Post edited 9:37 am – January 13, 2010 by mintster

Went to the gym last night but didn't get a chance to post.

Did 10 mins warm up on X Trainer (punchbag was being used), hacked me off as the guys using the bag decided to have a 5 minute chat midway through using it even though it was clear I wanted to use it – morons – bet they do bicep curls in the squat rack!

3 x 3 minute 'rounds' on punchbag with 1 minute rest between each round.  Basically this is more of a warm up, practice jabs etc etc.

This was followed by:

30 Secs all out punching as hard and as fast as possible with 30 secs rest as many times as possible.  I actuall managed 5 x 30 sec bursts and a final 1 minute burst to finish off.

Was absolutely shattered – albeit in a good way – find this a great short intensive workout.  Excluding the x trainer you are usually done within 20 mins – nice and quick if you are short of time.

Cracking workout today – was very tough and pretty much hit failure on the end of each exercise.

DL

Warmup

5 x 82.5

5 x 95

12 x 107.5

4 x 10 chinup

4 x 15 one arm DB row @ 20KG

4 x 25 Back extension (this was extremely tough)

4 x 15 BB roll out

Todays workout was a great example of how training with a partner can spur you on.  The back extensions were particularly tough and I probably would have been happy to stop at 2 (only did 20 on second set) but pushed on through the third (did 30 to make up for the 5 I dropped).  After the third set I said to John about stopping and he replied that we may as well carry on for the fourth – good times!

Today was a chest focussed workout:

Bench Press

Warmup

5 x 57.5KG

5 x 67.5KG

8 x 77.5KG

DB Bench Press

4 x 10 @ 26KG (per DB)

Tricep dips

4 x 10.  Set 1 with 12KG and Set 2 with 8KG.  Sets 3 and 4 bodyweight only.

DB Fly

4 x 10 @ 14KG

Tricep rope Pulldown

4 x 10 @21.75 KG

All of the exercises are generally with a 2 1 1 tempo and 1 minute (or 1.5 min) rest between sets.

I am finding these workouts pretty challenging – I seem to have got the weights spot on and am generally failing with the last lift of each set!

Onto the weekend now which will be relaxing with little or no exercise other than a kickaround with my son!

Went for a recovery run yesterday so that I would ease the DOMS from the legs workout.  Ran around 8 miles @ 5 m/ph (roughly).  Was a good idea as my legs don't feel too sore today.  Luckily was an upper body workout today!

Military Press

3 x 45KG

3 x 50KG

6 x 57.5KG

Barbell upright row

4 x 10 @ 40KG Slightly heavier than last time – struggled on last set, may lower weight for last set next time.

DB Shoulder Press

4 x 12 @ 14KG

Bentover DB Raise

4 x 15 @ 10KG  Have decided that I am going to drop the weight next time I perform this as I felt that I didn't really have good control / form when performing the exercise.

DB Curl

2 x 12 @ 10KG

2 x 12 @ 8KG

Overall very good.  Switched to heavier db's for the curls at the beginning of the exercise rather than the end.  As noted I am going to drop the bentover DB raise to around 6KG so that I can concentrate on form a little more as when I had finished I felt I had used momentum to lift and lower the weights and so lost a little of the control.

On another note I have already started to notice changes in my physique. I thought that as I had taken a full 3 weeks off over xmas it would take a little longer to start regaining some of my muscle definition but am really pleased to start seeing benefits so soon.  I will give it a month or 2 of training 5 days a week (3 days weight training and 2 days cardio) before I start to ease off a little (and enjoy a few more beers) and spread the training out a little more.

DL

Warmup

3 x 82.5

3 x 100

14 x 112.5

4 x 10 chinup – Had to use assistance on set 3 @25KG and @35 for Set 4 as no John Bravo to provide assistance!

4 x 15 one arm DB row @ 14KG – Lowered weight by mistake on this one but it did mean that for was perfect throughout and really squeezed muscle at the top of the lift.

4 x 25 Back extension – this still bloody hurts!  Was harder doing this on my own as there wasn't the competition to spur me on.

4 x 15 Ab Wheel roll out

As said I accidentally lowered the weight on the one arm DB rows, I realised at the end of set 1 but rather than move up the weight I decided to continue and really focus on form and tempo (2 1 1) and really squeezed the muscle at the top of the lift (have to say I was impressed with some of the muscle definition in my shoulder!).

The back extensions are a killer and I have to really stretch out my back between each set otherwise I don't think I could complete it!

Am pleased with my DL. Probably one of my strongest exercises, up there with squats as my favourite compound exercise (probably just edges it).  I love the fact that even at 112.5KG I am well within my maximum lift – am determined to get to the 200KG!

First off – what a concert, Prodigy rock!

I was right about the gig being a workout – after an hour of jumping around like a lunatic in what felt like tropical heat I was dripping with sweat – my clothes (T shirt and jeans) could not have been much wetter had I stood in a shower!  I thought my legs (calves in particular) would be painful this morning but I seem to have got away with it!

Woke feeling tired so after I dropped my son off at school I hit the gym for punchbag work.  Same routine as before:

3 x 3 minute rounds with 1 minute break in between followed by:

30 secs all out 30 secs off.  I managed 10 sets of this and was shattered afterwards – felt good to go and relax in the steam room, something I haven't used for a long time.

Am really glad I did this – had downloaded 2 new episodes of 24 and was sorely tempted to give it a miss but used my will power to drag myself down there.  Always satisfying when you complete a workout you almost chickened out of.

Squash night – managed to squeeze a 2 – 1 victory ( score was 8 – 8 in fourth match but our time was up).  Pulled a muscle in my back (think its my QL) but hopefully not too badly.  Will see in the morning how I feel to see if I can make it to the gym.

Have to apologise to John for hitting him with the ball  – luckily was only in the leg but we have decided to be a lot more careful and call strokes more often.

This is effectively HITT for 45 minutes – can be very difficult, there are points when the rally seems to go on for so long that you start to feel dizzy when the point is won!

Hopefully back won't be too bad tomorrow as really want to keep up the gym.  Have kept myself in calorie deficit for 3 weeks and am really noticiing the difference (abstaining from alcohol has made the biggest difference).  Trying to build muscle and lose fat is hard work as you have to find the right balance (if you are not bothered about making quick gains) and currently I am managing this.  As a side note the last time I stopped drinking alcohol for a month and trained hard I saw a big difference in muscle definition and I am looking forward to the same gains.

I suppose I should point out that any day I don't post is simply a rest day.

Bench Press

Warmup

5 x 60KG

3 x 72.5KG

8 x 77.5KG

DB Bench Press

4 x 10 @ 28KG (per DB)

Tricep dips

4 x 10.  Set 1 with 12KG, Set 2 with 8KG, Sets 3 with 6KG (to rep 6) and set 4 bodyweight only.

DB Fly

4 x 10 @ 16KG

DB Curl (a mistake – was supposed to tricep pulldown – put it down to a mad moment) 3 x 10 @14 KG and 1 x 10 @12KG.

Although DB curl was a mistake I was pleased that I managed 3 sets at 14KG.  I am still struggling with my back a little and so may not be able to complete the deadlift workout on friday – bit disappointed but I think while I have been OK with the other workouts I think that deadlifts would really aggravate it.

Next week is a 'de loading' week to allow proper recovery but normal service will resume the week after.  I will be increasing my calorific intake to try and add some bulk as well – I will be keeping a close eye to make sure I add lean tissue.

First workout of 'de-loading' week.  Is basically like a rest week, all of the workouts are supposed to be completed with a lighter weight than usual before returning to normal next week with heavier weights.

Military Press

5 x 25KG

5 x 35KG

5 x 45KG

The weights for this were meant to be much lighter but due to the gym being unusually busy we had to up them slightly – either way it was still fairly simple and didn't push too hard.

Barbell upright row

4 x 10 @ 30KG

DB Shoulder Press

4 x 12 @ 16KG

Again heavier weights used due to lack of other weights and bizarrely was easier on set 4 than on set 3!!!!

Bentover DB Raise

4 x 15 @ 8KG

DB Curl

3 x 12 @ 12KG

1 x 12 @ 10KG

Was a bit of a struggle to do this properly with the gym being so busy but with the exception of a couple of the exercises it still remained more like a relaxing workout as opposed to an all out effort!