Man-At-Arms

Only started this blog, and I am already behind with the updates.  Here’s a rundown on Friday’s workout:

Bench:  110kg x 20sets x 3 reps x 45-75 sec rest
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Dumbbell Shrug/Front Raise Drop-set/Super-set:  2 x (50kg x 10; 40kg x 15; 30kg x 20 / 10kg x 10)
-Basically, I do 10 shrugs with the 50s, drop them, 15 with the 40s, drop, 20 with the 30s, drop, and then do 10 front raises with the 10s.  I take a 90 second break and go again.
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Windmills:  3 x 5 (each side) x 20kg
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Floor-wipers:  60kg x 2sets x 10 reps

Going to change up my routine next week, now that I’ve finished the Big21 program.  I’ll probably just do bodyweight and kettlebell stuff next week, as well as swim and then look at starting something new the week after.

INTRO:  I’ve decided to start up a bodyblog.  When I was in Iraq in ‘05 I used the forum feature to chart my progress…and keep myself honest.  I had gotten out of the practice, and, since I had a lifting partner to keep me honest, didn’t need it as much.  Since the new year, I’ve been lifting on my own and need some form of accountability…so, here it is.

PROGRAM:  I just finished a four week program.  I basically adapted Dan John’s "Big 21" program to fit my work/rehab cycle.  I had intended to work on front squats, overhead press and deadlift, however, upon consulting my physio, decided to forego the front squats (for now).  For those unfamiliar with the "Big 21" program, you basically perform 21 reps of each exercise 3 days a week.  That being said, you start with a relatively light weight, adding 5 pounds each set and adding 5 pounds to the starting weight each day.  So, here’s the set structure:

5 x Start weight; 5 x SW+5; 5 x +5; 1 x +5; 1 x +5; 1 x +5; 1 x +5; 1 x +5; 1 x +5

What this means from a practical standpoint is that over a four-week period, you’ll add 55 pounds to the start weight (works a lot like the Super Squats program).  This program is not mean to create some super-strong increase in overall strength, but, I used it to get back into the swing of lifting heavy.

Here are the results of my workout today (I am in Australia, so, my gym uses kilo increments which means bigger jumps between sets; approximately 10 pounds in fact):

Overhead press:

5 x 60kg; 5 x 65; 5 x 70; 1 x 75; 1 x 80; 1 x 85; 1 x 90; 1 x 95; 1 x 100

-While this is not a personal best, I am pretty happy with the results considering this was just a four-week build-up.

Deadlift:

5 x 160kg; 5 x 165; 3 x 170; 1 x 175; 1 x 180; 1 x 185; 1 x 190; 1 x 195; 1 x 200

-Didn’t quite get 5 on the third set, but, the 200 (441lbs) went up pretty fast at the end (I took a bit longer break between sets on the last three…probably about 2 minutes between lifts)

SUPPLEMENTAL:  Not wanting to lose the development I’ve made so far on the bench, I decided to work on increase my 225 pound reps.  On Tuesdays I would do a ladder program on the bench.  225 pounds for 1 rep, rest 10 seconds; 2 reps, rest 20 seconds; 3 reps, rest 30 seconds; and so forth until I missed a set (was unable to complete cleanly).  Now, for a reference, my personal best repping 225 was for 19 reps in December 2006.  Doing this, I am barely able to make it up to 6 reps.  Upon missing a set, rest 2 minutes and then attempt as many reps as possible.  As of this Tuesday, I managed 6+5…almost made 7, but, almost only counts in horseshoes and nuclear warfare.  The lack rest is the humbler in my opinion for this program.  To add to this, on Thursdays I’ve been doing 225 x 3 with a 60 second rest, for as many sets as possible until I miss one.  I’ve made it up to 16 sets of 3 so far…and that friggin sucked.

WRAP UP:  So, that’s where I stand as of today…still waiting for the physio to hook me up with a new program for my knee…I hope to start running again soon as the eliptical trainer is starting to drive me crazy!

Thanks for checking in!

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