Heavy Deads With Warm-Up

Decided to test the value of an added warm-up today, and decided to keep it — it really helps with mobility and movement issues. I caught a stiff adductor today, luckily before I started my strength session, just showing how important the warm-up is for catching things that may develop into painful issues later on.

Warm-up:
—3 x [8/leg lunges w/15# DB + 30sec/leg single-leg planks]; filler – 6/side bent-over T-rotation
—3 x [12 pull-throughs @ 50# + incline DB press @ 20#]; filler – 10 kneeling rockbacks
—3 x [10 neutral-grip pull-downs @ 75# + 10 Pallof press @ 20#]; filler – 8/side kneeling trunk rotation/extensions

Mobility: hip, shoulder, neck loosening, followed by three 4-position squats

Strength: 1/6/1/6/1/12 deadlift @ 225/185/235/195/235/175

Lower-body static stretching

Notes:
—A complete program like this will take more time in the gym, but I’ve decided that ultimately it’s better for my health. I will strive to achieve mastery in more than just raw strength from now on.

Had to cut my workout short again today, but I had planned a longer-than-usual workout in the first place. I tacked on a cardio routine at the end of my normal Sunday workout, plus I was doing my missed workout from yesterday as well. So, to make up for what I couldn’t do today, I’m going in tomorrow as well and finishing up what was written.

1/6/1/6/1/12:
—Front squat @ 90/75/95/80/95/70
—Standing calf raise @ 170/140/1880/150/180/135

2×12:
—Step-ups with knee follow-through @ BW
—BW calf raises

1/6/1/6/1/12:
—Incline bench @ 90/75/95/80/95/70
—Seated row @ 105/90/105/90/105/75

1/6/1/6/1/12:
—pulldowns @ 150/135/165/135/165/120
—Overhead press @ 85/70/90/75/90/65

2×12:
—Incline unilateral DB raise, neutral grip @ 10#
—Triceps cable pressdown w/rope @ 70#
—Reverse preacher curl w/ BB @ 25#

Deads And Aux

Sticking with the 1/6/1/6/1/12 pattern, focused on deadlifts andvariations today.

Deadlifts: 225/185/235/195/235/175

Seated calf raises: 2×12 @ 85#

Unilateral RDL: 8 per side @ 40#

10-minutes on elliptical

Notes:
—Seated calf raises are absolutely pointless to do a max-effort single with, so I made it rep-based instead to just complement the deadlift movements.

1/6/12

After taking a four-day break, jumped in to the next workout cycle, the 1/6/12 method. It’s supposed to be a well regarded program for strength gain and it appears to hit all the major muscles, so I’m planning on sticking with it over the next five weeks. After that, I want to test out my deadlift again.

Set-rep pattern: 1/6/1/6/1/12
—Incline bench press: 90/75/95/80/95/70
—Seated row: 105/90/105/90/105/75

2×12:
—Flat bench DB fly @ 20#
—Cable rear delt crossover @ 30# (only accomplished 7 first set and 8 second set)

6/8/12:
—Triceps press @ 50/40/30

Notes:
—The rear delt crossover is a remarkably difficult exercise, probably due to the instability provided by the cable. It’s a good exercise, but I may want to scale back the weight.

Finished my current program with a bang; got my grip chewed up in the process. Sunday’s workout was lame by comparison, but that was because I did it at home, which is sorely lacking in equipment. Sunday first, then today:

Sunday:
—5×10 bent medicine ball rows @ 10#
—5×10 half-body weight dips

Today:
—4×10 standing calf raises @ 135# + 3×10 push-ups
—10×4 deadlifts @ 185#
—4×10 hanging leg raises + 1×10 push-ups

Energetic

5×10 Goblet squats @ 15#
2×25 Seated calf raises @ 30#

Tried to do Tabata decline crunch holds (20 sec hold + 10 sec rest) for ten rounds. I gave out after 3 rounds.

20 mins Precor AMT

Last Week Of ABBHP

For some reason today, I kept changing the number of reps I did per set while benching. I guess I just can’t follow instructions sometimes.

Bench press 4×6, 10, 6, 8 @ 95#
Cable row 3×10 @ 80#

10-minutes rowing machine

Notes:
—I’m not going to be on this program past this week, but I really should be more disciplined with the counting.
—I tried to spring-load my body as much as possible to emulate the perfect form as demonstrated by Dave Tate. It’s tough. I definitely need to improve my mobility in a few places, such as my ankles, while building out some more muscle all over to improve my physical stability and support. I definitely felt tighter this time, which is a good indicator of good form. However, there’s a lot of improvement to be had.
—I need to hydrate myself better. I should be able to go longer on the rowing machine.

Solid Lower Body Day

Felt quite energetic and determined in the gym today. Tried out a new exercise variation and decided I liked it. See notes below.

3×10 Standing calf raises @ BW + 135# interspersed w/ 2×10 push-ups
10×3 Deadlifts @ 185# + 1×0 push-ups
3×10 hanging leg raises

Notes:
—I decided to try adding some weight to my regular calf raises by holding a loaded bar at deadlift lockout. Next time I think I could do more weight for five reps but I wanted to start out light. I was surprised at how easy 135# were — I only started feeling it on the second set.
—I was doing push-ups after every lower body set just to maximize my metabolic productivity. I should have avoided them during the deadlifts entirely. But I may consider keeping this up.

Wednesday and Today

Went to the gym with Pree on Wednesday. Her workout for the day covered most of what I needed to do, so I just joined her.

3×8, 45 sec rest
—Cable row @ 60#
—Seated DB press @ 20#
—Stiff-leg deadlifts @ 70#
—Goblet squats @ 15#

Pree:
—Cable row @ 36#
—Seated DB press 2 @ 5#, 2 @ 10#
—Stiff-leg deadlifts 3 @ 20#, 1 @ 30#
—Goblet squats @ 5#

3×45 sec ab plank

20 minutes on reclining bike

Today: Just me
5×10 dips
5 + 4 + 3 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 2 pullups