Onwards and upwards - target 2012...
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Wednesday - NOTHING - bliss, sleep in!<br />
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Thursday and Friday - shoulders and then back. all going according to plan! highlight of week the standing barbell presses - 70 kilos, always hated this one, and at last starting to geel like some heavy weight being moved!! -
well, training has been boxing on as it does - but having a few days off work means I have not been bothered to log in onto a computer, been nice!<br />
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Soo all is going well, with Ness getting the bike bug though, I have also now borrowed a road bike, and last Wednesday we cycled Thames - Paeroa - Thames, about 54k. Took 2 hours ten or so. Going there was fun, but coming back, head wind and tired from first leg of cycle, so hard work. Should have also had a big of grub through ride, so made it harder than it should have been. Then on Sunday did a smaller ride out to Opoutere from Whangamata. About 33k total. That was a lot easier! Think it took about an hour 18. <br />
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Weights, on our last week of the current block. Next week it's down to low reps, no super setting, can't wait!<br />
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Visited trainer yesterday too, BF unchanged, weight up to 89.9, with 81.25 lean muscle mass. Maximum weight come competition day is 80.5, so there's a problem, but a good one - at the end of last season my lean muscle mass was 76kg, so there is a gain, and hopefully I can hold onto that when the lean down happens. You do lose muscle, the battle is trying to not lose too much. Ahh well, not long until battle commences, about 8 weeks to lean down..... -
shit a brick sideways - legs yesterday, and once again, or even more than last week actually, buttocks and hamstrings caned to pieces. And next week we're into 30s for leg press, oh joy!! Today was chest, and sore already.<br />
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So all going well!! -
I would have to be the worst 'updater' here now!! Too busy reading all other people's progress, whcih is excellent. Day 2 of new 4 week block, and punishing. Chest yesterday, 5 sets of 4 reps. First set did 100, then 95, 95, 97.5, 97.5. So wimped in the middle there I think. Will try and start at 105 next week. Great fun. Also heavy DB incline press, 6s I think they were. hardest bit getting the weights into position!<br />
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TOday was legs, 4 sets of 4 reps. 150, 160, 170 and 160. Dropped back to the 160 for the final set as through the 170 I was not getting my full rep range, was bludging by a couple of inches on the mark I squat down too. Then leg press, 30 reps, 20 and 20. That was hard work, the last 5 of the last set murder. Might have to up my weights across the board there slightly!! Squats, start at 160 I think.<br />
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so today the chest is kiling me, cat climbed onto me this morning as I had my pre gym coffee (she always does), and in my slumped body position she always ends up on my chest with her fave about 1 inch from mine. Shit today it HURT as she walked onto my chest!<br />
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LOVE the first workouts of the new block, always pain... -
Shoulders on the block today. Seated barbell press, first time for seemingly YEARS that I have done that exercise. Was cool! and then the usual suspects, side raises (or lat raises, call them what you will), cable raises, plate raises, you name it, we raise it!! <br />
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Legs ramping up the after match pain now...!! -
who'd've (l;ook, I just invented a new word) thunk it (and another)...<br />
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My calves this morning were in even more pain than yesterday. But only on getting up, after about half an hour they were good as gold, or back to yesterdays levels of pain...<br />
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today though, BACK day, new block of workouts, so new exercises. Was good. chins, weighted (overhand, wide grip). Did 7, then 6 and 6, with 5kg, 7.5kg and 10kg. Feeling good on that one. Then a few cable pulldowns and the like, before deadlifts. <br />
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Deadlifts beat me today, first set of 4 at 165 a breeze. well, manageable at any rate. Next up 175, managed 3 and then about 4 inches. So that's my target next week, 4 at 175, going to be a mental block I reckon, remembering the pain trying to get taht weight past being just hovering off the floor!! Last set dropped back to 165 and got 4 out again, bloody hard work, but managed!<br />
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so wicked workout, big disappointed about the DLs, thought I'd breeze through 175 now that they are not supersetted, but they are the last exercise on the block, so a bit tired by the time we get there.<br />
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and that is the week that was. -
and all that's left of the legs now is sore calves when I tense the muscle. So, I don't tense...!!<br />
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Chest this morning, and biceps. Chest five sets of 4 again, and first set was 102.5, then 3 at 100, and finally the last one at 97.5. Incline press followed, 4 sets 6 reps, that ended up very tough on the same weights as last week, then flies, and a couple of bicep exercises to finish. Chest starting to get tender already - excellent!<br />
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We were meant to head out for a ride yesterday, but too windy, Ness getting her foal some training, so at the end of the day was too late. Phew. We were heading to Waihi, so yippie. I however managed to empty the storage shed out and have the new house now packed like a sardine tin! But that saves $40 a week, all good!! -
well, slammed again. Leg day, I think this would have to be the hardest leg workout ever. Although, memory is short, those 100s for squats were pretty intense, over seven minutes of squatting, but I digress...<br />
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Today, with some bad maths, cracnked through 4 reps at 170 for my first set of 5. Thought it was 155, but added wrong (always tough early in the morning and having to relaod weights on top of Vanessa's, and then adding 5s and 2.5s and so on(, anyway, excuses aside, did 4 at my last weeks failure weight first up. Knocked the weight back to 160 for the next set, then 165 for the last 2. Thought I was feeling a little weak after that first set struggle and re did my adding. Pity I can't do that with bench press...!!<br />
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leg press was next, major head spins at the end of each set, reps of 30, 20 20. Legs blasted to pieces now. Then hamstring curls, not so bad, and calf raises in the Smith machine. 30, 10, 10, 10. Felt like hurling through the calf raises as I sat down between sets, so great workout today.<br />
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Tomorrow, I expect walking will be a task, and my sore chest will be a dim memory.<br />
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and great to watch Vanessa squatting 110 kilos. Nice to see chicks doing real weights instead of bullshitting around. -
legs are not yet dead, dead tired, but not yet aching, no knives in muscles. But I can feel it building...<br />
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Shoulders today, good standard workout. 75kg seated BB press, good to be finally, after a hundred years adding weight to this exercise!!<br />
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Dodgy left shoulder not dodging at the moment (touch wood), right wrist A-OK once strapped.<br />
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that is all. -
both shoulders with pains in them as the day went along yesterday, but not 'bad' constant pain, just an 'ouch' as I would do something. today good as gold. Age methinks!<br />
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Spin class today, was good, not too hard, not too easy. Think I prefer the standing hill climbing tracks to the sprint seated tracks though!<br />
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over. -
back today.<br />
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Tough workout, although managed 3 set of 6 pull ups with 10kg which was good. then various pulldowns and seated rows before the big event, the deadlift.<br />
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Deadlift won today. First set of 4 at 165 really basehd a hole in my defences, did not go up to 175 as per last week, did the next two sets at 165. Think some of the last reps would have been taking 3 or 4 seconds each lift, brutal, but managed four each time! -
Nice work - savvy to listen to your body rather than push it and blow something! esp on DL's!<br />
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Ugh 3-4sec to complete the lift - that sounds slow and painful!<br />
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Cool to hear you've been making progress on shoulders, that's an area I get super slow gains in. I like the mix I have at the moment - seated (Arnie) dumbbell press, where you are rotating your arms as you lift, and standing barbell shoulder press. Before my break I managed 60kg on the standing press - I'd been stuck around 50-55kg for ages.<br />
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When is the next comp? -
Next comp - as of yesterdays visit to trainer, 9 weeks, Glenfield College, Queens B-Day Sunday. Did not see that coming, went for weigh in etc, and leave with a 9 week lean down! not our normal NABBA federation, but INBA, another good one. classes only done by weight, no 'athletic' and physique divisions. Trainer aiming for me to be 5% BF, which will put me about 84-85 kilos, less dehydration, so maybe early 80s. Was 90.1kg and just on 10% at this weigh in.<br />
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So all of a sudden, we are, as she says 'in the box'!!<br />
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yes, those deadlifts that just draaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag are awesome. Must be working though she commented on my back looking more dense, so upper body coming into line with my legs, hopefully more this year.<br />
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And that is all - training the last week went well, but Whanga had the beach hop festival, 3000+ classic cars and hot rods, 50,000 + people, me and a camera... Nek Minnit, 11,000 photos and tired as buggery! -
cardio sucks!! 45 minutes a day. so been walking over the last few days a few cycles. But forgot how much it sucks!<br />
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New programme starts today - shoulders to kick off the week instead of chest, so something new. Pity traps still smashed to bits from Saturday's workout - shrugs on the smith machine can go insanly heavy and controlled, so I did, and am still paying for it!<br />
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weight in tomorrow on our home scales, last Tuesday was 90.6 (I think, written down at home), and 11.5% BF (that as opposed to 10% when measured properly). So fingers crossed those figures will have both gone down! -
89.6 and 14.5% BF. Which is musts be why you don't take too much notice of the electronic measure!! I agree at the moment, but next week when it is 8.5 I won't!!<br />
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New programme, excellent, shoulders first day, chest second, legs today. Front squats, hate 'em, have 'em!! Spin tomorrow and then back on Friday. along with the 45 minutes a day cardio...<br />
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And the NABBA Waikato Champs are now in Whangamata, going to be organised by Vanessa and myself, this is time consuming!! -
ugh front squats! they hurt something chronic! we did a mixed set earlier in the year (front and back squats) and I was shot, stuffed and mounted on the wall. Utterly ruined my legs lol.<br />
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Do you do good mornings at all? I was checking them out last night when I was reading about improving deadlift. There are some stupid (imo) vids of people shifting massive weight with them! I thought the idea was to isolate but not go mad with how much you lift. Waaaay too much chance of an injury.<br />
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What are you doing for shoulders at the moment?<br />
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Wow, that is awesome you guys are running the next gig! primo to have it in your backyard too. Hope you still have time to train! -
good mornings = stiff legged deadlift? Straight legs on box, so basically your back and hamstrings do all the work? Yes, we've got those at the moment. Once I get too much weight on my hammys get nothing though, knees end up too bent and all goes into the back. So ahve to keep the weight low enough to keep your knees pretty much locked so you can feel your hammys wrenching to death...!!<br />
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Shoulders, were, lat raises, seated one arm lat raises, machine press, with a hold at the bottom, and I can't remember what else (first week, alway shard to remember)!!<br />
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Today was back, lots of rows, nice. Chest killing me the most, then hams, calves!! -
shoulders again yesterday, and second set of chest today. Chest and biceps. WOuld have to be my favourite chest / bicep workout from the 14 so far (that I remember anyway). Cehst gets a hell pump, and biceps do too. Starting out with Smith incline press with a pause at the bottom rips the shit out of you to start, and it gets better from there with a couple of drop sets thrown in for good measure. <br />
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Weight this morning down a grand 100g from last week, although am feeling more like a bodybuilder than i did a week ago, the scales have not shown much change. Not toooo surprised though, I have been finisheng off my Raisey's BUILD, and today will start on my Raisey's ISOL8, which is the lean protein - I expect rapid change now, and if not, then bugger. We visit our food guru Sunday, so we'll find out what's up then.<br />
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Over 'n' out.
