StrongerGeek’s BodyBlog

Leg day.  Well, night actually.  I was going to go at lunchtime, but my wife and I went out for lunch at a Thai place instead.  It was good, but a little greasy, unfortunately.  I am taking Thing #2 to an away baseball game tomorrow, so I decided I needed to go tonight…

It was a pretty good leg day.  I was trying for five sets of 225 lbs x 8 again, but I petered out on the last set and only got 5 reps.  I’m a little afraid of increasing the weight past 225 on this exercise.  I feel like that is about the limit for my back, at least for now.  So I need to come up with a plan.  I’m thinking of trying a 20-rep squat routine…  I hear that’s a load of fun…
After the squats I did my normal supersetted leg-extensions and leg-curls.  I increased my leg-extension weight significantly, and also met my rep goal for the hamstring curl.   Finished up with calf-raises and some forearm work.  It was a good workout.

Last night, I was helping out at Thing #2’s baseball game.  My wife always brings me dinner to these things, since I have to go straight from work there.  I was helping out in the dugout with scoring the game and the batting roster, etc.  This one kid comes up to me and says, "What are you eating this time?   Eww.. Brocolli again.  You are always eating that stuff."  Thing #2 replies, "Yeah my Dad is a health nut."  At least he didn’t say it in a derisory fashion…

Things degenerated after that, however, when the first kid asked me, "What’s the difference between brocolli and snot?"  The answer? "Kids ‘ll eat snot…"

Reasonably good upper-body workout today.

I got my goal of 160 lbs x 15 on the bench (with a spotter this time!).  My subsequent sets were ridiculously lame.  I could only get x7 on the second set!  I try not to put too much emphasis on those later sets, simply because so much depends on how much time I allow to elapse between sets, a thing I don’t generally keep track of.  But this time it was pretty bad.  But, even so, I was happy with the first set.  Moving on up to 165 lbs…  I’m sticking with this plan for a while until I get sick of it, then I’ll go back I try the 5×5 on the bench again with heavier weights.

I only got 8 pullups damnit on the first set, darn it.  But I did a lot of total reps : 8,5,4,3,3,3,3 (all supersetted with sets of pushups or cable-crossovers).  I’ve been doing cable rows instead of one-armed rows for the last couple of weeks.  It’s a nice change.  I love one-armed rows, but it can be a little hard on the lower back if I’m not giving them 100% of my attention.

I did barbell overhead presses today, which I haven’t done in a long time.  I was happy with 95 lbs x 3 x 5.

I also did barbell curls with 85 lbs 5×5 supersetted with some tricep work.

Not a bad workout (except for the %$&$ pullups which irritats me… errrgh.)  Hope all is well with you, my fellow obsessed fitness and nutrition nutjobs (and I mean that in the best possible way).  Keep cranking.

Today was a simple cardio day.  Walked to the gym.  Did 20 minutes of HIIT on the elliptical which had me completely drenched in sweat by the end of it.  Took a shower.  Walked back.  Done.

I’ve been rather frustrated my all my aches and pains lately.  I think a lot of them come simply from the fact that I sit down in front of a computer all day.  And my work tends to be fairly intellectually absorbing, so I end up losing track of time and sit there for long periods of time without moving too much.

Over the last two weeks or so, I’ve really been working hard at getting up every 20-30 minutes or so and stretching everything out, paying special attention to my hamstrings.  It really has made a difference in how my lower back feels.  I can tell the days where I’ve been good about it versus those that I’ve let it slide.

If any of you desk rats have any stretch suggestions, let me know.

Yesterday was an Upper-Body workout.  I had a fun little experience:

I was benching 160 lbs trying to get 15 reps.  I (stupidly) didn’t have a spotter, but there were plenty of people in the gym.  Rep 14 was a piece of cake, so I figured today would be the day I got 15 reps.  I went for it… and couldn’t get the bar off my chest.  I had to ask a passerby for help.  160 lbs isn’t a lot of weight, so I wasn’t panicked or anything.  I’m sure I could have just dumped the bar over sideways or rested in on my chest for a minute or so before pushing it up.  But still I was pretty embarassed.  I think there’s a lesson in there somewhere.  Hopefully I’ll learn it.

I sort of lost some confidence after that and the rest of the workout was a little lame.  I got 9 pullups again (barely) but couldn’t hit 10.

Today was a lower body workout.  My back started out a bit funky on squats, but got better as I went.  I squatted 185×8, 190×8, 200×8, 205×8, 210×8, 225×8.  Then the regular leg-extensions, leg-curls, calf-raises and forearm work.

Forgive me bodyspacers for I have sinned.  I had three alcoholic beverages this weekend at various Memorial Day functions…  Trust me, I’m feeling it today.  Amazing how much of a light-weight I have become that way…

Couldn’t get to the gym at lunch today, so I went tonight.  I was practically alone.  I guess everyone decided they had better things to do on the Friday night of a holiday weekend.

I squatted heavy (for me) today.  I did 185 lbs x8, 225 lbs x8, x8, x7, x6, x5.  Whew.  That’s the best I’ve squatted in a while.  I also did 5 supersetted sets of leg-extensions/leg curls that had my quads and hamstrings pretty sore.  I finished up with some calf-raises and forearm work.  Not a bad little workout.

I’ve been hemming and hawing about this for months, but I finally decided I would start taking creatine again.  I took my first dose tonight after my workout.  We’ll see if it has any effect.

Today’s upper-body workout was pretty good.

I benched 160 lbs x14, x8, x6, x5, x4.  It’s amazing when you work at high-reps, how many fewer reps you can do on set #2 than set #1.  I was happy with the first set, which is one rep better than I’ve ever done at this weight, and one rep off what I want before I’ll increase the weight.  I think shaking up the bench with this high-rep scheme is working for me.

I then did 6 sets of pullups with reps of 9,5,4,3,3,2 supersetted with pushups.  I find that to be a brutally effective superset combination.

I normally do one-armed rows, but today I did cable rows instead.  I might do those on the upper-body workouts that fall on weekdays.  One-armed rows are one of my favorite exercises, but the cable rows go much faster since you work both arms at once.  (I can’t do bent over rows without destroying my back.)
I did barbell curls for the first time in a while (supersetted with tricep extensions) and I felt weak.  But I had blasted the biceps a bit with the pullups and rows first, so I’ll give myself the benefit of the doubt.

Overall a good workout.  I was happy with it.  Hope your workouts are going well.  Lift big.  Eat healthy.  See you next time.

Lower body workout.  I squatted 185 lbs x 8, 4 sets of 205 lbs x 8, and 1 set of 225 lbs x 3.  I completely ran out of steam on the last set.  Damn.  But at least I got 225 on the bar for a few reps anyway.  The back was complaining a little at the beginning of the workout, but felt great after.  I have to remember that it likes getting a good workout, because my first instinct when it’s sore is to ditch the workout.

Body image baffles me.  I’m starting to be neurotic about it.  Last night I felt like crap, looked in the mirror, and thought I looked like crap.  Today, 12 hours later, I feel pretty good about myself and my body.  Folks, my body hasn’t changed that much in 12 hours.  What’s my problem?

It’s so nice outside that I ditched my cardio workout today and just walked 3 miles.

Got to the gym tonight for a strong lower body workout.

I squatted 185 lbs x 8, 4 sets of 205 x 8, and a final set of 215 x 6.  The squats are finally coming back slowly.  My short-term goal is to get back to 225.  My long term goal is 275 for this year.  We’ll see.  I think it’s still in reach, but my back issues really set me back there for a while.  I’ve gotten to remember that my back is more important than some numerical goal.

I really hammered my legs with supersetted leg-extensions/leg-curls.  I had trouble walking for a while after these!  Then some calf-raises and forearm work.  The best leg-workout I’ve had in a long while.

Yesterday I couldn’t get to the gym at lunchtime, so I went at night.  I’m usually a little more sluggish at that time of day, but it’s better than not going at all.

I think I’m a moron.  Last time I benched, I did 160 lbs x 13.  I wanted to beat this and get 14 reps at the same weight last night.  I was all upset I only got 12… Until I was lying in bed trying to get to sleep, I realized I had put 165 lbs on the bar instead of 160 lbs.  I do that all the time.  I’m fairly good with numbers, but I constantly miscalculate my weights.  Doh.

I matched my 8 pullups again, but couldn’t beat it.  The only thing I moved up on was my shoulder press.  I’ve been doing seated shoulder presses for the last month or so, and I finally got 40 lbs x 15, so I’ll move up to 42.5 lbs dumbbells next.

After the workout, I went to Barnes & Noble to get my Dad a birthday present.  I was tired and a bit crabby from a hard day at work, and I was ravenously hungry.  I decided finally to throw my diet to the wind and grab a muffin or cookie or something at the café there.  But in line in front of me was a horribly obese woman.  She was easily 300 lbs.  After I saw her, I just couldn’t do it.  I bought the books, went home, and made myself a clean meal instead.  I just don’t understand how people let themselves go like that.  I understand not everyone needs to be a bodybuilder, but please have some respect for your God-given body.
I couldn’t hit the gym today at lunch either.  I’m hoping I can get there tonight after work.