Chest and triceps

This was my first session training on my own while following Cosmo's programming. There were a lot of different routines and I thought it would be difficult fitting it all in 45 minutes. However, because the weights were light and my rest periods were consequently shorter - no longer than 1:15 - I only just took a bit longer than three quarters of an hour.

Bench press
95lb x 10
105lb x 10, 6

I would have tried one more rep, but I didn't have a spotter.

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Incline dumbbell bench press
40lb dbs x 10
35lb dbs x 8, 8

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Dips - 11, 8, 6

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Cable crossover @ 20lb per side - 15, 12, 12

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Dumbbell bench press - 5 minutes burn

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EZ bar skull crushers @ 45lb - 12, 10, 9

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Two arm seated dumbbell extension
20lb x 8
17.5lb x 9, 8

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Cable tricep extensions - 5 minutes burn

There were some movements where it took me a while to figure out the right weight, but I think I got it right eventually. The only routine I struggled with was the seated dumbbell extensions. I had trouble keeping my elbows in and executing smooth reps. This might have been due to poor external rotation.

Heavy!

Only had time for two moves today.

Bench press - small bench, 6 holes; starting from top/rack
115 x 5
125 x 5
130 x 3
135 x 3
140 x 2
145 x 1
150 x 1 (PR)

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Partial back squats (11 holes)
5 x 30% = 100lb
5 x 40% = 130lb
3 x 50% = 165lb
3 x 60% = 200lb
2 x 70% = 230lb
2 x 80% = 265lb
1 x 90% = 295lb
1 x 95% = 315lb
1 x 100% = 335lb - F

It's been nearly 10 months since I did this last, so I felt like giving this heavy lift another try. I was doing well with these but got cocky on the last squat. The weight I'd planned to aim for was 330lb, not 335lb, but I figured what the hell and added an extra 5lb. I squatted down with plenty of control, but I could only get the bar back up about two inches from the safeties. Bollocks.

Upper body

Elisabeth Akinwale

Light weight, lots of reps today.

Push press - max reps @ 85lb
9, 10, 8, 8, 9

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Bench press - full rom
95 x 10
105 x 8, 7, 7, 6

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Supersets: Lat raises @ 20s / Push-ups
10/16 - 9/12 - 8/12 - 7/10 - 7/10

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Leg hip raises
18, 16, 15

Pulling and pushing

My shoulders were feeling pretty knackered before I'd even started today, and I think that affected my performance. Also, I'd planned on doing cable rows, too, but ran out of time.

Supersets: Pull-ups (strict) and bench presses @ 95lb
10/10 - 11/10 - 8/7 - 7/7 - 6/8

The bench presses were without safeties; i.e. full rom.

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Alternate sets: Power snatches @ 75lb and dips
5/10 - 5/8 - 5/8 - 5/7 - 4/8

No press outs with any of the snatches. These were all relative maxes, so whenever I felt like the next rep would need some pressing, I stopped.

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Supersets: Barbell curls and military presses, both @ 65lb:
6/5 - 5/4 - 5/3

I think these were 65lb; I used the short, straight bar that is used for standing curls.

Full body

Personal training with Paul

"DT" - 5 rft:
12 deadlifts @ 115lb
9 hang power cleans @ 115lb
6 push presses @ 115lb
Time = 19:22

I went waaaay too fast with the first set of deadlifts, which left me breathless too soon. In subsequent sets, I used the light deadlifts as recovery time, taking them at a slowish pace. Also, I made the strategic mistake of not resting before the penultimate rep of each movement so that I could reserve it for the next movement. For example, I obviously needed to perform a deadlift to get to the hang clean starting position, so I should have rested after the 11th rep, then done the 12th as the precursor to doing the first hang clean. Similarly, the push press starts from my chest, which means I have to clean the bar to get it there. I only made that error in the first round. I think Paul was rather lenient on the presses, because the form for some of them was a bit ropey. It's clear I really need to work on my push presses.

Not that it means much, but with most upper body routines, I use approximately 55-65% of the weight Paul uses; with legs, it tends to be closer to 70-75%. This workout was with 115lb and Paul used 155%, so that's around 74%.

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21-style dips - Top half, bottom half, full rom
3-3-3, 4-4-4, 4-4-1, 4-4-1

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21-style bench press
75lb: 7-7-3, 7-7-2
65lb: 7-7-4, 7-7-2

Full body

Alternate sets; 5 x relative max reps
Bench press @ 125lb: 6, 5, 5, 5, 4

Weighted pull-ups @ 35lb: 5, 5, 5, 4, 4

Exactly 60 seconds rest between sets.

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3 rft:
15 dumbbell snatches @ 30lb, left arm
15 sit-ups
15 dumbbell snatches @ 30lb, right arm
15 toes to bar
Time = 18:15

This is a modified version of yesterday's WoD. I tried a light db squat snatch - 20lb - but I didn't have enough external rotation to allow me to squat at a reasonable depth. My arm was too far forward, which meant I couldn't get enough weight in my heels and I felt like I was going to topple over. I decide to go with a straight db snatch at 30lb, but, in retrospect, I could have gone at least 5lb heavier. The level of difficulty for each of these movements was exactly as expected - sit-ups were easiest, all unbroken; snatches were okay, with the first set unbroken for each arm, then with one break in the other two rounds. Toes to bar, however, included quite a few no-reps and several breaks in each set. That cost me a tremendous amount of time.

Full body

I want those arms and shoulders!

I feel much better today, and all the symptoms of overtraining have passed. Even though I only took one extra rest day - last week - and I had a PT session on Saturday, it feels like I've had a long break because I'm so refreshed. Weird. Anyway, kept it fairly short today because of a morning meeting.

Complex: 1 squat clean + 1 front squat + 1 squat clean + 1 front squat
95, 115, 125, 130, 135 (1 sc + 1 fs), 135, 140 (1 sc + 1 fs)

Identical outcome to last time I did this complex.

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Lynne
Five rounds for max reps of:
Bench press @ 120lb (scaled from the RXed bodyweight)
Pull-ups
7/12 - 6/10 - 6/8 - 4/6 - 5/7

This was yesterday's main site WOD. The first set of pull-ups were all strict, and I gradually added more kipping reps as the workout progressed. I took as much rest as necessary between each set, and went to failure every time. If I couldn't complete a rep, that was it for the set. I don't know why I did it, but for the fourth set of bench presses I gripped the bar too wide, and that affected the number of reps I could manage. Here's the official demo video, with some seriously crappy pull-ups.

Upper body

Personal training with Paul

I've been feeling the symptoms of overtraining the past couple of days, and even a bit this morning when I got up. As before, it manifests itself with a flu-like ache in my chest, arms and shoulders. To be honest, I really wasn't looking forward to today's session because I didn't have much energy. However, I thought I might start to feel better once I got warmed up. I actually felt much better after this workout than at the start, and I barely have any of that aching feeling now.

For the record, it's well established that Paul's memory is better than mine, and I did actually train on Wednesday, contrary to what I'd suggested. However, he can't count for shit. Rather than paying attention to the reps I was doing, I think he was picking his lotto numbers.

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Supersets

Incline bench press - 35s x 10, 40s x 10, 8, 8
Push-ups - 16, 12, 8, 6

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Pull downs - 100 x 10, 10, 8, 7
Straight arm pull downs - 70 x 10, 7, 7, 6

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Lateral raises - 20s x 10, 9, 7
Military presses - 20s x 11, 8, 5

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Chest supported row - 100 x 10, 10, 10
Reverse lateral raise - 40 x 10, 7, 5

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For time:
50 sit-ups (strict)
50 Russian twists with 25lb plate (total)
25 sit-ups
25 Russian twists
Time = 7:53

Upper body

I'd planned on doing Fran today, to see how my time compares to the reverse Fran I did a few weeks ago. However, I had a really crappy night's sleep. I woke up in the middle of the night, couldn't get back to sleep, so read some Sherlock Holmes stories for a couple of hours. That did the trick, and I eventually fell asleep again. When I woke up this morning - around 7:30, which is late for me - I felt exhausted, but I thought this would pass after a few coffees and a long shower. When I got to the gym and started warming up with some light squat cleans/thrusters and pull-ups, I was sweating so hard I knew there was no way I'd get through a routine as demanding as Fran. In the end, I decided to do some simple heavy-ish upper body work.

Bench press; 6 holes, small bench
115 x 5
120 x 5
125 x 5
130 x 5
135 x 2, 3

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Supersets, relative max reps
Inverted rows, feet elevated - 12, 11, 10, 9, 9
Dips (strict, no swinging) - 12, 8, 8, 7, 7

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Cable fly curls, drop sets
30s - 10, 10, 9
20s - 8, 7, 6

Full body

First heavy lift for the year; first PR.

Trap bar deadlift, 1rm
6 x 30% = 105lb
6 x 40% = 140lb
4 x 50% = 175lb
2 x 60% = 210lb
1 x 70% = 245lb
1 x 80% = 280lb
1 x 90% = 315lb
1 x 95% = 335lb
1 x 100% = 350lb (new PR)

This actually felt pretty comfortable, although it's clear from the video that my form was starting to go south (curved back). Still, I think I managed to start with my butt low down, which helped me to push up through my heels. This is the heaviest weight I've ever lifted, so felt pretty good. It looked pretty cool, too - three 45lb bumpers on each side!

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Bench press, relative max @ 130lb (large bench, 7 holes)
4, 4, 3, 4, 3

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Pull-ups, max with strict form - 11, 7, 6

Upper body

I felt a bit bleh this afternoon, which is when I had planned to train at the Stonecroft gym. I had an upset stomach after eating a few almonds, which I'd forgotten sometimes make me feel ill. I never used to like the taste of them until a few months ago, some time after I started eating much better. Ironically, I soon discovered that just a handful of almonds would give a wobbly tummy. I ate one this morning, and it tasted sooo good, I just had to eat another dozen or so. Big mistake. Anyway, this consequently affected my concentration a bit while I was working out, so no major successes today.

Alternate sets

Incline dumbbell bench presses @ 35s: 10, 10, 9, 8, 7
Incline dumbbell flies @ 25s: 10, 10, 10, 9, 9

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Incline reverse flies: 15s x 10; 20s x 10, 10; 25s x 10*
Dumbbell snatches @ 35s: 5, 5, 5, 5 (per side)

* I've done these before with Paul, but I can't remember what the proper name is for this exercise.

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Row 1,000m
Time = 5:29

That's 32 seconds quicker than last week. I think I was rowing angry while watching the Southampton vs Arsenal game live on the gym's TV. God, the Gunners were friggin' awful.

Full body

Personal training with Paul

I went to see Skyfall yesterday (Thursday) afternoon, and I made the huge mistake of eating popcorn. From the moment I left the movie theatre until about 10:30am this morning (Friday) I had a heartburn sensation, like a huge burp was fighting to escape! Not a good feeling, to say the least, and I had it throughout today's personal training session. If you heard thunder at about 10:00am today, that was me burping as I walked up Hincks Street after leaving the gym. Yeah, I know that's disgusting, but I feel a lot better!

5 rft:
5 Bulgarian split squats @ 115lb
10 dumbbell bench presses @ 45s
Time = 15:12

Well, that felt a damn sight harder than it should have. I don't do split squats often enough, and I think my time reflects that. My balance was all over the place, and I don't think my front foot position was consistent enough. This will need some work.

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Complex: 3 deadlifts + 3 power cleans (t&g)
95, 115, 125, 125, 130

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50 wide-grip pull-ups
Time = 8:59

Full body

After Saturday's lung-burner, I wanted to start this week with some heavy squats.

Back squats, 1rm
5 x 30% = 65lb
5 x 40% = 90lb
3 x 50% = 110lb
3 x 60% = 135lb
2 x 70% = 155lb
2 x 80% = 175lb
1 x 90% = 200lb
1 x 95% = 210lb
1 x 100% = 220lb (new PR)
1 x 102% = 225lb (to parallel)

I videoed the 210lb squat and had my camera ready for the 100% 220lb squat. I addressed the bar and was getting ready to start the rep, when I realised I hadn't started my friggin' camera to begin recording! I think I completed the squat with good form, so that's a new PR. However, no video proof! Bollocks. Anyway, 220lb felt like I could do even more weight, so I rested 3 minutes then added just 5lb more. I was doing okay until I got down to about parallel, when I felt like I was starting to tip towards my right. I panicked a bit because I thought I was going to topple over, so I stood up. A 225lb back squat is still a decent weight, but it wasn't as low as I was aiming for. Oh, well.

By the way, in the video of my 210lb lift, a bit of black tape that was stuck to my butt fell off. It looks like I shat myself!

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Bench press (small bench, 6 holes)
115 x 5
125 x 5
130 x 3
135 x 3
140 x 1, 2
145 x 0

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Military press, rel max
65lb x 10, 8, 6, 6

That's a drop of one rep in the last set.

Full body

Clever advertising campaign by Nike

Supersets:
Bench presses, max reps @ 125lb - 5, 4, 4, 4, 4
Cable rows, max reps @ 125lb - 8, 7, 7, 7, 7

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For time:
30 x hang clean and presses @ 95lb
10 x burpees whenever I drop the bar (not at the end)
Time = 10:57 (5 breaks/sets of burpees)

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50 strict sit-ups
30 leg raises/hip raises
40 straight leg raises
20 decline sit-ups

A couple of things: I did the leg raises/hip raises before the straight leg raises because the dip station where I do the former was being used. Also, I didn't do any toes-to-bar because all the benches were occupied, so I couldn't get up there! Stoopid short legs...

Full body

If you half-close your eyes and squint, that could be me getting out of the water.

5 rft:
5 back squats @ 165lb (a2g)
5 dumbbell bench presses @ 50s
Time = 7:59

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5 rft:
10 kipping pull-ups
10 plate push-ups
Time = 8:30

That's 1:46 slower than Paul. Bollocks! :-)

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30 straight leg raises

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All of the above was done at ABsolute Fitness in the morning. In the afternoon, I had a 45 minute swim at Stonecroft. It's the first time I've been in a UV pool, which uses ultraviolet light for water disinfection, rather than chlorine or salt. Actually, this was the first time I've been swimming since I started taking better care of myself. I forgot what a good workout it can be.

Full Body

Personal training with Paul.

Reverse Fran
Time = 12:24

That's a damn sight quicker than my regular Fran (15:13), which surprised me. I thought I'd be slower because I'd become more fatigued as I progressed. Perhaps the earlier, shorter rounds allowed me to warm up my muscles more, though.

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The rest of today's session actually felt tougher by comparison.

Supersets:
Incline dumbbell bench press - 35s x 10, 10, 7, 6
Push-ups - 5, 7, 5, 6

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Dips - 7, 5, 5
Push downs - 30 x 8, 6, 5

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Cable flies/curls, drop sets
30s - 10, 7, 6
20s - 6, 5, 4

Pushing

The first thing I thought was: "Nice quads."
What's wrong with me?

Decent start to the week.

Push press - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
85, 95, 105, 110, 115

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Bench press plus 20 push-ups
95 x 5
105 x 5
110 x 5 (4 + 1)
110 x 5 (3 + 2)

I decided to do standard bench presses - i.e. not using safeties - and went with fairly light weights that I was confident of controlling. As soon as I felt a bit of a struggle to lock out with the weight, I racked it and rested a few seconds. That only happened in the third and fourth sets.

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Alternate sets, relative max reps:
Dumbbell flies @ 27s - 12, 9, 7, 7, 7
Dips - 10, 7, 6, 6, 5

I rested exactly 60 seconds between each set/exercise.

Pushing

Team Poppa and the Moo at Saturday's Santa Pur-Suit in Waterloo.
This was so much fun - we finished the 3k in 31:59, 26th in the parent and child division.

A busy day ahead, so an early training session.

Military press - 5, 5, 3, 3, 2
65, 75, 80, 85, 90 (0), 90 (1)

I failed at my first attempt with 90lb - early start, so a bit rusty. I rested a couple of minutes, then tried again.

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Bench press (small bench, 6 holes)
Warm up: 95 x 8, 8
115 x 5
125 x 5
130 x 3
135 x 3
140 x 2
145 x 1

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4 rft:
10 push press @ 85lb (starting each set from the ground, as well as after a break)
10 dips
Time = 8:00

This went a bit quicker than expected. The first round was completely unbroken, and all the other push presses were 6 and 4.

Full body

Short and simple today, due to time restraints.

Alternate sets; 5 x relative max reps
Bench press @ 125lb: 6, 5, 4, 4, 4
Weighted pull-ups @ 35lb: 5, 5, 4, 4, 4

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Superset - front and back squats (a2g)
115 - 3 & 3
135 - 3 & 3
150 - 3 & 3
160 - 3 & 3
170 - 2 & 3

Full body

A bit more elegant than me

Personal training with Paul

Alternating sets
Bench press
95 x 5, 115 x 5, 125 x 5, 135 x 2, 135 x 3 (fourth rep was assisted)

Dumbbell rows
70 x 5, 75 x 5, 75 x 5, 80 x 5, 80 x 5

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For time:
50 hang power cleans and push presses @ 75lb
Every break (bar on the ground) do 10 pushups and 15 jump squats
Time = 10:57

I think I took breaks after the following reps: 14, 10, 8, 5, 5, 8. Edit: 14-10-10-8-8.

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50 strict sit-ups
40 straight leg raises
30 leg raises/hip raises
20 decline sit-ups
10 toes to bars

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At the end of today's workout I weighed myself on the gym's scale. According to that, I'm now 148lb, which is 6lb more than the last time I weighed on my home scale. There may or may not be a discrepancy between the two scales, but I think Paul might be exaggerating when he said I'm getting fat! The evidence in my favour...

Flexin' time

Looking back at all these photos, I can't see too much difference between them, although I do look a bit lighter in the early ones. Other than that, everything looks pretty consistent.