To be honest. I hate the routine that I have follow today. I can’t stand Front Squats. I feel insignificant when doing them and they hurt like a mofo. I wasn’t able to complete my Widowmaker because my wrists just hurt. They hurt bad. They felt like they were going to break off. At such a low weight nonetheless. 

The Hammer curls (both versions) are alright, but I feel like there is nothing to them. I still don’t know how I feel about curls altogether. The only thing that I felt good about was the Romanian Deadlifts. I could FEEL the work happening in my legs and lower back. It felt good at pushing myself. 

Sad is as sad does. Take a gander at the logs if you want down thur.

BeardedFitness earned 480 points for:

• Cross Body Hammer Dumbbell Curl:
  • 25 lbs x 8 (+6 pts)
  • 35 lbs x 4 (+7 pts)
  • 45 lbs x 16 (+13 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Reps went up from 6/4/3 to 7/5/4.
• Front Barbell Squat:
  • 85 lbs x 8 (+32 pts)
  • 125 lbs x 5 (+43 pts)
  • 165 lbs x 4 (+56 pts)
  • 135 lbs x 14 (+59 pts)
  • 135 lbs x 6 (+48 pts)
  • Set 3 was meant to be @175lbs. Set 4 was a miss on Widowmaker, wrists have been hurting a lot. Either tendinitis or the beginning of carporal tunnel. Yay. Finished 6 about 30 secs later.
• Hammer Dumbbell Curl:
  • 15 lbs x 8 (+5 pts)
  • 25 lbs x 4 (+5 pts)
  • 35 lbs x 14 (+10 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Weight went up, no prev reps. Reps are 6/4/4.
• Romanian Deadlift:
  • 125 lbs x 8 (+49 pts)
  • 145 lbs x 5 (+53 pts)
  • 200 lbs x 15 (+94 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Weight went up so no prev reps. Reps are 7/4/4. Back started hurting toward the end, a bit more arch then desired…

I’ve been spending a lot of time with the kids and wife lately and we have been enjoying watching shows and just hanging out. On Monday we got to watch the new season of Hell’s Kitchen start up. A crap ton of stupid people up in that kitchen now. 

Soon, it would be nice to go and watch Captain America. That would be the bomb diggity and stuff. 

Going beyond that, I am just going through the motions at work until I can get home and enjoy the company at home.

So bleh.

Ah, so, back to game plan. Today was somewhat of an uneventful workout. Not much in the PR area and even a drop in reps for the Skullcrusher. Yesteday (Sunday) I went to the park with the kids and we played pretty hard for a couple of hours. A lot of climbing and monkey bar work along with running/chasing each other. I contribute that to the slight lull in PRs for today. Meh, I still pushed all that I could, and ultimately, that is what is called for. The upright barbell row is an interesting exercise. Once I get about 3/4 of the way up, my armpit starts to feel like it’s being pulled. On the heavier weight, I almost have to “shrug” it up to chin level to complete the ROM.

Just git r done. 

The deadlifts today were awesome/painful. As I said in my workout logs from Fitocracy, I felt like I was having better form, and pulling the correct way. This caused my legs to feel like string beans there after and I was glad I didn’t have any other leg exercises post DL. Speaking of logs, thur you go.

BeardedFitness earned 906 points for:

• Barbell Incline Bench Press:
  • 115 lbs x 8 (+47 pts)
  • 145 lbs x 4 (+53 pts)
  • 165 lbs x 14 (+78 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Reps stayed the same. Reps are 7/4/3 from 7/5/2. I failed at 8 reps on first DC set. :(!
• Upright Barbell Row:
  • 35 lbs x 8 (+8 pts)
  • 55 lbs x 5 (+12 pts)
  • 85 lbs x 16 (+26 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Reps are 7/5/4. New weight. Felt okay. Need to work on shoulder strength, felt uncomfortable there.
• Barbell Deadlift:
  • 200 lbs x 8 (+75 pts)
  • 225 lbs x 4 (+76 pts)
  • 285 lbs x 7 (+105 pts)
  • 265 lbs x 8 (+100 pts)
  • Workset (285) went down by 1 rep. I felt like I kept more control of the BB and had better form. My legs are now rubbery.
• Pull-Up:
  • 8.0 reps || weighted || 1.0 lb (+57 pts)
  • 4.0 reps || weighted || 1.0 lb (+23 pts)
  • 16.0 reps || weighted || 25.0 lb (+223 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Reps went up. 7/4/3 to 8/5/3.
• Lying Barbell Triceps Extension (“Skullcrusher”):
  • 35 lbs x 8 (+5 pts)
  • 65 lbs x 4 (+7 pts)
  • 85 lbs x 12 (+11 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Reps went down from 8/5/4 to 7/3/2. I think my grip work was stalled because of playing hard at the playground yesterday.

So this weekend, miraculously, there was a 2 year old’s birthday party. The best part, the kid is Filipino. The day of the carbs is what I am calling it. I also let loose a little and had a glass of wine with the wife at the end of the day. It’s been a while, and that was all that I needed to feel it hit me. Blackstone is good like that.

Then on Sunday, we went to the local Farmer’s Market and spent ~$25 and got enough fresh veggies for the week for all 5 of us. (If you haven’t fed 2 adults  and 3 < 5 year old boys before, let me explain something real quick, that’s cheap. kthxbai)

Beyond that, I have just been enjoying the family’s company and taking extra time after my wife’s surgery to make sure she is feeling better. So, my bad for not posting for a couple of days. Now stop being selfish. Go get you some other knowledge.

So… yeah. Been getting behind on my posts toward the workouts. Spending some time with the wife and kids. Here are the workouts for last Wednesday and Friday. Not much to say, just trying to keep these things a rolling. Just going to leave it at the backlogs for now, and start posting more tomorrow as usual.

July 13th workout.

BeardedFitness earned 741 points for:

• Barbell Bench Press:
  • 85 lbs x 8 (+32 pts)
  • 125 lbs x 5 (+43 pts)
  • 180 lbs x 18 (+86 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Added 10lbs to weight. Don’t think I did too shabby. only 2 away from 20 reps. Reps are 8/6/4.
• Standing Military Press:
  • 45 lbs x 8 (+19 pts)
  • 85 lbs x 23 (+52 pts)
  • Set 2 is DC style. Surprisingly the bar went up with barely any strain. Reps are 11/7/5. Might add some weight next cycle.
• T-Bar Row:
  • 65 lbs x 8 (+18 pts)
  • 110 lbs x 5 (+28 pts)
  • 145 lbs x 21 (+55 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Reps went up from 7/6/5 to 8/7/6. Went above 20 reps, but going to keep the weight the same for now.
• Chin-Up:
  • 8.0 reps || weighted || 1.0 lb (+51 pts)
  • 5.0 reps || weighted || 1.0 lb (+27 pts)
  • 16.0 reps || weighted || 20.0 lb (+181 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. total reps went down by 3 :(. 20 lbs felt like 40 this time around. Reps are 10/5/4 to 8/4/4.
• Close-Grip Barbell Bench Press:
  • 85 lbs x 8 (+33 pts)
  • 125 lbs x 5 (+45 pts)
  • 155 lbs x 14 (+71 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Reps went up from 6/3/2 to 7/4/3.

July 15th workout.

BeardedFitness earned 499 points for:

• Barbell Curl:
  • 20 lbs x 8 (+5 pts)
  • 55 lbs x 23 (+14 pts)
  • Set 2 is DC style. Reps are 10/7/6.
• Reverse Barbell Curl:
  • 20 lbs x 8 (+5 pts)
  • 55 lbs x 17 (+12 pts)
  • Set 2 is DC style. Reps are 7/5/5.
• Barbell Squat:
  • 135 lbs x 8 (+51 pts)
  • 155 lbs x 4 (+52 pts)
  • 215 lbs x 5 (+75 pts)
  • 185 lbs x 20 (+92 pts)
  • Set 1 felt so easy, even dropping low. Same with Set 2. Set 3 was a little rough going so low, but got all up, with sloppiness. Raised wait for Widowmaker, I could definitely feel it.
• Stiff-Legged Barbell Deadlift:
  • 125 lbs x 10 (+49 pts)
  • 155 lbs x 5 (+54 pts)
  • 215 lbs x 12 (+90 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Raised weight to 215, and it hurt after the widowmaker. Reps are 5/4/3.

Today was just a normal day besides one small fact. I stopped eating on a 8/16 hour Intermittent Fasting split. I decided that this is the best for me and my family because at any point in time, I would like to eat WITH them. Dick assures me that getting ripped does not necessity IF. 

Beyond that. I did not have too much of an exciting workout this morning. I like today’s routine because it is relatively light with a nice heavy volume set in the middle. Hack Squats have become enjoyable now and putting it in the middle of the workout allows for mental preparation to bust out those reps. Doing lunges afterward is killer though. I switched from doing a barbell on my back to dumbbells to the side. This felt more safe and it actually worked to be a type of shrug/grip strength training on top. Woohoo. Wednesday will be the first day of the next cycle and a new cycle to make more gains! 

July 11, 2011

• Alternate Incline Dumbbell Curl:
  • 20 lbs x 5 (+5 pts)
  • 30 lbs x 18 (+9 pts)
• Alternate Hammer Dumbbell Curl:
  • 20 lbs x 5 (+5 pts)
  • 30 lbs x 18 (+9 pts)
• Hack Squat:
  • 195 lbs x 8 (+37 pts)
  • 225 lbs x 6 (+40 pts)
  • 245 lbs x 7 (+45 pts)
  • 265 lbs x 4 (+45 pts)
  • 205 lbs x 20 (+51 pts)
• Dumbbell Lunges:
  • 25 lbs x 8 (+11 pts)
  • 35 lbs x 5 (+14 pts)
  • 45 lbs x 15 (+24 pts)

Back to cheat day. Damn I am a fat boy. I confessed to Dick that I overate on all the wrong stuff. A candy bar, some cheese, peanut butter, and anything that you shouldn’t eat while on a cut. This week is time to gain my ground back so I will be pushing my self and my diet as far as I can go. On top o this, Dick has changed my nutrition plan so this will be very interesting how things go. 

I don’t want anyone to think that IF is bad or anything since I am going to a “normal” schedule of eating. It is just that living the family life, grabbing something to eat on the fly (while mitigating the unhealthy stuff, of course) and not having to spend too much time worrying about meal timing or the like is ideal for me. The 8/16 split is awesome if you enjoy planning your meals or time management. Not only that, but it’s quite enjoyable because you almost never feel hungry. 

Speaking of hunger, I found out today that going back to smaller meals definitely makes me have those hunger pains all over again. I know this is just my body getting used to the change in meal timing, but seriously, wtf stomach. Bleh.

Anyways, off to do something else. 

Deuces! 

Get yo fitness on!

Got up. Drank some espresso, downed a glass of whey formula and waited to get started this morning. Good pre game… game. Not much to say about this workout other than the shoulder press was painful. A bit of cheating for ROM, but otherwise, still worked that mo fo hard. The Rack Deadlift felt good during the working set until about rep 7. Then my grip started giving out and even switching to mixed grip felt bad. (I hate mixed grip as my body wants to naturally turn) 

The chin-ups went down, but I am not worried that much about it as I always recover the following week on them. The tricep extensions though, those I need to work on. I really wish I had a good set of dumbbells or at least something feasible to have it work properly. As of right now, I am having to grab 3 x 10 lb weight plates through their hand holds and use that. (The dumbbell I have feels very awkward and the weight slips down/off. 

I am not sure if some of the non progression was due to working out two days in a row or not. That’s alright. I get a cheat day tomorrow and Monday is the last day of this cycle and the day I go back to work. I like being on a routine, and doing so while going to work is always helpful, for me. Looking forward to it. Below is the logs from my workout this morning.

BeardedFitness earned 605 points for:

• Decline Barbell Bench Press:
  • 125 lbs x 8 (+43 pts)
  • 145 lbs x 5 (+46 pts)
  • 175 lbs x 29 (+94 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Reps are 12/9/8 to 13/9/7. Last set was weird, i felt really off balance and had to stop mid set to readjust. Possibly why reps went down.
• Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press:
  • 25 lbs x 8 (+13 pts)
  • 25 lbs x 8 (+13 pts)
  • 50 lbs x 17 (+32 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Raised weight from 45 to 50lbs. Nothing more to say other than it hurt.
• Rack Deadlift:
  • 245 lbs x 10 (+65 pts)
  • 300 lbs x 8 (+76 pts)
  • 285 lbs x 5 (+66 pts)
  • Set 2 is work set, and I had to switch to mixed grip by rep 6 or so. Possibly grip fatigue from workout yesterday and then today. Set 3 was exhausting, probably didn’t give myself enough rest in between.
• Chin-Up:
  • 8.0 reps || 1.0 lb (+15 pts)
  • 5.0 reps || 1.0 lb (+8 pts)
  • 17.0 reps || weighted || 60.0 lb (+115 pts)
  • ooo, Chin-ups got an overhaul! Set 3 is Rack Weighted Chin-ups. Reps went down by 1, before was 7/6/5 to 8/5/4.
• Dumbbell 1-Arm Triceps Extension:
  • 20 lbs x 8 (+5 pts)
  • 25 lbs x 5 (+5 pts)
  • 30 lbs x 15 (+9 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Reps went down from 7/6/5 to 8/4/3. On set 2 of DC, my arm just gave out, couldn’t raise it an inch from deepest spot. Same on Set 3 of DC.

I will say that my life at home was brought to a halt, for a majority of the day at least, by Torchlight. That game is too addictive. The other part was the fact that it rained all day and the kids enjoyed playing outside in the rain. (Fond memories are rushing back to me now) 

Tonight I watched the movie Pandorum with my wife. I enjoyed the movie, even though some things just didn’t make sense. You could tell what the writers were attempting to do for the plot twist(s) so it wasn’t shocking when said/thought things happened. I am not a critic, but if I were to give it a score, I would give it a solid 7.5/10. Something to definitely watch on Netflix one night, with nothing else to do.

Beyond these things, I am tired and ready for bed.

Good night.

Huffa puff, but damn worth it.

The title. Because I can.

Today was the Front Barbell Squat day of shame (until today!). I was able to make the widowmaker and pull out of fear of this exercise. Though, I still don’t like it. The rest of the workout was the same ol’ same ol’. Me going for every rep possible on the worksets and just warming up on the rest. The Romanian Deadlifts surprised me, to be honest. 

I started getting scared for me feet though, during the Pinwheel curls. The dumbbells that I am using are not the greatest in the world. One side of plates would start slipping when I curled up, to the point of hanging on by the cuff. Literally. Same thing happened during the Hammer curls. SOB.

Not much I can do for it right now though. Other things take priority over gym equipment for me. But I will say, that I am still happier in my own at home gym than paying monthly for some other gym. (Godsend!)

BeardedFitness earned 454 points for:

• Cross Body Hammer Dumbbell Curl:
  • 25 lbs x 8 (+6 pts)
  • 35 lbs x 4 (+7 pts)
  • 45 lbs x 13 (+12 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Reps went up from 4/3/2 to 6/4/3.
• Front Barbell Squat:
  • 85 lbs x 8 (+32 pts)
  • 125 lbs x 5 (+43 pts)
  • 175 lbs x 3 (+57 pts)
  • 125 lbs x 20 (+62 pts)
  • Finally F’ing did it. Front Barbell Squat Widowmaker. Felt good. A little sloppy towards the end for form, but still good.
• Alternate Hammer Dumbbell Curl:
  • 15 lbs x 8 (+5 pts)
  • 25 lbs x 4 (+5 pts)
  • 30 lbs x 21 (+10 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Reps went up from 7/6/5 to 9/7/5.
• Romanian Deadlift:
  • 125 lbs x 8 (+49 pts)
  • 145 lbs x 7 (+56 pts)
  • 185 lbs x 27 (+110 pts)
  • Set 3 is DC style. Reps went up from 7/6/5 to 11/8/8. Surprised myself with the reps on this. Going to go 15 lbs heavier next time.

Today was an unusual day. Much like this week, actually.

My wife is getting better after the antibiotic treatment, and because of this, we went out to eat. At Golden Coral.

The first part of me was nothing but grins. The second part of me said “Awww shit, what are we going to do now!” 

I say this because it is the first “practical” application of dieting during the training week outside of my “controlled” environment. I rushed an email and ping to Dick, who wasn’t there (before we started eating, but responded during). I had already had my Post Workout Meal and was over 60% of my macros for the day. Now I was at Golden Coral and trying to take on what was good for me versus what looked/smelled/tasted good.

In the end, I went over my carb intake by about 40-50 grams (which honestly isn’t horrendous since it was all veggies and complex carbs) and fat by about 10 grams (which is not so nice, but acceptable).

So, all in all, it was a good day. My wife feeling better, breaking my issues with the Front Barbell Squat, still getting PRs, getting to eat some good food, and I get to do it all over again tomorrow.

Damn it feels good to be fit.

Today I was supposed to workout. Did not happen. First, it was because I ended up sleeping in way too late (7 AM). Then it was because the kids got up and I needed to start making their breakfast. Then I got a call from my wife (who was in the hospital after some fainting spells and a fever). She was discharged and I needed to go and pick her up.

This left no time until at least 4 hours later to workout with, WITHOUT eating. That would have been minimum of 20 hours fasted before working out. Then I also have my nemesis the Front Barbell Squat too. I couldn’t get in touch with Dick so I made the choice to make today another rest day and eat that way. Thursday and Friday would both bet workout days. 

Will be pushing it hard tomorrow to get my Widowmaker and high reps on the pinwheel and hammer curls. Need to make more improvement with those. Until then, Ciao.

talenstraining:

Recent portfolio of all 16-20 week transformations I’ve been involved with (me and all my trainees).  I’m about to add 3 more in the next 16 weeks.  :)