range of motion is one of the best ways to stimulate muscle growth and take some of the blah out of mindlessly floating through a workout.

3) Train less Frequently {aka. Quality vs. Quantity}

Getting tired of crawling out of bed everyday to get to the gym and pound the weights?  Well, start taking a few extra days off!  Don't fall off of the wagon completely, but having an extra day off will not only help you recover a little bit more but you might actually start craving the gym again!  When you get back to it you'll attack the weights with more intensity and start having more quality workouts.

 

don't work this hard

Road to 405: Another Back Day

Location: Gritty Grotto

Date: January 11th 2009

Time: 10:20 AM to 11:20 AM

I don't usually make it to the gym on Sunday's as it is more of a recovery type day that involves a lot of sleeping.

But I was feeling my rolled-oats today, so I decided to get it done.

Today's back workout was a little slower and more heavy-duty than the last one, although I did set a couple of personal bests with chin-ups.

This is what I started off with: some chin-ups while holding a dumbbell between my legs {25 lbs x 8 reps; 45 lbs x 8; 60 lbs x 4; body weight x 20}

Next up was barbell rows, nothing crazy just 3 sets {135 lbs x15; 185 lbs x 12; 205 lbs x 8}

Good ol' deadlifts were next, three straight sets {135 lbs x 12; 225 lbs x 12; 315 lbs x12}

Finished the middle back off with some T-Bar Rows 3 sets with 100 lbs for as many reps as possible with very little rest to get a good pump.

Last exercise was some back extensions {35 lbs x 12} to finish off the lower back

Now it is time for sleeping and eating...I love Sundays

Super Speed Back Workout

Since time has become somewhat of a luxury as of late, the workouts have been tough to get in, but luckily I have been able to squeeze them in without too much trouble.

Worked out from 3-3:30 PM on JAN 7th 2009 at the Hospital Gym

Warmed up with a few long explosive reps of wide grip chin-ups followed by a few reps with 65 lbs dumbbell rows.

The nitty-gritty of the workout consisted of supersets of wide grip chins (25 lbs x 12; 35 lbs x 6; 45 lbs x 4) and bend over dumbbell rows (65 lbs x 12; 85 lbs x 12; 85 lbs x 12)

This got me off to a good start so I finished things off with some seated cable rows with stack for 3 sets of twelve reps super set with close grip chin-ups for three sets of twelve.

I'm quite glad I got through this workout, didn't take much time at all since I ended up working a double shift that day.

Needless to say, I was quite pooped when bedtime rolled around.

I also ended up with biceps that were more sore than my back muscles the next day! Perhaps the form just wasn't quite right.

It Snow Good

Having lived in Winnipeg for the last year, I should be getting used to this snow business.  But I tell you, it's getting tough trying to get out and exercise even at the best of times throughout the Winter {which is practically 8 months long!}

I have been trying to practice what I preach by going out and playing hockey at the local rink daily because the University gym is closed throughout the holidays {Grrrr!}

But skating is being made near impossible because the snow just keeps dumping down on us! I even went as far as to shovel the entire ice rink {in skates} because no one else had done it recently.  Unfortunately, as soon as I was finished and was about to enjoy some nice stick and puck, Mr. Zamboni came out and started cleaning the ice! 

I didn't even get a chance to enjoy the fruits of my labour.

Needless to say I left.  Although it might have also been due to the minus twenty degree {Celcius} temperature.

Nonetheless! I fear that someone is trying to thwart my attempts to stay fit as this holiday season draws to a close. {Fitness Grinch?}

Luckily, I have been walking the dog, and that snow in the yard doesn't shovel itself!

Has anyone else found it difficult to get out and about this holiday season or are you just as good at making excuses as I am?

Road to 405: Leg Day #4

Quick workout today since it is getting nearer to the holiday season and time is really become a luxury. Decided to blast through some back, shoulders and biceps in about 35 minutes to make sure that I didn't miss them this weekend.

December 18th 2008 Hospital Gym 530 PM

Started things off by heading to the wobbly chin up bar for some wide grip chins: 3 Sets (Body Weight x 6; 25 lbs x 10; 35 lbs x 6)

Followed that up with the somewhat easier close grip chins for three sets of 12 at bodyweight.  Felt some good power in these by gripping the bar very tightly.

Next up, dumbbell rows: 3 Sets (65 lbs x 15; 85 lbs x 12; 95 lbs x 12)

Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press: 3  Sets (45 lbs x 12; 65 lbs x 12; 65 lbs x 7)

Seated Lateral Raises: 3 Sets (25 lbs x15)

Dumbbell Shrugs: 2 Sets (95 lbs x 20)

Standing Dumbbell Curls: 2 Sets (35 lbs x 12)

Standing Hammer Curls: 2 Sets (35 lbs x 12)

Reverse Cable Curls: 2 Sets (65 lbs x 12)

Good Pump. Glad it is all done for the day and I can go enjoy some more Festivus tidings!

Road to 405: Leg Day #4

December 13th 2008; Gritty Grotto; 12 PM

Wasn't really feeling like training when I got to the gym today but by the time I had finished 5 minutes on the stationary bike my morning coffee had begun to find it's way to my muscles and I was ready to go!

Warmed up with 3 sets of Leg Extensions (50 lbs x 20; 80 lbs x 20; 120 lbs x 15) super-setted with Lying Hamstring Curls (80 lbs x 12; 120 lbs x 12; 150 lbs [stack] x 12)

Leg Presses: 4 sets (320 lbs x 15; 500 lbs x 20; 680 lbs x 15; 680 lbs x 12)

Back Squats: 3 sets (135 lbs x 12; 225 lbs x 10; 225 lbs x6)

Wide Stance Squats: 2 Sets (135 lbs x 12)

Deadlifts: 135 lbs x 12; 225 lbs x 12; 315 lbs x 8; 345 lbs x 6

Lying Hamstring Curls: 3 Sets (90 lbs x 20)

Finished it all off with some 3 sets of seated and standing calf raises respectively.

Great Workout, no pain in any joints either!

Sure to be quite sore tomorrow, .

Road To 405: Back Day #3

4 PM at Hospital Gym

No deadlifts today, only dumbbells and chin-up bars to work with.

Things started off with 4 long reps of wide-grip chins to warm-up, followed by three sets of weighted chins: 35 lbs x 7; 35 lbs x 5; 25 lbs x 8

3 Sets of Dumbbell Rows: 85 lbs x 12; 95 lbs x 12; 100 lbs x 12

Body weight close grip chins: 3 Sets of 12

Two-arm dumbbell rows lying face down on incline bench: 3 Sets (65 lbs x 12) -Kind of improvising at this point.

Seated Cable Rows: 4 sets (200 lbs x 20 reps)

Pretty good pump, nothing special though, it's pretty lousy not having barbells on back day.  Better than nothing though! As long as I got something done.

Road to 405: Leg Day # 3

Normally leg day takes place on a Saturday morning, but a burst pipe in my basement put a little hold on my training for a few days. 

Got it done on Monday morning after invigilating a first year nutrition exam though.

Monday December 8th 2008, Gritty Grotto, 11 AM

Started off with a little ab work.  This consisted of a few sets of leg raises and crunches on the floor [otherwise I won't do them at all!]

Then to make sure I was good and warmed-up did 10 minutes on the stationary bike before getting in to the thick of leg day.

Did a couple of sets of leg extensions and leg curls to get some more blood in to my thighs.  This seems to helps me [mentally] push off the bottom of the range of motion on my squat

Moved over to the Squat Rack for 4 Sets of Squats [135 lbs x 12; 225 lbs x 8; 255 lbs x 6; 225 lbs x 8]

Front Squats: 3 Sets of 135 lbs x 12

Deadlifts: 135 lbs x 12; 225 lbs x 12; 325 lbs x 8 (No straps)

Leg Press: 3 Sets [320 lbs x 12; 410 lbs x15; 410 lbs x 15] Legs were pretty fried by this point.

Several sets of seated calf raises with 115 lbs finished it all off.

Also had a mini chin-up contest with my cousin, we each got to 21 this time. Nobody wins...

Did a some very light stretching at the end, followed by a large meal of left-over stew. Delicious.

Road to 405: Back Day # 2

Tuesday December 2nd 2008, 4 PM at Gritty Grotto

No warm-up today, just went straight to the chin-up/cable station for some wide-grip chin-ups:

4 Sets: 5 reps with no weight as a warm-up; Sets 2-3 were done with a dumbbell held between my calves (35 lbs x 10; 45 lbs x 7; 55 lbs x 4)

Next was 2 sets of extra wide grip chins for 12 reps and two more sets of narrow-grip chins for 2 sets of 12 reps.

3rd exercise:  Barbell Rows: 3 sets of 12 reps with 185 lbs.  Each set seemed to get easier, no explanation but I'll take it!

Power Cleans: 135 lbs x 6; 165 x 6; 185 lbs x 3

Deadlifts: 225 lbs x 12; 315 lbs x 10

Relaxed Stretching.

The workout ended rather quickly, the heavy chins were quite taxing so the workout was nice and efficient. 

All the equipment that I used was so close I don't think that I moved more than 5 feet throughout the entire workout!

Just one barbell and a chin-up bar.

Simple. And hopefully effective.

The Challenge is on

It looks like I have added another goal to my training regime:

To be able to do a one-arm chin-up!

Now I realize this is probably not very feasible since I weigh around 190 lbs and most of that weight rests in my lower half. 

But, it is the goal of my training partner/cousin. He is not the strongest guy on the block but at a body weight of a buck thirty, he believes that he should be able to do it sometime in the next few months. He claims that only one out of ever million people can perform this feet, so only 6000 people in the world can do this?!  And since only 700 thousand people live in Winnipeg, he will probably be the only person here who can do it! Sound reasoning.

Pretty exclusive company don't you think?

Now I know I probably won't be able to achieve this feat, but he may due to his weight. But, I am going to train like I can and that will hopefully push him over the top!

Now this is how it's done!

From now on there will be a larger focus geared toward chin-ups in my Road to 405: Back day training.  Any suggestions for training for a max pull-up lift?  Other than just doing a lot of chin-ups of course.

Road To 405: Leg Day #2

Location: Gritty Grotto  Date: Nov. 29 2008 Time:10:15 AM

Started with a good long warm-up of 10 minutes on the stationary bike, got good and warmed up which is tough sometimes on a Saturday morning.

Warm-up Super Sets: 2 Sets of Leg Extensions and Lying Leg Curls (70 lbs x 20; 110 lbs x 12)

4 Sets of Leg Press (225 lbs x 20; 500 lbs x 20; 585 lbs x 20; 7; 675 lbs x 17)

3 Sets  of Back Squats (135 lbs x 12; 225 lbs x 12; 225 lbs x 10).  Felt very good, starting to get into the pack groove again, starting to feel easy again, hooray!

3 Sets of Stiff Legged Deadlifts (135 lbs x 12; 225 lbs x 12;  275 x 12).  Felt super easy, lower back is getting very strong, will help squats a lot in the coming months.

Barbell Lunges (2 sets: 135 lbs x 12)

3 sets of Seated Calf Raises (90 lbs x 20; 140 lbs x 15; 140 lbs x 12)

5 minutes of stretching. Helped myself to a tasty chocolate milk afterwards, delicious!