Someday I Will...

Malteaser!

*comes crawling back....*

I finished my Christmas exams on Saturday, before that my training was totally haphazard, absolutely no structure or plan to any of my sessions. It's actually been like that for the last couple of months, I've done nothing but go backwards if I'm being honest but luckiily I have a lot more free time now and a new drive to get things done.

Yesterday:

Bench

20kg x 6

25kg x 6

30kg x 5; 4; 5 - I was knackered by the second set, I was afraid to go for the 5th rep because I was there on my own and I didn't want to flatten myself. The last set was much easier than the first two...put together!!

Close Grip Bench

20kg x 6

25kg x 3 x 6

Paused Bench - I was absolutely fried at this stage

20kg x 3 x 6

Then I started something I've been threatning to do for weeks, I started the Couch to 5k program.

So workout one looks like this: Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

When I finished that and caught my breath back I just did some Supermans, with twice the amount on the right side than the left.

kevpants

Malteaser! wrote: »

Then I started something I've been threatning to do for weeks, I started the Couch to 5k program.

Wahey! My poor wife is still slogging away at this. She had another set back though. I think I was telling ya she's been sick like 3 times since she started it. Well now here wisdom tooth is playing up and she has to have it out this week. Her face is swollen and she's getting migraines. I think it may be a cursed program so watch yourself!

Malteaser!

kevpants wrote: »

Wahey! My poor wife is still slogging away at this. She had another set back though. I think I was telling ya she's been sick like 3 times since she started it. Well now here wisdom tooth is playing up and she has to have it out this week. Her face is swollen and she's getting migraines. I think it may be a cursed program so watch yourself!

No way?!? By coincidence, I have to get mine out next week too. Maybe you're onto something with the program being cursed!!! :P

Malteaser!

Deadlift

60kg x 6

65kg x 3 x 6

RDLs

50kg x 3 x 6

One Arm DB Rows

10kg x 3 x 15

Pull Downs

30kg x 2 x 10

25kg x 8

Supermans

Hanging Leg Raises x 3

Malteaser!

Shoulder Press
8kg DB x 3 x 8

Skull Crushers
15kg x 3 x 6

Bicep Curls
6kg x 8
7kg x 8
6kg x 10

Military Press
20kg x 2 x 5
15kg x 6

Flies
6kg x 3 x 8

Malteaser!

Evening Session:

Squat
20kg x 6
30kg x 3 x 6

Front Squat
20kg x 6
25kg x 3 x 3

BB Lunges
25kg x 3 x 5

OH Squat
12.5kg x 3 x 5

Hanley

I'm glad you still got a good workout in today

I'm liking what you're doing with the squats.

Malteaser!

Bench
20kg x 5
25kg x 3
30kg x 2
32.5kg x 3 x 3

Close Grip
20kg x 5
25kg x 3 x 5

Paused Bench
20kg x 5
25kg x 3 x 5

I left it there even though I had a ton more work to do but the snow was really coming down at this stage and I was in no mood to slide my way home through the slush and not prepared to sit in the traffic that was getting worse by the minute because everyone had slowed to a crawl. Anyway, I might do something else at home later but for now, I'm going to build a snowman!!

Malteaser!

Deadlift
60kg x 6
70kg x 3 x 5

RDLs
50kg x 3 x 8

GMs
20kg x 3 x 6

Hypers
x12
2 x 8

Supermans
Hold for 10 seconds with twcie the number of reps with my right leg

Bent Over BB Rows
10kg x 8
15kg x 2 x 8 - done with my hands facing outwards and a really narrow grip, keeping my elbows as close to my body as possible.

Hanley

It was good to see you DL'n again today. Especially when they looked so easy!

Malteaser!

Ha, thanks!!

The whole issue with my arms not staying locked seems to have resolved itself so happy days!! I'm gonna continue with the relativley high reps for the moment anyway I think!

Malteaser!

15 x Back Extension/15 x Sit ups x 3 cycles

- back to back with 20 second rest between cycles

Seated Pull in Crunches/crucifix (10 second hold) x 3 cycles

- back to back with 20 second rest between cycles

Oblique Sit Up -> into bicycles

- back to back with 25 second rest between cycles

Malteaser!

15 x Back Extension/15 x Sit ups x 3 cycles

- back to back with 20 second rest between cycles

Seated Pull in Crunches/crucifix (10 second hold) x 3 cycles

- back to back with 20 second rest between cycles

Oblique Sit Up -> into bicycles

- back to back with 25 second rest between cycles

Malteaser!

Shoulder Press
8kg x 3 x 8

Flies
6kg x 3 x 8

Military Press
15kg x 10
17.5kg x 2 x 8

Bicep Curl
5kg 'bells x 10
6kg ' bells x 2 x 10

Skull Crushers
12.5kg x 10
15kg x 2 x 10

Tricep Extensions
5kg x 3 x 8

Lateral Raises
3kg x 3 x 10

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

I'm feeling pretty knackered after all that. Nothing major to talk about though, the cardio did feel sllightly easier than the last time I tried so I'm happy with that!!

Malteaser!

Second session of the day:

Squat
20kg x 5
30kg x 5
40kg x 2 x 3
40kg x 5

Front Squat
20kg x 5
25kg x 5
30kg x 2 x 3
30kg x 5

Leg Press
30kg x 8
60kg x 3 x 6

Ab Pulldowns
15kg x 10
Then every plate x 10 up to 52.5kg x 10

Lunges
20kg x 6

Happy with the squatting, I felt like I was falling forward a good bit but I had Hanley watching me and he said that they all looked fine.

Front suqats were all done ATG as usual.

It was my first time doing ab pulldowns so I started at 15kg because I was unsure what I'd be able for and it turns out I was much stronger on them than I imagined. 52.5kg is about half the stack so not too shabby at all!!

Malteaser!

Bench
20kg x 5
25kg x 5
30kg x 3
35kg x 3 x 2

Close Grip
20kg x 5
25kg x 5
27.5kg x 3 x 3

Paused
20kg x 5
25kg x 3 x 5

Then I was supposed to do 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes but in relaity I only got the first 10 minutes of this done coz I got a massive stitch in my side so the last 10 minutes was made up of walking only.

Ab Pulldowns
From 32.5kg x 10 to 52.5kg x 10

Hail 2 Da Chimp

Sounds like someone didn't stretch out before running :pac: same thing happened me last night though.

Malteaser!

Hail 2 Da Chimp wrote: »

Sounds like someone didn't stretch out before running :pac: same thing happened me last night though.

You caught me!! What kind of stetches should I be doing beforehand anyway??



Tonight:

15 x Back Extension/15 x Sit ups x 3 cycles

- back to back with 20 second rest between cycles

Seated Pull in Crunches/crucifix (10 second hold) x 3 cycles

- back to back with 20 second rest between cycles

Oblique Sit Up -> into bicycles

- back to back with 25 second rest between cycles

Malteaser!

I was in the gym every day last week so needed a break this weekend, it was just as well too because I wouldn't have had any time to get in over the last few days. Anyway, back in first thing this morning.

Deadlift
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
75kg x 3 x 4

RDLs
50kg x 3 x 6

GMs
20kg x 6
25kg x 6
30kg x 3 x 6

Ab Pulldowns
All the plates from 32.5kg to 52.5kg x 10 and then 60kg x 4

Hypers
3 x 10

- I was planning on deadlifting 75kg x 3 x 5 but I knew mid way thru the first set that I wasn't gonna be able for that so I had to make a super quick decision, go for 5 on the first set knowing I wouldn't be able to finish the last two sets or just drop a rep from each set. I'm glad I chose the latter now. Might try for 80kg x 3 x 3 next week now.

- For the abs I could of done another set of 10 with 52.5kg but decided to see what I could do with 60kg. Hanley's since told me that there's a very sharp drop off rate with them when you up the weight which is clearly evident from the fact that I could only manage 4.

- I've decided to take Kev and his lovely wife's advice with the Couch to 5k program, in other words not to attempt it after heavy lifting because I'll be too knackered so I'm gonna keep that seperate from my lifting. I'm heading back up to the gym tonight so if the weight room is mega busy I'll just run instead.

Malteaser!

Pulldown Abs
All the plates from 32.5kg to 52.5kg x 10, then 60kg x 7 and then x 10 and 67.5kg x 4

Bench
20kg x 5
25kg x 3
30kg x 3
35kg x 3
37.5kg x 2
35kg x 2
30kg x 3
25kg x 5
20kg x 8

Close Grip
20kg x 3
25kg x 3
30kg x 3 x 5

Paused
20kg x 3 x 5

Bent Over BB Rows - Done with my hands facing outwards and a really narrow grip, keeping my elbows as close to my body as possible.
20kg x 3 x 10

Side Bends
6kg x 2 x 8


Assisted Dips
3 sets made up of various number of reps (between 3 and 5 if I remember correctly)

Assisted Pullups
3 sets made up of various number of reps (between 3 and 5 if I remember correctly)

- There was a pretty savage atmoshpere in the gym last night after the competition, I hope it stays that way coz it made Monday Night Madness in TF bearable.

- Delighted with the pulldown abs. Earlier in the day I had only managed 60kg x 4 and then a couple of hours later I can suddenly do a set of 7 followed by a set of 10 and to top it off, I also got 67.5kg x 4. Pretty chuffed with that.

- I'm happy enough with the benching, I was perhaps being a bit over ambitious though and the second rep with 37.5kg was a real fighter. 6 months ago I might have just given up but I seem to have gotten better at just pushing through.

- I had forgotten to do my rows earlier on in the day when I was deadlifting so just threw them in at the end there.

- I've decided I really wanna learn how to dip and do pull ups. I know I have the strength for dips but I have this awful fear that my elbows are just going to shoot up and I'll fall down so every time I've tried to do them before, I've failed miserably. If I can get over that fear I should be ok though. I'm just plain not stong enough for pull ups yet, so I'm just gonna keep up doing assisted ones for the forseeable future.

- I was thinking of heading to the gym today but I feel like I've come down with a bit of a cold, so I'm achey all over and that feeling really doesn't mix well with the DOMs I have all over my body so maybe I'll give it a rest for today.

Jumpy

To be fair, I think you are easily strong enough for pullups. You do comparable weights to me in some of the larger lifts and you are probably half my weight (95 kilos). Going from assisted to nothing feels very tough and I couldnt make it up completely the first time I did it, but after a week or so it was a lot easier. Personally I think you could knock out 3 x 5 without breaking a sweat.

Dips are still my nemesis though, but again, you dont weigh much for how strong you are.

Malteaser!

Jumpy wrote: »

To be fair, I think you are easily strong enough for pullups. You do comparable weights to me in some of the larger lifts and you are probably half my weight (95 kilos). Going from assisted to nothing feels very tough and I couldnt make it up completely the first time I did it, but after a week or so it was a lot easier. Personally I think you could knock out 3 x 5 without breaking a sweat.

Dips are still my nemesis though, but again, you dont weigh much for how strong you are.

I hope so. I'm gonna try them assisted again tonight just to get used to the motion and maybe start trying them myself next week!

I'm not quite half your weight, weighing in at about 61/62kg but I get what you're saying. Hopefully it won't take too long before I can do both unasissted!!

Malteaser!

I was away for the weekend so no gym but the rest was nice, the DOMS I got from the dips and the pullups were ones like I'd never experienced before and there seriously no way I was going to be able to do anything until they went so I wasn't bothered.

Back in this morning:

Pulldown Abs
All the plates from 45kg x 10 up to 60kg for 2 x 10.

Squat
20kg x 5
30kg x 3
40kg x 3
45kg x 3 x 3
30kg x 6

Front Squat
20kg x 5
30kg x 3 x 3

OH Squat
15kg x 2 x 5

Lunges
20kg x 2 x 8

- I've been doing pulldown abs with my body in the same position that Kev showed in his video in his log but my hand position was slightly different. I usually have my hands right at the end of the rope whereas if you look at his, his hands seems to be mid-way down it. I had actually been talking to Ham about this over the weekend and he was telling me that if I did it similar to the way Kev was doing it there wouldn't be as much pressure on my arms and that my shoulders would be doing more of the work. Anyway, I tried it that way today and got about 2 reps before having to slide my hands back down to where I normally keep them. I actually fell forward when I tried it so I'm gonna stick to my own way from now on.

-Squats felt savage. They were so strong and really, really deep. That feeling of drifting forward that I've been experiencing recently has totally disappeard and I was able to keep myself totally locked in position for the entire lift. I'm feeling very comfortable squatting now so long may that continue.

- The overhead squats were the best I've done to date. I managed to sit right back and down without feeling like I was about to fall on my arse so Happy days!!

EDIT: I'm actually making no sense - in Kev's video the rope is much further down his neck then where I normally have it. The end of the rope is usually up near my face and that's what I was on about when I was talking about my hand position - not where my hands are actually positioned on the rope - Bah, I'm starting to confuse myself now!!!

Malteaser!

Session 2

Pulldown Abs
All the plates from 45kg x 10 up to 60kg for 2 x 10.

Bench
20kg x 5
25kg x 3
30kg x 3
37.5kg x 3
30kg x 3 x 8

Close Grip
20kg x 5
25kg x 3 x 5

Shoulder Press
8kg 'bells x 3 x 8

Skull Crushers
15kg x 3 x 6

Military Press
17kg x 3 x 6

Flies
7kg x 3 x 6

Hanging Leg Raises
2 x 5

Assisted Dips
3 x 5

Assisted Pull Ups
2 x 3
1 x 4

Hanley

I didn't realise that you did 37.5 x3 on the bench... that's gotta be PR levels?

Last set of pull ups was x5 btw, wasn't it?

Malteaser!

Hanley wrote: »

I didn't realise that you did 37.5 x3 on the bench... that's gotta be PR levels?

I dunno tbh, I don't think so though. I think I benched 37.5kg x 3 the week before I got 40 for 3 singles!

Last set of pull ups was x5 btw, wasn't it?

Eh, I think you're actually right...

Malteaser!

Pulldown Abs

All the plates from 45kg x 10 up to 60kg for 2 x 10.

Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Pulldown Abs


57.5kg x 2 x 10

Five minutes on the crosstrainer

Suffice to say cardio is not my friend. It was way better than when I was attempting it after weights but I'm still a long, long away from where I need to be.

Malteaser!

Deadlift
60kg x 3
70kg x 3
75kg x 1
80kg x 2 x 3
60kg x 4
65kg x 2 x 4

RDLs
50kg x 3
50kg x 2 x 6

GMs
20kg x 6
25kg x 2 x 6

Pulldown Abs
60kg x 2 x 10

Assisted Dips
2 partials on my own
3 x 5 with my feet resting on Hanley's legs.

Thoughts and videos to come...

Hanley

The dips are getting a lot better. It's amazing to see the progress every time you do em.

Hail 2 Da Chimp

Malteaser! wrote: »

You caught me!! What kind of stetches should I be doing beforehand anyway??

Hey Malteaser, sorry for taking so long to reply, I had a google and can find SFA in regards to sports stretching, Hal Higdon's page has a few good leg stretches but none of them really show you how to stretch out your mid section. I always stretch out my mid section, lower back and shoulders, as I get cramps otherwise.
Deadlifts espically tighten up my lower back and give me serious cramps, but the more you run \ stretch the looser you'll get and the less you'll cramp.
Hope the link helps - some great progress here, I've given up trying to keep pace with bossArky so I'm gonna have to try to keep up with you instead