My BodyBlog

May be busy Friday night so I moved my usual Friday nighter to Thursday night.  Considered doing bench press program, even though only 48 hours after last time, I felt good.  Arriving at the gym, it was crowded.  Bench press and power rack were in use, and as I did a warm-up on the bike I decided to delay benching for another while.  A part of me wants to finish the program strong, another part of me just wants to get over with.  The sensible side of me won out I guess!  So, what to do instead?

To get away from the crowd I went to the lonely Smith machine and did 6 sets of standing leg raises, doing as many reps as I could on each set.  Got up to 315 and grinded out 15 reps, calves burning.  Finished calves by doing a couple of sets on the leg press machine.  By that time the crowd was starting to thin out, so I had more options.  To stick with my cycle of compound exercises I decided to do some rack deadlifts. 

I’ve been throwing these in occasionally as part of my deadift training and I think they’re proving useful.  I’ve only done them a handfull of times though, and not since Jan 21.  Didn’t really intend to go that heavy on these last night, but as I started I felt good and I kept my options open.  Did a set of 135×10 and then 225×8.  Felt really good.  Loaded up to 315 and banged out 4 reps, most reps I’ve ever done with this much weight on any deadlift.  I grabbed two 33 plates that were handy bringing the bar to 381 pounds.  Did one rep and then after a couple of seconds pause did another!  I was pretty amazed I had the strength for two reps at this weight.  My previous best on these was 410, and since I’d done a 425 regular deadlift last week I decided to push the envelope and go for 430!  Couldn’t find the right plates so I ended up with 432 on the bar.

I was set up for one of those special moments for me.  Not only attempting a lift beyond anything I’d done before, but a weight that I’d never seen anyone do in person before.  As often happens at times like this, people notice what I’m doing and as I got into position I had spectators.  Added pressure yes, but it makes me more determined and focused too.  I did the lift, getting it up with tremendous effort but not 100% effort like I expected I’d need.  As I set it down I was thinking ‘Holy s**t, I could have lifted more!’  After two months of squats and deadlifts the increase in strength I am experiencing is very rewarding!

After that I did some hamstring isolation sets and I could really feel it by the end.  Didn’t think I could do treadmill sprints or jump rope very well after the calf and ham work, so I went back on the bike for 10 minutes to end the workout.  What a great workout to finish up Febraury and my compound exercise cycle!

Last bench press workout was a week ago, since then I haven’t done any triceps, shoulder, chest or upper back exercises.  Wanted to give upper body a good rest and try to get back to some solid benching, last two times went poorly due to fatigue.  I had steak and potatoes a couple of hours before lifting, I prepared for this workout the best way I knew how.

Maybe I should have had another steak!  I was ever so close to finishing the benching cleanly, it was a huge improvement over the last two times.  Working sets required 220×3, 220×3, 235×2, 235×2, 250×1.  The 220 lifts were good.  On the 235 sets, on the second rep of each I got past the sticking point and the bar was going up slowly, I know I would have finished the lifts but the spotter got a little anxious and jumped in to assist both times.  For the final lift at 250, I asked the spotter to wait until he saw the bar start to go backwards or until I signalled for help because I wanted to do everything I could to push through the lift on my own.  I felt good coming down, but going back up I slowed and just couldn’t get past the sticking point.  I needed just a little bit more strength to get it done.

Overall though, I’m pleased with the effort and feel like I’m 99% back to where I was a couple of weeks ago.  I have two workouts left on the program.  Looking at the weight and sets required if I stay on the same track, I will have to be better than I’ve ever been to have any chance of completing all lifts required.  Being an optomist, I would say ‘Yes, I can do it’.  Being a realist, I would say ‘There is a very small chance I can do all the lifts.  I know for sure I can do some of the lifts on my own and complete the rest with help of a spotter.’  Looking at the progression table, if I drop back one more row I think the next workout is doable and then the final workout will be the same as the one I did last night.  I think I would have a good shot at doing that workout cleanly.

So what do I do?  Either way I’ll put in maximum effort and my body will benefit.  The mental aspect of it all is important to me too though.  After dedicating so much time and effort and trying to make bench press the priority for the last two months, it would be a big boost to my confidence going forward if I could do some heavier lifts to finish up the program.  I know which way I’m leaning…anyone else have any thoughts?  

Going into today’s squat workout my lower back was a little sore, still recovering from Friday deadlifts.  My strategy was to get some squat work in without taxing my back too much since I want upper body to be at 100% for my bench press workout in two days.  My approach was to keep the squat weight low and just do more reps, hopefully working legs well but not being too hard on the back.  I did a warm-up 45×12, then decided to start at a high weight of 225 and do sets of 10, dropping the weight by 10 pounds for each set.  Starting out I had visions of going all the way down to 135, but only if I felt up to it.  I did 225, 215, 205, 195 and 185, then decided to stop there when I started to get tired.  On a normal day I would have pushed it and did the next five sets, but I didn’t want to take a chance of totally exhausting myself and not being in the best form possible for bench pressing.  After squats I did 4 sets on the leg extension machine and then did some ab work, 9 sets in all.  Cardio today was 45 minutes walking in the morning, 12 minutes on the arc trainer after lifting, and 500 reps jump rope after abs.  A pretty decent workout, don’t think I did too much, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my chest and back will be up to the challenge 48 hours from now!

Three full days rest and little exercise left me chomping at the bit to get to the gym!  The fact that I was going to deadlift and go for a new personal best heightened the anticipation all the more.  I started the workout with 15 minutes on the bike and 10 minutes walking on the treadmill to get the blood flowing.  I started deadlifts with three warm up sets, barx10, 135×10, and 225×6.  I don’t use a weight belt up to this weight, I’ve read you get a stronger core if you don’t always use a belt.  However, a belt also helps prevent injury so when I start the heavier lifts I put mine on.  Hopefully this is a good compromise between core strength develpment and safety.  At 315 my belt didn’t feel right so I stopped after one lift and adjusted it.  I then did the 315 lift again, felt good now.  I added 50 pounds and did a 365 lift.  Added 30 more pounds and lifted 395.  This lift was difficult.  I added 30 more pounds to try for a 425 lift.  This was 10 more than my previous best lift, I had no idea if I could do it, I wasn’t feeling especially strong.  I took my time to think about my form and get focused.  I chalked up, stood over the bar, took a few deep breaths, then got into position for the lift.  Then, I went for it and did the lift!  Had to give it maximum effort to get past the sticking point, but I got that sucker up there! 

Finished, I walked away feeling a little light-headed for a few seconds but feeling exhilerated to have set a new personal best.  In my mind I was ready to not succeed at that attempt, I was ready to accept that I had to keep working at it.  Doing that lift almost feels surreal, plus I feel like that I had something left in the tank, I maybe could have handled a little more weight.  That motivates me to keep working at it, I haven’t hit my ceiling yet.  I’m stoked about my progress with deadlift, I’ve increased by 10 pounds in January and another 10 last night.  Is it realistic to think I can keep up this pace all year?  That would mean a 525 lift in December!?  My goal is 500, which I had no idea if it was possible or not when I set it.  My training seems to be working though, so I’ll just keep it up and see what happens!

I had just over 48 hours between workouts, got some quality rest time, activity was limited to a couple of short walks.  I felt a whole lot better going in to last night’s workout, still unsure though how it would go.  Working sets required 210×5, 210×5, 230×3, 230×3, 230 to failure.

Turns out I was a lot stronger than my last workout but not yet back to where I was a week ago.  Another day’s rest probably would have helped but due to ‘life’, it was go to the gym last night or wait another 3 days until Friday.  I completed the first two sets, almost failing on the last rep at 210 but I beared down and pushed through using my legs to help drive my upper body and give the bar the extra push it needed.  Starting the 230 set, I knew I was in trouble.  Did the first rep but needed the spotter on the second rep, and used the spotter for an assisted rep on the third. 
Second set at 230, similar results.  I called it a night for bench press at that point, I knew I didn’t have the strenth to lift that weight.  Skipping the failure test counts as a ‘fail’ of course.  Kind of frustrating that last week I was lifting 240×2 and this week can’t even do 230×2!

All in all though, I’m not that disappointed by it.  If I did nothing else at the gym besides bench press I figure I’d be doing all the lifts.  But it’s just not in my nature to do that, I need to do more, I need to work on other goals besides bench press.  I know it’s the heavy squats five days ago that led to overall body fatigue.  I am bouncing back, it’ll just take a little more time.  I have no regrets about it, working on strength goals is like that, sometimes you take two steps forward and one step back.  A couple of weak workouts or an off few days does not define your overall progress.  Overall I am getting stronger on bench, deadlift and squat, I’m moving in the right direction.  And the last two workouts, although not benching how I wanted, it was still working my muscles and contributing to my overall growth, health and fitness.

I have decided to change up my cycle a little to set myself up as best I can for a good bench workout next week.  I’ll do deadlifts on Friday, probably go heavy and try for a new PR.  I’ll do squats Sunday, I’ll keep the weight low and go for more reps.  I’ll be back at the bench press again next Tuesday, that will be a full week break from bench press, hopefully that will do the trick.  I’ll also be moving back one row in the progression table, which only means a 5 pound reduction on each lift, but 5 pounds do make a lot of difference when your benching to the limits of your strength.

Also did some cardio, abs and some light back and rotator cuff work last night.  Hope everyone has a good rest of the week!

Anyone who has read a few of my posts will see that I take a positive tone when describing my experiences and feelings.  This is no accident, I write with this goal in mind.  When I have a less than stellar workout (see last post!) or have something challenging going on in my life, I look to find something positive about it.  Like everyone I have bad days but I’m not going to dwell on it, life is too short to focus on the negative and it really won’t get you anywhere.

I’ve had lots of difficult times in my life and for a little while experienced mild depression to the point where I couldn’t work and wanted to sleep all the time.  It was thanks to meeting my future wife I was able to jolt myself out of this, deal with some demons and get a whole new perspective on life.  I spent too long dwelling on the negatives of life that I decided not to do it ever again.  It’s not always easy though because I find many people are negative in the way they look at the world.  Staying positive takes work, and it’s not like flipping a switch.  It’s not only how you look at the world, it’s how you see yourself too.  That part of it has been the hardest for me.  When I started weight training I still had some poor self-image and low self-esteem issues, and improving my body has helped me improve how I see myself tremendously, which has made me an all around better person, I think.

Much too often I see blog posts with an entirely negative view about failures and the challenges of life.  I know it’s good to get negative feelings out of your system, but then follow up with something positive…and there is ALWAYS something positive to be gained out of every experience, even if it’s hard to see it at the time.

So when I started blogging I was not about to let any negativity enter into my writing.  I decided that if I was going to share my bodybuilding journey with anyone out there who was interested, they were going to get something positive out of reading what I had to say.  I benefit greatly by reading other’s experiences, I want to give back in some way and help others on their journey and I believe I can best do that through the power of positivity.

The title of this post could have been ‘Failed Workout #11 of 14′ or ‘Crashed and Burned Workout #11 of 14′!  Felt very tired going into this one, I guess I was due to have a bad day after all the great ones I’ve had so far this year!  As soon as I started my first working set of 210×5, I was toast.  I have never had such a lack of energy and strength before in the gym, it’s a hard thing to face when you know you’re capable of so much more.  Why did I feel this way?  A couple of things combined I guess, I think my body is still recovering after doing those heavy squats Friday night.  Plus I’m starting week 7 of doing compound lifts every workout, that takes a toll on the body after awhile and maybe it was catching up to me.  Also I’ve been sneezing a little and had a runny nose, so maybe I’m fighting some sort of bug.  I’m disappointed, but not too much.  I’ve learned to just roll with the punches and the rare time when I have a setback I just do what it takes to get over it and I come back stronger than ever…it’ll be no different this time!

I won’t count today as part of my bench program.  I’ll restart the workout when I feel better, hopefully Tuesday.  I didn’t give up on getting some lifting in though, I did shoulders, chest and triceps using light dumbbells and cables, 22 sets in all in the 10-15 rep range.  Light dumbbells even felt heavy to me today, what a strange feeling!  Cardio today was a 45 minute walk in the morning, 15 minutes treadmill warm-up at the gym, and a total of 500 jump rope reps between sets.  I even struggled with jumping rope today, it was hard to get the legs off the ground! 

I have some soreness in my right lower forearm/wrist today too, I attribute that to the squats although I thought I’d found a position on the bar to eliminate that annoyance.  It wouldn’t have stopped me from benching though if I’d had the energy.  I’ve had this before, it usually clears up in a couple of days.

As I type this I look back at today and as is my habit I try to find something positive in every situation.  If you look hard enough, it’s there.  No problem with this one, I only have to remember that the sets and cardio I did today, even though not up to the same level of intensity and strength as I’ve done lately, they were still a lot more work than I used to do at the gym when I started.  I’ve come a long way baby!  Today was just a minor bump in the road on my journey to a lean and muscular me.

Yesterday afternoon for a few moments I lost my motivation.  After Wednesday’s great bench workout the thought of doing squats was not exciting, almost anti-climactic really.  Reasons started coming into my mind how I could justify skipping squats, just this once.  I then realized this is the first time in awhile that I found myself lacking motivation in any way.  So I went on Bodyspace and the things I saw and read reminded me how much I want to achieve a lean and muscular physique!  I’m on a workout cycle that will take me up to the end of February and I am determined to stick with it no matter what.  I looked at my log and saw that I hadn’t tried for a new one rep max squat since December 31st, so I decided to go for it.  Thanks Bodyspace for helping me give myself a mental kick in the rear!

I went on the treadmill for 10 minutes to warm up the legs, then spent 15 minutes on abs because I figured I’d be too spent afterwards.  That out of the way, I got down to business.  I loosened up with the bar x13, then as I started 135×10, a potential spoiler…my wrist started to pain.  This has happened frequently on squats since I sprained it last year, I’ve been assuming it’s due to that.  Then I took a close look at what I was doing.  My grip placement put my forearms on an outward angle, not straight up and down …the research I’ve done suggests holding it so that your elbows are at a 90 degree angle …I knew this but thought it was better to hold it where you felt most comfortable…so I moved each hand in about 3-4 inches to get that 90 degree angle and presto!  The wrist pain disappeared for good, and I was still comfortable.  I did the next set at 225×6, and I felt more than ready to put some heavy weight on the bar.  Loaded two more 45’s and did 2 reps only at 315, saving energy for more.  Previous best is 370, but I felt like a challenge so I added two 35’s for a total weight of 385.  I got under the bar and got up into my standing position no problem.  I descended but not close to parallel then I came back up.  I was tentative, wasn’t confident enough to go down further even though I could bail out if needed.  At the top again, I was pissed.  I couldn’t call that a successful lift.  So I took a deep breath and went down again.  Got further this time, almost to parallel, by this time I was really starting to feel all that weight and coming back up was not easy.  So, that’s how it was but do I consider this a successful lift for me? 

With bench press and deadlift there’s no grey area, you either do it or you don’t, but with squats when you’re watching yourself in the mirror along with focusing on the lift it’s sometimes hard to know.  I guess it’s a success if you feel happy with it compared to other lifts.  In that case my answer would be ‘no’, because I want to go deeper.  So I will compromise and say that I squat a partial 385 which is a great accomplishment but I’m not going to go any higher until I do that 385 lift again to my satisfaction.  I did do one other thing after the last lift…at 385 I was only 20 pounds away from an 8 plate, 405 bar.  I decided to load it up and do a 405 negative.  I wanted to feel what it was like to stand with that much weigh, and of course negatives are good to use for strength gain too.  I asked a couple of guys to watch me and stop the bar from rolling once I set it down on the pins, just to make sure I got out from under safely.  I was able to stand with the bar no problem, went down as slow as I could but it was really hard, I bailed out at the bottom successfully.  Knowing I can do that is a real morale booster, I’ll keep doing that negative as part of my training. 

I set a goal of a 450 squat in 2009.  An arbitrary figure really, I had no idea if that was possible, and after last night I’m beginning to think it’s not realistic.  At any rate I’ll just keep working at it and see how things go, as long as I make slow progress and win the little battles with the iron I’ll be happy!  After squats I did 12 sets total of lunges and leg extensions.  It was brutal.  Next workout, bench press!  

This is the one I’ve been waiting for…the first 9 workouts were laying the foundation and building strength so I’d be ready to lift more than my starting one rep max of 235.  The first time I did this program, when I got to this stage I struggled with the lifts.  I had been correcting some problems with my form, I did too many other exercises for chest, triceps and back, and I didn’t get enough rest between bench workouts.  I also didn’t go into every workout believing I could succeed.  It’s a different story this time around.  My form has been solid and I’m even learning how to use my legs to give me that extra push when needed.  I’ve been careful not to overwork upper body, I’ve done bench twice every 8 or 9 days instead of twice a week, and my confidence has been building with every successful workout.

In the change room someone asked me if I was still on ’that weight loss diet’.  I said I haven’t really been on a particular diet, I just eat healthy, don’t eat certain foods anymore, and I exercise regularly.  The man said he can see a big difference in me, my ’gut’ is gone, I must have lost at least 20 pounds.  I said I don’t weigh myself very often, but actually my weight is pretty stable.  He seemed surprised, I know most people use the scale to judge progress, but I just can’t do it.  I know I’ve lost lots of body fat and gained lots of muscle mass, that’s all that matters to me at this point….but it feels good to know someone’s noticed!

The gym was very busy last night, lots of twenty something guys doing their thing.  I went on the bike for a 10 minute warm-up then did 300 reps jump rope while I waited for the bench press.  A few regulars who know I’m on a program were asking me what I was going to do tonight, one 21 year old guy who I’ve shown how the program works was particulary interested, he asked if I wanted a spotter.  I said sure, and he stayed with me through the whole thing.  Working sets required were 225×3, 225×3, 240×2, 240×2 and 250×1.  Remembering that I started the program with a 235 1RM, and a few months ago I did manage to struggle through and complete a 240, these lifts ahead of me were daunting, even though I knew I’d done everything right to prepare for this workout.

The first set at 225 was completed OK, would have liked to feel stronger.  The spotter’s style is to keep his hands around the bar at all times, even though he doesn’t touch it (so he says).  I find it distracting to see his hands all the time, I’d rather a spotter stay behind me, ready to jump in if I give a signal.  I couldn’t say anything to him, he was so interested and encouraging and I appreciated that.  So I decided I just had to not let it bother me, to focus on what I had to do and block it from my mind.  The second 225 set felt slightly easier than the first.  At 240, I had no idea if I could do 2 reps.  I just figured I’d give it my all and hope for the best.  Did the first rep, then on the second rep I had to dig deep and the bar went up ever so slowly, the spotter encouraged me and I pushed through and did it.  He said ‘that was all you’, I said ’are you sure’ and he said yes.  I told him I would probably need help on the next set.  After a rest, I got back at it.  Completed the first rep unassisted, but the second rep was a killer, I got it up though but I knew the spotter was helping a little.  Before I could ask he said ‘I gave it a little push but it wasn’t very much, it was mostly all you’.  I guess he realized how important it is for me to complete these lifts by myself if at all possible.

I put on the plates for my 250 attempt.  I took a 5 minute rest to get over the last set and think about what I had to do.  The bench press is right next to a counter in the middle of the gym where people stand around between sets to have a drink, talk, etc.  As I sat down for my last lift I saw that I had an audience, a few of the guys were going to watch me….added pressure, that’s all I needed!  I told the spotter I was probably going to need his help to complete this, I honestly thought that after not being able to complete the second set of 240 by myself.  When I gave the signal he helped with the lift off, then it was up to me.  Something happened to me then, there was nothing in my world except me and that weight.  I think I experienced a level of focus and concentration I’ve never had before, I gave everything I had as the bar was going up and as it slowed my eyes closed and I could feel my whole body working to push it.  My eyes opened and the bar was up!  As it clanged back into the holder I wondered how much the spotter had needed to help, before I could say anything he said ‘that was all you.’  I said ‘you’re not serious, I didn’t do that by myself’.  He said ‘you did, I didn’t do anything to help, I swear!’  Was he for real?  Did I really do that 250 lift by myself?  I don’t think he has any reason to lie to me, so I must have done it!  I still can’t really believe it…wow.

Needless to say, I was pumped for the rest of my workout.  I decided to reward myself by blasting biceps, started with barbell curls 5×5 at 105 pounds.  Last time I tried this I failed on the fourth set.  Last night I was able to complete all 5 sets and still had more in me!  I then did six sets of dumbell bicep work, I got a burn and some great vascularity going in the arms…felt great!  Between bicep sets I jumped rope, doing sets of 100.  By the last set I could barely hold my arms in position and I dropped the rope a couple of times.  Did 1,000 jumps total on the night.

Workouts like last night are special.  There is nothing like that feeling of accomplishment.  Seeing strength increases is even more rewarding to me than the changes in my body.  Four more workouts to go on the Bench Program, don’t have a clue what will happen, can’t imagine it getting much better than last night but we’ll see.    

My body has become accustomed to doing physical activity every day.  Last night I discovered that it now DEMANDS that I do something every day!  During most of the year on non-lifting days I still get some exercise by at least walking for 45 min, usually more, with my wife.  Since January started these walks have been hard to come by, the weather has been unusually cold and windy, and the roads are either snow-covered, slushy or icy.  Some of our walks have not been pleasant.  My wife goes alone sometimes during the day when it is a little warmer, but I am usually working and can’t go.  Last night after supper I had four hours ahead of me before bed time.  I’d been sitting down all day, and it was snowing and very cold outside so walking wasn’t appealing or even safe.  I’d been to the gym the night before and lifted heavy, I’d planned to rest until Wednesday, and my traps were very sore.  My options were to go on the computer, watch TV…or do something active.  The way I was feeling last night, sitting around would have driven me crazy!  I just had to do something, and doing some abs or jumping rope at home just wasn’t going to cut it….so I headed out into the snow and cold and made the short drive to the gym!

I did abs, calves and cardio.  Thankfully I was disciplined enough not to do anything for chest, shoulders or back, I wasn’t going to sabotage my bench press workout Wednesday night.  On calves I stayed light and did high reps.  I did twelve sets of different exercises for abs, mostly to failure.  During the workout I jumped rope 1000 times, mostly doing sets of 100. I capped off the workout with 13 minutes of treadmill sprints.  As I changed to go home, I was tired but felt like a million bucks!  I was so glad I did that workout, but like I said, my body was demanding it and I’ve learned to listen to me body!  Post workout I had my usual protein shake and some cottage cheese before bed.  I went to bed and slept like a baby for 8.5 hours!  Today is a definite off day as I prepare for my bench press program workout tomorrow night, I am supposed to lift heavier than I ever have before….stay tuned.