With 3 kids, working 60 hours and week and cricket coaching at the weekend I can just about squeeze in two workouts a week. I am likely to end up divorced and homeless if I add any more workouts. I was thinking the other day that maybe just a bunch of fast body weight squats everyday might help. I’ll give that a try next week.
Yeah ah don’t do that than 
Not a bad idea. I find that a real mental challenge and difficult to keep up though. Gym is easy because you have your set days and you know that the work you are doing is paying off. Small spurts of BW stuff just feels to me like it’s not worth my effort due to effort<reward. Although if the reward is no DOMS, than it may be worth it for you.
Um solution? Make it a daily habit. Every morning, before anything do 30 squats. Or before you have a shower bust out 2 sets of 20 etc
OMG I just read your response and realised I am turning into my dad!!! He does 20 squats every morning before he cleans his teeth. He has done that for 50 years !!
4 Likes
That’s badass 
1 Like
Use it or lose it! In this case it’s mobility and I highly recommend keeping it as you age. I’m probably going to continue to fail at my pursuit of being a large, strong badass but if I maintain my current physique then I’ll be a badass when I’m 60!
1 Like
Looks like I was right, my DOMS has migrated from my legs up to my upper back and traps. Lower back and delts are ok though which is a big positive for next weeks workouts. Spent a fair bit of today outside running round with the kids and bowling a few balls at my daughter and the boy next door. Was good to be moving with no leg stiffness. Kids cricket tomorrow so will be a few more hours of movement and enjoying the sun shine.
1 Like
Def try adding in a few sets of squats in another day, it does wonders for doms, I used to squat at least 3 times a week and rarely had doms, cut it to once a week and i feared needing to take a shit.
Do you lift at home or in a gym? Best thing I did was buy a power rack, Oly bar and plates to give the flexibility of lifting at home due to time constraints of being a Dad
I lift at home, well actually it’s my neighbours home, he runs a PT and triathlon coaching business from home and has his garage set up as the gym. I get free annual membership and use of the gym when ever he doesn’t have clients. It is pretty much free every evening after 6:30pm so I can do any night. The challenge is fitting it in with children’s karate, basketball, crickey, scouts, school events and mum has a couple of nights a week where she goes to gym also. The kids are too you (4, 6 and 8) to be left alone so there is not a lot of free time. I have a pair of 18kg (approx 40lb) Dumbbells at home and managed to squeeze in a couple of short dumbbell complex workouts during the week earlier in the year. I guess it is time to get back to doing those again.
2 Likes
Yeah time as a parent is always a premium, especially with younger ones, although, trust me, as they get older, they still want running around, our daughter thought we were a free taxi!
Your own gear is a good investment if you have space, I’ve done all my lifting at home in my power rack. Ya don’t need much, a rack, bench, Oly bar and few hundred kg of plates, then you choose the music, can sweat, bleed and get chalk all over the place and no one complain s, and the fridge is close by, haha.
1 Like
Quality
1 Like
Monday 18th December Squat and Bench
Back and abdomen was sore today so wasn’t looking forward to tonight’s workout. Decided to keep the weight down a little.
Squat
Bar x 10
65 x 5
85 x 3
100 x 3 x 5 sets
65 x 25 wanted to do something that made me work hard. Last 5 reps were tough started getting pressure headache and my lungs felt like they were going to pop!!
Bench - band pull aparts between sets
Bar x 12
65 x 5
85 x 3
90 x 3 x 5 sets
Solid pressing RPE 7-9.
Bent over Row
85 x 5 x 5 sets
Hot and sweaty in the shed tonight !! Worked hard and it felt good. I still find doing lower reps for benching odd, maybe it’s the old bodybuilder in me craving the volume and the pump. Pretty sure my chest will be sore tomorrow so still happy.
7 Likes
Merry christmas simo!!!
Merry Christmas to you duke, in hope the family situation works itself out and you have a better year in 2018.
Thanks simo. I hope so too!
Thursday 28th December - Full body burn off Christmas!!
Back has been sore since Christmas Day, probably from the kids jumping all over me. Decided to do a full body session tonight to try and free it up a bit and sweat some of the food and drink out. Kept all rest to around a minute so I really worked up a sweat.
Squat
Bar x 10
65 x 10 x 3 sets
Bench
Push up x 20
65 x 10 x 3 sets
Deadlift
65 x 10 x 3 sets
OH press
45 x 8 x 3 sets
Dumbbell curls 9kg, 1 set 30 reps - 10 x hammer, 10 x palms up, 10 x supinate hands
Feel pretty good now but the real test will be how I sleep tonight and what the old wine rack and Gregory Peck is like tomorrow!!
3 Likes
Last day of 2017 and feeling mixed emotions about the training and progress made in the year. Overall I am pretty happy with the consistency, the effort and my general strength. I am not too happy with my overall condition (definitely worse since tearing my calf and stopping running), and not happy with the couple of layoffs and my ability to juggle training, work and family life. I am winning at ‘not being a fat dad’ but can definitely try harder to win at family and life with the wife. I won’t be setting any resolutions this year but will be focusing on just being better all round. I am settled in the new job so should be able to balance life a little better. I need to start getting out of bed earlier and using the early mornings when I used to run to do something. And I need to train with a little more focus and intensity. Here’s hoping 2018 will be a good year all round.
3 Likes
Tuesday 2nd Jan 18 - Full body
First workout of a new year and decided to do full body again. Body weight 82.3kg so have added a little fat over the holiday period!! Back is still not right so kept the weight a little lighter and kept the rests to around a minute. Turned out to be a good session.
Squat
Bar x 10
Bar x 10
65 x 10 x 3 sets
Bench (tng)
Push up x 20
65 x 10 x 3 sets
Nice speed, good chest pump
Clean and press
65 x 4 couldn’t breath, I need to do more conditioning badly lol !!
65 x 3
65 x 3
65 x 3 took the skin off the end of my nose with the bar knurling !! I must have a big nose, that or I didn’t get my head out the way quick enough !!
65 x 3
Haven’t done these I ages and boy they were tough. Used a bit of leg drive for the press. Lungs were burning by the end. Christmas has definitely taken its toll.
Bent row
65 x 10 x 3 sets
Lower back is still sore and done didn’t really like these.
Dumbbell curls
10kg x 30 - 10 hammer grip, 10 palms up, 10 supinating hands. Nice arm curls ready for summer, ‘suns out guns out’ !!
Really enjoyed the session tonight, just moved some weight and got some pump…quality.
2 Likes
Thursday 4th Jan - Full body
Last workout before getting back into my intensity block. Just wanted to up the weighty a little and do some work. Back still a little iffy so wasn’t sure how this would go.
Squat
Bar x 10
65 x 5
85 x 3
95 x 3 these moved nice
105 x 4 RPE 8, 2nd rep weight moved too far forward but I still got it up ok and the next two were better. Happy happy boy.
90 x 6 smooth nice reps
90 x 8 yay RPE around 7/8 felt good
Bench - band pull aparts between sets
Push up x 20
65 x 5
75 x 3
85 x 3
90 x 3
90 x 3
90 x 3
Solid pressing, Quality.
Deadlift
65 x 8
95 x 3
110 x 3
125 x 3
125 x 3
125 x 3
Deadlifts felt good tonight and my back held together so have to be happy about that.
Oh
55 x 5
55 x 5
55 x 5
Had an absolute ball tonight. My iffy back didn’t bother me, everything just worked and nothing felt too hard. Really pumped to be getting back into the intensity block next week. This is going to be a good year.
Oh I have an appointment with the osteo tomorrow so hopefully a little neck and back adjustment will make everything work even better.
4 Likes
Had a day off work yesterday and spend the day scrubbing and oiling my deck and the raised garden beds. Back was very stiff after crouching for a few hours. Had an osteo appointment in the afternoon.
The good - she didn’t ask me to stop lifting weights or to stop squats or Deadlift, the Bad - basically my spine is straight and has lost its natural curves, when you run or jump the natural curv in the spine allows it to move like a shock absorber but mine is rod straight so it can’t do that. To compensate the muscles around the spins have learnt to lock down to protect the spine. To cut a long story short my lower back and hips are all way too tight, missaligned, and needs a bit of work to free everything up. I also use all the major movement muscles to bend and move and all the stabilisation smaller muscles are doing nothing. Going to need some massage and manipulation and then add in some new exercises to wake up my stabilisation (core - hate that word) muscles.
The ugly- Body pretty sore from being manipulated yesterday so will jump in a hot bath tonight and see if that helps.
2 Likes
Monday 8th Jan - Squat and Bench
Started back on my Intensity block today, decided to go back a few weeks and start it again as i missed a few weeks with my back and Christmas. Had a great session tonight nothing felt too hard and body feels good. Lower back is a little angry bit hoping a good sleep will fix that.
Squat
Bar x 10
65 x 5
85 x 2
100 x 2
110 x 2 RPE 8 rushed the 2nd rep a bit and wasn’t tight but it came up fine
87.5 x 6 x 3 sets
RPE 6 6 7
Bench
Bar x 12
65 x 5
75 x 2
85 x 2
90 x 2 RPE 8 slower than I wanted
77.5 x 6 x 3 Sets
RPE 6 7 fast reps but run out of puff, 6 big breath and brace between reps and they moved nice and smooth
Row
82.5 x 6 x 3 Sets
RPE 6 7 8
1 min between sets
Upright row
25 x 20 x 2 sets, 30 sec between sets - good pump
3 Likes