* doing sets of 10s getting me winded and too tired when i do them back to back on all the other movements. had to be creative and put them in the routine without adding too much fatigue. sandwich them at the start and end of the routine as warmup and backoff with the ramping heavies in the middle. worked alright today.
* been on a slight caloric restriction and now beginning to feel a little weaker. lift numbers are the same but takes more effort now. i do not have enough energy for backoff sets anymore. anything over 495 will crush me. dropped 4-8lb and at 210-212bw. i was 216-220 when i got the 545. that extra bodymass makes so much of a difference.
* only a couple of blue 45s for me this afternoon so went with the yellows. the 505 was a bad idea. the first 2 singles felt the same. it was very heavy for a routine lift before work. i was sweating afterwards. did not grunt but the rep was too slow for a non-fatiguing workout.
* did bare minimum squats, shoulder press and machine rows. the chest press is adding too much crushing fatigue to my back now. need to freshen up. my legs were already strong for back off sets but my core is not very stable.
* resting everything and doing single arm movements for better core recovery. that crushed feeling is still there. i wake up uncomfortable. its not a rounded back strain feeling. feels like a deep tissue massage on the lowerback with a very heavy therapist standing on top of you.
* i get more soreness on the rhomboids doing one arm cable rows more than these heavy seated rows. il keep the exercise selection the same but till add more volumes of the one arm rowing and only use the heavy seated chest supported rows as max weight movement.
5:30am Squats 315-405-495 Shoulders seated shoulder press machine 140-155-170-190x3 | one arm shoulder press 100-100-90, 100-100-80, 100-100-80 5x1 reps per weight per cluster Rows seated row machine 235-250-265x3, 280-295x2 | one arm standing rows 70-80-80x5, 60 10x2 sets Calves seated calf raise 2x45lb 5x2 sets rest Inclined walking 0.75 miles, 15mins 3mph 6-9-12-15-6% waved inclined rest
* 3rd rep of the 190 on seated shoulder press got very slow and i was careless to still finish the rep. now i probably fatigued my back a lot more than i had to. did back off volumes using another machine that allows single arm pressing
11:00am Squats 315-405-315 Shoulders seated shoulder press machine 140-155-170-190x3 rest| one arm shoulder press 100-90, 10x1 sets per weight per cluster. x4 clusters | bw dips 10x1, 20x1 sets Rows seated row machine 235-250-265x3, 280-295x2 rest| one arm standing rows 70-80-80x5, 60 10x2 sets | one arm seated for machine 100 10x4 sets Calves seated calf raise 2x45lb, 2x45lb+25lb 10x2 sets each Inclined walking 0.75 miles, 15mins 3mph 6-9-12-15-6% waved inclined rest
* yup, i strained my lowerback from this mornings very slow 3rd 190 rep on seated shoulder press. did 315-405 like routine but when i was about to eat air on the 495, i felt a whole body shock feeling then suddenly felt the loss of tightness in the lowerback. i tried 315 and yes, my back is shot. the rep was easy but the stabilizing muscles of my lowerback are severely weak. will probably skip the 495 later and hit it again tmrw. its not as bad as it sounds but i don't like feeling broken
5:30pm Squats 315-405-495rest Shoulders seated shoulder press machine 140-155-170-190x3 rest| one arm shoulder press 100 10x3 sets, 110x10 | bw dips 20x1 sets Rows seated row machine 235-250-265x3, 280-295x2 rest| one arm standing rows 70-80-80x5, 60 10x2 sets rest | one arm seated row machine 100x1, 140-160x5 Calves seated calf raise 2x45lb, 2x45lb+25lb 10x2 sets each rest Inclined walking 0.75 miles, 15mins 3mph 6-9-12-15-6% waved inclined rest
* resting lowerback. broke it this morning doing a very slow 3rd 190 rep on the seated shoulder press. very tight now and having a hard time bending over to even tie my shoes. might take aleve to help with inflammation. i'm an idiot for not stopping the rep.
* my physician and wife diagnosed my condition as a strained right lower back and gave me 2 days to recover. i'm back again but did not do anything to harm my recovering back. i got mobility back, almost 80% pain free now on unloaded movements. did not try to do squats or double arm shoulder press to give it more recovery. il do at least 405 this afternoon.
11:30am Squats 315-405-495 Shoulders seated shoulder press machine 140-155-170-190x3 rest | one arm shoulder press 100 10x2 sets | bw dips 20x1 sets rest Shoulders seated chest press machine narrow grip stack#10 10x2 sets Rows seated row machine 235-250-265x3, 280-295x2 rest | one arm seated row machine 100 10x3 sets each | seated row with parallel bar attachment 120-135 10x3 sets each Calves seated calf raise 2x45lb 5x2 sets rest Inclined walking 0.75 miles, 15mins 3mph 6-9-12-15-6% waved inclined rest
* back is not 100% but got a routine 495. there is still some tenderness but it did not bother my squat. had to stop at the 2nd set on the one arm shoulder pressing because of tricep cramps. the volumes of bw dips added a good about of fatigue.
* resting the squats again for better recovery of my lower back. added the hoist seated chest press machine and doing them with a narrow grip for front delt action. the one arm overhead press feels like half of the pressing is done by the triceps. the seated chest feels more delt involvement.
* morning workout felt very good. little back soreness but nothing that stopped me doing routine 495 at my weakest time of the day. did some walking since i didn't spend a lot of time because i had all the machines to myself. very rare that people use the hoise machines.
* started going sets of 10s because im resting my lower back that i strained doing a very slow third rep on the shoulder press. been favoring 10s now because it makes me look bigger. the movement needs more concentration because the sets take longer with more time to screw up the supporting back muscles.
maybe its time to get interested in something else.
daily RVJ
too old. i'll probably train more for health and looks than strength. more inclined walking, more abs, more of the little movements. il have more energy on a workout if i was not squatting with this much intensity this often.
* doing a few days of lowered calories to get my bw back down to low 210s. i got heavier doing the 495 triples. i added more protein shakes and im not very happy how i look being close to 220lb. im very strong but i also look fat on regular clothes.
* very strong on the seated shoulder press machine. will eventually not have enough resistance on this so decided to slowly get my inclined bench going again. i was straining the lower back on the last time i was doing them. i've learned how to brace my lowerback without straining them on the overhead shoulder press machine. same technique should work also on the inclined press.
* skipped the inclined walking today. have work tonight and don't want to get the fatigue of a back to back walking routine. skipping the machine rows in favor of the seated cable row with the parallel attachment. feel better contraction on my rhomboids with this one. the lat pulldown is stuck at the stack #14 because anything heavier pulls me up and tires my knee joints fast trying to keep myself planted on the seats. * did a 495 double because i don't feel any annoying strain on my left knee anymore coming from the seated lat pulldown setup. could have done a triple but that would be too much too soon. investing more energy in the seated shoulder pressing machine.
* did not have 5 plates available. i'm feeling pretty good after a good afternoon nap and strong lunch. added 2 green 25lb on top of 405 and it felt about the same on the top single. decided to go backoffs with it too and the 2nd rep reminded me that this is heavier. stopped at double. did not vid. i don't know why. felt like having a 545 vid makes everything else not interesting anymore.
* skipped the morning workout. 3rd day of lower sleep and a high intensity squat with 505x2 yesterday afternoon. needed to freshen up a little. felt good this lunch time. will be stronger later after another round of good rest.
* left knee almost painless now at lunch workout. still a little awkward in the morning. * adding backup sets to my push and pull using the 3rd resistance. i use 5 working weights with triples on the first 3, and doubles on the very heavy. the last set uses the full stack of the machine. then i backoff with sets of 5 using the middle weight.
* added the seated cable rows using the rope attachment. doing this with 1 feet on the floor and the other on the foot rest.don't want to curve the back the wrong way. squats still fatigued but getting better slowly.
* strain on the left leg around the lower hamstring still there and annoying. squats ok but still being careful. skipped the seated machine rows because those require a heavy planting leg too. i don't like it when i'm being overly cautions on the squats because i'm probably loading my right side more to compensate. thats an injury waiting to happen. il lift better later. more sleep for recovery.
* did not take vid of the 495. i was strongest with this triple. i had enough energy left to walk the weight back to the rack without fear that knees will buckle and break.
afternoon Squats 315-405-495, 545x1
* overslept and woke up 2-5pm. gym reservation was for 5-6pm. got to gym and at least did not wait long for the platform. the 495 was suprisingly explosive coming from a 495x3 a few hours ago at lunch time. no time for anything else anyway so i went for it. figured out that for every rep extra rep i did with 495 adds 10lbs to my total, i should be able to get 525. did the 495 triples consistently for a couple of workouts already, so i could probably get a 4th rep on a very good day. thats 535 total. 10 lbs over total. i plan to re-rack if the weight feels very heavy on lift off. it did not. went for it and it was actually a beautiful rep for a very heavy weight. i can still 495 tmrw. i did not overexert on a broken form. yey. very happy.
* did not have time again to start the workout at 5pm. got there almost 5:30 and only had time for what i did. the 495 was a lot easier than the one at noon. could have 495x2 backoff without overexerting but a triple would be tiring. * just updated log with the added cardio with inclined walking. keeping the pace at 3mph but adding more incline. did a 3min 12% to see how it goes. the treadmill at gym can go 30%. the one i have at home goes to 15%. easier to get HR up using more incline while keeping pace manageable.
3x495, incredible!!! How can i be the only one that thumbed this up, 3 days later. The fuck is wrong with you people!!!
thanks vag. i'm sure that if you've been using a top daily single consistently for 17 weeks multiple times a day, there is a very good chance you can triple that weight on a good day.
late afternoon at home Squats 315-405-495 Shoulders standing press 95-115-135-155x3, | standing cable face pull-rope 100-100x5 Rows seated row machine 235-250-265x3, 280-295x2 rest Calves seated calf raise 3x45lb,+25lb,+45lbx3 rest
* still fatigued from the triple 495 from friday. standing press at home and start building volumes of these. will see if i can continue without tiring my back.
* 495x3 was stronger the first time i did it. i still got a decent 3rd rep but you can tell that my form was beat. * i'm always skipping a calf day because i can't recover fast enough from my routine. il try this one now. lower weight with 3x45lb but with higher volumes to 5 reps and consistent 2-3 sets a workout. i could have added another plate on top but it just fatigues me too fast even with doubles only.
* summer weather high 60s this noon. felt like a very good day to be lifting but cannot lift well because the triple yesterday added too much fatigue. i cannot even double the 200 on the seated overhead press. don't want to grind a rep so stopped at a single. will skip afternoon workouts because i feel tired.
* felt so much better after my afternoon nap. gym goes indoors again tmrw after our county covid guidelines allowed them again to reopen indoor activities. reserved an 11am. the one close by does not have the free weight until thursday but will have a better 5pm-9pm operating hours this time. the one with the elieko plates (24hr fitness) only allows a 1x per day 90min workout with reservation. i prefer to use the one closer to me with the red vtx plates. (the one im going now outdoors)
* used the elieko plate gym on noon workout. don't like that 24hr fitness is limiting to 1 workout per day with only a 60min time slot. adding more of the vertical pulling because the machines are available again.
* did a quick 30 min workout at 5am during a break at work. the gym opens indoors now and it's not very busy at opening time. skipped the heavy doubles because those takes 3min+ rest before the next set.
* thought id be lifting a lot better indoors but it felt the same. my legs are weaker lately coming from the monday heavy triples. it added so much fatigue.
* can go to gym now at 5am opening time and do a blitz 20min routine during break at work. form on the vertical pulling feels very good. the machine top out at 18 but using 16 and heavier starts to tire my legs and back a lot because it pulls me up too much and i spend more energy just keeping myself planted to the seats.
* i slightly stained something non-muscle on the back side of my left knee doing the volumes of lat pulldowns. squats felt a little awkward. did not make the weight feel heavier than usual. its only my confidence when bending my knee. i had to slow down more to make sure everything inside there stays in one piece. planting my lowerbody puts a lot of stress on my knees doing these pulldowns. i have keep the reps low when using the heavier weights. might skip workout later if my left knee still feels broken.
* lat pulldown machine replaced with bw pullups. can't have my knee strained like this. felt like i was doing a calf raise against an immovable resistance trying to keep my body planted to the seats.
* feeling better but not recovered enough for the backoff 475s.
afternoon at home Shoulders seated cable inclined bench front raise with rope 10-20-30x5, inclined bench upright rows 40-50-60x5 Rows standing cable mid rows 100-100x5
* did some work on the cable station at home. skipped the squats. need more recovery on that. the upright rows with the tricep rope is on an inclined bench with the rope in front of me. a lot easier movement for the lowerback compared to standing.
* two days straight of very good sleep and i'm back to strong. did the squat with minimal rest and completed workout in sub 30mins. could have used the full 295 stack on the seated rowing but will save it for later. the volumes of afternoon rowing yesterday added some fatigue.
* skipped the morning workout. had a good nap at lunch break at work but it was a very cold 40s SF morning and i felt like getting more sleep. 475x3 at the noon workout after a 3.5hr morning sleep. slept another 3hr in the afternoon and the 2nd workout was also good.
* not a typo but i got to triple 495 today. i was already feeling very good on the lunch time workout after an 8-12noon sleep. decided to use that workout as a warmup. did the afternoon squats at 5pm after a 2-4:30pm afternoon sleep. the last rep was not a grinder. it was not a one off all out PR set. * i was not able to take a vid because the gym was packed and my camera had no good spot. it will just get trampled too. il get a vid in the next few days after i feel how much fatigue this triple will add.
* legs fatigued as expected but still strong enough to pause the 495 without second guessing myself and squat with the safety pins. will not lift this afternoon because im tired today. il stay home and do some cable work. no more squats til tmrw morning.
* bad idea to use 185 this morning. the last morning had a 185x3. first rep was already very slow. did not even bother with a 2nd and burnout my back. will slowly add more intensity to the facepulls. weight is already maxed out so will increase volume.
* calf raises still shot even with a day off. the standing unsupported rope pulls are adding lots of fatigue. that and the two set of triples last sunday. 475x4 a little better compared to last time i did it. still not confident enough to try for 5th rep because the 4th already slowed down more than i wanted.
* did the squats at garage to save time because gym platform will be very busy at this time. felt a little heavier but getting more comfortable lifting at home.
* was planning on doing the calf raises after the standing cable face pulls but burned my legs planting on that rowing movement. skipped calves. i'm not going to make any big progress in weight on my other exercises so il keep doing these triples for a few more weeks, then go heavier with doubles if that works.
* probably not a good idea to 2 workouts with backoffs on the same day. will see if i can recover with 8hr+sleep and very good diet. shoulder pressing with 185 also gave me a beating on the 3rd rep. this might go downhill fast tmrw.
* squats felt alright coming from a higher volume routine yesterday. coordination is on point. will take it easy today. focus more on little exercises.
* did not fatigue much from yesterday so i did it again. the shoulder press machine with 185 is getting a little easier but not by much. just very happy that i'm not fatiguing my lowerback this time. the resets and mindful arching of the lowerback is very helpful. no pain at all even with some crawling 3rd rep on some days.
* bw 212 and feeling very good this afternoon. one more weight plate on the row machine and machine is topped out. same with the shoulder press. the 185 is getting easier slowly but not going to get another 15lb over it soon.
* getting consistent with the unsupported cable face pull using rope. all are about face height but i adjust the notches 1 up and 1 down just to hit all the angles. feel good soreness on the upper rhomboids/lower traps. all good. i prefer to not overdevelop the shrug-affected area of the traps.
* failed the 3rd rep of 185 on seated shoulder press machine. did not recover enough from yesterdays volume. seated machine rowing now at full stack 295 and i still got to pause/squeeze at the top ROM. can add another 10lb using the moveable plates but this is already a very good top set.
* could have used 265 on seated rows but decided to rest my back more. i used all the way to 295 yesterday lunch so i don't want to tire fast on these. used a longer rope for my face pull and it made the exercise better.
Show Posts
