I guess this arm workout was the great equalizer. Just took my arm measurements for 12.75″ on both arms. However, my initial method of measurement two weeks ago was not as rigorous as the one I used today, so chances are my left arm also grew. Not nearly the results that were promised by the program, but admittedly I failed in some respects with my diet and recovery, so its surprising that I made the gains that I did. Going by a conservative estimate, I’ll guess that I added 1/8th of an inch to my left arm, and 1/4th inch to my right.

Warm-up: light cable rows, 3×10

1 very slow chin + 1×10 barbell curls @ 35# + 1 very slow negative chin

1 very slow dip + 1×10.5 (fail) triceps extensions @ 35# + 1 very slow dip negative

30-minutes on elliptical

1 prone grip pull-up

1 very slow chin-up + 1×10 barbell curl @ 35# + 1×5 barbell curl @ 35# + 1 very slow chin negative

1 very slow dip + 1×10 tri extension @ 35# + 1 very slow dip negative

Notes:
—Because of the line dynamics at the pull-up bar, I tossed in another quick set of curls while waiting.

I was unable to do any seperate warm-up movements yesterday due to traffic, so I just incorporated the grooving patterns as my warm-up. I consequently did two of each of the slow lifts before going in to the higher rep sets.

1x very slow prone pull-up + 1x very slow chin-up + 1×12 strict barbell curls @ 35#
2x very slow dips + 1×9 standing triceps extensions @ 35#

30 minutes elliptical

Notes:
—Can I attribute my strength gains to the creatine supplementation? Or was it the long recovery period I took before starting this program? In any case, I can now do a standard pull-up and a chin-up. I also was able to put in two extra reps into my curls and go for one less with five more pounds on the tri extensions since Tuesday.

Started a two-week arms cycle today. I also took my first arm measurements: 12.5″ for my right arm, close to 13″ for my left. This cycle will supposedly add an extra 3/8″ to both arms. I am continuing with my creatine supplementation as usual to maximize these results and speed my recovery between sessions.

Warm-up with light cable rows, 2×10

1 slow pull-up to groove movement, then 1 very slow (5 conc, 10 ecc) chin-up + 1×10 strict barbell curls @ 35#
1 slow dip to groove movement, then 1 very slow dip + 1×10 strict standing triceps extensions @ 30#

30-minutes elliptical

Creatine Update

Just officially updating my new creatine protocol. What I’m doing is loading at a rate of 10g/day on the weekends, and keeping it at 5g/day on the weekends, regardless of whether I work out or not. The reason is that the first few days I took creatine first thing in the morning, I had killer nausea. It only lasts for about five minutes but it’s like having really bad motion sickness for those five. Eating something spicy usually helps but I don’t always have that option. I just think I could tolerate it better in terms of taking it easy on the weekends, and this way I can also reach my saturation point faster than if I was just going it 5g/day. I’ve also taken out the cycle out or de-load portion, as it just doesn’t make much sense. The whole point of loading creatine is to expand reserves of free phosphate to enhance maximal performance during pure strength or explosive movements. It’s not really a receptor-based thing at all, like caffeine. On the days that I do work out, I’m having my creatine immediately after the workout, or as soon as I can, usually dissolving it in an electrolyte drink lik Clif Quencher. On the other days, I’ve found creatine dissolves well in root beer or ginger beer. I try to have it with dinner so as to avoid taking in so much sugar just before bed, since insulin sensitivity is crap when you’re asleep. That about sums it up.

I Can’t Count

Today was an interesting collection of weight progressions, mostly because I miscalculated, once again, the amount of weight I was putting on the bar between sets. Of note, though, was despite the strange progression, I blasted through my previous bench press max of 115 to place a new record at 135#. So proud of myself. Details below.

Antagonist warm-up of 3×10 seated cable row @ 50#

Bench press warm-up and max-outs:
— 1×8 @ 65#
— 1×5 @ 65#
— 1×1 @ 95#
— 1×1 @ 110#
— 1×1 @ 115, 120, 125, 130, 135#

30 minutes on elliptical (proud of that too).

Finally, I wanted to find out my maximum barbell curl for the new two-week arms program I’m starting next week.

Standing barbell curl:
— 1×10 @ 25#
— 1×7 @ 35#
— 1×3 @ 45#
— 1×1 @ 65#

Notes:
— The warm-up sets were probably unncessary for the barbell curls as I was already warm (read: hot, sweaty, P.O.-ed) and completely drained  from my previous work. I could have kept it to just a few test reps at each weight level.

I didn’t quite update in a timely manner after my last workout. I’ve had a lot on my plate, what with orientations for grad school and such. I decided to end my 1/6/12 cycle a little early, going out with a bang doing maximal deadlifts. I’m now taking an easy two weeks off. For now, I’ve decided I’m not ready to re-attempt a 1RM run just yet, so I’ll hold off for at least a couple months. I haven’t yet decided what workout plan I’m following next. On other fronts, starting next week, I’m going to start my creatine loading process for one week, then maintain at a lower level for about a month, just to see how that turns out. I need to make sure I hydrate myself well, otherwise I might inadvertently give myself even more joint problems than I have now, but I think overall it should be a positive experience. Anyways, Tuesday’s workout:

Warm-up with lunges, planks, kneeling trunk rotations, light pull-throughs and Pallof presses, and knee rockbacks.

1/6/1/6/1/8 – Deadlift: 225/185/235/195/235/170

Notes:
—I wasn’t really feeling the strength portion on Tuesday for whatever reason and I was in general weaker. Perhaps my warm-up was a bit too intense?

Warm-up:
—3×30sec plank + 2×6 bent-over trunk rotations
—3×10 close-grip pull-downs @ 40# + 3×10 incline DB press @ 17.5#

Strength:
1/6/12:
—Incline bench press 95/85/100/90/100/70
—Seated row 100/85/110/95/110/80
2×12:
—rear delt cable row @ 10#/side
—DB bench fly @ 20#
6/8/12:
—skullcrusher @ 50/(skip 8)/30
—incline DB curl @ 25/20/15

Notes:
—Got a little greedy on the incline bench, and paid for it: I had to have a guy help me pull the last rep on 90×6 off my chest.
—I skipped the middle set of skullcrushers because the barbell was missing.

Short Day, New Gym

Checked out the local 24s in my area, and found a good one with a dedicated parking garage in the Hollywood area, on Sunset and Vine. There’s also a little nutrition shop next door worth checking out. I was on a metered spot on the street today, so unfortunately I only had time for squats, but next time I won’t be on any such limit.

Front squats: 90/75/95/80/95/70