Work for today, likely last before Christmas. Went with a mate from work and pretty much just worked in with him on everything. Not how I’d normally train but nice for a change. Also found out yesterday that I’ll be moving to a new location again with work, and that it will likely completely change my schedule and my lifting set up, so all plans are totally out the window until i settle in there anyway.
Incline press: 3 x 10 @50kg
Chest cable fly: 3 x 12(?)
Side raises, cable: 4 x 15(?) (Actually really liked these, felt much more effective than db raises)
Cable rows, neutral, close grip handle: 4 x 12(?)
Wide/neutral grip pulldown: 3x 15(?)
Rear delt fly, cable: 2x12
Db lateral raises: 3x10 with 10 sec hold on last rep.
Walking lunges: bodyweight x 50 each side. These were to save me from the dreaded treadmill but also to test out how useful they’d be as a knee/back saving lower body exercise. I think these might have to find a way into whatever plan I make once my move is complete.
Still no plan as everything is still up in the air in terms of what schedules I’ll be working and what gym access I’ll have come the new year.
Work for today:
Bench: 8x3 at 75kg
Kroc rows: 25kg x 25 each side
Deadlift: worked up to an easy 115kg x 3
Squat: worked up to an easy 85kg x 5
Walking lunges: 50 reps each side, in considerably fewer sets than last time. Mostly because I was pissed everything felt heavy
Inbetween sets I did either warm up sets for the next exercise or sets of 3 pull ups.
As mentioned above, today felt like shit, but kind of expected it to. I forget how ridiculously weak I currently am.
I feel like, in terms of a half year/year goal, I should be looking at a very small handful of performance goals. Off the top of my head, a 3 plate bench, 4 plate squat and 15 straight, proper, pull ups seems like it covers a lot of bases and would force me do a lot of stuff I’ve avoided doing before.
4 plate squat by year end
3 plate bench by year end
15 straight pull ups by year end
I think these force me to:
Stay light enough to do the pull ups
Fix my squat mechanics (these haven’t felt consistently right since I restarted lifting)
Get my back and legs strong
Do some conditioning
Do some core work
None of which I’m very good at left to my own devices.
It won’t cover:
Deadlift (although I find it hard to believe if in can squat 4 plates, I won’t also be able to deadlift it with very little extra training)
Shoulder training, which I might try and squeeze in anyway, but probably not to the level I’d like.
No training today, two very poorly babies, but managed to sneak in a before shot last night after they slept.
In terms of diet, I plan to aim for a reasonable calorie surplus most days, especially training days, with 1 or two days of very limited calorie intake thrown in, like today. I have no advanced knowledge of nutrition so will just try it and see how it works out.
Weighing 191.4lbs, so a good 6lbs up from pre Christmas weight, but still probably a good 40lbs down on my starting point around August.
Glad to be back in the gym again. Not how I wanted to start the new year.
Fasted cardio AM: 250ish calories uphill walking while plotting out a basic program for the next however long it takes me to do 12 proper workouts.
PM lifting session:
Had to do this in a weird order and supersets where out of the question. Gym was rammed.
Squats: worked up to 77.5kg x 5. Trying to keep these reps as explosive and forceful as possible so I’m still taxing muscles a bit even doing 5’s PRO.
Bench: worked up to a plus set of 60kg x 18 then BBB sets at 50kg (meant to be 47.5 but there was no way I was going hunting for the small change)
Cable laterals: some
Overhead cable triceps extensions: some
Close neutral grip cable rows: some
Walking lunges: 50 each side
Bench: worked up to topset of 17 at 65kg. Probably shouldn’t have gone for the last ugly, ugly rep, but I wanted a record.
5 x 10 @ 50kg
Cable rows: 5 x 12
Wide, neutral grip pull downs: 5 x 10
Cable lateral raises: ~3 sets of 10
Overhead triceps extensions:~3 sets of 10
Squats: worked up to 5 x 82kg. Felt slightly less explosive than I’d like. I think I was slightly complacent on the form with the lightish weight.
Walking lunges: 75 each leg
Quick workout, had to squeeze it in between other stuff, will try and get the extra assistance squeezed in over the next few days.
Bench: worked up to a top set of 14 @65kg, then 5 x 10 @ 55kg
Squat: worked up to 5 at 85kg. Felt pretty easy and snappy, however form looked fooking awful. No idea why, I wasn’t finding it difficult to move the weight at all and was still getting a good plate rattle when I hit the top. I guess I’ll just ignore it and carry on as planned for now.
100 walking lunges each leg along the seafront, probably more like 110 trying to dodge tourists.
Weigh in earlier this week at 187.2lbs, so Christmas weight definitely gone, even with slightly sloppy eating, slightly lax workouts and basically no sleep. Excited to see what I can do when I tighten these things up
Cable rows: some of
Pulldowns (Not neutral grip unfortunately, new gym doesn’t have one) superset with compound row: some
Leaning away lateral raise superset with cable raise: some.
Pm workout
10 rounds of 10 kb swings, starting with 24kg, going up to 36kg halfway through (ish)
5 TGU either side
Later PM workout:
Bench: worked up to 62.5kg x 18
Then 5 x 10 @ 50kg
Overhead triceps extensions
Wide grip pull downs superset with compound rows
NFL rows
Cable lateral raises
Squat: worked up to 82.5kg for an easy, explosive 5. Knee still clicked on every rep though.
Walking lunges: 125 per leg. These are getting a bit serious now. Might have to rethink some of the later workouts, or just get a lot fitter real quick I guess.
Thank Christ I’m back in the gym. This year has definitely upped a gear or two in terms of challenge.
Work for today:
Bench: worked up to 67.5kg x 12. Thought that was a solid rep PR without killing myself, then discovered I did 14 with that weight not that long ago. Slightly gutted I hadn’t noticed that before because I probably had it in me.
BBB 5 x 10 at 52.5kg
NFL rows
Neutral wide grip pull downs superset with compound rows
Overhead triceps extensions
Cable lateral raises
Squats: worked up to a solid 5 reps at 87.5kg. Didn’t try and explode this week as i was trying to figure out what was causing the clicking in my knees. Still no idea.
Walking lunges: 150 per leg. These are getting ridiculously time consuming. I think one more week, then find a way to cut the time down a lot.
Slightly concerned about the clicking in my knee (right knee especially) on every squat rep. Any ideas on what the issue could be? @MarkKO@T3hPwnisher@ActivitiesGuy
Better not be, I made a promise to the missus not to hurt myself badly enough to need hospital so if i ever do anything too serious i’m going to have to just walk it off and hope she doesn’t notice.
