ArmdandFabulous’s BodyBlog

I’m trying a new workout schedule for the next 4 weeks, if I can stick to it…I am not good at sticking to one workout schedule, but I will give it a shot! Today was legs:

squats/smith..5×10 started at 65lb, 85, 105, 115, 105

walking lunges..4 sets, 10 steps ea..#35lb db’s, #40×3

leg extensions 5×10, #50, #65, #80, #95, #110

romanian deadlifts 4×10, #50, #60×3..forearms were killing me after last set!

lying leg curls 4×10, #30, #40×3

..not sure if I want to go later and do cardio, or give the legs a rest, any opinions on this??

…I was going to take today off, but decided not to since my eating as of late has been a little less than clean…nothing too bad, just enough to make me not see results, so I needed this cardio day…and it turned out being a really good one…I ran 5 miles…then walked for about 5 mins, then ran another mile…(without superpump!, which reminds me, it should be here by now, I ordered some on Wednesday….grrr)…

I haven’t been running nearly as much as I used to, I started using the treadmill more and it does work up a good sweat, but I have started noticing a slight pain in my knees…I have never had a knee injury or any knee pain prior to this, so I think it is the treadmill…but it could also be because I upped legs to 2 times a week…I have gone up in weight each week in squats, but never had pain when doing them…and I have also been doing more walking lunges…hmmm I wonder what is up with the knees…I am a little worried about actually causing injury to them, but tomorrow is leg day…I gotta do it

…I have skipped some cardio the last couple weeks that I needed, and I feel a little stuck…not much progress being made…but I have a PLAN…I am gonna try to change things up and work different parts together, like tomorrow I’m gonna do legs/biceps…never tried that combo before, but hopefully I can get "growing" again by surprising my body with different workout combos that it has never experienced before…I have been kinda set in what areas I work together up to this point, but I do change the order of the actual exercises I do, and which ones I do…hopefully this will get things going again…and I plan to add in more running, less treadmill…

..The first timeframe I gave myself to reach my goal was in Feb, and that didn’t end up happening, so it was pushed to March 31, but that’s not happening either, so I am a little disappointed in myself, I have to admit… …I thought these last 20 lbs would be gone by now, but clearly I have lacked the motivation to get there…mostly it has been diet..and it’s so annoying because it’s not like I am eating out constantly or having pizza and hamburgers every day, or having dessert, or anything that would make it WORTH not making goal, but my slipups have been due to not watching total calories I’m taking in daily…and overdoing it by just enough to keep me the same…I haven’t gained weight, but I haven’t lost it either…

2 mi run.. 

shoulder presses 4 sets #20lb..10, #25×3..8, 7, 6

military press 4×10 #20lb

skullcrushers  4×10 #35×2, #30×2

tri kickbacks 4×10 #20

lateral raises 4×10 #15, #12×3

dips 2×10 on assist machine  

20 mins stairmaster…2 mile run…30 min eliptical

today I really felt blah and not like working out…but I did go, just shortened my usual leg workout…I am out of superpump and it would have really helped me…

squats 4×10 #95, #115, #125, #115…I narrowed my stance to try and really target the quads and glutes, seems to work better that way

single leg hamstring machine…4×10 #20

stiff legged deadlifts 4×10 #55, #60×3

hamstring curls  2×10#50 single leg curls, regular #65 x2

I was thinking about going back later to do cardio, but wasn’t feeling like doing it, so I skipped it and tomorrow is two cardio sessions for me…

…I have mentioned (a few times) how I started using Superpump and loved it…well, I was running out so I thought I would try the more popular No Explode to see if I liked it better…the sales guy told me that Superpump was a better product, but the NO-x was much more popular…so I was sold on trying it…but man was I disappointed…I don’t understand why NO is more popular at all…first, there’s the "no shaking" thing where you have to stir it with a "utensil"…you don’t have to do that with SUperpump, at least the container never says not to, so I never have…then, there’s the fizzing and bubbling up like a science project that No-Ex does, what is that about??…Superpump doesn’t do that….and while I have only used the NO-x a couple times, I noticed right away that it doesn’t have the same effect at all on me that SUperpump does…Superpump works quickly, even now after I have been using it long enough to go thru an entire container of it…giving me more energy and focus, while NO-x just doesn’t stack up to that at all…it does work somewhat, just not to the same degree as Superpump, at least as far as I’m concerned…but I am stuck with the NO, since I didn’t ask about the return policy at the place where I bought it and they don’t accept returns of any open merchandise…D’OH! …

today’s awesome workout was made possible with help from Superpump:

one arm rows 4×10 #30, #35, #40 (PB!and I did 10 reps)#35

seated rows 7×10 #70×2, #80, #90, #80, #70×2

assisted pullups 6×10

incline rows #25, #30×3 (another PB!)

lat pulldowns 5×10 #80, #90, #100, #110, #80

narrow grip lat pulldowns 4×10 #80, #90, #80×2…then single arm ones #70×2

…and I am going back tonight (it’s only 9pm where I’m at) to work biceps and do cardio…so this post is to be continued…

Stairmaster 30 mins

bicep curls #40 bb 2×8 #50db  2×8

bb bicep curls, #20, #15

There was a guy working out today at my gym wearing a full neck brace…not a little padded cushion around his neck, no, I’m talking a big, plastic, bulky brace…to me, seeming to say : Hey everyone, I BROKE MY NECK, but ya know what, NOTHING can keep me out of the gym, and nothing can keep me from working towards my goals…wearing that heavy thing alone looked like a workout in itself, but he was there, pushing thru and getting thru his routine…now stuff like that is motivating…how dedicated is THAT??…I told myself, if he can work out with that obstacle, for sure I could lift a little heavier than I had planned to…and it worked…I had an awesome leg workout!!!

squats..4×10 #95, #115, #125, #115

walking lunges–not sure how many sets, but I held #35lb plates, then stood stationery for a count of 10 on each leg…my glutes and quads burned!

leg machine opposite of hack squat…4×10, #50, #90×2, #110..ooh this burned my quads too cuz I had my feet kinda close together

calf machine..4×10 #195, #225, #240×2…I think I have freakishly strong calves…lol

leg extensions…#50×10(both legs), single leg extensions 4×10 #35, 2×10, 8 #65 (still singles–this is where I told myself if neck brace guy can workout, then I can surely push myself further…wow it worked! I never would have attempted #65 single leg extensions before seeing him probably, at least not today, not yet…

good mornings 4×10, #50, #60×2

20 mins stairmaster

…if a guy with a BROKEN NECK is still able to workout, we shouldn’t let our “broken necks” (stress, being tired, PMS, insert whatever obstacle you are using as your “get out of the gym free” card here) get in our way either!!

am: 30 mins step machine, 1.5 mi run

pm: 30 min stairmaster, 4 mi run, 30 min precor

 AM:

db sh presses…4×10, #20, #25×2, #20..PB on the 25’s!

lat raises..4×10 #20, #15×3

tricep kickbacks..4×10 #15, #20×3…PB on the 20’s!

assisted tri machine 4×10

straight arm pulldowns 4×10, #70, #80, #90, #80

lying chest presses 3×10 , #20, #25×2

cable crossovers..4×10, #25, #35×3

..this was a great workout, I went up in weight on a few exercises and pushed to the next level…not sure if it was due to the cheeseburger and french fries I ate before working out, or if I was just trying to show off for my friend who worked out with me, but either way it was a good one!…and I didn’t even have any Superpump before I went…

PM:

cardio: 5 mile run…I did take some superpump before doing this! I haven’t been running as much as I used to, so finishing the run was tough!

and I felt like doing a little more weights… 

skull crushers 3×10 #30bb, #15 db(singles), #12 

decline ch presses 3×10, #20, #15×2

leaning lat raises 4×10 #7.5

bb shoulder presses 4×10 #40, #30×3

shoulder shrugs 4×10, #25, #35×3

…still have the 18 lbs to lose, but I haven’t really cut down the diet much as I don’t want to lose muscle, so I am just going slow with it…

…well everything I have worked this week still hurts…but I hadn’t worked the hams too much so I decided to go after them today…

stiff legged dl’s 5×10 #25 db’s, #30, #35, #30×2

ham curls  4×10

lying ham curl machine 5×10

another lying ham curl 3×10

ham flexor machine 4×10

3 mile run on treadmill

oh yeah, and 50 hanging knee lifts, 50 crunches on ab machine