My BodyBlog

I was flexing my ‘guns’ every time I passed a mirror today - mainly because triceps are sore so they are on my mind - and it feels good to flex when they feel this way (maybe I’m weird, I don’t know).  It struck me that my arms are looking big.  I mean, I know they are growing but for some reason today they made me think ‘wow’.  I’m not big on measurements.  I did some in most areas when I set up my profile in Nov’07 but have rarely done any since.  But looking at my arms today got me curious to see if there was a measurable change.  Cold and flexed my arms in November 2007 measured almost 16.5 inches, today they measure (drum roll)….just over 17 inches!  An increase of just over half an inch which is great but more satisfying is the overall definition and look of fullness that I’m getting.  When I get some time I’ll have to update all my measurements to make sure the changes I see in the mirror aren’t just a figment of my imagination!

After a few weeks of ‘instinctive training’ - doing whatever I felt like at the gym depending on how my body felt any particular day - time to add a little structure to my workouts.  I’ve decided to try something new on my journey towards my goal of a 315 bench press.  It’s a workout strategy I got from coopdawg in the ‘Big Bench’ bodygroup.  Chest is worked three times a week, so for most weeks that would mean every workout for me.  A radically different approach from anything I’ve ever done, but it’s worth a try!

Workout 1:

Incline Barbell Bench sets of 12,8,6,4, heaviest weight possible

Decline Barbell Bench sets of 12,8,6,4 heaviest weight possible

Workout 2:

Flat Barbell Bench Press sets of 12,8,6,4 heaviest weight possible

Flat Bench Dumbbell Flyes 12,8,6,4 heaviest weight possible

Workout 3:

Heaviest weight possible for 3 sets of 6 on the 4 exercises used in workout 1 and 2.

Flat Bench Dumbbell Press - A burnout set of 30.

REPEAT!

I’ll give this a try for a couple of months, hopefully I’ll see some strength gains.  I like doing chest so if nothing else it’ll be a lot of fun!

First workout last night, here are the results:

Incline Bench: 135×12, 145×8, 155×6, 165×4

Decline Bench: 145×12, 165×8, 185×6, 205×4

Very happy with these lifts, did not reach failure at any point.  Obviously not the heaviest weight possible, we’ll see how close I am to failure when I add some weight to these lifts next week.  When I arrived at the gym a guy I know was just starting to do incline, I told him what I had planned and so we worked together.  This was fantastic, someone to help load/unload plates, spot me and encourage me!  The tempo of the workout seemed a lot faster than when I’m on my own too.  The last set I’d only planned to lift 195 but I felt so good I left on the 205 that my partner used for his two reps and I banged out 4 reps no problem!  I was having such a good time I changed the rest of my workout so I could keep going with my partner, we did 6 sets of cable crossovers at different angles, then we hit triceps, did pushdowns, skull crushers and kickbacks.  What a burn in my chest and triceps after all this!  I hear people sing the praises of having a good workout partner, I can really appreciate that after last night.  I worked harder at an increased tempo and I remained focused for a longer period.  I got in 2 sets of pullups between other sets, 8 and 8, but didn’t try any more - I know my arms and upper body couldn’t handle it after all the work anyway!  I finished off the workout with some abs.

Feeling great today, we’ll see how I feel when the next chest workout is sheduled, only 48 hours after the first one!

The number 435 has been on my mind for the last two days as I think about what I want to achieve at the gym tonight.  I’m hoping that more than a week’s rest on lower body plus three full days rest on upper body will help me feel strong and energized for the workout.  Last month I did a 432 rack deadlift and pulled a 425 regular deadlift , so I am hoping that 435 is a realistic goal at this point.  Getting stronger motivates me like nothing else, and the workouts when I achieve a new personal best leave me feeling on top of the world.  Only time will tell if this is to be one of those special nights.  I’ll continue writing this post after the workout….

It’s now the day after and I’ll describe my workout.  With deadlift I can usually tell during the warm up if I’m going to be ‘in the zone’ for a strong workout.  As I did 135×10 I felt good, but not great.  I had decided not to use my energy on a lot of reps at lower weight.  I had warmed up on the treadmill for 20 minutes before starting deadlifts so that plus the 135 set should be enough.  I put on two more plates and did just two lifts at 225.  Singles from here on in.  Two more plates and did one lift at 315.  Didn’t feel like I’d used up much energy to this point, should have a lot in the tank for the big lifts.  Next I added 70 and did a 385 lift.  Hard to get this one, oh oh…soldiering on, time for the big one.  Loaded up the bar to 435 and took my time to get prepared for the lift.  I have to say I didn’t have a lot of confidence but I was going to give it my all no matter what.  Finally ready, I tried the lift and I’ll be damned if I didn’t get that bar up past my knees and but try as I might I couldn’t finish it off by standing up entirely straight….I was SO CLOSE!  I tried to finish the deadlifting with a 405 lift but I had no hope, I had used up all my lower body strength and also my focus I guess, I couldn’t get the bar past my knees.  So that was if for deadlifting.  Was I angry?  Disappointed?  Frustrated?….Hell no!  I had just come very close to cleanly deadlifting 435.  435!!  Being in a position to think about attempting this, let alone almost doing it, is an incredible achievement and I never thought it possible I’d even get close to this point when I started deadlifting in November,  2007.  I am excited with my progress and I know that I have the ability to continue improving in the weeks and months to come.  I’ll finish that 435 sooner or later and go on from there!

For the next part of my workout I decided to do standing barbell overhead press, a long time since I’d done these and I wanted to test how heavy I could go.  I set up in the power rack with the safety rods.  Did a set of 95×10 to warmup, followed by 115×6.  Then did a single of 137, followed by 155, this one tied my best lift and I knew I could do more!  I added 10 more pounds and did the 165 lift, hard but still not at the limit of my strength.  But I was content to stop there, I’ll do this again in a month or so and go for more.  I guess all the bench press work so far this year is helping to stenghten my entire upper body, shoulders included!  In between these sets I did some hamstring work, using the lying leg curl machine.  Kept the weight low and did sets of 12.  By the end of these sets, combined with the deadlifting, my hamstrings were very tight.  I expect I’ll feel some soreness later today or tomorrow.

Looking forward to tomorrow’s workout, I start my new bench/chest strength training program.  Stay tuned!

Another off day today but I thought I’d post this, I wrote it awhile ago.

A few weeks ago when I walked into the gym one of the guys who likes to joke around and tease everyone said "Start loadin’ up the plates boys, here comes Tony!"  He teases me like that ever since he saw me doing heavy deadlifts a couple of months ago.  A little later while I was warming up on the bike another guy came up to me and asked if I was going heavy tonight.  Getting noticed for what I’ve been doing at the gym has been happening often to me lately, and it’s more than just comments like these.

I’ve been a regular at my gym for over five years so of course I exhange greetings with other regulars, with some guys it’s developed into chatting about any number of things.  I know this is just socializing and I don’t let it interfere with the workout I have planned.  It adds to the overall gym experience and I enjoy it.  This is a big deal for me because when I first started going to the gym I was very self-conscious about how I looked and how I came across to others.  I would work in the area with the fewest people, avoid eye contact, and avoid conversation, especially with the guys.  I wasn’t an overly shy person as such, just had a lot of insecurities where my body was concerned.  I figured that any guy lifting weights at the gym had to look better than me, be stronger than me, know more about lifting than me….in some way they had to be better than me.  I know now of course some guys were more advanced than me when it comes to the gym…but that didn’t make them any better or worse than me.  The way I used to think about getting noticed, even something as simple as someone asking if I was using a piece of equipment, that made me very uncomfortable.  I’m so glad I’ve gotten past all that.   

I’ve been noticed simply because of what exercises I do.  I do deadlift, bench press and squat regularly and I’ve had numerous people come up to me and ask me about form on these lifts.  Particularly the deadlift, few people do this at my gym, and I often get asked if I find it hurts my back.  My results on these lifts attract attention, especially during those workouts when I lift heavy or go for a new personal best.  Guys have stopped what they’re doing to watch my attempts, they’ve offered many positive comments, they’ve even come over to help me unload the plates when I’m finished.  Lately when I get to the gym and start to set up for deadlift or bench, guys will ask me how much I’m going to lift tonight.

The way I’ve changed my body has gotten noticed.  I’ve had some guys say that they can see that I’ve put on some good muscle.  I often get comments about how much fat I’ve lost by people who saw me when I had a lot more body fat.  Often people don’t say they’ve noticed your results, but you know they do by the other kinds of questions they ask, such as what I eat, if I take any supplements, how often I train, how I train, if I can recommend an exercise, correct form, etc.

Bodybuilding is transforming my body and increasing my confidence and self-esteem.  These experiences of getting noticed have played a big part in my mental and attitude transformation.  I never though it possible to feel positive about getting noticed, but I do.  I think that’s a healthy thing as long as it’s kept in perspective.  I feel lucky to have found this incredible life-altering activity, I look on every workout as an experience to be relished and appreciated to the fullest, and I see my body as a gift that can allow me to live a higher quality of life for a longer time as long as I respect it by treating it right. 

I remember when I noticed big or strong lifters at my gym…I admired them for their accomplishment, I noted how they worked out, I listened to what they were saying to others to see if it could help me….I even asked a few questions when I felt confident enough.  I guess you could say they were role models that I wanted to emulate.  So now I’m thinking…is that how some guys might see me?  Are any of the guys I’m interacting with see me as a roll model, see my accomplishements as something they want to do?  If that’s the case its nice that I might be able to inspire someone, but it’s also a big responsibility.  When I share information with people because of what I do or say I feel a responsibility to get it right.  My knowledge is limited to my own reading and experiences, and that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to a lot of people.  But in the small community where I live I probably know more most about bodybuilding and nutrition.  The last thing I want to do is tell someone something that’s not right which might lead to them getting injured.  So I’m careful about what I say, and I encourage people to try things but always stress that learning the proper form for an exercise is always more important than lifting heavy weight, that will come in time.

To summarize and finish this long post:  I’m getting noticed, it makes me feel good, I may be becoming a role model for others, I want to help other lifters, I love my bodybuilding lifestyle! 

The pull-ups, seated cable rows and clean & presses on Sunday left me with some back and shoulder soreness going into last night’s workout.  I wanted to do flat bench press with sets of 12,8,6, and 4 as a trial run for my soon-to-start bench/chest routine.  Did a little stretching to warm-up, soreness wasn’t as noticable as it was all day.  Did a warm-up set of 135×6.  My set of 12 was at 155, no problem to finish this so I can move a little higher next time.  Next set was 185×8 and once again I think I can handle a little more weight for 8 reps.  For 6 reps I used 210, I’ve done 5 reps with this weight before but not 6.  I finished the last rep but it was hard!  For my set of 4 I tried 225, but I didn’t really expect to complete it given the soreness and having already done 32 reps.  I got a spotter and did 2 reps myself, the third I needed a little push and I stopped there.  I’ve done a solid 225×3 before so I know I am close to 225×4 given the right circumstances, but they weren’t there last night.  Anyway, mission accomplished and I have a good feel for where to start my new routine next week.

I moved on to biceps, I wanted to try 5×5 barbell curl at the next weight up for me, 110.  The sets were hard, but I did it!  Finished the workout with some calves and forearms work, and a few burn-out sets for biceps.  No cardio last night, I’m trying to give legs a good break leading up to some heavy deadlifts and squatting in a few days!  Next week I’ll refocus on HIIT along with the bench/chest routine.

As I write this at 3pm in the afternoon, I don’t know if I’ll get to the gym today.  We had a huge dumping of snow yesterday, our two vehicles are blocked in and our snow plough guy doesn’t know what time he’ll get to us.  I spent an hour shovelling pathways to our two back doors, normally would take much less time but the snow was heavy with a hard icy crust.  I shouldn’t complain though, we’ve had a lot less snow this winter than most.  It’s just a pain to get so much snow this late in the season after having nothing on the ground for all of March.  So as I wait for the plough I’m doing some work in my office getting ready for a two hour drive in the morning and then client meetings all day.

I haven’t been too sore from my chest/shoulder workout Friday night.  Although I did a lot of sets for chest, I hit the pecs from all different angles so maybe that’s why no soreness?  THE PLOUGH HAS ARRIVED!  I’ll be able to get to the gym!  I’ll stop this post for now and get my work done so I’ll have plenty of time for my workout….

…I’m back!  I worked for an hour in my office followed by another 15 minutes of shovelling to tidy up a little, then I headed for the gym.  It was not a great workout, but not a poor one either.  I started with pullups, did sets of 8,7,8,8,6.  Pretty decent I guess.  I did 7 sets of barbell shrugs for traps, and 4 sets of light seated cable rows.  In between some of these sets I managed to bang out 3 sets of clean and press x6 with 90 pounds including the bar.  At the end I did 9 sets for abs, and during the workout I managed 430 jump rope reps.  By the end I was totally drained.

This was one of those days when I could have easily skipped the gym based on general fatigue and the justification that I’d done something (the shovelling) and deserved a rest.  But I just couldn’t do that.  It’s impossible to feel on top of your game going into every workout, sometimes you just gotta suck it up and get on with it.  It’s these workouts that really make a difference in the long run.  When it all comes together and you have an intense and strong workout, or lift that new personal best, you remember days like this and know that in spite of how you may have felt you were building the foundation for your future success.

Al’s motto applies to this workout more than any other I’ve done lately, so I’ll borrow it and end by saying "Just getting to the gym IS a successful workout!" ;) How true! 

Motivation was high going into last evening’s workout, I’d had a stressful week at work and since I can’t take it out on my clients I’ll take it out on the iron!  One goal for this workout was to determine what weight I should start at on certain exercises when I start a new chest/bench routine soon.  However I started with flat bench dumbbell press, I wanted to see how heavy I could go on this.  For a warmup I did 12 minutes walking on the treadmill, a little stretching, and a set of pushups.  First set of flat bench was a warm-up 22×12.  Then did working set 56×12 and 80×8.  Felt great, time to pick up the big boys.  Not a soul in the gym to spot me last night so it was just me and the 100 pounders.  The hardest part dealing with these is getting them up into position for the presses, but I managed to do it and then do 2 reps!  Took a lot of effort but I’m very happy with it.

Moved on to incline barbell bench.  I need to determine the highest weight that I can use for sets of 12,8,6 and 4.  Started with 135×12, barely got them done.  Next weight was 155, could only do 4, not 8.  Finished off with 165×2.  I thought I was stronger on incline bench, maybe the dumbbell presses took so much out of me I couldn’t lift well here.  Oh well, no biggie.

Next exercise was decline barbell bench.  My gym doesn’t have an decline bench press station, so to do the exercise you have to set up the decline bench in the power rack and set the holders to the correct height for the bar.  I’d only done this a couple of times before, it’s a lot of bother and I’d usually just do decline dumbbell press instead.  The weight I could handle on this exercise was a complete mystery, should it be more, less or about the same as inclinde bench press?  I did a warmup with the bar only to make sure I was comfortable with how I had everything positioned.  I loaded up to 135 and to my surprise did 12 reps with no problem at all.  I followed this with 155×8, 177×6 and 187×5.  I had more to give on each set but I didn’t push it since I had no spotter.  I appear to be considerably stronger on decline than incline.  Is this normal or am I some freak of nature?  Should be fun to see how heavy I can push these in the weeks to come!

Moved on to the final exercise required by the new routine - flat dumbbell flyes.  It’s been literally a couple of years since I’d gone heavy on these and I had no idea how much weight to use.  I expected to struggle since these were after all the presses.  I did 37×12 with no problem, then 45×8, 56×6, and finally 65 x4.  I feel I can go even a little higher on all these sets, this was a great surprise to me!

I finished off my chest workout with 3 sets of cable crossovers to failure at different angles.  Felt great!  In between sets of presses I’d also done 12 sets for shoulders, supersetting, using dumbbells, machines and cables, all sets to 12 reps.  Needless to say at the end of this workout my chest, shoulders and even triceps were begging for mercy .  No cardio tonight.  I’d had a long walk before going to the gym.  I’m giving my legs an extra rest, I just felt they needed it.  I’ll probably do some squats next workout though.

A great workout, and I have a good idea where I should start on all exercises that I’ll be using when I start the new chest routine - flat, incline and decline bench press, flat bench flyes…should be a blast!

Off days and adequate rest are essential for the bodybuilder who trains frequently with heavy weight and compound lifts.  This is what I’ve read and now I know it’s true first hand.  This year I’ve done compound lifts almost every workout and I’ve challenged myself to lift heavier than ever before.  I find this a lot more taxing on my body than doing a split with isolation exercises.  I’m working out 3 times a week which seems to be the maximum I can handle with the type of training I’m doing.  A couple of times I’ve done an extra workout and it shows up in my strength and energy level.

I am really happy with how I am looking and feeling these days so I know my training is working.  Every workout results in DOMS in one or two muscle groups and I love it, I know I’m going to grow…but I’ll only grow to my maximum potential if I give the muscles enough time to do it before breaking them down again!  This is where my enthusiasm and love of moving the iron makes it hard for me to stay away from the gym…mentally I’m prepared to go every day and lift heavy, but I know that would be counter-productive to my goals.  This causes frustration which I need to vent, thankfully with spring arriving I will be able to have regular daily walks again, that little bit of exercise really helps me get through an off day.  Today is one of those off days but I already have tomorrow’s workout mapped out in my mind…thinking about it helps get me through!

When I started bodybuilding I never imagined that one of the keys to my success would be simply to have patience.  I think that is where a lot of people go off the rails, they jump right into a bodybuilding lifestyle with high expectations and if they don’t see significant results after a few weeks they start to get frustrated and that leads to a loss of motivation and a gradual (or maybe sudden) slip back into poor eating habits and not working out regularly.  I am far past the time when then could ever happen to me.  Don’t let it happen to you!

Consistently exercising, good nutrition, adequate rest time and patience will get you to your goals.  Never give up!

Going into deadlifts last night I still had some upper body soreness, I wanted to try for a new PR of 435 but as soon as I started my first warm-up set I could feel it probably wasn’t the night.  I soldiered on and did 135×10, 225×6, 315×2, 365×1, and a very hard 405×1.  Looking back, my best deadlifting happens after a couple of days away from the gym.  That wasn’t the case this time.  So what I take away from this experience is the fact that even on an off day I can still deadlift 405 !

Moved on to do a few sets of power cleans, first time this year.  Used light weight, did 95×6, 100×5, 105×4, 110×3, 115×2, 125×1.  Nice change to do these again.

A few guys were doing something they called ‘Bridges’.  A core strengthening exercise, you lie face down on a mat then raise your body so you’re supporting it by your forearms and your toes.  You are basically making your body a raised bridge hence the name.  You then hold this position for as long as possible.  I tried it and it’s hard, by the end your mid-section is shaking with the effort.  I can see how this would strengthen the core and I’ll add some to my workouts now and then.  For cardio I jumped rope 630 times.  A good workout, time for a couple of days rest before hitting chest and back on Friday. 

I had to drive by the gym on a late-afternoon errand so I took my gym bag in case I had some free time…and I did!  In about 55 minutes I blasted biceps and triceps and did a 5 set ab cycle.  Going in my chest was sore from yesterday’s bench pressing but GOOD sore!  Looking back over the past two weeks I have been sore in one place or another.  I am aware of the risk of over-training but I feel I am working out smart, I am hitting a body part hard and then giving it enough rest before I hit it again.  Most times my energy level is high, I am sleeping and eating well, my strength seems to be slowly increasing…I see no reason to slack back at this point.  I think I will know it if I am pushing myself too far.

Deadlifts tomorrow, going for a new PR if I feel ‘in the zone’!