Bodybuilding.com - Brian Westgate’s Journey

Archive for September, 2008

Day 3 of phase 2 of rehab

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008

I was on the road last night and today. I decided to pack my rollerblades with me. I managed to get 2 good long rides in in the last 2 days. Also the otel I stayed at had a great little gym and so I was able to do my rehab workout this morning see last post for that workout). Life is good and I am on the road to recovery (my legs and lower back are killing me from all that rollerblading - cool!)

Comments (1)

Latest Comment: Good luck with rehab :)

View all comments | Leave Comment

Posted in Training

Day 2 of 2nd phase of rehabing arm injuries

Monday, September 29th, 2008

I did my workout this morning, focusing on rehabilitating my 2 injuries in my left arm (forearm bicep attachment and inner arm between tricep and bicep)

I started off trying to fatigue the forarm, bicep attachment (first injury that has been with me for more than a year), this is what I did:

Cable upright rows 20 sets at 15lbs

Cable rows 20 sets at 15lbs

Cable pulldowns 20 sets at 15lbs

Cable reverse curls 20 sets at 15lbs

Cable narrow grip curls 20 sets at 15lbs

straight arm wrist curls (palm facing floor) 20 sets at 10lbs per hand

Standing forearm curls 20 sets at 10lbs per hand (swing hand all the way into your hips and out as far as you can)

Hammer curls 20 sets at 10lbs each arm

dumbell upright rows 20 sets at 10lbs per hand

Cable preacher curls with arms extending straight out on a flat bench 20 sets at 15lbs

I did this all as one set, took a minute break then did 2 more giant sets. Light weight but I am trying to fatigue the area using as many different variations as I can (and it worked)

Then I move to trying to fatigue my upper arm (between my bicep and tricep on the inside of my arm). To do this I have to focus on crossover moves.

Laying on flat bench high cross overs with 5lbs in each hand - 20

Laying on flat bench mid cross overs with 5lbs in each hand - 20

Laying on flat bench low cross overs with 5lbs in each hand - 20

Laying on flat bench over head stiraght arm pullovers with 5lbs in each hand - 20

Laying on flat bench one arm high one arm low cross overs with 5lbs in each hand - 20

Laying on flat bench one arm high one arm low cross overs (the other direction) with 5lbs in each hand - 20

Standing low to high crossovers with 5lbs in each hand - 20

lateral raises (delts) with 5 lbs in each hand - 20

Rear lateral raises 9delts) with 5 lbs in each hand - 20

Pec dec - 20 at 55lbs (increased wweight here because it was to light, will increase weight again next time)

Again I did this as a giant set and then repeated it for 3 sets.

I have decided to start up my 4 day split again but only do one excercise per body part at a really light weight and do 2 sets of 50. Today is chest and tris so I did:

Smith machine bench press 2 sets of 50 at 65lbs

Tricep pressdowns 2 sets of 50 at 15lbs (can go up in weight next time)

Heal heal heal…

Comments (0)

No Comments.

Leave Comment

Posted in Training

My routine for fixing my arm injury

Saturday, September 27th, 2008

I did my workout this morning, focusing on rehabilitating my 2 injuries in my left arm

I started off trying to fatigue the forarm, bicep attachment (first injury that has been with me for more than a year), this is what I did:

Cable upright rows 20 sets at 15lbs

Cable rows 20 sets at 15lbs

Cable pulldowns 20 sets at 15lbs

Cable narrow grip curls 20 sets at 15lbs

Cable reverse curls 15 sets at 15lbs (these were hard on my injury so I backed off)

straight arm wrist curls (palm facing floor) 20 sets at 10lbs per hand

Standing forearm curls 20 sets at 10lbs per hand (swing hand all the way into your hips and out as far as you can)

Hammer curls 20 sets at 10lbs each arm

Cable preacher curls with arms extending straight out on a flat bench 20 sets at 15lbs

dumbell upright rows 20 sets at 10lbs per hand

I did this all as one set, took a minute break then did 2 more giant sets. Light weight but I am trying to fatigue the area using as many different variations as I can.

Then I move to trying to fatigue my upper arm (between my bicep and tricep on the inside of my arm). To do this I have to focus on crossover moves.

Laying on flat bench high cross overs with 5lbs in each hand - 20

Laying on flat bench mid cross overs with 5lbs in each hand - 20

Laying on flat bench low cross overs with 5lbs in each hand - 20

Laying on flat bench over head stiraght arm pullovers with 5lbs in each hand - 20

Laying on flat bench one arm high one arm low cross overs with 5lbs in each hand - 20

Laying on flat bench one arm high one arm low cross overs (the other direction) with 5lbs in each hand - 20

Standing low to high crossovers with 5lbs in each hand - 20

lateral raises (delts) with 5 lbs in each hand - 20

Rear lateral raises 9delts) with 5 lbs in each hand - 20

Pec dec - 20 at 30lbs

Again I did this as a giant set and then repeated it for 3 sets.

Seems to have fatigued the areas and was the right weight (as it didn’t hurt my injuries but once or twice I felt it slightly). So I may do this weight for one more day then go up the next day. I’ll probably add a can of beans in my hand or something just to add a bit of weight. I will keep going up in weight and maybe adding a set or an excercise so I keep stressing the area without hurting it. Can’t wait until I can get right back to weightlifting.

Comments (0)

No Comments.

Leave Comment

Posted in Training

Time for a comprehensive review of my physio appointment:

Saturday, September 27th, 2008

Time for a comprehensive review of my physio appointment:

I went in and he asked me a few questions about how it is going. With the 2 injuries he identified the exact muscle in my upperarm that was affected (sorry I forgot the name of it). He said it is a very weak muscle. He also said of my other injury that it is somewhat unusual.

Anyway he had me grab a cable curl bar and attached 7.5lbs to it. He had me do curls, reverse curls, upright rows, etc. all at as many different angles, forms, etc. to try to stress it from as many different angles as possible. Not good form as we know it but currling the bar to the front over to one side over to the other, up high with elbos out, down low, blah blah blah. He had me do this for 30 seconds facing the bar then facing sideways, then facing the rear, then the other side. 30 seconds in each position doing as many different moves as possible. This he called cross training. You rest for 15 seconds between each 30 second position. Then you move the cable up the bar to about just lower than chest hieght. Then do all of it over again. Then move the cable up to its top hole and do it all over again. This is one set and I had to do 3 sets. He was trying to fatigue the area. he said cross training is important for endurance. He said your endurance has to come back first, then your strength then your power. He said power will come when you do power moves like we do when we weightlift, but he said I can’t go there yet until we get my endurance in the affected areas to a higher level.

So I finished those then he took me into his torcher chamber and did deep massage. Oh man talk about pain. I am definately still injured. He worked me hard and told me to go home and ice. He was breaking up all the scar tissue.

The excercises he had me do he wants me to do at home once a day in an attempt to fatigue but not feel pain to the injured areas.

So that is what I will do.

He also said that I could do some light weights like we do but only for endurance not for strength and power.

So there you have it.

Comments (1)

Latest Comment: <strong>epic wealth...

View all comments | Leave Comment

Posted in Training

Details of my physio visit for my arm pain

Friday, September 12th, 2008

OK, here is what he said:

There is probably a lot of scar tissue which prevents your muscles from being as flexible and working the way they are supposed to be working, so I have to train my muscle to do what they are supposed to do. So here is what I have to do every day twice a day:

1) warm up the area for 5-10 minutes with a warm bag

2) excercises - these include very basic excercises while laying on a bed with hurt arm flopping down beside the bed. Excercise one - move hand up and down, 3 sets of 10, excercise 2 - bicep curl, excercise 3 - hammer curls. All these are done laying on the bed for 3 sets of 10. This is to deal with my bicep forearm pain. I am to add weight slowly over time, so tomorrow use a can, the next day 2 cans, the next day 3 cans (in a bag) then go to weights. For my upper arm I am to bring my arm up over my head then keeping it straight swinging it to my opposite hip. Then keeping my arm straight but below my hip bring my arm up and over to my opposite shoulder. Both of these are to fatigue my upper arm (basically a one arm crossover). again 3 sets of 10 with progressive resistance while laying on my bed.

3) ice for 15-20 minutes as needed

I asked him if I can keep weightlifting. he said absolutely but with a focus on healing. So I asked if I should avoid certain excercises. he said absolutley not, just go extremly light. For example if I am going to do pullups, I should actually do pulldowns with say 10 lbs, then the next time go to 20lbs and so on. Gage the feeling of your pain, if none then go up in weight, if there is pain then go down in weight. In this way I will train my muscles properly without injuring them. So I asked him if I could do high reps say 20-25 and burn the muscle. he said absolutley provided it is not causing any pain.

So there you go, I am back in the game and will be lifting less than my daughters. What do you think…

Comments (1)

No Comments.

View all comments | Leave Comment

Posted in Training

September 11 - workout with injury

Thursday, September 11th, 2008

Took the new coop student to the gym today.
He wanted to chest and back so I joined him.
I did bench press - the bar for 20, 135 for 15, 205 for 12, 225 for 3 sets of 10, 255 for 5 then dropped to 175 for 9 - felt my arm a bit at the biginning but hardly at all

Then we did inclined dumbell press - 85 for 10, 85 for 8, 80 for 8, 80 for 8 - didn’t hurt my arm at all except when I was deadlifting the weight off the floor.

Then we went to do back. We started off with narrow grip cable rows. I tried a super light weight (50lbs) no prob. So I cranked it up to 200 and did a perfect set of 10 and it was easy. When I was done that set though I really felt my arm (but didn’t feel it while doing the exercise), so I quit back completely. I then bumed around and did 3 sets of light perfect form shrugs, 3 sets of preacher curls for 20, 15, 15 - good burn, 2 sets of cable curls, and 3 sets of behind the head tricep extensions on the machine. None of these excercises hurt my arm. So it is just a matter of finding out which excercises I can and cannot do in the short term. I am going to the physio tomorrow and looking forward to it…

Comments (0)

No Comments.

Leave Comment

Posted in Training

September 9th workout

Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

Had a great eating day yesterday.

And today is looking like another good one.

Today at the gym I did 21 minutes on the treadmill. My pace was set at 11.0 km per hour every other minute I did 12.0, 12.2, 12.4, 12.6, 12.8 and then my last 10 minutes was 11 and 13 km per hour. My shins were weak but went numb after about 10 minutes in. My VO2 was better than I thought and I didn’t starte sweating until the second 10 minutes.

Then I did abs:

Dynamic planks - 3 sets of 10

Ball pushups where you bring the ball into your chest with your feet then back out into a pushup position - 3 sets of 12

Declined crunches - 3 sets of 20

Hanging leg raises (bugged my arm a bit) - 3 sets of 15

Then I attenpted to do weighted cable crunches but it bugged my arm to much.

That was my day.

Comments (0)

No Comments.

Leave Comment

Posted in Training

Injury

Friday, September 5th, 2008

I will be taking a week off and I am going to see a physio. My arm injury is not going away and it is getting worse. I will post when I find out from the physio what I need to do to recover and get back into the bodybuilding game. Stay tuned.

Comments (0)

No Comments.

Leave Comment

Posted in Training

September 4th eating

Thursday, September 4th, 2008

Didn`t feel all that hungry today. Hoping to be maintaining muscle while I am loosing fat. Here is what I ate:

Meal 1 - 1 egg, 5 eggwhites, kashi cereal and skim milk, omega 3, multivitamin, coffee

Meal 2 - fajita

creatine

workout

Meal 3 - 32 grams of whey, creatine and 591ml of gatorade

Meal 4 - chicken and pineapple whole wheat wrap

Meal 5 - lasagna (1.5 pieces)

Meal 6 - casiens protien and water

Comments (0)

No Comments.

Leave Comment

Posted in Training

September 4th workout

Thursday, September 4th, 2008

My chest and tris numbers:
275lbs chest press for 10, 10, 8 (smith machine)
Inclined dumbell presses with 80lbs for 12, 10, 10
Machine presses 3 sets of 12 at 257.5 (all the weight there was) superset with lower cable crossovers.
Triceps were 110lb skull crushers superset with narrow grip presses.
A tricep pushdown machine that mimics weighted dips (the whole rack minus a plate)
Then I finished it off with a superset of tricep pressdowns and overhead cable tricep extensions. Made my triceps burn. Tomorrow is back.

Comments (0)

No Comments.

Leave Comment

Posted in Training