Al–1961’s BodyBlog

Walking Soreness II  &  Musings.   SORENESS:  I’m still quite sore, 2 days later from incorporating a full routine of pullups into the workout.  I’m going to keep doing pullups on back day from now on.  Goal:  15 pullups on the 1st set, and only dropping to 10 pullups on the 2nd set, after 60 sec’s of rest.  My calves are very sore too, from finally getting back to running sprints on Wednesday, and from yesterday’s leg workout.  The good news is that it’s from DOMS, and not from the calf strain that hobbled me from running for 2-3 months.  MUSINGS:  I’ve noticed an increased feeling of well-being this month from stepping up the clean eating.  I feel great.  I can say that I feel better now, at 47, than I did at 25.  What a blessing & improvement to quality of life.  My diet’s been pretty good, at least 90% of the time, for several yrs now.  But lately with extra focus on diet, things are even better.  I’ve had 1 cheat each of the past 2 weekends;  otherwise, very clean diet.  Since I’ve been unable to sleep more than about 5 hours per night for awhile now, this is huge.  This morning….awake about 3am, finally got up at 4am.  I’d like to get at least 6.5 to 7 hrs per night, but for now, that doesn’t seem to be in the cards.  Does anyone else simply feel better & experience the health benefits of eating clean like this? 

Today will be a half-day at work.  Taking our daughters on a Girlscout camping outing Friday & Saturday nights.  No S’mores will be on the menu for yours truly.  We’ll see if I get through the weekend with zero cheats, but 1 cheat is allowed on my current run of clean eating.  And yesterday……….clean eats & no cheats.     

WORKOUT THIS MORNING  —  CHEST, DELTS & ARMS:

(10-15 reps, 30-45 sec’s rest, no dropsets today……crammed a lot in)

–  Bench press  (4 sets)

–  Decline bench  (4 sets)

–  Incline flyes  (3 sets)

–  Military press  (4 sets)

–  Front dumbbell raise  (4 sets)

–  Lateral dumbbell raise  (3 sets)

–  Curlbar tricep extensions  (4 sets)

–  Close grip bench press  (4 sets)

–  Cable reverse tricep extensions  (3 sets) 

–  Curlbar curls  (4 sets)

–  Dumbbell curls  (4 sets)

–  Straightbar curls  (3 sets)

CARDIO:  21 min’s HIIT on the elliptical.  Heartrate 165-175.

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!      

I’m a walking sore today, even before the morning workout.  My lats are sore.  My core is sore (abs!!).  My legs are sore.  Yesterday’s change-up to pullups & sprints did a number on me.  Sweet…….I like it.       I was considerably down in strength for squats, but no biggie.  Still went hard.  Change-ups, flexibility & stepping out of the box……keeps it fresh & fun for yours truly. 

WORKOUT THIS MORNING  —  LEGS:

(8-10 reps, 60-75 sec’s rest, 1 dropset on last set of each)

–  Squats on Smith Machine  (5 sets), 2 dropsets 5th set 

–  Leg press  (3 sets) 

–  Hack squats  (3 sets)

–  Calf raises  (5 sets), 1 dropset 4th set, 2 dropsets 5th set

–  Leg curls  (4 sets)

–  Leg extensions  (4 sets)

ABS:  Leg raises  (4 sets)

PS:  CLEAN EATS & NO CHEATS YESTERDAY.

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!     

Comfort zones & experiments……Today’s workout was a change-up.  It was supposed to be leg day, which I’m pushing off to tomorrow.  I missed hitting lats yesterday due to time constraints & I decided to try something different this morning.  OUT OF THE COMFORT ZONE:  I don’t like doing pullups & consider myself a bit of a wuss.  In fact, I’ve never actually incorporated them into a workout.  I’ve been reading lots of blogs lately where folks have been cranking out the pullups, so I decided yesterday to step out of my comfort zone & give’em a try this morning.  Another reason to push off leg day was that I wanted to try running sprints on the treadmill.  I haven’t been able to do so for 2-3 months due to a calf strain.  I’ve been itching to give it a go for the last week, so this morning was time to test it out.  It worked!  The calf held up & I had a heart-stomping interval workout.  EXPERIMENTS:  We’re always reading on this site about avoiding using the scale for short-term progress.  I decided to test this on my weight.  I weighed myself last night right before going to bed, which was about 3 hours since my last meal.  Then, I weighed myself this morning after getting up & using the bathroom.  In just 6 hours, my weight was down 3 lbs.  Folks who continually check their bodyweight on the scale each day drive themselves batty, needlessly……….Oh, and yesterday was a squeaky clean eats & no cheats day.     

WORKOUT THIS MORNING  —  LATS:

(Heavy:  5-8 reps, 45-60 sec’s rest, 1 dropset on last set of each, including abs)

–  Pullups:  11, 6, 4, 4  (no dropsets here….)

–  Wide grip cable pulldowns  (4 sets)

–  Bentover barbell rows  (4 sets)

–  Close grip seated cable rows  (4 sets)

CARDIO:  26 min’s of interval runs on treadmill.  Heartrate 155-175.

ABS:  4 sets of crunches with 10 lb wt.

Finished with 1 more set of pullups:  Managed to eek out 8 reps.

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!     

Had a great Memorial Day.  We grilled BBQ ribs & garlic herb marinated chicken on the barbie.  Other than the ribs…..Clean eats & no cheats yesterday.  Next hurdle:  Camping out this Friday & Saturday night with the family, with the Girlscouts.  Should be lots of fun for the kiddies, and lots of planning for yours truly to stay true to the clean diet.  No rest for the weary.      

WORKOUT THIS MORNING  —  BICEPS  &  TRICEPS:

(Heavy:  5-8 reps, 45-60 sec’s rest, dropset on last set of each, including abs)

–  Curlbar curls  (5 sets)

–  Dumbbell curls  (4 sets)

–  Curlbar tricep extensions  (5 sets)

–  Cable reverse tricep extensions  (4 sets)

–  Straightbar curls  (4 sets)

–  Cable rope tricep extensions  (4 sets)

CARDIO:  31 min’s of intervals on the elliptical.  Heartrate 155-170.

ABS:  Situps with 10 lb wt on decline situp bench  (4 sets) 

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!     

Diet was So-So Thursday to Saturday.  It was tough to eat completely clean for several meals while away at a conference, with no control over the menu.  I made the most of it, with some good & some not so great meals.  All in all, it wasn’t a complete train wreck.  I also managed a tricep & lat workout Friday morning;  then 25 minutes of interval training on the elliptical, plus situps, on Saturday morning.  The hotel fitness room was limited, but you do what you can…….

I’m working Memorial Day in the morning.  So I managed to get my Monday workout done Sunday afternoon.  Clean eats & no cheats yesterday.     

WORKOUT YESTERDAY  —  CHEST & DELTS:

(Heavy:  5-8 reps, 45-60 sec’s rest, 1 dropset on last set of each)

–  Bench press  (5 sets)

–  Decline bench  (3 sets)

–  Incline flyes  (3 sets)

–  Flat bench flyes  (3 sets)

–  Military press  (5 sets)

–  Arnold press  (3 sets)

–  Front dumbbell raise (3 sets)

–  Lateral dumbbell raise  (3 sets)

CARDIO:  25 min’s of intervals on the stairmaster.  Heartrate 155-175.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY.  God Bless our troopers, their families, and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.     

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!     

Clean eats & no cheats yesterday.  The family got back from the beach & I had a scrumptious dinner that my MIL cooked.  My wife & MIL are Chinese, but from Malaysia.  One dish we had is called Rojak, which is a Malaysian salad.  Bean sprouts, chopped nuts, Mango, etc. & spicy juices.  Pan seared pork chops, pan seared green beans, and just a LITTLE white rice (I have cut WAY BACK on eating rice, if at all).  Today I’m just working 1/2 day, then off to a conference with my wife.  Not sure what kind of workout I’ll get in the next few says, but the priority is to eat clean.  No cheats this weekend, even though it’s also a holiday weekend. 

Say thanks to someone in the military this weekend, or to a Vet, and especially to anyone who’s lost a loved one who paid the ultimate.  These folks sure are heroes in my book.  HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.     

WORKOUT THIS AM  —  CHEST & DELTS:

(High reps:  18-25 reps, 3 sets each, 45-60 sec’s rest)

–  Bench press

–  Incline flyes

–  Decline bench press

–  Pec dec flyes

–  Military press

–  Front dumbbell raise

–  Arnold overhead dumbbell press

–  Lateral dumbbell raise

–  Pushups

CARDIO:  25 min’s of intervals on elliptical.  Heartrate 150-170. 

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!     

What a difference a day makes. I paid dearly all morning yesterday for the diet slip-up Monday night. I’ll spare everyone the unpleasant details, but suffice to say that my physical anguish more than matched the mental angst. LESSON LEARNED:  When eating clean consistently, the body does not like to be filled with junk. Well, I had another "guy" movie to watch last night while the family was still away. But this time, there was ZERO INTEREST in slipping off the clean eats diet. It was squeaky clean eats & no cheats. To top it off, the movie was a much better one too. Nice relaxing evening & back on the ‘No Pansy Parade’. Workout this morning was pretty spiffy too.     

WORKOUT THIS AM  —  LEGS:

(8-10 reps, 45-75 sec’s rest)

–  Smith machine squats  (5 sets, 2 dropsets on last set)

–  Hack squats  (3 sets, 2 dropsets on last set)

–  Calf raises  (6 sets, 2 dropsets on last set)

–  Leg curls  (4 sets, 1 dropset on last set)

–  Leg extensions  (4 sets, 1 dropset on last set)

–  Alternating step ups on bench  (3 sets, 25 lbs in each hand)

I’ve resumed using my weight belt the last couple months on leg day, due to my scoliosis.  What a Godsend, as I’m more able to ramp up intensity on squats while keeping lower back pain to a minimum. 

ABS:  Leg raises  (3 sets)  &  crunches w/ 10 lb wt  (3 sets)

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!    

Slog City…….it was a sluggish workout this morning.  I decided to watch a "guy" movie last night while the family was away, and had some popcorn & cookies.  Big mistake, on both counts.  I pansied last night on diet AND the movie was pretty lousy.  Not worth staying up for & certainly not worth relaxing the diet.  I have offended the workout gods, and they have exacted vengeance upon me.  So, in penitence, I offer the pansy flower, which is me today: 

In further penitence, I plan to have no cheats this coming weekend.  Since my wife & I will be at a conference Thursday-Saturday, I have my work cut out.  But there’s nothing for it………stay positive, dust off, press on. 

WORKOUT THIS AM  —  ARMS & LATS:

(Heavy:  5-8 reps, 45-60 sec’s rest, 1 dropset on last set of each)

–  Curlbar curls  (5 sets)

–  Dumbbell curls  (4 sets)

–  Curlbar tricep extensions  (5 sets)

–  Close grip bench press  (4 sets) 

–  Straightbar curls  (3 sets)

–  Cable rope tricep extensions  (3 sets)

–  Cable rows  (5 sets)

–  Cable lat pulldowns  (4 sets)

–  Barbell bentover rows  (3 sets)

CARDIO:  25 min’s of intervals on stairmaster.  Heartrate 145-165.

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!     

Still avoiding pansyness.      I had a cheat meal Saturday night; otherwise……clean eats & no cheats over the weekend.  The mother-in-law is visiting for the next week.  She & the family are going to the beach today through Wednesday, so I’ll be flying solo.  This works out well, since I will be working late this week to get ahead on a monthly deadline at work, due to some planned days off at the end of this week & next.  WORKOUTS:  It was rest & recovery over the weekend.  Felt great this morning to go full blast with the ole body fully rested.  I’m back to the heavy routine today & tomorrow, then high reps on Thursday & Friday. 

WORKOUT THIS AM  —  CHEST & DELTS:

(5-8 reps, 45-60 sec’s rest, 1 dropset on last set of each)

–  Decline bench press  (5 sets)

–  Incline bench press  (4 sets)

–  Flyes  (4 sets)

–  Military press  (5 sets)

–  Front dumbbell raises  (4 sets)

–  Lateral dumbbell raises  (4 sets)

CARDIO:  31 min’s of intervals on elliptical.  Heartrate 155-175.

ABS:  Crunches with 20 lb wt  (4 sets, 2 dropsets on last set)

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!      

5-for-5……..as in earlybird, that is.  Woke up everyday this week 3-3:30am-ish.  Today, 3am.  At least I slept OK & I’m not dragging my tail.  I must have what I thought was "old-man syndrome".  I thought extra early wakeups & the inability to sleep more than 5 or maybe 6 hrs was for old guys……folks in their late 50’s, 60’s & beyond.  SIGH. (I’m kidding about folks in their 50’s being old guys, seeing as how that’s just around the corner for me)   But on the food front, we’re talking thumbs up.  Clean eats & no cheats yesterday.  It’s been a great week for workouts & no pansyness on the diet.     

WORKOUT THIS AM  —  ARMS  &  LATS  (high reps): 

(18-25 reps, 45-60 sec’s rest, 1 dropset on last set of each)

–  Curlbar curls  (4 sets)

–  Curlbar tricep extensions  (4 sets)

–  Close grip cable lat pulldowns  (4 sets)

–  Straightbar curls  (3 sets)

–  Close grip bench press  (3 sets)

–  Bentover barbell rows  (3 sets).  Needed straps to keep hold of the bar…..

–  Dumbbell curls  (2 sets)

–  Reverse cable tricep extensions  (2 sets)

–  Close grip cable rows  (2 sets)

CARDIO:  21 min’s of intervals on the stairmaster.  Heartrate 155-170. 

If I get any cardio in over the weekend it will be LISS.  The legs need a breather. I hope everyone has a fantabulous weekend.  TGIF…….

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!