Al–1961’s BodyBlog

"It Is a Far, Far Better Thing That I Do, than I Have Ever Done: It Is a Far, Far Better Rest That I Go To, than I Have Ever Known."  Another quote from Charles Dickens, from A TALE OF OF TWO CITIES.  Yesterday’s quote starts out the story.  Today’s quote ends the story.  Bookends, you might say.      I go to a ’far better rest’ heading into the weekend.  I stepped into my fear this morning, to end up a very sluggish week.  Today was leg day, and I still felt the same.  I decided to up the weights slightly, put myself thru the ringer, & end the week on a high note.  Ended up with a good workout.  But I’m very ready for a rest weekend.  If I get any workout in tomorrow, it’ll just be LISS or LIIT cardio, plus abs.  Hope everyone has a groovy weekend. 

WORKOUT THIS MORNING  —  LEGS:

(Heavy:  7-10 reps, 45-75 sec’s rest) 

–  Smith Machine squats, alternated w/ hack squats  (5 sets ea, dropset on last set of each)

–  Standing calf raises, alternated w/ seated calf raises  (5 sets ea, dropset on last set of each)

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

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

–  Walking lunges w/ 35 lb wt in each hand  (2 sets)

OBLIQUES:  Side bends w/ 35 lb wt  (4 sets each side, 10-12 reps)

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!     

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times……it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us…..".  I’m feeling like this quote from Charles Dickens, from A TALE OF OF TWO CITIES (one of my favorite books    ).  I’m on week 2 of feeling sluggish, achy & down both physically AND mentally.  I managed to have a decent workout this morning, but it was due to sheer determination & stubbornness.  As I noted in my June 27 blog post, "motivation" doesn’t get it done, or my goose would be cooked.      

WORKOUT TODAY  —  ARMS:

(Heavy:  5-8 reps, 30-45 sec’s rest) 

–  Curlbar curls, alternated w/ DB curls  (5 sets ea)

–  Straightbar curls, alternated w/ reverse DB curls  (4 sets ea, dropset on last set of each)

–  Curlbar tricep extensions, alternated w/ close grip bench press  (4 sets ea, dropset on last set of each)

–  Cable reverse tricep ext’s, alternated w/ cable rope pushdowns  (4 sets ea, dropset on last set of each)

CARDIO:  22 min’s of intervals on the stairmaster.  Heartrate 145-155.

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!  Yep, I’m clinging to the motto this week………     

Tried a different gym this morning.  My daughters had a sleepover at a friend’s last night, so my wife & I were able to hit the gym together this morning.  We don’t workout at the same gym, so I went as her guest at the Y.  I workout at Golds, which opens earlier & has better locations for me.  Lifting felt so-so today.  I just now realized that I forgot to do dropsets, since I was in an unfamiliar weightroom & focused on finding the equipment I wanted to use.  But cardio was good.  I’m hobbling slightly, so I definitely re-strained the calf muscle.  Sprint runs are out for sure, for a few weeks.  As Ledford45 would say, I will just have to "adapt & overcome". 

WORKOUT TODAY  —  BACK:

(Heavy:  5-8 reps, 45 sec’s rest)  

–  Rows, alternated w/ bentover DB rows  (5 sets ea)

–  Wide grip cable pulldowns, alternated w/ bentover barbell rows  (3 sets ea)

–  Close underhand grip cable pulldowns, alternated with underhand grip bentover barbell rows  (3 sets ea)

CARDIO:  25 min’s HIIT on elliptical.  Heartrate 155-170.

ABS:  3 sets of crunches w/ 25 lb wt, each superset with side crunches w/ no wt.  Then 3 sets of knee to chest raises in the Roman Chair. 

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!     

Calf muscle strain……..redux.  Bummer!  My right calf went out while doing run sprints this morning on the treadmill.  The same one that kept me side-lined from running sprints for almost 3 months earlier this year.  I didn’t even feel it coming on, I simply got a very sharp pain upon starting a sprint after 16 min’s, and had to immediately stop.  I’m thinking I may have laid the groundwork for a strain by jogging & running sprints outside on the pavement this past weekend.  I’ll be laying off the runs for several weeks, and stick to cardio on the elliptical, stairmaster & bike. 

WORKOUT TODAY  —  SHOULDERS:

(Heavy:  5-8 reps, 45 sec’s rest)  

–  Military press, alternated with front DB raise  (5 sets ea, dropset on last set of each)

–  Arnold DB press, alternated with lateral DB raise  (4 sets ea, dropset on last set of each)

–  Military press behind the head  (4 sets, dropset on last set).  First time I’ve done these in years.

CARDIO:  16 min’s sprint intervals on the treadmill, followed by 11 min’s sprint intervals on the elliptical.  Heartrate 150-160.

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!     

The beach trip was lots-o-fun…….but TOO SHORT.  Boogie boarding, playing frisbee, building sandcastles, relaxing the diet, etc.  Yep, diet was not stellar, but could have been a lot worse.  I did manage to get a cardio & abs workout in one day.  Went for a 2 mile jog, followed up by 15 min’s of sprint intervals.  I can really tell the difference between running on the treadmill & running outside on hard pavement with hills & uneven surface.  Made my quads, knees & feet sore.  But it’s all good.  Ready to get back to it on strict clean eating & starting the new workout cycle this week.  An alternating cycle of 1 week heavy, followed by a high rep week, then back to heavy for a week, etc.  Will try this for 2-3 months. 

WORKOUT TODAY  —  CHEST:

(Heavy:  5-8 reps, 45-60 sec’s rest) 

–  Decline bench press, alternated with decline flyes  (4 sets ea, dropset on last set of each)

–  Flat bench press, alternated with flyes  (4 sets ea, dropset on last set of each)

–  Incline DB press, alternated with incline flyes  (3 sets ea, dropset on last set of each)

–  Pec Dec Machine  (4 sets, dropset on last set)

CARDIO:  36 min’s of intervals on the elliptical.  Heartrate 150-165.

OBLIQUES:  Side bends  (2 sets each side w/ 25 lb wt, then 2 sets w/ 35 lb wt, 10-15 reps)

ABS:  Crunches with 25 lb wt  (4 sets, 2 dropsets on the last set)

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!     

MOJO…….THE RETURN.  Finally had it going during the workout this morning.  It was a doosy!      I felt great, so I did a switch-up within a switch-up.  I wanted to push it & burn some calories, since I had another cheat last night.  But I think the fog of mental burnout is already starting to clear.  I had my first real good night of sleep of the week last night, & I’m stoked about leaving for the beach shortly for 4 days of R & R.  Had a brief detour, but I’m back on the highway to ABS CITY.  No harm, no foul on the cheats.  Been eating clean & low carb otherwise. 

The extra switch-up this morning was to do interval sprints for cardio before hitting legs.  I don’t see it interfering with the lifting since this week is high reps.  I’ve decided to start an alternating cycle next week, for the next 2 or 3 months.  I will do heavy weights next week, then high reps the following week, then back to heavy again, and so on.  We’ll see where that gets me going into Fall. 

Y’ALL HAVE A GREAT REST OF THE WEEK & WEEKEND.

WORKOUT TODAY  —  LEGS:

(High reps:  18-20 reps, 45-60 sec’s rest) 

CARDIO:  5 min’s of warmup sprints.  Then 30 min’s of interval sprints on the treadmill.  Heartrate 160-175.  Felt like puking the last 5-10 min’s, but felt GREAT.

–  Smith Machine squats  (4 sets)

–  Hack Squats  (3 sets)

–  Standing calf raises on hack machine  (4 sets)

–  Leg extensions  (3 sets)

–  Leg curls  (3 sets)

OBLIQUES:  Side bends w/ 25 lb wt  (4 sets each side, 10-15 reps)

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!     

BURNOUT……..Hitting the brick wall.  This whole week has been tough, as this morning was another slog.   My workout intensity is not there this week.  And my defenses were down last night……..I had a mental breakdown of discipline with the diet.  After getting home from a meeting at church last night, I munched out on……..chocolate (wow, big surprise there).   

But it occurred to me this morning that my burnout is not from overtraining.  While I try to hit the workouts hard, I limit my workouts to 75-90 total minutes, which includes lifting, cardio & abs.  I’m constantly tweaking or switching things up.  Plus, I give each muscle group a minimum of 4 days rest before hitting them again (and it’s usually 5-7 days).  Nope, I realized that I’ve really hit a MENTAL brick wall, due to working a lot lately.  Working late & working weekends.  I’ve had just 1 day off since late June, while still hitting the gym in the mornings.  The good news:  I met with my boss on Monday to arrange for some help, so that I can back off on all this O/T.  

R & R time:  Tomorrow morning I’ll hit the gym for leg day, then I’m off for the 3 hr drive to the beautiful NC coast.  Exercise for the next 4 days will consist of playing on the beach with 2 of the coolest 7 & 8 yr old girls on the planet.  Boogie boards, frisbee, etc.       

WORKOUT TODAY  —  TRICEPS:

(High reps:  18-25 reps, 30-45 sec’s rest)    

-  Close grip bench press, alternated w/ tricep extensions  (3 sets ea)

-  Cable reverse tricep ext’s, alternated w/ cable tricep ext’s  (4 sets ea)

CARDIO:  21 min’s of intervals on the stairmaster.  Heartrate 150-165.  Followed by 21 min’s of LIIT on the elliptical.  Heartrate 130-140.

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!     

SPACE INVADER - THE SEQUEL.  What is up with these guys?  I had another fellow take up the treadmill right next to me this morning, when there was a plethora of unused treadmills all around.  This guy was about my age or a little older…..say, around 50-ish.  What’s the deal with guys 50 & up that have no sense of personal space?  Or is it just me?  After I wrapped up my cardio to go hit abs, this guy gets off the treadmill about a minute later.  Sheesh! 

Another sluggish morning.  Back is still bothering me, so I donned my weightbelt to work lats.  This is the 1st time in ages that I’ve worn my weightbelt for anything other than leg day.  I think the last time was when I had back issues as well.  Plus the left shoulder & elbow pain during certain movements.  I must be getting old………LOL.       I did have a good cardio session, but it was a grind today.  Just not feeling it this week, so far.  It’ll be good to take off a few days at the end of the week. 

WORKOUT TODAY  —  BACK:

(High reps:  18-25 reps, 30-45 sec’s rest)   

–  Close grip cable pulldowns  (3 sets)

–  Bentover barbell rows  (5 sets)

–  Cable rows  (4 sets)

CARDIO:  25 min’s of sprints on the treadmill.  Heartrate 155-170.

ABS:  Crunches w/ 10 lb wt  (5 sets, dropset on last 2 sets)

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!     

High repping & burning…..Take 2.  It sure takes extra focus to hit the high reps & maintain strict form.  Cardio was at low intensity this morning.  I felt sluggish & was low on energy, which was probably the result of hitting the gym both Saturday & Sunday.  That’s way out of the norm.  But with the family away & my plans to be out at the end of this week, I took advantage of the extra flexibility.  My lower back is still bothering me, for 3-4 days now.  I thought it was my scoliosis acting up, but now I believe that somehow I tweaked it on the lower right side.  Feels more like a strain than a flare-up. 

Oh, I had a cheat on Saturday night.  Finally ate that Krispy Kreme donut that my daughter brought me last week.  Had 2 of ‘em.  Plus some chips.  And I loved every morsel.      Clean otherwise for the weekend.  Still holding to the 1 cheat per week in July, on the weekends. 

WORKOUT TODAY  —  SHOULDERS  &  BICEPS:

(High reps:  18-25 reps, 30-45 sec’s rest)   

–  Military press, alternated w/ lateral DB raises  (4 sets ea)

–  Arnold DB overhead press, alt w/ front DB raises  (4 sets ea)

–  Curlbar curls, alternated w/ DB curls  (5 sets ea)

CARDIO:  25 min’s of LIIT on the elliptical.  Heartrate 130-140.

OBLIQUES:  Side bends w/ 25 lb wt  (4 sets each side, 10-15 reps)

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!     

Time to mix it up with some high reps & muscle burning.  I’ve been achy lately, especially the past 2 weeks.  My left shoulder & left inside elbow/forearm have been causing pains & aches, with the shoulder giving my arm less mobility behind the back.  My workouts have been with heavy weights for about 3 months.  So this week I am switching things up for high rep workouts.  Today I hit the gym (Sunday aftn), since I will be out for a few days at the end of the week to join my family at the beach for a short vacation.  Yep, I’m flying solo this weekend & this week while my family is partying it up at the beach.        

WORKOUT TODAY  —  CHEST:

(High reps:  18-25 reps, 30-45 sec’s rest)  

–  Bench press, alternated w/ flyes  (2 sets ea)

–  Decline bench press, alternated w/ decline flyes  (2 sets ea)

–  Incline bench press, alternated w/ incline flyes  (2 sets ea)

–  Bench press, alternated w/ flyes  (2 sets ea)

–  Pec Dec machine  (2 sets)

CARDIO:  40 min’s of LIIT/MIIT on the elliptical.  Heartrate 140-155.

ABS:  Situps w/ 10 lb wt on decline bench  (3 sets).  Then leg raises above the head, on the floor  (3 sets).

Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!